Windows Tools, Help & Guides

WMC TV for your PC

Back in a previous post (add a tuner) we talked about the features available in the TV section of Windows Media Center made possible by the installation of a TV tuner card.

In this article we’ll take you through the whole process, step by step, with plenty of screen shots. The tuner for this report is the WinTV-HVR-NovaT very similar to the model shown below.

In earlier versions of Windows, you’d need a third-party solution to help you monitor key subsystems (CPU, RAM etc.) of your computer. With Vista, came the Resource Monitor (Resmon) and with Windows 7 came improvements to the Resource Monitor.

In this guide, we talk more about Windows 7′s Resource Monitor. Previously, Angel Luis showed you how to determine if you need more RAM using Windows 7′s resource monitor. In this guide, we’ll show you what else you can monitor with Resource Monitor and help you interpret the data it gives.

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I have a friend who is all MAC. Everything in his house is MAC-Something. Phone, sound system, stereo, tv, the works. What’s neat about his setup is the ability to control everything via his iPhone. Whenever he wants to put on some music, watch some TV, play a game, he taps his iPhone app, choose the playlist and Presto …  no matter where in the house he is . Being a bit envy – and not being able to afford an entire MAC-based setup -  I checked to see if I could find something usable for my Windows Mobile or my Android Mobile. And guess what? I Did… for both!

Windows Guides’ Rating	User Rating	Compatible with	System
5 out of 5	(7 votes, average: 4.43 out of 5)

GRemote 1.5.0.82

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Windows Guides’ Rating	User Rating	Compatible with	System
5 out of 5	(21 votes, average: 4.76 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

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Hardware manufacturers frequently update device drivers for their hardware to improve compatibility, efficiency, performance, and security.

A device driver simplifies programming by acting as a translator between a hardware device and the applications or operating systems that use it. Programmers can write the higher-level application code independently of whatever specific hardware device it will ultimately control, because code and device can interface in a standard way, regardless of the software superstructure or of underlying hardware.

Source

This guide will show you how to update your drivers using three different methods:

1. Update drivers using Windows’ Device Manager
2. Update drivers with Device Doctor
3. Update drivers manually by downloading them from the manufacturer’s website

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In the quest for an ever more perfect media center, our focus now turns to the EPG – the Electronic Program Guide – the data that comes with our programs, but is not a part of our programs. When you stand at the back of the room farthest from the TV, they look like this:

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