Windows Tools, Help & Guides

These days there are so much talk about Cloudware (a.k.a software that you access through internet). And Microsoft doesn’t want to be left behind like they were back in the 1990’ies when they thought Internet were only going to be a hype.

One of the latest additions to Microsoft’s “Cloud Solution” is “Windows Live SkyDrive”, an online Storage Solution.

If you’re already using it, you already know that Windows Live SkyDrive is somewhat clunky and not very user-friendly. The web interface “add files” section only allows you to add one file at a time in individual fields. The existing ActiveX Controls that would allow you to Drag’n’Drop – only works in Internet Explorer.

Luckily there is a solution.

Read the rest of this entry »

If you use iTunes and you have two or more PCs in your house, you will likely, at some point, encounter the 5 computer authorization limit imposed by iTunes. There are a number of times when I’ve either replaced my PC or reformatted my hard drive and I’ve forgotten to deauthorize iTunes before doing so. This really is not the end of the world; however, if you do reach the five computer limit, your only choice is to deauthorize all five computers on your iTunes account, which can be a pain because you need to add them back again. This guide serves as a reminder to deauthorise iTunes on your iTunes account before you reformat your hard drive or get a new PC.

Read the rest of this entry »

Yesterday, I shared some steps I take to set up a Windows 7 machine the right way. Windows Guides reader, Gene, recently sent me this really useful guide on how to set up a computer and I’d like to share it with you.

Here’s an excerpt from the guide:

I have had many questions and times when I had to set up a new computer that someone had just bought either from a store or a website and it arrived on their doorstep. The following is the procedure that I use to make sure that the system is ready to put online and available for the internet to start trying to be used in a botnet or hit with all the virus’s that are out there looking for new systems that someone has not set up to stop them. I am not by anyway the expert as this is just the way I do it and there are probably other ways and systems to do it also but I don’t have access to them.

How to Set Up a New Computer (PDF 311 KB)

(Right click and Save as…)

New to using the command prompt? Check out the Windows Command Prompt Beginner’s Guide

Windows Guides subscriber, Engineer, submitted the following guide and shows us how to change file associations using the command prompt:

Dear colleagues, many of us get problems when your registry gets corrupted or settings get changed and you have mixed up extensions associated with the wrong programs. Well, don’t panic–everything is easy, we are here to raise and offer up solution to make your life easy. I will explain how to disassociate a file that has been wrongly associated with the wrong program:

Read the rest of this entry »

Windows Guides’ Rating	Compatible with
3.5 out of 5

Read the rest of this entry »

When you install Windows, you are prompted for your product key. This key determines which version of Windows Vista or 7 should be installed on your PC. Later in the installation process, you are asked whether you would like to activate Windows or not. If you choose not to activate Windows, you have 30 days before you need to do so; otherwise, Windows will not let you log in and access your programs and files until you activate it. Learn, in this guide, how to activate Windows Vista or 7.

Read the rest of this entry »