Categories
About Us
Thank you for checking out my site! It is my desire is to bring together important, relevant reviews, tips & articles about technology from around the internet for your reading pleasure. I also write an occasional article of my own, which you can really look forward to for a treat! :) I have a passion for this stuff, and hope you enjoy your time at computerdumb.com!
Login

Posts Tagged ‘windows 7’

So here’s the scenario.  You already have a working Windows 7 x64 installation on your system and you need to install x86 for testing purposes.

You left your Windows 7 x86 DVD at a friends house and your PC doesn’t support booting from USB.  You’re out of luck right?

If you have an ISO of your Windows DVD then we can get the job done, and in half the time it takes using a DVD or USB drive!

Step 1.

Start by creating a partition you want to install Windows 7 x86 on.

Step 2.

Install Virtual Clone Drive or … [Read More...]

If you have a Netbook or Laptop that you would like to use on a Public Wi-Fi hotspot, there are security precautions you need to take. Here we look at keeping your computer secure at public Wi-Fi hotspots.

Public Wi-Fi hotspots seem to be available in more locations than ever before. If you move between them a lot or are just getting started, following these security precautions can help keep your machine safe and secure. For this article we look at security steps in Windows 7, but most of these tips and suggestions will work in XP, Vista, and even … [Read More...]

One of the more irritating problems with the Windows command prompt is that you can’t paste anything into the window using the keyboard easily—it requires using the mouse. Here’s how to fix that problem.

The solution, as with many Windows shortcomings, is to use a quick AutoHotkey script to enable pasting from the keyboard. What it actually does is take the clipboard contents and use the SendInput function to send the keystrokes really quickly to the console window.

But first… here’s another way to do it.

The Alternate Built-In Way to Paste from the Keyboard

There is actually a way … [Read More...]

We already know from Deck’s great posts and RSVR85′s Media Center customization guide that Windows Media Center is a robust media hub with a great user interface. The ability to pull in internet TV, act as a DVR for broadcast TV, and serve as a library for music, pictures, and videos has made it my choice in my home entertainment center. However, it does have its shortcomings, one of which is its inability to play some types of video files without third-party software. I’m going to show you how to make this a non-issue by configuring Windows Media Center to … [Read More...]

The latest version of Microsoft Virtual PC lets you run applications installed on your virtual Windows XP Mode in Windows 7 without loading the whole operating system in the background. In this guide you’ll learn:

  • How to turn on Auto Publish to view programs on Windows 7?s start menu.
  • How to run Windows XP Mode applications in Windows 7.
  • How to add XP Mode programs to Windows 7?s start menu.
  • How to exclude XP Mode programs from Windows 7?s start menu.

 

How to Turn on Auto Publish to View Programs on Windows 7?s Start Menu

Auto Publish is an … [Read More...]

And who wouldn’t put their hands up for RAID? The Redundant Array of Independent disks can improve your disk performance, or give you data integrity, or both.

Windows Media Center provides an excellent home for your digital entertainment — and like any excellent home you want to pack more and more into it. Take a look at your physical collections — photos, albums, CD’s, DVDs, video tapes, etc. If you are into home entertainment then you’ve probably collected plenty of good stuff. The same thing will happen to your digital collection. Before long you will outgrow a single drive, then … [Read More...]

Although, by today’s standards, Windows XP doesn’t require much in the way of system resources, Windows XP Mode, running in Windows Virtual PC, can feel a little sluggish at times. This is because Windows XP Mode, by default, runs with 512MB RAM. In this guide, I’ll show you how to increase the allotted memory to Windows XP Mode using Windows Virtual PC Settings.

To change the amount of memory allocated to a virtual machine in Windows Virtual PC, you will first need to shut down the guest (in this case Windows XP Mode) operating system.… [Read More...]

Shut Down Windows XP Mode

Download Tweaks.com Logon Changer for Windows 7

Download Tweaks.com Logon Changer for Windows 7

How to Use Tweaks.com Logon Changer for Windows 7

This program is simple to use: just open the program (no installation required) and click Change Logon Screen.

Choose a logon screen image to use. One of the great things about this program is you don’t need to worry about image sizing (unlike the manual method mentioned at the beginning of this guide) as it will automatically resize the picture for you:

You should then see the following prompt New Logon Background Successfully Installed:

Now … [Read More...]

Updates are essential to make your computer stay secure. I for one like to be able to decide for myself when to install and update my system. But if you prefer Windows to do it without consulting your first, you will from time to time see the “updates awaiting reboot” icon when you want to shut down your computer.
If you don’t like to leave your computer on when leaving it – waiting for the update process to get done before you leave will test your patience.
If you want to be able to override this feature – shut down … [Read More...]

