Narrator: Built Into Windows

Windows also comes with built-in screen reading technology. It’s called Narrator, and it’s mostly intended for the blind. Start it up and Narrator will immediately begin reading every bit of text on every window that you open – which is great if you’re blind, but annoying if you just wanted Windows to read a bit of text for you.

Happily, Microsoft offers a list of keyboard shortcuts for the software. Check this out if you want to become familiar with it, but honestly, it’s probably better to try some third party software instead. It’s just easier.

Unknown 22:01 No comments

Make Microsoft Word Read To You

Here’s something you might not know: the ability to read text back to you is actually built into Microsoft Word itself. The problem: it’s not included in the ribbon interface you’re used to. No matter: here’s how to add a “Speak” button to the top of every Word window.

Above the ribbon you should see a small toolbar, by default containing only the Save, Undo and Redo buttons. This is called the Quick Access Toolbar, and you can add more buttons to it – including one for speaking highlighted text. Click the arrow to the right of the toolbar to get started:

Click the “More Commands” button to begin exploring the vast world of Microsoft Word functions. Explore the “Commands Not In The Ribbon” section and you’ll find the “Speak” option:

Click the “Add” button between the two columns, then click “Okay”. There is now a “Speak” button in your Quick Access Toolbar:

Click this button and Word will read, out loud, whatever word your cursor is next to. Highlight a block of text before hitting the button and you’ll hear every word in that selection. If most of the reading you need to do is in Word, congratulations: you probably don’t need any other program. Just hit CTRL+A to highlight your entire document, then press play.

Unknown 21:46 No comments

Windows 8 Tips

Loophole enables anyone to get a Windows 8 license for free

Copies of Windows 8 Pro are freely available from Microsoft’s website for anyone who wants
to try out the operating system. Normally, the software would expire after 180 days, a period
that is meant to allow Volume Licensing customers to automate and manage the activation
process. But a loophole in the company’s Key Management System allows anyone
tolegitimately activate their copy of Windows 8 permanently, for free.

The goof centers around the Windows Media Center upgrade that’s being for free offered
by Microsoft themselves until January 31 next year. Specifically, when entering the add-on
key, Microsoft’s Key Management System will let you fully activate your copy of Windows 8
without running a validity check for the product key of the underlying system the Media Center
 add-on is being installed on.

To get a free Media Center key all users need to do is request it from Microsoft’s website using
any email address. Once the code is in your inbox, do a search for “Add features to Windows 8”
under Settings, click on it and enter the product key. Media Center will download and install, and
after your system comes back from a reboot, you’ll be able to use the same upgrade product key
to activate Windows.

With this your copy of Windows 8 will become fully active and 'legitimate', which you can verify in
the activation window where it should read “Windows is activated” instead of “Windows is activated
until…”.

The method has been confirmed to work by several news outlets. I tried it as well but upon requesting
a Media Center key the site responded it will be emailed to me “within 24 hours” -- I can’t tell if the wait
period is standard or if Microsoft is moving to patch the flaw by implementing a check for the underlying
system.

Unknown 02:15 No comments

Customize Your Windows 7 Start Menu Button

Windows users have been customizing their desktops in a variety of ways for years. Whether by
downloading themes and backgrounds, or using third party applications to change more obscure
settings like the default logon screen, many people seem intent on personalizing every aspect of
their operating system to something that fits their individual taste. And what better to alter than an
icon that's always visible?

While we don't mind the Windows 7 Start Menu icon, and actually feel it's somewhat of a leap
forward from the rectangular buttons of old, swapping out the orb for a new icon is quick and
painless with the help of Kishan-Bagaria's Windows 7 Start Orb Changer. Begin by downloading
the utility here. Extract the main folder (W7SBC) anyplace you like and take a look at Must Read.txt
for detailed instructions -- or read on for the general overview.

Leave all of the files in the W7SBC folder and run Windows 7 Start Button Changer.exe. Click
Select & Change Start Button to browse for a new set of icons -- a few are included with the utility.
Once selected, the program will backup explorer.exe and swap the icons.

If you dislike the change, choose Restore Original Explorer Backup before repeating the steps above.
Once your original explorer.exe is in place, continue swapping icons until you find something you like.

Windows x64 users: if you receive an "unhandled exception" error, the utility's creator suggests
that you try to run it as an admin, so it's probably best to just do that from the get-go (right click
on the program > Run as administrator). For what it's worth, I've used this tool trouble free on
Windows 7 Home Premium x64 without running it as an admin.

You might find the base selection of icons limited, and unfortunately, I haven't found the perfect
repository of orbs, but there are quite a few scattered around the Web -- especially on DeviantArt.
Someone on SevenForums has also put together a useful collection of 213 orbs, so there's bound
to be something you like there too.

If you find any other cool orbs or have another favorite Windows 7 customization, feel free to share
them in the comments. 

