Computer Tips Archives - Page 215 of 232

How to re-install Windows 7 or Windows 8 when you don’t have a Recovery Disc

Posted on July 22, 2013

create-windows-installation-media It’s a fact of life: Sooner or later there will come a time when you’ll need to re-install Windows on your PC.

Whether it’ll be due to a hard drive failure, a virus attack or just the desire to re-install the operating system from scratch and start over fresh, you most likely will have to refresh your Windows installation at some point.

If you have a set of recovery discs, re-installing Windows from scratch is easy. If you don’t, it’s virtually impossible. But what if you can’t find your recovery discs (or never had a set in the first place)? Well, you have three options:

1 – Order a replacement set of recovery discs for your specific PC model directly from the support section of the manufacturer’s website. This option can be (and in most cases is) fairly expensive.

2 – Purchase a full retail version of Windows, either on discs or via direct download. This option is even more expensive than the first one.

3 – Create your own Windows 7 or Windows 8 installation media. This option is virtually free (you’ll need either a blank, writable DVD or a blank USB thumb drive).

If you choose to go with option 3, here are the steps you’ll need to take in order to create your own Windows 7 or 8 installation media: [Read more…]

How to change the ‘Registered Owner’ in Microsoft Windows

Posted on July 11, 2013

microsoft-windows If your PC was either purchased used or “inherited” as a hand-me-down system, you probably keep seeing the previous owner’s name pop up from time to time as the “Registered Owner”. And I’m guessing that you probably find that a bit irritating.

It’s actually pretty easy to change the Registered Owner setting in the Windows Registry. But before I show you how to do that, it is incumbent upon me to tell you the following… [Read more…]

YippieMove – Easily transfer your emails, attachments and contacts to a new email service

Posted on July 3, 2013

Have you ever wished you could easily switch from one email provider to another without losing any of your stored emails, attachments or contacts?

For example, lets say you’ve heard that Gmail is the best thing since sliced bread, and you’d like to ditch your Yahoo Mail account and transfer all of your existing emails, attachments and contacts from Yahoo to a new Gmail account (or vice versa).

A great online service called YippieMove will complete the transfer for you in the background while you use your computer for other things. [Read more…]

How to make MP3s and videos open in Windows Media Player by default in Windows 8

Posted on July 2, 2013

If you’re one of the relatively few seasoned Windows users who have made the switch to Windows 8, you have probably already noticed that Microsoft’s Music App is now the default player for MP3s as well as most types of video files. But by changing a single setting you can have your music and videos open in Windows Media Player instead.

Of course there’s absolutely nothing wrong with having the Music App set as your system’s default media player, but most people (myself included) tend to prefer Windows Media Plater. If you’re one of them too, you can follow these steps to set Windows Media Player as the default app: [Read more…]

How to record calls made via Skype

Posted on June 29, 2013

Every now and then we find ourselves needing to record a phone call either for archiving purposes, legal reasons or for any number of other reasons.

Back in the day when landlines ruled, recording a call was easy. You simply plugged a cassette tape recorder into the phone jack via a special adapter and pressed the Record button.

But times have changed. Most calls these days are made either via cell phone or with a computer using an extremely popular service called Skype, neither of which work all that great hooked up to a cassette recorder.

There are several apps available for recording cell phone conversations, but only a handful for recording a conversation over Skype. The purpose of this tip is to clue you in about a couple of my favorites. The one you use will depend on whether you’re running Skype on a Windows PC or a Mac. [Read more…]