Issues not specific to a single version of Windows, otherwise tag appropriately
596
votes
19answers
361k views
What are the Windows A: and B: drives used for?
In Windows you have a C: drive. Everything labeled beyond that is with the following letter.
So your second drive is D:, your DVD is E: and if you put in a USB stick it becomes F: and the following ...
194
votes
28answers
25k views
How to mess up a PC running Windows 7? [closed]
Ok, so for my PC class I have to find 3 hacks that would mess up the lab's PC. Me and my partner are going to mess up the PC and then another team will try to fix it. The system on it is Windows 7. ...
191
votes
10answers
15k views
Why is Google so much faster than a hard-drive search?
When I search a file on my HD in Windows 7 or Windows XP it takes some minutes to finish the process. If I fill in a search term in Google, the answer is on my screen in milliseconds
How is it ...
163
votes
15answers
48k views
How do I get rid of malicious spyware, malware, viruses or rootkits from my PC?
What should I do if my Windows computer seems to be infected with a virus or malware?
What are the symptoms of an infection?
What should I do after noticing an infection?
What can I do to get rid of ...
132
votes
5answers
79k views
Notepad++ is unable to load langs.xml, why?
Whenever I open NotePad++ the following error message appears:
---------------------------
Configurator
---------------------------
Load langs.xml failed!
---------------------------
...
130
votes
9answers
75k views
Is there any 'sudo' command for Windows?
I always work on a normal account on my Windows box. Sometimes I need to install programs which requires administrator access. As I mostly use a Windows command prompt, is there any command similar to ...
117
votes
19answers
19k views
How can I visualize the file system usage on Windows?
How can I visualize which folders and files are taking up all of the space on my hard drive?
I'm getting some conflicting reports on the size of hard drive contents. Namely what is and isn't there ...
117
votes
11answers
338k views
How to search inside files on Windows 7?
In Windows XP we can search for files which contains a defined keyword (inside all files types).
Windows 7 can look inside files for a keyword.
Okay, but only for text files. (*.doc, *.txt, *.inf, ...
104
votes
10answers
23k views
Why does 64-bit Windows need a separate “Program Files (x86)” folder?
I know that on a 64-bit version of Windows the "Program Files" folder is for 64-bit programs and the "Program Files (x86)" folder is for 32-bit programs, but why is this even necessary?
By ...
102
votes
10answers
42k views
Why does the /winsxs folder grow so large, and can it be made smaller?
A Vista virtual machine I use only has a 10 GB virtual hard disk -- and I'm worried about it running out of space over time.
I used TreeSize to check for the culprits..
And the primary culprit is ...
94
votes
25answers
8k views
How can I make a Windows PC bullet-proof for home users? [closed]
I realize that virus-proof on a Windows PC is far fetched, but in the interest of keeping time spent as the "family-tech-support" to a minimum, I am looking for ideas to lock a computer down to the ...
91
votes
18answers
153k views
What utility can move my Windows boot partition over to another hard drive? [closed]
Can anyone recommend a cheap/free utility that can do this without very much effort?
My preference is that it would be really easy.
Boot into Windows
Pick drive to move
Pick target drive
It copies ...
90
votes
9answers
15k views
How to copy text from Console2?
I just started using Console2 as an alternative to cmd.exe
I can't figure out how to copy text from the console to the clipboard -- dragging over it with the mouse won't mark anything, and there is ...
87
votes
5answers
2k views
Why the heck does NTFS allow this?
You can hide any file inside of another file just by typing:
type sol.exe > container.txt:sol.exe
and to run the file hidden file just use:
start c:\hide\container.txt:sol.exe
But the crazy ...
76
votes
13answers
100k views
How can I download an entire website?
How can I download all pages from a website?
Any platform is fine.
70
votes
14answers
57k views
“This file came from another computer…” - how can I unblock all the files in a folder without having to unblock them individually?
Windows XP SP2 and Windows Vista have this deal where zone information is preserved in downloaded files to NTFS partitions, such that it blocks certain files in certain applications until you ...
