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How to Find and Change a Windows Vista, XP, and 2003 Product Key

December 26th, 2007 | 9 Comments | Posted in How To, Software, Tools, Windows

Keys Icon I was recently faced with a situation where someone had used a “leaked” product key when setting up some Windows machines that I now manage. Not only did the computers start receiving very annoying error messages every time they started up, but they were also unable to receive Windows updates. To fix this, I was able to use a very simple utility to change all of the keys quickly without having to reload Windows or edit the registry. In the following tutorial I would like to show you how to do the same. More »

How to Copy Windows Drivers from One Computer to Another

December 21st, 2007 | 8 Comments | Posted in How To, Software, Tools, Windows

Hardware Icon In the following tutorial I would like to show you how to backup Windows drivers so you can copy them over to another computer or restore them back onto the existing computer. This can save you lots of time, especially after a reload. You can also use this same process to backup Windows drivers so you can add them to your Windows unattended installation CDs. More »

How to Remote Control Computers Using PCHelpWare

December 1st, 2007 | 18 Comments | Posted in How To, Software, Tools

Networking Icon PCHelpWare is a free remote assistance application for Windows that allows you to easily take control of remote computers. This application is great to use when needing to connect to computers in remote offices or when helping out family and friends. With PCHelpWare, you don’t have to worry about the remote users firewall like you do with UltraVNC or other remote assistance applications. Connecting to the remote computer is as easy as having the end user double click a single executable file. In the following tutorial, I would like to walk you through installing, configuring, and using PCHelpWare. More »

How to Restore Deleted Files After Emptying the Recycle Bin

November 22nd, 2007 | 9 Comments | Posted in How To, Software, Tools, Windows

Recycle Bin Icon One of my favorite tech tools is called Restoration. It’s a stand-alone Windows based file recovery program. It allows you to restore deleted files even after they have been emptied from the recycle bin. Restoration requires no install and because of this, you can put it on your flash drive and take it with you wherever you go. In the following article I would like to show you how to use it. More »

How to Test a Power Supply Using the Nspire Power Tester Plus

November 18th, 2007 | 4 Comments | Posted in Hardware, How To, Tools

Nspire Icon After getting tired of taking power supplies into our local tech shop to be tested, I purchased the Nspire Power Tester Plus. It is very cheap, easy to use, and gets the job done quickly. With it, you can test 20Pin or 24Pin Power Supply Connectors, P4 Power Connectors, Molex Connectors, and Floppy Power Connectors. This is also one of the few testers for this price that has the ability to test S-ATA Power Connectors. Although this walkthrough is specifically for the Nspire Power Tester Plus, I’m sure that the following information can also be applied to other power supply testers as well. More »

15 Online Tools that You Will Come to Love as a Tech

November 14th, 2007 | 61 Comments | Posted in Tools

Tools Icon I have compiled a list of 15 free online tools that will help you greatly as a tech. I’m sure that there are other good ones that I have left out so please feel free to post the ones that you like as well. More »

How To Automatically Remove Preloaded Software From A New Computer

May 31st, 2007 | 16 Comments | Posted in How To, Software, Tools

As an IT manager, I am constantly setting up new computers. I wish setting them up was as easy as just plugging them in and turning them over to the user but it’s not. Before I can do this, not only do I have to install all of the typical company software, but I also have remove all of the preloaded trial software. This can take lots of time depending on the manufacturer of the computer and how much software has been preloaded. This is time that I could spend doing other things like managing our servers. In my search to make this process much easier, I have found a program that will automatically uninstall preloaded software for me, and I would like to show you how to use it. More »

How to Fix a Stuck or Dead Pixel

April 21st, 2007 | No Comments | Posted in Hardware, How To, Tools

Stuck pixels usually show up as small red, blue, or green dots on your LCD monitor and can be very annoying. The good news is that they can be fixed. In this article, I will give you instructions on how to get rid of them yourself without having to send your monitor off to a repair shop. More »

Determine Memory Type Without Opening The Computer

October 2nd, 2006 | 17 Comments | Posted in Hardware, How To, Tools

With so many different types of RAM these days, purchasing a memory upgrade is not as easy as it used to be. Since there are so many different types, you will want to make sure you know what you need before you place your order. I would like to show you some quick ways that will help you to determine RAM type without even cracking the case. More »

How to Recover Data from a Crashed Hard Drive

September 25th, 2006 | 21 Comments | Posted in Hardware, How To, Software, Tools

If you are a tech, then you probably know that hard drive failures are inevitable. Chances are that sooner or later it will happen to someone you support or possibly even you. Even with a successful backup, you still may not have files that were created or modified after the last backup. Even worse is when you don’t have a backup at all. There is still hope however. I would like to show you how you can use a simple freeware utility to recover files even when your hard drive will not boot. More »