How to Find Drivers for Unknown Devices in the Device Manager

How to Find Drivers for Unknown Devices in the Device Manager: "Unknown devices show up in the Windows Device Manager when Windows can’t identify a piece of hardware and provide a driver for it. An unknown device isn’t just unknown — it’s not functioning until you install the right driver."



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The HTG Guide to Purchasing the Perfect USB Hub for Your Needs

The HTG Guide to Purchasing the Perfect USB Hub for Your Needs: "Compared to the complexity of purchasing a new graphics card or swapping out your motherboard purchasing a USB hub is definitely a simple purchase; but that doesn’t mean you should just grab the first one off the shelf at your local electronics store. There is an enormous discrepancy between build quality, features, and even safety between the different models. Read on as we show you what you need to get the best results and find the hub that fits your needs."



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How to Setup Windows 8 Defender to Automatically Scan on a Schedule

How to Setup Windows 8 Defender to Automatically Scan on a Schedule: "Windows 8.x finally bundled an antivirus utility that used to be called Microsoft Security Essentials and rebranded it as Windows Defender. The only problem is that you can’t easily setup automatic scheduled scans anymore."



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How to give your Windows 8 PC a clean start with PC Refresh

How to give your Windows 8 PC a clean start with PC Refresh: "Just like with previous versions, once you've had your Windows 8 computer for a while, chances are it will become unstable or not be as sprightly as it once was. That's when a little clean up might be on order to return it to its former glory. Here's how to use the PC Refresh feature to reclaim the speed and stability the computer once had and not lose your personal files. This article will also show you how to make PC Refresh (and Reset) work if you receive a common error message."



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Share a hard drive with everyone on your Wi-Fi network - CNET

Share a hard drive with everyone on your Wi-Fi network - CNET: "Cloud storage is expensive, but it's not the only way to share a bunch of files across many devices. Instead, you can use an external hard drive and your router to create networked storage accessible to anyone on your Wi-Fi network."



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Get Organized: How to Unsend a Gmail Message, Plus More Great Google Tricks | PCMag.com

Get Organized: How to Unsend a Gmail Message, Plus More Great Google Tricks | PCMag.com: "One of the most beloved features in all of email history is the ability to take back a message after you've hit Send. Lo and behold, Gmail has it. But few of us know about it, and fewer still know how to use it."



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How to mirror an Android device on your TV - CNET

How to mirror an Android device on your TV - CNET: "Mirroring your Android device's display on your TV can be useful when you're giving a demonstration, showing off photos from a recent trip, or playing a game. But until now, it was not easily accomplished with an Android device out of the box."



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Delete your Facebook history so it doesn't come back to haunt you | Komando.com

Delete your Facebook history so it doesn't come back to haunt you | Komando.com: "Nothing you put up on Facebook goes away on its own. Your profile probably has photos and status updates in it from years ago that you don't even remember posting.

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Unfortunately, some of these posts might be things that you wouldn't post today. Maybe you posted them with the wrong privacy settings and everyone can see them."



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7 Extensions Firefox Users Love That No Other Browser Has

7 Extensions Firefox Users Love That No Other Browser Has: "he browser war is still going strong. What makes one better than the other? Speed? Memory usage? Built-in features? The only real answer is “personal preference” and, as it turns out, browser extensions make up a big part of those preferences. It’s becoming more common for extensions to be supported across many browsers, but that isn’t always the case."



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7 Extensions Firefox Users Love That No Other Browser Has

7 Extensions Firefox Users Love That No Other Browser Has: "The browser war is still going strong. What makes one better than the other? Speed? Memory usage? Built-in features? The only real answer is “personal preference” and, as it turns out, browser extensions make up a big part of those preferences. It’s becoming more common for extensions to be supported across many browsers, but that isn’t always the case."



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Browser Wars: Firefox vs. Chrome vs. Opera, The Definitive Benchmark

Browser Wars: Firefox vs. Chrome vs. Opera, The Definitive Benchmark: "If you could only choose one browser, which one would it be? Which is best: Firefox, Chrome or Opera? We’ll show you.
The war between web browsers has become more diverse as Internet Explorer, the former giant of the space, has given up ground. That space has been filled by Chrome, Firefox and Opera, a trio of free competitors known across the globe."



