Make Your iOS Device Feel New Again the Easy Way

At last, Spring has finally arrived! Aside from the superb weather, warm nights, and great walks in the park, Spring is also a perfect time for getting preppy to make your house spic and span. So, are you almost done with your spring cleaning chores? Before you give out a big YES, why not give your ol' iOS device a spring cleaning of its own. If you want to give it a shot, read on to find out how these super easy changes can make your iOS device feel refreshed and loved again.

It doesn't take much time and muscle to make your device look and feel brand new. All you need is a few simple tweaks -- it can be as simple as setting a new wallpaper or changing the way your icons look on your Home screen.

Resetting the Home Screen Layout

It's about time to re-organize your apps to give your Home screen a fresh start. The easiest solution to this is to reset the home screen layout of your device to factory settings. Don't worry because this won't actually delete any of your apps, instead they will be placed in random places on your screen. This means all your years of hard work of organizing and segregating your apps in their respective folders will all be gone. To reset your device's home screen layout, go to Settings then tap General. Now scroll to the bottom of the list, then tap Reset. Now, look for the Reset Home Screen Layout option, then tap on it.

When you go back to your Home screen, you'll find your apps in a great, big mess.

Reset Device Settings

Now if you really want to get down and dirty, you can completely reset all of the current settings of your device, leaving all apps and accounts still in place. Resetting its settings will give you a chance to revisit your personal preferences, and then start fresh.

On your device, go to Settings, then General, and then tap Reset. Tap the Reset All Settings option and you will be asked to enter your device's passcode (if you have any)in order to proceed. Doing this procedure will revert all your settings to factory defaults, but still leaving all your data and media intact. Be careful of the options that you select, especially the Erase All Content and Settings option, as this will erase everything from your device including your photos, videos, messages, and apps.

Delete Unwanted Apps

Since your iOS device's home screen layout has been reset and you need to organize your apps from scratch, this is the perfect time to ponder and decide whether you still need a certain app or not. Over time, you have downloaded tons of apps and realized that most of them are already useless (or shall we say "unamusing"). Remove these unnecessary apps to minimize the clutter on your Home screen. Simply tap and hold the icon of the app that you want to get rid of, and then wait for it to jiggle along with the other icons. Tap the x button of the app, then confirm the prompt to completely remove it from your device.

Free Some Space

Another part of giving your device a good spring cleaning is to free it from old and unwanted files such as photos, video clips, and MP3 files. Another good way to free up some space is to sync your device to iCloud or iTunes, and then proceed in clearing up your Camera Roll section.

Also, if your device still have those old TV episodes, movies, or music files that you're no longer watching or listening to, remove them. Unless they're a lifetime favorite, which you'll never get tired of watching over and over again, these data are just wasting your device's precious memory. Go to Settings, tap General and then tap Usage where you can see the apps that are eating up most of your device's storage space. Tap the app listing to view the top app files that are currently hogging space.

Tips on How to Save Printer Ink

Do you ever experience running out of ink cartridges quickly? With the fast-paced technology today, printers are becoming more and more affordable. However, it's strange how people still spend so much money on ink. There are several vendors that allow their customers to purchase ink that are cheaper than its original version. Still, there's another way to cut your ink expenses and that is through conservation. The amount of ink that you save may not be noticeable at first, but if you'll sum it up over the years, you can really see the difference on how much you've saved.

If you have heard the famous three R's in saving our environment -- Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle, saving money on ink also has its own version -- Recycling, Refilling, and Reducing. There have been companies that offer cash or discounts for used, empty ink cartridges provided by the original printer manufacturer. Another way that you can add up to the established three R's in saving ink is to reuse your old cartridge by purchasing refill kits instead of buying a new one. Not only do you save money, you also help the environment -- a definite win-win situation.

When saving your printer ink, the key is to reduce the amount of total ink you use. Read on to find out how to save your precious ink, therefore, saving money in the long run.

Tip #1: Use Economy Mode

Most printer models provide an option where you can select Economy or Draft mode if you go to the properties section of your printer. By selecting this mode, you will get a slightly lighter, less precise quality, but it will surely save ink. This option is ideal if you're simply printing a draft or a document such as an informal letter, which does not need to be of very high quality. You can also benefit from using the economy mode because your document will print faster and will dry quicker.

