How to Backup your Gmail Account

This past weekend over 150,000 Internet users woke up to find their Gmail inboxes, contacts and chat conversations gone. The issue, according to Google, was caused by a storage software update that introduced an unexpected bug. But while the company has since begun restoring data from tape backups and will likely offer some form of compensation where applicable, the incident served as a reminder that no matter how reliable some cloud-based services are, they are certainly not infallible, and thus it might be prudent to have your own backup ready just in case things go amiss.

There are numerous ways to backup your Gmail data and deciding which way to go will largely depend on the level of effort you want to put into it. You could simply setup Gmail to forward all your mails to another email account and call it a day, for instance. But there are also a handful of other options that offer a bit more flexibility and convenience.

Below, we've listed a few of them, so you can choose whichever best suits your needs.

Use a standalone backup program

Gmail Backup is a simple and easy-to-setup free alternative that does exactly what its name says. Upon installation, just type in your credentials and it will begin downloading all your e-mails, backing them up securely, and allowing you to restore them to your account should the unthinkable happen. The program is free and Windows-only. Their website seems to be down due to the increased load in the past few days, but you can download Gmail Backup here from our local mirror.

If you're willing to shell out $20, Gmail Keeper will back up Gmail messages or messages from a Google Apps Mail account as a .zip file to a local disk. It supports multiple accounts and even stores labels associated with each message, while those concerned about privacy can encrypt their mail and password protect it.

Third-party Web service

Backupify is a handy tool that automatically performs scheduled backups for a number of popular online services including Google Apps, Facebook, Twitter and others. You won't have to put too much effort into the whole backup process -- just supply the login credentials of the sites you want backed up and Backupify takes care of the rest. Be aware though that you're essentially moving your info from one cloud to another.

The site offers both free and paid accounts with varying limitations, but given the recent Gmail blunder, Backupify is taking the opportunity to entice new users with a coupon code "savegmail" for a year of free backups with one of their premium plans, so there's really no reason for not giving it a shot.

Use a desktop mail client

This is probably the most common approach and should take just a few minutes to set up. Gmail offers access to all your mail through desktop clients such as Apple Mail, Microsoft Outlook, Mozilla Thunderbird, and many others. The latter is free and available on all major operating systems, so if you're doing this for the first time and especially if you're only planning to use it for backups rather than as your primary client, then Thunderbird might be the way to go.

For those unfamiliar with the setup process: After signing into Gmail, click the "gear" in the upper-right corner, choose Mail settings, then load the "Forwarding and POP/IMAP" tab. Enable POP for all mail and set Gmail to keep its copy.

You'll then need to setup your desktop mail client to retrieve your emails. Google offers step-by-step instructions for a number of clients and Thunderbird's automatic configuration is usually spot on getting your settings right with just your username and password -- but make sure to use POP instead of IMAP for one-way message transfers.

Messages will be downloaded automatically each time you launch Thunderbird and stored intoyour profile folder -- which you can back up standalone as well for some added security. It's pretty straightforward, but for those who prefer to use the web-based Gmail interface, remembering to run Thunderbird or whatever desktop email client every once in a while might be more work than they're willing to deal with.

Get Facebook's New Timeline Right Now

Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg yesterday announced a complete reconceptualization of profile pages on the popular social network with the introduction of Timeline. As Zuckerberg puts it, Timeline is the story of your life.

Gone is the single column wall of posts with the most recent updates telling '15 minutes of your story.' Instead, as the name suggests, you'll see a timeline of life events containing photos and other updates that stretches back to when you joined Facebook. Anyone viewing it can click back to any year where there are updates and see what was going on.

Facebook automatically selects the most important updates and highlights them with a blue dot. Grey dots represent hidden updates that might not be as important. Users can arrange their Timeline however they see fit by removing certain updates or highlighting others that might be important to them. The feature will begin rolling out to the public over the next few weeks, but developers can sign up for early access now. Here's how you can get it too:

1. Visit the Facebook Developer page and enable it for your account.

2. Click the 'Create New App' button on the top right. On the New App prompt window, give your app a display name and name space -- any name, it doesn't matter. Agree to the Platform Privacy Policy and click Continue. You will need a verified Facebook account so make sure you have either a credit card or phone number on file.

