In this article I would like to show you how to change the default download location in popular browsers: Internet Explorer, Chrome, Firefox, and Opera. Most of the mainstream browsers keep downloaded files in the user's Downloads folder, located at C:\Users\<Your User name>\Downloads. If you would like to set some other location for downloaded files, i.e. change it to the Desktop folder for faster access, then read the rest of this article.
How to change the default Program Files installation directory location in Windows 8 and Windows 7
Program Files is the one of most important directories in Windows. Usually it is located on the system drive and serves as the default installation location for all software. It is recommended by Microsoft to use this folder to store installed apps. In more recent versions of Windows, the Program Files folder is protected by special file system access rights so only administrators with elevated permissions can write to it when UAC is on. The default path to this folder is C:\Program Files. 64-bit versions of Windows additionally have the C:\Program Files (x86) folder which is used to store 32-bit programs. In this article, we will see how to change the location of the Program Files default installation directory used by app installers.
Set how many times a window flashes on the taskbar to notify you in Windows 8 and Windows 7
When some application in Windows, which is not running from the tray, requires some action from you, or wishes to notify you, its taskbar button flashes (turns orange) to seek your attention. A good example of such apps are instant messengers such as Yahoo! Messenger or the open-source Miranda IM. Any application which is not focused (opened in the background) but requires your attention will flash its button. By default, the taskbar button for such an app flashes 7 times in Windows 7 and Windows 8. Here is how to change this value to reduce the number of times it flashes or make it flash until you click on it.
How to move Gadgets in Windows 7 and Windows 8.1 without snapping them to a grid
In Windows 7, when you try to move desktop gadgets to re-arrange them, they snap relative to each other's position or to the screen edge. Windows arranges them automatically to align them to a grid. However, if you have some Gadgets which have a plenty of empty space in between and you want pixel-perfect accuracy to position them, here is a simple trick which you can use to override the snapping behavior. You will then be able to place any Gadget exactly where you want, even close to each other.
How to disable or change the text shadow on the logon screen in Windows 7
In Windows 7, it is possible to change the appearance of the user name and "Welcome" text that shows on the logon screen. This will also affect the security screen which appears when you press the CTRL + ALT + DEL shortcut keys on the keyboard. It can be done with a very simple registry tweak, which I would like to share with you. Read below to learn how it can be done.
Tip: Pin Control Panel to the taskbar for fast access to recently used and favorite options
The Control Panel in Windows houses all the important settings. You can change the appearance of your Desktop, manage user accounts on the computer, maintain data backups, change the functionality of hardware and many-many other things. In this article, I would like to share a tip which can significantly speed up your access to recently used Control Panel settings. You can also pin them inside the jumplist to access them with just two clicks.
How to disable the Aero Snap feature in Windows 8.1, Windows 8 and Windows 7
Since Windows 7, the operating system allows you to control the size and positioning of open windows better by dragging them to the edge of the screen. If you drag a window using its title bar to the top edge of the screen, it will be maximized. With the mouse pointer touching the left or right edges of the screen when dragging a window, it will be snapped to the left or right side of the screen respectively. However, this can trigger accidental resizing or repositioning of the window. If you don't like this snapping feature of the window manager, you might want to disable it completely.
How to add Pin to Start Menu command for folders in Windows 7
I would like to share with you one of my favorite tweaks for Windows 7 which allows you to pin any folder to the Start Menu without using third party tools. Windows 7 already has all necessary features, however, this option is just not activated, because of which the Pin to Start Menu item in the right click menu is not shown in Explorer. Let's see how to activate this option and make the Pin to Start Menu command available for folders as well.
How to make Windows 8.1 show the last logon information at every logon
One of the interesting features of all versions of Windows, including Windows 8.1 and Windows 8 is the ability to show detailed information about your previous logon. Every time you sign in, you will see an information screen with the date and time of the last successful logon. The same information will be displayed even if the previous logon was unsuccessful. This feature can be turned on with a simple Registry tweak.
How to disable switch view buttons at the bottom of the File Explorer window
In Windows 8, Microsoft changed the look of the good old Explorer application completely. It got the Ribbon UI instead of the menu and the toolbar. There are also tiny buttons to switch view at the bottom right corner of the window. If you never use these buttons, you might want to turn them off. In this article, we will see how to get rid of those buttons to switch views.
