The Admin Account

If you're looking for a digital version of a CD in order to install some software, or to burn to a physical CD at will, you're looking for an .iso file. These files are great for storing operating systems and game CDs, as you don't need a CD-ROM drive to use them. 

For this example I'll be using a .iso file for Netrunner, a very cool Linux operating system. Here is the link if you want to follow along, just select the appropriate version.

A. Now if you have Windows 8/8.1, you're lucky, you don't have to install any extra software. Go ahead and right-click the .iso file and select Mount. You'll see the new contents appear under My Computer (Windows File Explorer) in a virtual CD-ROM. You may then use the .iso file as if it were a CD that's in a CD-ROM drive, including booting from it if you're installing an operating system.

B. For everyone else (Windows 7 or earlier), I recommend getting a virtual disk manager such as

Virtual CloneDrive (direct download link)

PowerISO (direct download link)

WinCDEmu (direct download link)

Once you have one of those installed, it may be necessary to set up a virtual drive from within the program. I use DAEMON Tools Pro, your process may be similar: 

Once you've created a virtual drive, find your .iso and right-click on it. With DAEMON Tools Pro, it adds a context menu entry for ease of access. You may have a similar entry. Follow the menus until you see the option to Mount to the virtual drive you created:

Once you've mounted the .iso file, it should appear under My Computer in Windows File Explorer, or it should display the Autorun menu asking you what to do.

Without forwarding certain ports in your router, programs that connect to the internet, specifically games and gaming consoles, may not work properly. 

I'll be using a Netgear router for this example, your device's default login and access information can be found online so it may be a good idea to take note of them.

1. Login to Router. Netgear: www.routerlogin.net (You must be connected to your router's network to log into it) User: admin Password: password

2. Scroll down a bit until you see Port Forwarding/Port Triggering...click on that.

3. On the bottom of the following screen you'll see three buttons, Edit Service, Delete Service, and Add Custom Service. If your port isn't already forwarded in the list above these options, click Add Custom Service.

4. On the next screen, you will be given a few options. 

This is something that everyone should do every now and then. Browsing history keeps a record of every site you've visited within X amount of time, making it easy for an intruder to know what you do and where you've been on the web. Here's how to erase that history, using Google Chrome as an example browser...the process will be almost the same for other browsers.

1. Open a new tab in Chrome, go to the options menu, and select History...alternatively, use the hotkey shortcut Ctrl+H or type "chrome://history" into the address bar (without the quotes).

2. A new tab will be shown, outlining each site you've visited per day and at what time. If any of the sites are bookmarked there will be a yellow star next to them:

3. It should be pretty straightforward what the next step is, there's a button on the top of the page that says "Clear browsing data...", click it and on the window that pops up, determine what you want deleted. You can also specify if you want to delete history from "the beginning of time" or only from a certain amount of time that has passed:

Having printer issues? Lately I've been going on a lot of service calls that require printer troubleshooting, and so here's how to remove and re-install a printer! You'll need either the CD that came with your printer, or the drivers from the printer manufacturer's website.

1. Click on start and go to the Control Panel. If you have Devices and Printers pinned to your Start menu you can go to that instead.

2. When the next screen loads your printer will most likely have a green checkmark on it, marking it as the default printer. If it doesn't, just find the printer that matches your make and model. Left-click on the printer to select it, then right-click it and select "Remove device".

3. Open up IObit Uninstaller (see previous post) and remove anything that relates to your printer. For example, if you have an HP printer it includes 3-4 programs to help you manage your printer. Get rid of all of them and restart your computer. 

4. When you're computer has finished restarting, place the CD that came with your printer into your computer and manually run the setup if it doesn't do it automatically, or run the drivers you downloaded from the printer manufacturer's website.

5. Follow the prompts on-screen. If your printer has WiFi capability I'd recommend setting it up on your network so you can print from anywhere in your home, but if you don't have a WiFi-capable printer then you'll have to use the USB cable that came with the printer.

6. Once the setup completes go back into Control Panel > Devices and Hardware and check to see if your printer has been installed and is set as the default. If it isn't set as default, left-click it to select it, then right-click it and select "Set as default printer"...the green check mark will move from whatever it was on to your printer, and you should be good to go!