3. After clearing the CAPTCHA verification you will then be taken to your new apps' settings screen (if Facebook doesn’t put you there automatically hit the Edit App button on the top right). Next, click on Open Graph link in the left column and define an action for your new app on the right pane. You can enter whatever you like; I wrote watch on the first field and chose video from the drop-down menu on the next one. Click "Get Started."

That's it! You may see an error telling you that something went wrong but just ignore that and head to your Facebook homepage, you should see an invitation to the new Facebook Timeline Beta (you may have to wait a few minutes). Once you are in you can take a short tour of the new timeline view or start editing your profile until you are ready to publish it.

The timeline functionality isn't compatible with the "old" Facebook, so most of your friends won't see your fancy new page just yet. Users will be migrated over the coming weeks as Facebook rolls out the update to everyone.

The new Facebook site looks gorgeous, but going beyond pure aesthetics, how do you feel about Facebook's new approach to personal profiles, opening up more about your life to your social circle and potentially to the web?

The top portion of the timeline features a configurable background picture called the Cover,
and has personal information on the left along with your friends, photos, and Likes.

Adding 'life events' to your timeline.

How To: Check If Someone Is Using Your Wi-Fi

There are many reasons why you'd want to check if an unauthorized party is using your wireless network. It may be that you're experiencing a slower than normal Internet connection or you simply don't want anyone getting a free ride while you pay the bill. Of course, there are also security implications if this person can somehow access files on your network, and even legal implications if he uses your connection for piracy or other illicit activities.

Whatever the case it's better to stay on the safe side. Many of you may have already taken some basic precautions when setting up your wireless network and know your way around troubleshooting these issues. This brief guide is aimed mostly at novice users in need a hand to find out if, indeed, their Wi-Fi is being stolen.

Check the devices associated with your router

The first thing you need to do is login to your router's administrative console by typing its IP address directly into the browser address bar -- typically 192.168.0.1 or 192.168.1.1 depending on which router you have. If you don't know your router's default address check out this guide or simply go to the command prompt (Start > Run/Search for cmd) and enter ipconfig. The address you need should be next to Default Gateway under your Local Area Connection.

Alternatively, if you are on a Mac, you can find the default address by going to Network under System Preferences. It should be listed right next to "Router:" if you are using Ethernet, or by clicking on "Advanced…" and heading to the "TCP/IP" tab if you are using Wi-Fi. Next, point your browser to that address and enter your login details -- if you haven't changed the default settings it should be a combination of "admin" and "password" or blank fields. Here's a default username and password list (PDF) you might find useful, but we recommend you change this afterwards.

Once inside your router's administrative console look for a section related to connected devices or wireless status. In my old DIR-655 from D-Link it's available under Status > Wireless but you'll find it as "Attached Devices" in Netgear routers, under DHCP Clients Table on Linksys routers, "Device List" if you are using the Tomato firmware, and so on.

DHCP client list examples on D-Link and Linksys routers.

This should provide a table with the IP, MAC address and other details of every device currently connected to the router. Check that list against your gear to find any intruders. You can find out the MAC/IP address of your computers by going to the Command Prompt again and entering 'ipconfig /all'. The MAC address will be shown as the physical address. I'll let you figure it out for mobile devices like smartphones and media players since I can't possibly list all options.

Taking action

The best and simplest solution is to set up a strong password using WPA2 or WPA -- WEP is very easy to crack so avoid that if possible. There are some other methods you can use to beef up security, like switching off the SSID broadcast (which prevents it from advertising the name of your network to nearby Wi-Fi devices) or setup a filter for allowed or blocked devices by MAC address. It won't stop the most determined intruder but it will slow him down.

That should be more than enough for most users but if you need to actually track down who's been breaking into your network it's possible to pinpoint his physical location using a tool calledMoocherHunter. You'll need to burn a Live CD to boot your laptop with and walk around to track down unauthorized wireless clients. According to the program's description, it detects traffic sent across the network and can find the source within 2 meters accuracy.

Needless to say, we're not suggesting you take matters into your own hands, but it might come in handy if someone is getting you in trouble with authorities using your network for illegal purposes -- or simply to have a cool story to tell.

Bonus: Profit by setting up a paid Wi-Fi hotspot

If it doesn't bother you to have someone piggybacking on your connection you might as well get something in return, right? Chillifire is a good third-party firmware alternative if you want to run a public hotspot, as it allows you to offer for-pay or free Internet access points from your consumer router. Alternatively, you can get a Fonera router, which gives you free roaming at Fon Spots worldwide in return for sharing a little bit of your WiFi at home.

