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My good friend grooveDexter recently contributed a new How-To Article: Increase Windows Explorer Shell Stability and Speed for XP users. So I’ve decided to use my free evening to jot down a groovy list for readers so they can quickly improve overall PC performance for Vista and XP. I’ll call it the “MrGroove Quick 10 Performance Tips.” Hmm.. not so exciting. Regardless, here you go! 1) Disable Files Indexing File Indexing is a service that improves the speed of Windows searches....

Whether you want to copy and paste individual cells, rows or columns, or entire sheets, the following 15 tricks will help you do it faster and more efficiently. 1. Copy Formula Results One of the most annoying things about copying and pasting in Excel is when you try to copy and paste the results of Excel formulas. This is because, when you paste formula results, the formula automatically updates relative to the cell you’re pasting it into....

In this article, we’ll highlight a few fun examples of automating things you currently do manually, like shutting down your computer, sending emails, running reports every day or week, and more. How to Set Up a Task Scheduler Automation Before you can set up any automation with the Task Scheduler, you’ll need to know how it works. Let’s take a quick look at setting up tasks in Task Scheduler. Launch the Task Scheduler by selecting Start, typing “task scheduler,” and selecting the Task Scheduler app....

There have been many browsers released that promised to be a “more secure” browser than any other. Some examples include the Tor browser, DuckDuckGo, and many others. Avast, well known for its trusted antivirus software app, offers its own secure browser. But is it any good, and does it really provide a secure browsing experience? What Is Avast Secure Browser? Avast built Avast Secure Browser on the Chromium platform. This means that using the Avast browser gives you access to your Chrome account, bookmarks, and most other browser-based access features related to your Chrome account....

On Windows 8, according to Microsoft: Step 1 – Install Revo Uninstaller Chances are if you bought an HP, Dell, Gateway, Toshiba, or any other pre-manufactured computer, it will come completely loaded with un-needed, bloated, crapware. Crapware is defined as “Software that is near useless, slows down your system, and was installed only because the manufacturers receive payment for pre-loading it on all of their computers. Normally it is only the DEMO copy that will only allow you to do something interesting if you pay the software company another $30 for the “Premium Edition”....

This is an updated version of the model that Steve has been using for years. In the next few weeks, I will take a closer look at some of the parental controls and threat protection features. But for now, I’ll give you a brief overview of the router and show you how easy it is to set it up and why it’s currently our favorite wireless router. Note: These steps are specific to my ASUS RT-AC3200 router, but they’ll be virtually the same for other ASUS routers, too....

And another thing you can do that you might not know about is creating your own custom screensavers. You can do this using the Roku app and the collection of photos on your phone. Here is a look at how it is done. Create a Custom Roku Screensaver First, make sure to install the Roku app on your Android or iOS device and connect it to your Roku device. Then launch the app and tap the Media button followed by Screensaver....

Early Prime Day Deals on Wi-Fi Early Prime Day Deals on Echo Devices We’ll have more updated coverage on services and devices that are on sale as Prime Day nears and, of course, when the big event is here. Make sure to keep coming back to groovyPost! Comment Name * Email * Δ Save my name and email and send me emails as new comments are made to this post.

For this article, I’ll be covering the basics of adding a bot to your server. I will also briefly cover some good sites you can find bots on. Bots are made by the discord community, so they all function differently and are managed differently. Here, I’ll just use a basic, popular bot to give you a general understanding of how bots function on discord. Where To Find Discord Bots There are many resources out there that provide decent lists of discord bots....

If you have multiple email accounts on different services, Yahoo can be your central hub to manage Outlook (Hotmail), AOL, and, of course, Yahoo email. It also provides the ability to sync Facebook, Linked In, Twitter contacts. Add Gmail to Yahoo Mail You can also do this on your mobile device with the Yahoo Mail app, but here’s a look at doing it via the web interface on a computer....

CCleaner is a free tool that can help accomplish these tasks and more. If you’re using a computer that you share with others, you can have CCleaner automatically run and clean each account when users log in to Windows. We’ll show you how. Before setting up CCleaner to run automatically, you should open CCleaner and choose what you want to clean. Then, when CCleaner automatically starts, it will clean what you set it to clean....

Manage Storage Storage drives have become much more efficient over the years, as have the available software tools that assist in the same way. On Mac, Apple provides various tools to maximize local storage while also making available iCloud compatibilities. It all starts with the automatic Optimized Storage feature on macOS. When activated, the tool offers different features, including: Moves files, photos, movies, email attachments, and other files that aren’t often used on your machine to iCloud....

And as you’d expect, the default search engine for the new Edge is Microsoft’s own Bing. However, if you would rather set it to Google or another privacy-orientated engine such as Duck Duck Go, you can. Here’s how. Change Default Search Engine for Microsoft Edge Similar to hiding the Favorites bar, there are a couple of ways you can change the default search engine. Launch the browser and click the Options button (three dots) in the upper-right corner and choose Settings....

How to Convert DVDs to an ISO image First, put the DVD you want to convert into your computer’s DVD/CD drive. When AutoPlay comes up, close out of it. If you have ImgBurn installed, you’ll be tempted to click on it. However, it doesn’t allow the removal of copy protection. There’re a few steps to take first. Download and install the latest version of DVDFab. Installation is easy following the wizard....

Create a Pivot Table in Excel What is a Pivot Table? A pivot table is a fancy name for sorting information. It’s ideal for calculating and summarizing information that you can use to break down large tables into just the right amount of information you need. You can use Excel to create a Recommended Pivot Table or create one manually. We look at both. Recommended Pivot Table Introduced in Excel 2013, a Recommended Pivot Table is a predesigned summary of your data that Excel recommends for you....

Create an Email Signature on Outlook.com Log in to your Outlook.com account and click the Settings (gear icon) on the upper-right corner of the toolbar. On the Settings menu, scroll down and click the View all Outlook settings link. Now from the Settings page, first, click on Mail from the list on the far left. Then click on Compose and reply on the next menu that fly’s out. Now, on the right side, under the “Compose and reply” section, you can start creating the signature you want to use....

Outlook Reading Pane You can turn the reading pane in Microsoft Outlook on/off by clicking on the View tab in the Layout group. From there, select the reading pane. By default, the reading pane is turned on. To make adjustments to this setting: You can position the reading pane to the right or bottom or turn it off from this location. When you turn off the reading pane, it only does so for the folder you’re currently in....

Add Customized Shortcuts on Windows First, right-click the folder you want to change to a different icon and select Properties. The folder Properties window comes up. Click the Customize tab, then Change Icon. Now select a default icon that’s included in Windows if you find one that you like. Or, to change it to an icon you found on the web, click the Browse button. Since this is my Star Trek folder, I found a Trek-themed icon – Isolinear Chips....

However, photos and videos take up the most space on the cloud-based drive. So, if you want to keep your account under the 5 GB limit, you can delete photos from iCloud. When you take a photo, it’s automatically synced to your iCloud storage (if syncing is enabled). Deleting photos you no longer need can help make room for other photos and files on iCloud. If you want to know how to delete photos from iCloud, follow these steps....

If you’re getting annoyed by this, you can disable notifications on a Chromebook. You can disable individual app and site notifications or completely turn off notifications with Do Not Disturb mode. When there are few to no notifications on Chromebook, you can work distraction-free and get things done. Here’s how to disable notifications on a Chromebook, either individually or entirely. How to Disable Notifications on Chromebook You may want specific notifications on your Chromebook disabled, so first, we’ll look at how to mute individual app and site notifications....