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5 Refreshing Uses For A VPN

5 Refreshing Uses For A VPN: "A Virtual Private Network (VPN) like Private Internet Access is a way of pushing your network traffic through a remote server, allowing you to send and receive data as though you were from somewhere else.
These have traditionally been the workhorses of the enterprise, allowing workers to remotely connect to the corporate network when away on business, or working from home. But why – as a consumer – should you care?"



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Wi-Fi Wars: Testing Tablet Throughput | PCMag.com

Wi-Fi Wars: Testing Tablet Throughput | PCMag.com: "With mobile devices surpassing PCs as the computing tools of choice for both consumers and business users, we demand as good—if not better—wireless performance from these devices as we would from the most feature-packed laptops and desktops. Of course, we aren't at the point yet where wireless network speed equals Gigabit wired Ethernet speed. Because tablets don't have Ethernet ports, though, you do want a hardy wireless adapter to get a strong network and Internet connection."



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Reduce the time it takes to charge your device - CNET

Reduce the time it takes to charge your device - CNET: "We have all been there, it's 9 p.m. and you're suppose to meet a friend in a half hour. To make matters even worse, the battery on your smartphone is in the red. Surely you don't have enough time to charge your device without being late? Wrong."



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How to Track, Disable, and Wipe a Lost iPhone, iPad, or Mac

How to Track, Disable, and Wipe a Lost iPhone, iPad, or Mac: "Apple’s phone, tablet, and computer-tracking tools are the best in the business. You can remotely locate your device, disable it with a lock and message that persists through factory resets — the so-called “kill switch” — and wipe it.

These features aren’t enabled by default, so you’ll need to ensure the tracking features are enabled ahead of time if you’d ever like to remotely track, lock, or wipe your iPhone, iPad, or Mac."



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How to Remotely Turn On Your PC Over the Internet

How to Remotely Turn On Your PC Over the Internet: "If you use remote desktop, remote file access, or other server software, you may leave your computer on at home or work when you leave the house. This uses more power. Instead, you could simply remotely power on your PC whenever you need to use it."



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5 Windows 7 Features You Didn't Know Existed

5 Windows 7 Features You Didn't Know Existed: "Windows XP may be gone, but all is not lost. Windows 7 may replace it as the legacy Windows OS of choice, especially considering the little-known features hidden away in Windows 7 that may make you realize just how much you love the OS."



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What is the System Reserved Partition and Can You Delete It?

What is the System Reserved Partition and Can You Delete It?: "Windows 7 and 8 create a special “System Reserved” partition when you install them on a clean disk. Windows doesn’t assign a drive letter to these partitions, so you’ll only see them when you use Disk Management or similar utility."



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How to Bypass and Reset the Password on Every Operating System

How to Bypass and Reset the Password on Every Operating System: "Passwords can be reset or bypassed on every operating system. On Windows, Linux, and Mac OS X, you can gain access to a computer’s unencrypted files after resetting the password — the password doesn’t actually prevent access to your files."



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You don’t know Docs from Drive: Google’s productivity apps, explained | PCWorld

You don’t know Docs from Drive: Google’s productivity apps, explained | PCWorld: "Google’s recent upgrades to Drive have made clear the company's going head-to-head with Microsoft on productivity services. Unfortunately, in its efforts to emulate the industry standard, Google's made its cloud-based apps every bit as Byzantine as Office365. "



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From data to doughnuts: How to create great charts and graphics in Excel | PCWorld

From data to doughnuts: How to create great charts and graphics in Excel | PCWorld: "So, you need some eye-popping visuals to show off your top sales numbers for that meeting in 40 minutes but data, not design, is your forte.  No problem. With Excel 2013—even if you’ve never used it—you can pump out a sophisticated, professional chart as fast as you can type. Or, if you can copy and paste the data from another source, you can produce a chart or graph in about 10 minutes (or less). Here’s how you do it."



