All How Tos
Displaying 1-10 of 14
-
Home networking 101: Troubleshooting and fixing network problems
"This page cannot be loaded." No matter how you slice it, a lack of internet can be seriously frustrating. When you're having one of those days just trying to get online, there are a few steps you can take to troubleshoot your network connection to figure out the problem. Read on as we talk about network troubleshooting, along with a common solution: updating the firmware on your router.
- Company:
- Linksys
- Glossary:
- bricking, Ethernet, Ethernet (IEEE 802.3), Firmware, Router, WiFi
- Products:
- Linksys WRT54G
-
How to delete your data securely
Hitting that delete key on the keyboard sends a file from your hard drive to some magic holding area called the recycle bin or trash. But after you "empty" that refuse bin, those files are gone forever, right? Not quite. Sometimes when a user needs to be sure a file is really erased — a sensitive document or financial information, for example — an extra step should be taken to ensure files are really gone. In this feature, we'll show you the best ways for Mac and Windows users to securely erase individual files, and securely format hard drives for free.
-
How to hook up your guitar to your computer
Guitar amps are so(oooo) 10 years ago. Instead of plugging into an amp to jam out, guitar owners have a variety of options for connecting their electric instruments to a computer to either rock for fun or record tracks for playing back later. Join us as we break down some of the best ways for connecting a guitar to a computer.
- Glossary:
- 2.5 mm stereo jack, 3.5 mm stereo jack, DAW, gain, USB
- Products:
- Alesis MultiMix 12 FireWire, Alesis MultiMix 12 USB, Behringer Guitar Link UCG102, First Act USB Guitar Cable AL900, SoundTech Lightsnake, Apple GarageBand, Apple Logic Studio, Digidesign Pro Tools, Mackie Tracktion, MOTU Digital Performer, Steinberg Cubase
-
How to secure your wireless network
Wireless networking is a pretty amazing invention. By installing a wireless router, you can connect a plethora of devices to the Internet without wires cluttering up your house. But the freedom that WiFi provides comes with a price – vigilance. Because wireless routers often come unsecured by default, anyone can theoretically gain access to it -- and there are all kinds of bad things people can do to, or on, your connection. In this article we help you get on the path to a kinder, gentler, more secure wireless connection.
-
How to stream videos from your PC to your TV
Computers are great media players. Not only can they play many kinds of media files that other devices can’t, they can store them digitally, reducing the clutter of DVDs that you forget to put back in the case. Watching video on your computer monitor can be less than satisfying, though. You’ve paid for a 52-inch screen with multi-channel surround sound in your living room, but instead of enjoying it you’re watching downloaded content two feet away from a 20-inch screen, listening to whatever noise will come out of your computer speakers. If only there was a way to watch the video stored on your PC on your home theater system. Yes, you can always put your video on a DVD, but that takes forever to convert and wastes DVDs.…
-
How to turn your iPod touch into a VoIP phone
While iPod touch owners might not have the flexibility of mobile communication that their iPhone-toting friends enjoy, that doesn't mean the iPod touch is a slouch in the communicating methods at home. When the second generation of the iPod touch was unveiled in September, Steve Jobs revealed many new updates, including integrated Nike + iPod support among other features. Left off the list of announced updates? The ability to use an external microphone, like the microphone found in the iPhone's headphones. The result? The iPod touch is the ultimate at-home internet tablet, which can make and receive phone calls. We'll show you how to put that to use in this feature.
- Company:
- Apple
- Product Families:
- Apple iPod
- Products:
- Apple iPhone 3G, Apple iPod Touch, Apple App store, Skype
-
How to use virtual folders to find important files
While Windows Vista hasn't exactly seen the most warm reception over the last few years, that doesn't mean the operating system is completely devoid of useful features. We've got a tip to create virtual folders that'll help save some time finding frequently used files, and then show Mac users how to get a similar effect using Mac OS 10.5. Virtual folders allow an operating system to group files together in a specific manner so that other programs can perform a quick search without having to do any of the legwork. I like to think of folders and virtual folders the same way I think of playlists in iTunes. A regular playlist is just a collection of songs put together, while a smart playlist is a constantly updating search based on…
- Glossary:
- Apple Mac OS X, File, File system, Folder, Microsoft Office, Microsoft Windows Vista, MP3, Smart folder, Virtual Folder
-
How to use your phone as a Bluetooth modem
Internet access anywhere. That's the promise of next-gen cell phone data connections like EVDO and HSDPA. While bringing things like email and web access to a mobile device is nice, having laptop access to the full internet anywhere is extremely useful. While road warriors can purchase specific "broadband cards" that connect to express card and USB slots, spending another $100-$200 on a device that's used occasionally as well as shelling out for an expensive monthly data plan doesn't exactly sound like a deal. Instead, you may be able to set up your cell phone as a modem via Bluetooth. In this guide we'll show you the steps for tethering your phone to your laptop for internet access on the go.
-
How to: Deauthorize all your iTunes accounts at once
There's no doubt that Apple's iTunes Music Store is a success. WIth billions of tracks sold, and millions of iPods around the world, Apple's position as the number one online music retailer doesn't seem to be going anywhere soon. However, not being able to authorize your iTunes store account on more than five computers that might need access to your protected music tracks, movies, and applications won't be going anywhere either. Fortunately, Apple has a pretty easy solution for deauthorizing machines to which you still have access, but in case you can't get to a far away machine, Apple has created a kill switch to deauthorize all of your machines at once. We'll show you step by step instructions for both the easy way, and the hard way, to…
-
How to: Get the Xbox 360 to play nice with Windows Media Center
With a built-in Blu-ray player, the Playstation 3 certainly seems to be the multimedia darling of this generation's home game consoles. But don't fret Xbox 360 owners; your little concave bundle of joy has a few tricks up it's sleeve as well.
- 1
- 2