The Send To context menu is a very old and famous feature of Windows. Implemented in Windows 95, it stayed unmodified for many years. With release of Windows Vista, the Send To menu got additional functionality. In this article, I would like to share few secrets of the Send To menu which are applicable to Windows 8 and Windows 7.
How to reset and clear clipboard data in Windows without using third party tools
If you are using a public PC or sharing your Windows user account with some friend or family member, you might be interested in making sure that your clipboard (data which you have cut or copied) is empty after you leave your PC. This will ensure that you do not leave any private information in the clipboard. It is very easy to perform this operation without using any third party tool, as Windows includes all the necessary tools out of the box.
How to run Windows Defender directly in Windows 8 or create a shortcut to execute it
Windows Defender is an antivirus protection software which comes bundled with Windows 8. Although it is less effective than third party solutions, it provides a basic level of protection. Many users are content with the protection it offers to secure the operating system. However, Windows Defender lacks a notification area (system tray) icon. In this article, we will see how to quickly launch Windows Defender and run it directly with one click.
How to fix the error about outdated version of Skype and continue to use older versions
We notified you earlier that Microsoft was planning to prevent old versions of Skype from working. Since yesterday, all versions of Skype below Skype 6.13 for Windows and Skype 6.14 for OS X are blocked and do not allow you to sign in. If you are not happy with the latest bloated version with obtrusive ads, here is a temporary workaround which will allow you to bypass the version check and run Skype 5.
Disable the yellow warning sign from the network icon on the Windows taskbar
Starting with Windows Vista, the operating system is able to show internet availability via an icon besides a network connection indicator. Windows can check if the internet is down and only the local network is available. If the Internet is not available, you will see a yellow warning icon over the default network icon in the taskbar. When the internet is working, you see only the network icon - either a wired or wireless one. If you are not happy to see this yellow overlay icon on top of the network icon, here's how you can disable it.
Disable and remove the search box from the new tab page in Firefox
Mozilla released a new stable version of the Firefox browser for desktop (Windows, Mac and Linux) and mobile (Android) platforms. In desktop version of Firefox 31, there is a search box that has been added to the New Tab Page. But Firefox already has a dedicated search box. If you found the search box on the New Tab page redundant, you can remove it. Just follow these simple instructions.
Disable safe browsing and prevent Firefox from sending downloaded file info to Google
I have noticed that with the upcoming Firefox 32, which is currently in Nightly state, the browser will use Google's safe browsing database to check files you have downloaded from the Internet. For every executable file you download, Firefox will perform a check against the online database which is provided by Google. The current version of Firefox 31 also ships with a similar option, but it uses a local database and does not send any request to Google's sites. Firefox 32 will continue to use the local database, however, if the downloaded file isn't found in the local database, Firefox will send the information to Google. You might be interested in disabling this behavior due to privacy concerns. Here's how you can turn it off.
Nature HD#44 theme for Windows 8
Beware of sites which bundle and spread crapware using Winaero apps
Today, a friend pointed me to a site which covered the Explorer Toolbar Editor. While I was happy to see that the reviewer provided very positive feedback about my app, I noticed that the link he used is not the official home page but some link to an installer which bundles crapware. This isn't the first time we experienced this problem, and I would like to warn you about such sites.
Add or remove buttons from the Windows 7 toolbar with Explorer Toolbar Editor
The Explorer app in Windows 7 comes with a toolbar which includes various command buttons for fast access to common tasks. It is not possible to customize it. Windows 7 does not include any option to change the set of buttons on the toolbar. I am happy to introduce my freeware, Explorer Toolbar Editor, which allows you to add more buttons to the toolbar, or remove them easily.
