Category: Tech Tips

In an effort to prevent you from deleting or modifying files that you really shouldn’t be changing without proper knowledge, Windows has hidden these files from view by default. The average user won’t know the difference, at least not until there’s a problem.

What happens when you need to access these files?
Whether you’re trying to troubleshoot a Windows problem, or just need to edit or delete one of these hidden files, they’re surprisingly easy to access when you need it. The process for viewing hidden files on Windows will depend on which operating system you are currently using. Let’s talk about the steps of each system.

Tip: You can test your preference update by searching the C: drive for a folder named ProgramData. If it appears, your hidden files are visible, and if not, they are hidden.

Tip: You can test your preference update by searching the C: drive for a folder named ProgramData. If it appears, your hidden files are visible, and if not, they are hidden.

Tip: You can test your preference update by opening the C: drive and seeing if there are different types of folders starting with $NtUninstallKB. If so, your hidden files are visible, and if not, they are hidden.

What if I want to hide hidden files again?
If at any point, you want to hide files again, simply follow the same steps above, according to your operating system, and select the opposite to Hide hidden files, folders, and drives.

What if I want to hide one of my own files?
> Hide any file or folder is even easier process. Simply right-click on the file or folder and choose Properties. You can then toggle the Hidden feature on or off. In Windows 8 and 10, you can use the Hide Selected Items button on the ribbon to make the process even faster.

What about protected operating system files?
Some files hidden by Windows have an extra layer of protection. These files will remain hidden even when you follow the steps above to show hidden files and folders. Before revealing these files, it is important to note that modifying or deleting them can cause serious damage to your operating system.

If you’re confident that you know what you’re doing, and you need to view these highly protected files, there’s a way to do it. Just follow the same steps listed above, except looking for the Show hidden files selection, you’ll need to locate the Hide protected operating system files selection and turn it off.

> While doing so, you will be prompted with a warning and you will need to click Yes to continue. You can then click OK to save your settings. Of course, once you no longer need access to these files, you can (and you should) always follow the same steps to turn this setting back on.

Have you ever wondered if your iPhone has a secret menu similar to an Android smartphone? This trick may not be as useful as the user interface or graphical tweaks that the Android operating system (or for that matter, jailbroken iPhones) offers but this secret menu is interesting nonetheless.

It even has a nice graphical tweak that some iPhone users might find extra useful.

It is very easy to get access to this iPhone secret menu. Keep reading to learn the simple steps!

This code opens a secret menu filled with your iPhone’s hidden field test data. Once it’s successfully processed, it will display information about your iPhone’s cell connection, its quality, and even your mobile IP address.

If cute terms like “neighbor measurement,” “connected mode LTE intra-frequency measurement” or “serving cell information” sound like geeky vague, don’t worry, this menu really isn’t for average users.

Since it is full of detailed data about cell towers, it is more than likely for engineers conducting field tests or cell site surveys. (For example, the PDP reference information contains information about your carrier’s access point name, APN, and your mobile IP address.)

placing numerical signal indicator

For the casual iPhone tinkerer, the most useful feature on this incognito menu is its use of a numerical signal strength indicator instead of the standard signal bar.

With it, you’ll see a decibel value (for example, -115 for a weak signal or -50 for a good one) instead of signal strength in the upper-left corner of your screen.

To bring your signal bar back to standard points, simply enter Field Test Mode again and simply exit it (by pressing the Home button) or you can reboot your iPhone.

Note: For accurate cell tower readings, it is recommended that you turn off your iPhone’s Wi-Fi.

Warning. Although Fields menu items are read-only and immutable, this trial mode is for professionals and, in some cases, may have the potential to disrupt your cell service.

If you’re wondering where your teen is really doing this summer, relax. They are locked on a remote island.

killing each other.

Twenty-seven years ago, a young video game developer named Tim Sweeney built Epic Games in his parents’ basement. For years, the company produced minor hits. Last year, Sweeney released an online game called Fortnite. Players parachute onto a deserted island, and then proceed to kill each other.

Fortnite is now in its fifth edition. But this year Sweeney did the unexpected.

He freed the game. And it made him a billionaire. Players play for free, but they must use real money in the outside world to buy currency to be used inside the game to buy weapons and, of course, spend their entire summer trying to kill the other guy. Fortnight is on its way to earn $2 billion this year.

And that’s what your kids are doing.

Tiffany Floyd was 16 years old. She starred in plays and played basketball with her summer theater camp so well that her coaches thought she would excel in the sport in college and beyond.

