[Windows] Replace system or restricted files without reboot with ‘SysMate- System File Walker’

Briley Kenney — Tue, 18 Jun 2013 19:54:45 +0000

Every so often it’s necessary to replace a crucial system file, or even a restricted file in Windows. DLL files, for example, cannot be easily replaced or altered in any way without first taking ownership through the properties window. Even so, files that are currently in use or restricted files [...]

[Windows] Securely hide or encode text through digital steganography with Text to Color

Briley Kenney — Tue, 18 Jun 2013 19:53:52 +0000

Sending a text message, an email or even placing a call may not be as secure as you’d expect. In light of recent events, that point is more prominent than ever. That is why it’s dangerous to send account credentials or login information through text message, or email. Even despite [...]

Microsoft uses Siri to bash the iPad, again [Video]

Enrique Manalang — Tue, 18 Jun 2013 17:54:23 +0000

If there’s one thing that Microsoft is doing with Windows RT, its the advertising. Just like its previous ad for Windows Tablets, this latest commercial that features the Dell XPS 10 Tablet uses Apple’s Siri to highlight the different things an iPad can’t do, but the Windows Tablet can.

This [...]

[Windows] Reg is an alternative registry editor that has more features than regular RegEdit

Briley Kenney — Mon, 17 Jun 2013 15:42:10 +0000

Sometimes, working with the Windows Registry is a necessary evil. Over time, the constant install and uninstall process can cause it to get quite bloated with empty entries. Furthermore, every now and then it can be necessary to change settings through the registry. Whatever your reason for working with the [...]

[Windows] Track shutdown times, session duration, and reasons for power-off with TurnedOnTimesView

Briley Kenney — Fri, 14 Jun 2013 21:32:33 +0000

One way to monitor your PC and how it’s used is to keep track of shutdown times and the duration of each user session. While you may not be able to see what a user was doing during their particular session, you can still get a feel for how long [...]

How to create a hidden, password protected folder on Windows without any third-party program [Guide]

Mukhi — Thu, 13 Jun 2013 17:49:09 +0000

Do you use software, or a program, or an application to make your file(s) or folder(s) private (password protected) in Windows? How about making a folder private (password protected) in Windows without using a program, or having programming skill at all? This article shows you have to do that.

In [...]

[Windows] DNSQuerySniffer allows you to monitor outgoing connection information

Briley Kenney — Thu, 13 Jun 2013 17:48:58 +0000

Security will always be a relevant issue, because no matter what people are doing they want to be safe, for the most part anyway (we’re not discussing thrill seekers here). Internet security is a whole different topic altogether. There are many ways to remain secure on the internet, but one [...]

[Windows] Batch replace text in Excel, Word, and text files with Replace Genius

Briley Kenney — Wed, 12 Jun 2013 16:20:25 +0000

Sometimes you just need to replace sections of text in an existing document. Unfortunately, the ability to batch replace sections of text in documents is often only supported for simple text files. It seems silly when you think about it, especially considering how many people use Word, Excel and other [...]

[Windows] Kidzy is a browser designed specifically for use by kids

Briley Kenney — Wed, 12 Jun 2013 16:08:26 +0000

There are several ways to protect your children from the dangers lurking out there on the internet. Some would say keep them away from computers altogether, or even any technology for that matter. Realistically, a lot of folks wouldn’t mind their children using the internet provided they can do so [...]

[Windows] Text people around the world for free with Pinger Desktop [Mac OS X]

Tucker — Wed, 12 Jun 2013 15:46:37 +0000

While social networks make the world seem like a smaller place than ever before, there are some aspects of technology that just don’t seem very forward thinking. I can’t be the only person who finds it weird that I can send a tweet or email to someone in a different [...]

[Windows] Remove pre-installed bloatware from your PC with Decrap my Computer

Briley Kenney — Mon, 10 Jun 2013 13:22:17 +0000

So, you just bought a lovely new PC and you’re ready to take it through its paces. One of the first things you should do with any new device is clear out some of that excess crap that comes pre-installed, often referred to as bloatware. Dell, Asus, HP, Toshiba, [...]

Halo is coming to Windows Phone and Windows 8

Enrique Manalang — Mon, 10 Jun 2013 13:02:20 +0000

Halo: Spartan Assault is the latest game in Microsoft’s popular franchise and it’s coming to Windows 8 devices and Windows Phone as an exclusive title.

I have to say, I didn’t see this coming. Halo: Spartan Assault has been hinted at for awhile now, but its surprise is that the [...]

