Computers & Programming Features

How To: Type in special characters on your Mac

In this video tutorial, viewers learn how to type in special characters. Begin by opening System Preferences and select International under Personal. Then click on the Input Menu tab and check Character Palette and Keyboard Viewer. Now check "Show input menu in menu bar" and click OK. Then click on the flag icon on the top of the screen and select Show Keyboard Viewer. This will allow users to type or mimic the actions of the keyboard. Users are also able to change the character by selecting ...

How To: Install any version of Linux on your computer

Tired of Windows? Want to see what all the buzz is about Linux but you're not a computer expert? In this video, you'll learn how to use a free program called "Wubi" that lets you effortlessly install any flavor of Linux onto your Windows PC, without changing or damaging your existing Windows installation! Wubi handles all the installation and configuration for you, and allows you to dual-boot both Windows and Linux on the same computer.

How To: Clean your computer mouse

Is your computer mouse filthy? It wouldn't be unlikely considering computer users have their hands on their mouses all day, collecting dirt & grime in its crevices. In this two-part video tutorial, learn how to clean it up to make it look like new! This process is fairly easy to do. The first video of two, will show you the basics of why your mouse gets dirty, how to take it apart and tools you will need. The second video, will go into more depth about how to clean the hard to reach places.

How To: Install Windows 7 on your computer

In this video, we learn how to install Windows 7 on your computer. First, place the disk inside your computer and start the installation process. Setup will start, then it will start to copy files, expand files, install features, install updates, and then complete. As it runs through each of these, it will show you a percentage of how far through the process it is. Once it has finished installing, you will be able to set up your user account. After this, you will need to enter in the product ...

How To: Merge separate PDF files into one for free

In this video from SocialMacbook he shows how to merge separate PDF files into one. There is a free way to do it. It will work on Mac and PC. Go to MergePDF. There is a link in the description. Here you can upload your PDF files you want joined together. Click pick files and select the files one at a time that you want merged together. You can only upload files 5 MB less each. It will tell you the size. Now you can click Merge PDF. It will say please wait, and then a box comes up where you ca...

How To: Use arrays when programming in C++

Interested to know how to create and use arrays in your C++ programs? Whether you're new to Microsoft's popular general-purpose programming language or a seasoned programmer merely looking to brush up on the basics, you're sure to find much to take away from this helpful video lesson. For all of the relevant details, and to get started using arrays in your own applications, take a look.

How To: Get DVDs on your Mac using the Ripit Mac app

The perfect solution to get your movies onto your computer! The Ripit app is simple, and does exactly what it says it does: Ripit! Just put your DVD in your drive, open Ripit, and press the rip button. Ripping your DVDs can be a useful step in organization of your movies and keeping them safe. You can scratch a DVD but a file on your Mac won't be easily hurt. Recent studies have also shown that your Mac uses less battery power reading a file on your hard drive than reading a DVD. So why carry...

How To: Remove and reinstall devices in Windows XP

The beyourownit shows you how to remove and reinstall devices in Windows XP. The first thing he shows what to do is Right click on the My Computer icon and select properties then select then choose the hardware TAB. When you click on the Device Manager button, the Device Manager will appear where you can make changes to your computer. The user explains more to help you understand better. If you watch this video, you will find out how to reinstall devices in Windows XP.

How To: Install an FTP server on any Windows computer

In this tutorial, we learn how to install an FTP server on any Windows computer. First, go to the website zftp server. Now, download this and install it on your computer, downloading the free version. When you install it, choose a password and enter your information, then continue to open up the program. Now open up the program and click on "run freeware". When it opens up, click on the users icon, then you can make accounts including an admin account. Create a new user for another computer, ...

How To: Defragment your computer step-by-step

This video tutorial is in the Computers & Programming category which will show you how to defragment your computer step-by-step. This will make your computer run efficiently and faster. Do a Google search for auslogics disk defrag and download and save the program. This program allows you to continue using your computer while the defrag is in progress. Then run the set up, accept the license agreement and launch the program. Here you can select the drive that you want to defrag and click on n...

