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Tutorials and how to guides about using gadgets, hardware, and software.

How to Fix Windows 7 using Startup Repair

How to Fix Windows 7 using Startup Repair

Windows 7 offers by default some interesting tools designed to help you fix certain system problems. I will continue the mini-series on the subject of recovery tools and show how to use the Startup Repair tool to scan and fix Windows 7 boot problems. What does Startup Repair do? Startup Repair is one of the recovery tools in the System Recovery Options menu. It
How to Play Videos and DVDs in Windows Media Player 12

How to Play Videos and DVDs in Windows Media Player 12

Windows Media Player 12 plays video clips and DVDs as well as it does audio files. Video clips in your library will automatically be organized for you and can be played easily with a click of a button. In this tutorial, I'll show how to play imported and downloaded video clips and DVDs. Playing Videos from Your Library Playing videos from your Windows Media
How to Customize File Types, AutoPlay & Default Programs Settings

How to Customize File Types, AutoPlay & Default Programs Settings

One of the things that became obvious after publishing our series on how to set default programs, associate file types and set up AutoPlay settings, is that Windows 7 has limited capabilities for setting all these things. Fortunately for us, there are third party programs, such as the Default Programs Editor that allow you to do all this plus customize context menus. In this tutorial
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
The Network Map - Access Your Network Computers in a Fun Way

The Network Map - Access Your Network Computers in a Fun Way

One of the less known features of Windows 7 is the network map. This feature does what its name implies: it shows you a complete map of all the computers connected to your network at a specific point in time. It was first introduced in Windows Vista and it was kept pretty much unchanged in Windows 7. In this guide I will show you how
An Overview of System Recovery Options for Windows 7

An Overview of System Recovery Options for Windows 7

Sooner or later, everyone has problems with their operating system, no matter the version. When the going gets tough, some system recovery tools come in handy. Windows 7 has a few tools available which can help you when the system no longer behaves as it is supposed to. These tools can be used in the following scenarios: boot errors, upgrade failures or reboot loops. In
How to Burn CDs and DVDs in Windows Media Player 12

How to Burn CDs and DVDs in Windows Media Player 12

Windows Media Player 12 allows computers with built-in CD and/or DVD burners to quickly and easily create audio CDs, data CDs and Data DVDs. This functionality makes creating mix CDs and copying audio CDs for playback in car stereos and other CD players incredibly simple. Alternately, Windows Media Player 12 can burn data CDs for playback in devices that support.mp3 and.wma playback. Windows Media Player
How to Create or Delete User Accounts in Windows 7

How to Create or Delete User Accounts in Windows 7

Building on our article about how to edit user accounts, I will try to complete this subject with a tutorial about creating and deleting user accounts and how to turn on or off the guest account in Windows 7. I'll also explain what is the difference between the available account types and help you understand the usage scenarios and limitations for all available options.
How to Work with Desktop Gadgets in Windows 7

How to Work with Desktop Gadgets in Windows 7

Desktop Gadgets are not something new to the Windows world. They were first introduced in Windows Vista, where they were fitted on the Windows Sidebar. Even if the idea itself was good, it didn't have the success it might have deserved. With Windows 7, Microsoft slightly redesigned this feature and now it is a bit more customizable than before. In this article I will explain
How to Work with the Action Center in Windows 7

How to Work with the Action Center in Windows 7

Windows 7 comes with a convenient way to help you review the state of your system and find solutions to security and maintenance issues. The feature which facilitates this is called Action Center and it is built upon the foundation set by the Windows Security Center, which was first introduced by Windows XP Service Pack 2 and then tweaked by Windows Vista. In this article,
How to Map Network Drives, Websites and FTP Locations in Windows 7

How to Map Network Drives, Websites and FTP Locations in Windows 7

Drive mapping is the procedure through which you can associate a local drive letter (A to Z, as the ones used by your partitions) with an area on another network computer (like a shared folder) or internet location (e.g. FTP site). Using drive mappings can be very useful, especially when working with different operating systems on the same network. For example, if you use both
How to Customize Your Windows 7 Logon Screen

How to Customize Your Windows 7 Logon Screen

We will continue our series on customizing the appearance of Windows 7 with an article about logon screens. Even though now you can customize lots of visual elements directly from the Control Panel, you still cannot change the logon screen. As with previous versions of Windows, you need to use third-party tools for this task. In this guide I will show which tools you can
How to Unveil Hidden Regional Themes in Windows 7

How to Unveil Hidden Regional Themes in Windows 7

At the installation of Windows 7 you are prompted for your country and language. Based on your selection, a group of themes will be installed. Apart from that, Windows 7 will copy on your hard disk some additional hidden themes that you aren't aware of. There are a few hidden themes, considered by Microsoft to be regional themes which aren't accessible in the default list
How to Customize Network Sharing Settings in Windows 7

How to Customize Network Sharing Settings in Windows 7

I will continue our series on Windows 7 networking with an article about how to set your network sharing settings. Compared to older versions of Windows, Windows 7 makes it is easier to set such settings. In this article, I will cover the following: where to find the network sharing settings, how to turn on or off network discovery, file sharing, media streaming, password protection,
How to Connect to Hidden Wireless Networks in Windows 7

How to Connect to Hidden Wireless Networks in Windows 7

I will continue our Windows 7 Networking series with a guide on how to connect to hidden wireless networks. Hidden wireless networks are those networks which do not broadcast their Network ID (SSID). While not that many people use such networks, some have the feeling of a bit more security to have their home wireless network hidden from unwanted guests. In this guide I will
How to Connect to Wireless Networks in Windows 7

How to Connect to Wireless Networks in Windows 7

A growing number of people use laptops, notebooks, and netbooks instead of desktop computers. As a result of this trend plus the growing number of devices such as smartphones, lots of wireless networks appear every day and more people use them on a regular basis. Windows 7 offers all you need to connect to wireless networks effortlessly. In this section we will show how to
The Complete Guide to the Windows 7 Start Menu

The Complete Guide to the Windows 7 Start Menu

The Start Menu is one of the elements which remained unchanged for many versions of Windows. Windows Vista was the first to introduce some major redesign choices, some more inspired than others. Windows 7 marks another evolution but, this time, changes are more subtle. There are a small number of new features and many fixes for the less inspired changes introduced by Windows Vista. In