Windows

When you experience a loss of all the data on your computer, it's a good feeling to know you have a backup. If you have previously created a system image file (a copy of the contents of your...

Windows System Restore, a feature of the Windows operating system that was introduced with Windows XP, is a great way to help undo problems and changes on your computer. It operates by taking...

There are several versions of the Microsoft Windows XP operating system. OEM stands for "Original Equipment Manufacturer," and these versions are sold to computer system builders like Dell or...

A startup disk, otherwise known as a "boot disk," can be used to start the computer in the Vista repair/reinstall process if the computer is damaged or otherwise unable to start on its own. If you...

Bypassing an administrator password is difficult, but not impossible. There are a couple of routes you can use to get around a forgotten or unknown administrator password, granting you access to...

A window pane installation is a pretty simple project, but it still requires your attention and a certain amount of dexterity. Besides inserting a new pane and adding some putty, there are some...

A Windows operating system-based computer comes with a variety of themes, also known as wallpaper, that can be selected and placed on a computer's "Desktop." These themes include animals, nature,...

Apple QuickTime media player can set itself as the default player for a wide range of file types when it is installed. MOV is the standard QuickTime video format, but dozens of file formats may...

Windows XP is one of Microsoft's most stable and popular operating systems. Not everyone is a fan of Windows however, and clearly Windows is not the answer for every application. In certain...

Downgrading an operating system can be a lot of work, especially for a novice computer user. The installation of XP Home can be done one of two ways, although both will seem very invasive to the...

When the Delete History function is enabled on a Vista system, users can delete any browsing history in Internet Explorer, making it impossible to see what websites they have visited. This can...

If you need to have a list of the files present in a Windows folder, you can use the Windows scripting language to create it. Windows scripting language provides a set of instructions from the...

Windows Explorer is the file management tool that is included with every release of Windows. This file management tool allows users to drag and drop files into new directories. The newest versions...

If you're using a Windows operating system, you want to get a Windows product to stop pop-up ads. An effective program is Windows Defender. This program can quickly find spyware, prevent annoying...

When many Microsoft Outlook users make the switch to the Windows Vista operating system, they experience password problems that did not occur when they were using previous versions of Windows....

The "Start" button is located in the lower left corner of your Windows desktop. Clicking it brings up the "Start" menu on screen, which is your computer's hub of hyperlinks and shortcuts to...

Windows XP can cause some computer displays to appear inverted or upside down. This happens in computers with video drivers or graphic cards that support 180-degree screen rotation. As the user...

Files can be added to the Windows registry by importing them into the registry. After adding them, you can edit them using the Registry Editor. Windows Registry contains software configuration...

One of the trends of modern technology is the ability to customize just about everything we use. This trend does not exclude computer operating systems. Computer customization can be for simple...

Windows XP logs all the significant events on the system. Logs files are categorized into three types: application, security and system, and contain information about the computer hardware,...

There are a couple ways to enable Tablet PC capabilities in Windows Vista or 7. Windows XP, unfortunately, will only enable Tablet capabilities on Tablet PC hardware. Vista and Windows 7, on the...

At any given time on a computer, dozens of processes can be running. These processes can be parts of software that's open, part of the operating system or even related to the hardware of the...

Hard drives, as much space as they seem to have, get filled up rather quickly with files such as music, movies, games and applications. It eventually comes to the point where you'll need to...

With changing background colors and wallpaper images, it is sometimes hard to see the text to the icons on the Desktop. It would be so easy if Windows Vista let you change the color of your icon...

The Windows system tray features many icons that monitor and display information about the computer system. Anti-virus software, drivers, printer status, and the computer clock all have indicators...

Certificate errors indicate that a website is not secure: navigating to such a page could result in a third party obtaining your personal information. Internet Explorer 7 and Internet Explorer 8...

Microsoft includes a program called "System Restore" with its operating systems. System Restore allows users to create "restore points," or snapshots of computer settings that can be accessed if...

SVCHost.exe errors have been becoming very common in Windows operating systems. Unfortunately, fixing this problem is vital to the computer and, if left unmaintained, it could destroy the computer...

Windows Explorer is a split-pane interface for interacting with all the files on a Windows computer. The right pane of the Explorer window utilizes all the standard Windows options for viewing the...

Often novice computer users will encounter problems with text and applications running off the screen of their computers. While most will go on without a fix, this problem will bug others to the...

If you are upgrading your Sony laptop to a new operating system, such as Windows 7, or even installing an alternative operating system, such as a Linux distribution, you will want to completely...

When you open a program on your computer, it draws enough memory out of the RAM to perform its functions. Sometimes when you close it, however, your computer fails to deallocate the RAM it had...

Recent versions of Windows are equipped with the ability to download software updates automatically. Aside from the occasional system restart, the end user does not have to do anything. This is a...

To install Windows XP Home Edition on a "clean" disk, the usual procedure is to boot from the Windows XP CD. Make sure the Basic Input/Output System, or BIOS, of your computer is set up to boot...

You may need to change the user file in Vista for several reasons. For one, you could have purchased the computer from a friend or family member and would like to customize it to your own...

You can name file folders in Windows to help you quickly find what you are looking for and to determine what type of files a folder contains. However, if you are on a server with many shared...

System Restore is a feature in Windows that allows a user to roll back their computer to an earlier date. If a computer has been attacked by a virus or spyware, or something else has gone wrong, a...

Recovery options in Windows Vista can be accessed by booting the computer with the Windows Vista disc in the DVD-ROM drive or by holding the "F8" key while the computer boots.

If you are installing Windows XP on top of an existing installation in an attempt to save your files, you will be asked to enter your product key or activation code before the installation will...

System Restore is a useful troubleshooting and repair utility provided with Windows operating systems. Using System Restore, the computer's operating system and programs may be restored to an...

WMI is a diagnostic utility that was added for IT Administrators to quickly assess and fix errors in the Windows operating system. It was first introduced in Windows 2000 and has been around...

The Start menu features an easy to use user interface that consolidates access to all programs and services in the Windows operating system. Since the release of Windows XP, Microsoft introduced...

When you want to install a new operating system in your computer, it is sometimes useful to completely obliterate any traces of what was once on your hard drive. By default, a new operating system...

Computer processes require random-access memory (RAM) to run. If you have many processes running on your computer, this can use up a lot of RAM. When the RAM gets low, the computer uses virtual...

The window frames in your home accent the overall look and design of your home. Ensuring they are always in good condition and looking their best is paramount to maintaining the look of your home....

Over the lifetime of a computer, it can become slow and sluggish, infested with spyware and viruses or compromised by hackers and malware. Whatever the case, it will eventually become necessary to...

If you have downloaded something to your computer and decided not to install the program or use the file, you can delete the item. The download takes up space on your computer, so if you do not...

Winlogon is a Windows executable program that controls the functions surrounding the creation and maintaining of individual accounts on each computer. Winlogon also monitors keyboard and mouse...

"Booting" Windows XP involves the process of initiating the installation sequence to repair or replace an existing copy of Windows. Booting the PC requires use of a disk that orders the computer...

If your email appointments and emails have the wrong time on them, chances are good that the clock on your computer is set incorrectly. If the date and time are wrong, you may notice a number of...