Latest PCs & Components How-To Stories
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Answer Line
Add an external drive to your WMP or iTunes music collection
Kat Korsmo asked how to play music off an external hard in Windows Media Player library. (My answer covers iTunes, as well.)How-To
Five essential security measures to protect your business—no matter its size
Take these basic steps to safeguard your business's invaluable information assets.Updated
How to securely wipe sensitive files–or your entire hard drive
Rommel asked the Utilities forum for advice on cleaning files off a hard drive so that they can never be restoredHassle-Free PC
Add a hard drive-activity LED to a laptop that lacks one
Free utility Activity Indicator adds an HDD status light to your System Tray.How-To
Build the ultimate Intel Haswell PC for under $1000
Upgrading to Intel's hot new Haswell processor requires a brand-new motherboard, so why not build an awesome new PC while you're at it?Hassle-Free PC
Even new PCs can have problems
Don't expect a totally hassle-free experience with that new laptop or desktop. Do be prepared for issues to crop up.How-To
My car, my office: Essential gadgets for the road warrior
Discover how to stay productive when you spend more time behind a steering wheel than behind a desk.Hassle-Free PC
With an SSD, backups are more important than ever
It's a lot harder to recover data from a dead solid-state drive, so plan accordingly.Hassle-Free PC
How to upgrade your external hard drive to USB 3.0
If your PC has USB 3.0 ports, you can get a big speed boost by relocating your external drive to a faster enclosure.Answer Line
Improve performance with a hard drive upgrade
Alloystory asked the Laptops forum about speeding up a PC by replacing the hard drive with something faster.How-To
How to dummy-proof the PCs of friends and family
You’re the one who gets the call when something goes wrong. These smart tools and settings will help you help them with less hassle.How-To
The proper care and feeding of SSD storage
Treat a solid-state drive like its mechanical cousin and you could end up in a world of pain. Here's how to handle these exotic beasts.How-To
You’re a dirty, dirty, dusty PC
Is that your PC, or the ugliest dust bunny ever? How to clean the dirt, grime, and gunk from your desktop, inside and out. It will thank you.Answer Line
Keep your laptop battery healthy: Use it sparingly
Sibi Marcos asked about removing a laptop's battery to increase it's life.Hassle-Free PC
Why it’s a good idea to own a USB-to-SATA adapter
When the time comes to replace or upgrade your hard drive, you'll be glad to have one of these inexpensive tools.How-To
12 easy PC tasks you should be doing (but aren’t)
The excuses end here! Get your PC into tip-top shape by performing these 12 simple tweaks.Answer Line
Should you leave a hard drive running when it’s not in use?
Mike Bell asked if he should shut down his hard drive when he doesn't need it. "Will that constant powering up [and down] add wear and tear…?"Answer Line
Backing up your entire drive: Cloning vs. imaging
Felix Luke needs to back up his entire hard drive. He asked me to explain the differences between cloning and imaging.How-To
Make your PC kid-friendly with four custom operating systems
Parental controls are outdated. Make your PC fun for all ages using operating systems designed specifically for tech-savvy tykes.
Answer Line
Replace your laptop screen without spending a fortune
When Carlene Primus' laptop fell and cracked its screen, someone wanted to charge her $1,200 for the repair. She asked about cheaper alternatives.Hassle-Free PC
Open any folder with the Windows-E keyboard shortcut
With a little AutoHotkey scripting, you can make Windows Explorer open something other than My Computer.
How-To
Keep it stable, stupid! How to stress-test your PC hardware
If you're not stress testing your new (or newly overclocked) PC hardware, danger may be lurking in its depths. Here's how to push your PC to its limits to ensure its stability.
How-To
Liquid cooling vs. air cooling: What you need to know
If you're pushing your PC to its limits, choosing the right cooling option can mean the difference between tearing through benchmarks or crashing and burning.Answer Line
Multiple hard drives working together: All about RAID setups
Stevey, admittedly confused regarding the benefits of RAID arrays, asked the Answer Line forum to explain these hard-drive groups.How-To
How to build your own Steam Box today
Valve Software believes the future of PC gaming leads to the living room. But why wait for its Steam Box when you can build your own?How-To
The ultimate guide to tweaking your GPU’s most arcane settings
Understand the weirdest, most complex options of your graphics control panel, and start tweaking your display like a pro.Hassle-Free PC
The one keyboard key you should be using in your browser—but aren’t
Web forms are a fact of Internet life, but if you're not using this particular keyboard shortcut, you're wasting considerable time.Answer Line
Answer Line: My PC doesn’t see the new, second hard drive
Elsullo2 installed a new, second hard drive into a desktop PC. But Windows doesn't see it.How-To
How to monitor and manage your PC from any smartphone or tablet
All you need is a mobile device, a data plan, and a few computers that need love and attention.How-To
Faster, better, stronger: Get your PC in tip-top shape
Is your PC bogging down? It's time to purge the junk, protect your precious files, and ultimately improve performance!Hassle-Free PC
How to improve mouse scrolling in Google Chrome
Tired of jerky mouse-wheel movements in your browser? Chromium Wheel Smooth Scroller can help.
How-To
Move data files from an SSD to a hard drive
PoloTiger has both a solid state drive and a hard drive, and the SSD is almost full. What's the best way to both move data files to the hard drive and make Windows understand that that's where they belong?How-To
How to trick out your gaming PC with multiple graphics cards
Achieve unprecedented performance by installing multiple graphics cards in your PC, and linking them with Crossfire or SLI technology.
Hassle-Free PC
How to make your own wrist-rest
You can use a variety of household objects to keep your mouse hand warm and comfy and your wrist supported.
How-To
Prepare an old PC for a new owner
James R. Miller has a new computer and will be donating his old one. He asked for advice about preparing his old PC for the transition.How-To
How to speed up your PC games without buying new hardware
Upgrading video cards and CPUs isn't the only way to squeeze out higher frame rates. Dig in to see how you can optimize your system by tweaking some of those cryptic in-game and graphics-related settings.Hassle-Free PC
Three New Year’s resolutions for PC users
Want to keep your computer running smoothly in 2013? Make these tasks part of your regular routine.How-To
How we built a tiny home theater PC with Intel’s NUC
Intel's "Next Unit of Computing" platform provides everything you need for a competent entertainment PC in an extremely small package.
How-To
The best way to watch Netflix
Darryl asked if he could stream video from Netflix (and presumably other services) through his laptop, and then wirelessly to his HDTV.How-To
Why, how and where to update your Windows 8 drivers
Is your hardware on the fritz after upgrading to Windows 8? Updating your drivers could fix the problem. We tell you how and where to find the most up-to-date drivers for your rig.How-To
One OS, three installation options: What’s the best way to install Windows 8?
You can run Windows 8 in a virtual machine, dual-boot it with your current OS, or install it outright. We explore the pros and cons of each option.Answer Line
Why can’t 32-bit Windows access 4GB of RAM?
32-bit processors and operating systems, in theory, can access up to 4GB of memory. So how come Qasim Zaib's PC, with 4GB installed, only sees 3GB?How-To
How to pick the best desktop display for Windows 8
Windows 8 offers superb support for touch, including full 10-point multitouch gestures. We guide you through choosing the right combination of touch device and monitor.How-To
Retro gaming challenge! Windows 8 versus classic PC games
Windows 8 is great for running today's games, but what about classics from PC's golden age of gaming? The results are mixed.How-To
Build a killer Windows 8 gaming PC for under $1,000
How we assembled an inexpensive gaming rig that delivers solid frame rates and is poised for future upgrades.Hassle-Free PC