Tips ‘n Tricks »
Here you will find tips, tricks, and guides on various different topics, but mainly focused on computers.
CopyPasteCharacter: Easily copy special symbols/characters and paste them anywhere you like
Unicode is a beauty. With over a 100,000 characters to its name, Unicode not only enables use of non-Latin character languages but it also enables users to use special characters and symbols like, say, a snowman. The problem is many of these special characters and symbols are often hard to [...]
Read More »Tweak your computer with registry hacks, Part 2: The Classes Root (in a bit more detail)
It has been long time since I posted part 1 in the registry hacks series, and I hope you read it 10 times like you were suppose to. After much thought I’ve decided that I’ll continue the posts on registry hacks by talking about the Classes Root. Now, for those [...]
Read More »Recover application windows after you accidently close them
How many people here have ever accidentally closed an application window? Maybe Firefox? Word? Chat window? [Insert window here]? Don’t worry; it happens to the best of us. Maybe our mouse slips. Maybe our hands slip. Maybe we meant to close that other window. Whatever the case may be, the [...]
Read More »Which search engine do you truly prefer – Google, Bing, or Yahoo? Let’s find out!
Google is trying to take over the world, Microsoft already owns our souls, and Yahoo… well, Yahoo is a classic (couldn’t think of anything else to say about Yahoo). So the million dollar multi-billion dollar question is who’s search engine do you use? With Yahoo quickly dying away most of [...]
Read More »What are Stop Online Piracy Act and PROTECT IP Act, and how they will affect you [dotTech Explains]
If you follow technology news regularly you will have, without a doubt, read about SOPA (Stop Online Piracy Act) and PIPA (PROTECT IP Act – Preventing Real Online Threats to Economic Creativity and Theft of Intellectual Property Act). With SOPA and PIPA being thrown around on every bloody website in [...]
Game Booster – Increase game responsiveness with this nifty program!
Are you a gamer? Then chances are this program is for you. Game Booster works by disabling unnecessary background programs, defragging your game directories, and freeing up RAM. Here is a short description as per the developer:
Designed to help optimize your PC for smoother, more responsive game play in
[...]
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Verizon Wireless backs off, drops $2 “convenience” fee
You know that $2 “convenience” fee Verizon Wireless planned to start charging starting January 15, 2012? That fee that literally charged you $2 for paying your bill? Yeah, well, after 24-hours of public outcry – and a passive-aggressive threat by the Federal Communications Commission – Verizon has decided to eliminate [...]
Verizon Wireless to charge customers $2 per month to pay bills starting Jan 2012
There is no such thing as a free lunch. Apparently there is also no such thing as hard-working, honest Americans paying their monthly phone bill without being charged for the privilege. Starting January 15, 2012 Verizon Wireless is going to charge their customers $2 per month for anyone that pays [...]
Tip: Enable “multiple sign-in” if you regularly use more than one Google account
Do you have multiple Google accounts? I have multiple Google accounts. And I am not just talking about Gmail; I use multiple different Google accounts across a variety of services Google offers. An issue with using multiple Google accounts is having to regularly login and logout to switch between different [...]
Create new Google Docs documents from your desktop by adding Google Docs to the right-click context menu
The cloud is the future of tomorrow. Today Google announced Google Chrome OS and the Chrome Web Store, so now more than ever before the cloud is on everybody’s mind. The cloud, being the cloud, mainly operates through the web browser. Unfortunately, there is minimal integration of cloud-based services with [...]
[Firefox] Add-on Compatibility Reporter allows users to run incompatible add-ons in Firefox
Add-ons are great. Without a doubt add-ons are one of the most important reasons behind the success of Firefox (and Chrome). The issue is most add-ons are created in the spare time of developers who have day jobs. As such, some add-ons aren’t maintained and become “incompatible” with newer versions [...]
