Tips and Tricks »
How to read or view non-English text or font on Android, iOS, BlackBerry, Windows Phone, and Symbian [Guide]
![How to read or view non-English text or font on Android, iOS, BlackBerry, Windows Phone, and Symbian [Guide]](http://cdn.dottech.org/media/2013/05/opera-290x160.jpg)
Reading non-English text or fonts or scripts is relatively easy on traditional computers, thanks to Unicode and other protocols. However, doing the same on a mobile device such as a mobile phone or a tablet can be a pain since, more often than not, bizarre rendering of complex non-English fonts [...]
Read More »How to bring back the classic drop-down menu in Office 2007, 2010, and 2013 on Windows [Tip]
![How to bring back the classic drop-down menu in Office 2007, 2010, and 2013 on Windows [Tip]](http://cdn.dottech.org/media/2013/05/ubit-290x160.jpg)
Have you ever freaked out when using Microsoft Office 2007/2010/2013? I know I did because Microsoft has killed the classic Office menu and toolbars which we were accustomed to for years, and come up with ribbon style! The result of this change? The learning curve is so steep that people [...]
Read More »How to crack, open, or unlock password protected or encrypted ZIP, PDF, RAR, XLS, and XLSX files on Windows for free [Guide]
![How to crack, open, or unlock password protected or encrypted ZIP, PDF, RAR, XLS, and XLSX files on Windows for free [Guide]](http://cdn.dottech.org/media/2013/05/2013-05-04_225743-290x160.png)
Ever come across a password protected or encrypted ZIP, PDF, RAR, XLS, or XLSX file that you wanted to extract or open but couldn’t because you didn’t know the password? Yeah, it happens to the best of us. For such situations, you need a way to crack/open/extract/unlock the password protected [...]
Read More »How to install and use Windows Live Messenger without Skype on Windows [Guide]
![How to install and use Windows Live Messenger without Skype on Windows [Guide]](http://cdn.dottech.org/media/2013/05/2013-05-02_211628-290x160.png)
You may have heard, Windows Live Messenger (also known as Windows Messenger or MSN Messenger) has been depreciated by Microsoft and integrated into Skype. Anyone that wants to use Windows Live Messenger must move to Skype instead. If you are one of those people that hate Skype for instant messaging [...]
Read More »How to create or stitch panorama photos on Windows for free [Guide]
![How to create or stitch panorama photos on Windows for free [Guide]](http://cdn.dottech.org/media/2013/04/2013-04-28_205738-290x160.png)
The rising popularity of smartphones has made snapping a panoramic photo a breeze; simply download a panorama-supported camera app for your smartphone and you can easily snap a panorama of whatever you want. However, sometimes it isn’t possible to take a panorama with a smartphone. So it is always good [...]
Read More »How to install AMD 13.1 legacy drivers on Ubuntu 13.04 [Guide]
So you are a Ubuntu user and want to upgrade to Ubuntu 13.04 but can’t because you use AMD and your drivers won’t work on the latest Ubuntu. If that is the situation for you, then you have come to the right please because this guide shows you how to [...]
How to delete, erase, or clear all print jobs for printer on Windows [Guide]
![How to delete, erase, or clear all print jobs for printer on Windows [Guide]](http://cdn.dottech.org/media/2013/04/2013-04-22_004927-290x133.png)
Ever want to print something and it doesn’t print, so you hit the print button multiple times? Or maybe you have a bunch of old print jobs sitting in your printer spooler due to a broken printer and don’t want to print all those jobs once you have a new [...]
Read More »How to backup or download emails from Gmail, Yahoo, Hotmail (Outlook.com), Outlook, Thunderbird, and more [Guide]
![How to backup or download emails from Gmail, Yahoo, Hotmail (Outlook.com), Outlook, Thunderbird, and more [Guide]](http://cdn.dottech.org/media/2013/04/2013-04-18_210215_2-290x160.png)
Email is a mainstay in the lives of many people. I’d venture to say many people who feel naked if they ever lost access to their email accounts and/or their emails. So a question often asked is: how do I backup or download my emails? This guide answers that question. [...]
