Find and disable programs that slow your PC’s startup

Wondering why your new Windows 8 PC is taking so long to start up in the morning? There’s a good chance that one of your installed programs is to blame.
The new Windows 8 Task Manager has a nifty feature that not only lists all the programs that launch when your system starts up, but also rates the “impact” they have on your PC’s startup speed.
Now, some “high” startup-impact programs will probably be ones that your system can’t live without—like, for instance, the “Rundll32″ application, an essential Windows app that helps other Windows program access shared “libraries” of computer code.
Others, however, may be programs that you forgot you even installed—and now they’re sitting on your PC, launching themselves whenever you hit the “power” button and gobbling up precious system resources.
So, ready to put a leash on programs that are slowing your system right out of the gate?

Not sure what a specific startup program does? Right-click its name to get more details.

Here’s how…

• To launch the Task Manager, just start typing “Task Manager” from the Windows 8 Start screen; you should see the Task Manager sitting at the very top of your search results. If you’re already in the “classic” Windows desktop, just press and hold CONTROL + ALT + DELETE and select Task Manager from the menu.
• If it isn’t already, toggle the “More details” setting at the bottom of the Task Manager window to reveal a series of tabs at the top of the windows, then click the “Startup” tab.
• You should now see a list of all the programs and processes that launch when your PC starts up. Click the “Startup impact” heading to sort the list from “High” startup impact to “Low.”
• Now, take a look at the programs that are having the greatest “impact” to your system’s startup time. See any you don’t need? Select the slowpoke and click the “Disable” button to keep it from launching itself when your PC starts up. (I, for example, spotted Facebook’s “Messenger” app—which I never use—near the top of the list. Yep, it’s now disabled.)
• Not sure what a particular startup program is for? Right-click its name and select “Open file location” to find out where the app sits on your hard drive; you can also “Search online” for more information or inspect the program’s “Properties.”
• Change your mind about preventing a program from starting when you power-on your PC? Just open the Task Manager, select its name under the Startup tab, then click then Enable button.

Source http://heresthethingblog.com
Find and disable programs that slow your PC’s startup

How to force a frozen program to quit

I’m sure this has happened to you before: You’re checking mail on Microsoft Outlook or reading the news on Apple’s Safari browser when all of a sudden, your cursor turns into a spinning blue disc (on a Windows PC) or a beach ball (on the Mac).
That usually means something (hopefully minor) is amiss on your system. Maybe your computer is running low on memory because it’s doing a few too many things at once; or, perhaps, the program you’re using wandered into a situation it can’t get itself out of.
The best way to deal with either the spinning Windows disc (or an hourglass on an pre-Windows 7 or 8 PC) or the Mac’s beach ball is, typically, to do nothing. With any luck, your system or application will settle down after a few seconds or so.

You can force a misbehaving Windows program to quit with a little help from the Task Manager.

But if several minutes have passed and you’re still staring at a frozen program, it might be time to take matters into your own hands and force the stalled program to quit.
Doing so may, of course, lead to losing any unsaved data; then again, you may not have much choice.
Ready to unstick a stuck program? Here’s how.

For Windows:

• Still seeing the hourglass or spinny circle after waiting a few minutes? Time to call up the Task Manager, a tool that details all the programs and other system “processes” that are currently running on your PC. To do so, press and hold the CONTROL, ALT, and DELETE keys all at the same time, then click the Task Manager option.
• Once Task Manager is running (if you’re using a Windows 7 PC, make sure the Applications tab is selected), check out the list of running programs; you should see the misbehaving program flagged with a status of “Not Responding.” Click the program, then click the “End Task” button at the bottom of the Task Manager window.
• Next, you’ll be prompted to either a) wait a little longer for the program to right itself, or b) go ahead and quit the program. Waited long enough? Then click “quit.”

Your Mac isn’t immune to frozen programs—hence, the Force Quit tool, which sits under the Apple menu.

For Mac:

• Open the Apple menu (just click the Apple icon in the top-left corner of the screen) and select “Force Quit”—or, if you like, press the COMMAND, OPTION, and ESCAPE buttons all at the same time.
• You should now see a list of all the running programs on your Mac, including the application that’s frozen (probably labeled “Not Responding”). Click the name of the program, then click the “Force Quit” keys in the bottom corner of the Force Quit menu.
• A prompt will appear warning that you may lose any unsaved changes if you force the program to quit. Ready to put your program out of its misery? Click the Force Quit button once more, or Cancel if you’re rather wait it out.

source http://heresthethingblog.com
How to force a frozen program to quit

How to Add Your Favorite Folder or Program to (My) Computer in Windows 7 and 8

Would you like to have that favorite folder or program that you use all the time listed in Computer along with all your drives so it is really easy to access? Computer is not a regular folder so you can’t just drop a shortcut there the usual way. But there is a quick way to get a shortcut listed in Computer and here’s how.

