Have you ever wondered how those third party tweaking programs allow you to add custom shortcuts to the Computer dialog? It’s actually really easy. Note: this should work in at least Windows 7 and Windows 8, but it might work in Vista. Maybe. How to Add Shortcuts to the Computer Dialog in Windows Press the Win + R keyboard combination to bring up and run box, then type the following....
You can set up a feature from the System Preferences menu on your Mac that will automatically disable the keyboard backlight after you have stopped using your computer for a couple of minutes. To get started, click the Apple icon found in the top-left corner of the menu bar. From there, choose the “System Preferences” option. Now, go to the “Keyboard” section. From the “Keyboard” tab, click the checkmark next to the “Turn Keyboard Backlight Off After 5 Secs of Inactivity” option....
PowerPoint files come in two formats: PPTX files are editable PowerPoint presentations and PPSX files are a view-only format intended for presentations. You can edit a PPSX file, but you must first convert it back to a PPTX format. Changing the File Extension Before trying anything else, it’s always worth seeing if you can just change the file extension. This works sometimes, although it depends on the version of Office you and your colleagues are using....
So you have a Raspberry Pi and you would like to maximize its tiny footprint by turning into a totally stand alone box—no monitor, keyboard, or other input peripherals. Read on as we show you how to set up remote shell, desktop, and file transfer access on your Pi. Why Do I Want to Do This? The Pi, even clad in a sturdy case, is a tiny computer. It’s perfect for tucking somewhere out of sight without a gaggle of wires sticking off of it—for many projects you simply don’t need a permanent monitor and peripheral accompaniment....
Google Docs makes it easy to download your documents in various formats, including PDF. You can turn your documents into PDFs on your desktop as well as on your Android phone. We’ll show you how to do that. RELATED: How to Download a Google Doc Save a Google Doc as a PDF on Desktop Open the Google Doc in a browser. Click File > Download > PDF Document. Choose a file location and name and click “Save....
Google brought a handful of changes in Android Oreo, both big and small. Among the smaller, yet welcome additions to the operating system is something the company calls Notification Dots. Essentially, these are small markers on home screen icons that let you know when an app has a notification. RELATED: The Best New Features in Android 8.0 Oreo, Available Now Really, it’s just another way to quickly identify when something may need your attention....
Fewer things annoy us than when we set our Android tablet aside for a few days only to return to a low or even dead battery. This shouldn’t be happening, so it’s time to try to fix it. Every device has its Achille’s heel of sorts. Sometimes it’s a poor camera, others it’s a terrible user interface, but most of the time it’s battery life. We’ve come to expect more of batteries....
Have you ever bought an app from the Store only to have Windows tell you that you haven’t purchased the app when you check on another device? Force Sync App Licenses First press the Windows key to get to the Start Screen, then launch the Store app. Now push the Win + C keyboard combination or move your mouse cursor to the bottom right hand corner of the screen to bring up the Charms menu, then click on the Settings Charm....
Do you sometimes wish that you could use Microsoft Word’s more useful features, such as auto-complete, automatic spelling correction, and Autotext, in other programs in Windows? PhraseExpress is a free program that allows you to do just that. PhraseExpress allows you to organize text snippets into customizable categories for quick access and to use shortened phrases to insert these full text snippets. If you type the same phrases over and over, this reduces typing time and minimizes spelling mistakes....
Feel like you aren’t getting the best picture from your shiny new TV? Want to make sure you’re watching movies as they were intended to be seen? Here’s what you need to know about HDTV picture quality, and how to adjust your set for the best image. Why TV’s Don’t Come with Optimal Picture Quality Most TVs are not designed to have the best picture quality out-of-the-box. Instead, they’re designed to be eye-catching in the showroom, next to other TVs under fluorescent lights....
Mobile security is a big deal, probably now more than ever. Most of us live on our phones, with financial information, calendar appointments, family photos, and more stored on our devices. Here’s how to keep your Android phone secure. Enable Two-Factor Authentication On Your Google Account A secure Android phone starts with a secure Google account, because that’s where all your synced data is stored—and the more Google services you use, the more crucial this step is....
Here’s the situation: You’re trying to take a selfie with a bunch of people. In order to get everyone in the shot, you have to hold your phone in an awkward position. You can’t reach the shutter button to snap the photo. What can you do? We’ll show you how to simply move the shutter button. RELATED: PSA: Samsung Galaxy Phones Have “Easy Mode” for Better Accessibility First, open the camera app on your Samsung Galaxy phone....
If you’ve ever needed to create a QR code but you didn’t know how, Microsoft has an easy-to-use tool available in any web browser through its Bing search engine. Here’s how to use it. First, open your web browser and type bing.com into your address bar to visit the Bing website. At the moment, this trick only works on desktop browsers. In the Bing search box, type “generate qr code” and hit Enter....
When you don’t have unlimited mobile data on your Android or iPhone, every megabyte counts. Mobile browsers like Google Chrome and Opera offer a built in data compression feature, allowing you to browse with less data. There are only a few small trade-offs here. If you want to use less data, enabling this feature will allow you to browse all the same websites with little noticeable difference. How Does This Work?...
About Approvals in Google Docs, Sheets, and Slides Here are a few basics on how approvals work in Google Docs, Sheets, and Slides. Reviewers receive a notification when you request approval. This can be an email, Google Chat notification, or browser alert, depending on their notification settings. If you request approval from multiple people, everyone must approve the document for the process to be considered complete. When edits are made by an approver, all reviewers will receive a notification to re-approve the document....
Phones are extremely personal devices that contain things you probably don’t want just anyone to see. Some Android devices have a “Guest” mode so you can hand off your phone and not have to worry about what they’ll find. Guest Mode on Google Pixel To get started, swipe down twice from the top of the screen to expand the Quick Settings panel. Tap the gear icon. Scroll down and select “System....
Do you need a file server on the cheap that is easy to setup, “rock solid” reliable with Email Alerting? will show you how to use Ubuntu, software RAID and SaMBa to accomplish just that. Overview Despite the recent buzz to move everything to the “all mighty”cloud, sometimes you may not want your information in someone else’s server or it just maybe unfeasible to download the volumes of data that you require from the internet every time (for example image deployment)....
With browser sync enabled, you can open some tabs on your computer and access them on-the-go from your smartphone. If you have multiple computers, you can easily keep your bookmarks and settings in sync between them. Browsers were once self-contained pieces of software that ran on a single computer, but most popular browsers now offer integrated synchronization services and mobile apps. Internet Explorer is a bit behind, but it can be made smarter with third-party extensions....
So you have an antivirus program guarding your system, your firewall is up, your browser is updated, and you’re not missing any security patches. But how can be sure your defenses are actually working as well as you think they are? These tools can also be particularly useful if you’re trying to quickly determine how secure someone else’s PC is. They can show you just how much vulnerable software the PC has installed....
Many boxes you plug into your TV, including the Roku, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and even some smart TVs themselves offer DLNA (“Digital Living Network Alliance”) streaming support. They can stream video files and music over the network from your PC—as long as you set up a DLNA server on the PC first. This feature is also known as Play To or UPnP AV. Using it is easier than you might think, as the server software you’ll need is built into Windows....
