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Nearly all of the core Windows operating system files are stored in the folders C:\Windows\System and C:\Windows\System32 (on your computer, the drive letter could be different). The Windows folder itself also holds a number of essential files. All of the programs that are installed on your computer typically have executable and related files stored in C:\Program Files or C:\Program Files (x86). In general, you never want to modify, delete, or move any of the Windows system files that are located in any of these directories....

Don’t trust the basic formatting tools included with your operating system, however. In most cases, these tools won’t actually erase the data, leaving it possible for your files to be recovered. You can deal with this problem by ‘zero filling’ a hard drive, sector by sector. Here’s how to zero fill a hard drive using a Linux live environment. Why You Should Zero Fill a Hard Drive Some technical terms are pretty ambiguous, but “zero fill” means exactly that....

When buying a hard drive today, you have three drive types: SSD, HDD or SSHD. This acronym soup might tempt you to just give up and go back to clay tablets, but we’ll help you figure out which is best for your needs. What Are SSDs, HDDs and SSHDs The obvious first step in all of this is to explain what these three drive types are and expand on what those acronyms actually mean....

Even before reading our list, talk to the teachers. They may have a standard for laptops. At the very least, they can say what programs and operating systems (OS) the school uses, and what the kids do with them. Our criteria for the best budget laptops for school work is simple but strict. It must be priced under $500. The lower the price, the better for most folks.Small enough to fit in a backpack with books, but big enough to use comfortably....

Many people seem to be in doubt when it comes to battery charging. There are plenty of myths and downright poor practices floating around, so we’ve decided to throw together a definitive guide to battery charging, so you can spend less time worrying about your batteries and more time enjoying your gadgets. Battery Charging Chemistry One of the most important things you need to know about batteries is that there are drastically different ways of making one....

The tips we offer will be straightforward for you to try for yourself, regardless of your computer literacy. Just make sure to read each suggestion carefully and follow the steps we recommend. Hopefully, once you have finished reading, you will have pinpointed the issue and will have your USB 3.0 ports working again. Make Sure Internal Cables are Connected The first thing to consider is whether the internal cables are connected to your USB 3....

When you hear or get notification that your software is nearing End of Life (EOL), it’s a bit disconcerting. It sounds so final, as though your software is just going to stop working on a certain date at a certain time. Rest easy, as this is not the case. The term is just very dramatic. We’ll go into what it really means later in the article. First, let’s look at something called a product life cycle....

With excellent performance and durability, these drives are making a real splash, but what exactly is an SSD? How Traditional Hard Disk Drives (HDDs) Work To grasp what makes SSDs different, we need to briefly turn back the clock and look at traditional Hard Disk Drives (HDDs). An HDD was the standard type of drive you’d find in virtually all computers until recently. Inside the HDD, you’ll find one or more spinning disks called “platters....

If you can’t get into your Google account, you could end up losing contact with loved ones, business contacts and clients, access appointments, and even miss important updates related to your use of the service or other services you’re subscribed to. All these issues could lead to massive losses that would take time to recover from, especially since Google won’t let you back into your account for a certain number of days due to its security holds....

There’s a reason for this, and it has everything to do with your email setup. We’re going to explain whether deleting an email on an iPhone or iPad deletes it on the server, and how your setup affects the whole process. Email Protocols And How They Work Email systems use three main email protocols – IMAP, POP and SMTP – to move emails from your device to the intended recipient’s device....

If you’re using a desktop computer then there really is no reason not to install the Google Drive desktop components. If you still need convincing, these are the best reasons according to us why you should give Google Drive Desktop a chance. What Is Google Drive “Desktop”? There isn’t actually a specific product called Google Drive “Desktop”. Rather, there are several methods you can use to get Google Drive to work without an active internet connection....

Actually, it’s so dangerous that it’s disabled by default on Linux distributions like Ubuntu. Instead, you have to use the sudo command if you want to run a command as the root user. So what about Windows? Well, unfortunately, most people are logged into Windows as Administrators, which is the same as root user in Linux. However, Microsoft has tried to lessen the dangerous effects of being logged in as an Administrator by enabling User Account Control or UAC....

Rugged computers are designed to withstand punishment that would destroy other machines. They’re built to withstand extreme temperatures, include spill-resistant keyboards, and have additional safety features that let them continue working long after a different computer might have broken. Best Rugged Laptops for Tough Environments These are the best rugged laptops and semi-rugged laptops on the market. Panasonic Toughbook G2 The Panasonic Toughbook G2 is one of the most popular rugged laptops....

Before listing potential solutions, we’ll highlight the factors that trigger the Netflix error code UI-113. That’ll help you prevent the error from reoccurring in the future. What Causes the Netflix Error Code UI-113? The Netflix error code UI-113 is particular to the Netflix client on smart TVs, set-top boxes, gaming consoles, and other streaming devices. According to Netflix, the error indicates a problem with information stored on your device. Netflix doesn’t precisely specify what this “information” is, but from our research and projection, we suspect the following factors to be the root causes of the error:...

We’ve written about the best free online Markdown editors too. But maybe you’re looking for a Markdown editor for Mac, Linux, or Windows. We’ve done a round-up of the best Markdown editors on any platform or online. What Makes a Markdown Editor the Best? There are as many preferences around Markdown editors as there are styles of writing. We can’t say what is best for you. We can say that a good Markdown editor should be able to give you a live preview and export to popular document types like Word or PDF, and to blogging platforms like WordPress....

The default folders I’m talking about are Downloads, Documents, Videos, Music, etc. By default, all of these folders are located on the same partition as your system partition, which is usually C. The path is normally C:\Users\username\foldername. If you need extra space on your main partition for applications or something else, then it’s not very difficult to move those default folders to a new location. What’s nice is that you can move just one or all of them as needed....

This article covers different fixes that may help get your Chromebook keyboard working correctly again. Some troubleshooting solutions in this tutorial require an external keyboard. So, connect an external keyboard to your Chromebook if you have one. That’ll help you run troubleshooting fixes that may require keyboard shortcuts or keypresses. You could also activate and use your Chromebook’s on-screen keyboard while you try to fix problems with the physical keyboard....

But instead of giving in to frustration, you should find a way to fix the problem. Fortunately, getting the answer you need is easy! In this post, let’s go through the different solutions. This way, you’ll know what to do. 1. Change Adapter Settings It’s possible that Windows cannot communicate with the device or resource because of your chosen adapter settings. If so, just do some quick modifications. Launch Control Panel....

But what do you do when those downloads don’t work properly? Sometimes, a video will refuse to download on the HBO Max app, regardless of your actions. The good news is that there are easy fixes. 1. Make Sure You Have the Right Plan HBO Max lets you download content for offline viewing, but it’s a feature only available to those on the ad-free plan. This plan is $14.99 per month or $149....

By default, most of these programs will add their own custom shortcuts to the Windows environment variables. The most used environment variable in Windows is probably the PATH variable. It basically allows you to run any executables that are located inside the paths specified in the variable at the command prompt without having to give the full path to the executable. In this article, I’ll show you how you can add more paths to the Windows PATH variable in case you want to run executables from your own custom directories....