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Tutorials

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

Wi-Fi

The Layman's Guide to Solving Wireless Network Interference Problems

  • tutorial
  • Ciprian Adrian Rusen
  • 10.07.2012
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...

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...

Use Network Files While Offline with Sync Center & Offline Files

  • tutorial
  • Ciprian Adrian Rusen
  • 28.06.2012
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...
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...
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...

Troubleshooting Common Speech Recognition Problems

  • tutorial
  • Marte Brengle
  • 12.04.2012
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...
DVD

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

  • tutorial
  • Ciprian Adrian Rusen
  • 10.04.2012
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...

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

  • tutorial
  • Marte Brengle
  • 06.04.2012
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...

Working with Speech Recognition: Setup and Configuration

  • tutorial
  • Marte Brengle
  • 29.03.2012
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...

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

  • tutorial
  • Ciprian Adrian Rusen
  • 09.03.2012
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. [DC-SUMMARY-BREAK] IMPORTANT NOTE: As...
Shut Down

How to Stop the Shut Down Procedure from Completing

  • tutorial
  • Ciprian Adrian Rusen
  • 08.03.2012
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...