Windows Tools, Help & Guides

You can turn your laptop equipped with Microsoft Windows 8 into a Wi-Fi hotspot.

There are three ways to do this on your laptop. One of them requires that you delve into the command prompt, a task many feel unwilling or unprepared to handle. If you are one of these people, there’s still a way to make your laptop a Wi-Fi hotspot.

Windows 7 Hotspot instructions

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ISO disk images are the industry standard when it comes to the optical disk images. Most of the Linux variations line Ubuntu, Mint, Debian etc. are distributed in form of downloadable ISO images. Typically you have to download the ISO files and then use a software like ImgBurn to burn these disk images to a blank CD or DVD. But why waste your blank optical media when you can view and use the ISO images right inside Windows without having to write then on the media. The freeware software DVDFab Virtual Drive lets you load ISO images into Windows and use them like real disk drives. It supports loading of CD/DVD and BlueRay ISO images. Read the rest of this entry »

Unlike Mac or Linux, the file extension is very important  in Windows. The extension of a file indicates the content type and which program should be used to open that file. But sometimes we stumble upon files without any extension and we don’t know what to do with them. If you try to double-click on a file without any extension, Windows would just throw up an error that ‘No program is associated with this file type‘. But using an open-source program called TrID we can find out the file types of such files and then look for a program that can open it. TrID scans the files based on signatures and can successfully predict the file types based on the data contained inside a file without having to depend on the file extension. Read the rest of this entry »

Windows Guides’ Rating	Compatible with	System
4.5 out of 5

PROS: It’s extremely straightforward and properties are categorised. Caphyon’s technical support team is also responsive and very helpful. Free version available. CONS: Paid versions are quite expensive (although it is justifiable if you design programs for a living!) VERDICT: Easy to use yet loads of functionality available. PRICE / EDITION: FREE (Free) / $299 (Professional) / $399 (Java) / $999 (Enterprise) / $2999 (Architect) A 30-day trial for each edition is available. VERSION REVIEWED: Professional 9.8 DOWNLOAD: Advanced Installer

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Windows Guides’ Rating	Compatible with	System
4.5 out of 5

PROS: Lightweight and simple. Performs its main task—reporting file-by-file disk usage—in an intuitive manner and provides the ability to visually drill down to the largest files and directories on your hard drive. Essential for SSD users running out of space! CONS: The only “con” is WinDirStat has pretty much looked the same since its release in 2003. The treemap view is great but it’s a little bit of an eye sore by today’s standards. Still, the software is bug free and provides data quickly and efficiently. VERDICT: If you want to save disk space, this utility is essential. PRICE: Free VERSION REVIEWED: 1.1.2.80 DOWNLOAD: WinDirStat

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Do you disable Autorun on your PC? Many viruses execute malicious code by running automatically on your PC via a thumb drive, network drive etc. If you haven’t yet disabled Autorun, I recommend you do. This guide will show you the easiest way to disable Autorun in just a few minutes and will potentially save you from getting an avoidable PC virus that takes time (or money) to clean.

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