Windows Tools, Help & Guides

Previously, we showed you how to restrict logon hours, programs, and games with Windows Vista or Windows 7 Parental Controls. In this guide, we’ll show you how to do the following with Windows Live Family Safety:

• Download Windows Life Family Safety.
• Set up a Windows account for your child.
• Set up Windows Life Family Safety.
• Customize Windows Live Family Safety settings:
  • Restrict specific websites with web filtering.
  • Monitor online usage with activity reporting.
  • Manage contact lists to restrict/allow communication with contact management.
  • Approve/deny requests from users.
  • Set time limits for computer access.
  • Set Game restrictions by game/content.
  • Set program restrictions.

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If you are on the move a lot, using your computer on many different networks, chances are that, after a while your computer has a pile of unused networks settings stored on your system.

Windows stores these settings so you don’t have to go around keeping track of each and every network you connect to–making it easier to connect to your preferred networks without typing in security keys and passwords every time.

Windows will remember each network you connect to and over time you might find a long list of networks that you no longer use or have the need for. How do you remove the unwanted ones ?

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We love desktop wallpaper on Windows Guides. Here’s a collection of 50 hand-picked high-resolution wallpapers from various sources online. Know a good place for wallpaper or have some to share? Let us know about it in the comments.

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When I had Windows 7 installed, I noticed that the standard network icon in the task bar area doesn’t “light-up” when there is data throughput as I have been used to ever-since Windows 98. I suppose some people might argue that we have been spoiled a bit, but actually it gives you a sense of security when you’re busy working and you can see there is activity on the network when you expect it to be. Also, that is the quickest way you can see when something isn’t working correctly.

Taskbar with Windows 7 Network Icon

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Google has announced that is going to start indexing SVG files. SVG, the acronym of Scalable Vector Graphics, is a XML based file format that is used to describe two-dimensional vector graphics.

Right now Google is indexing the following types:

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Windows Forums member, shoby, asked the following question in our suggestion box:

I would like to see a review about Ready Boost in Windows 7.
Does it really help you out when you need some extra performance or does it just look like it helps you out ?

It surely can’t be like you actually went out and bought some RAM, but how good is Ready Boost actually.
Is it gonna help me out with the my daily tasks/multitasking.
TIA.

This guide answers these questions and offer suggestions to help you get the most out or ReadyBoost or the most out of the money you’d spend on a flash drive with which to use ReadyBoost. Specifically, we’ll cover the following:

• What is ReadyBoost?
• Does ReadyBoost really work?
• What are the requirements for ReadyBoost?
• What security risks does ReadyBoost pose?
• What alternatives are there to ReadyBoost?

If you want to learn how to use ReadyBoost, see this guide: Speed up Windows with ReadyBoost.

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