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How to avoid two reboots with Windows 8.1 and Windows 7 dual boot

If you have installed Windows 8.1 and Windows 7 in a dual boot configuration and have set Windows 8.1 as the default OS to boot into, you probably noticed that the new bootloader of Windows 8 performs an additional reboot every time you select Windows 7 in the boot menu.

This is a really annoying behavior and just a waste of your time. In this article, I will share two simple tricks to get rid of the additional reboot required and boot to the desired OS directly. This article is also applicable to Windows 8 RTM.

Change Google+ Hangouts volume and more with Hangout Toolbox

In our earlier post, you were introduced to Google+ Hangouts and why it's one of the best video calling experience currently on the web. Well that doesn't mean that it's perfect. Hangouts currently leaves a lot to be desired in terms of features.

One of the most basic tasks you would want to do when you are in a video call is to adjust the volume. But you will find no such feature by default in Google+ Hangouts. Ridiculous, isn't it? It's because Hangouts controls the volume automatically depending on your microphone input volume, background noise etc. But fear not, it's possible to manually adjust the volume. In this article, I will show you how.

Nature HD#23 theme for Windows 8

How to create a shortcut to open Privacy options in Windows 8.1

For any PC user, privacy can be a concern. Privacy options in the PC Settings application allow you to specify which data will be shared with Modern apps and sites you visit using Internet Explorer. Here you can prevent apps from accessing you personal data, advertising ID, turn off the Smart Screen filter and some other settings.

Let's create a shortcut to open these useful settings with one click

Introduction to Google+ Hangouts – free, high quality video calls!

Today, I would like to introduce you to one useful, free and cool service we have on the web, courtesy of Google - Google+ Hangouts. Now you may wonder what is special about Hangouts when you have literally hundreds of free solutions - Facebook video chat, Microsoft's Skype, Yahoo! Messenger, Apple's FaceTime and several dozen others. Well, let's see what makes Hangouts great.

StartIsBack giveaway results and winners

Well, friends, our first giveaway on Winaero has come to its conclusion. As promised, we have picked four random winners from people who participated. Here is the list of winners:

Exclusive: How to start a Modern app from desktop without going to the Metro Start Screen

Today, we have an exclusive tip for Winaero readers which you are sure to find useful if you use Modern apps. Do you know that both Windows 8.1 and Windows 8 can natively launch any Modern app directly from the desktop, without the use of third party tools? You can also easily create a shortcut for any installed Modern app and pin it to the Taskbar or put it on the Desktop.

Wouldn't it be convenient to create a shortcut to launch the modern Mail, Skype, SkyDrive, Photos, Camera or any Modern app without using third party tools? Well, this is very easy, but not quite obvious! Let's discover this hidden secret feature right now.

Diwali theme for Windows 8

How to set different icons for the open and closed folder in Explorer

With Windows Vista, there was a little change in Explorer which has remained the same in Windows 7 and Windows 8.1 or Windows 8: it shows the same icon for open and closed folders.

In earlier releases of Windows before Vista, when a folder was expanded in the navigation pane of Explorer, it used to show a different icon. This change makes it more difficult to see which folder you are viewing by just looking at the icons. This change also affects the tree view in Registry Editor and in the Windows 7 Start Menu All Programs view.

If you preferred having distinct icons for open and closed folder states in Explorer, then there's good news for you - it can be done. I will show you how to set the folder icon for a closed folder in Explorer of Windows 8, Windows 8.1, Windows 7 and Vista. The method is the same for all these operating systems.

How to create a shortcut to open Display settings in Windows 8.1

Display settings in Windows 8.1 is a part of the PC Settings application which allows you to change the display resolution, screen orientation and even the size of the text and icons.
These settings waere created to help Tablet users tune up their display easily with a touch friendly interface.
You can create a special shortcut to open Display settings in Windows 8.1 directly with one click.