Hiding the Windows Live Messenger icon in Windows 7

If you use Windows Live Messenger a lot, you'll have noticed that the icon now resides on the taskbar, where you can easily change status and quickly send an IM to someone. If you prefer to keep Windows Live Messenger in the system tray, where it's been for previous releases, just close Windows Live Messenger, edit the shortcut properties and set the application to run in Windows Vista compatibility mo...

Restore the Quick Launch Toolbar in Windows 7

If you're unhappy with the new taskbar, even after shrinking it, then it only takes a moment to restore the old Quick Launch Toolbar. Right-click the taskbar, choose Toolbars > New Toolbar, type "%UserProfile%\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Quick Launch" (less the quotes) into the Folder box and click Select Folder. Now right-click the taskbar, clear 'Lock the taskbar', and you should see the Quick Launch toolbar, probably to the right. Right-click its divider, clear Show Text and Show Title to minimise the...

Recover screen space in Windows 7

The new Windows 7 taskbar acts as one big quick launch toolbar that can hold whatever program shortcuts you like (just right-click one and select Pin To Taskbar). And that's fine, except it does consume a little more screen real estate than we'd like.  Shrink it to a more manageable size by right-clicking the Start orb, then Properties > Taskbar > Use small icons > ...

Desktop slideshow in Windows 7

Windows 7 comes with some very attractive new wallpapers, and it's not always easy to decide which one you like the best. So why not let choose a few, and let Windows display them all in a desktop slideshow? Right-click an empty part of the desktop, select Personalise > Desktop Background, then hold down Ctrl as you click on the images you like.  Choose how often you'd like the images to be changed (anything from daily to once every 10 seconds), select Shuffle if you'd like the backgrounds to appear in a random...

Right-click everything

At first glance Windows 7 bears a striking resemblance to Vista, but there's an easy way to begin spotting the differences - just right-click things. Right-click an empty part of the desktop, for instance, and you'll find a menu entry to set your screen resolution. No need to go browsing through the display settings any more. Right-click the Explorer icon on the taskbar for speedy access to common system folders: Documents, Pictures, the Windows folder, and more. And if you don't plan on using Internet Explorer then you probably...

Automatically switch your default printer in Windows 7

Windows 7's location-aware printing allows the operating system to automatically switch your default printer as you move from one network to another. To set this up, first click Start, type Devices, and click the Devices and Printers link. Select a printer and click Manage Default Printers (this is only visible on a mobile device, like a laptop - you won't see it on a PC). Choose the "Change my default printer when I change networks" option, select a network, the default printer you'd like to use, and click Add. Repeat the...

Adjusting Windows Task bar size In Windows 7

In Windows 7, the usual size of the Windows Taskbar is a bit larger than usual. This takes some extra space at the bottom of the computer screen. This makes selecting the applications easier as the buttons are bigger. However for those who are using smaller screens this may be a bit annoying as it takes more space on the screen. If you want you can make the size of the taskbar smaller by following the steps below. In a blank space in the taskbar right click and select properties. You will see the ‘Taskbar and Start Menu...

Set the time zone in Windows 7

System administrators will appreciate the new command line tzutil.exe utility, which lets you set a PC's time zone from scripts. If you wanted to set a PC to Greenwich Mean Time, for instance, you'd use the command tzutil /s "gmt standard time" The command "tzutil /g" displays the current time zone, "tzutil /l" lists all possible time zones, and "tzutil /?" displays details on how the command wor...

Windows 7 Shortcut Keys

Here are some useful shortcut keys for Windows 7 users. Windows key + Up Arrow = Active window will be maximized Windows key + Down Arrow = Active window will be minimized Windows key + Left Arrow = Active window will be moved to the left Windows key + Right Arrow = Active window will be moved to the right Windows key + Home Key = All windows will be minimized. If already minimized they will be opened. Windows key +...

ViewPad 10 features Windows and Android

Viewsonic's new tablet has a unique solution for consumers who are still clinging to Microsoft's Windows, even as Google's Android operating system gains traction: It offers both. The ViewPad 10 is a dual-boot unit. It can launch either Windows 7 or Android as you start the computer. Out of the box, the specs are impressive. The ViewPad has a 10.1-inch display, which is larger than the iPad's 9.7 inches. It weighs...

Mozilla starts coding for mobiles and tablets

The creators of the Firefox web browser have started developing an operating system for mobiles and tablets. Although the project will draw on some parts of Google's Android mobile operating system much of the code will be freshly written. Once finished, the operating system will compete with Android as it will run on the same devices. The project team said all code development would be done in the open and shared...

Download Free Antivirus Software for Windows

Avast! Free Antivirus Expect great all-around protection against viruses and trojans.DownloadAntiVir Free Version Lightweight and solid. Good ratings. Worth looking into.DownloadAVG Antivirus Free Edition Not as good as Avast or Avira but with considerably less bloat. The most popular free antivirus.Download Microsoft Security Essentials Simple, lightweight and competent protection suite.DownloadComodo Internet Security Free...

6 essential software for your windows machine

Here is a list of 6 essential software that are required on your windows PC or laptop. Adobe Reader – Most of the documents related to travel, banking or professional are published and shared in the adobe pdf format, hence it is necessary to have this installed on your new PC. 7-zip – This is an open source unzip and archive utility that supports  multitude of formats including XZ, BZIP2, GZIP, TAR, ZIP, WIM, ARJ,...

How to you check the popularity of your website

Websites can also be categorized similarly based on popularity and reputation. Here are few methods for checking the popularity and reputation of any website. Alexa Ranking This is perhaps the most used and most controversial method of checking the popularity of a website. In this method, the traffic rank of a website as compared to other websites in the internet is measured. Traffic rank is an indication of the popularity of a website. For normal website, an alexa traffic rank of anything less than 500,000 is considered to...

How to create an email signature for MSN

Most of the email providers allow you to make your own customized signature that will be automatically inserted at the end of each message that you send. An Email Signature represents you, your business and your profession. It is the best way to promote your company or your business with an E-Signature which will contain the essential contact information, website URL link of your business or company and with a brief tag line about your business. The Signature can be either personal or professional one. Keep in mind that your...