Configuring a Windows 8 Virtual Machine

With the launch of Windows 8's Consumer Preview, you're probably itching to spend some quality time with Microsoft's latest operating system. Although you may have already downloaded the ISO, we bet some of you haven't decided how you're going to install it.

Considering you've just met, we assume most of you aren't ready to clear a dresser drawer for Windows 8. Overwriting your current stable OS with pre-release code could be a recipe for disaster, though at least one TechSpot staffer is taking the plunge.

Dual booting is popular, but in our experience, rebooting into a separate environment is more trouble than it's worth when you're just trying to sample beta (err, "preview") software. The same could be said for using the OS on a secondary PC near your primary rig.

Fortunately, running Windows 8 in a virtual machine solves all that: it won't remove your current OS, you can access it anytime you want without rebooting and it doesn't require any extra hardware. What's more, the test OS can be deleted in only a few mouse clicks.

This write-up won't have much to offer folks experienced with virtual machines, but many users are still intimidated by them. We hope to demystify the process with a guide that installs a fully functional, commitment-free copy of Windows 8 inside your main OS.

So, what do I need?

Not much! You probably want 1-2GB of RAM and 20-30GB of storage allocated to the Windows 8 VM. You need a processor that supports virtualization (basically any major chip from Intel or AMD released since 2006). In other words, you need a semi-modern PC.

Accompanying said hardware, you need to download a copy of Windows 8 (either 32-bit or 64-bit will work fine, but the former calls for half the RAM and 4GB less storage). You also need virtualization software. We're using VirtualBox, a free solution from Oracle.

Got it. Let's do this!

Honestly, by the time you're done, you'll probably wonder why you even consulted a walkthrough. Configuring a basic virtual machine is a lot easier than it might seem if you've never done it. Start by clicking New in VirtualBox and click Next on the first prompt.

You'll be asked to name your virtual machine. The name is purely for identification purposes, so you know exactly what the machine is later on. We're using Windows 8 CP 64-bit. You also have to choose the OS you're installing (hint: Windows 8 or Windows 8 64-bit).

The following screen will ask you to set a RAM size. As a minimum, Microsoft recommends 1GB for the 32-bit version and 2GB for 64-bit. We're heeding that advice, but if you want to try scraping by with less, you can always reallocate more memory to the VM later.

Assuming this is your first VM you'll have to choose "Create new hard disk" on the following screen. In doing so, you'll be asked to pick a format. You can leave VDI (VirtualBox's own format) selected unless you want to run the VM with other virtualization software.

Unless you have a specific need for defining a fixed size virtual disk - unlikely if you're reading this guide - you're fine with a dynamically allocated disk. This will expand your virtual disk as the virtual machine needs additional space instead of starting at the larger size.

By default, the virtual disk will be created in C:UsersUSERNAMEVirtualBox VMs. If your C: drive is short on space or if you simply want the VM stored elsewhere, you can set it now. My C: drive is an 80GB SSD, so I'm creating the virtual disk on a secondary HDD.

It can't hurt to glance over the settings summary before you proceed, but seemingly anything can be changed later. If you're satisfied, click Create. Assuming you weren't met with any errors, you just created a virtual machine -- albeit one without an operating system.

Wait. What about Windows 8?

You're only moments away from installing Windows 8. Right click your new VM and open Settings. In the left column, click Storage > Empty (under IDE Controller) > the CD/DVD icon (under Attributes) > Virtual CD/DVD disk file and navigate to the Windows 8 ISO.

Once you see the Windows 8 ISO attached under the IDE Controller, click OK to exit Settings. Now you should be able to launch your virtual machine and begin a standard Windows installation. If you're familiar with that, you shouldn't need this guide any further.

You'll be prompted to set your language, time and currency format, and input method. You'll also have to supply a product key (DNJXJ-7XBW8-2378T-X22TX-BKG7J). Agree to the terms, choose a Custom setup and install Windows 8 to the only unallocated space.

The installation took about 20 minutes on my system. You'll eventually be asked to choose an interface color, a PC name and other such customizations. After playing a round of Twenty Questions, setup should complete and you'll see the Windows 8 desktop.

