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Tutorials, how-to guides, and blog posts about using Windows. How to use laptops, tablets, PCs, and other gadgets with Windows.

article How long are millions of keystrokes and clicks, in years?

How long are millions of keystrokes and clicks, in years?

When you look at the technical specifications for modern gaming keyboards and mice, you notice that manufacturers provide lifespan estimations like "this keyboard will last 80 million keypresses" or "this mouse will last 30 million clicks." What do these metrics mean? Can you use them to estimate how many years these products last? I wanted to answer these questions, and I have performed some
article SSD vs. HDD: Do SSD drives give you higher frame rates in games?

SSD vs. HDD: Do SSD drives give you higher frame rates in games?

Gamers worldwide purchase SSD drives for their gaming computers, instead of traditional hard disk drives (HDD). SSD drives are proven to be much faster for writing and reading data, but do they also help you get more frames per second when gaming? To answer this question, we experimented using a desktop computer with a popular video card and switched between using an SSD drive
tutorial 5 ways to tell whether a Windows program is 64-bit or 32-bit

5 ways to tell whether a Windows program is 64-bit or 32-bit

Most of the Windows installations today are 64-bit, so most people use 64-bit operating systems and applications. Even popular applications like Chrome, Firefox, Office, and 7-Zip, are using the 64-bit architecture to provide better performance. All this is good but, on a 64-bit operating system, you can run both 32-bit and 64-bit apps. How can you tell whether a program is 64-bit or 32-bit?
review Reviewing Mondly: Learn new languages in a browser or a mobile app

Reviewing Mondly: Learn new languages in a browser or a mobile app

We recently had the pleasure of testing a language learning tool called Mondly. It helps you learn new languages using your favorite web browser or an app on your iPhone or Android smartphone. We love learning new things, so we were eager to see how Mondly works and whether it can truly help you learn a new language with ease. After using it for
tutorial What are power plans and how to switch between them in Windows

What are power plans and how to switch between them in Windows

Using a mobile device is handy, especially when you travel a lot, but these devices are limited by the amount of energy their batteries can provide. For this reason, paying attention to the power plan that you are using and its settings can make a huge difference in how much battery time you have available. Fortunately, Windows 10, Windows 7 and Windows 8.1 provide
tutorial 9 ways to access the power plans in Windows

9 ways to access the power plans in Windows

Windows operating systems have a useful feature called power plans. They are collections of settings that change the way your hardware and software uses system resources. Thus, power plans can make your PC work faster but use more energy, or they can make your PC work slower but save significant amounts of energy. If you are using a Windows device with a battery, power
tutorial How to change your user account password in Windows 10

How to change your user account password in Windows 10

You are probably aware of the risks you are exposed to when you use the same password on all your accounts. Regardless of what type of account you use to log into Windows 10, a weak password can give access to your files to anyone who knows it or can crack it. Therefore, you may want to consider changing it. Also, if your Windows
tutorial How to free up wasted space with Disk Cleanup, in Windows

How to free up wasted space with Disk Cleanup, in Windows

When we want to tweak different aspects of Windows, we prefer to use the built-in tools provided by the operating system. All modern versions of Windows and especially Windows 10, provide some great tools you can use. One such tool is the underrated Disk Cleanup, which allows you to free up space on your partitions and safely remove system files that you no longer
tutorial How to rename a Windows task created with Task Scheduler

How to rename a Windows task created with Task Scheduler

If you landed on this web page, you probably already know how to work with Task Scheduler to create scheduled tasks. Now it may be that you are asking yourself and the internet search engines about a way to rename a task that is already created and scheduled in Task Scheduler. While it may seem a trivial action to some, things are not as
tutorial 11 ways to start Disk Cleanup, in Windows (all versions)

11 ways to start Disk Cleanup, in Windows (all versions)

If you have limited storage space on your Windows 10 PC or device, or if you gather lots of data on it, you might stumble upon issues caused by not having enough free space. In such situations, the first thing you should do is clean the storage of unnecessary files such as temporary files, thumbnails or files that you deleted but are still found
tutorial 7 things you can do with the Disk Management tool, in Windows

7 things you can do with the Disk Management tool, in Windows

Modern versions of Windows come with a handy disk management utility that allows you to create, resize and delete drive partitions on the fly, without having to boot into a particular disk utility or purchase additional software. The Windows built-in tool we are talking about is called Disk Management, and it is quite easy to use. If you want to make some changes related
article Which Windows services are safe to disable and when?

Which Windows services are safe to disable and when?

We would like to help you decide which Windows 10, Windows 7 and Windows 8.1 services are safe to disable and when. While disabling unneeded services can have a positive effect on system performance, disabling the wrong services can have a significant adverse effect on the overall performance and stability of your system. That is why it is often better to change the startup
tutorial 9 things you can do with System Configuration, in Windows

9 things you can do with System Configuration, in Windows

Do you know how excellent the System Configuration (msconfig.exe) tool from Windows is? Although it is a small and somewhat hidden tool, it allows you to change quite a few things about the way Windows works. Among other things, the System Configuration tool lets you configure how Windows starts, change the boot procedure, select startup services, and programs, and also start a series of