Task Manager Archives - The Silicon Underground

Start button disappeared? Here’s the fastest fix.

Dave Farquhar — Fri, 21 Apr 2017 11:00:24 +0000

If your start button disappeared, I have the fastest possible fix for you. It works with Windows 7, Windows 8, and Windows 10, and server versions, in addition to versions of Windows you shouldn’t be running anymore. Hit the Ctrl-Shift-Esc key combination.

The post Start button disappeared? Here’s the fastest fix. appeared first on The Silicon Underground.

Optimize Windows 10 for better performance

Dave Farquhar — Wed, 08 Feb 2017 12:00:37 +0000

When I first installed it, I thought it was pretty pointless to try to optimize Windows 10. Of course, I installed it from scratch on a computer with an SSD and 16 gigs of RAM. Then I upgraded a couple

The post Optimize Windows 10 for better performance appeared first on The Silicon Underground.

Check your network speed in Windows 10

Dave Farquhar — Thu, 15 Sep 2016 11:00:20 +0000

Sometimes you need to check your network speed in Windows 10. The information buried a bit but you can get there in about three clicks. When you need to know the raw specs of your network connection, here’s how to

The post Check your network speed in Windows 10 appeared first on The Silicon Underground.

Best free antivirus

Dave Farquhar — Fri, 09 Sep 2016 11:00:40 +0000

What’s the best free antivirus? I have an answer that may surprise you. I also have a supplement that may surprise you. And I have a third supplement you already have but probably never heard of. Keep something in mind.

The post Best free antivirus appeared first on The Silicon Underground.

System restore from command prompt

Dave Farquhar — Fri, 26 Aug 2016 11:00:33 +0000

Sometimes a Windows computer is so broken that you have to run system restore from the command prompt. If you’re reading this, I don’t have to elaborate. This works in Windows 7, Windows 10, and any other recent version. And

The post System restore from command prompt appeared first on The Silicon Underground.

The men (boys) who spy on women through webcams

Dave Farquhar — Wed, 13 Mar 2013 10:00:11 +0000

Ars Technica made a bit of a splash this week with this provocative headline. This is real. The article gives the usual advice, like not opening e-mail from strangers, not clicking attachments from strangers, and not visiting dodgy websites. That’s

The post The men (boys) who spy on women through webcams appeared first on The Silicon Underground.

A Firefox ramdisk profile in Windows

Dave Farquhar — Mon, 19 Mar 2012 12:28:07 +0000

I’ve been using Dataram’s excellent free ramdisk program for several months now and highly recommend it. On some machines, I install Firefox to the ramdisk and move the profile there. But the biggest benefit comes from putting the profile (not

The post A Firefox ramdisk profile in Windows appeared first on The Silicon Underground.

More help is on the way for high Firefox memory usage

Dave Farquhar — Wed, 06 Jul 2011 12:04:04 +0000

After years of workarounds, and even sometimes denying there was a problem, Mozilla has identified a fix for Firefox’s sometimes out-of-control memory usage. The culprit appears to be the Javascript engine, which probably shouldn’t be much of a surprise. Firefox

The post More help is on the way for high Firefox memory usage appeared first on The Silicon Underground.

Stress test computer hardware with Prime95

Dave Farquhar — Fri, 24 Jun 2011 12:10:58 +0000

Let’s say you’ve just bought a used PC with a short (typically less than 2 weeks) warranty. Or a new PC that’s not the brand you know and trust. Maybe you’ve built a new PC and you want to make sure

The post Stress test computer hardware with Prime95 appeared first on The Silicon Underground.

Can’t get system restore to run? Force it.

Dave Farquhar — Fri, 17 Jun 2011 00:12:11 +0000

If your computer brings up a window every time you click on a program’s icon asking what you want to open it with, there’s a not-so-obvious way out. Ve hev vays to get a command prompt when executable files won’t

The post Can’t get system restore to run? Force it. appeared first on The Silicon Underground.