Gadgets are a very useful feature of Windows. If you use Gadgets in Windows 7 and in Windows 8/8.1 using this installer, you may be minimizing your open apps by clicking the Show Desktop button or Win+D/Win+M hotkeys to see the gadgets. There is actually a keyboard shortcut in Windows to bring Gadgets to the top of other windows.
Category: Windows 8.1
Tweak the taskbar in Windows 8, 8.1 and Windows 7 with hidden secret registry settings
As you might be aware, Windows 7 introduced a redesigned taskbar which abandoned much loved classic features but introduced some really nice improvements like large icons, jump lists, draggable buttons etc. The taskbar does not have many configurable settings exposed in the GUI to tweak its behavior but there are some hidden secret registry settings which you can fine-tune.
Easier way to set, copy and manage NTFS permissions (ACLs) on files and folders in Windows
Managing Windows NTFS permissions (also know as Access Control Lists) has always been difficult for users because of the complex UI dialogs and concepts involved. Copying permissions is even harder because when you normally copy files from Explorer, permissions are not retained. You have to use command line tools like icacls to manage permissions. In this article, we will look at a free third party app called NTFS Permissions Tools that makes setting permissions extremely easy.
How to switch users fast in Windows 8.1 and Windows 8
Although the concept of multiple users sharing one device or one PC is getting rarer by the day, there are still cases when you have to share PCs and switch users fast. In earlier versions of Windows before Windows 8, we had a Switch Users command in the Shutdown menu inside the Start Menu to quickly switch users. But in Windows 8, the Start menu got removed and so the Switch Users command disappeared. Let us see how we can switch users faster in Windows 8 and Windows 8.1.
How to add anything you want to Control Panel
In Windows, you can add any item you want to the Control Panel's icon-based views such as Large Icons or Small icons, as well as Category view. For icon-based views, it requires only some registry tweaking, whereas for adding to Category view, you require an XML file. Let us see how you can add anything you want to Control Panel's icon views.
FIX: Windows 8.1 Metro apps do not work or crash
Windows 8.1 comes with a number of built-in Modern apps which are suitable for touch screens. While they are generally stable, sometimes, due to various causes, these apps can stop working or crash when they start. There are several general recommendations to restore normal Modern apps behavior in Windows 8.1 and get them working again.
How to use wake on LAN on Windows 8.1 and Windows 8
Wake-on-LAN (WOL) is a great feature of PCs which allows you to wake them up from sleep or shutdown over your local area network or over the Internet. It is like a remote power on button. If your hardware has WOL support, you can power on the computer remotely using any of the dozens of freeware tools available on the web to initiate the wake up event. In this article, I will cover the basic steps which are required to configure WOL under Windows 8 and Windows 8.1.
[Fix] Desktop Tile is missing on the Start screen in Windows 8.1
By default, Windows 8.1 and Windows 8 come with a special tile on the Start screen called 'Desktop'. It shows your current wallpaper and allows you to switch to the classic Desktop mode to work with desktop apps. But sometimes something goes wrong and Desktop tile disappears from the Start screen. Here's how you can restore it.
Customize the right click Win+X power users menu in Windows 8.1 and Windows 8
In all versions of Microsoft Windows, hot corners are used to do useful actions or access important system functions. In Windows 8, Microsoft introduced a feature for mouse users to access with the right click - the Win+X menu. When you right click the bottom left hot corner of the screen or when you right click the Start button in Windows 8,1, this menu pops up. Although it is far from being a Start Menu replacement, it does have shortcuts to useful administrative tools and system functions. In this article, we will see how to add our own shortcuts to the Win+X menu.