Son of a... this won't work!

If you meet the minimum system requirements, you shouldn't encounter any issues. It's worth noting that while your processor might support virtualization, the feature could be disabled in your system BIOS. Feel free to seek help in the comments or our forum.

I haven't had any performance issues running Windows 8 with a single CPU core, but you can dedicate more cores in the VM settings window (System > Processor). Likewise, you can allocate more VRAM, tweak the network adapter and configure shared folders.

Windows 8 Tricks, Tips and Shortcuts

Windows 8 Consumer Preview cracked 1 million downloads shortly after launching last Wednesday and I'm sure many of you have tried it already. Whether you went with a dual-boot, upgrade, clean install or virtual machine, if you're coming from Windows 7 you'll notice significant changes immediately, while others may not be as obvious.

Inevitably, with change comes good and bad -- at least until you learn some tricks that get you back up to speed. I know I've been hitting my head against the wall when things don't behave the way they used to. The Start menu's absence is a perfect example of a radical change. Indeed, the duality of the OS may bring some trouble, but as skeptical as I was, I must admit Microsoft has done a pretty good job of easing many of my concerns.

Metro is undoubtedly very touch-oriented and perhaps a beginner's dream come true. For experienced users, it seems like Windows 8 still holds some promise. The devil is in the details, they say, so besides experimenting with a clean install I tried the upgrade option to see how well it worked. Going from a year-old Windows 7 install to the Consumer Preview was as seamless as you could ask for.

File copy dialogs, the task manager and search look better and work faster, and that adds up for an improved experience. I'm not loving Metro on my desktop since there's little I can currently do with the stock apps, but I wonder if that will be true once my most-used programs take full advantage of live tiles.

Without further ado, here's a shortlist of Windows 8 shortcuts and useful quick tricks I've gathered thus far.

Hot corners

The Start menu is no longer there, but there's a hot corner that makes up for it (unfortunately on multiple screens it's somewhat of a pain to use).

• Lower-left corner + Left click Goes to the Start screen (Metro).
• Lower-left corner + Right click Power user shortcut menu (Device Manager, Control Panel, Command Prompt, Power Options, etc.).
• Upper-left corner Shows open window thumbnails, click to switch between them.
• Upper screen limit + Click & Drag on desktop Move to left or right to snap the current desktop or Metro app to one side of the screen.
• Lower-right corner Windows 8 Charm menu or Windows Aero Peak.
• Upper-right corner Shows Windows 8 charm menu.

Left or right click on the lower-left corner and you'll be surprised with
a useful Windows orb replacement.

Keyboard shortcuts

Windows 8 is very hotkey-heavy, here are some of the shortcuts I find most useful:

• Windows key Shows the new Start screen (Metro).
• Win + type keyword Instant application search (same as in Windows 7).
• Win + D Standard Windows desktop. Also minimizes/restores all open windows in desktop mode.
• Win + Q Shows all installed apps.
• Win + W Instant search for settings.
• Win + F Instant search for files.
• Win + I Settings sidebar (control panel, network, volume, brightness, notifications, and more).
• Win + P Shows multi-monitor options, also useful for connecting an external monitor or projector.
• Win + X Power user shortcut menu (Device Manager, Control Panel, Command Prompt, Power Options, etc.).
• Win + Z Shows App Bar in Metro applications.
• Win + . (period) Snaps the current Metro app to the right side of the screen. Do it twice and it will snap to the left.
• Win + . (period) + Shift Snaps the current Metro app to the left side of the screen.
• Win + J Switches focus between snapped Metro apps.
• Win + Page Up / Down Moves full-screen Metro app to secondary monitor.
• Win + Left / Right arrow Moves and snaps desktop applications in that direction, or to a different monitor.
• Win + Tab Switches between open applications. Similar to using the left-upper hot corner with a mouse.
• Win + L Locks Windows.

You can snap Metro apps or your desktop to the side and continue working on the center of the screen.
Another shortcut lets you switch focus between the two.

Showing all apps at once (Windows Phone style) and searching with a few keystrokes is
the Windows 8 equivalent to the old Programs menu.

Get the Start Menu back, orb and all!

Following user posts in our previous Windows 8 articles, I've seen some of you wanting to completely get rid of Metro and get the Windows 7 orb back. If that's the case I'd personally recommend you just stick to Windows 7, but if you already jumped ship there's a trick to do so asdiscussed on AskVG.