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Windows 8.1: Using the Windows Store and Windows Store Apps

Windows 8.1: Using the Windows Store and Windows Store Apps: "It seems like everyone is unveiling a storefront nowadays, which are great because digital distribution is substantially more convenient and usually faster than going to a traditional brick-and-mortar store. Many of these online stores are populated by software offerings (applications) typically called “apps” as in, “there’s an app for that.”"



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iPhone 6 leaks show a device begging for extreme torture-testing - CNET

iPhone 6 leaks show a device begging for extreme torture-testing - CNET: "A video making the rounds this week purports to show a sapphire crystal screen panel from the upcoming iPhone 6 withstanding some pretty serious scratches and stabs from a hunting knife and some keys.

It's an impressive demonstration that, along with other rumors that the next iPhone's screen could also be curved or flexible, means that those like myself in the device torture-testing community might need to up our game in the near future."



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A hidden trick to fix Android only techies know | Komando.com

A hidden trick to fix Android only techies know | Komando.com: "When your computer keeps crashing or freezing, one of the best tools to fix it is Safe Mode. This starts a stripped-down version of Windows so it's easier to remove or change problem programs, drivers or settings.

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I've used Safe Mode hundreds of times and I'll probably use it hundreds more times in the future."



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Beware of viruses hidden in text messages | Komando.com

Beware of viruses hidden in text messages | Komando.com: "Here's how it works. Your friend gets a text message from another friend recommending an app. When your friend taps the text message's link, they download a malicious app called MoboGenie. This service claims to be a competitor to Google's Play Store."



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Easily Fix These Common Windows 8.1 Frustrations

Easily Fix These Common Windows 8.1 Frustrations: "Windows 8.1 can be frustrating to use. No, not just because of how different it is — Windows 8 was very different, but Windows 8.1 shows Microsoft becoming more reasonable. We’re talking about blurry text, laggy mouse pointers, touchpad issues, and SecureBoot problems — good, old-fashioned Windows annoyances."



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The Ultimate "Should I Use Linux?" Checklist

The Ultimate "Should I Use Linux?" Checklist: "You may have heard from a handful of people around the Web (myself included) that you should try to switch to Linux if you can, especially if you’re still lingering on Windows XP. But deciding whether switching to Linux isn’t so easy, because Linux isn’t perfect and sadly not for everyone — although we’d like to think that."



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12 Pinterest Tips to Make Pinning a Breeze - Slideshow from PCMag.com

12 Pinterest Tips to Make Pinning a Breeze - Slideshow from PCMag.com: "The Pinterest interface essentially allows for infinite scrolling, meaning you can easily spend hours perusing recipes, home décor inspiration, gadgets, or travel photos. The format seems to be working. After joining the site, 84 percent of female Pinterest users and 50 percent of male pinners stay active on the site, according to Digital Insights."



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Windows 8.1: Personalizing Your Start Screen

Windows 8.1: Personalizing Your Start Screen: "When you first begin using Windows 8.1, you are given the option of picking your colors during the initial set up. Once the user’s account boots for the first time, their Start screen will be decked out in those colors. Of course you may want to change them, in fact, you may not want the Start screen to look that way at all."



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Autocorrect fails: How and why to turn off word prediction on your phone.

Autocorrect fails: How and why to turn off word prediction on your phone.: "f you use a phone to send text messages, chances are you’ve been burned by autocorrect at some point. You’ve typed messages to friends or co-workers wherein “meeting” morphed into “mating,” or the phone changed “Trish” to “trash” without you noticing—making you appear ridiculous, incompetent, or drunk. We’ve all been there."



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What is the Difference Between Numbered and Non-Numbered Pentium Processors?

What is the Difference Between Numbered and Non-Numbered Pentium Processors?: "With the variety in names and so-called types of Pentium processors over the years, it can be a little bit confusing knowing the differences between them all. With that in mind, today’s SuperUser Q&A post has some answers to a curious reader’s question about numbered and non-numbered Pentium processors."



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Google Is About To Take Over Your Whole Life, And You Won't Even Notice | Co.Design | business + design

Google Is About To Take Over Your Whole Life, And You Won't Even Notice | Co.Design | business + design: "GOOGLE'S NEW DESIGN ETHOS, LIVING ON AND BEYOND EVERY SCREEN, COULD MAKE GOOGLE AN AMORPHOUS PROBLEM SOLVER OF UNIMAGINABLE SCALE."



