Windows Tools, Help & Guides

In my last article (An Explanation of the Pros and Cons of Using RAID on Your Computer), we discussed the problem of heat build-up during the very hot Auckland summer months and how a RAID 5 configuration with 4 disks can sustain the failure of a single disk. RAID protections provide one part of what should be an overall strategy to protect your data and your computer from heat.

In this piece we divert a bit from our standard hardware/software fare and look at the computing environment as a whole. We will postulate that a tidy workspace is, in fact, a happy workspace and suggest a few tricks to make your work-space more productive and more comfortable.

The three biggest factors driving the design of my workspace are heat, noise and clutter. If I can minimise these three and maximize my computing power and productivity (all within family budget constraints, of course), I will have archived the objective.

Read the rest of this entry »

We love desktop wallpaper on Windows Guides. Here’s a collection of 50 hand-picked high-resolution wallpapers from various sources online. Know a good place for wallpaper or have some to share? Let us know about it in the comments.

Read the rest of this entry »

While Windows updates can be a pain and dealing with issues can be even more painful, Windows updates are essential to running a secure and reliable PC. Due to the vast popularity of Windows, there are many people trying to find vulnerabilities all the time. When you purchase your copy of Windows, you’re not just getting what’s stored on the disc or OEM PC you just purchased; you’re signed up for many years of support from Microsoft via Windows Update.

Read the rest of this entry »

DropBox have recently updated their Security Terms of service to inform you that, if required, they’ll decrypt your files and hand them over to law enforcement. While this doesn’t really present a problem for most of us, please be aware that storing your evil plans on DropBox is probably not a good idea… at all.

Here’s the wording from their security policy:

Read the rest of this entry »

Mac|Life has put together a guide for Mac users that helps you install Windows on your Mac (either as a boot option or virtually) for those times that a Mac doesn’t have exactly what you need to get a task done. The guide details the two different ways in which you can put Windows on your Mac: through Boot Camp or with virtualization.

Read the rest of this entry »

A recent question from a reader, inspired me to write this article on how to set up and switch between several email accounts in Outlook 2010. The How To article showing you how to set up an account has already been written and I will not repeat that part but rather link to it later on.

Setting up a second (third, fourth … ) account in Outlook.

Adding several accounts to your Outlook 2010 is a simple task. Using them and switching between them is also very easy. What you DO need to decide before adding several accounts is, which will function as your main account, and should the accounts use the same PST-file (the database storing your emails) or should you use separate PST-files ?

Read the rest of this entry »