What's New
Windows 10 upgrade prompt gets decline option
Better late than never. Microsoft is about to release an update to the company's Get Windows 10 application for Windows 7 and Windows 8 devices that includes a decline option.
Microsoft has been criticized heavily for its aggressive push of the Windows 10 operating system. The company's offer looks like a good one on first glance: upgrade your existing version of Windows to Windows 10 for free in the first year.
Selfrando improves Tor Browser security
Selfrando is a new protective feature of the Tor Browser that improves the web browsers defense against hacking attempts and the de-anonymization of users.
Tor browser is a popular tool for remaining anonymous on the Internet. It is used by journalists and activists, and regular users as well to do things on the Internet anonymously.
Just-Install: batch install programs on Windows
Just-Install is a command line driven program for Windows that enables you to batch install a selection of programs on the operating system it is run on.
Get a Google prompt on your phone to sign in
Google Prompt is a new 2-step verification option that improves the usability of the second verification step by pushing a prompt to a connected smartphone that you just need to tap on to allow or deny the request.
2-step verification, often also called 2-factor authentication, is a popular security option to improve the sign-in security of user accounts.
As the name implies, instead of just having to enter username and password to sign-in, a second form of verification is required to complete the process.
Monitor Process creation and termination on Windows
Process Logger Service is a free program for Windows that installs itself as a service to monitor process creation on the computer it is installed on.
Processes are launched when you start a program on a device running Windows, but also automatically by software, services or the operating system.
While you may be able to identify some of the running processes easily, the programs you started for instance, you may miss the bulk of process creation and termination as it happens in the background.
Plex Media Server 1.0 is out
Plex Media Server 1.0 is now available for download. The latest version of the popular cross-platform media server application is mostly a bug fix release but still noteworthy due to the version bump.
Plex Media Server enables you to run a media server on a computer running Windows, Mac or Linux, or on various NAS systems including those offered by Netgear, Synology or QNAP.
The content the media server makes available is then accessible through applications, again on desktop devices, mobile devices, smart TVs and consoles to name a few.
Improve YouTube’s performance with h264ify for Firefox
YouTube works well most of the time if you use a relatively new device to access the site even if you push the available video resolution to the maximum.
The same cannot be said for low power devices, for instance the majority of computers that are five or even ten years old.
While YouTube works when you access the site, you may experience full load on the cpu, your laptop becoming hot like crazy, video stutter, battery drain, or other issues.
When Software Companies don’t accept No
One of the most frustrating experience when it comes to software is how some companies won't accept no for an answer when it comes to software.
A prime example of this is how Microsoft advertises Windows 10 on devices running Windows 7 or Windows 8.
Instead of displaying a one-time dialog to users with clearly identifiable Yes, No and maybe "not now" options, it uses various tactics to push its new operating system.
ShadowCopyView manage Shadow Copy files
ShadowCopyView is a new portable program for the Windows operating system that lets you browse Volume Shadow Copy snapshots, and copy individual files as well.
Volume Shadow Copy is a Windows Service that creates snapshots of files and folders either automatically or manually. It is used by Windows features such as System Restore, and can also be used by third party tools.
One of the main advantages that it offers is that it can copy files even when they are in use.
How to change the IE and Edge download folder
Both Internet Explorer and Microsoft Edge are configured to download files to the user's download folder by default.
The location does not change across devices, so that Windows users know where to look when it comes to locating downloaded files on Windows machines.
How to manage downloads in Chrome for Android
When you check out the Chrome browser on Android, you may notice that it offers no option to manage downloads.
The download listing that is part of the desktop version of Chrome is missing, and the internal URL chrome://downloads does not working either.
When you check the menu, you will notice quickly that there is no download link either, and that the history is limited to the browsing history.
How to remove True Key by Intel Security
The following guide walks you through the steps of removing True Key by Intel Security from your operating system.
True Key by Intel Security is a password manager by Intel that is available as a limited free version and a premium subscription version.
Many users may come in contact with the program without really wanting to, as it is offered as an opt-out option when Adobe Flash is downloaded from Adobe's official website.
Block Facebook Live Notifications
The following guide walks you through the steps of blocking Facebook Live Notifications for live video streams on the social networking site.
Facebook Live is a relatively new feature on Facebook that users of the service can utilize to stream live video on the site.
Linking Windows 10 licenses to Microsoft Accounts
Microsoft introduced a new feature in windows 10 Build 14371 that allows you to link the digital license of the operating system to a Microsoft Account.
Even though Microsoft stated in the announcement that the feature is available starting with Build 14371, things look different currently than how Microsoft describes them.
Considering that this is a preview build after all, you can expect the feature to become available with the Anniversary Update at the latest.
Microsoft describes the feature in the following way:
Should you put tape over a webcam?
Putting tape over the camera of a laptop or mobile device is a low-cost solution to block the camera from capturing what is happening in front of the device.
The reasoning behind taping over a built-in camera of a laptop, other mobile device or desktop computer is simple: prevent anyone from using the camera to stream or record what the camera captures.