Windows 7

1. Open the Start search box
2. Enter:  %appdata%
3. The hidden folder “Roaming” will open
4. Navigate to the subfolder \Microsoft\Windows\Network Shortcuts
5. Place a shortcut there to the desired folder or program

Windows 8

1. Open the Run box with the keyboard shortcut Winkey+R
2. Enter:  %appdata%
3. The hidden folder “Roaming” will open
4. Navigate to the subfolder \Microsoft\Windows\Network Shortcuts
5. Place a shortcut there to the desired folder or program

That’s it. Open Computer and you will see your shortcut listed as a Network Location.
source gizmo
How to Add Your Favorite Folder or Program to (My) Computer in Windows 7 and 8

10 time-saving Google searches you need to try

Need to track a package, get the status of a flight, do a little math, or find out if the ground really was just shaking beneath your feet?
Believe it or not, you can do all that and more straight from the Google search box—and in most cases, you’ll get the details you need the instant you tap the Search button.

Read on for 10 clever, time-saving Google searches, from converting currency and units of measurement to looking up definitions and—no kidding—tracking the latest earthquakes.

1. Track a package

Expecting a package? If it’s being shipped by FedEx, UPS, or the U.S. Postal Service, you can just plug the tracking number into the Google Search box.
When you click the Search button, you’ll get a link that’ll take directly to tracking results on the shipper’s web site.

Need to know the current value of the Japanese yen? Just ask Google.

2. Convert currency

So, how many Japanese yen to a U.S. dollar today? Easy.
Just type “1 USD in yen” (or something similar) into the Google Search box to get an instant conversion, including a history of the currency’s relative strength and a form for performing new conversions on the fly.

3. Get local movie showtimes

Want to go to the movies? Find out what’s playing—and when—by typing “movies” and a ZIP code into the Google search box.
Have a specific movie in mind? Type its name into the Google box and (again) add a ZIP code.
Hint: If you skip the ZIP code when looking up local movie times, Google will make a rough guestimate of your location.

4. Look up a definition

Ah, “vagary.” Cool word. What does it mean, again?
Type “define vagary” into the Google search box and you’ll get the full definition, a phonetic spelling, and synonyms. You can even hear the word spoken by clicking the speaker icon.

You can get the status of just about any flight with a simple Google query.

5. Track a flight

Need to know whether your flight’s delayed—or when another flight is slated to land?
Type the airline and flight number into the search box (“united 458″) and you’ll get a status report, a terminal and a gate number.

6. Convert units of measurement

How many kilometers in a mile … didn’t we learn that in high school?
If you’re still not sure, just type “1 mile to km” or “how many kilometers in a mile?” into the search box, and the answer will appear in a measurement converter.

7. Get the weather

Find out how beautiful the weather is in, say, Hawaii by typing “weather maui” or “weather honolulu” into the Google search box.
You’ll get the current temperature, a 7-day forecast, and even hourly details on rain and wind.

Six times seven? Forty-two—or so Google tells me.

8. Do the math

You don’t need a calculator on your desk if you’ve got Google in a browser tab.
Type in “6*7″ (or “what’s six times seven?”), “132/3,” or “square root 100″ and you’ll get an answer the moment you click the Search button, along with a web calculator for solving more equations.

9. Check the time

Can’t remember whether Chicago is in the Eastern or Central time zone?
Type “time chicago” in the Google Search box to get the current time in the Windy City, along with details on which time zone it’s in (Central, in case you’re wondering).

10. Confirm a quake

Whoa! Did you feel that? If you think you just felt an earthquake—or if you know you felt one—type “earthquake” into the Google search box.
The first listing will be for the US Geological Survey, and just beneath you’ll see a list of most recent temblors on the planet, complete with magnitudes and map links to the various epicenters.
10 time-saving Google searches you need to try

How to Get the Start menu back with Classic Shell in Windows 8

Even though Windows 8 doesn’t have a Start menu anymore, I still find myself clicking in the corner of the screen to open programs, search my PC, or do anything else the Start menu used to do.
Of course, without an actual Start menu, I usually end up click the Internet Explorer shortcut that’s sitting in its place, meaning I have to sit back and wait as my PC laboriously launches an unneeded browser window.

You can set the “style” of the Classic Shell Start menu to mimic Windows “Classic,” XP, Vista, or Windows 7.

