How-to Articles
Enable Microphone, Line-In Audio, and Stereo Mix in Windows
Capture the sounds you want with ease
Want to convert some of thoseold cassette tapes to digital MP3s? Want to use voice dictation software? Want to record some audio from a website that streams music? Want to […]
Disable or Turn Off InPrivate Browsing in Internet Explorer and Microsoft Edge
Surf the web without leaving behind cookies
InPrivate browsing is a feature in Internet Explorer and Microsoft Edge that is very similar to Google’s Incognito mode. It basically allows you to browse “privately”, meaning your browsing history […]
How to Reduce the Size on an Image File
We cover formats, compressions and more
Previously, I wrote an article on how to reduce the size of an image file using the built-in email option in Explorer or by using a desktop program called Image Resizer […]
How to Disable/Enable Internet Options Tabs in IE
Helps stop untrained users from tweaking
As an IT guy, I always encounter problems when untrained users tweak their Internet connection settings. They always make a mistake somewhere and sometimes the solution is to just keep […]
Fix File System Errors in Windows 7/8/10 with Check Disk Utility (CHKDSK)
Something every PC user should know
Check Disk (chkdsk) is a tool used to verify file system integrity and is also used to locate bad sectors on hard drives. It also helps in recovering corrupted data […]
99 Ways to Make Your Computer Blazingly Fast
Squeeze the last bit of juice from your old or new PC
Over the last several years working in IT for various companies as a Systems Administrator, a Network Administrator, and a Help Desk professional, I’ve written and learned about many ways […]
Determine the Number of Cores in Your CPU
We'll explain why this is important
With the latest releases of processors from Intel, it’s a certainty that most consumer desktops will be running machines with 2 cores, 4 cores and even 6 cores very soon. […]
Fix Error 10016 in Windows Event Viewer
It's fun and you will learn a lot
Being a big tech geek, I hate when my Windows machine isn’t working flawlessly. I figure if I can’t get my computer working perfectly, then what kind of tech person […]
Restrict Access to Cisco Switch Based on IP Address
We sifted thru the 500-page manual for you
For added security, I wanted to restrict access to my Cisco SG300-10 switch to only one IP address in my local subnet. After initially configuring my new switch a few […]
Enable Public Key Authentication for SSH on Cisco SG300 Switches
Very important for networks that need to be highly secure
Previously, I wrote about how you can enable SSH access to your Cisco switch by enabling the setting in the GUI interface. This is great if you want to access […]
How to Enable SSH Access for Cisco SG300 Switches
The most secure way to access your Cisco switch
I recently purchased a Cisco SG300-10 switch for my home networking lab and I’ve been quite happy with it so far. It has a whole slew of features, most of […]
How to Track When Someone Accesses a Folder on Your Computer
There’s a nice little feature built into Windows that allows you to track when someone views, edits, or deletes something inside of a specified folder. So if there’s a folder […]
Fix Windows 8/10 Live Tiles Not Updating
6 different methods to try and fix the issue
Recently, I had a client come in with a Windows 10 PC that had live tiles that were not updating. Upon connecting up his computer, I was surprised to see […]
HDG Guide to Taking Screenshots of Boot Environments
It's a bit of a trick, but works great
Ever had to boot from a CD or DVD and wanted to take some screenshots while you were in that boot environment? Maybe you are trying to fix your computer […]
Turn Off Clicking Sound on Type Cover for Microsoft Surface Tablet
Because it quickly gets very annoying
Got yourself a new Microsoft Surface in the last couple of days? The Surface is definitely an interesting new tablet, especially when you pair it with the new Touch Cover […]
Install .NET Framework 3.5, 3.0, 2.0 on Windows 8/10
If you need to run older programs
With Windows 8/10, .NET Framework 4.5 comes installed by default. Since .NET 4.5 is an in-place upgrade of 4.0, you can automatically run any applications that are geared towards .NET […]
10 Things You Can Do With An Extra PC
Plus a few bonus ideas outside of the box
I recently came across a great deal on a used PC. Before, I only owned one computer, but because this PC was priced so aggressively and I’ve been wanting to […]