Do you need to reinstall Windows on your computer?  Here’s a checklist of the things you should do before you make the leap and reinstall.

Whether you’re replacing a dying hard drive in your computer or want to upgrade from XP to Windows 7, there are many reasons you may want to reinstall Windows.  Vista and Windows 7 are much less prone to major OS issues that require you to reinstall Windows, but there are many things that can make a reinstall needed.  Many people are worried about losing data when reinstalling Windows.  However, if you make sure you cover … [Read More...]

One pet-peeve I’ve found with Vista & Windows 7 is that hibernation feature tends to disappear… usually due to a disk cleanup.  Essentially, when the hibernation save file is deleted, Vista removes the hibernation ability. Luckily, turning it back on is very easy. Click the “Start” button, and type cmd… then press Ctrl+Shift+Enter to open in administrator mode. You can also right-click the item “Command Prompt” in the menu and choose Run as Administrator.  

From the command prompt, type in the following command:

powercfg /hibernate on

  You may have to restart your computer before it will take effect, however I’ve … [Read More...]

If you are in need of emailing files, larger than the usual 10MB allowed by your ISP provider, then this is something for you.

MailBigFile offers both a free solution with a 200MB file limit and a professional one, with a 2GB file limit.

How it works

It is almost as easy as sending an email from your own email program. Go to the website, type in the recipient email, your message (optional), choose your file, and press Send.

Once your file has been uploaded to their server, mailbigfile.com will send an email to your recipient with a download link, explaining … [Read More...]

Have any gadgets you can’t live without? Let us know about them in the comments.

Here are a few that are recommended by Mintywhite Windows Guides: 

Uptime Gadget

I’m not sure how much of an explanation this gadgets needs. Simply put, this gadget tells you how long your PC has been running. There are a number of ways to tell uptime but this is a simple way to do so.

Uptime Gadget

AlertCon

From the download page:

If you’re like me, you like keeping up with what’s going on security-wise on the Internet. One good place to go that’s an … [Read More...]

This is just a quick public service announcement to let you know that the Microsoft Windows Anytime Upgrade (WAU) offer is ending in the U.S. this Saturday, July 3.

Right now, with the purchase of any new PC, you can upgrade from Windows 7 Starter to Windows 7 Home Premium for $49.99 ERP (normally $79.99) or Windows 7 Home Premium to Windows 7 Professional for $79.99 ERP (normally $89.99).

If you’re not sure that WAU is right for you, check out this post to see how it works. It’s pretty slick and painless…… [Read More...]

Kingston HyperX KHX1866C9D3LK2/4GX RAM Module - 4 GB (2 x 2 GB) - DDR3 SDRAM
Overall Rating:
Total Customer Reviews: (0)
List Price: $0.00
Availability:
4GB 1866MHZ DDR3 NONECC CL9DIMM KIT XMP

Imagine that you have a shared folder but you want to know if someone changes something. You, for sure, have heard about auditing files before and may never had a chance to take advantage of this feature. Here you will find a way to do it.

With Windows 7 we can control when a folder has changed and show a message to us.

I know this post can be a little complex, but believe me, the best way to control your computer is knowing how works.

So, why not start from the beginning?

Press WinKey + R, type gpedit.msc [Read More...]

Western Digital WD TV Live Plus 1080p HD Media Player
Overall Rating:
Total Customer Reviews: (571)
List Price: $99.99
Sale Price: $89.99
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Play media from your home network and the Internet on your big screen TV. Plus, enjoy access to your Netflix unlimited membership and other premium content. Don’t confine your movies, music, and photos to your small computer screen. Experience them as big as life on your TV in Full-HD 1080p with WD TV Live Plus HD media player.

Windows Forums member Batupata has done it again and created another great tool for Windows: AdSevenTextEnrypter

What does this program do?

This program will run an encryption/decryption algorithm on your text so the information is protected. For example: you can encrypt some text (say with “Set one” then “Set five”), send it to a friend, and they can decrypt it at the other end (with “Set five” then “Set one”.)

Can you decrypt this?

NJ6UlSESL1qd7p8aNfaUPuFQtM16shQtHI+phLXyEPzq71wZ3C
TfBmzm++2JvGyLy5O70KWVB0Z62ubpr18E3W+Y2TeVDG0e

(Hint: I used set 7 then set 2.)

Download AdSevenTextEnrypter

© Windows Guides, 2010. Rich Robinson | AdSevenTextEnrypter – Encrypt and Decrypt Text

[Read More...]

Random