Do you have programs installed on your computer and you have no idea where they came from? Here's a good way to get rid of them without the potential of losing your data!

1. Download IObit Uninstaller. This handy piece of software is extremely lightweight and integrates with Windows operating systems quite well.

2. Once it's downloaded, run it and this window will appear:

This will show you every program installed on your computer. You have the option of uninstalling each program one at a time, or...

3. You can select "Batch Uninstall" and select multiple programs at once, and the program will uninstall them one after the other, streamlining the process! You'll still have to click buttons to progress the uninstall, but it still cuts the time down drastically. 

NOTE: The program may ask you if you want to create a restore point before uninstalling. Generally you don't need to, but if you're not sure or you just want to be safe, go ahead and create the restore point...better safe than sorry!

4. Once the uninstaller finishes removing all the selected programs, it will ask you if you want to do a Deep Scan, which will scan the computer's registry for remaining files that the default Windows uninstall utility (found in Control Panel > Programs) will not detect. I highly recommend performing the Deep Scan. It can take a bit of time so be patient! 

And the results should look like...

Choose "Select All" in the bottom-left corner of the results page and click "Delete"...it will turn green once you select an item from the list.

Before attempting to jailbreak your phone, PLEASE ensure you are running iOS 7.0.x on your iDevice. To find this info go to Settings, then to General, then select About. Scroll down until you see "Version". NOTE: There is not a publicly available iOS 7.1.x jailbreak yet. If you have already upgraded to iOS 7.1.x you'll have to wait until iOS 8 is released, as the fine folks over at evasi0n.com announced they will most likely wait till iOS 8 is out before working on another jailbreak.

Assuming you haven't upgraded yet and are still running iOS 7.0.x, please visit the evasi0n site and select Mac or Windows, depending on which operating system your computer has running.

Remember to back up your device in iTunes in case anything goes wrong!

This is building off of Tuesday's post about restoring network connectivity.

So your wireless drivers are up-to-date, you've joined the proper network, you've reset your wireless adapter, you've "forgotten" and rejoined your network, and you STILL don't have internet connectivity? At this point it's got to be something with the router or modem, so here's how to reset your router/modem properly to ensure your network will come back up successfully.

NOTE: If your ISP is Comcast and you have this device...

...then you can skip to step 2. These modems have a router built-in so you only need to disconnect one device.

1. Locate the router that is broadcasting the dead signal and unplug the power from it. Locate any other routers and unplug them as well, as the reset process may disrupt their network signal if they're left powered on.

2. Locate your modem and unplug it, and wait till all the lights go out. Some modems have internal batteries so you may have to wait up to 3-5 minutes. 

3. Plug in the modem power cable and wait till the lights have reached a stable state. Usually one always blinks, but the others should eventually all turn green and properly indicate the modem's current status. If you have that Comcast modem I mentioned earlier you're all set, Your network should start itself back up.

4. Go back to the questionable router, the first one you unplugged, and plug the power back in. Wait till the lights reach a stable state and see if you can get back online. If you can get online, go and plug any other routers back in and make sure they are functioning properly.

The setup chain should go Modem > Router > PC/Device, as it adheres to the network hierarchy and will ensure reliable setup.

If your network is still down you may have to factory reset your router/modem. If this is the case, device management information is usually located on either the underside or on the back of the device. Comcast modem login information is as follows: Comcast 10.0.0.1 - type this into your web browser Username: admin Password: admin (OR) password

One thing I'm always asked about is installing and updating drivers. It's a very simple process, as long as the drivers are readily available!

You need drivers for a lot of devices, but I'm going to use my laptop's video drivers for this example.

NOTE - Name Brand Laptop/PC: If you are installing drivers on a name-brand laptop/PC your work is cut out for you, the manufacturer's website has every driver available for download, as long as they still support your laptop/PC model.

NOTE - Custom PC: If you have a custom-built PC you'll have to figure out the manufacturer of the component you need drivers for and search the website. For example, video drivers would either be AMD.com or Nvidia.com, found in the Support section.

1. Determine your computer's/component's make and model, and search for YOURMAKE YOURMODEL Support, just like in the picture. Laptop model numbers are usually found on the underside of your laptop, brand name desktop PC model numbers can be found on a sticker that is placed somewhere on the outside of the case.

