Lawrence Abrams
Author Bio
Lawrence Abrams is the owner and Editor in Chief of BleepingComputer.com. Lawrence’s area of expertise includes Windows, security, malware research, ransomware, and computer forensics. Lawrence Abrams is also a co-author of the Winternals Defragmentation, Recovery, and Administration Field Guide and technical editor for Rootkits for Dummies.
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How to change email storage folder in Windows Live Mail
If your C: drive starts to run out of space, one of the most frustrating experiences can be figuring out what can be deleted or moved to another drive in order to free up storage. This is especially true with modern computers that are commonly configured with small SSD drives as their C: drive, which can easily run out of space due to their smaller storage capacity. If you are using Windows Live Mail it will store your email by default on your C: drive. If you are like me and save almost all of your email, then your Live Mail mail store can grow to a very large size. Thankfully, the program provides the ability to easily change the location where your mail is stored so that you can you move it to another drive that may have more free space available. This tutorial will walk you through changing where your Windows Live Mail e-mail is stored.
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How to create a command-line toolkit for Windows
If you are a system administrator, IT professional, or a power user it is common to find yourself using the command prompt to perform administrative tasks in Windows. Whether it be copying files, accessing the Registry, searching for files, or modifying disk partitions, command-line tools can be faster and more powerful than their graphical alternatives. This tutorial will walk you through creating a command-line toolkit that contains useful programs and utilities that can make administering and using your computer easier and more efficient. The tutorial will also walk you through configuring your PATH environment variable so that these tools are available whenever you need them without having to specify the complete path to your toolkit folder. At the end of the tutorial we have listed a variety of command-line programs that are included with Windows or are by 3rd party developers that you can use as part of your command-line toolkit.
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Clear tile notifications on logout in Windows 8
The Windows 8 Start Screen contains tiles that allow you to launch an associated app. These tiles also have the ability to display notifications containing new information from that particular tiles application. For example, the Weather app will show updated weather information, the Stocks app will show recent stock quotes, and the News app will show the latest news stories. This tutorial will explain how you can clear these tiles when you logoff Windows 8.
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How to switch between tabs in the Internet Explorer start screen app
In the Internet Explore app on the Windows 8 Start screen you can open different tabs that each contain a different a web page. This allows you to have multiple sites open at the same time that you can switch between as necessary. This tutorial will explain how to create new tabs, remove existing tabs, and switch between tabs in Internet Explorer on the Start Screen.
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How to view a web page in Desktop Mode in Internet Explorer 10
In Internet Explorer 10 you have the ability to switch between two different modes. The Windows UI mode is when use Internet Explorer from the Windows 8 Start Screen. The desktop mode is the normal full-featured desktop app and is opened on the Windows 8 desktop. When using Internet Explorer 10 from the Start screen it is possible to switch to the desktop mode and open the same you are currently viewing. This tutorial will explain how to switch to the Internet Explorer desktop mode when you need more features that are not available the in slimmed down app mode.
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How to disable the lock screen after waking in Windows 8
When you wake up Windows 8 after it has gone to sleep, you will be presented with the lock screen. You will then have to enter your password to start using Windows 8 again. For those who feel that their computer is in a secure environment, this feature can be annoying as it requires a few extra steps to get back to what you are doing. This tutorial will explain how you can disable the requirement to enter your password when you wake Windows 8.
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How to disable Early Launch Anti-Malware Protection
A increasingly popular technique for rootkits is to install malicious drivers that start very early in the boot process. Malware launching in this manner makes it very hard to detect or remove infections without using specialized tools and techniques. To combat this, Microsoft has added a new feature to Windows 8 called Early Launch Anti-Malware Protection. This feature allows certified antivirus programs that support early launch to load their own driver before almost all Windows boot drivers. This antivirus driver will then scan each and every boot driver that attempts to load and depending on how early launch is configured and whether the driver was detected as malware, will block it from loading. If these malware boot-start drivers are unable to load, then the rest of the malware infection does not become activated and it is much easier for your antivirus software to remove the infection.
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How to configure Early Launch Anti-Malware Protection in Windows 8
As malware continues to evolve, more computer infections are starting to use boot drivers to load rootkits and other types of malware early in the boot process. This makes detecting and removing these types of infections much more difficult. Windows 8 includes a very important security feature called Early Launch Antimalware that allows antivirus programs to scan boot drivers for viruses before they are loaded. If the boot driver that is about to initialize is considered malware the antivirus program can then prevent the malicious driver from loading.
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How to enable PIN sign-in for domain users in Windows 8
Windows 8 has a feature where you can use a 4 digit PIN to sign-in to your Windows account. If you are a domain user, though, this feature is disabled by default. It is possible, though, for an Administrator to enable a policy that allows this feature to be used by domain users.
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How to use a PIN to login to Windows 8
Windows 8 has a feature where you can login to your Windows account using a 4-digit PIN. This PIN can consist of any number and is useful if your normal login password is too complicated to type on the virtual keyboard in a tablet. When using a 4 digit PIN there are a total of 10,000 combinations and it should be noted that using touch can leave fingerprints or smudges that may make it easier for people to determine your PIN. Therefore, this feature should only be used if necessary or for limited periods of time when your tablet is not connected to a keyboard.
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How to disable picture passwords in Windows 8
Windows 8 has has a feature called password pictures where you can login to your Windows account by performing certain gestures on a picture. If you would not like this feature to be available for your users, you can disable it via a group policy.
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How to add or remove a favorite in the Internet Explorer 10 app
Adding and removing favorites in the Internet Explorer 10 app on the Windows Start Screen is not the same as we have grown used to with the desktop version. Unlike the desktop Internet Explorer, the Internet Explorer app does not keep its favorites organized in folders. Instead the favorites are shown as a ribbon of sites that you can scroll through to find the site you want to visit. This tutorial will explain how to add and remove favorites from the Internet Explorer 10 Start Screen app.
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How to use a picture password in Windows 8
Windows 8 includes a feature called picture passwords that allow you to login to your account by using gestures on an image with your finger or your mouse. This is especially useful for tablets where you want to avoid typing if you can. Instead of typing in a password, you select a picture and then create three gestures on it to act as your password. When you create the picture password you can use gestures that consist of taps, circles, or lines. Once the picture password is created you can then login to your Windows accounts by performing these gestures in the same direction as when you created them. That means if you circled an object counterclockwise you would need to circle it counterclockwise to login. Circling it clockwise would not count as a successful gesture. This method allows for tremendous variation in possible passwords on a given picture and allows you to avoid having to use the virtual keyboard.
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How to change your Windows Password
A basic task that all Windows users should know how to do is to change their password. If your computer becomes compromised or you are concerned that someone may know your password, you should immediately change it in Windows.
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How to change your signature in Windows 8 Mail
The Windows 8 Mail app automatically adds a default signature to the bottom of all your sent emails that reads "Sent from Windows Mail". If you do not wish to have a signature or want to change it to something different then you can change it in your Mail account settings.
