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.

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

A lot of software is shipped with our operating system. I find the most comes from Windows XP. However, apart from all those junk trail software where you can’t really use them without purchasing them, there are actually quite a lot of really useful programs. Most of these useful ones are not third-party programs, they are from Microsoft. One great example is ‘Paint’. Paint comes standard with Windows 2000, XP and Vista. Although it does not offer any serious pro tools but it is very easy to use and is enough for a lot of purposes. I use Paint all the time for doing Print-Screens and then copying it into Paint and then do a bit of editing with Paint and sometimes with Windows Live Photo Gallery. You can also do this job is Adobe Photoshop. However, you will have to spend a few hundred bucks and for starters, Photoshop can be very complicated to use and learn. So if you are one of those people who write-off simple applications like Paint that comes standard with your PC, I want you to try using them for some simple purposes and see how you go. 

Although there are quite a lot of significant changes to Microsoft Word 2007, the main one is the Ribbon. As you probably know, the Ribbon is new to any Office application and replaces the previous ‘File’, ‘Edit’…etc with a set of new menus called ‘Home’, ‘Insert’, Page Layout’, References’, ‘Mailings’, Review’, ‘View’ and ‘Add-ons’.So basically the Ribbon is a new Menu with visual icons of features and functions. If you still don’t understand, then take a look at this screenshot of the Ribbon. The second screenshot is of the old Word 2003 menu. Take a look at the difference. (Click to enlarge)

The Ribbon is absolutely excellent to use and work with, especially for less computer literate users. With the Ribbon, you can now visually see the features and functions that you can use. A lot of basic users will probably say ‘Wow, Microsoft must have added a lot of new features to Word 2007’. But actually, there aren’t many new features at all. Most of them were already there is Word 2003. But the problem was that many people do not realize that the features were even there. And that’s exactly what the Ribbon is for; to show users the features available. Personally, I think Microsoft has done a very good job with the Ribbon.The Ribbon is not only present in Word 2007 but also across many other Office 2007 applications such as PowerPoint.

Question: Should I upgrade to Microsoft Office 2007? Is it a worthy upgrade? What should I know before I upgrade and is my computer capable to run it?

Answer: There wasn’t much difference between Microsoft Office 2000 and 2003/XP. The user interface was very similar and only slight improvements in functionality. However, Office 2007 is a big change. In fact I think it is the only Office suite that is worthy to upgrade. Personally, yes, I do think you should upgrade. But please make sure that you qualify for the system requirements. I personally recommend 1GB of RAM and a minimum of 10-15GB of space hard drive space.
However, if you are a happy with what you have and don’t need anything more, you don’t have to upgrade. But I do recommend you to take Office 2007 for a test drive. This test drive is not a trail and you do not have to download anything. The free test drive is an online version of Office 2007 in which you can learn and test out the features and what you can do. This is the best way to determine whether you should upgrade or not. Click HERE to take the test drive.

Question: How can I see a list of the Windows Updates I have already installed on my computer?

Answer: You can view a history list of the installed Windows Updates by doing the following:

Windows Vista: 1) Open Windows Update by clicking on the Start Button. Click on ‘All Programs‘ and then ‘Windows Update‘.
2) In the left sidebar of the Windows Update window, click ‘View Update History‘. There, you will be able to see a list of all Windows Updates installed.

Windows XP 1) Open Internet Explorer and click on ‘Tools’. Int he drop-down menu, click on ‘Windows Update’.
2) Wait for the wait to load and then choose ‘Custom‘. Wait for the page to load. Then in the left sidebar, click on ‘History‘.

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.