Well, good news, fellow Windows 8 users: you can now revive the Start menu (or something close to it, anyway) with a minimum of fuss thanks to Classic Shell, a handy (and free) software download.
You can download Classic Shell right here, and once you install the program, you’ll get to choose the style for your Start menu: Windows “Classic” (think Windows 95-era PCs), Windows PC, or Windows Vista/7.
Just make your selection, click OK, and voilà—you should have a new Start menu waiting in the bottom corner of the Windows 8 desktop.
You can customize the Classic Shell Start menu by right-clicking the Start button and selecting Settings. An almost bewildering number of options is available, from changing the look of the Start button itself to tweaking the look and feel of the Start menu columns.

Just drag and drop a program shortcut to add it to the Classic Shell Start menu.

Here’s a few more tips to help you get started…

• No, you can’t add program icons to the Classic Shell Start menu with a right-click; instead, try dragging and dropping a program shortcut into the Start button or into the Start menu itself.
• You can change the behavior of the Windows key (which opens the Start menu in previous versions of Windows or the Start screen in Windows 8) in the Settings menu. Select the Basic Settings tab (or the Controls tab if the “All Settings” radio button is enabled) and pick an option under the “Windows Key opens” section—anything from “Nothing” to “Start Menu in Desktop and Start Screen in Metro.”
• By default, Classic Shell deactivates the “hot corner” for the Windows 8 Start screen (which usually sits in the same corner of the screen as the old Start menu). To turn the Start screen hot corner back on, click the “Windows 8 Settings” tab in the Settings menu and select “None” under “Disable active corners.”
• Had enough of Classic Shell? You can turn it off temporarily by right-clicking the Start button and selecting Exit (just relaunch Classic Shell to get the Start menu back), or permanently by opening the Control Panel, clicking “Remove a program,” and then selecting Classic Shell.

tip

Ever wish you could skip the Start screen when booting Windows 8 and jump directly to the desktop? Open Classic Shell’s settings again, click the “Windows 8 Settings” tab, and check the box next to “Skip Metro screen.”
Originally posted in heresthethingblog.com
How to Get the Start menu back with Classic Shell in Windows 8

Getting Around (and About) the New Windows 8 UI

Windows has released the new Windows 8 OS with a new interface that is marking Microsoft’s shifting focus from clicks to touch. The new Windows 8 is much faster than previous versions but after decades of seeing only your folders on the desktop, are you ready to embrace the new tile-filled UI, that is the Metro Start screen? We figure you might need help customizing the new UI for personal comfort.

In this quick-tip, we’ll get you started with some of the changes made to Windows 8 then show you basic configurations you can do to customize your Metro Start page.

Breaking the Ice with Windows 8

Some of the differences you will notice on Windows 8 are that many apps can only run when you are logged on with your Windows Live ID, and that Internet Explorer can be run in two different modes. The ‘Settings page’ also has gotten a new interface – I think we’ll start with this one.

1. Windows Metro Start Page

When you are on any page, or running any app, you can simply hover your mouse over the right side of the screen, to reach your Charms menu, that bar that seems to be playing hide-and-seek with you. You can find your shortcuts to the ‘Start’ page, ‘Devices’, ‘Setting’, ‘Share’ and ‘Search’ there. Alternatively, Windows key+ C will also open the charms menu.

If you hover your mouse to the left side of your screen, a preview bar will show you the apps you have running at the moment, as well as the Start page.

2. Log in with Windows Live ID

To get access to most apps on Windows 8, you will need to log in to your Windows using your Live ID. If you haven’t done so, you will get this error when you try to open an app.

To register your Live ID, hover your mouse to the right of the screen to reach your charms menu, and then click ‘Settings’.

Then click on the ‘More PC Settings’ bar at the bottom.

On the settings page, go to the ‘Users’ tab on the left and click on ‘Add a user’.

A new page will appear. Simply enter your Live ID and click ‘Next’ to complete the process.

When you have added your Live ID, simply log out from your Windows and log in again with the new user ID

With Live ID access, you can now use all apps available on your Windows 8. Also, you will be able to utilize SkyDrive and download more apps from the Windows App Store.

Customizing Metro Start Screen

Your Metro Start page is now the main page on Windows 8, and you have the ability to customize the look and feel of the page to your preference.

1. Personalize Metro Start Screen

To change the look of your Metro Start page, hover over the Charms menu on the right and go to the Settings page. Once you’re in, go to ‘Personalize’.

On this page, you can change your Lock screen, or click on the top menu to change the look of your Start screen.

You can also go to ‘Account picture’ to upload or change your account picture or avatar.