Tip #2: Check Your Document Before Printing

It has been a standard operating procedure to check first your documents for any typo error before hitting the Print button. If you miss to overlook this process, there's a great chance of seeing corrections way too late because your printer is already working on its task. If your document is just one to two pages long, it won't harm to read its contents for a few minutes to make sure that there are no spelling, grammar, or formatting corrections missed. For documents that are few pages long, Microsoft Word has a spelling checker feature that you can run to make a quick scan your documents for spelling errors. Re-printing the same document simply because you did not double check your document is a big waste of ink.

Tip #3: Don't Be Shy to Sway It

When you get a warning message from your printer telling you that the ink is running low, don't panic yet. Chances are, you have 10-30% ink left on the cartridge. So what do you need to do? Remove the ink cartridge from the printer, then slowly sway it from side to side, and then reinsert it. This way, the remaining ink will be redistributed in the cartridge and will let you print a few more pages. You can even repeat this process more than once to completely max out your ink. So the rule here is to keep on printing until your printer stops doing so.

Tip #4: Do Not Turn Off Your Printer While in Mid-Cycle

Make it a point not to switch off your printer until it completes its cycle. Turning off the printer while the cartridge is still moving will force the printer's head to stop in the exact place where you turned it off. Doing so may cause the printer nozzle to dry out and the ink to leak.

Tip #5: Leave Your Printer On

If you're planning to use your printer again soon, it's recommended to leave it on than to switch it off and then on again repeatedly. This is because you printer uses a bit of ink every time it goes through initialization phase when you turn it on.

Tip #6: Print in Black-only Mode Whenever Possible

If you will be printing a black and white document, and your printer has both black and colored cartridges, make it a habit to change your printer's properties to the black-only mode. This is because some printers automatically mix some of its color cartridge with the black one in order to print a plain black and white document. If you never change the printer properties to black-only mode, there's still a possibility that your color cartridge will still run out even if you never printed a colored document.

Tip #7: Try Using an Ink Saving Software

There are a number of companies out there that produce ink saving software, which can be downloaded from the Internet for free. Such programs are developed with the goal of optimizing your printer's data so that your printer uses less ink even while printing at high resolution.

These ink saving tips are pretty straightforward and easy to do, and can surely save you more money. Now, you don't need to muscle your way through a tight budget due to ink crisis.

Best Kindle Fire HD Tips and Tricks

You will find hundreds of Kindle Fire HD tips and tricks out there. There are even books that showcases these tips and tricks. To help you out, we have compiled the best tips and tricks for getting the most out of your Kindle Fire HD.

Best Kindle Fire HD Tips and Tricks

1. Access the Hidden Camera App

The front facing camera of the Kindle Fire HD is intended for video calls using Skype. However, there isn't an obvious way for it to be used in taking pictures or recording videos. Here's how you can access the hidden Camera app and use it to take pictures, videos, and panoramic shots:

STEP 1: Install ES File Explorer to your Kindle Fire HD. You can also use other apps to find hidden files under Amazon’s customized Android 4.0.

STEP 2: Open ES File Explorer and tap the AppMgr menu at the top.

STEP 3: Tap the Category menu.

STEP 4: When the Select types window appears, tap System apps.

STEP 5: From the list of system apps, tap the Camera icon, and then tap Open.

2. Install YouTube on Kindle Fire HD

STEP 1: Set your Kindle Fire HD to side load apps.

STEP 2: Swipe down on the Home screen, then tap More, and then tap Device.

STEP 3: Set Allow Installation of Applications to On.

STEP 4: Download the youtube.apk file to your computer.

STEP 5: Connect your Kindle Fire HD to your computer.

STEP 6: When AutoPlay opens, click Open device to view files. You can also open it in Computer.

STEP 7: Go to the Download folder and copy the youtube.apk file to it.

STEP 8: Using the ES File Explorer, open the Download folder.

STEP 9: Tap the YouTube icon and follow the on screen instructions to install it.

Once installed, you will see the YouTube icon among your apps unlike the hidden Camera app.

3. Get Rid of Annoying Ads

Amazon was able to subsidize the cost of Kindle Fire HD by displaying full ads on the Lock Screen and text ads inside its interface. If you are not a fan of these ads, you can get rid of them by unsubscribing the Special Offerssection from your online Amazon account. Just be aware that deactivating these ads would require you to pay a one-time charge of $15.