In my case, the first result is the best link, but yours may be a few results lower. You'll want to check the URL and make sure it looks like support.xyz.com. If you want to play it safe, just go to the manufacturer website and navigate to the support page from there rather than a search engine.

2. Once you find your link, click on it and navigate to the driver download page.

Select your OS...

And it will, in some form or another, give you a list/collection of every available driver for your model and operating system.

3. In the example, the video driver is labeled as VGA, which is one of the three commonly-used monitor outputs (VGA, DVI, HDMI). Your support page may list your drivers under "Video", "Graphics", "Monitor", or something else along those lines.

We'll look at the release dates and version numbers, and from there we determine that the first link (the most recent) is the one we want to try first. The (DLM) stands for "Download Manager", if you choose that option you will download an unnecessary utility that attempts to streamline the process...I usually just choose "Global" or "P2P".

NOTE: ASUS, as well as other manufacturers, allows Peer-to-Peer (P2P) downloading which utilizes torrent software. If your direct download speeds aren't great you might want to try downloading uTorrent/bitTorrent and see if your download speed improves.

NOTE 2: A lot has been said about torrenting, and you should know that there is nothing wrong with the technology itself, only the files people choose to share. As long as you're not downloading pirated content, torrenting is 100% legal.

Extract the driver files to your desktop (or wherever you want to) and run the .exe file...usually named setup.exe.

Once the installation completes you'll most likely be asked to restart your computer, I'd do it anyways just to be safe. You should be all set :) 

This is building off my last post, which was how to reset your wireless adapter. This is another step you can try if your internet connection is still on the fritz.

NOTE: Please make sure you have your network password handy if you're repairing a wireless connection, you'll need it when you reconnect!

1. Right-click on your network icon in the bottom-right corner of your screen and select "Open Network and Sharing Center". Once that's open, select "Manage Wireless Networks" in the top-right corner of the window.

2. In the new windows that appears, you'll see every network that your computer has ever connected to in list form. Find the fussy network you want your computer to forget. Left-click on it to select it, then right-click on it and select "Remove Network".

Voila! Your network has been forgotten. Now, try to reconnect to your network via the network icon in the bottom-right of your screen. It will ask you for the network password and then ask you if the network is Home, Work, or Public. Choose the appropriate option and you're good to go!

If your network is still acting up, it could very well be your router or your modem. I'll post basic router/modem troubleshooting tips tomorrow!

Have you ever been using the internet only to have it cut out? It could be any number of things, but let's start with the easiest and progress to the more complex solutions!

The first step is to see if your wireless card just needs a quick reset:

1. Right click on the network icon (either ascending bars for wireless, or a box with a cord for a hard line connection) at the bottom-right of your desktop and select "Open Network and Sharing Center".

2. Once the Network and Sharing Center opens, look in the top-left and select "Change adapter settings"

3. A window will open that will show you each potential network connection your computer can use. Find the adapter that shows an active connection, right-click it, and select "Disable".

4. Once the adapter is disabled (should only take a second or two), right-click on it again and select "Enable"...the option will have replaced "Disable".

If all goes well, your adapter will locate and connect to your network again automatically! 

If that doesn't solve your wireless connection issue, stay tuned! I'm working on the next step, which is telling your wireless card to 'forget' your network so it can reconnect and then reapply the network settings.

iOS 7.1 includes many features, except nested folders…that is, placing a folder inside another folder. So here’s a glitch I found while browsing the web that will allow you to place (nest) folders into other folders!

Requirements:

1. An iDevice with iOS 7.1.x

2. A sense of timing

3. Fingers (preferably)

Steps:

1. Find two apps that will form the main folder (we’ll call it ‘Folder A’), and the folder that will sit inside Folder A…we’ll call the second folder ‘Folder B’. Make sure all three icons (2 apps + 1 folder) are on the same page.

2. Drag the apps together to start forming the folder, and once the folder is formed BUT BEFORE THE DISPLAY ZOOMS INTO IT, quickly grab the second folder. This sounds tricky but once done correctly, is actually pretty simple.

Here’s a video showing you exactly what it’s supposed to look like:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YhkKczY8uRo (Youtube Video credit goes to user Videosdebarraquito)