Vista Articles - How-To Geek

How to Keep Your Windows PC and Apps Up to Date

We know, updating your PC is a hassle–but it’s essential. New security flaws are discovered on a regular basis, and most companies are pretty good about issuing fixes for those flaws as they crop up. Plugging those holes, ho…

Walter Glenn Aug 13th, 2018

How to Disable the Window Minimize and Maximize Animations on Windows

Windows normally animates windows whenever you minimize or maximize them. These animations can be disabled, if you like, making windows hide or appear immediately. This option is available on all modern versions of Windows, i…

Chris Hoffman Nov 21st, 2017

How to See What Web Sites Your Computer Is Secretly Connecting To

Your PC makes lots of Internet connections in a day’s business, and not all of them are necessarily sites you’re aware connections are happening with. While some of these connections are harmless, there is always a chance tha…

Lori Kaufman Nov 9th, 2017

How to Boost Your Mouse Pointing Accuracy in Windows

From Enhance Pointer Precision to DPI and pointer speed, there are a lot of options that affect how your mouse pointer moves in Windows. The below tips will help you move your mouse pointer more accurately—and even allow yo…

Chris Hoffman Sep 18th, 2017

Which Files Should You Back Up On Your Windows PC?

Your PC’s hard drive could fail tomorrow, or a software bug could erase your files, so backups are critical. But you don’t need to back up all the files on your PC. That would just waste space and make your backups take lon…

Chris Hoffman Sep 2nd, 2017

How to Middle Click on a Laptop Touchpad

Most laptop touchpads make it possible to perform a middle-click, but not all do. In some situations, you may need to enable this option in your mouse driver’s control panel or install the appropriate drivers first….

Chris Hoffman Aug 21st, 2017

The Ultimate Checklist Guide to Reinstalling Windows on Your PC

Reinstalling Windows isn’t as simple as just clicking through an installer. You’ll want to have important data backed up first, and then you’ll need installation media and a product key before continuing—and those are jus…

Chris Hoffman Aug 3rd, 2017

Restore Missing Desktop Icons in Windows 7, 8, or 10

If you’ve previously added or removed the some of the “special” icons like Computer, User, and Control Panel to the desktop—or just want to know how to add them in Windows 10—here’s how to do it.

Lowell Heddings Jul 18th, 2017

Change Your Computer Name in Windows 7, 8, or 10

If you’ve ever bought a new computer with Windows already installed, you might be annoyed by the default name of your PC. Or maybe you’re just ready for a change. Here’s how to rename your PC to whatever you like….

Lowell Heddings Jul 5th, 2017

Run a Command as Administrator from the Run Box in Windows 7, 8, or 10

The Run box is a convenient way to run programs, open folders and documents, and even issue some Command Prompt commands. You can even use it to run programs and commands with administrative privileges….

Walter Glenn Jun 13th, 2017

How to Make Your Own DVDs from Almost Any Video File

If you’ve got a lot of AVI videos in your media collection, you might want to be able to play them on your DVD player—or even more likely, give a DVD to a family member to watch. Here’s how to create your own DVDs easily….

Brian Burgess Jun 9th, 2017

How to Open an Explorer Window from the Command Prompt’s Current Directory

There are all kinds of ways to open a Command Prompt window from File Explorer—and you can even run commands right in the File Explorer address bar—but did you know it’s just as easy to open a File Explorer window from th…

Walter Glenn Jun 6th, 2017

How to Temporarily Lock Your PC if Someone Tries to Guess Your Password

If you’re worried about someone trying to guess your Windows password, you can have Windows temporarily block sign in attempts after a specific number of failed attempts.

Matthew Guay Jun 6th, 2017

How to Turn Off (or Customize) Sound Effects in Windows

Windows plays a startup sound and other sound effects regularly, and they can get obnoxious. They’re especially annoying on Windows 7, where Windows plays a click sound every time you switch folders in Windows Explorer. You…

Chris Hoffman May 24th, 2017

How to Use Different Wallpapers on Multiple Monitors in Windows 7

So you’ve just unpacked that spiffy new monitor, and it sits fresh and new on your desk putting your other little displays to shame. Now you have to give it some sartorial splendor: a kick-ass wallpaper from the online reposi…

Michael Crider May 3rd, 2017

Prevent Windows Asking for a Password on Wake Up from Sleep/Standby

If you’ve configured Windows to automatically log you in rather than having to enter a password, you might find it annoying that you still need to enter a password when your PC comes out of sleep mode. Here’s the fix….

