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Roland Waddilove
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Recover lost and deleted files in Linux

We all lose files occasionally and sometimes it is because of a disk fault and a file or folder is deleted, and sometimes it is simply human error. Unlike Windows, there aren't any easy to use point and click file recovery tools for Linux. Recovering lost and deleted files is not easy, but one tool that might possibly do the job is Photorec.

Stop Windows Update restarting the computer

Windows update sometimes needs to reboot the computer. On Windows 7 you can put off the reboot for a short time, but if you are away from your computer and leave it with programs and files open, you could return to find everything gone. Windows has installed updates and restarted. There is a way to prevent this from happening though.

Diagnose a slow PC with free System CheckUp

Iolo System CheckupUse System CheckUp to discover what's really slowing your PC down, discover hidden clutter slowing your PC down, detect errors and problems before they affect your computer's performance, detect Windows Registry errors, find areas where your PC settings could be optimised for improved speed and security, check for security vulnerabilities, scan for hard drive errors, and more!

Click to download and run System Checkup Affiliate link

Go to Windows tipsWindows tips

Customise the Windows mouse hover behaviour

Reduce the mouse sensitivity and allow it to trigger the tooltip or thumbnail even if it moves a little, and reduce the time for tooltips and thumbnails to appear, you can reduce the delay. Go there...

Create new Windows partitions with Diskpart

Diskpart might not be the first utility that springs to mind, but some command prompt tools are worth getting to know.

Virus meets its Nemesis

Panda Nemesis
One security tool is never 100% effective against all virus threats, so add a clean-up tool like Panda Nemesis.

Better Windows Search

Advanced search options, clear your search history, weird things you can type into the search box., Use Search instead of the Run box, can't find a menu? Search for it!

Remove viruses and malware with Rising PC Doctor

There is a lot of malware for Windows, but there are lots of security tools too. One you might not be familiar with is Rising PC Doctor. It's free and removes malware like spyware and Trojans, fixes security flaws and prevents malware infections. Continue reading...

Clean up with Autoruns after uninstalling software

Autoruns
Uninstallers leave things behind and they never clean up 100% of everthing there is. Autoruns can clean up after an uninstaller has finished.

Remove shortcut arrows

Some icons on the desktop or in Explorer windows have an arrow in the bottom left corner. It's is big and ugly. Wouldn't it be better if it was smaller or invisible? It is easy with a simple registry tweak.

10 quick tips for Windows 7

These tips are short and simple. You might know some of them, but do you know them all? Check them out and see.

Fix Windows 7 search by rebuilding the index

If you want to find a file on a Windows 7 PC you just click Start and type in the name. If it isn't found, maybe Windows search isn't working. Rebuild the index to solve search problems.

Speed up Windows desktop

Windows performance options
Do you need desktop composition? Why not try it without. Windows will run faster.

Recover lost files using Previous Versions

Every Mac user has heard of Time Machine, the backup facility in OS X that helps you to recover lost and deleted files, but how many Windows users are aware of Previous Versions? Here's how to use it

Use Explorer's advanced search features

We have all lost files at some time and we can't find something we saved last week or month. There are basic and advanced search facilities to find lost files.

How to back up from the command line or shortcut

A lot of people don't have backups and either they don't have the right hardware or it is too much of a hassle. You can simplify things by using Windows Backup. Add a shortcut to the desktop.

Get more Windows tips

Windows 7 tipsYou want more Windows tips and articles? Click here!

Go to Mac/OS X tipsApple tips

Repair, manage disks with Diskutil on the Mac

Disk Utility is a useful tool and it can format disks, partition them, erase them and repair them. However, it is not the only utility that is able to do this and there is a command prompt tool called diskutil that can perform all this and more. Here's an introduction to diskutil to get you started.

Protect your Mac with Avast! Antivirus Free

Avast! Antivirus Mac
Apple users have been putting off getting security software your years, but now Macs are no longer safe on the internet. Thankfully, there are some good anti virus tools available, like Avast! Free Antivirus for Mac.

Recover lost photos with EaseUS Mac Photo Recovery

If you have searched for an image and can't find it, it must have been been deleted. Recover it with Mac Photo Recovery

Recover OS X Lion Recovery partition when it's lost

Carbon Copy Cloner
It is possible to lose the recovery partition on your Mac. Have you recently checked it is still there? Let's see how to recover the recovery partition.

Access secret features in Disk Utility on the Mac

Disk Utility in OS X on the Mac has many functions and one of these is to display the disks drives and partitions available. But in OS X Lion it doesn't show the Recovery partition. What else is it hiding? Find out by enabling the secret Debug menu.

Top tips for Preview on the Mac

Preview
Preview has lots of useful features, but it is easy to miss some of them because they aren't obvious. Here is a collection of not-so-well-known features.