[Windows] Learn a new language by watching a video and comparing two subtitle streams with LaMP

Briley Kenney — Fri, 07 Jun 2013 13:24:35 +0000

Once of the best ways to learn something new, is to mix it with something you love or more specifically something you have fun doing. For example, lots of entertainment programs teach children new languages by allowing them to play games. For adults, takes a little more than that to [...]

Microsoft shows off what the Start button will do in Windows 8.1 [Video]

Enrique Manalang — Fri, 07 Jun 2013 10:02:42 +0000

When Microsoft gave us our first official video walkthrough of Windows 8.1, many bemoaned the fact that Microsoft didn’t show off what exactly happens when you press that new Start button.

This new video straight out of Computex 2013 in Taipei spends most of its time detailing the different visual [...]

[Windows] Install Windows updates while offline (no internet connection) with Portable Update

Briley Kenney — Thu, 06 Jun 2013 16:56:52 +0000

Every time you do a clean install of Windows, you start from scratch. That means you need to install all of your favorite programs all over again, and it also means you need to download and reinstall all the available Windows updates. Getting Windows up to date can be a [...]

How to create animated GIFs on Windows, Linux, and Mac — lesson 1 [Guide]

Mukhi — Thu, 06 Jun 2013 16:56:43 +0000

GIMP (GNU Image Manipulation Program) is a free, open-source, cross-platform, and powerful image editor for photo retouching, image composition and image authoring. It can be used as a simple paint program, an expert-quality photo retouching program, an online batch processing system, a mass production image [...]

Microsoft is giving away Office 2013 for free on (some) Windows 8 tablets

Alexander Maxham — Thu, 06 Jun 2013 16:29:59 +0000

Microsoft has had some trouble in selling their Windows 8-based tablets, and now they are starting to become creative in trying to push them harder. Earlier this week we learned that Microsoft was giving away keyboards with the Surface RT for a limited time. Now we are learning that Microsoft [...]

Gigabyte announces P27K and P25W gaming laptops with NVIDIA 765M, 770M graphics, and more

Alexander Maxham — Thu, 06 Jun 2013 16:11:17 +0000

This year, Computex has been full of surprises and tons of great new tablets, laptops, phones and everything in between. Gigabyte has just announced their P27K and the P25W gaming laptops.

There’s a 15.6-inch, 1080p successor to the P2542G, which is powered by the 4th generation Intel Core i7 CPU, [...]

[Windows] Convert is a free portable unit converter that allows you to add custom conversions

Mukhi — Wed, 05 Jun 2013 18:48:51 +0000

Are you a/an student, scientist, analyst, programmer, engineer, doctor, physicist, mathematician, chemist, biologist, or (you name it)? Do you frequently need unit conversion? Convert is an astounding program that can help you!

What is it and what does it do

Main Functionality

Convert is a free, portable and easy to [...]

[Windows] Automate basic file management via functions like copy or delete with MoveBOT

Briley Kenney — Wed, 05 Jun 2013 18:44:35 +0000

Computers were ultimately designed to make things easier. Sure, there are some things that will never be easy, but one of the reasons we use software and various applications is to make tasks easier. Unfortunately, there are things you do with a computer that become quite tedious over time. Managing [...]

Here’s the first official video walkthrough of Windows 8.1 [Video]

Enrique Manalang — Wed, 05 Jun 2013 12:46:38 +0000

We’re now only a few weeks away from Microsoft’s Build developer conference, where we’ll be bombarded with news about everything Windows — and more specifically, Windows 8.1. But it looks like Microsoft couldn’t wait until then to give us our first official walkthrough of the update.

Titled the “First look [...]

[Windows] Genius PDF is a full-featured PDF reader and eReader

Briley Kenney — Tue, 04 Jun 2013 13:30:14 +0000

There are a whole ton of PDF, comic and eBook readers for Windows. Some of the big leagues include Calibre, Reader (Sony), Adobe Digital Editions, and Firefox epubReader. A lot of the aforementioned readers will handle other file types, but some of them leave a little something to be desired. [...]

[Windows] Convert your animated GIF to an ASCII art animation with ASCII Animator

Mukhi — Tue, 04 Jun 2013 13:26:59 +0000

Do you like ASCII codes? Well, I can’t when it appears in my text to spoil my reading. ASCII animation can be fun though! I remember when I saw the first ASCII animation online, I was amazed. If you would like to have fun with ASCII animated images, ASCII Animator[...]