Nailah Linear was also 16 years old. She loved dancing and planned to try out for her high school’s cheerleading team.

Lamourie Gaithings was 17 years old. He never missed a fishing trip with his father and wanted to be a Louisville police officer when he grew up.

None of them will ever get those opportunities.

All three were among 17 children and teens killed in Louisville so far this year, the youngest casualties in a devastating public health crisis from runaway gun violence.

More children were killed from January 1 to August 11 than in the whole of 2020, when 16 children and teens under 18 were the victims of the city’s record-high 173 homicides.

Everyone died of bullets except this year’s child. At least 65 other teenagers were injured in the shootout.

Legend Talifero, a 4-year-old boy who loved dinosaurs and basketball, was sleeping on the floor in an apartment in Kansas City, Missouri, when he was shot on June 29, 2020. A person who was involved in a dispute. Legend’s father awaits trial for second-degree murder. A probable cause statement said the suspected shooter was trying to find Legend’s father after that brawl.

“Why do we have to resort to violence because we are insane?” Legend’s mother, Charon Powell, asks. “What other way can we find a problem without harming anyone?”

In St. Louis, 9-year-old Kaion Greene died in March after someone set her family’s car on fire. There is a 17-year-old accused in this crime. Police and prosecutors declined to discuss a motive or say what led to the shooting.

In May, two Minneapolis children were shot and killed. Nine-year-old Trinity Ottoson-Smith was shot in the head while jumping on a trampoline. Police said she was the unintended victim of a bullet shot aimed at someone else. No arrests have been made. Six-year-old Ania Allen was shot when her mother drove her car through a gunfight.

On October 2 in Milwaukee, an 11-year-old girl was killed and a 5-year-old girl was injured when someone shot into their family’s car from another vehicle. Police did not say whether they knew the motive and were seeking information from the public.

Online shopping is one of the best innovations that has come from the Internet. You can buy anything you want without leaving the house or facing the crowd. Even better, you can get your purchases done at your doorstep in just a few days or in some cases the same day.

A good bet is that you shop a lot on Amazon too. After all, it is by far the largest online store and carries almost everything. As a knowledgeable online buyer, you probably know that you can set up alerts so that you know when the price of an item drops.

However, there are some other fun little tricks you might not know about that could make your online shopping easier or save you money. Here are five tips any Amazon user can appreciate. We will also offer a bonus for Amazon Prime customers.

1. Availability Alerts
Knowing when the price of an item drops is great, but what if the item you want to buy isn’t even in stock? You don’t want to check back to see when it’s available. Who has time?

Luckily, if you look right next to the product’s title you’ll see a button that says, “Email me.” Click on it and Amazon will let you know when the item is back in stock. If you want to manage your alerts later, log in to your account and go to the Availability Alerts area.

2. Text Shipment Alerts
The Internet has made it possible not only to order something, but to watch its entire progress from the warehouse to your doorstep. Of course, this includes going to your computer and viewing it.

If you want to send regular updates to your phone, you can sign up for shipment updates via text. Amazon will send you regular updates on your package. Don’t worry, it is active only between 10 AM to 11 PM. Eastern so it won’t wake you up in the middle of the night.

3. Email Subscription
It’s fun browsing online stores for products and seeing new and exciting things. In fact, it’s more fun than going to the regular store because you can be on the couch in your PJs. Plus, you get to read hilarious reviews.

On the other hand, random browsing means that you often miss out on new products or great deals. You must have seen the right place at the right time. Instead, send the deals you want to know about, straight to your inbox.

Go to Amazon’s e-mail subscription page and select the categories you want to watch, such as Amazon Video, Books, DVDs, Deals and more. You’ll receive email alerts when new products are added, products become bestsellers or great new deals. If you receive too many emails, you can always unsubscribe from the ones you don’t want.

4. Turn Off Personalized Ads
You know those personalized ads that pop up on Amazon and then follow you across the rest of the Internet by showing you items you’ve already seen? We’ve told you how to stop them on Facebook and Google, and now we’re going to tell you for Amazon.

Click this link and select “Do not personalize ads from Amazon for this Internet browser” and then click Submit. That’s all there is to it, but now you’ll only see generic ads, not ads that are following you online.

Oh, by the way, while you’re in your Amazon settings, be sure to check your public profile. Whenever you create an account, Amazon automatically creates it for you. It’s only going to show reviews and public wish lists, but double check to make sure it’s not sharing something you don’t want people to see.

5. Earn Extra Money
When you’re browsing Amazon, you may come across things you already have and don’t really want anymore. Check just below the “Add to Cart” button on the product page and you might see a “Sell on Amazon” button.

