7 Tutorials

How to Publish Photos to Picasa & Google+ with Windows Photo Gallery

Marte Brengle — Fri, 24 May 2013 04:44:10 PDT

Many people have been using Google's Picasa photo management software to store and share their photos in the cloud for years. It's free, easy to use, and makes sharing your photos with other people about as simple as it gets. But, as we've seen, Windows Photo Gallery offers a lot more features than the Picasa desktop app does, so if you're looking for good, free, photo and image editing software it makes a lot of sense to use that instead. What if you use Windows Photo Gallery on your computer but you've got a lot of Picasa web albums, especially albums that you have shared with other people, that you're not ready to move to a different format? Can the two be used together? Let's find out.

How to Customize the Notification Area in Windows 7 & Windows 8

Ciprian Adrian Rusen — Thu, 23 May 2013 05:18:16 PDT

Although the notification area has been around since Windows 95, it wasn't very customizable and useful until Windows 7 was launched. Even though many know what it is and what it does (or at least in theory), few know how customizable it has become. In Windows 7 and Windows 8 you can change every aspect of its functioning and make it look and behave the way you want to. Here's how:

Uncovering Artists Through Windows Themes – Irina Iacob

Andrada Coos — Thu, 23 May 2013 03:16:42 PDT

Irina Iacob's pictures showcase a fascination with the human figure and urban settings. A tireless photographer of beautiful people, industrial backdrops and a combination between nature and decay, 26 year-old Irina currently resides in Cluj-Napoca, Romania, where she studied Theatre and Television at Babes-Bolyai University's Faculty of Theatre. However, after graduating, her passion for photography took her in another direction. Her love of theatre has remained one of her chief interests though along with cinema, music and, of course, photography. She currently works in media monitoring, but earns money on the side as a wedding photographer. To find out more about Irina and what inspires her, we recommend reading her interview below.

Install & Use the SkyDrive App to Access Your Files on Your Windows Phone

Codrut Neagu — Wed, 22 May 2013 05:47:54 PDT

SkyDrive is Microsoft's cloud storage and sync service. As expected, it is available in Windows Phone as a standalone app. The SkyDrive app has many features which we will present in detail, in a series of articles. To get you started, we will share what you can do with it and how to use it to access what is being stored on your SkyDrive.

How to Determine What Version of Windows You Have Installed

Ciprian Adrian Rusen — Wed, 22 May 2013 04:17:43 PDT

Let's settle this from the start: this is not rocket science, it's not even a complicated thing to do. However, it is a question you may have to answer. If you handled computers before, the answer is a couple of clicks away. On the other hand, if you're like my mother, you call your child/friend at 7 a.m. and ask him/her how to do it. This tutorial is, mainly, for everyone who wants to save the cost of a call and do it on their own.

Did You Win an ESET Smart Security 6 License? Find Out Here!

Ciprian Adrian Rusen — Tue, 21 May 2013 05:23:04 PDT

As promised, we have extracted the winners in our "Spread the Word & Win" competition. After sorting out all the emails, eliminating duplicates, etc - we identified 26 eligible candidates. Let’s find out who won the five ESET Smart Security 6 licenses available.

Introducing Windows 8: Mount or Unmount ISO Images in File Explorer

Robert Kingsley — Tue, 21 May 2013 04:40:21 PDT

In previous versions of Windows, users would have had to install third-party applications in order to properly work with ISO image files. These disc image files, which store the entire contents of a single optical disc, can be used to install programs, play games, watch movies or do anything you could do with an actual disc. Windows 8 has changed all that by providing this feature into the new File Explorer. Let's learn how it works.

10 Reasons Why the Task Manager in Windows 8 Rocks

Robert Kingsley — Mon, 20 May 2013 04:49:50 PDT

A lot has changed with the release of Windows 8. The new interface is stealing all of the buzz, but there is a lot more going on in this new operating system than fancy tiles and the new Start screen. Case in point, the new Task Manager. The basic tool included with every version of Windows since way back has gotten a facelift. It's got a bunch of new tabs that offer a ton of information that will appeal to everyone from a power user diagnosing system problems to a novice trying to find the Internet.

How to Create Panoramic Pictures with Windows Photo Gallery 2012

Marte Brengle — Mon, 20 May 2013 04:33:27 PDT

Do you remember those little disposable panorama cameras? They let you take a few very wide photographs on a roll of 35mm film. Since the advent of digital cameras, making panoramic photos has been done by merging several photographs together and, in the beginning, that was something you could only do with expensive editing software. Now, anyone can make a panorama using Windows Photo Gallery 2012 and the process could not be easier. Here's how.

Best of the Web for Windows Users – 13 - 19 May 2013

Andrada Coos — Sun, 19 May 2013 02:56:49 PDT

This week, Nokia launched its Lumia 925 in London, Microsoft caved in to demands from Google to include ads in their Windows Phone YouTube app and Internet Explorer 10 tested highest against malware attacks. ZDNet approved of Microsoft's recent response to user criticism of Windows 8 in their construction of the upcoming Windows Blue. SkyDrive improved its users' experience with a new photo timeline. For all this and how you can still play classic DOS games on your computers, read this week's episode.

