Q: When I enter Windows 8’s Desktop app, some programs start themselves automatically. In Windows 7, I stopped programs from loading automatically by removing their shortcuts from the Start menu’s Startup folder. But in Windows 8, I can’t find the Startup folder! How can I prevent unwanted Windows 8 programs from automatically loading themselves onto the […]

Q: Windows 8 doesn’t seem to offer a way to edit images, as you could in Windows 7. In particular, I’d like to edit my photos for their exposure, color balance and fix otherwise wonky pictures. Do I have to buy another program, or am I missing something? A: Neither Windows 7 nor Windows 8 […]

Q: You said earlier that there may be trouble when putting a System Image onto a different PC. I always thought that when my PC finally goes kaput, I could put the old PC’s System Image onto the new one. That way I’d be right where I started. What should I do? A: First, a […]

Q: What’s the difference between a System Image backup versus a backup of the registry? When should we back up the registry? A: The Windows registry is simply a database: a bunch of text and numbers, as shown to the left. It’s a mighty powerful database, though, because Windows stores thousands of important settings inside […]

Q: I have a new Windows tablet PC, but I’ve always used Apple computers until now. Now I want to transfer a large number of files from my Mac to my tablet PC using a flash drive. I have several questions, but to let you know the extent of my ‘dummy-ness’, what is a ‘right […]