Tech It Out

Practical tips and tricks to take your tech gear and computing skills to the next level.

by Melanie Pinola

Melanie Pinola is a freelance writer covering all things tech-related. A former IT admin and occasional web developer, she is also the author of LinkedIn in 30 Minutes, a Lifehacker editor, and the Guide to Mobile Office Tech at About.com.

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Windows 8's touchscreen keyboard is terrible. Here's a better, built-in option

Posted Jul 29, 2013 - 02:31 pm

Too bad Microsoft decided to revamp the touch keyboard in Windows 8, because it's a far cry from the one in Windows 7
accessibility, tip
How to get the key features of Live Mesh, now that Microsoft is getting rid of it

Posted Dec 26, 2012 - 02:02 pm

Microsoft is shutting down its syncing and remote desktop tool, Live Mesh. Here are some good alternatives.
Live Mesh, microsoft skydrive
Create a system image backup with Windows 8's hidden backup tool

Posted Jan 04, 2013 - 02:50 pm

You have to know where to find the option first
Backups, system image
Disable the Windows 8 tiled start screen for good

Posted Dec 11, 2012 - 03:43 pm

Go straight to the Windows 7 desktop while enjoying all the benefits of Windows 8 with this utility
Metro UI, start screen
Free! Download Adobe Creative Suite CS2, Photoshop, or other Adobe software at no cost

Posted Jan 07, 2013 - 10:31 am

It's older software, but it won't cost you a cent to get these (normally expensive) creative applications
adobe creative suite, adobe CS2
Here's a master list of over 700 free online courses from top universities

Posted Apr 24, 2013 - 12:26 pm

You can learn almost anything with these free audio and video courses
free online courses, online education
Here's all the crapware that comes with new Windows 8 PCs

Posted Nov 21, 2012 - 02:49 pm

Windows PCs have a long history of coming packed with space-hogging and performance-crippling crapware. Check out this list of the crapware that comes with new PCs, according to the OEMs themselves
Bloatware, crapware
How to make Google Chrome work better with touchscreen PCs

Posted Feb 25, 2013 - 03:25 pm

These tweaks make Chrome much more touch-friendly on new Windows 8 touch computers
chrome touch, google chrome
How to stop thieves from turning off Find My iPhone

Posted Nov 08, 2012 - 06:01 pm

If someone steals your iPhone or iPad, the thief can just turn off the device's location tracking. There's a way to prevent this by changing two settings.
find my iphone, iPhone
Microsoft Office 2013 Professional Plus is just $10 for qualified email addresses

Posted Jan 21, 2013 - 06:08 pm

You can save about 80% on on the latest Microsoft Office suite--if you have the right email address
Microsoft Office, office

October is...
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Microsoft's Security Essentials isn't the best antivirus program, according to Microsoft

2 comments
AMD pushes forward with new video cards and a few surprises

2 comments
Change Microsoft Office 2013's default search engine from Bing to Google

2 comments
See - and hear - what it was like to surf the web 20 years ago

1 comment
Valve completes its trifecta of announcements with the Steam Controller

1 comment

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