Windows Utilities Archives - Page 2 of 4

Greenshot – My favorite screenshot utility

Posted on August 12, 2018

Most Windows users know that pressing the Print Screen key will create an exact image of everything on the current screen and place it on the Windows clipboard, thereby creating a “screenshot” image.

I’ve tried several third-part screenshot utilities over the years, but my favorite by far is a nifty little free program called Greenshot. In fact, I think it’s the best thing since that $50 bill that I found laying on the riverbank back when I was a kid!

There are so many things to love about Greenshot, but there are two in particular that make it extremely useful: [Read more…]

‘HiJack Hunter’ helps you determine if malware has taken over your PC or changed critical system settings

Posted on February 13, 2018

Do you suspect that malware might be slowing down your PC or putting your data at risk, yet nothing is detected during a virus or spyware scan?

Or do you suspect that malware that was found and removed changed some of your Windows settings and/or disabled certain features such as the Task Manager, System Restore or the ability to boot into Safe Mode?

Even the best anti-malware programs have a difficult time catching all the viruses, trojans and spyware that is out there today. That’s why it helps to have a low-level system scanner that can root out and report every single running process and detect any suspicious system activity. [Read more…]

Q&A: Is there a free program that does what PC Matic does?

Posted on December 26, 2013

Question from Christopher B.: It seems like every time I turn on the TV they’re showing an ad for PC Matic, so I finally gave their free download a try.

It seems like PC Matic would be a good program, but I just can’t afford to spend $50 for it. Is there a free program out there that does the same thing?

Rick’s answer: [Read more…]

Lockscreen Pro – A better way to lock down your PC while you’re away

Posted on June 25, 2013

Microsoft Windows allows you to lock your computer when you need to step away from it for a while, and it works quite well. But a free download called Lockscreen Pro locks your screen plus does a whole lot more.

Lockscreen Pro has a number of cool features that make it a very worthwhile download, but these two are my favorites:

1 – Once your PC has been locked with Lockscreen Pro you can unlock it either by entering your password or inserting a USB thumb drive. Being able to insert a thumb drive to unlock the PC is awesome because it’s so fast and convenient.

2 – If someone tries to unlock your PC by entering the wrong password, your webcam will snap his/her picture so that you can see exactly who tried to break into your computer. [Read more…]

Q&A: What exactly does the System File Checker do?

Posted on May 21, 2013

Question from Landra G: Hi Rick. I bought an ebook on using Windows 7 and there was a passing reference to something called a System File Checker.

The ebook didn’t give any details except to say that you can use it to fix problems with your computer. Can you tell me what it is and how to use it. Thanks.

Rick’s answer: Landra, the System File Checker is a very useful Windows utility that will scan your critical Windows files and attempt to repair any damaged files that it finds. It often comes in handy for those times when Windows is acting quirky, something isn’t working as it should or you receive an error message saying that there is a damaged Windows system file.

Using the System File Checker is very easy in Windows 7. Here’s how: [Read more…]