Walter Glenn Apr 27th, 2017

How to Allow Pings (ICMP Echo Requests) Through Your Windows Firewall

When Windows Firewall is enabled with default settings, you can’t use the ping command from another device to see if your PC is alive. Here’s how to change that.

Walter Glenn Mar 28th, 2017

How to Customize the Manufacturer Info for Your Windows PC

If you bought your PC from a vendor, you’ve likely seen the manufacturer information in the “System” window. But did you know you can change it—or even add it if you build your own PCs?

Walter Glenn Mar 24th, 2017

How to Add “Take Ownership” to the Right-Click Menu in Windows Explorer

Taking ownership of files or folders in Windows is not simple. Both the GUI and command line take too many steps. Why not add a simple context menu command that lets you take ownership of any file or folder?…

Walter Glenn Mar 16th, 2017

How to Add an Application to the Quick Launch Menu in Windows

The Quick Launch bar, which was removed in Windows 7, can be added back to the Taskbar in Windows 7, 8, and 10. You can also add any programs you want to the Quick Launch bar and we’ll show you how.

Lori Kaufman Mar 7th, 2017

How to Customize Your Icons in Windows

Personalizing your icons is a great way to make a PC uniquely yours. Let’s take a look at the different ways Windows lets you customize your icons.

Walter Glenn Feb 16th, 2017

How to Encrypt Your Windows System Drive With VeraCrypt

Some Windows 10 devices ship with “Device Encryption”, but other PCs require you to pay another $99 to get BitLocker on Windows Pro for full-disk encryption. If you’d rather not, you can use the free and open-source VeraCr…

Chris Hoffman Feb 15th, 2017

How to Use the BitDefender Rescue CD to Clean Your Infected PC

When you’ve got a PC completely infected with viruses, sometimes it’s best to reboot into a rescue disc and run a full virus scan from there. Here’s how to use the BitDefender Rescue CD to clean an infected PC….

Lowell Heddings Feb 2nd, 2017

How to Make Your PC Shut Down at Night (But Only When You’re Not Using It)

It’s good to to power off your PC when you’re not using it, but do you ever forget and leave it on? Here’s how to configure Windows to automatically power down at night, but only if you’re not using the PC at the time….

Walter Glenn Jan 22nd, 2017

How to Clean Up Your Messy Windows Context Menu

If you’ve ever found yourself right-clicking on something and wondering where all that junk came from, you’re not alone. Want to get rid of the cruft you don’t use, and add some actually useful items to the context menu? You …

Walter Glenn Jan 18th, 2017

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Vista

Which Files Should You Back Up On Your Windows PC?

How to Middle Click on a Laptop Touchpad

The Ultimate Checklist Guide to Reinstalling Windows on Your PC

How to Make Your Own DVDs from Almost Any Video File

How to Open an Explorer Window from the Command Prompt’s Current Directory

How to Temporarily Lock Your PC if Someone Tries to Guess Your Password

Prevent Windows Asking for a Password on Wake Up from Sleep/Standby

How to Allow Pings (ICMP Echo Requests) Through Your Windows Firewall

How to Customize the Manufacturer Info for Your Windows PC

How to Add “Take Ownership” to the Right-Click Menu in Windows Explorer

How to Add an Application to the Quick Launch Menu in Windows

How to Customize Your Icons in Windows

How to Encrypt Your Windows System Drive With VeraCrypt

How to Use the BitDefender Rescue CD to Clean Your Infected PC

How to Make Your PC Shut Down at Night (But Only When You’re Not Using It)

How to Clean Up Your Messy Windows Context Menu

Complete Guidesby How-To Geek

Our Latest Product Roundups

Reader Favorites

More from How-To Geek

Latest Geek News

Reader Favorites

More from How-To Geek

Latest Reviews

Across LifeSavvy Media

Complete Guides
by How-To Geek