Search Results for: create system image

Would you buy a full-size PC running Android?

Posted on June 11, 2013

Android smart phones and tablets are selling like there’s no tomorrow, and more people are switching from iPhones to Android phones than the other way around. This means that Android based devices are extremely popular, and apparently getting more so all time.

Could Android also succeed as an operating system powering full size computers? Well, we’re about to find out because Acer and Gateway are in the process of testing prototypes of all-in-one PCs running Android. Which of course begs the question: Would you buy one? [Read more…]

Reset your forgotten Windows password with the free Trinity Rescue Kit

Posted on June 5, 2013

If you ever find yourself locked out of your Windows PC’s Administrator account because you forgot the password, you’ll be extremely limited in regards to what you can do with your computer. You won’t be able to install or remove software, add or remove hardware devices, change system settings that affect other users or even access certain files on the PC. Not a good situation to be in!

Luckily, there is a free tool that will allow you to reset your forgotten Windows password. It’s called the Trinity Rescue Kit, and while it performs many other handy tasks, its most popular feature is the Password Reset utility.

Before I explain how to download and use the Trinity Rescue Kit to reset your lost Windows password, I must first tell you the following:

1 – I strongly recommend that you only use the Trinity Rescue Kit on your own PC or on someone else’s PC with their explicit permission. Using it on a work PC that has been password protected by the IT department can get you fired. Even worse, using it on another person’s PC without their explicit permission could land you in jail.

2 – At this point in time, the Trinity Rescue Kit will not reset passwords on PCs running Windows 8, but it works great with Windows XP, Vista and 7.

Now that the “fine print” is out of the way we can get started… [Read more…]

BlueScreenView – Find out what caused your PC to crash – And how to fix it!

Posted on May 3, 2013

For many, the most dreaded “feature” of Microsoft Windows is the infamous “Blue Screen of Death” that tells you that Windows has crashed, without giving you the reason why it happened.

Yes, the Blue Screen provides you with a cryptic code that offers a subtle hint as to where to start looking, but that’s about all.

Windows 7 and Windows 8 are much more stable than previous versions of Windows, but the occasional Blue Screen still rears its ugly head from time to time. A wonderful free utility called BlueScreenView sheds light on the cause of a system crash by scanning the minidump file that was created when the crash occurred and helping you track down the particular driver that caused the crash. [Read more…]

How to speed up your Start Menu

Posted on April 17, 2013

microsoft-windows Does it seem like it takes forever for your Start Menu to display after you click the Start Button? There are several things that affect the speed of your menus that are beyond your control, but there is one that you can control with a simple Registry hack.

Important: Editing the Windows Registry can render your system unstable or even unable to boot up properly if something happens to go wrong. That’s why if you choose to follow the instructions below you do so at your own risk.

You also agree that it won’t be my fault if you begin having three birthdays a year, your car gets damaged by an out-of-control shopping cart in the WalMart parking lot, or your PC becomes unstable or refuses to boot up properly.

If you agree with everything I just said in the preceding paragraphs, follow the steps below to speed up your Windows Start Menu: [Read more…]

Q&A: My Task Manager is disabled. How can I get it back?

Posted on April 14, 2013

Question from Eric: My computer slowed to a crawl and I found out that it was eaten up with Spyware and viruses. I spent the better part of a day cleaning it all up but now I can’t load the Task Manager. It’s grayed out on the menus and I can’t click it. How can I get it back?

Rick‘s answer: Hi Eric. The miscreants who create spyware and viruses use all kinds of tricks to prevent us from discovering and disabling their insidious creations, and a couple of their favorite tricks are disabling the System Restore and Task Manager utilities. [Read more…]