[Firefox] Use Print Edit to remove content you don’t want before printing
Don’t like PrintWhatYouLike, Click2ap, Nuke Everything Enhanced, or Aardvark? Maybe Print Edit is your type of program. Print Edit is an add-on for Firefox that allows users to manually remove content from pages before printing, enabling users to save paper and ink.
Similar to the previous mentioned tools, Print Edit [...]
Read More »RockMelt is a social media focused version of Google Chrome for Windows, Mac, and iOS
Are you a social networking hound? Can’t stay away from Facebook? Seeing as the Internet browser is probably the most used application on your computer, if you are a socialite, wouldn’t it make sense to have a browser that feeds your social networking needs? You know, a browser like RockMelt[...]
Read More »IObit Toolbox: Portable jack-of-all-trades-master-of-none program by IObit
IObit, a company who’s many products have been discussed on dotTech in the past (Advanced SystemCare Pro [freebie], Internet Security 360 [scandal], Game Booster, IObit Advanced Uninstaller), has released IObit Toolbox, a program that can best be described as being the portable version of Advanced SystemCare.
IObit Toolbox is a [...]
Read More »SpeedyFox: speed up Firefox (seriously!)
In the past week or so SpeedyFox has been featured in articles by many popular and respected tech websites which I read (occasionally). Until now I just gave it a short glance and passed over it. I say “until now” because I finally decided to give it a go; and [...]
Read More »Tip: Condition your new cell phone’s battery to make it last longer (but be sure to condition it properly)
We all like getting new phones, right? In all the excitement of a new cell phone, many consumers forget about the battery. After all, the battery is just the thing you throw into the cell phone to make it work – why must we worry about it instead of playing [...]
Read More »Change your computer’s OEM information with OEM Configurator
Want to truly personalize your computer? Then you need to edit the OEM information of your computer. OEM (Original Equipment Manufacturer — companies like Dell, HP, Gateway, Acer, Asus, Samsung, etc.) information is the stuff shown when you open System from Control Panel — things like [...]
Read More »Quickly and easily find and compare file checksums (MD5, SHA-1, and more) with Marxio File Checksum Verifier
As technology progresses, it seems that we are continually downloading larger and larger files. The problem with download large files is that sometimes the file may get corrupt while downloading. Also, with the increase in file hosting websites, people are constantly uploading and mirroring popular files to download. The problem [...]
Read More »Tip: Don’t like the latest Firefox releases? Mozilla is still supporting Firefox 3.6 — download it now
Some people have voiced reservations about Firefox’s latest releases — reservations regarding issues like bloated-ness, crashes, and overly fast releases. I myself find since Firefox 4, Firefox has been crashing a lot although stability has seemingly improved since Firefox 8. If you are one of those people that would prefer [...]
Read More »[Windows] Audit (some) passwords with Password Security Scanner
Think you (or someone you know) have weak passwords? Then you (or the person you know) need to read dotTech’s advice on how to have strong passwords. Still unsure about your (or someone else’s) passwords? Then give Password Security Scanner a try.
What Is Password Security Scanner
Password Security Scanner [...]
Read More »[How To] Tip: Install multiple versions of Firefox to test before upgrading to latest release
With the recent rapid releases of Firefox, there may be a desire to test the latest release of FF before upgrading to ensure add-on compatibility, etc. There are many ways to go about testing the latest release of Firefox including using portable versions of FF or installing on a virtual [...]
IconSort: save/restore the position of the icons on your desktop.
You know what is one of the most annoying things ever? Someone (or something) changing the icon configuration on my desktop. It drives me nuts; I have the icons in a certain config for a reason and when someone/something changes it…arrrrg! This change-of-icon-configuration can happen if someone other then myself [...]
Read More »Submit files for manual malware analysis by 31 antivirus companies with X-Ray
There are many online malware scanners that use multiple antivirus engines to scan files. However, as shown in dotTech’s analysis of Avira vs avast! vs AVG vs Microsoft Security Essentials, antivirus software don’t detect unknown malware (i.e. zero-day threats — retrospective detection rates) as well as they detect known malware. [...]
