Hot Operating Systems How-Tos
How To: Check for a HomeGroup setup on your PC in Windows 7
In this video the instructor shows how to check if your computer has a home group setup or setup one if required. Home group is Microsoft's new way of making networking easier with computers. They allow you to share documents, pictures, videos and all kinds of media between computers that are a part of a home group. Go to the start menu and go to Control Panel. In the Control Panel select the Network and Internet link. Now in the Network and Internet window select the Home group. In this page...
How To: Change your computer password through the cmd prompt
This video teaches you how to change your computer's account password using the DOS command prompt. The first step is to get to the command prompt, you can do this simply by clicking run in the start menu and typing "cmd." You next type "net user" which will show you all of the user accounts on the computer. Choose the one you would like to change the password for and type "net user (account name)." It will then ask you for a new password, you may type anything you like here keeping in mind t...
How To: Create a system repair disc in Windows 7
This video teaches you how to create a system repair disc in Windows 7. Go to Start-All Programs-Maintenance-Create a System Repair Disc. This will help you boot Windows to repair or recover your system after a serious error. Once you click that, Windows 7 will prompt a new window telling you to put a blank disc in your disc drive. Make sure that you do have a blank DVD to insert, for the Windows 7 to create that System Repair Disc. Wait for the process to finish and you have yourself a syste...
How To: Boot your computer in safe mode
A computer’s safe mode is useful when fixing problems or saving work after, say, your hard drive malfunctions. Safe mode can easily be accessed as your computer starts up and is a useful tool to have in your belt.
How To: Use Gadgets in Windows 7
Stuck with the gadgets in Windows 7? Need a little bit of help from an expert? Then this video is for you! In this video you will learn how to add, remove, and edit different gadgets. Did you know you can drag a gadget to your desktop for easier access? This short video will have you using gadgets like a pro in less than a minute and a half! There is also a gadget bar included in Windows 7 for an organized easy way to access your gadgets. If you feel the gadgets you have are not good enough f...
How To: Disable Aero in Windows 7
A video from HelpVids that shows how to disable Windows Aero visual style in Windows 7. Nero makes your windows look more beautiful by adding effects like transparency / translucency, live thumbnails, live icons etc. All these effects however use valuable system resources like memory (RAM) and processor time. This may lead to a noticeable decrease in performance in some PC configurations especially those in which the processor speed and the amount of RAM is low.
How To: Set a password for a new user in Windows 7
Follow along as we are shown how to set a password for a new user in Windows 7. -First, go to the Start menu.
How To: Mount or unmount an ISO file using basic command lines
An elderly woman demonstrates how to create a rose made of icing with which to decorate a cake. Beginning with a bag of icing and a special tip that forms flat wisps of icing, she shows how to create the beginning of the rose with a small dollop of icing for the center and begins to add small, flat wisps of icing for the petals onto the middle, turning the flower as she goes. Most American Beauty cake roses consist of three rows of petals. She finished off the rose by using a separate bag of ...
How To: Join a HomeGroup on a Windows 7 network
The video shows how to join a home group on a Windows 7 network by helves shows you how to join a home group on a Windows 7 network of computers. It is approximately one minute thirty seconds long. To join a home group on a Windows 7 network you first go to control panel, then you click on Network and Internet, after that you click on network and sharing center, and finally click join a home group in the top right. You now select what file types you want to share with the other Windows 7 comp...
How To: Restore your PC to factory settings by rebooting
Greg French talks to us about the different ways to reboot a computer to resolve issues in the computer. The first way is by pressing F8 key while startup after rebooting the system. When you insert a wrong driver for video card or something, sometimes when you boot the computer, it gives a black screen. Now he says you can resolve this problem by rebooting the computer and pressing the F8 key while startup. This will take you to a menu selection where you should select 'Safe Mode' and hit en...
How To: Handle a PC freeze
If you work with a computer, at some point in time your computer is going to freeze. Hopefully, you've been saving any important data or writing you've been doing because there are a few easy steps to take to get that computer running smoothly.