Updated: A second, improved alternative The clever folks at Stardock have released a piece of software called Start 8 that essentially adds a Start button to Windows 8's desktop mode. When you click on it you get a Metro-esque Start menu from where you can search and access other settings.

Remove that pesky wallpaper watermark

As we've seen on older betas, Windows 8 CP shows a wallpaper watermark indicating it's not a final build. The lock screen or Metro UI don't have any similar nagging reminder, and spending a majority of my time in the desktop mode, the message is tacky to say the least. Here's a solution I found circulating on a few forums:

• Download this zip file and install the InstallTakeOwnership.reg registry file
• Take Ownership from the shell32.dll.mui file located on C:WindowsSystem32en-US
• Take Ownership from the basebrd.dll.mui file located on C:WindowsBrandingBasebrden-US
• Copy and replace the shell32.dll.mui from the Edited Files to C:WindowsSystem32en-US
• Copy and replace the basebrd.dll.mui from the Edited Files to C:WindowsBrandingBasebrden-US
• Close the Windows Explorer window and open the Command Prompt with Administrator rights (remember that Win + X shortcut?)
• Type mcbuilder, wait for it to finish and reboot.

Other quick tips

• Drivers Windows 8 won't suffer the same fate Vista did with drivers. Most Windows 7 drivers will work just fine with the new OS. Nvidia advised GeForce owners to use the readily available 295.73 driver set, while AMD decided to release new Radeon drivers for the Consumer Preview.
• Recalling storage space after setup Your mileage may vary with a Windows 7 upgrade. It worked great for me but remember this is still beta software. Anyway, if you upgraded you may want to restore files from the Windows.old directory which contains data from your older OS installation and other files used during the setup using the Disk Cleanup tool. Reminder #2: If you upgrade, you can't revert back to Windows 7.

You can recover a few gigabytes worth of storage space if you
clean up after a Windows 8 upgrade.

• Upgrading to Windows 8 Windows 8 will offer a complete upgrade option from Windows 7, but the same won't be possible if you are using Vista or XP (or the current Consumer Preview for that matter). System requirements for Windows 8 are essentially the same as Windows 7 (which were similar to Vista), so most semi-modern hardware will run it just fine.
• Metro notifications, turning some of those off Windows 8 encourages you to use a Microsoft account so you can take advantage of neat features like SkyDrive or syncing your OS settings across multiple PCs. However, it will also activate other things like the Messaging Metro app, which looks good, but becomes a nag if you are using a different IM client like Trillian or Pidgin. Windows 8 uses notifications that resembles those of Growl on OS X. You can fully manage, and deactivate the Messenger app notifications from the Settings menu.

Windows 8's notifications look good and serve a purpose, but you may want to be
selective about the programs that can interrupt your workflow.

• Native screenshots in Win 8 Although using a third-party tool like Droplr remains the easiest way to grab and share a screenshot, Windows 8 finally adds a screenshot shortcut that doesn't require the snipping tool or another program where you can paste the taken image. Win + Prt Sc does the trick, saving a PNG image file on the Pictures folder.

Uninstalling Antivirus Software, the Clean Way: 40 Removal Tools & Instructions

Whether you just bought a new system with bloatware or you're just seeking greener pastures, you'll eventually have to uninstall security software. Unfortunately, that's not always as easy as it could be, especially with solutions on mass market retail machines. Shady business tactics aside, making security software tricky to remove increases the chances that clueless users don't mistakenly scrap their protection.

It can also wreak havoc if the same inexperienced user installs new security software without removing their previous solution. Fortunately, most companies provide tools and guides on properly uninstalling their products and we thought it'd be handy to provide a consolidated resource with links to removal tools and/or removal instructions.