The Nokia Lumia 620 Review - Cute, Affordable & Surprisingly Good

Ciprian Adrian Rusen — Fri, 17 May 2013 03:59:16 PDT

The Nokia Lumia 620 is one of Nokia's low-end smartphones with Windows Phone 8. Its main competitor is the HTC 8S which managed to get a head start in terms of availability to market. But how does the Nokia Lumia 620 fare against the HTC 8S? Is it a better choice? Let's find out from this detailed review & comparison.

Spread the Word & Win One of Five ESET Smart Security 6 Licenses

Ciprian Adrian Rusen — Fri, 17 May 2013 03:51:51 PDT

While reviewing ESET Smart Security 6, we were impressed by its design, usability and performance in securing a Windows computer. Then, we thought: what if we were to reward our readers by organizing a giveaway together with the folks from ESET? We contacted them and they agreed to sponsor us. Today we can reward our readers with one of the best security products on the market. Here’s how you can win a license.

NOTE: Today is the last day to enter this giveaway.

Security for Everyone - Reviewing Panda Internet Security 2013

Ciprian Adrian Rusen — Thu, 16 May 2013 04:53:34 PDT

Panda Security is a Spanish company with a funny name. Their products feature a cute Panda logo and are generally well known in the security space. It has been a long time since I tested their products and I was curious to learn if there's any special about the new 2013 products. I took Panda Internet Security 2013 for a spin and this is what I have learned.

The Best Internet Security Suites of 2012-2013

Ciprian Adrian Rusen — Thu, 16 May 2013 04:03:49 PDT

We started reviewing the 2012-2013 lineup of security products a couple of months ago. Even though we are note done with our reviews, we would like to centralize the results of our testing and create a live chart that includes the best internet security suites of 2012-2013, as well as the worst. Before you purchase any of them, do yourself a favor and read our reviews.

How to Record Audio with Sound Recorder in Windows 7 & Windows 8

Ciprian Adrian Rusen — Wed, 15 May 2013 06:34:27 PDT

Windows 7 and Windows 8 include a great little application you can use to record sounds - Sound Recorder. All you need is a sound card and a microphone plugged in, or a webcam with a microphone built in. Your recordings are saved as Windows Media Audio files and can be played by any media player. To learn how to use this program, don’t hesitate to read this tutorial.

How to Tag People in Photos with Windows Photo Gallery

Marte Brengle — Wed, 15 May 2013 05:24:51 PDT

Windows Photo Gallery has many great features. One of our favorites is face recognition, which allows you to identify and tag people in your photos. The more people you tag, the easier it is for Windows Photo Gallery to suggest tags and correctly identify people. Another great thing is that, if you publish your photos on Facebook, your tags will be published on Facebook as well. Tags can also be used as search criteria, so that you can easily find the photos the interest you. In this guide, I will show how tagging and face recognition work in Windows Photo Gallery 2012.

How to Use Google Search as the Default for Internet Explorer 10

Ciprian Adrian Rusen — Tue, 14 May 2013 03:29:02 PDT

By default, Internet Explorer 10 and 9 use Bing as their default search engine. I like Bing and l am using it a lot more often than I used to, because their algorithms have improved over time. However, some people just want to use Google and are not interested in using Bing. For them, I have created this quick tutorial, showing how to add Google as the default search provider in Internet Explorer. This guide also works for the modern version of Internet Explorer 10, included with Windows 8 or Windows RT.

What are Windows Essentials & How to Install Them

Ciprian Adrian Rusen — Tue, 14 May 2013 02:05:35 PDT

Windows Essentials is a suite of free programs that has evolved a lot over the years. At first, it was named Windows Live Essentials. Now it has been rebranded to a shorter, simpler name. To make things even more confusing, the number of programs included in this suite has evolved a lot over time. That’s why, in this article, I will explain what Windows Essentials are and how to download and install the programs included in this suite.

What is a File's Metadata & How to Edit It in Windows 7 & Windows 8

Chad Whitley — Mon, 13 May 2013 04:01:52 PDT

Very few people are aware that for each file stored on your computer there is a set of metadata associated with it, that gives information about its source, author and other important details, depending on its type. In this article I am going to discuss about metadata, what it is and the uses of it. Then, I will cover how to add, remove and maintain metadata for your files. The procedures apply to any version of Windows.

How to Find, Download, Install & Remove Apps in Windows Phone

Codrut Neagu — Mon, 13 May 2013 03:36:10 PDT

Smartphones wouldn't be so useful and appreciated by users without all their apps. As soon as you have a new smartphone, one of the first steps you go through is searching for apps and installing them. With the help of the Store, Windows Phone offers an easy way of finding, downloading and installing apps. If you are a beginner with Windows Phone 8, you should read this tutorial. It also shares how to remove the apps you no longer use.