Windows 8.1 will feature internet sharing (tethering) and native Miracast support

Alexander Maxham — Tue, 04 Jun 2013 08:29:10 +0000

Microsoft is still continuing to trickle out new features that will be part of Windows 8.1. And with BUILD coming soon, we should see the real deal rather soon. We had a pretty lengthy preview last week, and now we are seeing even more of what we’re going to get [...]

ASUS announces laptop that runs Android and Windows 8

Alexander Maxham — Tue, 04 Jun 2013 08:25:29 +0000

Today kicks off Computex 2013 in Taipei, Taiwan. Early this morning, ASUS took the stage to announce a ton of new products. They announced 5 new Android devices, 4 tablets and a phablet. We’re going to start things off with the Transformer Book Trio.

The Transformer Book Trio has an [...]

[Windows] NetToolset offers a comprehensive group of network admin tools

Briley Kenney — Sun, 02 Jun 2013 17:14:40 +0000

Want an all-encompassing freeware application that includes a plethora of necessary network admin tools? Who am I kidding? The real answer to that question is who doesn’t want something like that? A lot of times, especially when it comes to free software, you only have one or two admin tools [...]

How to create an image with transparent background on Windows, Linux, and Mac [Guide]

Mukhi — Sun, 02 Jun 2013 17:04:24 +0000

The GIMP (GNU Image Manipulation Program) is a free, open-source, cross-platform, and powerful image editor for photo retouching, image composition and image authoring. It can be used as a simple paint program, an expert-quality photo retouching program, an online batch processing system, a mass production [...]

[Windows] USB Extension automatically creates desktop shortcuts for connected USB devices, like flash drive

Briley Kenney — Sat, 01 Jun 2013 14:07:56 +0000

Some of the best windows applications come in the form of a simple tool that ultimately extends the user experience. Often, they add convenience and usability to the platform, which otherwise wasn’t there to begin with. Speaking of convenience, isn’t it slightly annoying how every time you plug in an [...]

Razer introduces 14-inch and 17-inch gaming laptop, shipping in Q2

Alexander Maxham — Sat, 01 Jun 2013 12:10:23 +0000

What exactly is a “gaming laptop”. Well normally when you think of a gaming laptop, you think of something that’s big and bulky. But with technology changing rapidly, that’s no longer true. Razer has just announced a couple of new gaming laptops. A 14-incher and a 17-incher.

The 17-inch notebook [...]

[Windows] Create photo slideshows and play them back in fullscreen with Special Image Player

Briley Kenney — Fri, 31 May 2013 16:52:18 +0000

Building upon the momentum of yesterday’s review, which saw use of a native GIF creation tool called GifCam, we’re going to take a look at another image tool. When it comes to presentation, images can really help you drive the point home. Adversely, they can also be used for simple [...]

Microsoft reveals official Windows 8.1 details: Start button returns, new Live Tile sizes, Snapupgrade, and more

Alexander Maxham — Thu, 30 May 2013 16:04:31 +0000

Microsoft is continuing to tease us about the new changes coming in Windows 8.1. We saw a leaked screenshot earlier today about the new Start button coming back to Windows. Now we have official word from Microsoft itself about a ton of features that are being improved or added in [...]

Windows 8.1 screenshot leaks, shows a new Start button

Alexander Maxham — Thu, 30 May 2013 15:51:31 +0000

Since Windows 8 made it’s debut last fall, many people have not upgraded from Windows 7 or earlier because they got rid of the Start button. Well Microsoft has received enough criticism about it to add the Start button back in the next major release of Windows which is supposedly [...]

[Windows] Record or capture your screen as an animated GIF with GifCam

Briley Kenney — Thu, 30 May 2013 12:09:38 +0000

Screencast or screenshare software is great, especially when you need to show off examples taken directly from onscreen content. Unfortunately, most screen capture software only allows you to store the captured content as a video file. Video files are nice and all but they can sometimes be hard to share. [...]

[Windows] ScreenRuler allows you to measure the pixel size of content and objects on your screen

Briley Kenney — Thu, 30 May 2013 11:57:50 +0000

Sometimes it’s necessary to know the size or dimensions of a particular onscreen object. Such information is certainly needed for visual design and web development, but there are other practical uses, as well. Unfortunately, you cannot measure onscreen content in the same way that you measure objects or size in [...]

How to use an image as a custom background in Lotus Notes Mail on Windows [Guide]

Mukhi — Thu, 30 May 2013 11:42:54 +0000

IBM Lotus Notes is the email client of choice of many corporates. Unless you play around, it is difficult to figure out how to import an image or a graphic as background in Lotus Notes Mail on Windows. Here is how you can do it:

Put the document in the

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