Security Software Removal Utilities
Agnitum Outpost	Avast
AVG	Avira*
BitDefender	BullGuard*
CA Antivirus	Computer Associates
Comodo Internet Security	CounterSpy
Cyber Defender Early Detection Center*	Dr. Web
eScan	ESET*
FRISK F-PROT Antivirus*	F-Secure
G Data	IObit Software
Kaspersky	Kingsoft*
K7 Total Security	LavaSoft*
Malwarebytes Anti-Malware	McAfee
Microsoft OneCare	Microsoft Security Essentials*
Norman	Norton
Panda	Pareto Logic*
PC Tools*	Prevx
Sophos*	SuperAntiSpyware
Trend Micro / Titanium*	ThreatFire
Vipre	Webroot*
Zondex removal tool 1 & 2 (run both in order)	Zone Alarm

*Note: Developer doesn't provide a separate uninstall tool, instead relies on Windows' traditional Add/Remove method or additional manual steps

How to Change the Start Screen Background in Windows 8

Windows 8’s new Start screen has been hotly debated since the operating system launched in preview mode earlier this year. Acknowledged by some as a bold step into the tablet market, and criticized by many others who prefer the familiar desktop experience, the new 'Modern UI Style' home is here to stay. But beyond not offering a way to bypass this screen (not without the help of third-party utilities), surprisingly Microsoft is also limiting your options when it comes to customizing the Start screen's appearance. You can choose from a couple color schemes and 10 stock background images, but that's about it.

We've seen some workarounds before but they require firing up the HEX editor to modify system files, and you are still limited to 256-color background images in a handful of specific sizes. That’s more work than most people are probably willing to bother with and as you can imagine the results are not quite optimal.

Enter Decor8. Stardock’s latest Windows 8 customization app removes this limitation by giving users the ability to pick any picture they want, regardless of size or color range, as the Start screen background.

The program is pretty straightforward to use. Upon launching Decor8, you’ll be presented with a set of background images to choose from, including the start screen and desktop background images that Windows 8 ships with and also a set of wallpapers that Stardock ships with the app. You get the usual fill, fit, tile and center options available in the classic desktop, and the program will automatically create a color scheme to match each of your background images -- or you can manually customize the color scheme if you’re so inclined.

You can add folders to the program to use your own photos and images as background. There’s also the option to select multiple background images by holding down the Ctrl key, and have them rotate on a set time interval, as well as the option to fade background images against the start screen color for a subtle effect.

Sadly, Decor8 is not free. Stardock offers a free 30-day trial but otherwise asks a modest $4.99 for the app. It’s a little unnerving to pay for such basic functionality but if you wish to customize the Windows 8 Start screen beyond what Microsoft offers this is the easiest-to-use tool we’ve found. It does one thing and it does it well.

Other useful Windows 8 tweaks

While we are at it, you may want to revisit other ways to customize and tweak Windows 8 to your liking.

• Bring back the classic start menu. Another common complaint about Windows 8 is the lack of the old and trustworthy Start menu button on the desktop. Fortunately there are a handful of replacements available from third-parties, including the open source Classic Shell, Stardock’sStart8, and Pokki.


• Simplify search. Windows search isn't perfect. Some of us would argue it's been getting worse. Although you can't do much about this you can make results less cluttered by excluding some apps you don’t intend to use. Go to Win + I > Change PC Settings > Search to manage the search list.


• Restart Explorer. If Explorer locks up for some reason, there’s no need to close the process any more. Just hit press Ctrl+Shift+Esc to open the Task Manager, select Explorer in the list, and click Restart on the bottom-right corner of the window (or through the right-click contextual menu).


• Keyboard shortcuts and more. Even before Windows 8 was finalized we were getting our hands dirty discovering what the new OS had to offer. Check out our shortlist of Windows 8 tricks and keyboard shortcuts.

Computer Tips & Tricks Everyone Should Know

Many hardcore computer users might think themselves above learning new tricks, but there's always new things to learn that will help improve your skills. Our bet: you will find at least one useful thing here that you didn't know before.

Inspired and with the help of this AskReddit discussion, we’ve compiled some of the most handy computer tricks you might not be taking advantage of. Our ultimate goal is to help you become more productive by shaving valuable seconds off your workflow. Of course, you can always pass along these tips to your not-so-savvy friends and family members to help them become better PC users as well.

General Tricks

Windows hidden "god mode" folder Windows offers a centralized Control Panel for all of the OS settings, which makes it easy for users to tweak everything from desktop background to setting up a VPN. To enter this mode, create a new folder with this exact name (copy and paste it): God Mode.{ED7BA470-8E54-465E-825C-99712043E01C}. The folder icon will change to a Control Panel-style icon, and you will be able to jump in and change all kinds of settings. Note: Don't try this on Windows Vista 64-bit as it's known to cause a reboot loop.