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How (and Why) to Change Your MAC Address on Windows, Linux, and Mac

How (and Why) to Change Your MAC Address on Windows, Linux, and Mac: "Each network interface on your computer or any other networked device has a unique MAC address. These MAC addresses are assigned in the factory, but you can change, or “spoof,” MAC addresses in software.

MAC stands for “media access control.” MAC addresses are also commonly referred to as physical addresses or hardware addresses, because they correspond to a hardware adapter."



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Windows 8.1 Guide: Making the Start Screen Fit Your Needs

Windows 8.1 Guide: Making the Start Screen Fit Your Needs: "So what’s the deal? We all know Vista was a disaster, but then the company released Windows 7, and everything seemed forgiven. However, in the case of Start screen, we’re now already using Windows 8.1, update 1 (technically something of a service pack). Microsoft has clearly made a concerted effort to appeal to desktop users, but the Start screen still continues to get no love."



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How to Create Saved Search Folders on Windows, Linux, and Mac OS X

How to Create Saved Search Folders on Windows, Linux, and Mac OS X: "All mainstream desktop operating systems include powerful search features. They all offer the ability to create a “saved search,” which functions as a virtual folder. The saved search folder appears to contain the files that match your search."



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MSI GS70 StealthPro-024 Gaming Laptop Review and Giveaway

MSI GS70 StealthPro-024 Gaming Laptop Review and Giveaway: "When we think of top-of-the-line gaming computers, we generally gravitate towards desktops. Quite simply, they come with beefier hardware that can remain cooler than their laptop brethren. However, when designed correctly, it’s possible for a gaming laptop to have monster specifications that can rival even some of the most powerful gaming desktops."



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5 Cooling Solutions to Prevent Your PC From Overheating

5 Cooling Solutions to Prevent Your PC From Overheating: "Computers need cooling to remove the heat their components generate during use. If you’re building your own PC — especially if you’re overclocking it — you’ll need to think about how you’ll cool it."



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New leaks show off an iPhone 6 with curved edge - CNET

New leaks show off an iPhone 6 with curved edge - CNET: "While it's unlikely Apple could have gone with a curved display for its upcoming smartphone, there were plenty of curved-related rumors circulating as early as as last year."



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Chrome rockets past Firefox in browser arena - CNET

Chrome rockets past Firefox in browser arena - CNET: "Google's Chrome continues to shoot past Firefox among the desktop browser crowd, according to the latest stats from Web tracker Net Applications.

For the month of June, Net Applications gave Chrome a 19.3 percent share of all desktop browser traffic, up from 17.7 percent in May. Mozilla's Firefox took home a 15.5 percent share last month, down from 16.8 percent the prior month."



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Windows XP still alive and kicking - CNET

Windows XP still alive and kicking - CNET: "Microsoft's Windows XP operating system is proving tough to kill.

Peeking at global desktop operating system traffic for June, Web tracker Net Applications pegged XP with a 25.31 percent share. That number was actually slightly higher than the 25.27 percent share recorded in May."



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7 best practices for smartphone security

7 best practices for smartphone security: "From email to texts, phonebook entries, and pictures, your phone has lots of personal information that's potentially accessible to prying eyes. Bottom line: if you take your phone out of your house, you should definitely use a lock code. You can use a 4-digit PIN or an actual password with letters, numbers, and characters, as Kent German points out. This will help keep nosy people or thieves from easily accessing your information."



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Maximize your Wi-Fi - CNET

Maximize your Wi-Fi - CNET: "Your home Internet connection takes a lot of abuse. It's more than just a way to check your email and browse Facebook -- it's your pipeline for HD videos on Netflix, video chat, online gaming. And not just for you, but for everyone in your home and every new gadget that comes through the door.

If you're dealing with slow connection speeds or frequent drop-outs, your router is likely the root of the problem. So to help you dial in the best settings for your Wi-Fi router, Eric Franklin will tell you how to access your router settings and what changes will make an impact."



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