Tag: Microsoft

Easily Resize Images Under Windows Vista and Windows 7

Another quick tip for tonight. Under Windows XP you could install a variety of “Powertoys” that would add extra functionality to the operating system that was missing out of the bo. One such function was the ability to quickly and easily resize images which relied upon a third party solution unless you installed the Powertoy. Unfortunately, since …

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Check Your Computer’s Reliability in Windows 7

Windows 7 - Reliability Monitor

Here’s another quick tip for you this evening. Windows 7 includes a neat little utility that tracks various events on your computer such as updates, warnings and critical events (like application and operating system crashes). This little utility also rates your computer’s overall stability over time with hiccups bringing the score down whilst prolonged stability …

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Microsoft Releases a New Portable Antivirus

Microsoft Safety Scanner - Scan Results Screen

Sometimes it can be hard getting an antivirus to install on an infected machine especially when malware is making it difficult to use an internet connection. I have covered other tools such as MalwareBytes in the past but I thought a new tool released by Microsoft was worth a mention. The Microsoft Safety Scanner is …

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Fix Problems with Windows Update in Windows 7

Completed Windows Update Troubleshooting in Windows 7

Windows 7 comes with all sorts of built in troubleshooters that fix a variety of issues such as network connectivity problems and enabling the transparent glass effect on your desktop when it is not working. One major issue that people may come across is Windows Update not working properly or offering you updates which you …

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Create New Folders Quickly in Windows 7

Here is a quick tip for Windows 7 users out there. There’s a very quick and simple way to add a new folder in Windows 7 when browsing your files and you don’t even need to touch the mouse in order to do it. All you have to do is hit “Ctrl” + “Shift” + …

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Cloud Music: The Next Big Thing?

The tech heads amongst us would be aware of the rumours of cloud music services from Apple and Google making the rounds at the moment especially after Amazon fired the first shot in the last couple of weeks (and may have upset the record companies in the process over licensing agreements). Apple already has the …

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Keep Track of Multiple Timezones in Windows Vista and Windows 7

Additional Clocks Tab in Date and Time

Here’s a quick tip for those of you who regularly interact with people in other timezones. If you want to get a quick glance at one or two timezones other than the one you’re in then you can add this fairly easily to the “Date and Time” section in Windows. Just click on the time …

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Use JavaScript to Forward to Specific Pages Based Upon Browser Version

A slightly more technical article for today. Today, I was asked by a colleague to come up with a snippet of code that would detect the version of Internet Explorer in use on a computer and then forward the browser to different pages based upon the result. With a bit of help from Google, I …

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Adjust the Maximum Size of the Recycle Bin in Windows

Leading on from yesterday’s blog entry regarding the practice of emptying the Recycle Bin (or Trash in Mac OS X) I thought it was worth covering how to set the maximum size of the Recycle Bin in Windows to prevent it from growing too large. This is of particular importance on smaller drives in netbooks or more …

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Diagnose Dataflow Problems: Potential Issues on the Local Computer

Leading on from the last couple of posts outlining how to do a ping test and a traceroute to attempt to troubleshoot dataflow issues there are also some other things to look out for as common offenders on your own computer. These may or may not apply in all situations nor is this an exhaustive …

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