Read More »How to edit PDFs on Windows, Mac, and Linux for free [Guide]
![How to edit PDFs on Windows, Mac, and Linux for free [Guide]](http://cdn.dottech.org/media/2013/04/2013-04-09_203637-290x160.png)
What do DOCs, RTFs, and ODTs all have in common? They are all some sort of word processing file format and it is very easy to create and modify them all. The purpose behind those file types is to serve word processing needs and word processing requires being able to [...]
Read More »How to make YouTube videos load faster on Windows (XP, 7, 8, Vista), Mac OS X, and Linux [Guide]
YouTube is owned by Google. Google is a web 2.0 company. They know how to manage server load. So then the question is why do so many people run into buffering issues when watching YouTube… even people on seemingly fast connections? This article provides more insights into this conundrum plus [...]
[Windows] How to create custom screensavers and photo or image slideshows with IrfanView
I’m sure, by now, most dotTechies have heard of IrfanView, a popular freeware image viewer and Windows Photo Viewer alternative we featured in our list of 12 free image viewers on Windows. However, some people may not know IrfanView is not just an image viewer — it can do things [...]
How to forward emails and reply-all in Outlook.com (the new Hotmail) [Guide]
![How to forward emails and reply-all in Outlook.com (the new Hotmail) [Guide]](http://cdn.dottech.org/media/2013/03/2013-03-29_172259_2-290x160.png)
We have a very popular post on Outlook.com in which dotTechies have been expressing their rage about Microsoft forcing users to move from Hotmail to Outlook.com. While reading the comments, I learned some people are confused about how to forward an email in Outlook.com and how to reply-all in Outlook.com. [...]
Read More »[Windows 8] How to add Google Calendar to Windows 8 Calendar app [2nd Edition]
![[Windows 8] How to add Google Calendar to Windows 8 Calendar app [2nd Edition]](http://cdn.dottech.org/media/2012/12/1204-1-290x160.png)
In the original version of this article (shown below), I showed you how to add Google Calendar to Windows 8 Calendar app. However, since Jan 30, 2013, Google has dropped support for Exchange ActiveSync (EAS) connections, which helps you sync email, calendar, and contacts across multiple devices. Therefore, since that [...]
Read More »[Windows] How to uninstall, remove, or delete VirtualBox drivers (Bridged Networking driver, Host-Only Network Adapter driver, etc.)
VirtualBox is an awesome virtual machine you can use to virtually install different operating system. However, the drivers associated with VirtualBox can be a pain in the @$$. Sometimes they don’t work properly and need to be reinstalled; sometimes you want to remove them but they don’t uninstall properly; whatever. [...]
[Windows 8] How to stop Windows Update from auto-restarting your computer or tablet
![[Windows 8] How to stop Windows Update from auto-restarting your computer or tablet](http://cdn.dottech.org/media/2013/03/0107-2-290x160.png)
When working with Windows, you may be distracted with many dialogs and notifications. One of these notifications is Windows Update dialog that asks users to restart in order to finish updating. It wouldn’t be so bad if it wasn’t designed to repeat after a period of time then finally restart [...]
Read More »How to make Yoast WordPress SEO work with Simple:Press (page title and canonical) [Guide]
For the longest time I used All In One SEO on dotTech. All In One SEO works fine but Yoast WordPress SEO allows a lot more flexibility and is, in my open, an overall better SEO plugin for WordPress. However, if you have Simple:Press forums installed then you may notice [...]
Want easy-to-remember and secure passwords? Use passphrases instead of complex passwords [Tip]
Last year we wrote a post that provided five tips on how to create strong passwords and have secure accounts. Now I’d like to take the opportunity to provide another password-related tip — the idea that you should use passphrases instead of traditional passwords.
WHAT IS A PASSPHRASE?
A ‘passphrase’ [...]
