2,136 Tutorials

More Desktop PCs How-To

  • 03 November 2010

  • How-Tos: How to reinstall Windows 7 Home Premium

    I upgraded my HP netbook from Windows 7 Starter Edition to Home Premium. Following a fault, I returned the netbook to HP for repair. It came back fixed, but with the original Starter Edition installed. Can I reinstall my copy of Home Premium using the original activation key?

  • How-Tos: How to fix a PC that constantly shuts down

    My desktop PC immediately shuts down after I turn it on. At the second attempt it will stay switched on, but nothing appears onscreen. The processor fan is running and the RAM is okay, but the motherboard LED blinks.

  • 16 October 2010

  • How-Tos: How to clean up your Windows PC

    Get a faster PC by cleaning the junk from your hard disk, tweaking the Registry and improving boot times

  • 29 September 2010

  • How-Tos: How to make free calls from a PC or mobile phone

    Make free or low-cost calls over the internet using your PC, laptop or mobile phone. We show you how.

  • How-Tos: How to secure a new PC

    The excitement of discovering the capabilities of a new PC can lead you to forget the importance of security. Our new PC safety guide offers step-by-step instructions for protecting your machine.

  • 18 September 2010

  • How-Tos: How to use an Apple iPad for business

    Are you considering using the Apple iPad in business? Here's what you need to keep in mind.

  • 09 September 2010

  • How-Tos: How to repair a hard drive that won't boot

    My Windows 7 PC has four hard drives (C, E, F and G). I've been having a lot of trouble with them lately, and a couple of weeks ago my computer wouldn't start up. I ran through Startup Repair a few times, but it hasn't helped. I've tried disconnecting my secondary hard drives and reconnecting them one at a time following restarts. Everything worked fine for a while but, after I tried to burn a DVD, I again got a locked-up computer with only two of the four drives available. Selectively adding the drives hasn't cured things this time, although the C drive continues to work normally.

  • How-Tos: How to repair a dodgy Windows update

    My desktop PC, my laptop, my partner's laptop and my mother-in-law's laptop have all started freezing just after startup. We haven't installed any new software on any of them and they are in separate locations. The only thing they all have in common is the Windows updates that have been applied. Any idea why this should be or how to get around it? I've resorted to manually powering down and rebooting the computers.

  • How-Tos: How to install a second hard drive

    I want to install a second hard drive for backup purposes. I think I have a SATA drive at present. How can I be sure, and how do I go about installing a new drive?

  • 08 September 2010

  • How-Tos: How to get more life from a Commodore 64

    QUESTION My Commodore 64 is outperforming my Windows XP PC. I thought I'd take advantage of this and get to know its ins and outs. Where can I find a program for writing Basic and a book of operation codes?

  • How-Tos: How to virtualise Windows XP

    I was very interested to learn that it's possible to run older programs in Windows XP Mode on my Windows 7 PC. However, I've been unable to make this work on my Acer Windows 7 Home Premium 64bit laptop. Can you tell me where I'm going wrong?

  • How-Tos: How to clean up a congested hard drive

    The C drive on my Toshiba laptop is nearly full with music, photos and other downloads. I'd like to redistribute some of this data on two other available hard drives. I also want to edit some photos and mini-DVD videos, so advice on storage issues would be welcome.

  • 06 September 2010

  • How-Tos: How to update firmware on PCs and peripherals

    Firmware revisions can make your old equipment run faster and crash less often. Find out how to give your hardware software enhancements and new features

  • 03 September 2010

  • How-Tos: How to back up a PC

    PC Advisor takes an in-depth look at backups, a vital tool when preparing a laptop or PC for a major repair job or upgrade. Here's how to back up your PC.

  • 13 August 2010

  • How-Tos: How to use touch to control your Windows 7 PC

    I want to use touch to control my Windows 7 Home Premium PC. Is it as simple as plugging in a touchscreen display? I’d also like to view a 3D image – will I need a new graphics card?

  • How-Tos: How to roll back your PC's audio drivers

    My Asus Eee 1008HA netbook runs Windows 7 and uses a Realtek HD Audio sound chip. It has shortcut buttons above the keyboard that are intended to control audio functions such as volume and mute. Following a recent driver update for the sound card, as advised by Driver Detective, they no longer function correctly.

  • How-Tos: How to install Microsoft Fix it Center

    I get an error message when trying to install Microsoft Fix it Center on my Windows XP Service Pack 3 PC. It reads: 'Detail: The remote name could not be resolved: go.microsoft.com'.

  • How-Tos: How to use your TV as a monitor

    I often use my TV as a second monitor for giving presentations. My Windows 7 laptop normally operates at a 1920x1080 resolution, but changes to 1360x768 when I connect the TV. The image on the TV is displayed full-screen, but it isn’t on my laptop. Adjusting the resolution doesn’t solve the problem.

  • 12 August 2010

  • How-Tos: How to reverse Registry Cleaner problems

    I believe my overzealous use of Registry Mechanic and Hard Drive Washer 3.0 may have caused problems on my PC. When I plug a device into a USB port the Autoplay dialog contains no options. Also, URLs in my email are no longer clickable.

  • How-Tos: How to get more from a quad-core PC

    QUESTION My Windows 7 Home Premium computer has a quad-core processor and 4GB of RAM. I’ve not found any advantage to using four cores. How can I use the processor more effectively and allocate different processes to the individual cores?

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