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Windows 8 contains a built-in file encryption feature, called BitLocker, but only in the Pro or Enterprise versions. In addition, if your system does not have a Trusted Platform Module (TPM), you must use an external USB flash drive with BitLocker for it to work. RELATED: How to Encrypt and Password Protect Your USB Drives Without Extra Software If you are concerned about other users of your system having access to your files, there has been a simple way to encrypt files and folders in every version of Windows since XP called Encrypted File Service (EFS)....

The security debacle at Dropbox last week opened a lot of peoples’ eyes to the need for user-managed encryption for cloud-based storage. Read on to learn how to secure your Dropbox (and other cloud-based files) with Boxcryptor. Why Layer Additional Security Onto Your Cloud Storage? On June 19 there was a four-hour security glitch at Dropbox. During that four-hour period anyone could log into any account with any password. If someone knew the email you used to login they could supply any password at all and it would work....

Incomes Below $72,000: IRS Free File Program If your adjusted gross income for 2020 was $72,000 or less, you qualify for the IRS Free File Program. This program is a partnership between the IRS and tax software companies like Intuit and H&R Block. If you qualify, you can use certain tax programs for free, paying $0 for every feature the software offers. Once your federal and state taxes are complete, you can e-file them for free, too....

RELATED: Do the People You Follow on Social Media Spark Joy? Following vs. Friending on Facebook To follow someone and to add someone as a friend are two different things on Facebook. When you follow someone, you don’t have to add them as a friend. You can see that entity’s posts and other content in your news feed while not becoming a part of their friends list. This option is usually used to follow celebrities and the pages that interest you on this social platform....

By default, when you create a table in Word, it is aligned with the left margin. You may want to make your tables stand out a bit by indenting them, but this cannot be done using the same formatting tools you would use to indent a paragraph. We’ll show you a couple of ways you can easily indent a table in Word. First, you can use the table handle in the upper-left corner of the table....

Many old PC games seem to work fine on Windows 10, but games using Microsoft’s failed Games for Windows LIVE (GFWL) platform are an exception. They’ll give you an error on Windows 10. You can remove GFWL from many games entirely, though, or just troubleshoot it and make it work properly. Many games have abandoned GFWL, allowing you to redeem a non-GFWL copy or install a patch that removes GFWL....

If your taskbar, system tray, or Start menu acts up, you might be tempted to restart your PC. Instead, you can usually just restart Windows Explorer. Windows makes it pretty easy whether you’re using Windows 11, Windows 10, Windows 8, or Windows 7. Windows Explorer (Explorer.exe) is a program manager process that provides the graphical interface you use to interact with most of Windows—the Start menu, taskbar, notification area, and File Explorer....

To begin, open the “Settings” app on your iPhone or iPad. If you can’t locate it, pull down on your device’s homescreen to use Spotlight Search. In the Settings menu, scroll down and tap on “Wallpaper”. Select the “Choose a New Wallpaper” option. Apple offers and groups different types of built-in wallpapers. Choose “Dynamic,” the item at the top of the menu. You can select one of seven dynamic wallpapers....

Apple’s AirPods are one of the company’s most popular accessories, and they’re pretty great. Like all modern wireless headphones, they have firmware that sometimes needs to be updated for optimal performance. Here’s how to update the firmware on your AirPods. With no screen to speak of it can be easy to forget that wireless headphones often need firmware updates to make sure that hey work as well as they possibly can....

It’s increasingly common to have multiple Instagram accounts. You might have one for a pet, a specific hobby, or your business. Whatever the reason, we’ll show you how to use them all in the Instagram app. This wasn’t always the case, but Instagram allows you to add multiple accounts to the mobile app. You don’t have to constantly sign in and out, and you can get notifications from all the accounts....

The Disk Management tool in Windows gives you an easy-to-use graphical interface to dealing with partitions and drive letters, but what if you want to just quickly change a drive letter on the command prompt? The diskpart utility makes it easy. You’ll need to start by opening an administrator mode command prompt — type cmd into the search box, and then right-click and choose Run as administrator, or use the CTRL + SHIFT + ENTER keyboard shortcut....

If you’ve been keeping up with the global competition between the world’s best soccer teams, you know that catching each game in the United States hasn’t been cheap or easy. FOX has exclusive rights to broadcast the World Cup in the U.S., meaning viewers have had to either subscribe to a cable package or a streaming service that includes FOX networks, like FuboTV. Unless, of course, you’re sly enough to sign up for ExpressVPN and stream the games via free British streaming services....

What Is Everything? Everything is a windows freeware file search application created by programmer David Carpenter in 2008. We shared Everything with our readers for the first time shortly thereafter, and some of us, like yours truly, have been using it ever since. The single most notable thing about Everything is the speed—which is why we give it a shoutout whenever we talk about searching Windows faster. If you’ve ever used Windows file search or even some third-party file search tools, the most memorable thing about the experience is how long it takes...

If you are one of the people who has been looking forward to having a better user name for a Yahoo account, then now is the time to hurry on over to the wish list website and register your preferred selections. The registration process lets you select up to five user names in order of preference and will be open through August 7. Once you have entered your desired choices, simply add your contact information and you are done....

Continuous Integration is crucial for any active repository that needs routine building and testing. Github supports CI pipelines in the form of Github Actions—builds that run in the cloud, automatically, with just a bit of setup. What Is Continuous Integration? While some codebases, like certain web apps, can be deployed directly from their source files, others require additional processing, compilation, and, most importantly, unit testing. These builds can be complicated and even resource intensive in the case of languages like C++....

ActiveX controls are Internet Explorer’s version of plug-ins. For example, Internet Explorer’s Flash player is an ActiveX control. Unfortunately, ActiveX controls have been a significant source of security problems. ActiveX controls are essentially pieces of software and have access to your entire computer if you opt to install and run them. If you’re using Internet Explorer, websites can prompt you to install ActiveX controls — and this feature can be used for malicious purposes....

Docker Compose is an immensely popular tool for working with containers. Whereas the ordinary docker CLI interacts with one container at a time, docker-compose lets you control multiple containers in aggregate. Compose currently exists as a standalone project that’s distributed independently of Docker. If you want to use Compose, you’ll need to download it separately. Many users end up grabbing the binary directly, as OS package managers often lag behind, even if they offer the latest Docker version....

We’ve come a long way since the days of infected floppy disks moving between DOS computers. Malware isn’t about messing with you, joking around, or just causing damage — it’s all about profit. To understand why all this malware is out there and why people are making it, all you have to keep in mind is the profit motive. Criminals make malware and other nasty software to make money....

For the last lesson in this Geek School series, we will talk about accessing everything that’s shared on the network. We will start by showing how to view and access what’s shared by others on the Homegroup, both in Windows 7 and Windows 8.x. Even though the steps involved are a little bit different, the basic principles are the same in both operating systems. Then, we will explain how to access everything that’s shared on the network, even from computers that do not have Windows installed or that are not part of the Homegroup....

A Word on Router Placement Before we dig into all the different things that can affect your Wi-Fi signal in your home, let’s start off by talking about Wi-Fi in general, router placement, and how to make the best use of the information we’re about to share. You’ll never have a home that’s absolutely perfect for a Wi-Fi signal because having a home with stuff in it (including yourself and your family!...