Read More »What is ‘Click-to-Play’ and how to enable it in Chrome, Firefox, Opera, and Internet Explorer [dotTech Explains]
![What is ‘Click-to-Play’ and how to enable it in Chrome, Firefox, Opera, and Internet Explorer [dotTech Explains]](http://cdn.dottech.org/media/2013/03/2013-03-10_190236-290x160.png)
Recently dotTech posted a joke about websites that start to randomly play videos or audios and how every web browser should have a feature to kill such websites. In the comments a dotTechie — Darcy — posted about very useful comment about using an addon in Firefox to block Flash [...]
Read More »[Windows 8] How to customize the clock on Lock screen
![[Windows 8] How to customize the clock on Lock screen](http://cdn.dottech.org/media/2013/03/0304-11-288x160.png)
With the goal of being a hybrid desktop-mobile operating system, Windows 8 contains many elements that are in smartphones. Windows 8’s Lock screen is one of them. You may already know how to customize the Lock screen with your own background and know to manage notifications in the Lock screen. [...]
Read More »[Windows] XUS PC Lock is the same program as Eusing Maze Lock
![[Windows] XUS PC Lock is the same program as Eusing Maze Lock](http://cdn.dottech.org/media/2013/03/2013-03-02_231920-290x160.png)
So today I sat down to review XUS PC Lock, a program that adds smartphone-like pattern lock to Windows. XUS PC Lock is a shareaware program that costs $29.95 and I wanted to give dotTechies the option to use a freeware instead if they didn’t want to pay for XUS [...]
Read More »[Firefox] How to disable Firefox’s native PDF reader/viewer in Firefox 19 and higher
![[Firefox] How to disable Firefox’s native PDF reader/viewer in Firefox 19 and higher](http://cdn.dottech.org/media/2013/02/2013-02-20_191240-290x160.png)
As mentioned earlier, starting in Firefox 19, Firefox has a native PDF reader. This means Firefox can view PDFs without you having to install a third-party add-on or program. Firefox’s PDF viewer is enabled by default. The issue is, some people may prefer their third-party PDF readers over Firefox’s built-in [...]
Read More »[Windows 8] How to disable or change default signature in Mail app
![[Windows 8] How to disable or change default signature in Mail app](http://cdn.dottech.org/media/2013/02/0216-3-290x160.png)
Have you ever received an email that was sent from the Mail app in Windows 8? Did you notice that it has the signature “Sent from Windows Mail”? Following email clients on smartphone systems, Windows 8 sets the sentence “Sent from…” as the default signature for all emails sent from [...]
Read More »[Windows 8] How to scan a file for virus or malware from context menu
![[Windows 8] How to scan a file for virus or malware from context menu](http://cdn.dottech.org/media/2013/02/0214-61-290x160.png)
Viruses, malware, spyware, and all kinds of scumware always worry Windows users. Fortunately, Windows 8 comes with built-in Windows Defender, which is know as Microsoft Security Essentials (MSE) on other versions of Windows, that can keep you safe without installing any third-party security software. However, there is a big issue [...]
Read More »[Windows 8] How to start, stop, and setup Automatic Maintenance, a feature that automatically scans for viruses, spyware, updates, and more
![[Windows 8] How to start, stop, and setup Automatic Maintenance, a feature that automatically scans for viruses, spyware, updates, and more](http://cdn.dottech.org/media/2013/02/0211-1-290x160.png)
Not only does it come with many new features, but Windows 8 also improves on features from previous versions of Windows. One of them is Maintenance – the feature that automatically diagnoses your system. It can scan for viruses, spyware, update the system, and other works to keep your Windows [...]
Read More »[Windows 8] How to disable startup sound on your Windows 8 computer or tablet
![[Windows 8] How to disable startup sound on your Windows 8 computer or tablet](http://cdn.dottech.org/media/2013/02/0208-1-231x160.png)
Everyday, I spend hours in my college’s library to do my homework and I am always disturbed by the startup sound from people’s computers. By default, when you start your computer, it will make a sound to get your attention. However, in the classroom or the meeting, it’s not a [...]
Read More »[Windows] Use Freemake Video Converter to easily cut (aka trim), join, rotate, or flip videos [Tip]
Freemake Video Converter is an excellent program for converting audio and video files into other formats; it supports almost every input and output format you can imagine. Did you know it can also double as a program to cut, join, rotate, or flip your videos? Yep, it is true… and [...]
