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

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
Less Known Tricks about Using the Task Manager in Windows 7

Less Known Tricks about Using the Task Manager in Windows 7

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 about your system's resource usage or your network utilization and how to manage other active users on your computer.
Use Network Files While Offline with Sync Center & Offline Files

Use Network Files While Offline with Sync Center & Offline Files

Even though Sync Center and Offline Files are features present in older versions of Windows, few people know about them, let alone use them. That's why I decided to cover these tools in a mini-series of articles. In this first episode you will learn what Sync Center and Offline Files are, how to access them and the basics about working with them. What's Changed
The Basics About the Task Manager: View, Run or End Applications and Processes

The Basics About the Task Manager: View, Run or End Applications and Processes

I've personally always thought of Task Manager as the manual override button for whenever a computer or one of its programs is acting strangely and I just want to close it or shut it down immediately. But, Task Manager is actually much more than that. It's a Windows function that can provide detailed information about various processes, applications, and the general performance of your machine's
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
Dual-Monitor Annoyance: Mouse Pointer Drifting to The Other Screen

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

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 to do is close the active application window or press the Show Desktop button on the taskbar. How do you
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.
Working with Speech Recognition: Setup and Configuration

Working with Speech Recognition: Setup and Configuration

Computer speech recognition has been around for a long time, and many people have heard of programs like Dragon Naturally Speaking. What many people may not know is that Windows 7 includes its own, very capable, speech recognition program. We plan to cover it in detail in a couple of articles. But first, let's see how to set it up, in order for it to
Windows 8 Apps Don’t Connect to Your Google/Gmail Account?

Windows 8 Apps Don’t Connect to Your Google/Gmail Account?

Do you have troubles with any of these Windows 8 apps: People, Messaging, Calendar or Mail? You can't get them to connect to your Google account and access your contacts, email or calendar? This tutorial will help you solve this problem. IMPORTANT NOTE: As of January 30, 2013, Google decided to drop Google Sync support for their free Gmail accounts. This means that you
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