Previous Tech Tips

• A List of PC Game Classics Available Free of Charge
• Take Ownership of Windows 7 and Vista Files with a Shortcut
• Fun Facts: How Small is 32 Nanometers?
• Top Budget to Mid-Range Graphics Cards
• Maximize SSD Performance with the SSD Tweak Utility
• Effortless Ways to Download Video Content from YouTube and Other Sites
• Use a Browser Sandbox for Cross-Browser Testing

Unknown 02:06 No comments

Windows 8 Tips And Tricks

General Tricks

Windows hidden "god mode" folder Windows offers a centralized Control Panel for all of the OS settings, which makes it easy for users to tweak everything from desktop background to setting up a VPN. To enter this mode, create a new folder with this exact name (copy and paste it): God Mode.{ED7BA470-8E54-465E-825C-99712043E01C}. The folder icon will change to a Control Panel-style icon, and you will be able to jump in and change all kinds of settings. Note: Don't try this on Windows Vista 64-bit as it's known to cause a reboot loop.

Use Problem Steps Recorder This handy tool automatically records any mouse clicks and takes screenshots for you. If you need tech assistance with your computer, go to Run by typing Windows + R, and then type "psr." Use the tool and by the time you are finished, you can send this information, neatly compiled automatically, to the person helping you with the issue. It will make the process of finding the problem much easier for them, which means you will be able to get your system up and running faster.

Find/Delete large files wasting space A handy tool called WinDirStat (Windows Directory Statistics) can be used to easily find which files and folders are taking up the most space on your drive. From there, you can delete them and open up a ton of storage space.

Reduce the number of programs running at startup If your PC is taking too long to boot, it’s probably because you have far too many programs running at startup. Reducing this is easy, it will make your PC launch noticeably faster and lighter upon first load. To change the items running at startup, go to Run using the hotkey Windows key + R, and type "msconfig." A small window will appear (see the screenshot below), select the Startup tab. From here you will be able to turn off many startup programs, which can shave several seconds (or minutes) off your boot time. (Note Windows 8 has moved this functionality to the Task Manager). Try to make sure you research what you are turning off as some processes might be needed by third party programs or drivers you have installed.

Cloud backup important files If you’re working on a critical paper for school, work, or any other major project, make sure you are backing up the file not just locally. You can use services like Dropbox, Google Drive, or any of the other popular cloud storage solution which will do the legwork for you on the background. Of course, you can also throw the files on a thumb drive or external HDD just to be safe but backing up to the cloud can be done seamlessly which is twice the advantage.

Unknown 17:52 No comments

Program-Specific Tricks

Photoshop: Drag the marquee without losing the ability to size it The marquee tool is, at its most basic level, designed for selecting a part of an image. It’s used constantly in Photoshop, and there is a handy trick many users miss. While dragging it around, you can press space, which will allow you to size it while moving it. This saves time by letting your perform two key functions at the same time.

Steam: Move games to another drive or partition By default, Steam installs all games to the same HDD or partition, but what happens if that fills up? The solution: download Steamtool Library Manager. It makes it easy to move games to another hard drive without messing with the functionality of Steam.

VLC: Fix unsynced audio and subtitles In the popular media player VLC, if your audio loses sync with the video or subtitles, there is an easy way to fix this. Simply pressing J or K will move the audio forward or backwards. Similarly, to sync the subtitles you can press H or G.

The combination of using these tips and tricks on a daily basis will most certainly make your computer life much more enjoyable, or at least more practical. And so, did you learn a thing or two that you didn't know before?

Unknown 17:36 No comments

Security Tips

Run programs on an infected PC Often times, malware will prevent a computer from running certain programs. Changing the name of the .exe file can often override this. If that doesn’t work, changing the extension to .com is another useful alternative, and the program will still be able to run in spite of the extension change.

Read installers Even major programs can install toolbars and other unwanted pieces of software during installation. Take a few seconds to read each step to make sure you are not agreeing to install something other than the program you were actually seeking. Far too often people just push next over and over, and end up with a browser covered in various search bars that just aren't needed. In the worst of scenarios, these can have nefarious intentions.

Lock your computer if you get up Sick of your "friends" going onto your computer at work or home and posting things on your Facebook/Twitter page on your behalf? It’s certainly an annoyance, but an easy one to prevent. Windows + L will lock your system right away, requiring a password (if you've set one) to log in again.

Unknown 17:31 No comments

Web Browsing Tricks

Automatically add www. and .com to a URL You can shave off a couple of seconds typing in a URL by simply click CTRL + Enter after you type the name of the site. Need .net instead of .com, press CTRL + Shift + Enter instead.

Jump to address bar There are a number of ways to jump right to the address bar from anywhere in browser. Pressing CTRL + L, F6, and ALT + D all accomplish this goal.

Bring back a closed tab We covered this already, but it's super useful. Accidentally closed a tab? Simply press CTRL + Shift + T to reopen the most recently closed tab and get back to what you were doing.

Use private browsing The uses for not having cookies and history saved are obvious for certain activities, you know, like shopping for gifts on a shared computer (of course!). Pressing CTRL + Shift + N will launch a new private in Chrome, CTRL + Shift + P will do it in Firefox and Internet Explorer.

Cycle through open tabs Pressing CTRL + TAB while in a browser will flip between each one. This can be much faster than moving the mouse and clicking on a tab. CTRL + NUM (1, 2, 3, 4, n..) will also take you to certain tab in that numeric order.

Unknown 17:27 No comments