Use Problem Steps Recorder This handy tool automatically records any mouse clicks and takes screenshots for you. If you need tech assistance with your computer, go to Run by typing Windows + R, and then type "psr." Use the tool and by the time you are finished, you can send this information, neatly compiled automatically, to the person helping you with the issue. It will make the process of finding the problem much easier for them, which means you will be able to get your system up and running faster.

Find/Delete large files wasting space A handy tool called WinDirStat (Windows Directory Statistics) can be used to easily find which files and folders are taking up the most space on your drive. From there, you can delete them and open up a ton of storage space.

Reduce the number of programs running at startup If your PC is taking too long to boot, it’s probably because you have far too many programs running at startup. Reducing this is easy, it will make your PC launch noticeably faster and lighter upon first load. To change the items running at startup, go to Run using the hotkey Windows key + R, and type "msconfig." A small window will appear (see the screenshot below), select the Startup tab. From here you will be able to turn off many startup programs, which can shave several seconds (or minutes) off your boot time. (Note Windows 8 has moved this functionality to the Task Manager). Try to make sure you research what you are turning off as some processes might be needed by third party programs or drivers you have installed.

Cloud backup important files If you’re working on a critical paper for school, work, or any other major project, make sure you are backing up the file not just locally. You can use services likeDropbox, Google Drive, or any of the other popular cloud storage solution which will do the legwork for you on the background. Of course, you can also throw the files on a thumb drive or external HDD just to be safe but backing up to the cloud can be done seamlessly which is twice the advantage.

Typing Tricks

Delete an entire word Instead of deleting a single letter, pressing CTRL + BKSP will delete the entire word behind the cursor. This makes deleting text quicker if you screw up a whole word.

Move Cursor to beginning of the next or previous word Moving the cursor around manually while typing is a great way to make your work take longer than it needs to. To speed of the process, move the cursor around with keyboard shortcuts. To move it to the beginning of the previous word, use CTRL + Left Arrow. To move it to the beginning of the next word, use CTRL + Right Arrow. In OS X you can accomplish the same using the Option key.

Making sub and superscript text If you need to make sub or superscript text (think exponents for superscript), press CTRL + = for subscript and CTRL + SHIFT + = for superscript.

Paste plain text of what was copied When you copy text from any source, programs will usually copy any formatting that comes with it. To paste this as plain text, press CTRL + Shift + V instead of the standard CTRL + V, and the system will paste unformatted text.
Note that many programs follow this parameter (Chrome, Firefox, etc.) but not all, particularly Microsoft programs like Word or Outlook. For those there's a few alternatives that go beyond copying and pasting in Notepad: 1) CTRL + ALT + V will show a 'paste special' dialog box. 2) CTRL + Spacebar will remove formatting in already pasted text. 3) Download Puretext and choose a hotkey to always paste plain text with it.

Keyboard Shortcuts

Copy only active window to clipboard Normally, the Print Screen key copies the entire display (or two displays if you got them), ALT + Print Screen only copies the currently active window to the clipboard. Whether taking a screenshot to diagnose a problem, or just because you want to show something to a friend, this will come in handy.

Fix those little mistakes Did you know you can undo almost any action? CTRL + Z is the ultimate hot key, and for sure you knew about it already, however note that undo doesn’t just apply to typing. If you accidentally delete or move a file, you can hit CTRL + Z to bring it right back to where it was. In Chrome and Firefox you can also undo closing a tab using CTRL + SHIFT + T.

Cycle through open windows Pressing ALT+TAB allows you to cycle through currently open windows. This makes switching back and forth between running processes quick and painless. If you want a more stylish method of cycling through open programs, Windows + TAB will do the job for you.

Interrupt all processes CTRL + ALT + Delete is one of the most common PC shortcuts, and one almost everyone is familiar with. The important thing to note is that it interrupts all processes, including the one that is bogging down your system, which can mean the difference between needing to restart or not.

Close the current program Typing ALT + F4 will close the program that is running. This is useful as it saves you time mousing over the "X" and clicking. People will often use this as a joke, telling you to press ALT + F4 to fix a problem. Don’t fall for it unless you want to close what you are doing.

Minimize all windows Sometimes you have a bunch of stuff running, and you want it all to go away so you can get to the desktop. Simply pressing Windows + D will minimize everything you have up, which will save you some time pressing the minimize button for each window. It should be noted that Windows + M offers similar functionality, but there is no undoing, so Windows + D is the more favorable approach.

