Your daily dose of practical, easy to follow tech tips!
TRIM is a feature in Windows 7 and above that immediately frees up the space on a solid state drive (SSD) that was previously occupied by a deleted file.
This allows Windows to re-use those no longer needed memory locations right away instead of having to search for unused locations elsewhere on the drive.
In a nutshell, having TRIM enabled keeps your SSD from slowing down with regular use, and it makes the drive last longer to boot. [Read more…]
If you’re the only person who ever uses your computer you can have Windows boot straight to the Desktop or Start Screen without prompting you for a password.
It’s easy to set up and the instructions below will show you how to do it. Simply skip to the section with instructions for your particular Windows version.
Windows XP
1 – Click Start > Run.
2 – Type control userpasswords2 into the box and click Ok.
3 – Uncheck the box beside Users must enter a username and password to use this computer, then click Ok. [Read more…]
A few weeks ago I wrote a post about Microsoft’s release of the Windows 10 Technical Preview, and many of you decided to download and install it.
I have received several reports of folks having issues with Windows 10 not detecting the wireless LAN adapter in their laptops.
This isn’t really a new issue that just popped up in Windows 10. Every new version of Windows has difficulty detecting and installing the correct drivers for various legacy hardware components, and wireless adapters seem to be affected the most often. [Read more…]
Question from Dreama L.: I have a Lenovo desktop computer with Windows 7. I bought an external USB hard drive to make backups with, and it works great when plugged into one of the USB connectors on the back of the PC. It won’t work at all when it’s plugged into the front connectors though.
I’d really like to be able to plug the drive into the front of the computer, make the backup, then unplug it and set it on a shelf until I need to use it again. Can you tell me how to get the drive to work with a front mounted USB connector?
Rick‘s answer: [Read more…]
A while back I wrote about an awesome program called Connectify that turns a laptop into a Wi-Fi hotspot. When I wrote that post Connectify came in both free and paid versions, but they have since dropped the free version from their online store.
After learning that Connectify is no longer free, I downloaded and tested another free program that does the same thing (in fact it works with any Wi-Fi enabled PC, not just laptops). It’s called Virtual Router Plus, and I’m happy to tell you that it works extremely well. [Read more…]