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News, tutorials, articles about apps and programs that people use on their computers, smartphones, tablets, and other gadgets.

Evaluate How the Apps & Drivers Installed Weaken the Security of a PC

Evaluate How the Apps & Drivers Installed Weaken the Security of a PC

Everybody knows that installing lots of drivers and software on a computer increases its vulnerability from a security standpoint. As you install stuff, the complexity increases as well as the likelihood of encountering security issues. I always wanted a tool to evaluate how the security of a system evolves while installing software that you plan to use and so far I haven't found one. Luckily,
How to View RAW Pictures In Windows Photo Gallery & Fix Weird Errors

How to View RAW Pictures In Windows Photo Gallery & Fix Weird Errors

Unfortunately Windows Photo Gallery does not provide native support for viewing RAW photos, created with modern digital photo cameras. Also, when trying to view or edit such pictures, you get errors with weird codes like 0x88982f61. If you have a digital camera shooting RAW pictures, then read this guide to learn how to view them in Windows Photo Gallery. The Problem: No Picture Preview
How to Decrypt a TrueCrypt Encrypted Drive or Partition

How to Decrypt a TrueCrypt Encrypted Drive or Partition

If encrypting a partition with TrueCrypt can be a lengthy and painful process, the decryption is a lot smoother and faster. In this guide, I would like to share the steps involved, to make you feel comfortable and confident enough to go ahead with the process. NOTE: In order to decrypt a drive, it must be first mounted by TrueCrypt. If you are working
What is the Performance Impact of System Encryption With TrueCrypt

What is the Performance Impact of System Encryption With TrueCrypt

One of my recent dilemmas was: if I encrypt my computer, how much will computing performance have to suffer because of it? Will there be a big difference? If yes, in which areas? That's why I decided to run some tests on both my computers and learn more about the impact TrueCrypt encryption has on computing performance. Systems Being Tested The tests were made
Experimenting With Natural Language Search In Windows 7 Searches

Experimenting With Natural Language Search In Windows 7 Searches

In my previous two articles, I talked about using Windows Search to find what you want. Some of the terminology I talked about in those articles can look more like Martian than your own normal way of speaking (undoubtedly because programmers who normally use that kind of language created the system). Why isn't there a way to tell Windows what you want to find by
How to Encrypt Your System Drive With TrueCrypt In a Multi-Boot Configuration

How to Encrypt Your System Drive With TrueCrypt In a Multi-Boot Configuration

Many people use TrueCrypt to encrypt their systems and maintain their data as safe as possible. Encrypting your computer when you have one operating system installed and one partition is relatively easy, even with TrueCrypt. But, what about encrypting your system drive when using a multi-boot setup? That's really complicated and this guide is here to help. Prerequisites - What You Must Have Before
How to Sync Offline Files & Network Folders on a Set Schedule

How to Sync Offline Files & Network Folders on a Set Schedule

Did you know that you can set the Offline Files feature in Windows 7 to synchronize network folders on a schedule set by you? I didn't know either, until very recently. Therefore, in this tutorial I will share how to schedule your sync partnerships and have network folders synced when you want to. Viewing Sync Partnerships First, you need to access the network folders
The Layman's Guide to Solving Wireless Network Interference Problems

The Layman's Guide to Solving Wireless Network Interference Problems

One of the most common root causes for having slow and unstable wireless network connections is interference. Many things interfere with a wireless network: everything from walls to the microwaves you use in the kitchen to other wireless networks. That's why I decided to learn more on the subject, experiment with my own wireless network and share what I have learned. In this article, you
How to Use Search in Windows 7 and Customize the Search Index

How to Use Search in Windows 7 and Customize the Search Index

Once upon a time there was a program called Lotus Magellan that made indexing and searching a hard drive astonishingly easy. You did have to tell it to build an index, but once you did that, all you had to do was type in your search term, and Magellan would go through the index, find all the files containing your search term, and display them
How to Disable the Sync Center & Offline Files in Windows 7

How to Disable the Sync Center & Offline Files in Windows 7

It can happen that Offline Files and the Sync Center (mobsync.exe) are active even though you don't use them. If you would like to turn them off and free up resources, this tutorial will show how. How Do You Know Whether Offline Files is Enabled? In Windows 7, Offline Files works together with the Sync Center. When turned on, you will see the Sync
How to Change the Metadata Stored in Executable Files in Windows

How to Change the Metadata Stored in Executable Files in Windows

In another article about the metadata included in files, we showed how to view a file's metadata and how to change it for common files such as documents or images. But what about the metadata included with executable files (.exe,.dll or.ocx)? With the help of third party tools, their metadata too can be changed. This tutorial will show how. Resource Editors for Windows Programs
How to Delete Troublesome & Invalid Shortcuts from the Games Panel

How to Delete Troublesome & Invalid Shortcuts from the Games Panel

The Games panel in Windows 7 is pretty awesome but it does have one issue: after you install and uninstall a few games, you can end-up having leftover shortcuts that are no longer valid and cannot be removed with ease. If you encounter this problem, this guide shows a few ways to remove these invalid shortcuts. The Problem - Invalid Shortcuts in the Games
What is the Games Folder & How to Use It?

What is the Games Folder & How to Use It?

The Games folder is a Windows 7 feature that few people are aware of, let alone understand its complete functionality. This article will try to demystify it and explain in detail what it is, how it works and how it can be customized. What is the Games Folder/Panel? Games is a special type of folder that has its own custom view in Windows. When
How to Burn Labels on the Back of your DVDs with LabelFlash

How to Burn Labels on the Back of your DVDs with LabelFlash

In our previous disc-labeling tutorial, Ciprian mentioned the two types of label-burning technologies: LightScribe and LabelFlash. He covered only LightScribe as such drives are much more widely available. I happen to have a LabelFlash drive and I was able to use this technology a couple of times. Are there major differences between the two types of disc labelers? Is burning labels easier with one than
Speech Recognition: Afterthoughts on Its Strengths and Weaknesses

Speech Recognition: Afterthoughts on Its Strengths and Weaknesses

I have to admit that I hadn't used any kind of speech recognition in a long time when I was asked to do the tutorials. The last time I had tried speech recognition, it was with Dragon Dictate, which was new when Windows 98 was also new. A very long time ago in computer years! I was happy to tackle this subject because I was
Troubleshooting Common Speech Recognition Problems

Troubleshooting Common Speech Recognition Problems

In the previous tutorials about Speech Recognition you learned how to set up this application and the basics of using it. Speech Recognition does work surprisingly well "right out of the box," and it's quite sophisticated for a built-in application. However, this is not to say that it is foolproof. Let's take a look at some of the common problems in Speech Recognition, and how
How to Burn Labels on the Back of Your Discs (CDs & DVDs)

How to Burn Labels on the Back of Your Discs (CDs & DVDs)

Have you wondered if it is possible to burn a label on the back of your discs? Due to technologies such as LightScribe and LabelFlash, it is not only possible but it is also very easy. In this tutorial, I will show how to burn a custom label on the back of a DVD, using a LightScribe capable disc burning drive. The steps involved are
Working with Speech Recognition: Commands, Dictating Text & Browsing the Web

Working with Speech Recognition: Commands, Dictating Text & Browsing the Web

The speech recognition software in Windows 7 is surprisingly sophisticated. Microsoft built into it a lot of features that, at one time, were only available in expensive third-party speech recognition software. Speech Recognition is easy to use, but as with all sophisticated software, you'll need to learn a few basics before you can talk with your computer as fluently as you talk with your friends.