How To: Speed up your Windows XP with control panel settings
If your game of Half Life is taking too long to load then maybe it's time to improve your computer performance. This video tutorial demonstrates how to speed up your personal computer running Microsoft Windows XP. You'll learn a variety of methods to boost performance and gain hard drive space. The steps are basic enough for any user to follow, so power up and maximize your PC performance.
How To: Open a zip file without using WinZip
Unzipping compressed files is a basic skill that every computer user should know. Compressing allows you to reduce the size of large files for easier information transfer. This video tutorial demonstrates the basic steps of unzipping a file without the use of Windows WinZip.
How To: Fix the "hal.dll is missing or corrupt" error
If you've received the "hal.dll is missing or corrupt" error message from your Windows machine, then you're in luck! This video will show you how to correct that problem with the Recovery Console tool that comes with the Windows 2000 and XP CDs.
How To: Create a data disc in Windows Vista
This video shows us how to burn files to a disc using Windows Vista. Insert the blank disc in your computer's recordable disk drive. Autoplay will automatically appear. Choose "Burn Files to disc using Windows". Click next when "Burn a disc" dialog box appears. Empty folder window appears. Choose files that you want to copy and drag them to the window. For example, if you want to copy a photo, click Start menu and open the Pictures folder. Select photos and drag them to the window. Photos are...
How To: Use the Finder buttons in Mac OS X
This video instructs you how to use the "Finder" Button if you own a Mac on OS X. The "Finder" window shows the Mac user the contents of the hard drive. It describes functions of the Finder folder: i.e., adding an untitled new folder in the Finder file. It also discusses how you can view the "Finder" in a variety of layouts: grids, lists, etc. The video shows you how to use the buttons on the upper left hand corner of the "Finder" screen to maximize, minimize, or close the window. It also dis...
How To: Backup Windows Vista to an external hard drive
Learn how to backup Windows Vista to an external hard drive! 1. Click on start. Go to All Programs, select Accessories, then select System Tools. Open "Back-Up Status and Configuration". 2. Click on "Set up automatic file back-up". Be sure the top radio button is selected. Select your external hard drive. 3. Click next. Select all folders that you want to back-up. Click next again. Set your schedule (how often, what day, time). 4. Click on "Save settings and start back up". Windows will final...
How To: Restore deleted PC files using the Recuva application
In this video tutorial, viewers will learn how to restore and recover deleted files using Recuva. Recuva is a freeware data recovery program. Recuva recovers files deleted from your Windows computer, Recycle Bin, digital camera card, or MP3 player. Begin by selecting the type of file and continue inputting the information. Then it will begin scanning the driver for the deleted files. It will then display all the deleted files. The green files are recoverable while the red ones are not recover...
How To: Password protect and hide your folders on Mac OS X
Watch this video for a helpful tip on how to use secret folder application and protect folders in your MAC PC by hiding it. you could download secret folder application from version tracker.com for free go to the Website and click download button to download the application on your Mac PC open the secret folder application. click on the required password button, put your desired password and re enter to confirm. to access your file, click the plus button at the lower left. choose the desired ...
How To: Expand your virtual memory
This quick video guide will show you how to expand your virtual memory. Do the following steps to expand your virtual memory: Go to Start, select My Computer, then Properties. Click the Advanced tab, and under Performance hit Settings. Go to Advanced Settings, and under Virtual Memory hit Change. Change your Virtual Memory size here. Hit Set, OK. Restart computer for the new settings to take effect.
How To: Manage widgets on the Dashboard in Mac OS X
This video describes what is known as the dashboard, which is located in the dock on the Mac desktop. The dashboard is a set of small programs known as widgets that let you see information at a glance. Some examples of useful widgets are a clock widget, a calendar, a calculator, a dictionary/thesaurus, and a Google search widget. You can bring them up at any time by simply clicking on the dashboard icon. If you want to add a new widget, click on the plus sign at the bottom of the window and y...
