Repairing, maintaining and upgrading your PC can sometimes be complicated and a little frustrating. Luckily, those in the computer industries love shortcuts! Here you'll find useful tips and tricks to make your PC support activities a little easier.
After an error like a Blue Screen of Death, your Windows PC will, by default, restart automatically. Disable the automatic restart on system failure option in Windows to view the BSOD or other error.
Windows gadgets are small programs that run on your desktop or Windows Sidebar. Gadgets can help you keep track of system resources, provide an interface to your favorite social networking site, and much more.
Configuring Windows to auto login is easy. If security isn't a concern, you can setup Windows to automatically logon to your user account in just a few easy steps.
An administrator password, also called an admin password, is the password to any Windows account that has administrator level access. You might need an administrator password to run certain Windows repair functions.
A password reset disk is a specially created floppy disk or USB drive used to reset your Windows password in case you forget it. A password reset disk is easy to create in Windows 7, Windows Vista, or Windows XP.
Do you choose a local Mom and Pop computer shop downtown or do you visit a well known, national chain PC repair service like Geek Squad? These tips should help you make the best decision.
Before you drop your computer off at a local computer repair service there are several very important questions you should ask. See some of these important questions along with the answers you should expect to hear.
You don't need to be a computer expert to explain your problem to a repair professional. Follow these simple tips to ensure that the person you're paying to fix your computer has a clear understanding what the problem actually is.
Do you take your computer to one of the many local PC repair shops to get it worked on or do you hire an online service to remotely connect to your PC and/or walk you through the solution to the problem?
You should always try to fix your computer yourself before paying a computer repair service to do it. It's much easier than you might think and will save you money and time.
Sometimes you find yourself with a file in a format that no program on your PC supports. File conversion programs can help.
A file with executable file extension means that the file format supports some ability to run additional automatic tasks. Below is an incomplete list of executable file extensions.
You might want to boot from a USB device, like an external hard drive or a flash drive, for many different reasons. Booting from a flash drive is a great way to install other operating systems in a safe environment.
See a yellow exclamation mark next to a device in Device Manager? There are many reasons that a yellow exclamation mark might show up in Device Manager.
Trying to find Device Manager on your Windows PC? You can find Device Manager in the Computer Management utility, the System applet in Control Panel, or you can start it by running a specific command at a command prompt.
Booting to a CD is sometimes necessary to run tools like memory testing and password recovery tools. You'll also need to boot from a CD or DVD if you're planning to install an operating system or run diagnostic tools like Recovery Console.
Finding your current BIOS version usually involves a system reboot. Another much easier way to get your motherboard's BIOS version is from a program called Microsoft System Information. It's already on your PC and it won't require a reboot!
Determining the current version of BIOS on your motherboard usually involves restarting your PC and paying really close attention. An easier way is to find the BIOS version from inside the Windows registry - without a reboot!
Most people create passwords based on things in their life so guessing your own password might not be as hard as you think.
Have you ever needed to open your CD or DVD drive when the power was off? Perhaps the drive quit working but your favorite game was inside. This easy trick will get the drive bay open fast.
Keyboard shortcuts can really come in handy when you're having mouse or display setting problems but still need to navigate around the screen. They can even help speed things up when your PC is working fine. This very thorough list from Microsoft should keep you busy memorizing for a while.
Many of the more in-depth fixes and tips found here and all over the Internet require making changes to the Windows Registry. The registry plays a huge part in telling Windows how to work (or not work) properly so making the right changes and backing up your work are extremely important. This guide from Microsoft shows all.
