So you have multiple computers and you want to keep your files in sync, but you don’t want to store them on someone else’s servers. You’ll want a service that synchronizes files directly between your computers. With such a service, you can synchronize an unlimited amount of files and people can’t gain access to your files just by gaining access to an account on a server and viewing the files via the web interface....
After using a Google tablet for so long, I expected my contacts to magically be there when I started using an iPad again — especially after setting up my Gmail account. Sadly that was not the case, and I had to setup my contacts manually. Here’s how I did it. Syncing Google Contacts with the iPad Head into Settings -> Mail, Contacts, and Calendars. Click the Add Account button, then choose Other....
Your computer seems to be malfunctioning — it’s slow, programs are crashing or Windows may be blue-screening. Is your computer’s hardware failing, or does it have a software problem that you can fix on your own? This can actually be a bit tricky to figure out. Hardware problems and software problems can lead to the same symptoms — for example, frequent blue screens of death may be caused by either software or hardware problems....
Picture in Picture is an iPad-multitasking feature that lets you watch a video (in a supported app), or conduct a FaceTime call in a small window while using another app. While powerful, figuring out how it works takes some practice. Here’s how to use it. What Is Picture in Picture? Picture in Picture (PiP) scales down a video or FaceTime call to a small movable window that stays in the corner of your screen while you use other apps....
iPhones and iPads can now use widgets thanks to iOS 8. In fact, you probably already have some widgets installed — they’re all just disabled by default. Here’s how to enable and use those widgets you already have. Unlike on Android, widgets can’t appear on our home screen — that’s still reserved just for apps and app folders. Instead, widgets appear in your notification center. This means you can access them from any app with a quick swipe....
When it comes to internet-enabled radios, it takes a lot to stand out from the crowd. Today we’re taking a look at the Grace Digital Encore, a beefy little Wi-Fi radio with huge sound, dead simple setup, and even smartphone support. Read on as we take a tour and put it through the paces. What is the Encore? The Encore (full product name: Grace Encore Wi-Fi Music Player, model#: GDI-IRC7500) is tabletop internet-enabled streaming radio intended to be used both as a stand alone unit or hooked up to a larger stereo system that has an MSRP of $199 but typically retails for $170....
While most of us will most likely never have to worry about someone hacking our Wi-Fi network, just how hard would it be for an enthusiast to hack a person’s Wi-Fi network? Today’s SuperUser Q&A post has answers to one reader’s questions about Wi-Fi network security. Today’s Question & Answer session comes to us courtesy of SuperUser—a subdivision of Stack Exchange, a community-driven grouping of Q&A web sites. Photo courtesy of Brian Klug (Flickr)....
Windows is complicated and needs many different system utilities and security tools to run well — or does it? We recently covered the many types of system tools you don’t need. Here are the few utilities you actually do need. Rather than making your life complicated by piling questionable system tool on top of questionable system tool, focus on what’s really important. These are the tools that will actually do something for your PC....
Mac OS X 10.10 Yosemite brought a revamped Spotlight search interface. But it’s still limited. Flashlight smashes those limits, adding a plug-in system to Spotlight. This app isn’t just a collection of bonus features for Spotlight. It’s an entire, reverse-engineered plug-in system. You can install plug-ins other people have made or create your own. How It Works RELATED: How to Use macOS’ Spotlight Like a Champ In spite of Mac OS X 10....
Have you ever been in a position where your hands were full, or covered in ‘something’ that you wanted to keep away from your keyboard, but needed to search for something on Google at the same time? Whether it is finding out what the forgotten ingredient for the dish you are cooking is, or the next step you need to perform on your work-in-progress, Google has you covered with their new Voice Search extension!...
Internet Explorer’s “private browsing” mode is an excellent way to hide what you’re looking at from prying eyes, but it’s normally hidden under a menu… but we can make it easier to access. The Normal Way To open an InPrivate Browsing window, you can either use the Ctrl+Shift+P shortcut key, or just use the Safety \ InPrivate Browsing item on the menu. On more modern versions of IE, you can find that through the Gear icon, and then Safety \ InPrivate Browsing as seen below....
TV manufacturers are in a constant race to add new “features” so they can convince you to buy a new TV. Next up after 3D, 4K, and curved displays: Quantum dots! Quantum dot displays aren’t a new technology, but they’re making their way to TVs and you’ll see them advertised more soon. LG showed off a quantum dot TV at CES 2015. Sony, Samsung, and TCL will also be selling quantum dot TVs....
Getting Started To put a full web server on our flash drive, we’re going to use XAMPP Lite. This lightweight, preconfigured server includes recent versions of Apache, MySQL, and PHP so you can run most websites and webapps directly from it. You could use the full XAMPP, which includes more features such as a FileZilla FTP server and OpenSSL, but for most purposes, the light version is plenty for a portable server....
Tab completion is an extremely helpful feature in nearly any command-line environment, whether you’re using the Bash shell on Linux, Command Prompt or PowerShell on Windows, or a terminal window on Mac OS X. This feature can dramatically help you speed up typing commands. Just hit Tab while typing a command, option, or file name and the shell environment will automatically complete what you’re typing or suggest options to you....
In past versions of Windows Server, after using the GUI to add the Active Directory binaries to your server, you would use DCPromo to promote your server into a Domain Controller. However, DCPromo was deprecated with the release of Server 2012. Installing Active Directory on Server 2012 You can still add the binaries through the GUI, but underneath the hood even that is using PowerShell. For that reason we will keep the whole article in PowerShell....
Suppose you have a small horde of programs you want to uninstall on your Windows system, but Windows will only let you uninstall them one at a time. Why is that? What is stopping you from uninstalling multiple programs simultaneously? Today’s Question & Answer session comes to us courtesy of SuperUser—a subdivision of Stack Exchange, a community-driven grouping of Q&A web sites. The Question SuperUser reader Jeroen Bollen wants to know why a person is unable to uninstall multiple programs simultaneously in Windows:...
“Game Booster” software programs claim they can improve gaming performance with a single click, putting your PC into “Game Mode” and allocating all your resources to games. But do they actually work? PC gaming is different from console gaming. Consoles run a stripped-down operating system optimized for games, but PCs run a general-purpose operating system like Windows that may be doing other things in the background. What a “Game Booster” Program Actually Does Game Booster programs include Razer Game Booster by IObit and Wise Game Booster....
Every Windows user is fighting a constant war against junkware that legitimate application installers try to sneak onto our systems. Here’s everything you can do to protect yourself from obnoxious browser toolbars and all that other junk. Never mind the bloatware that comes preinstalled on new PCs — that can be removed by reinstalling Windows or doing a deep-cleaning when you get a new PC. The junkware that tries to sneak onto your system afterward is a constant problem....
In the second installment of our new Geek School series, we walk you through Upgrades and Migrations for Windows 7, from the perspective of learning to take your certification exam. Be sure to check out the other articles in the series (so far) Introducing How-To Geek School Configuring Devices Managing Disks We’re guessing that most of you have upgraded or installed Windows 7 before, but learning the material is really more about knowing what version can be upgraded to what version and what migration tools are available than actually doing the steps....
Grammarly has dominated the market with its digital editing tool for writers, but Microsoft is pushing ahead with its own alternative for Microsoft 365 users—Microsoft Editor. It has potential, but it’s not a fully fledged competitor to Grammarly just yet. Choosing Grammarly or Microsoft Editor will depend on what you’re looking for from a proofreading service, as we’ll explain. How Grammarly and Microsoft Editor Work Grammarly and Microsoft Editor have been created to solve a very simple mission—to improve your writing....