How To: Add a new background to an image using GIMP on Linux
Learn how to add a new background to an image using Gimp. 1 Open the original image and the new background in Gimp. 2 Open the layers dialog and then click on add an alpha channel. 3 On the original image choose 'Select by color' from the menu and then hit delete. 4 Copy the image. 5 On the new background, select 'Add a layer'. 6 Paste on the new background. 7 Save and you are ready to go.
How To: Increase your PC's virtual memory
This video will teach you how to increase your PC's virtual memory. Or in other terms, the Random Access Memory space to be used when doing something with your computer. 1. Press CTRL+ALT+DEL. Go to Performance tab. 2. Check the Commit Charge which is also the amount of virtual memory used. 3. Right-click the My Computer shortcut on your desktop. 4. Go to Advanced tab. 5. On the Performance box, click Settings button. 6. Click the Advanced tab. 7. At Virtual Memory box, click Change button. 8...
How To: Change your Windows virtual memory settings
Follow this video to help you change the settings of your virtual memory on your computer. Click Start and then right click on My Computer and select Properties. A window will come up. Click on the Advanced tab,. In the first section there is a part named Performance. Click on the Settings button of this section. Another window named Performance Options will open. Click on the Advanced tab of this window. In the bottom part of this window there is a section titled Virtual memory. Click on the...
How To: Cut, copy, and paste on a Mac
Steps on how to cut copy and paste on a Mac. Make sure that all your Windows are closed. 1. Click the Apple on the upper right corner. 2. Select and click System Preferences and a small window will appear. 3. Double click the small mouse picture and a bigger mouse picture will appear 4. Click on the right tab that says Primary Button and click to select Secondary Button. 5. Close the window. 6. When you right click the mouse a menu will appear and you can already cut copy and paste just like ...
How To: Speed up Windows XP boot time through system settings
If you want to speed up Windows XP boot time with simple steps then you need to watch this video. To speed up Windows XP boot time: Type msconfig in Run textbox and click OK. You can see run textbox if you click Start menu and select Run. System Configuration Utility appears. Uncheck all programs in Startup tab that you don't want to load during boot then click Apply button. Tips: If you want all to be unchecked, click Disable All. Check hide all Microsoft services in Service tab. Uncheck all...
How To: Install Mac OS X on a Windows Netbook
This video shows you how to install OSX on a Windows Netbook. They create a "Mini Mac" and show you what the steps are. This is a good thing to do for someone who is used to a Mac but wants the portability of a Netbook, which weighs only 2 pounds. They start with a Dell Netbook that has Windows XP on it, which they covert. One thing that you need to do is to increase the memory in order to install the new operating system. There is an informative website called MyDellMini that has helpful inf...
How To: Use Windows Vista Remote Desktop
Learn how to use Windows Vista remote desktop on your computer in simple steps. First go to Control panel, select 'User accounts' and create a password for your account. Now right-click on My Computer, select 'Properties' and click on 'Remote settings'. Now select the user you created by searching and return back to the properties area. Go to 'Advanced system settings', click the Computer name tab and find your computer name. Now open the Remote desktop connection, enter your name and enter y...
How To: Restore deleted files using a file recovery program
A tutorial on how to recover lost files once deleted from the recycle bin. The program illustrated in the tutorial is "Restoration". To download "Restoration", go to SnapFiles. The tutorial advises viewers to stop whatever they were doing once they realize a file is missing. Because the file is simply marked as free space, it is still present in the computer's memory but easily overwritten. To recover the file, a user will simply need to know part of the file name (preferably an extension, fo...
How To: Defrag your computers hard drive to increase its speed
This video will show you how to defrag your computer's hard drive to increase its speed. To defrag your hard drive, do the following: Go to 'Start', 'All Programs', 'Accessories', 'System Tools', 'Disk Defragmenter'. Select the hard drive that you wish to defragment, and select 'Defragment'. Depending on the size of your hard drive, this process could take between one and two hours to complete. After the process is complete, your computer will be uncluttered and will hopefully run a little fa...
