If you try to install a Windows 7 system in a Virtualbox you will notice that there is no 3D support there - no feature of Aero works and the Desktop is shown in the Aero fallback mode without transparency. But if you have the latest version of Virtualbox installed there is something you can ... Read more
The system properties Window in Windows 7 has space for two Windows logos - one is the Windows logo that is shown by default on most systems and one is for manufacturers (computers by Dell and others will have their logo placed there). This manufacturer logo can be changed to an own picture using the ... Read more
Windows 7 has a troubleshooter taking care of power usage for notebooks as well as for desktop computers, it is quite hard to find however since you won't find it in your Control Panel's Power Options section. To access it, - open the Control Panel and enter System and Security. - In the topmost Action ... Read more
Notebook batteries lose part of their capacity over time depending on their treatment. To see at how much maximum capacity your battery it, there is a command line tool that you can use from an elevated command line. To open such, search your main menu for cmd, right-click it and choose Run as administrator. In ... Read more
Windows 7 comes with the Aero skin by default which might look nice but consumes a great deal of resources - and with them, power. I have experienced a loss of up to two hours of battery life on my notebook when turning Aero on which one can get back by switching to the classic ... Read more
BitLocker is a handy tool that comes with the Enterprise and Ultimate Editions of Windows Vista and 7 and is also available in the Windows 8 Consumer Preview (to say in what editions of Windows 8 it will be present is not yet possible since the number and form of editions have not been revealed ... Read more
The quick launch bar might have been the way most Windows XP users accessed all their data, be it folders they often needed or programs - everything could be put in there. This bar however was abandoned in further Windows versions but can be restored by very simple means. To do so, right-click on some ... Read more
By default, if you try pinning folders to the taskbar on Windows 7 or the current version of Windows 8 the folder will be put into the context menu of the taskbar's explorer icon. To prevent this and stick a folder directly to the taskbar, you need to create a shortcut of the folder you ... Read more
The context menu you gain by right-clicking the desktop is a powerful tool to open any kind of data and program. If you have a folder that you need to access regularly it might be a clever idea to simply pin it to that right-click menu to shorten the access time. To achieve that you ... Read more
Sometimes the situation might come up where a device that was working flawlessly before will stop doing so, even if you try everything - replugging it, reinstalling its drivers, rebooting the computer - but nothing will help. A possible cause for this is a driver filter that was either installed by any third party software ... Read more