70
votes
23answers
80k views
Is there a text editor for very big files?
I have a very big text file (10 GB). Both Notepad and Notepad++ tell me that the file is too big for them to open. What editor can handle such a large file? It's a log file.
68
votes
8answers
4k views
How can a computer/OS tell what kind of RAM is in the machine?
How can Mac OS X tell what kind of RAM is in the machine? For example I was working on one that had DDR3 RAM @ 1600MHz and I thought it wasn't possible to know the RAM without physically opening the ...
65
votes
8answers
227k views
What can I do if I forgot my Windows password?
I got a brand new Windows 7 machine, installed the operating system, created one account and forgot its password. What can I do?
There is no external CD, the operating system is loaded from somewhere ...
61
votes
25answers
3k views
Why does Microsoft Windows' performance appear to degrade over time?
Windows XP/2003 and earlier (can't attest to Windows Vista, but I suspect it's the same) all appear to become more sluggish over time as applications are installed and uninstalled.
This is not a ...
60
votes
13answers
46k views
What is the best directory diff tool? [closed]
I have copies over one directory to my external hard drive but the file counts are different.
What's the best tool to find out what the differences are between these 2 directories?
60
votes
6answers
78k views
How to read ext4 partitions on Windows? [closed]
Is there a way to read ext4 partitions from Windows? If so, what can I do?
59
votes
5answers
7k views
Why are there multiple Chrome instances running even though I only have one window (only one tab) open? [duplicate]
Possible Duplicate:
Multiple chrome.exe in Task Manager
In Windows Task Manager it seems that I have multiple Chrome processes running, even though I only have one Chrome window open.
How ...
58
votes
23answers
9k views
Replacement for Windows Explorer? [closed]
I have been raised on Norton Commander so I could never really get too comfortable with the plain Explorer.
What is your favourite explorer tool and did you completely replace Windows Explorer with ...
57
votes
6answers
14k views
Preventing applications from stealing focus
Are there any solutions to prevent applications stealing focus from the active window?
This is especially annoying when I'm starting an application, switch to do something else and the new ...
56
votes
5answers
3k views
What are the functions of the BIOS while the operating system is running?
I always wondered whether the BIOS (apart from conducting POST, starting the bootloader and passing control to the OS after one presses the power button) has any purpose or function while the ...
55
votes
11answers
55k views
How to reboot/shutdown Windows 8 without the mouse?
Nowadays on Windows 7, if I have no mouse on my computer I just press Win Button+->+Enter:
This makes my computer shutdown without needing to use a mouse. However, on Windows 8, I need the mouse to ...
55
votes
14answers
59k views
What is the Windows equivalent of Wget?
How can I download something from the web directly without Internet Explorer or Firefox opening Acrobat Reader/Quicktime/MS Word/whatever?
I'm using Windows, so a Windows version of Wget would ...
54
votes
13answers
1k views
Missing computer?
I'm trying to find a computer at work that we can't find the physical location of. There's no documentation in the inventory of it but it responds to nslookup, ping, and i can log onto it and edit its ...
53
votes
10answers
3k views
Securely erasing all data from a hard drive
I am about to sell my old desktop PC and I am cautious about some of my sensitive information being available to the purchaser, even after reformatting the hard-drive, using data recovery software.
...
53
votes
4answers
5k views
Is there a tool that can determine the file type from containing data?
I sometimes get files from my clients that have the wrong file extension. For example, the name is image.jpg but the file is actually a TIFF image. In many cases I can clarify it by opening the file ...
52
votes
3answers
28k views
What Tiling Window Manager for Windows do you recommend? [closed]
What is the best tiling window manager for Windows?
I'm looking for something like awesome.
It would be nice if it removes the title bar and has "comfortable" shortcut keys (for me that's vi keys, ...
51
votes
6answers
28k views
How to make SUBST mapping persistent across reboots?
Does Windows (XP or later) have a built-in way to create persitent drive mappings, like the ones SUBST creates? I found a 3rd party tool psubst. Is there a way to do it without 3rd party tools?
