Windows Tools, Help & Guides

I have a deal for you.
In exchange for a free piece of software that helps you keep track of your passwords and other log on information, I’m going to install other programs on your PC that will track your web surfing and display advertising that pops-up on your screen. There will also be other types of ads on your computer based on information we collect.

Does that sound like a good deal to you? Well, if you’re one of the many Windows users who have installed eWallet software from Gain Publishing that’s exactly what you agreed to do. But you already know that because you read the End User License Agreement
or “EULA” that was available prior to installing the program. You did read it right? Of course you did; before you could install the software you had to check a box certifying that you read the agreement. Legally speaking, that’s the same thing as signing a contract with pen and ink.

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If you share your PC with others or let friends use it when they come to visit, you may find settings changed, files deleted, programs installed etc. when you next use it. With previous versions of Windows, I’ve used Windows Steady State, which provided a mode to allow access without setting complicated policies to protect your settings. Thankfully with Windows 7, Microsoft has made this level of protection much more readily accessible. Learn, in this guide how to set up a Guest account—available in all Windows 7 and 8 versions—for infrequent users of your PC.

Please note two things before getting started:

1. You should not use a guest account if you have parental controls set on your children’s accounts
2. You cannot use Guest mode in an Active Directory environment
   In other words, you probably wont be able to add a guest account if you use company hardware

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When you store your data with a third party provider like Dropbox, you put trust in the storage provider’s security controls to protect your data. While all good storage providers encrypt their data locally and during transmission, you can add an additional layer of security to really lock down your data and keep prying eyes away.

In the past, we’ve shown you how to create a secure, encrypted volume on your PC or USB drive; however, you need to use a PC to access the data. In this guide, we share an application that encrypts your data while still providing access to your data from any Windows, Mac, or Linux PC as well as from an iOS, Android, or Windows RT device.

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Protecting your accounts with something you know (your password) and something you have (an authentication code) ensures that even if your password is compromised, your data is still protected. In this guide, we’ll show you how to set up two-step verification on your Dropbox account.

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Often we face errors on our PCs which, with a quick web search on the error text, are easily resolvable. Did you know you can copy the contents of an error message (or any dialog box) to your clipboard? When you’re faced with an error, press Ctrl+C to copy the error title and text to your clipboard.

This:

Becomes this:

—————————
Warning, grasshopper
—————————
You haven’t paid homage to Windows Guides today
—————————
OK
—————————

Simply paste the error message into the search field; I find this a lot quicker than transcribing the error message in to your favorite search engine yourself.

In this guide, you will learn what the Windows Registry is, how to access and configure it, and how to backup and restore it.

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