Windows Tools, Help & Guides

I have written a guide for next week that explains running tasks as an administrator in Windows XP. Just like modern cars (some, not all) don’t fully turn off the traction control even when you press the switch, modern versions (including XP) don’t give you full administrative permissions (even with an Administrator account.) Thus, you’ll need to activate the “hidden” administrator account in Windows to have full control over your files and settings.

Please note: Only activate and use this account if you have a need to do so (i.e. tinkering with system files on a non-critical PC.)

Learn, in this guide, how to activate the hidden administrator account in Windows XP (Instructions for Windows Vista/7.)

Read the rest of this entry »

Thinking about upgrading to Microsoft Office 2010?

Each upgrade brings exciting new features, but new versions of your favourite programs can take some getting used to. It’s no different for those of us here at Microsoft who create the Office programs than it is for our customers.

To ease the transition, we’ve put together six handy Office 2010 migration guides to help you step up to the newest versions of Microsoft Access, Excel, OneNote, Outlook, PowerPoint, and Word.

Read the rest of this entry »

Windows Guides’ Rating	Compatible with	System
5 out of 5

PROS: Years of tweaking experience have produced this product that applies tried and tested tweaks to your system. The Program Deactivator removes overhead from your system while keeping the application at hand if needed. CONS: The trial only lasts 15 days. I like to evaluate software for at least 30 days before committing to paying for it. VERDICT: If you want something that is more granular than CCleaner or similar products and you don’t mind forking out for great software, go for this. PRICE: $29.95 (Upgrade) $42.46 (Full Version with 15% off coupon) VERSION REVIEWED: TuneUp Utilities 2011 DOWNLOAD: TuneUp Utilities 2011 (15% off) (Aff) 15 day Trial

Read the rest of this entry »

There are several folders in your computer that can increase size without you having knowledge of it. It’s very common that programs use temporary files. Every browser also uses caches and cookies.

The Folders

Some of these applications don’t delete these files after they are used. In this post I am going to explain how to obtain information about the size of the following folders:

Temporary Folder

This folder which is usually located at “C:\Users\<username>\AppData\Local\Temp” is used for almost every program to store its temporary files.

Read the rest of this entry »

In a lot of the guides on this site, we ask you to show hidden files. If you are not sure of how to do this, this guide is for you.

Although the interface of Windows has changed since Windows XP, the steps taken to show hidden files are the same for Windows XP, Vista, and 7. I’ved used XP for the screenshots in this guide.

Read the rest of this entry »

I must admit that I am a big fan of Microsoft Security Essentials (MSE). Since Microsoft has the most popular consumer operating system in the world, why don’t they take up the responsibility in releasing a security program for their users for free? Of course, I am aware that Microsoft has previously released a few – less noticeable security programs, like Windows Defender (pre-installed in Windows Vista/7 and will be disabled if the user installs MSE) and Windows Live OneCare (which was a paid subscription and discontinued), but most Windows users still prefer to use some free security software offered by third parties (and most of them are ad-supported), due to various reasons. Don’t be surprised that some of new PC users aren’t aware of the importance of a security product for Windows, and some don’t have security software installed (and they aren’t aware that they are exposed to the various threats during browsing), so it is pretty important (and I think it’s quite fundamental) for Microsoft to have a competitive in-house security program for all Windows users, for free of course, and the answer is Microsoft Security Essentials. Read the rest of this entry »