This allows you to list your item for sale and earn some money back. You can then use that money to buy something else. Plus, you can sign up for Amazon Flex, a program that lets you earn money by delivering Amazon packages.

Are old phones, tablets, and other gear just sitting there? Amazon has one way to sell them, but click here to learn more about trading in your goods for Amazon credit.

Bonus: Amazon Prime Share Shipping
If you have Amazon Prime, you know the joy of free two-day shipping. Why not share that happiness with your friends and family? It is better to give than to give.

Go to the Manage Prime Membership page and scroll down to the “Share Your Prime Benefits” section. You can create an Amazon household and share Prime benefits with other adults and up to four children, like two-day shipping, Amazon Video, and more.

What does Google mean to you? Perhaps you search the Internet in a similar way, or maybe Google Docs is your main word processing program. It’s only your email provider? As far as many people go with Google, but the tech giant offers much more than that.

Google fans looking to get the most out of their online experience will know that there are so many new worlds to discover, especially when it comes to Docs, Google’s online office suite.

Let’s dive into some of Google’s unseen capabilities. We’ll take a look at what you can do with Google Docs, but also check out some fun extras from elsewhere in the Google universe.

go beyond text documents
Google Docs is much more than just a word processor, it’s a whole suite of programs that have steadily become more powerful over the years of development. Expand your horizons the next time you need to start a spreadsheet, create a presentation, create a form, or create a digital drawing. All of these options are open to you when you start a new project in Docs.

You can use Google’s easy-to-use templates for everything from resumes to brochures to book reports. You can find these on your main Google Docs page. These tools are especially useful for people who have a budget that doesn’t have access to a suite like Microsoft Office.

Concerned about privacy? Here’s how to erase everything you searched for on Google.

direct google docs
Why type when you can just speak your mind instead? Google Docs will take dictation as long as you have a microphone connected to your computer and you are using the Chrome browser. Go to the Tools menu and select “Voice Typing” to get started. Your browser may ask for permission to use your mic.

Dictation works surprisingly well if you take the time to speak clearly and don’t rush. You can add basic punctuation by saying “period,” “comma,” “exclamation point,” “question mark,” “new line,” or “new paragraph.” If you want to use voice typing a lot, it’s wise to brush up on some of its more advanced capabilities with Google’s voice-command guide.

collaborate with others
Working in Google Docs doesn’t mean you have to fly alone. It offers some powerful collaboration options that let you share documents. Check out the “Share” option and you can either invite people directly or get a shareable link for your document. You can specify whether collaborators can only read a document, just comment on it, or if they can even edit it.

To help keep track of changes, you can go to the File menu and select “Version History.” From here, you can choose the name of the version you’re working on or view the history to see who did what and when. Collaboration is great for working teams, but you can also use it in your personal life. You can bring the whole family together to plan a birthday party or work on a holiday dinner menu via Google Docs.

translate entire document
You just wrote a Google Docs report in English, but you need to share it with someone who speaks Spanish. Go to Tools menu, select “Translate document” and choose which language you want. Google will create the translation in a separate document. Just keep in mind that machine translation isn’t perfect, but it can usually fill the idea.

translate by drawing
In addition to Docs, Google offers a different way to translate a foreign language. Go to Google Translate in your browser or open the Google Translate app on your mobile device. In your browser, look for a drop-down menu below the translation box that lets you select handwriting as the input tool. In the app, it looks like a little pen icon. Now you can type any word or symbol in another language and get the translation.

Learn about Google Lens
Lens is one of the new tools from Google. It first came to Android, but more recently it has been rolled out for iOS devices as well. The main way to access Lens is through the Google Photos app, although you can also find it tied to Google Assistant on some major phones.

To use Lens, open your Photos app, select an image, and select the icon that looks like an unfinished square with a dot in the middle and a smaller dot in the lower right corner. Lens will analyze the picture and offer the relevant search results.

Lens has some nifty capabilities beyond just the search function. It can recognize cat and dog breeds, identify flowers, scan business cards to add to your contacts (for Android phones), tell you more about landmarks, and even That also helps you add events to your calendar when you photograph a flyer.

You love your Apple iPhone. This is your constant companion. It wakes you up in the morning, keeps you in touch with your loved ones throughout the day, and keeps you entertained when you have downtime.

It has become an essential item that goes with you everywhere and gives you a sense of security. Think about a time you forgot your phone – you were probably terrified! How many people do you know who have gone for a walk halfway to their destination because they somehow left their iPhone at home?

