Microsoft Windows Archives - Page 24 of 32

Q&A: How can I exit a frozen program using just the keyboard?

Posted on May 4, 2013

Question from Anthony H: Rick, I have a favorite program that I’ve been using for many years, but they haven’t updated it since 2006 and it sometimes freezes up on me in Windows 7.

When the program freezes my mouse does too, and the only way to proceed is to unplug the power cable. I really don’t like doing that cause I’m afraid it’ll damage my PC. Is there any way to exit that program gracefully when it freezes using just the keyboard?

Rick’s answer: Hi Anthony. My first suggestion would be to ditch that old, no longer supported program and try to find a modern equivalent that won’t crash your computer when you use it. That being said, I understand completely why you’d rather not do that. In fact, I have a couple of programs on my Windows 7 PC that were released long before yours was and I won’t part with them until I absolutely have to!

To answer your question, there is indeed a way to “kill” a frozen program using just the keyboard. Follow these steps: [Read more…]

Add the ‘Run’ command to the Start Menu in Windows Vista & Windows 7

Posted on May 4, 2013

microsoft-windows In Windows XP we could access the ‘Run’ box directly from the Start Menu, but for some unknown reason Microsoft chose to hide this indispensable tool beginning with the release of Windows Vista.

You can always display the ‘Run’ box by pressing the Windows+R key combination, but most Windows users would prefer to have it right on the Start Menu like it was in XP. If you’re one of them, here’s how to put it on there: [Read more…]

Create a USB Flash Recovery Drive for your Windows 8 PC

Posted on April 30, 2013

recovery-flash-drive If you have ever used Windows 7 you probably remember creating a System Repair Disc soon after setting up your new PC just in case it ever failed to boot up properly. You can create one for your Windows 8 PC as well, but you also have the option of creating a bootable USB Flash Recovery Drive instead.

You can use either a System Repair Disc or USB Recovery Flash Drive to boot a PC that fails to start up properly into an emergency troubleshooting and repair mode. They both do the job equally well, but I prefer the USB flash drive option for a number of reasons. If you do as well, here’s how to create one in Windows 8: [Read more…]

How to fix “USB Device Not Recognized” error

Posted on April 19, 2013

microsoft-windows If you’ve been using Microsoft Windows for a while you have surely seen the “USB Device Not Recognized” error balloon pop up after plugging in a USB device.

This happens fairly often, and most of the time unplugging the device and plugging it back in will fix the problem. But what if you start getting this error every time you plug in a USB device?

If all of your USB devices start generating this error when you plug them in, there is an easy fix: [Read more…]

How to create a Desktop shortcut to any folder

Posted on April 18, 2013

microsoft-windows Do you open the “Computer” utility and navigate to the same folder on a regular basis? If so, why not create a shortcut to that folder and place it on the Desktop?

One the shortcut to your favorite folder is on your desktop, you can double-click on it Windows will open that folder immediately instead of you having to navigate to it every time.

This might seem like a trivial matter, but if you open the same folder several times a day, having a shortcut to it can be a real time saver.

Here’s how to create a Desktop shortcut to a specific folder: [Read more…]