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Productivity

What does it mean to use technology productively? How do you use devices and computers with Windows, Android, or iOS? Which gadgets make your work easier? How to personalize the operating system and the gadgets that you are using?

How to Use the Narrator from the Ease of Access Center in Windows 7

  • tutorial
  • Ciprian Adrian Rusen
  • 10.08.2012
The Narrator program, one of several Ease of Access tools, can be used to read aloud text that appears on your screen. This can be useful for people who have vision or language issues and prefer to hear rather than to read. In this article...
Install Windows

How to Install Windows 8 RTM on Your Computer

  • tutorial
  • Ciprian Adrian Rusen
  • 07.08.2012
Windows 8 has been finalized and it is made available gradually through different channels. For those who are new to Windows 8 and would like a detailed step by step tutorial on how to install it on their computers and devices, we have created this...

Experimenting With Natural Language Search In Windows 7 Searches

  • tutorial
  • Marte Brengle
  • 26.07.2012
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...

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

  • tutorial
  • Marte Brengle
  • 07.07.2012
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...

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

  • tutorial
  • Ciprian Adrian Rusen
  • 04.07.2012
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. [DC-SUMMARY-BREAK] How Do You Know Whether Offline Files is...
Task Manager

Less Known Tricks about Using the Task Manager in Windows 7

  • tutorial
  • Ciprian Adrian Rusen
  • 03.07.2012
We would like to finish our coverage of the Task Manager in Windows 7 with an article showing some advanced tricks about how it can be used. The article will include: how to manage active services, identify the processes used by a service, view data...
Windows

Download the Desktop Shortcut to the Windows 8 Start Screen

  • misc
  • Ciprian Adrian Rusen
  • 26.06.2012
I've noticed a growing complaint with Windows 8: the fact that, on the Desktop there is no visible shortcut to take you to the Start screen. Something like "Show Start", just like we had Show Desktop in Windows XP. For a novice user, there is...

Is the Windows 8 Start Screen an Improvement vs. the Start Menu?

  • misc
  • Ciprian Adrian Rusen
  • 14.06.2012
One of the biggest changes in Windows 8 is the fact that the Start Menu has been replaced by the Start Screen and now you have a very different way of launching applications. While the Start Screen is great for making instant searches and launching...
Files

How to Change the Metadata Stored in Executable Files in Windows

  • tutorial
  • Ciprian Adrian Rusen
  • 28.05.2012
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...

How to Delete Troublesome & Invalid Shortcuts from the Games Panel

  • tutorial
  • Ciprian Adrian Rusen
  • 21.05.2012
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,...
Games

What is the Games Folder & How to Use It?

  • tutorial
  • Ciprian Adrian Rusen
  • 15.05.2012
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. [DC-SUMMARY-BREAK] What...

Internet Explorer on 64-bit - Is Browsing Possible and Working Well?

  • tutorial
  • Ciprian Adrian Rusen
  • 14.05.2012
As promised, I would like to continue our series of articles on 64-bit browsing with Internet Explorer. I've used it for a couple of days, tried to find the plugins and add-ons I needed, and evaluate if I can actually make the switch from the...
Dual-monitor

Dual-Monitor Annoyance: Mouse Pointer Drifting to The Other Screen

  • tutorial
  • Ciprian Adrian Rusen
  • 04.05.2012
Having a dual-monitor configuration gives you a pretty good productivity improvement but introduces a few annoyances you don't have when working on a single monitor. For example, it is more likely for your mouse cursor to slip to the second screen when all you want...

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

  • tutorial
  • Marte Brengle
  • 25.04.2012
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...

Speech Recognition: Afterthoughts on Its Strengths and Weaknesses

  • tutorial
  • Marte Brengle
  • 20.04.2012
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...