51
votes
8answers
130k views
How to stop jucheck from running? Java won't remember “Check for Updates Automatically” setting
I've installed Java on Windows Vista, and every day I get a Vista security warning asking me if I want to run "jucheck". Apparently this is the Java automatic updater.
Well, I don't want it to run ...
51
votes
11answers
39k views
Should I keep my swap file on an SSD drive?
I'm considering getting an SSD drive to run as the primary OS partition. As I understand, this should provide a substantial improvement in performance. My question is this: Should I leave the swap ...
49
votes
4answers
3k views
Is a file system just the layout of folders?
I have used Windows since childhood, and when I hear the phrase "Windows filesystem" I think of directories (folders) within directories, a folder called SYSTEM, a folder called PROGRAM FILES etc. Is ...
49
votes
4answers
793k views
How do I locate the MAC address of my computer?
I am unable to locate the MAC address in a new computer with Windows 7. I've tried ipconfig /all in the console to which I got no items match your search. I also tried getmac. A screen flashed very ...
49
votes
1answer
1k views
How is a program that's not in my path being run? [duplicate]
Possible Duplicate:
Why am I able to execute a program that is not in my PATH environment variable?
I was teaching a coworker about %PATH% and found that if I run "Firefox", it works, but ...
48
votes
15answers
3k views
How is the computer able to save things before it crashes?
I was under the impression that when a computer has crashed, something went wrong and it can't perform anymore.
I was wondering how is the computer able to save things before it crashes?
Is the ...
48
votes
3answers
3k views
Why is the 64-bit version of Windows bigger than the 32-bit version?
The difference in size for the Windows 8 Consumer Preview ISO images, between the 64 bit and the 32 versions is 800 Mb or a difference of 24%.
I've never seen a difference so large.
Why is there ...
47
votes
9answers
212k views
How to install Windows 7 from the network?
Is it possible to install Windows 7 (Current RTM Version) on a computer without using removable media like DVD or USB?
The first thing that comes to my mind is through the network, but I don't have ...
46
votes
3answers
2k views
Does “Stopping” USB drives actually affect the drive?
I have always just unplugged my USB drives from my computer for years and nothing bad has happened; but I heard that you are supposed to use "Safely Remove Hardware" before removing a drive. What does ...
45
votes
10answers
19k views
Looking for MD5 utility that integrates to Windows
Is there any small utility that integrates with the Windows shell and computes md5 of files on demand? I'm too lazy to launch the command line :D.
Edit: Just found this with a Google search on "md5 ...
45
votes
7answers
26k views
Menu command stuck on screen
For some reason, periodically when I select a menu command, the command label gets "stuck" on the screen and won't go away. I can close all open applications, including whichever one I was using when ...
45
votes
6answers
48k views
Is there an alternative Skype client? [closed]
I don't like Skype for a zillion of reasons. But I'm "forced" to use it. Is there an alternative client out there for Windows? Voice or video chat doesn't have to work, just the IM part would be ...
44
votes
9answers
51k views
How can I add an item to the 'new' context menu?
When I right click anywhere I get an option to add a new file file a specified extension. I would like to add some custom files into this menu, so I can right click and create a new PHP file for ...
44
votes
11answers
2k views
Was Windows 95 an Operating System? [closed]
This question maybe a bit historical, but we didn't have Superuser at the time.
Around 2000 when I was starting my Computer science degree, a subject was Operating systems. The teacher asked us to ...
44
votes
3answers
10k views
What is the difference between shell, console, and terminal?
I'm confused with the terminology. What is the difference between shell, console, and terminal?
42
votes
6answers
7k views
Is it possible to run Windows without GUI?
I'm just wondering if it is possible to run Windows without its GUI like Linux—with just the virtual terminal (tty)
The reason behind this is that my Windows 7 box often freezes whenever some ...
42
votes
15answers
7k views
Which duplicate files and folders finders exist for Windows? [closed]
I need a free duplicate file finder/remover app, with ability to find duplicate files/folders by name and/or by size and to remove one of duplicates.