Disk Space Fan: Analyze your hard drive and enjoy eye candy at the same time
There are many, many programs out there that serve the purpose of analyzing your hard drive usage (such as O&O DiskStat which was recently just posted about on dotTech). So, for a analyze-hard-drive program to stand out, it needs to be able to do something *special*. Disk Space Fan is [...]
Read More »WinSplit Revolution: Tile, resize, and position windows for efficient use of your screen
Ever working on a project and wished you could place two windows side by side to make it easier for you to do whatever you were doing? I know I have. Well, you know as they – be careful what you wish for… you might just get it!
WinSplit Revolution [...]
Read More »Microsoft Security Essentials vs Avira vs avast! vs AVG: Best free anti-virus/anti-malware program for Windows [3rd Edition]
![Microsoft Security Essentials vs Avira vs avast! vs AVG: Best free anti-virus/anti-malware program for Windows [3rd Edition]](http://cdn.dottech.org/media/2011/12/dotTech_AV_Comparisions_Revision_3_Chart_1-290x160.png)
Without a doubt one of the most popular questions I am asked is “which security software should I use for my computer?” Often times the person asking me the question is looking for a free security solution as opposed to a paid one. To address this question, I have already [...]
Read More »Tip: Tapping F8 not getting you into Safe Mode? Try holding F8
Ever crash your computer? If you say “no” you are a liar. Ever crash your computer and then it refuses to load into Windows? One of the most common causes of computer crashes is a new software change you made. One of the easiest ways to undo crash-causing software changes [...]
Qlock: show the time from different parts of the world right on your desktop
Some of us may have relatives in other parts of the other world while others have business contacts. Yet others have friends while others just online acquaintances. The fact is with globalization occurring at a stunning pace and the internet spreading even faster, nowadays we are in contact with people [...]
Read More »SUPERAntiSpyware introduces free “online scanner”
Update: Back when I wrote this article two years ago SUPERAntiSypware’s online scanner was “new”. It isn’t new anymore. Still, this article is applicable to the scanner because it is still around today.
SUPERAntiSpyware – a popular and effective security software which protects users again spyware, malware, adware, trojans, rootkits, [...]
Read More »[dotTech Explains] What is the difference between “size” and “size on disk”?
Ever look at a file or folder and wonder why the heck the “size” and “size on disk” are different? Yeah, me too. Until recently I had no idea why these two are different and just brushed it off as some technical mumbo jumbo. Ignorance may, at times, be bliss; [...]
Leave Windows Calculator behind and use SpeedCrunch instead
Windows Calculator provides you with a fair amount of functionality in terms of mathematical computational needs. However it is an annoying piece of **** to use. One of my biggest grips with Windows Calculator is that you can’t see the computations you did before or the ones you are doing [...]
Read More »CCEnhancer now adds support for 675 programs to CCleaner
Last year in August I wrote about CCEnhancer (it was known as CCleaner Enhancer back then before Piriform made the developer change the name), a simple program that enhances CCleaner (yes, pun intended) by adding cleaning support for hundreds of programs. When I wrote about CCEnhancer last year it added [...]
Proof-of-concept website displays your P2P (torrent) download history
Do you torrent? My guess is many people do, legally or illegally. A new proof-of-concept website, YouHaveDownloaded, aims to prove your downloading is not anonymous and is being tracked.
You Are Being Tracked
You may or may not know this but peer-to-peer downloads are increasingly being tracked as to who [...]
Read More »Easily keep track of all your clipboard (copied/cut) data and/or share it across your network.
Often times when I am multitasking I copy some text/link/picture/whatever planning on pasting it somewhere else. However before I can paste that information, that I copied, to the proper location I end up copying something else for another task. This annoys the crap out of me because everything right after [...]
Read More »Batch download all the images on a website in one click with OpenImage
Ever come across a website where you thought “wow those are great images” (usually on a digital art of photography website) and then proceeded to save them all to your computer one by one? Well save your self the pain of having to do that next time around by using [...]
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