Microsoft Windows Archives - Page 21 of 32

Q&A: How can I determine the total up time for my PC since I bought it?

Posted on August 17, 2013

Question from Ron K.: Rick, this might seem like a frivolous question (and I admit that it is), but is there any way to determine the total number of hours and minutes that my Dell desktop computer has been powered on since I bought it in May 2008? No biggie if there isn’t, I’m just curious.

Rick’s answer: That isn’t a frivolous question at all Ron. Now you have me curious about how long my PCs have been powered up as well.

To answer your question, I don’t know of any way to use Windows itself to determine the total uptime of a computer, but I do know of a way to get a fairly accurate estimate: [Read more…]

Stop your PC from going to sleep at the most inconvenient times

Posted on August 1, 2013

Have you ever been reading a lengthy article or watching a video and had your computer go into sleep mode or activate the screensaver right in the middle of it? Me too, and it can get rather annoying.

Depending on your system’s power settings, Windows will often think you aren’t using your PC if several minutes go by without you pressing a key or moving the mouse, and it will happily activate your screensaver or go into sleep mode. And when that happens it’s usually at the most inconvenient time possible.

A great free download called Caffeine will keep Windows from interrupting your work even when it thinks that the computer is sitting idle. Just activate it when you know you’ll be doing something for a while that doesn’t require keyboard or mouse activity, then de-activate it when you’re done. That way you can leave your power settings as they are.

Here’s how to use Caffeine to keep your PC active during long periods with no keyboard or mouse activity: [Read more…]

Q&A: Notepad is missing from my Start Menu. How do I get it back?

Posted on July 29, 2013

Question from Kris C.: I use Notepad every day, but now it seems to be missing from the Start Menu. What happened to it and how can I get it back on there? My computer is an HP desktop with Windows 7 on it. Thanks.

Rick‘s answer: Hi Kris. There’s really no way to know why Notepad is no longer showing up on the Start Menu as there are many things that can cause that to happen. It’s very easy to put it back on there however (assuming that the program itself hasn’t been deleted from the hard drive). Here’s how: [Read more…]

How to prevent your PC from automatically rebooting after installing Windows Updates

Posted on July 28, 2013

Have you ever lost important work that you had intended to finish when you returned to your PC because the system rebooted after installing Windows Updates? I’m guessing that we all have, and it’s certainly no fun when it happens.

You can make sure that you never again lose work in progress because of an automatic restart by following the steps listed below. But first, I need for you to read and agree to my semi-standard disclaimer…

Important: This tip involves editing the Windows Registry, a process that could render your Windows installation unstable (or even unable to boot up properly) if performed incorrectly.

Therefore, if you choose to follow the steps listed below, you do so at your own risk. You also agree that if the Moon flies out of its orbit and knocks Saturn for a loop, the waters of the Mississippi turn into clabbered milk, or your PC becomes unstable or refuses to boot, it won’t be the fault of your humble tech blogger (namely ME).

If you agree with everything I said above, feel free to follow these steps to disable automatic restarts after Windows Updates have been installed: [Read more…]

Q&A: Will switching from Windows 7/32 bit to 64 bit really give my laptop more memory?

Posted on July 23, 2013

Question from Shauntelle G: Hi Rick. I know this is probably going to sound stupid because I don’t know a lot about how computers work, but I have a question. I have a Toshiba Satellite L505 laptop with 3GB RAM and Windows 7.

I was told that upgrading Windows 7/32bit to the 64 bit version would give me more RAM. If so, how much more would it give me? Also, how can I find out which version of Windows 7 the laptop has on it?

Rick’s answer: Hello Shauntelle. First of all, your question isn’t stupid at all. You’ll never know if you don’t ask! Now, for the answer… [Read more…]