STEP 1: Login to your Amazon account.

STEP 2: Go to You Account, then go to Manage Your Kindle, then select Manage Your Device.

STEP 3: Select your Kindle Fire HD, then look for Special Offers, and then set it to Unsubscribe.

If you want to deactivate the ads displayed in your carousel view, go to your tablet's Settings, then on the Main menu tap More, then Applications. Go to Amazon Home Recommendations, and then select Hide.

4. Lock Screen Password

Your credit card is tied to your Amazon account so you can easily purchase contents for your tablet. And since your tablet is tied with your Amazon account, ergo, your credit card as well, it is a must that you protect your information and other sensitive data. You can do this by enabling Lock Screen Password to secure your tablet.

STEP 1: On the Home screen, swipe from the top of the screen down to bring up the notifications screen, then tap More.

STEP 2: Under Settings, tap Security.

STEP 3: Look for Lock Screen Password and set it to On.

STEP 4: Enter a numeric PIN code twice. It needs to be at least 4 digits.

STEP 5: Tap Done.

5. Set Up Your Email Account

Even if the Kindle Fire HD is intended to be used as a media consumption device, you can still be productive by setting up your email account on it.

STEP 1: On the Home screen, tap Apps.

STEP 2: Tap the Device button, then tap the E-mail icon.

STEP 3:  Tap the email service provider for the account you want to add.

STEP 4: Enter your E-mail address, Password, and Description on the fields provided.

STEP 5: You will receive a message telling you that you might have to pay for a premium or Plus subscription to get POP access to your email. Click OK.

STEP 6: Once your account and password is verified, you will be able to view your Inbox, go into your account settings, or add another account.

6. Connect a Bluetooth Keyboard for Faster Typing

If the onscreen keyboard is not doing much for you, you can connect a Bluetooth keyboard to your Kindle Fire HD for faster and easier typing.

STEP 1: Turn on your keyboard and press the Connect button. Each Bluetooth keyboard varies so you can check its documentation on how to turn it on.

STEP 2: On your tablet's Home screen, swipe from the top of the screen down, then tap More.

STEP 3: Under Settings, tap Wireless, and then tap Bluetooth.

STEP 4: Look for Enable Bluetooth and tap On. Your Kindle Fire HD will now start searching for available devices.

STEP 5: Once you see your Bluetooth keyboard under Available devices, tap on it.

STEP 6: When you see the Pairing Request screen with a 4-digit code, enter the code on the keyboard, then tap Enter.

7. Set Google as Default Search Engine

Bing in the Silk browser is the default search engine in Kindle Fire HD since Amazon partnered with Microsoft. However, if you prefer Google as your default search engine, you can do that easily by following these steps:

STEP 1: From the Home screen, tap Web.

STEP 2: Open a webpage, then click the menu icon, and then tap Settings.

STEP 3: Under Silk Settings, tap Search engine, and then tap Google from the list.

8. Add Music Files From Your Computer

STEP 1: Connect the Kindle Fire HD to your computer.

STEP 2: When AutoPlay opens, click Open device to view files. You can also open it in Computer.

STEP 3: Open the Music folder and transfer your music files from your computer’s hard drive or network drive to your Kindle Fire HD.

STEP 4: After the music files have been transferred, unplug the Kindle Fire HD from the computer.

STEP 5: From the tablet's Home screen, tap Music.

STEP 6:  Tap the Device button and the songs or album you want to listen to.

9. Restore to Factory Settings

If you have decided to sell or gift your Kindle Fire HD, it is no question that you will want to reset it to factory default. Factory Reset will erase all data stored on your tablet, so it is recommended to do a back up before doing it.

STEP 1: From the Home screen, swipe from the top of the screen down to display the notifications, then tap More.

STEP 2: Under Settings, tap Device.

STEP 3: Under Device, tap Reset to Factory Defaults.

STEP 4: Finally, tap Erase Everything and wait for the process to complete. This will erase all your data and reboot your tablet to how it was fresh out of the box.

