Windows’ Backup and Restore and System Image Recovery To recover your operating system and/or files, you must first use the Backup and Restore feature to create a backup system image. If you don’t know how to do that, read this guide first: How to use Backup and Restore in Windows 11 and Windows 10. Also, keep in mind that although it’s called “Backup and Restore (Windows 7),” it still works in Windows 10 and Windows 11.
How to Disconnect from a Shared Network Drive in Windows 8 Windows 8 has a very simple utility that helps you with removing mapped drives from your system. There are two easy ways to access this tool. First, you can search for “Computer” from the Start screen. Right-click or long-press Computer when it appears in the search results and then click or tap “Disconnect network drive.” This will take you to the Desktop and launch the tool.
NOTE: Using most of the methods in this guide to run as administrator triggers a UAC prompt asking for further confirmation and, if you’re launching an app using a regular account, an administrator password.
1. How to Run as administrator from an app’s pinned Start Menu shortcut In Windows 11, you can use the contextual menu of any pinned app to run it with administrative permissions. To begin, open the Windows 11 Start Menu and find the app you want to launch in the Pinned section.
NOTE: In both Windows 10 and Windows 11, there are two categories of files that are hidden from view: “standard” hidden files and “system protected” hidden files. To learn how to view them, read all the sections of this guide. At the end, we also offer examples of the differences between the settings you can change.
How to show hidden files in Windows 10 If you want to find all the hidden files in Windows 10, you’ll need to use File Explorer.
How to set aside tabs in Microsoft Edge, so that you can use them later First, open the tabs that you want to set aside for later use, and load the web pages that interest you. Do not keep other tabs open, only those you want to set aside. Then, click or tap the “Set these tabs aside” button highlighted below. It is the first button on the left side of your tabs.
1. How to shut down a laptop or desktop PC running Windows 10 using its Start Menu The simplest and most basic method of closing down Windows 10 is by using the Start Menu, which is also the standard option in this operating system: Open the Start Menu by clicking or tapping the Windows button in the bottom-left corner of the screen. Then, click or tap the Power button. From the options that appear, choose Shut down to shut the device down totally.
What is and why should you use Microsoft Edge’s Sync feature? What is Microsoft Edge Sync? Well, it’s a feature in Microsoft Edge that allows users to synchronize browsing data across devices. It’s built right into the browser and allows you to sync your bookmarks, passwords, browsing history, personal data, and other things. So, if you want to be able to seamlessly access your Microsoft Edge data on every computer or device where you’re using this browser, you should enable the Sync feature.
How to turn on Narrator, Windows’ built-in screen reader There are several ways to turn on the Narrator, but the simplest method is by using a keyboard shortcut. To activate the Narrator instantly, press:
How to turn Narrator on or off using the keyboard You can also enable Narrator through the settings or even on the login screen. For details on that, check out this guide on how to enable or turn off the Narrator in Windows.
Important: If you are using the Camera app for the first time, make sure that the driver for your webcam is installed.
How to Start the Camera App in Windows 8.1 You can launch the Camera app in several different ways: If you are on the Desktop bring up the Charms and click or tap Search. In the search box enter the word “camera” and click or tap the appropriate search result.
LG 34GK950G: Who is it good for? The monitor is an excellent choice for:
Gamers who want a fast monitor with excellent refresh rate, no lag, and G-Sync People interested in both productivity and gaming, who appreciate lots of screen real estate Users with mid-range and high-end gaming PCs that can handle games in 1440p People who desire a monitor whose height and position can be adjusted with ease
Pros and cons The LG 34GK950G has many good things going for it:
Mercusys Halo H80X: Who is it good for? This mesh Wi-Fi system is a suitable choice for:
Users who desire an affordable mesh Wi-Fi system People with internet connections up to 500 Mbps Networks with a moderate number of devices Those who don’t need advanced features for their Wi-Fi
Pros and cons Here are the things I like about the Mercusys Halo H80X:
Affordable pricing Minimalistic design Easy to install and configure Optimized for the Wi-Fi 6 standard Can cover larger locations
NOTE: This guide shows the Microsoft Authenticator setup on Android to help with your Microsoft account login. You can first learn more about two-factor authentication. Alternatively, you can also use Google Authenticator to sign in to your Microsoft account.
