Microsoft Windows Videos

Perhaps you've got a hard drive that you'd like to format so you can start fresh. Or maybe you just added a new hard drive to your computer. You'll probably need format the drive before you can use it. Before you go out to look for fancy formatting software look to Windows itself.

When you get a new computer or install a new copy of Windows on your computer, Windows prompts you to "activate" it. You have 30 days in which to activate Windows. Fine... but what is activation and what does it do?

Windows comes with a set of default system sounds. For the most part they're pretty dull, but you aren't stuck with them. If you have sounds you'd rather use, it's easy to customize your Windows sounds. Here's how.

The Context Menu or right-click menu is a great way to complete some advanced tasks Windows or to access common shortcuts. You can rename files, change the sort or view mode of icons in Windows and much more. It's called the Context Menu because it changes depending on context: The menu will contain different entries depending on whether you click on an icon, the desktop, in a folder etc. Click your right mouse button and see what shows up!

Many people like to download programs and try them out on their PC's. If you don't use a program, however, it's just taking up space on your hard drive. Here's a quick and easy way to remove programs you don't want or use in Windows Vista.

Files you download or that are sent to you often have strange names that don't seem to mean anything. Using Windows Explorer, it's easy to rename a file or folder so that you know what it is with just a quick glance at the file name.

When talking about working with Windows, everyone seems to make reference to the "C drive." But did you know that you can change the drive letter of any drive in Windows, provided it's not already in use? If you'd like to change any of the default drive letters on your computer you can do so in a few, simple steps.

The way Windows presents your files and folders isn't always the best way. In addition to the default icons view, you can have Windows list your files as a list; useful for folders containing a lot of files, as a series of thumbnails or as a filmstrip, useful for folders containing pictures. When you're working with Windows Explorer you can view files in a variety of ways by toggling through the different view modes.

Windows Vista comes with a wide array of fonts included. However, for more creative or stylized work like creating a desktop calendar or a greeting card, these fonts might not cut it. We'll show you how to install a new font in Windows Vista with tips that translate to Windows XP too.

In previous tutorials, we've tweaked Windows by changing the default sound scheme, customizing Windows Vista colors, creating your own photo screen saver and more. In this tutorial we cover how to quickly and easily change your desktop wallpaper from the default options provided in Windows to something more personal and fitting for you.

Customizing your power scheme in Windows helps to conserve energy and also adapts your PC to the way you work. We'll show you how to change what the power button does in Windows and also, how to tweak your power settings to get the most out of your laptop's battery.

Many users don't understand what the Windows "tray" is. It's sometimes called the system tray or just the tray and it's really a handy area of your Windows taskbar.

The first step in making your online home on Windows Live is to set up your online profile. This is where you can share information about yourself with your network. You can also decide how much of your information you want to share with the Internet at large, how much you want to show friends in your network.

of the fun of using Windows Live is having your own network of friends and family. Your network is all the people that you communicate with. Windows Live makes it easy to add new contacts. You can enter them one at a time or you can import your contacts from another email service using a standard CSV (comma-delimited) file which most email services and programs make it easy to export. Organize your contacts into Categories, set your Windows Live Favorites and more.

One of the many great things about Windows Live is that it gives you immediate access to your Windows Live Hotmail account. In other words, Windows Live is a one-stop shop for much of your personal and even business interaction. You can manage your email while you're chatting with friends, looking at photos, playing games or whatever else you want to do in Windows Live. Creating a Windows Live Hotmail account is quick, easy and free.

One of the many benefits of Windows Live is having easy access to all your friends. You know, those people in your "network." Well, another great feature is the ability to share your photos with them right from Windows Live. It's so much easier and a much more enjoyable photo sharing experience than emailing pictures back and forth. Now, if you've allowed them access, your network can see your latest photos as soon as they're available.

Have a poem you wrote that you want anyone to be able to access? Have another document that you want available only to your network? Windows Live makes it easy because you can share files and folders and it's you that decides who is allowed to see what.

Among it's many features Windows Live gives you direct access to MSN and all of the content there. You can access games, news, weather, sports, financial information, and much more. This is a great way to get just about everything you want right from within Windows Live.

It’s a bad week to be Somali pirate or a Saturn dealer. Formula D's Rhys Millen's Hyundai gets Nissan power, the vandal of Jay Kay's Enzo gets jail time and Bill Gates is one of 10 inventors of a one-piece gas-electric hybrid powerplant.

Do we really need to tell you what this is all about? Steve Ballmer. Windows 7 launch day. Pure magic. Sit back and enjoy a spirited conversation with the CEO of Microsoft -- then stick around to watch Josh, Paul, and Nilay get into it over the week's news! Hosts: Joshua Topolsky, Paul Miller, Nilay Patel Special guest: Steve Ballmer Produced by: Chad Mumm Directed by: Michael Slavens Music by: Bit Shifter Visuals by: Paris and outpt Opening titles by: Julien Nantiec Download the Show: The Engadget Show - 002 (HD) / The Engadget Show - 002 (iPod / iPhone / Zune formatted) Subscribe to the Show: [iTunes] Subscribe to the Show directly in iTunes (M4V). [Zune] Subscribe to the Show directly in the Zune Marketplace (M4V). [RSS M4V] Add the Engadget Show feed (M4V) to your RSS aggregator and have it delivered automatically.Filed under: AnnouncementsThe Engadget Show - 002: Steve Ballmer, Droid, Nook, and new Macs originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 23 Oct 2009 16:47:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink | Email this | Comments