[Windows 8] How to block access to your location by websites in Internet Explorer 10 and other Windows Store apps
![[Windows 8] How to block access to your location by websites in Internet Explorer 10 and other Windows Store apps](http://cdn.dottech.org/media/2013/02/0205-1-290x160.png)
Nowadays on the Internet, privacy is the most sensitive thing to everyone. However, websites want every piece of your information for their purposes (usually for advertising goals); even it’s your location. Yes, your location! Most of current popular web browsers have the ability to track your location. However, the websites [...]
Read More »[Windows 8] How to install classic start menu on Windows RT tablets, including Surface RT
![[Windows 8] How to install classic start menu on Windows RT tablets, including Surface RT](http://cdn.dottech.org/media/2013/02/0202-6-290x160.jpg)
Now that you have jailbroken your Windows RT tablet, you probably want to know what you can do. One thing you can do is get back the classic start menu. In this article, I will show you how to install the classic start menu for Windows RT. Take note you [...]
Read More »[Windows 8] How to jailbreak Windows RT tablets to install desktop apps
“Can I run desktop apps on Windows RT devices (such as Microsoft Surface RT)?” That is the main question most users are confused by when it comes to Windows RT. And officially, the answer is “No.” That means Windows Store is the only source of apps for Windows RT tablets. [...]
[Windows 8] How to view how much hard space each installed Windows Store app uses
![[Windows 8] How to view how much hard space each installed Windows Store app uses](http://cdn.dottech.org/media/2013/01/0131-2-290x160.png)
Pre Windows 8, you can manage installed programs from Control Panel (Add/Remove Programs). From here, you can also view how much hard drive space a specific program uses. In Windows 8, this still works… but it only works for non-Windows Store programs. That means you cannot see how large your [...]
Read More »[Windows 8] How to reinstall Windows Store apps that you uninstalled
![[Windows 8] How to reinstall Windows Store apps that you uninstalled](http://cdn.dottech.org/media/2013/01/0128-11-290x160.png)
As you probably already know, there are two types of apps in Windows 8 – desktop apps (traditional software) and Windows Store apps. To help users become accustomed with Windows Store apps, Windows 8 PCs and tablets come with dozens of preinstalled apps. For example, you may notice many Bing [...]
Read More »[Windows] Can’t boot into Windows? Recover and backup your data using bootable Windows system repair disk or USB drive [Tip]
![[Windows] Can’t boot into Windows? Recover and backup your data using bootable Windows system repair disk or USB drive [Tip]](http://cdn.dottech.org/media/2013/01/recoverydisk_image_6-290x160.png)
A nightmare for Windows users is being unable to boot into Windows. In this situation, unless you know how to boot into Windows or some other trick, your data is likely lost forever. In this article I will show you a trick on how to use a Windows recovery bootable [...]
Read More »Protect your Google account (Gmail) by enabling SMS (text message) notifications for suspicious activity [Tip]
Google has a useful ‘account activity’ monitor built into Gmail that allows you to check to see where the latest logins to your account were made from. This helps you identify if there was unauthorized access to your account. Another useful security feature Google has is the ability to notify [...]
Read More »[Windows 8] How to show full path or URL of a location or folder in Windows Explorer’s title bar
![[Windows 8] How to show full path or URL of a location or folder in Windows Explorer’s title bar](http://cdn.dottech.org/media/2013/01/0122-3-620x951-290x95.png)
In previous versions of Windows, the title bar of Windows Explorer shows the full path of the location you are in. However, Windows 8 removes this small-but-useful feature to make the title bar look cleaner. For example, when I am in the direction “C:\Windows”, Windows 7 Explorer’s title bar shows [...]
Read More »[Windows 8] How to automatically login on startup at the Login Screen
![[Windows 8] How to automatically login on startup at the Login Screen](http://cdn.dottech.org/media/2013/01/0120-1-290x160.png)
As you already known, once your Windows 8 account has a password, you have to enter that password every time you awake the computer or tablet from sleep mode or you turn it on. If you find having to manually login every time annoying, in this article I will show [...]
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