Tech Help Videos

Question: I want to have some searches saved so that the search will operate more faster. And how do I create a search folder?

Answer: You can find files faster by saving your most common searches. (This tip is for Vista users)
1) Go to the Index Search Explorer in Windows Vista by clicking ‘Start‘.
2) Create a search by typing your query in the search box at the bottom of the Start Menu. As you type, files from a variety of locations on your PC appear that match your text.
3) Once the search is completed, on the toolbar click ‘Save Search‘.
4) In the File name box, type a name for the search, and then click ‘Save‘. The search is saved in the Searches folders, which you can open by clicking the Searches link in the Navigation pane.

Question: How can I make the Quick Access bar appear below the ribbon?

Answer: You can make the Quick Access Bar appear below the ribbon by doing the following:
1) Open Microsoft Word 2007. At the very top of the window, click on the little arrow pointing down. (The arrow is next to the default shortcuts on the right of the Office Menu button)
2) In the drop down menu, click ‘Show below the Ribbon’.

To make the Quick Access bar appear on top of the Ribbon again, perform step no.1 and click ‘Show above the ribbon’.

Keeping your computer clean is not just wiping the dust of it with a cloth. What I mean is that it is very important to not let your computer get infected with virus and spyware and also to not install a lot of junk unless if you have no choice. Viruses and Spyware can be avoided with a good Security Suite. However, there is no program that prevents you from installing a program. It is up to you. I recommend installing the software that you really need and the ones that you trust. Installing more and one security suite and anti virus program can cause them to not function properly and to conflict each other. Also, although you uninstall a security suite or anti virus program, compartments of that software can still be stored in the back ground of your PC. That is why it is better to stick with one Security Suite than try out a different one each year. Another important point is to prevent installing trail out software and betas. Installing too much of these can cause your computer to slow down. Take this real example, When I first bought this ASUS laptop, I upgraded to Vista and then installed nearly everything I could. I kept the trial software, installed five web browsers and all these other freebies and performance enhancement utilities. When I start-up the laptop, it took about 3 minutes and 3 minutes to shut-down and 70% of RAM were already used up. So then I wanted to install Windows Live OneCare and it was a total nightmare. (Read my nightmare story here)

After reinstalling Windows, I was too scared to install any other junk on my laptop. Although some performance enhancement software does help your PC’s speed, they may conflict your Windows default settings and too many of them can cause your computer to crash. So, I do not want you to experience my nightmare and having to reinstall Windows. I have done it and I have experienced it, so you don’t!

Question: Keep your drivers up to date is the next thing you should think about after updating your operating system. Having the latest drivers help to keep your computer running smoothly, secure and also compatible with other devices. But checking if you have the latest drivers weekly is a very idiotic thing to do. So how can I automatically know if there is a driver update?

Answer: There is a program program called ‘Driver Agent‘ which can automatically detect if you have a driver that is out of date. Although this program is not free and costs $24.95 (this is a special offer for PC World readers - all you have to do is to subscribe to one of their newsletters via email), it such a time saver.

But the good thing is that you now get a free scan! This free scan will detect if you have any old drivers. ‘Driver Agent’ is compatible even with Vista. To get your free scan please click HERE

Question: How can I minimize the ribbon in Microsoft Word 2007? / I hid the ribbon but now I want it back. How do I do this?

Answer: You can minimize the ribbon is Microsoft Word 2007 by doing the following:
1) Open Microsoft Word 2007. At the very top of the window, click on the little arrow pointing down. (The arrow is next to the default shortcuts on the right of the Office Menu button)
2) In the drop down menu, click ‘Minimize the Ribbon’.

You can make the ribbon appear again, perform step no.1 and then unselect ‘Minimize the Ribbon’ by clicking on it in the drop down menu. The ribbon should appear.

Question: In order to save time, I want to have a look at the calendar with one or two clicks. Hoe can I do this?

Answer: There are two ways in which you can do with Windows Vista.

Method 1 - Just click on the time figure located at the right side of the Task bar. This is the best option.

Method 2 - Place a calender widget on your Vista sidebar. (To see how to add a widget, click HERE) To quickly view the sidebar just click on the sidebar icon in the Current running program icons. See picture below.

Question: How do I add a widget to my Vista Sidebar?

Answer: To add a widget, click on the small plus/add button located at the top of the sidebar. In the pop-up window, you will see a range of commonly used widgets. To add a widget, double-click the widget.

NOTE: If there is a widget that you want that is not there, click the ‘Get more gadgets online‘ link. This will direct you to Windows Live Gallery which is a service where you can select different widgets for Vista and also other Windows Live Services.

Question: How do I make a widget on the Windows Vista sidebar to appear on my desktop instead of on the sidebar.

Answer: To do this, you simply just drag the widget to anywhere on your desktop. It is very simple. Take a look at the screenshot below.

This week’s freeware pick is called ‘Mz Ultimate Tweaker’. This free program will help to optimize your computer for better performance and productivity. Some things that it does and have are: Hardware tweaks, system tweaks, internet Booster, WMP tweaks, Clean up tools and much more.

Also, this program is certified and received a four star rating from Softpedia.

Please note that this program is only for Windows XP. An equivalent program for Windows Vista will be published next week. For a much more detailed review that looks into the heart of Mz Ultimate Tweaker and the download page, please click HERE

Question: How do I pin a program to the start menu so that every time I click the Start button, a short cut for the program will appear.

Answer: You can pin a program tot he start menu by doing the following:
1) Browse through the programs list and right-click the program that you want to the pinned.
2) Click on ‘Pin to Start Menu‘.

The selected program should be now pinned to the Start Menu.