We get it, it’s a great gadget. But all that goodwill can go out the window when you hit one of the iPhone’s annoyances. Here are some of the major complaints and how to fix them.

1. Difficult to use with one hand
Problem: The great big screens on the iPhone 8 Plus and iPhone X are wonderful for watching videos, playing games, and using apps, but everything that displays real estate is a challenge when you try to use it with one hand become. Your thumb can’t reach everything.

Solution: Use One-handed keyboard feature in iOS 11. You can test this by opening iMessages or any other Apple app that uses the keyboard. Press and hold the emoji button to the right of the “123” button. At the bottom of the pop-up, select either the keyboard icon on the right or the left (the center icon puts it back in the middle). This will crowd the keyboard to one side, making it easier to reach all the keys with just one thumb.

Another helpful option is to get a case with a strap or grip on the back that you tuck your fingers into. This gives you a lot of range without the worry of dropping your smartphone.

2. You want to customize Control Center
Problem: The new iOS 11 Control Center gives you a convenient way to open apps, turn on Airplane Mode, control your music, adjust screen brightness, and access other settings. However, customizing the Control Center icon that runs along the bottom isn’t very intuitive.

Solution: You can’t just press and hold the icons and move them around on the home screen as you can. Instead, go to Settings, choose Control Center, and choose “Customize Controls.” Here, you can add and remove controls and set it up to your liking. To rearrange the order, touch and hold the bar on the far right of the controls.

3. Face ID won’t unlock when your iPhone X is sitting flat
Problem: While Face ID is a cool feature that helps justify the iPhone X’s hefty price tag, it doesn’t always work as smoothly as you’d like. Some iPhone X users have noticed a problem with it working when the phone is sitting flat on a table and they lean down to try to unlock it.

Solution: There are a few ways to deal with this issue. First, you can hold and hold the phone to mimic how you looked when you first trained the iPhone X to recognize your face. You can also put the phone on a stand (you can even get a Qi charging stand for convenience), which is handy when you often need to unlock it while sitting at your desk or kitchen table at home.

Another option is to try to retrain the iPhone to recognize your face from a different angle. Go to Settings, look for Face ID option and select “Reset Face ID”. Follow the reset procedure, but hold the phone slightly down instead of directly in front of your face. If it doesn’t work the way you want, you’ll have to get into the habit of picking up your phone to unlock it.

4. You miss a headphone jack
Problem: While Apple is essentially pushing us towards the wireless world, many people still have wired headphones they would like to use with their new iPhones.

Solution: You don’t have to throw away your favorite headphones. Jack-less iPhones come with a Lightning-to-3.5mm adapter. If you’ve lost yours, Apple offers a replacement for $9, or you can pick up one from another manufacturer.

The Apple solution has some drawbacks. It doesn’t support a lot of audio controls and in-line mics built into third-party headphones, which can add to your level of annoyance. There are also some third-party Lightning adapters available, some of which allow you to charge your phone and use the 3.5mm port at the same time (which eliminates another minor source of annoyance). You can also buy a Bluetooth adapter if you want to get a little closer to the wireless lifestyle.

5. You Miss the Home Button
Problem: Only headphone jack is not missing from iPhone X. The home button you’ve been using for years is also absent. Apple replaced this with a navigational gesture, which can take some adjustments if you’re not used to it.

Solution: Turn on the Virtual Home button using the iOS Assistive Touch feature, which can be found in the Accessibility section of the General Settings on your iPhone. Turn this feature on, then customize how it works. For example, you can set the single-tap setting to “Home.”

Summer is fast coming to an end. You know what that means. Yes, school time is back for kids.

Students these days have access to more learning tools than ever before. With so much advancement in technology, he has a whole world of knowledge in the palm of his hand. There are apps available that can help children of all ages reach their highest educational potential.

Going back to school also affects parents, mainly in their pocketbooks. Don’t worry, there are apps that can help with this too.

Let’s take a look at three essential apps for getting back to school.

myHomework Student Planner

Keeping track of each assignment and when they are due can be a struggle for students. Back in the day, we needed a spare notebook to hand write down everything we needed to do. And you know how easy it is to lose paperwork.

With the MyHomework app, students can stay on top of homework with the help of their gadgets. It is the perfect replacement for that paper student planner, school diary or academic agenda.

The app’s simple interface makes it great for all levels of education, from middle school, high school, and even college. It has features that make it easy to use for high school students with block class schedules. Keeping track of assignments has never been this easy.

With the free version of the MyHomework app, students and parents can track classes, homework, tests and assignments. There’s also a beautiful calendar display and it supports time, block, and duration-based schedules. It works on smartphones and tablets.