Open the task manager directly If you want to bypass the interrupt that happens when pressing CTRL + ALT + DEL and jump right to the task manager, typing CTRL + Shift + ESC launches it directly.

Close the current window/tab Stick of moving all the way to that X button? Press CTRL + W and the current window will close. (Don’t do it now, or you will miss the rest of the tricks!)

Bring up the system information window This is so much quicker than digging this out the traditional way... Just press Windows + Pause/Break and the System Information panel will be ready to go. This might be the only use for the Pause/Break key you will ever find, so enjoy it!

Better multiple monitor control There are several useful keyboard shortcuts for controlling open windows on multiple monitors. Pressing the Windows Key + Arrow Keys will cause a window to quickly snap to each side of either monitor. Alternatively, hitting Shift + Windows Key + Arrows will cause the window to jump to the other monitor. Lastly, pressing Windows + P will allow you to quickly set up a second display or projector.

Web Browsing Tricks

Automatically add www. and .com to a URL You can shave off a couple of seconds typing in a URL by simply click CTRL + Enter after you type the name of the site. Need .net instead of .com, press CTRL + Shift + Enter instead.

Jump to address bar There are a number of ways to jump right to the address bar from anywhere in browser. Pressing CTRL + L, F6, and ALT + D all accomplish this goal.

Bring back a closed tab We covered this already, but it's super useful. Accidentally closed a tab? Simply press CTRL + Shift + T to reopen the most recently closed tab and get back to what you were doing.

Use private browsing The uses for not having cookies and history saved are obvious for certain activities, you know, like shopping for gifts on a shared computer (of course!). Pressing CTRL + Shift + N will launch a new private in Chrome, CTRL + Shift + P will do it in Firefox and Internet Explorer.

Cycle through open tabs Pressing CTRL + TAB while in a browser will flip between each one. This can be much faster than moving the mouse and clicking on a tab. CTRL + NUM (1, 2, 3, 4, n..) will also take you to certain tab in that numeric order.

File Management Tricks

Rename a file quickly Right-clicking and selecting rename is not very efficient. Instead, simply press F2 while a file is selected to change its name. To alter the name of another file, type TAB without deselecting the current file.

Rename files sequentially in Windows You actually don’t need to download any programs to perform a batch file rename in Windows. Instead, you can select all the files you want to change, right-click the first one in the list, select rename (or use F2), and type in the name. This will automatically change all the other files with the same root name with a suffix: (1), (2), and so on.

Select multiple files using the keyboard To select a bunch of files using your keyboard, you can press Shift + down arrow to select a single file or Shift + Page Down to select a large group of files at one time.

Security Tips

Run programs on an infected PC Often times, malware will prevent a computer from running certain programs. Changing the name of the .exe file can often override this. If that doesn’t work, changing the extension to .com is another useful alternative, and the program will still be able to run in spite of the extension change.

Read installers Even major programs can install toolbars and other unwanted pieces of software during installation. Take a few seconds to read each step to make sure you are not agreeing to install something other than the program you were actually seeking. Far too often people just push next over and over, and end up with a browser covered in various search bars that just aren't needed. In the worst of scenarios, these can have nefarious intentions.

Lock your computer if you get up Sick of your "friends" going onto your computer at work or home and posting things on your Facebook/Twitter page on your behalf? It’s certainly an annoyance, but an easy one to prevent. Windows + L will lock your system right away, requiring a password (if you've set one) to log in again.

Program-Specific Tricks

Photoshop: Drag the marquee without losing the ability to size it The marquee tool is, at its most basic level, designed for selecting a part of an image. It’s used constantly in Photoshop, and there is a handy trick many users miss. While dragging it around, you can press space, which will allow you to size it while moving it. This saves time by letting your perform two key functions at the same time.

Steam: Move games to another drive or partition By default, Steam installs all games to the same HDD or partition, but what happens if that fills up? The solution: download Steamtool Library Manager. It makes it easy to move games to another hard drive without messing with the functionality of Steam.

VLC: Fix unsynced audio and subtitles In the popular media player VLC, if your audio loses sync with the video or subtitles, there is an easy way to fix this. Simply pressing J or K will move the audio forward or backwards. Similarly, to sync the subtitles you can press H or G