If you are using gadgets on Windows 8.1 or on Windows 7 with IE 11 installed, then you may face a strange issue: Gadgets do not show correctly; they appear to be broken or corrupted. The issue occurs because of Internet Explorer 11 if you are using a custom DPI setting (above 100%). It is possible to fix the broken gadgets and make them work with any DPI setting. Let's see how.
Category: Windows 8.1
Get desktop gadgets back in Windows 8.1 Update
As you may have noticed, Desktop Gadgets and Sidebar are missing in Windows since Windows 8 RTM. However, many users still like them and will be happy to get them again in Windows 8.1 Update. If you are one of those users, you can get them again by following the simple instructions from this article.
How to change a pinned app’s shortcut icon on the Taskbar and refresh Explorer icon cache
In Windows 7, Microsoft redesigned the Taskbar and introduced the concept of pinning shortcuts, which were earlier stored in the Quick Launch. However, once you pin a shortcut changing the icon of the pinned shortcut isn't so easy because of a bug in Windows. Let's see how to change it.
How to repair Explorer showing incorrect icons by deleting and rebuilding the icon cache
Sometimes Windows shows incorrect icons for various file types and even a forced refresh of icons does not work. This usually is a result of the Windows icon cache getting corrupted due to an improper shutdown. In this case, you can delete the icon cache and restart Explorer so Windows will freshly rebuild the icon cache again. Let's see how to do this.
How to open the Startup tab of Task Manager directly in Windows 8
In Windows 8, the Task Manager was completely redesigned and even though I prefer using the old one, I do occasionally switch to the new one. Unfortunately, the new Task Manager does not even remember the last active tab. I use the Startup tab a lot. Today, I would like to share with you a secret hidden way to launch the Task Manager directly on the Startup tab. You can create a shortcut to open it on the Startup tab.
How to filter wireless networks in Windows 8 to create a black list or white list
Today, I would like to share with you a secret feature of Windows 8 (and Windows 7 and Vista too) which allows you to whitelist wireless networks you have in your vicinity. It is useful if you have lots of wireless networks in your area with lots of access points. Every time you connect to your wireless network, you will see a cluttered list of SSIDs (network names). If you will create a white list for these networks, you will be able to filter them and see only your own WiFi.
How to run Disk Cleanup directly in the system files mode and speed it up
Disk Cleanup is an essential Windows system tool which allows you to delete various unnecessary files created by the OS to save your hard disk space. By default it works in a simpler mode which allows you to delete only files related to your current user account. You can switch it to the extended mode, which allows you delete more unused files used by Windows Updates, or service packs and so on. When you start the Disk Cleanup app, you have to switch every time to the extended mode by clicking the Clean up system files button. Thus it has to calculate how much disk space you will free up twice which may take a lot of time. It is possible to speed this up and open the extended mode directly. Let's see how.
How to speed up menus in Windows 8
If you are interested in speeding up menus in Windows 8, here is good news for you: using a simple registry tweak which I will cover in this article, you can reduce a delay before a submenu pops up on the screen when you hover over it with the mouse. This change will affect all installed apps which respect the system menu setting, as well as all built-in apps. So it will make the whole Windows interface more responsive.
How to disable the first time sign-in animation in Windows 8
Every time you create a new user account in Windows 8 (or when you have freshly installed the OS), it shows you a set of colorful screens, followed by a welcome tutorial orienting you to the new ways of doing things in Windows 8. If you do not like this sequence of animation screens and tutorial, you might want to disable it.
FIX: Windows 8 Touch Keyboard gets automatically enabled after reboot
On some Windows 8 PCs which do not even have touch screens, I have observed an annoyance - the Touch Keyboard automatically keeps getting enabled after every restart. Even if you disable it by right clicking the Taskbar and disabling it from the list of Taskbar Toolbars, its icon keeps coming back. Here's how to disable it for good if you don't need it.
