As we all use computers over more and more years we become comfortable with software that “just works” and we want to continue using it for as long as possible.  This causes problems though as Microsoft develop new versions of Windows as, no matter how well each version of Windows is supposed to be compatible [...]

Categories: Tutorials Basic

The Windows Event Viewer in one of the most useful, yet most under used features of the operating system.  Accessed by typing event into the Start Menu search box, or through the Computer Management Console it logs everything that happens in the OS, including warnings, errors and critical failures (sudden power losses or immediate restarts [...]

Categories: Tutorials Basic

When something goes wrong with Windows it can be very difficult to diagnose or repair, and there are times when booting your computer into Safe Mode just isn’t good enough.  Safe Mode, a special diagnostic mode built into Windows strips the OS of all drivers and start-up software and presents you with a very limited [...]

Categories: Tutorials Basic

We take for granted these days that Microsoft will always provide new versions of Windows and Windows Server, that Google will always provide world-leading search and that many other companies will just be there for us in perpetuity.  After all, look at the big names like Coca Cola, Ford and and more that have been with [...]

Categories: Microsoft

I had to look twice at the press release about the new “Send to Kindle” program for Windows as on the face of it, it seems to be both obvious and something that you can already do with Windows.  Only when I looked a bit deeper did I see where the value might be in [...]

Categories: Amazon

Microsoft yesterday at their keynote revealed that the company sold more than 18 million Kinect units for the Xbox 360 gaming console. Kinect, for those unfamiliar with, is a motion sensing input device that allows Xbox 360 gamers to interact with the system through body movement and their voice. Kinect for the Windows operating system [...]

Categories: Hardware

Windows Live Mesh is a great little program that can synchronise your files across multiple PCs. laptops and tablets as well as creating an online backup of up to 5Gb using Microsoft’s SkyDrive service.  It’s not without its flaws though and can fill up your hard disk with useless temporary files that it can forget to [...]

Categories: Tutorials Basic

One of the most common questions I’m asked when people email me with PC questions is how they can find out exactly what it is that’s causing X disk operation or eating up Y memory or Z processor cycles.  The good news is that this is actually really easy to find out. In Windows Vista and Windows [...]

Categories: Tutorials Basic

Nothing seems to annoy PC users more than networking problems.  They begin with the inevitable when Windows fails to install the drivers for either your network controller card, your WiFi or usually both when you come to install the operating system.  Rather than just being able to get straight on with installing your software and [...]

Categories: Tutorials Basic