How To: Speed up the shut down time on Windows XP and Vista
Watch as iblogtutorials teaches you how to speed up your Windows XP and Vista shutdown times. To speed up your Windows shutdown time, do the following: Go to Start and select Run. Type in "regedit". Click the triangle next to "HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE" and then click "SYSTEM" current control set. Click the Control folder. Wait to kill service timeout. Change the Value data to 0.2 seconds. Restart your computer and from now on your shutdown time will be much faster.
How To: Take a screenshot on an Apple Macintosh
This video teaches the secrets of taking a screenshot on an Apple Macintosh in simple steps. First open any colorful web page of your choice to take the screenshot. Now hold down the Command, Shift and 3 keys together at a time to take the screenshot. Now close or minimize the web page and double-click the image found on your desktop to open it. You can zoom in or out, send via email, save it and do much more with your screen shot.
How To: Clean up your Windows Vista desktop & icons
Rowland from Windows Performance teaches how to clean up your Windows Vista desktop & icons. Start by right-clicking the task bar and select Properties. Now click the 'Toolbar' tab, check the 'Desktop' option and click 'OK'. Now right-click anywhere in the desktop, go to view and click the last option. All icons in the desktop would not be visible now. Now go to the notification area, in the 'Desktop' option you can find all the items to use.
How To: Add items to the right-click contextual Windows menu
Tired of being limited with your right-click options in Microsoft Windows? There's a program that could help you out, and it's called Right-Click Extender. Insert many different additional items to the right-click context menu.
How To: Create quick control panel shortcuts in Windows 7
In this Windows 7 tutorial video, host Rich from PC Mech shows you how to create control panel shortcuts on your desktop in Windows 7. You will learn how to use the "drag and drop" method to quickly create shortcuts to various applications you may use quite often in "Control Panel", so that you may access them more quickly, without having to go into the Control Panel menu and drill down through menus and sub menus to find the applications you're looking for.
How To: Recover deleted files and lost data with PC Inspector
In this data recovery tutorial the instructor shows how to recover deleted files and lost data using a free software called PC Inspector. On your computer you may loose data sometimes due to a corrupted hard drive, or because you deleted it accidentally or some other reason. Now some times you will need to recover that important data and it will cost you hundreds of dollars to get it done outside by the professionals. Now you can avoid this and use a free software called PC inspector and reco...
How To: Eject and recover a stuck DVD on a Mac
In this video tutorial, viewers learn how to eject and recover a stuck CD or DVD on a Mac computer. There are several ways to eject a disc. The first method is to click on File and select Eject. The second method is to press the Command and E buttons on the keyboard. The third method is to click on the disc and drag it to the eject icon in the dock. The fourth method is to access Disc Utility in the Utility folder. Then click on the disc drive and click on the eject button. This video will be...
How To: Zoom in on Windows screen using ZoomIt tool
In this video tutorial, viewers learn how to zoom in on the Windows screen. Users will need to download the program tool, Zoom It. The tool allows users to enlarge a section of the screen. It also has other features such as a timer, draw or annotate on screen and allows the user to save screen images. This video will benefit those viewers who use a Windows computer, and would like to learn how to zoom into the screen because they have poor eye vision, need to improve a presentation or just to...
How To: Restore your computer in Vista to factory settings
Here, you'll be shown how to revert your Windows Vista computer back to its factory settings, if you get stuck with a bad virus or anything else like that. Make sure to back up all of your important data before you decide to go back to the original factory settings, as you don't want to lose that precious data. After a quick backup, we'll run through the options from start to finish. We will run through a few restarts of the system, and then show you the easy path to getting your system back ...
How To: Restore files that have been deleted from your PC
A very unfortunate event is to realize that you deleted some PC files that you need. This happens to a lot of people, but the files can be restored! To do this you will have to download a freeware program called Restoration! After you have downloaded and installed it, start the program, and select the driver for the program to search. The program will search that driver, showing you all of the deleted files in the past. The list will be long, but with a bit of patience, you should find the mi...