Best of the Web for Windows Users – 6 -12 May 2013

Andrada Coos — Sun, 12 May 2013 03:13:42 PDT

This week in Windows 8 news, SkyDrive reached the 250 million users milestone and the YouTube app for Windows Phone has received a big update. Ars Technica took a look at Microsoft's development of the touch-centric Internet Explorer 10 from their research into iPad users to their "Magic Fingers Robot" tests. Adobe's killing off its Creative Suite retail version in favor of its cloud service and Microsoft and Klout are teaming up to bring expert answers to Bing searches. CIO Kevin Pashuk tested Microsoft's Surface Pro and ditched his iPad as a result. For all this and more, don't hesitate to read this week's episode.

Uncovering Artists Through Windows Themes – Bernhard Geier

Andrada Coos — Fri, 10 May 2013 01:11:02 PDT

Bernhard Geier's photos, most of them taken in his native region of Salzburg, Austria, showcase nature at its most mysterious, hidden between banks of mist, clouds and snow, forever out of reach and unknowable. The 36-year old Austrian believes he was blessed to live in one of the most beautiful parts of the world and he is constantly inspired by what he sees around him. He works in the printing plant of a local newspaper in the pre-press sector, where he also has the chance to use his favorite photo editing program - Adobe Photoshop. While photography is his main passion, Bernhard also enjoys reading and gardening and is a fan of most music genres. To see the amazing photos Bernhard has chosen to share with us and find out more about him, we recommend reading his interview below.

How to Print to a Shared Mac OS X Printer from Windows 7 & Windows 8

Ciprian Adrian Rusen — Thu, 09 May 2013 04:56:17 PDT

There are a number of indirect ways that you can trick Windows 7 and Windows 8 into printing from a shared printer attached to a Mac, but the best way to do it is through Bonjour. That’s because with every version change - either between Windows or OS X - the process gets muddled and a new solution has to be devised. But Bonjour has been fairly reliable even as both operating systems have evolved. In this tutorial, you’ll learn how to set up OS X so that its shared printers are available to Windows computers and devices.

How to View & Manage Running Processes With the Windows 8 Task Manager

Robert Kingsley — Thu, 09 May 2013 04:03:56 PDT

In previous articles, we introduced you to the Processes tab of the Windows 8 Task Manager. There you can get detailed information about how programs use system resources. That tab is new to Windows 8 and it is very useful, but old time users will remember that the Processes tab in Windows 7 had significantly more information to display. For those of you wondering where your detailed data points disappeared to, search no farther. We'd like to show you the new Details tab in the Windows 8 Task Manager - the place to go when you need a ton of info about the processes running on your computer or device.

Scan for Open Ports & Evaluate the Security of Your System with Nmap

Ciprian Adrian Rusen — Wed, 08 May 2013 06:10:26 PDT

Would you like to know how many open ports are found on each computer or device that is part of your network? Do you want to evaluate how good their firewall protection is and how vulnerable they are? Then, you should try Nmap - an open source tool for security auditing. We use it in our reviews for security solutions and we think it is awesome. You should also try it out.

The Samsung Ativ S Review - The Most Balanced Windows Phone 8 Device

Ciprian Adrian Rusen — Wed, 08 May 2013 04:34:55 PDT

Everyone is talking about the Nokia Lumia 920 but very few know and talk about the Samsung Ativ S - the first Windows Phone 8 device offered by Samsung. After using it for a month, I have plenty of positive things to say about it and I consider it the most underrated high-end phone with Windows Phone 8. Here’s why:

How to Set & Customize the Screensavers in Windows 7 & Windows 8

Ciprian Adrian Rusen — Tue, 07 May 2013 02:52:11 PDT

Do you want to change your Windows screensaver? Or do you want to disable the screensaver completely? Or do you want to change the way it works? This tutorial shares all the steps you need to go through. The procedures are the same, both in Windows 7 and Windows 8.

Introducing Windows 8: How to Set Homegroup Sharing from PC Settings

Ciprian Adrian Rusen — Tue, 07 May 2013 02:44:01 PDT

The Homegroup is a very useful networking feature that allows users to share their libraries, folders and devices with just a few clicks. Windows 8 allows you to manage Homegroup connections both from the Control Panel and PC Settings. Since we have covered the Control Panel in one of our tutorials, here's how to work with the Homegroup from PC Settings.

Add Clocks to the Taskbar's Notification Area in Windows 7 & Windows 8

Ciprian Adrian Rusen — Mon, 06 May 2013 03:31:32 PDT

If you collaborate with people all over the world, it is very useful to add more clocks to Windows 7 and Windows 8, so that you can quickly view the time in other parts of the world. Luckily, Windows makes it easy to add additional clocks to the notification area of the taskbar, on the Desktop. Here's how it works:

Introducing Windows 8: 8 Ways to Launch the Task Manager

Ciprian Adrian Rusen — Mon, 06 May 2013 02:31:19 PDT

Task Manager is a great tool that helps you manage the way programs, processes and services run. In Windows 8 it has received many improvements, some of which are simply awesome. But, before we go into detail about how the new Task Manager works in Windows 8, we would like to share all the ways to launch the tool. There are many more than you would think and some methods will surprise you.