You can download this app for free for both iOS and Android devices. The free version comes with ads; However, there is a premium ad-free version for only $4.99 per year.

Click here to download the myHomework app for iOS. Click here to download the app for Android.

Khan Academy

The academic world is super competitive. If your child intends to attend an elite university, he or she needs to start preparing years in advance.

Discipline and great grades are just a few of the requirements to be accepted. It is a good idea for children to get as much information as possible on as many subjects as possible.

That’s where the Khan Academy app can help. You can learn a wide range of topics for free!

Its mission is to provide free, world-class education for anyone, anywhere. There are no ads or subscriptions that you need to pay for.

You’ll find practice exercises, instructional videos and a personalized learning dashboard that enables learners to study at their own pace, in and out of the classroom.

Khan Academy’s Mathematics goal is to guide students from kindergarten to calculus using state-of-the-art, adaptive technology that identifies strengths and learning gaps. Millions of students from around the world learn at their own pace every day.

The site has partnered with a number of institutions, such as NASA, The Museum of Modern Art, and MIT, to offer exclusive content.

There are also free tools available for parents and teachers to help them understand what their children or students are going through and how to help them.

Click here to download the free Khan Academy app for iOS. Click here to download the free app for Android.

Going back to school is about much more than academics. It is also where children and young adults learn to socialize with people outside their families.

That means kids want to look their best when they show up on the first day of class. As you know, buying clothes for the school year can be expensive. And clothes are just the tip of the iceberg. You’ll also need to buy school supplies and maybe some new electronics.

The Ebates app can help you save serious money on many of these purchases. Shop and save money with cash back rewards, coupons, online discounts, offers and sale deals. You can shop at over 2,000 retail and wholesale stores like Groupon, eBay, Kohl’s, Target and Walmart.

Sign up for a free account and you can start earning up to 40 percent cash back today! Plus, you’ll receive a $10 bonus when you make your first purchase through the Ebates app.

How big is your digital music collection? If you’re like any average person, your computer’s music library most likely contains folders of songs and folders of album files.

Similar to photos and videos, special songs and albums evoke specific feelings and memories – our very own personal life soundtrack, if you like. For most of us, protecting our music collection is as important as securing our personal files.

Look, with all the music streaming services available right now, there’s nothing quite like owning a copy of a song or album that helped shape who you are right now. Offline or online, it’s comforting to know that you can listen to your favorite iconic rock song whenever your heart desires.

But what if a dreaded computer disaster strikes? It could be anything – a nasty virus or malware, a hard drive crash, a natural disaster. The thing is, your computer and its hardware won’t last forever.

Are you sure you’re taking the right precautions to protect your data, including your music collection that took you years to build?

Back up them all in the cloud!
Let’s say you’re the careful type and like any prudent computer owner, you already have a copy of your entire music collection saved to an external hard drive. That’s great! However, external drives eventually fail as well. Even worse, if you keep the drive connected to your computer, that offers no protection against malware or natural disasters.

For more secure backup solutions, tech-savvy people are increasingly relying on cloud backup services to protect their priceless files from unexpected digital disasters.

However, with changes to some major music storage services, for example, Amazon Music’s retirement of storage subscription plans this year, many backup services are moving away from personal accounts.

So who has your back when it comes to securing your music library? Well, our sponsor IDrive, of course.

Run it again, IDrive
Why is IDrive such a great backup solution for your huge music library?

Well, if you have hundreds of gigabytes of music files, imagine how long it would take to upload them all to the cloud! It can take days, even months, to cover them all.

Luckily, IDrive has a service called IDrive Express. Other backup services clog your bandwidth when you upload your files, IDrive Express Jump starts your initial backup, using a shipped USB physical drive method!

This means you can save all your important files, including your entire music collection, locally to an IDrive Express drive, then just back them up! File upload weeks have been reduced to just hours. Now, this is really convenient!

IDrive will, by default, pre-select your computer’s default Music folder as well as your Documents and Videos folders for automatic backup. And, of course, you can select any folder or file location you want to include in your backup.

And here’s the best part about backing up your music files with IDrive. You can play your songs directly in IDrive’s iOS, Android, and desktop apps without downloading them. Yes, you can play your music directly from the cloud. It’s like your own personal music streaming service!

And in case you didn’t know, unlike other backup services that charge per device, IDrive lets you backup data on every internet enabled gadget in one account.

This means you only need one account to back up your family computers, laptops, tablets and phones. And you can even share your entire music library with them!