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 thos...

How to Disable Startup Programs in Windows

The more software you install on your computer, the longer it may seem to take to start up Windows. Many programs add themselves to the list of programs started when you boot your computer, and that list can get long....

How to Disable the Window Minimize and Maximize Animations on Windows

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 ...

Disable User Account Control (UAC) the Easy Way on Win 7, 8, or 10

Disable User Account Control from Control Panel easily.

Walter Glenn Sep 27th, 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 allo...

How to Make Sure a File Is Safe Before Downloading It

If you’re concerned a file might be malicious, you don’t need to download it and rely on your antivirus. You can scan the file for malware with over 60 antivirus engines before you download it—all with one s...

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 back...

How to Middle Click on a Laptop Touchpad

<img src="http://www.howtogeek.com/geekers/up/sshot-2010-08-22-1-18-44-34.jpg" />Most people know that you can use the middle mouse button to click on links in any browser to open the page in a new tab, but sadly not all laptops come with a middle mouse button—but you can simulate it on most laptops by using both buttons at the same time.

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&#8...

Turn on Remote Desktop in Windows 7, 8, 10, or Vista

Lowell Heddings Jul 27th, 2017

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

Lowell Heddings Jul 19th, 2017

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

Walter Glenn Jun 13th, 2017

What Is the Service Host Process (svchost.exe) and Why Are So Many Running?

If you’ve ever browsed through Task Manager, you may have wondered why there are so many Service Host processes running. You can’t kill them, and you sure didn’t start them. So, what are they?...

What Is Desktop Window Manager (dwm.exe) and Why Is It Running?

You are no doubt reading this article because you are wondering why this dwm.exe process is taking more memory than you think it should, and you are curious what it does. Thankfully for you, we have the answer.

Walter Glenn Jun 9th, 2017

How to Make Your Own DVDs from Almost Any Video File

<img src="http://www.howtogeek.com/geekers/up/sshot4cbbf47b11a34.jpg" />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 Do I Know if I’m Running 32-bit or 64-bit Windows?

<img src="http://www.howtogeek.com/geekers/up/sshot-2010-07-12-1-18-38-19.png" />Friends and family members seem to ask me all the time whether they are running 32-bit or 64-bit Windows, and I’ve finally realized that it would make more sense to show everybody how to figure it out for themselves. Here’s the two-step process to find out for yourself.

Lowell Heddings Jun 9th, 2017

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

Have you ever done something on your computer without really thinking about it, but the person next to you has a surprised and confused look on their face? If so, then you might have performed a Stupid Geek Trick. Today we'll show how to open an Explorer window from the current command prompt directory.

Walter Glenn Jun 6th, 2017

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

<img src="http://www.howtogeek.com/geekers/up/sshot-2010-09-26-1-21-32-11.jpg" />Have you ever worried that someone could figure out your password by trying different key combinations? Here’s how you can prevent this by temporarily locking your computer when the password is entered incorrectly a couple of times.

Matthew Guay Jun 6th, 2017

How to Check Open TCP/IP Ports in Windows

<img src="http://www.howtogeek.com/geekers/up/sshot-2010-09-11-1-20-46-32.jpg" />Whenever an application wants to make itself accessible over the network, it claims a TCP/IP port, which means that port can’t be used by anything else. So if you need to use an in-use port, how do you tell what application is holding it?

Walter Glenn Jun 2nd, 2017

Map Any Key to Any Key on Windows 10, 8, 7, or Vista

If you are tired of the way certain keys on your system work, such as the Caps Lock key, you can re-map them to function as a different key by using a registry hack. But there should be an easier way, right?

Lowell Heddings May 31st, 2017

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

Chris Hoffman May 24th, 2017

What Is hiberfil.sys and How Do I Delete It?

You’re likely reading this because you noticed a gigantic hiberfil.sys file sitting on your system drive and you’re wondering if you can get rid of it to free up some space. Here’s what that file is and how...

How to Create a System Image Backup in Windows 7, 8, or 10

The built-in backup utilities in Windows are pretty solid. Let’s take a look at how to create a full backup image of your PC without the need for a third party utility.