Latest Articles
Convenience Before Freedom: How Tech Companies Are Slowly Trapping You [Opinion]
Computers were once under our control. We could run any software we wanted on them, and the companies that manufactured the computer had no say. Today, computers are increasingly being locked down. Apple and Microsoft rule over their app stores with an iron fist, deciding what we can and can’t do with our devices. We live in a world where changing an iPad’s default web browser or email app is a crime.
Configuring Antivirus Software for Efficient Scanning That Doesn't Slow Your PC
Antivirus software is important on Windows, but it can slow down your computer. The on-access scanning that protects you from malware means your antivirus has to scan every file you access before it actually opens. Luckily, there are a variety of ways to speed things up without losing security. Heavy antivirus programs can slow down a computer - particularly an older computer running an older, poorly optimized security suite.
Windows Live Essentials For Windows 8 - What You Need To Know
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.
Everything You Need to Know About Managing Chrome Bookmarks
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.
Making Linux a Genuine Windows Replacement
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.
Not Just Search: 10+ Google Services You Have to Know About
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.
Make Windows 8 Sexier With These Background & Theme Tweaks
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.
Making the Most of Google Drive With Integrated Apps
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.
Get There Faster - 10 Google Maps & Navigation Tips
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.
7 Windows Frustrations You Can Quickly Fix
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).
Want Internet Explorer 9 for Windows XP? Try These Browser Alternatives
Google has dropped support for Internet Explorer 8, and they aren’t the only organization to do so. While you can’t use Microsoft’s Internet Explorer 9 without upgrading to a newer version of Windows, there are a variety of modern browsers that still support Windows XP. Let’s be honest – IE 8 isn’t much better than Internet Explorer 6. Even Internet Explorer 9 offers much better support for HTML5 and other modern technologies.
Run Multiple Operating Systems At Once With VMware Player
We’ve lavished attention on VirtualBox here at MakeUseOf, and for good reason. However, VirtualBox isn’t your only option for creating and using free virtual machines. VMware Player, VMware’s free product, is every bit as good as VirtualBox for many users. You may even prefer it to VirtualBox. VMware Player runs on Windows and Linux.
Process Explorer - The Most Powerful Task Manager Replacement [Windows]
Let’s be honest, the Windows Task Manager isn’t that great for understanding and managing the processes running on your computer. Even on Windows 8, where it’s much-improved, the task manager can’t come close to the power of Process Explorer. It’s part of the Sysinternals set of tools that Microsoft purchased – and for good reason. They’re among the most powerful system utilities for Windows.
How to Make Windows 8 Go Faster: 8 Tips For Improving Performance
Whatever you think of Windows 8 (at MakeUseOf, our opinions are mixed), it’s certainly speedy. Windows 8 boots faster than previous versions of Windows, has lower memory usage, and has a desktop that feels nice and snappy. Like all versions of Windows, Windows 8 has a variety of settings you can tweak to speed things up and make it even faster. Some of the tips here also apply to previous versions of Windows, but Windows 8 has some new tricks up its sleeve.
4 Surprising Ways To Encrypt Your Data
Encryption is often considered the playground of geeks alone, but it doesn’t have to be. Encryption just means that information is scrambled and you can only access the real information with a special password or key. On an Internet where we don’t want our credit card numbers and other sensitive data exposed to prying eyes, encryption is an important tool.
Make Windows 7 & 8 Libraries Work For You
Libraries, found in Windows 7 and 8. are more than a list of suggested folders for saving documents, music, pictures, and video. Customizing your libraries isn’t just tweaking for the sake of tweaking – with libraries, you can streamline the way you organize your files and make yourself more productive. If you’ve ignored libraries so far and opted to organize your files the traditional way, be sure to give libraries a try.
It's Not Easy, But You Can Uninstall Windows 8 And Revert To Your Old OS
If you’ve installed Windows 8 and found yourself wishing that you could go back to Windows 7 or another operating system, there’s a way to do this. If you installed Windows 8 in a dual-boot environment and kept your old operating system around, it’s not too hard – but if you’ve installed Windows 8 over your old operating system, you’ll have to reinstall the old operating system from scratch.
Not Sure About Upgrading? Then Why Not Dual Boot Windows 8 With Windows 7?
Are you interested in Windows 8, but don’t want to abandon Windows 7 just yet? Well, why not dual-boot Windows 8 and Windows 7, selecting the operating system you want to use each time you turn on your computer? This allows you to test Windows 8 while keeping Windows 7 around as an escape hatch if you want out. This process will install Windows 8 on its own separate partition, leaving your Windows 7 system intact.
Make a Better Recycle Bin With These Great Tools & Tricks
Most of us are very familiar with the Recycle Bin. We use it regularly, and it seems like a feature we can’t do much to customize – deleted files go there, and we can permanently delete them later. But there’s a lot more you can do to customize and tweak your Recycle Bin, from placing it in your system tray and automatically clearing old files to changing its icon and name. The tips here apply to Windows 7 and should work similarly on Windows 8 and Vista, too.
Why Do Chrome Plugins Need Access To 'All My Data' and 'Browsing Activity'?
If you’ve installed Chrome plugins, you’ve probably seen a warning that they can access your data on all websites, your tabs and browsing activity, or even all the data on your computer. This warning can be scary, especially if you’re installing a simple browser extension that looks harmless. Unfortunately, the way web browsers and web pages work means that extensions must ask for quite a few permissions to do simple things.