TrustedInstaller is a built-in user account in Windows 8, Windows 7, and Windows Vista. This user account “owns” a variety of system files, including some files in your Program Files folder, your Windows folder, and even the Windows.old folder that is created after you upgrade from one version of Windows to another. To rename or delete these files, you’ll have to take ownership of them away from the TrustedInstaller user account.

Microsoft is in the process of phasing out Windows Essentials, formerly known as Windows Live Essentials. Microsoft has included Modern-style replacements for many of the Essentials applications in Windows 8 – email, calendaring, contacts, messaging, photo management, and cloud file storage are all built in. However, some Windows Essentials applications have no Modern equivalent, and you may want to the desktop versions of some applications.

Chrome has a number of features to help you sync, easily access, manage, sort, and tidy your bookmarks. Some people manage just fine without bookmarks, but not most of us. If you use the Chrome browser — and bookmarks — we’ll help you make maximum use of bookmarks in Chrome. Bookmarks are deceptively simple, but there’s a lot you can do with them.

With Windows 8 casting a long shadow over the PC industry and Valve committing to create Linux-based gaming PCs, there’s never been a better time to start using Linux. For many users, the Linux desktop is now there — so many applications have moved to the cloud, hardware support has improved, and the desktop has been polished. You can even watch Netflix and play a variety of games on Steam — two big holes that have been filled recently.

Steam started out as an annoying program that came with Half-Life 2, but it’s grown into the PC game store of choice for most PC gamers. Although some people aren’t fans and prefer alternative stores, it’s a powerful platform that offers a lot of features. Even if you’re a Steam fan, there’s likely a lot you don’t know about Steam. Steam is constantly gaining new features. We’ll be seeing a Linux-based “Steam Box” challenging the consoles in the living room this year, too.

We all know Google is more than just a search engine: It’s an suite web-based applications and services for everything from email to calendaring, document editing, and file storage. It’s even an online media store. However, that isn’t all Google can do. There are quite a few useful but lesser-known Google services you should know about. There’s something everybody can make use of here.

Does your Windows 8 system look too bland with the default settings? You can customize it in a variety of ways, changing a variety of backgrounds and colors — whether on the Start screen, lock screen, or desktop. Your Windows 8 system can be a subdued interface with dark colors and muted backgrounds, a tableau of bright colors and colorful flowers, or anything in between.

Windows 8 has a number of features that can be annoying to experienced users of the traditional Windows desktop. From adding a Start menu to disabling the bulky ribbon, noisy live tiles, and unnecessary lock screen, you can easily fix a variety of problems you have with Windows 8. Some of these tricks will also help you master Windows 8 as it’s meant to be used.

Google Drive can be used to sync files between your computers, but that’s just one of its many features. Google wants Google Drive to be your new cloud hard drive, accessible from any device. To help make this happen, Google allows third-party apps to integrate with Drive. A Google Drive app works like a regular web app, except that it doesn’t store its files on its own web servers – it stores them in your Google Drive account.

The Windows registry can be scary at first glance. It’s a place where power users can change a wide variety of settings that aren’t exposed elsewhere. If you’re searching for how to change something in Windows, you’ll occasionally find articles telling you to edit the registry and change certain settings. These changes are often referred to as registry hacks or registry tweaks. If you need to edit the registry, don’t worry – making a few quick changes is easy.

Firefox for Android has a trick up its sleeve: Add-ons. Just as Firefox offers a more powerful extension system than Chrome on the desktop, it beats Chrome for Android by supporting extensions. You can install a variety of add-ons from the Mozilla Add-ons website. There are nowhere near as many as there are for the desktop version of Firefox – only about 80 at the moment – but there are some good ones.

Google Maps is still the most powerful mapping service ever, despite what Apple might say. Whether you’re using Google Maps in a browser on your desktop or an app on your mobile phone, Google Maps is packed with useful features, some of which are a bit hidden. Even better, the Google Maps app works in concert with the Google Maps website on your computer.

Android doesn’t come with a file manager. Google thinks file managers are part of the past – a complicated tool that we shouldn’t need when our data is stored in the cloud and retrieved on-demand by the apps we use. However, we don’t all live in that world yet. For those of us who need a file manager on Android, ES File Explorer is the best, most powerful option. Even better, it’s completely free.

Riptide GP shows just how much graphical power modern smartphones and tablets have. This game offers more than just great graphics, however – there’s a great racing game here. It even uses realistic water physics that affect the gameplay. You’ll need a device with some graphical power to really enjoy this game. We played Riptide GP on a Nexus 7 and the graphics were great – don’t let anyone tell you Android don’t have great games.

Windows might be popular, but it isn’t perfect. There are a number of frustrating things that can occur while using a Windows desktop – from windows disappearing off your screen to annoying pop-ups and notification messages. We’ll show you how to quickly fix these common Windows frustrations and get back to work (or play).