Step 1: Get the Microsoft Authenticator app from the Google Play Store First, you must download and install the Microsoft Authenticator on an Android smartphone or tablet. Follow this link to get the app from the Google Play Store.
Unboxing the Mio Spirit 8500 LM T he Mio Spirit 8500 LM comes in glossy gray cardboard box that’s dominated by a large photo of the GPS car navigation device inside. If you roll or turn the box upside down, you’ll get to see lots of information about the car navigation system, like its most important features, the accessories bundled with it, or the software it works with. Open the box and inside you will find the Mio Spirit 8500 LM car navigation device, its in-car charger, a windscreen mounting bracket, a software DVD, the warranty and a quick start guide.
What is the Motorola Moto Z2 Play smartphone good at? The Motorola Moto Z2 Play is an excellent smartphone for:
People who want a modular smartphone that can be transformed when performing different activities People who want a midrange smartphone of good quality but which does not cost a fortune People who already have one or more Moto Mods and want a smartphone that is compatible with them
Pros and cons Here is what we liked about the Motorola Moto Z2 Play:
What is the Epson Expression ET-2600 EcoTank All-in-One printer good at? The Epson Expression ET-2600 all-in-one printer is a suitable choice for home users whose top-priority is low-cost printing, and they prize this above other features.
Pros and cons Epson Expression ET-2600 has the following strengths:
Low-cost ink bottles that, in theory, should help you save up to 80% on refills, compared with traditional cartridge-based printers Refilling the ink tanks is straightforward.
Unboxing the ASUS ROG G752VT gaming laptop The ASUS ROG G752VT comes in a large box, made from premium cardboard, that’s beautifully painted. The front of the box features a large image of the actual laptop and the Republic of Gamers logo. You will notice that ASUS decided to change the definitory colors for this brand: instead of the black and red accents, ASUS’ new gaming laptop has silver and orange accents.
Sapphire Nitro+ AMD Radeon RX 6750 XT: Who is it good for? This graphics card is a good choice for:
Gamers who want excellent performance for gaming in 1440p or 1080p resolutions Users who want a fast graphics card that’s also very quiet Those who don’t already own an AMD Radeon RX 6700 XT or a similar GPU
Pros and cons Here are the key positive aspects you should know about this graphics card:
Sharp UA-HD60E-L: Who is it good for? This humidifying air purifier is a great choice for the following users:
People living in polluted cities with high levels of PM10 and PM2.5 particles Home users with allergies to pollen People living in areas where dust is a problem Home users who want to protect themselves as much as possible from airborne viruses, bacteria, odors and mold People who experience dry throat or eyes, or who snore often
The hardware specs of the desktop PC that we used for testing We performed our tests on a desktop PC with the following hardware:
AMD Ryzen 5 1600 six-core processor, running at 3.2 GHz ASUS ROG STRIX X370-F GAMING motherboard 16 GB of RAM DDR4, running at 1600 MHz, made by Corsair MSI NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 OC 6GB video card KINGSTON A400 SSD drive with a capacity of 240 GB of storage space Western Digital Blue 1TB hard disk drive, at 7200 rotations per minute (rpm)
The Software Update Checkers We Tested Even though there are plenty of options available, we tried our best to pick a mix that includes both popular and efficient programs in this particular niche. We ended up testing the following tools: Appupdater 2.2, FileHippo App Manager 2.0, Ninite 4.5.2, Secunia Personal Software Inspector (PSI) 3.0, Software Informer Client 1.4, Software Update Monitor (SUMo) 3.14 and Heimdal Free 1.10.3.
The Applications We Used For Testing In order to test the effectiveness of the products that are meant to keep our applications up-to-date, we chose a mix of popular software used for the most common computing tasks: 7-Zip 9.