What does that mean to you as the user? You’ll often have the option of turning hardware acceleration on or off in your applications. So how useful is hardware acceleration, and what does it do? What Is Hardware Acceleration (Simple Edition) Here’s a simple explanation of hardware acceleration. Skip to the next section for an in-depth look at the process. The CPU in your computer can solve just about any type of mathematical problem....

Unfortunately, many Windows 11 users report that either the widgets panel or widgets themselves may not work sometimes. Troubleshooting the root cause is not always simple. In this article, we’ll explore various fixes you can try to get those Windows 11 widgets working again. 1. Enable or Re-enable Widgets The easiest fix that usually works is making sure widgets are enabled on your Windows 11 system, or disabling and then re-enabling widgets....

The best media players don’t just provide crisp visuals and sound but also features like fast loading times, intuitive user interfaces, and smooth UI design. So, to help make life easier (and more entertaining!), we’ve rounded up our top ten list of the best video players for Windows 11 PCs. 1. CyberLink PowerDVD: Best Overall Player Price: Free Patented TrueTheater technology Supports all major file formats Enhanced Blu-ray and DVD playback Ad-free YouTube you can watch offline Designed for PC, TV, and mobile devices...

But what about data stored locally on your computer or mobile device? If someone got their hands on your storage media, could they recover information that you’ve deleted? In case you didn’t know, most of the time “deleting” information from your hard drive, SD card or phone’s internal storage doesn’t actually destroy the data. Instead, that part of the disk is simply marked as “free space” so that new data can be written over it....

Fortunately, there are steps you can take to improve or fix the problem outright. In this post, we’ll show you some of the ways you can get your laptop fan working like normal. Fix Noisy Fans A noisy fan means your laptop is being pushed to its limits. Usually by a program that’s taxing on your onboard RAM. That or maybe the fan just needs some attention. Unlike desktop fans, which have more room to breathe, laptop fans are smaller....

It’s a different story with Windows, figuring out what you need and what you don’t. Well, we’re going to help you with that right now. Here are seven of our favorite apps to download on any fresh install of Windows. IOBit Uninstaller or PC Decrapifier Why is a program to uninstall other programs the first thing recommended? Windows 10 installs with a lot of software that you probably don’t need....

However, coming up with a bunch of random complicated passwords can also backfire when you simply can’t remember them all. So how do you stay on top of your security and keep all your important data safe? We have a few good password tools for you to explore. Use a Password Manager One of the less complicated ways to stay on top of your security is using a password manager....

Using the command prompt (CMD), you can see a list of every wireless network your computer has ever connected to and their passwords. This article details how you can find out the WiFi password or change WiFi settings using CMD. We also created a short YouTube video that goes over some of the information below in case you don’t feel like reading a bunch of text. Be sure to check it out and subscribe to our sister-site Online Tech Tips YouTube channel!...

Once you’re done reading this article, you’ll understand what a blockchain database is and why it represents an amazing new technology that could transform many industries. What Is a Blockchain? The foundational piece of a blockchain database is something called a blockchain. If you ask most tech bloggers out there, they’ll say “a blockchain is a distributed ledger”. But what’s a “distributed ledger”? Think of it like an identical data file that’s stored on a bunch of computers across the world all at the same time....

Most mainstream TVs and monitors have multiple HDMI inputs, but sometimes it’s just not enough. An automatic HDMI switch might be just the ticket, but how do they work? What is HDMI? HDMI or High Definition Multimedia Interface is a standard for modern digital display devices. It’s the most widespread type of connection and you’ll find it on everything from laptops to game consoles. There are three connection sizes: standard, mini and micro....

Adding Microsoft Teams to Outlook is as straightforward as it gets, and only requires you to download both applications to your device. No more switching between multiple apps to coordinate schedules. Add Microsoft Teams to Outlook (Windows and Mac) The good news about integrating Teams with Microsoft Outlook is that the process is seamless, courtesy of Microsoft’s advanced ecosystem. When you install both applications on your device, the Microsoft Teams Add-in is added automatically to Outlook, allowing you to conveniently access Microsoft Teams right from the ribbon....

There are a few areas though where these utilities fall short. One of these is you can’t capture full page screenshots of the webpages in your browser. The tools will only capture the part of the screen that is visible and they won’t let you take scrolling screenshots of the sites. Fortunately, two of the popular web browsers – Chrome and Firefox – have both built-in options as well as third-party extensions to let you capture full page screenshots....

By default, Microsoft Word matches its display and editing languages with your computer’s system language. In Word for Windows, however, you can easily have different languages available. If you use Word for macOS or Word Online, you can still change the display and editing languages, although the process isn’t straightforward and convenient as on PC. Change Language in Word for Windows Word for Windows allows you to set a display and editing language independent of the system language through the program’s Options configuration pane....

Spotify’s queue lets you switch from Iron Maiden to Beethoven with ease, allowing you to queue up hours or even days worth of music and playlists to listen to manually, one song or playlist after another. However, if you need to clear a queue on Spotify, it’s an easy enough process. How to Clear Your Queue on Spotify Using the Desktop App on PC or Mac If you’re using the desktop app on PC or Mac to listen to Spotify, you can clear your Spotify queue by following these simple steps....

Macros are a series of pre-recorded commands. They run automatically when a specific command is given. If you have tasks in Microsoft Excel that you repeatedly do, such as accounting, project management, or payroll, automating these processes can save a lot of time. Under the Developer tab on the Ribbon in Excel, users can record mouse clicks and keystrokes (macros). However, some functions require more in-depth scripting than macros can provide....

Thanks to two-factor authentication, however, you can protect your Steam account by requiring a one-use code to sign in to your Steam account. This is called Steam Guard, and you should enable it on your account if you’re worried about your Steam security. If you want to enable Steam Guard, here’s what you’ll need to know. What Is Steam Guard? Steam Guard is Steam’s two-factor authentication (2FA) system for user accounts....

Common causes of this error include problematic device drivers, corrupt Windows files, malicious apps, and minor system glitches. We’ll offer methods to fix these issues, so your device works with your computer. Reconnect the Device to Your Windows 10/11 PC When you face a connection error, the first thing to do is to unplug and replug your device into your PC. This ensures your connection isn’t loose and the device is properly connected....

What Is IAStorDataSvc? Iastordatasvc (Intel Storage Data Service) is a major component of the Windows operating system used by the pre-installed Intel Rapid Storage Technology (RST). The process helps to save all your frequently used apps and files automatically onto the solid-state drive (SSD) so you can access them much faster. If you’re a home user and don’t use a SSD on your PC, it’s fine to disable or uninstall the Iastordatasvc process as it’s mostly used in Enterprise, server, and high-end systems....

Regardless, you can fix this update issue yourself by applying a few basic fixes to your system. These fixes resolve the underlying problems that cause your updates to fail, and you can then successfully update your PC to the latest version of Windows 11/10. If your PC doesn’t boot in normal mode, boot the PC in safe mode to perform the following procedures. Run the Windows Update Troubleshooter Windows 11/10 comes loaded with several troubleshooters, and you can use these to find and fix various issues on your system....

But, the “Unmountable Boot Volume” stop code, in particular, can be tricky to deal with since data corruption is often the cause of the issue. In almost all cases, a restart or hard reboot will do nothing to bypass the error. If you’re stuck in an “Unmountable Boot Volume” boot loop, you must use the Windows Recovery Environment (WinRE) to check and repair instances of corrupted data on your computer....