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Hardware and Sound

Hardware reviews, gadgets, gaming accessories, sound equipment, and more. How to work with hardware, update drivers, firmware, and so on.

Set Windows 8.1 Apps that May Use the Webcam, Microphone & other devices

Set Windows 8.1 Apps that May Use the Webcam, Microphone & other devices

Another useful new feature in Windows 8.1 is that you can set in detail which apps can use devices like the webcam, microphone and others. This tutorial shows how this configuration is performed. As you will see, it is very quick and painless. :) NOTE: The settings detailed detailed in this tutorial apply only to apps from the Windows Store. Desktop applications are not
How to Record Audio with Sound Recorder in Windows 7 & Windows 8

How to Record Audio with Sound Recorder in Windows 7 & Windows 8

Windows 7 and Windows 8 include a great little application you can use to record sounds - Sound Recorder. All you need is a sound card and a microphone plugged in, or a webcam with a microphone built in. Your recordings are saved as Windows Media Audio files and can be played by any media player. To learn how to use this program, don't hesitate
How to Print to a Shared Mac OS X Printer from Windows 7 & Windows 8

How to Print to a Shared Mac OS X Printer from Windows 7 & Windows 8

There are a number of indirect ways that you can trick Windows 7 and Windows 8 into printing from a shared printer attached to a Mac, but the best way to do it is through Bonjour. That's because with every version change - either between Windows or OS X - the process gets muddled and a new solution has to be devised. But Bonjour has
Windows 8 Apps Crash Without Error Messages On AMD/ATI Video Cards

Windows 8 Apps Crash Without Error Messages On AMD/ATI Video Cards

Recently I have encountered weird problems with some modern Windows 8 apps. A few of them (not all) were malfunctioning. When I was launching these apps they never started and, after a second or two, I was back to the Start screen. I did a bit of research with the help of the Event Viewer. It was saying that those apps crashed with the 0xc0000005
How to Install a Windows 7 or 8 Network Shared Printer in Mac OS X

How to Install a Windows 7 or 8 Network Shared Printer in Mac OS X

Installing Windows network shared printers in Mac OS X is easier than it used to be. However, some users will need a bit of help the first time they go through this procedure. To help them out, we decided to publish this detailed step by step tutorial. NOTE: This guide was updated for Mac OS X Mountain Lion (version 10.8). Important Prerequisites - To
Fix HD Monitors and AMD/ATI Cards Not Displaying a Full Screen Image

Fix HD Monitors and AMD/ATI Cards Not Displaying a Full Screen Image

I recently encountered weird issues with my 27" Asus LCD display. When I plugged it in, the image displayed did not fill the whole screen, everything was blurry and it looked like there was something wrong with the monitor. If you have similar issues and you are using an AMD/ATI video card, don't hesitate to read this guide. As it turns out, this problem can
Introducing Windows 8: How to Use the Camera App to Record Videos

Introducing Windows 8: How to Use the Camera App to Record Videos

On the Windows 8 Start screen you will find a small tile named Camera. It is a shortcut to a little Windows 8 app that can be used to record videos or take pictures. Even though its interface is very simplistic, it is not that easy to understand how to set it up and use it to record videos or take pictures. That's why I
Create Free Custom Ringtones for Any Smartphone with Ringtone Maker

Create Free Custom Ringtones for Any Smartphone with Ringtone Maker

Depending on the smartphone you are using, creating custom ringtones for it might not be that easy. Unfortunately, on systems like Windows Phone or iOS, the process involved is a bit more complicated, as ringtones need to meet specific requirements in terms of format, length, etc. But what about creating ringtones, for free, for any smartphone platform? We did some research and we found a
The Geek's Way of Managing Printers - The Print Management Console

The Geek's Way of Managing Printers - The Print Management Console

Have you heard about the Print Management console in Windows 7 and Windows 8? I did but I ignored it blissfully for years. Until recently when, by chance, it stirred up my attention. I began to use it and I loved it. Therefore I decided to share what I have learned with our readers and show a better way to manage your installed printers and
How to Stop the Shut Down Procedure from Completing

How to Stop the Shut Down Procedure from Completing

Does it happen that sometimes, you remember that you need to do one more thing, just as soon as you hit the shut down button? Would you like to find a way to stop the shutdown procedure from completing? Luckily, we have some solutions that can help. Here are the ways you can stop a Windows shut down from completing. Stop the Shut Down
Connecting Smartphones to a Windows 7 PC via Bluetooth Device Control

Connecting Smartphones to a Windows 7 PC via Bluetooth Device Control

Bluetooth connections between computers and other devices are often tricky. The experience varies a lot depending on the Bluetooth chip on your computer, the drivers you installed for it and the device you are connecting via Bluetooth. For example, while most normal phones will connect to you computer as described in a previous tutorial, most modern smartphones will not connect that way. The connection is
Transfer Files via Bluetooth Between Phones & Windows 7 PCs

Transfer Files via Bluetooth Between Phones & Windows 7 PCs

Bluetooth is a big topic on our website as lots of people are searching for a good guide on how to connect their computers with other Bluetooth devices such as mobile phones (smart or not), consoles (PSP) or music players. We had an old tutorial which, even though it aimed to be complete, it failed in helping many people. That's why we decided to update
How to Access A Windows Shared Printer from Ubuntu

How to Access A Windows Shared Printer from Ubuntu

Anyone who utilizes multiple computers in a network with a single printer knows the importance of being able to share resources. In a previous tutorial, we explained How to Access Windows 7 Shared Folders from Ubuntu. However, the sharing doesn't stop there. This tutorial will show how to access from Ubuntu printers that are shared from another Windows computer. NOTE: Article updated to work on
How To Use the Windows 7 Disk Defragmenter

How To Use the Windows 7 Disk Defragmenter

In Windows 7, Microsoft modified the inner-workings of the defragmentation process and redesigned the graphical interface of the Disk Defragmenter tool. This version provides great control over the process and, like previous versions, allows the scheduling of run times. To learn more about what defragmentation is and how to use the Disk Defragmenter click on Read more. How Disk Defragmenter Works and Where To
Importing Pictures from a Camera or Mobile Device into Windows 7

Importing Pictures from a Camera or Mobile Device into Windows 7

Windows 7 makes keeping track of your pictures incredibly easy, thanks to the Libraries feature. But if you want to add pictures from a digital camera or mobile device to your Windows 7 Pictures Library, you'll have to import them. Luckily, this is incredibly easy to do and we're going to show you how. Connecting Your Device and Setting up AutoPlay Options Begin by