RocketDock is an application launcher for Windows modeled after the Mac OS X launch toolbar. It’s a dock that sits along an edge of your screen and contains a collection of shortcuts that expand when you hover over them and launch programs when clicked. You can easily add shortcuts to programs, files, documents, folders, and even actions to the dock. The look of the dock is customizable using themes and icons....

Once a week we round up some of the responses we’ve fired off to How-To Geek readers and share them with everyone. This week we’re looking at how to move the default location for documents in Windows 7, backing up Android, and multi-monitor taskbars in Windows 7. How Do I Move “My Documents” To A Secondary Disk? Dear Default Swapper, I have been reading your site avidly for almost a year....

If you’re wondering what have been taking up space on your hard disk, then you have come to the right place. In today’s article, we’ll show you how to get rid of unneeded files from your computer. First of all let’s find out what’s hogging your hard disk. We recommend that you download SpaceSniffer. Once you start it up, it will map your hard drive, and shows big files and folder in your system....

The Windows Store is similar to the app stores for Apple iOS and Android devices and Windows phones. It allows you to buy and download both free and paid Metro-style apps for Windows 8. When you purchase an app from the Windows Store, it can be installed on up to five Windows PCs or tablets. A Microsoft email account is also required to download and install apps from the Windows store....

Every week we crack open the tips box and share some of the best reader tips. This week we’re looking at android browser zooming, caffeine power naps, and customizing the boot screens on Android devices. Double Tap to Zoom in the Android Browser Mike writes in with his fresh Android find: You’re right Mike, while the tip may be old for Android veterans I think it’s safe to say that every Android user had their “Ah hah!...

If you want to give your retro game playing a properly retro look, this great mod uses the shell of an SNES system to house an emulator that plays games from over eight different systems. Instructables user Vigo The Carpathian wanted to play retro games, with retro controllers, and have it all look authentic. To that end he gutted an SNES case, packed it with a microATX board, made some interesting mods (like a USB-to-SNES port adaption), and loaded it up with emulators to play games from the NES, Super NES, N64, Neo Geo, Gameboy Advance, Commodore 64, Sega Genesis, arcade systems and more....

Last week we took a look at some of the basics to installing and upgrading a hard disk in your PC. This week, we’re going to look at the many problems that pop up when install a new drive. Installing a disk is one of the easier upgrades you can perform, but it’s not without its headaches. In this edition of Hardware Upgrade, we’ll try and quickly squash as many common problems that we can....

Windows 8 comes with its new Metro Start Screen, which makes it easy to launch your Metro apps from that screen, but did you know you can access them from Windows Explorer too? Here’s how to do it. To get started you need to create a shortcut, so right-click on the desktop, and choose New –> Shortcut. When you are asked for the location of the item, use the following:...

As of Ubuntu 11.04, the bottom panel was removed from when the Unity desktop was added. When you minimize a program, it goes to the launcher, and you must scroll to access it, or press Alt + Tab. You may be used to the Taskbar in Windows, viewing all your open programs and accessing minimized programs with the click of your mouse. You can get this functionality on the Unity desktop in Ubuntu 11....

Opera provides several options for what displays when you open the browser. You can start with your Home page or Speed Dial, continue with the same tabs and windows from your last session, or continue with a session saved in Opera’s built-in session manager. You can choose to display a dialog box when Opera starts that provides these options. To do this, enter “opera:config” (without the quotes) in the address bar in Opera and press Enter....

One of the great things about most system utilities is their portability. Many simply are distributed directly as an exe or in a zip file and are ready to use with no install required. Because of the simplicity of use, these types of applications are easily updated, however many lack any form of auto-update capability. Our UpdateFromWeb script solves this problem as it makes installing updates to portable applications, or any file available via the web for that matter, an automated process....

Ubuntu includes Déjà Dup, an integrated backup tool, but some people prefer Back In Time instead. Back In Time has several advantages over Déjà Dup, including a less-opaque backup format, integrated backup file browser, and more configurability. Déjà Dup still has a few advantages, notably its optional encryption and simpler interface, but Back In Time gives Déjà Dup a run for its money. Installation Back In Time is available in Ubuntu’s Software Center....

The new Ubuntu 11.04 Natty Narwhal uses a Global Menu which puts the applications menus (File, Edit ,View…) on the top panel. In Firefox, this also removes the Firefox menu button in the upper left corner of the browser window. If you liked that menu button and would like to get it back then you are lucky because it can be done in just 2 easy steps! First Step: Open the add-ons manager by going to “Tools > Add-ons” or you can press the shortcut keys “Ctrl + Shift + A”...

There is a small change to the Control Panel in Windows 8 and Windows 10 that involves splitting the Region and Language applet into two separate applets. This makes changing your keyboard layout a little more tricky than previous versions of Windows. Changing Your Keyboard Layout in Windows 8 or Windows 10 The first thing we need to do is launch the classic Control Panel, you can do this by pressing the Win + R keyboard combination and selecting Control Panel from the context menu....

Compatibility mode in IE is a feature that helps you view webpages that were designed for previous versions of the browser, however having it enabled can break newer sites that were designed for modern browsers. Here’s how to disable it and make sure it only runs for older sites. Getting Internet Explorer Out of Compatibility Mode Open up Internet Explorer and press the Alt key on your keyboard, this will make a menu bar appear....

Ever take one of those photos that’s great, except for a bunch of shadows that ruin the image? Here’s how to salvage that shot and bring the detail back out of those shadows in a few quick seconds. With this Photoshop and GIMP friendly method, you can turn those frustrating “almost perfect” photos into great images. So, let’s dive in, and see what we can do about all those shadows....

If you’re a Linux user, there’s a good chance you can’t live without virtual desktops. They’re a great way to organize your workspace. Dexpot brings virtual desktops to Windows, complete with 3D effects and extensive customizability. Windows has always been behind when it comes to virtual desktops. Even Microsoft’s own Virtual Desktop Manager power toy had some rough edges. Installation Dexpot is free, but only for private use. If you’re using it on your home system, you’re good to go....

If you long for the days of GNOME 2 and just can’t get along with Unity or GNOME 3, MATE is here to save you. It’s an actively developed fork of GNOME 2, and it’s easily installable on Ubuntu. MATE isn’t available in Ubuntu’s repositories, but the MATE developers offer an official repository for Ubuntu. Unlike some methods that recommend you use Linux Mint’s repository on Ubuntu, this won’t mess up your system....

Kube-Score is a Kubernetes static analysis tool which lints your resources to identify security and reliability issues. Running Kube-Score before you apply manifests to your cluster can help you identify pain points before they turn into real problems. Getting Started Kube-Score’s offered in several installation formats. Pre-built binaries are available for Windows, macOS, and Linux from GitHub. Alternatively, you can use the Brew package manager on macOS (brew install kube-score/tap/kube-score), or add Kube-Score as a kubectl plugin (kubectl krew install score)....

Windows 8 will ship with the Metro version of Internet Explorer as well as the normal desktop version. Unfortunately, the immersive version is the default web browser and you might not want that on a desktop or laptop. Setting the Desktop Version of Internet Explorer as Default The settings for both versions of Internet Explorer seem to be controlled by Internet Options available through the desktop version. So open the desktop version of Internet Explorer and click on the tools button and choose Internet options from the menu....