Windows comes with the ability to index your files so the Start screen or Start Menu can search them faster. However, the process of indexing files and their contents takes some time and also consumes your PC's resources. Indexing runs in the background without trying to affect your PC's performance. There is a way to control the speed of indexing and how much resources it consumes. Let's see how.
Category: Windows 8.1
How to add Switch between windows button back on the Windows 8 taskbar
In older Windows versions, you had the Quick launch toolbar on by default which you now need to manually enable. On it was a shortcut which opened Flip 3D. It was a handy option for users who switched between multiple running programs with the mouse. In Windows 7, that useful button was removed from the Taskbar and Quick Launch was disabled by default. In Windows 8, Flip 3D itself was completely removed, so the only built-in switcher for desktop apps that remains now is the Alt+Tab dialog which you can tweak. Let's see how to reinstate the Switch Between Windows button next to the Start button which brings up this Alt+Tab dialog.
How to bring back Show Desktop button next to the Start button on the Taskbar
In Windows 7, the Show Desktop button which used to next to the Start button got relocated to the end of the Taskbar. If the taskbar is at the bottom, you have to hover over the bottom right corner to peek at the desktop or click that button to work with items on the Desktop. Let's see how to reinstate the Show Desktop button next to the Start button.
How to change your logon name (user account name) in Windows 8.1 and Windows 8
When you first install Windows, it prompts you to create a user account and choose a name for it. This becomes your logon name (also called as the user name). Windows also creates a separate display name for you. If you type your full name when creating an account, Windows creates a logon name based on the first name and your full name is stored as the display name. You can easily change your display name from the User Accounts Control Panel but what about the logon name? You can change the logon name too without having to create a new user account but the way to change it isn't so obvious. Here is how to do it.
A Start menu toolbar trick of the taskbar in Windows 8 and 8.1
In the past we have covered a simple trick to revive the good old Quick Launch toolbar in Windows 8. Using the same technique, you can create a very useful Start menu toolbar on your taskbar, which allows you to have quick access to all installed programs with one click via a cascading menu. Using this toolbar, it is not even necessary to interact with the Start screen constantly to open a desktop program. Here is what you should do.
Fix: Touchpad left click will intermittently not work in Windows 8.1
If you have a laptop with a touchpad (trackpad) and you upgraded to Windows 8.1, you may have noticed that occasionally, the left click of the touchpad does not work. For example, it may not work at startup at all until you press some key on the keyboard after which it starts working. Or you may be unable to move the mouse pointer right after you type something. Sometimes, the left also won't work unexpectedly in games. Let's see how to fix.
How to change the color of Windows 8.1 Start button when you hover over it
With Windows 8.1, Microsoft introduced a Start button (which they refer to as the Start hint). It bears the Windows 8 logo in white color but when you hover over it, it changes its color. Let's see how to customize this color if you haven't realized exactly which color to change to affect this color.
Run an application with elevated privileges at Windows startup after logon
If you need to run some application elevated at Windows startup, you might be surprised to learn that this is not a simple task. If you use any modern version of Windows such as Windows 8, Windows 7 or Vista, and User Account Control is on, and any shortcut set to 'Run as administrator' in your startup folder will not run! Windows will ignore it! In this article, I will show you a simple solution to resolve the issue.
How to force refresh thumbnails of images and videos in Explorer folders
Windows Explorer has an excellent feature like any other file manager to show thumbnail previews of pictures and videos in any folder. To make sure that the thumbnails show instantly every time you open a folder, it caches the thumbnails. Unfortunately, sometimes it fails to generate a thumbnail for some files, or continue to show an older thumbnail preview even if you updated the picture. Here is how you can force Explorer to refresh the thumbnail.
Tweak Windows Alt+Tab switcher to enlarge thumbnails and disable live aero peek preview
Windows has had Alt+Tab functionality to switch between running programs using the keyboard since Windows 3.0. This Alt+Tab Task Switcher remained mostly the same from Windows 95 to Windows XP but changed in Windows Vista to incorporate a glass background and thumbnails. While some users prefer the new Alt-Tab switcher, many others prefer a cleaner looking Alt-Tab without thumbnails and the glass background. Let's see how Alt+Tab can be tweaked.