2. Tile Grouping

All tiles that are available on your Start screen can be grouped according to its class or category. For example, you may want to group your tiles under categories like ‘Social’, ‘Utilities’, ‘Internet’ and ‘Games’. To start grouping tiles, simply hold your mouse down on any tile and drag it to another position or group.

You can also create a new group by dragging the tile to an empty space; a new group will be created automatically.

To customize the look, you can also change the size of each tile, to have it appear as a rectangle or square. Simply right click on the tile, and select ‘Larger’ to turn the square to a rectangle.

3. Naming the Tile group

Each group of tiles can be renamed so it will be easier to remember. To start naming, point your mouse at the bottom right hand corner of the screen and click on the small magnifier icon. Your Metro Start page will be scaled down.

Now right click on any group of tile you want to label, and you will see an option appear at the bottom of the screen. Click on ‘Name group’ and enter any name you prefer for the group of tiles.

4. adding and removing apps to Metro Start screen

To remove any tile from your Start screen, simply right click on the tile and click on ‘Unpin from Start’.

To add a new tile (app shortcut) to the start screen, hover your mouse to the Charm menu and click on Search.

Now you are in a page where all apps are listed. Right click on any app to see the options and click on ‘Pin to Start’ to add the shortcut as a tile on your Start screen.

Visiting the Windows (App) Store

With Windows 8, it’s easier now to make your Windows fun. From the Start page, click on the Store tile to start purchasing new apps or download free ones.

Once you are in the Storefront, scroll left and right to look for any app you like, then choose to purchase or download for free.

Conclusion

With some basic changes, you can already customize your Metro Start screen to follow your preference. Although not much options are offered, soon enough when the product is launched, I’m pretty sure there will be more tips and tricks to better customization.
Getting Around (and About) the New Windows 8 UI

Cram a bunch of files into a single “zip” archive

Got a bunch of little files that you want to send to a friend? Well, you could always drag them all into an email and send them as attachments, but talk about messy.

Think of a zip archive as a suitcase containing a series of smaller files. Just select the documents, photos, or other files you want to compress, then “zip” them up into a single, tightly packed archive that’s smaller than the overall size of the originals.
Both Mac and Windows systems have their own, easy-to-use archive utilities. Indeed, they’re only a right-click away from your desktop.
The downside to creating a zip archive is that there’s no easy way to see what’s inside an archive folder—or at least, there’s no easy way using the “native” archive utilities in Mac OS X and Windows.
That said, there are plenty of third-party apps (such as WinZip, perhaps the most single popular “shareware” utility of all time) that will inspect the contents of a zip archive, among other things.
So, ready to start zipping? Here we go…

For Mac:

• First, select the files you want to compress into an archive. You can also select an existing folder if you wish, or even a combination of files and folders.
• Next, right-click the selected files and/or folders and select “Compress” from the pop-up menu.
• In a few seconds or so (depending on the size of the files you’re compressing), a file titled “Archive.zip”—containing copies of all the files and folders you just compressed—will appear on your desktop. Meanwhile, your original, uncompressed files will be sitting right where you left them.
• Go ahead and rename the archive file (click its icon, click its name, and then start typing), then feel free to move it anywhere on your hard drive or send it to a friend.
• To “unzip” the file, simply double-click it; when you do, your Mac will decompress the archive automatically.

A simple right-click is all it takes to create a “zip” archive in Windows.

For Windows:

• As on a Mac, first select the files and/or folders you want to stuff into a zip archive.
• Right-click the selected files, select “Send to” from the pop-up menu, then select “Compressed (zipped) Folder” from the secondary menu.
• After a few seconds, a file titled “New Compressed (zipped) Folder” will appear, containing copies of all your zipped files. If you want to rename the archive, now’s a good time to do so (right-click, then select “Rename” from the menu).
• Unlike on a Mac, Windows will let you take a quick peek at the files compressed into a zip archive; just open the archive folder to see a list of your archived files. Keep in mind, though, that you won’t be able to preview the contents of a particular file.
• Want to unzip your archive? Right-click it and select “Extract all,” or open the archive folder and click the “Extract all files” button near the top of the window.
• You can also pluck individual files out of the archive, if you wish. Just open the archive folder, select a file, and drag it onto your desktop.

Want to create an empty archive folder first, then add files to it later? On a Windows PC, you sure, can.
Just right-click on your desktop, select “New” from the pop-up menu, then select “Compressed (zipped) folder” from the secondary menu.
Once the empty zip folder appears, just open it, then start dragging and dropping files.
Looking for more Mac tips? Click here, or click here for more Windows tips.

Cram a bunch of files into a single “zip” archive