Remove the Flashback Trojan

There are said to be around 600,000 infected Macs and that is actually quite a large proportion of the total Macs in use. Now Kaspersky has produced a free Flashback cleaner.

Monitor your Mac with Activity Monitor

You don't need to have Activity Monitor on the screen and there are some very useful functions for monitoring activity from the icon in the Dock or in floating windows.

Secure your Mac

Securely delete private files to prevent others from seeing them. Put your files in a secure disk vault. Here's how to erase them.

Start your Mac in safe mode to solve problems

You need to know what steps you can take if disaster strikes and the Mac won't work properly. Use safe mode!

Boost disk space, cut the clutter

CleanGenius 3 from EaseUS is a cleanup tool to remove the clutter from the disk. Clear caches, find space-hogging files, uninstall unwanted apps and more. Read the review...

Mac Photo Booth tips

Using Photo Booth is very easy and all you need to do is to click a simple button to take a snapshot. However, there are hidden features that you may not be aware of.

More Apple Mac tips...

Apple MacGo to the Apple Mac home page or the Mac and OS X tips page

Go to Linux tipsLinux tips

What's using the disk space?
If you are running short of space on the disk drive JDiskReport is a great utility for finding out which files and folders are using the most. Here's how to use it.

Bodhi Linux - a lightweight distro
Bodhi Linux is Ubuntu stripped back to the core to create a lightweight distro with minimal hardware requirements. It has several unusual features.

Use the Windows key in Ubuntu
Every PC keyboard has a key with the Windows logo on it, but even though you use Linux, it still has its uses. Ubunbtu calls it the Meta key.

Encrypt files for privacy and security
If someone stole your PC or gained access to it either physically or through the internet, would they be able to access your files? How can you prevent this from happening? Consider encrypting them.

Partition the disk for Linux
What partitions are required, what size should they be, and how do you actually do it?

Dreamlinux 5
Dreamlinux uses Xfce instead of KDE or Gnome, Softmaker Office instead of LibreOffice, it's ready to play video and audio, and it's based on Debian. Is it any good?

Kororaa Linux - an easy to use distro
Kororaa is an easy to use Linux distro for new users while still being useful for experts. It aims to be a complete general computing solution. KDE and Gnome distros in 32 and 64-bit versions are available.

Send the disk to sleep with hdparm
Hdparm is a multi-function tool that does a lot of different things, but here we are just going to look at a few simple ones. It's a brief introduction to hdparm.

ZevenOS - Ubuntu meets BeOS
ZevenOS is a Linux distro that has the look and feel of BeOS. Will it quietly disappear like BeOS? No, this OS is all Linux and underneath and it has some great features.

Mageia - a new Linux distro
Mageia was born as a fork of Mandriva and version 1 is here with a 2 alpha ready for testing.Here's what you need to know.

Anonymous web browsing
If you really want to be anonymous on the internet and prevent anyone from tracking you or identifying you, one solution is to use Tor.

Fuduntu - Fedora/Ubuntu hybrid
With hundreds of distros you might wonder whether enthusiasts are running out of ideas, but it appears not. Fuduntu 14 blends Fedora and Ubuntu.

Shut down Linux from the command line
The shutdown command in a Terminal window accesses extra features that are not available when shutting down via the menus. Get to grips with shutdown.

3 Linux download managers
Store download links for later, adjust the bandwidth used, and speed up downloads by opening multiple connections, all with a free download manager.

Get more Linux tips
LinuxYou want more Linux tips and articles? Click here!

Back up without installing software

I'm always on the lookout for software that just runs and doesn't need to be installed. Here's my backup solution.

Run CCleaner on a schedule

CCleaner doesn't have a scheduler. You can't run it at 9am or 6pm every day to keep the disk drive clean, for example. However, there is a way to do this using Windows Scheduler.

Set the default email for mailto links on web pages

When you click a mailto link on a web page your default email program or service starts and a new email message is created. Set the default to Gmail, Yahoo! Mail or something else.

Protect yourself with BufferZone Pro

Security software is essential if you want to stay protected while using the web. BufferZone Pro aims to boost the security of your PC and make using the web safer. It is an interesting utility.

Clean Hotmail's inbox

Hotmail's Sweep cleans your inbox and removes old messages no longer needed.

Sort mail into categories in Hotmail

As the quantity of email that we have to deal with on a daily basis increases, so does the need for tools that help us to organise them and manage them. If you use Hotmail for your email there is a feature that you may have missed and this is the ability to assign messages to categories. What are categories and how do you make them?

Some general Windows articles, tips and tweaks

There are more articles here
Customise Flash settings in any OS
Schedule disk defragmentation in Windows
Access secret settings in Google Chrome
Storing internet passwords - is it a security risk?
Speed up your PC with IObit Smart Defrag 2
Monitor program installs and speed up Windows
Start programs faster in Windows

Even more stuff...



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