How To: Manage ESX(i), booting ISO files and more

In this web TV presentation the host is talking about Grub 2. In Grub 2 you can mount an ISO file like a device with the loop back function. In Grub 1 you can use tack tack mem to mount iso files if the files are not fragmented by using the map command. Grub 2 is an application available for download that will be available after download as a chain from Grub 1 to Grub 2 to your operating system. Grub is a program that compresses all of your favorite boot programs into one.

How To: Update your nVidia graphics card drivers

In this video, we learn how to update your nVidia graphics card drivers. First, go to your start menu and type in "dxdiag", then search for this. After this, go to the display table to get the information for your card. Now, go to the website for the manufacturer through your web browser. After this, click the link where you can download drivers and search for new drivers for your graphics card. Once these are finished downloading, go to your control panel, then uninstall your previous driver...

How To: Open task manager instantly in Windows Vista

Techmaniacs the youtube user show us how to open task manager without having to go through the intermediate screen on a new Windows Vista. When you click on the ctrl button, the alt button and the delete button on your keyboard, it opens up a new window that gives you the options of switching users, log off, change password and start task manager. If you do not want to go through this every time there is a shortcut to get straight to task manager. You click the ctrl button, the Shift button a...

How To: Unzip a file with WinRAR file management software

You should use the file Winrar to unzip your file, it's the easiest. You're going to open up an internet browser and go to: Zybomen. Click on download, then click on Winrar. Click on the one that says 32bit, unless you've got a 64bit system which is the second one. Click run, then wait for it to download. Close your internet browser. Click install, go through the process. Right click on the file you would like to unzip, and then click on extract to and then the file name. Double click on the ...

How To: Use the Grid, Canvas and Stack panels in Microsoft Silverlight

In this clip, you'll learn how to use the Grid, Canvas and Stack panels in Silverlight. Whether you're new to Microsoft's popular web application framework or a seasoned web developer merely looking to improve your chops, you're sure to find benefit in this free MS Silverlight programming lesson. For more information, including a complete demonstration and detailed, step-by-step instructions, take a look.

How To: Remove the Security Tool virus

This video shows you how to easily remove the Security Tool virus. The first thing you have to do is restart you computer. Once restarted, immediately hold down CTRL+ALT+DEL. In the Task Manager you should see: Security Tool. Quickly end it now. The virus is temporarily disabled. Now go to: Download and install Spyware Doctor. Scan your computer and click Fix All. It will ask you for an account...

How To: Remove the speaker assembly from a G5 iMac

In this video tutorial, viewers learn how to remove the speakers on a G5 i-Mac computer. In order to remove the speakers, user will need to first remove the ambient light sensor. Remove the 2 torx 6 screws and remove the middle bracket. Now on each speaker, users will need to remove 2 torx 8 screws. Once the screws are removed, the speakers simply slide out of place. Under the right speaker, there will be a cable that will need to be unplugged from the logic board. This video will benefit tho...

How To: Configure Grub 2 for Linux

Linuxjournalonline teaches you how to use GRUB to dual-boot Linux and another operating system. You need to go to etc/default/grub and edit that file. Here you can configure the time it needs to start booting a system and what OS to boot. You need to be root to edit this configuration file. Don't forget to run update-grub to force an update of grub.cfg. And this is the end of the short process needed to configure Grub 2 for Linux.

How To: Troubleshoot Windows memory problems

In this video tutorial, viewers learn how to quickly troubleshoot memory problems in Windows. Begin by clicking on the Start menu. Type "mdsched" into the search bar and press Enter. The Windows Memory Diagnostic window will then appear. Click on "Restart now and check for problems". Your machine will then be rebooted and will run its memory diagnostics tool. It will look for any issues that may cause problems for your system. Advanced users can press F1 when it starts to specify certain opti...