Best Tools to Clean Up Windows Computers

In this generation, computers play a big role with our day to day lives. Every household seems to own one and use it either for work or pleasure. We use computers to store important files, go online, download movies, install games and the list goes on. Admit it, without computers we are doomed! However, most of us are not really aware on how to clean up our computers and frankly speaking, we only remember doing so once we start to observe that it's being sluggish, freezes, and acting that it's going to crash anytime soon. As we all know, computers are always at risk with viruses, worms, trojans, malwares, etc. Probably, most of us would think that you need to be a computer genius before you can clean up your own system so I would like to share these six simple tools that you can try using on your computer:

1. CCleaner

• A cleaning tool that will remove unnecessary files from your system. This allows Windows to run faster thus, giving our computers more hard drive space. This will get rid of unwanted online activities such as cookies and temporary files from our Internet history. It also has an advanced feature called "registry cleaner" that removes unused or corrupted registry files. No need to worry about adware and spywares because this software doesn't contain those. Simple and easy to use!

2. Disk Cleanup

• A Microsoft utility designed to remove temporary files, empties the recycle bin, and removes files that you no longer need from your system. It will reduce unimportant data or junk from your hard drive to free up disk space. It's hassle-free, since this is already a built-in-tool from Windows so you don’t need to download it from the Internet.

3. Malwarebytes

• Malwares are malicious software that could disrupt a computer’s operation. This is an excellent tool that scans and removes malwares of every kind, which often includes Trojans, viruses, worms, spywares, and adware. This anti-malware application is readily available in both free and PRO versions. The free version is well-known for its detection and removal capabilities, while the PRO version has advanced protection technologies to stop malware infections.

4. AdwCleaner

• Whenever we download or install anything free from the Internet, there are actually bundled programs that come with it, which we are not really familiar of. In most cases, these will be automatically installed along with the program that you downloaded. ADwCleaner is the cure for these adware, extra browser toolbars, and potentially unwanted programs from our computer’s system.

5. Disk Defragmenter

• A tool that rearranges fragmented data so that disks and hard drives could function more efficiently. Overtime, a hard drive can become fragmented with hundreds of files broken up in many locations thus, defrag is very important to organize those files. This is also built-in for Windows and it runs on a scheduled basis. However, for best results, you can also analyze and defragment drives manually.

Uninstall

There are programs that usually run at the background that could take up space of our computers without our knowledge. To address this, find some time to remove programs by completely uninstalling it from your computer’s system. This is one of the easiest ways to clean up your computers.

Computers should be treated as one of our most valuable possessions. We have to regularly check them because without this type of technology, we still continue to be stressing out with all the hassle of typewriters, handwritten stuffs, and the like. We don't need to complicate things and perform or run all the advanced software that we can find online, because with these basic tools, all you have to do is follow the steps and you will be amazed in cleaning up your computer like a pro!

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By: Jo-Jean M. Lumayag - Tech Support Engineer at Supportrix with more than 5 years in tech support industry experience.

Top 5 Free Antivirus Software to Protect Your Computer

Antivirus software plays an essential role in protecting your computer from a vast array of viruses, worms, Trojans, AdWares, spywares, browser hijackers, keyloggers, ransonwares, rootkits & backdoors, which are just lurking in the World Wide Web. Anyone who goes online-- may it be surfing the Web, using email client software, using chat applications, or other online-based programs are vulnerable to threats and could get potentially infected with different types of viruses. For the past few years, new computers already come with pre-installed antivirus software for temporary security. However, these security programs are just trial versions, which eventually expire and leaves the computer unprotected. It is then the users’ responsibility to install a good antivirus program on their computers if they want to keep their computers clean and secured. Most users may not purchase an antivirus software for a new computer due to the fact that they’ve already spent money for the device itself. You don’t have to worry though, because there are a lot of free alternatives out there. I’ve listed the top 5 free antivirus programs that you can take advantage of.

Avast Free Antivirus

The software has a very straightforward installation process and has simplistic interface that makes it user friendly. A quick first scan should detect any potential threats on your computer with just minimal impact on the system performance. Avast have the most features compared to other free antivirus software with full real-time capabilities including e-mail, web, P2P, IM, network shields, behavioural blocker and boot-time scanning. Avast Free also has some useful extra features, too. It has a Software Updater that alerts you about program updates that you've missed, for instance, while its Browser Cleanup tool provides a simple way to get rid of unwanted and malicious add-ons from web browsers. Check it here.

AVG Anti-Virus Free Edition

This is also a good choice for a free antivirus because it has a good range of features: an email scanner, identity theft protection, antivirus engine, and LinkScanner Surf-Shield to keep you safe on the Web. The interface may seem to be complex at first glance because there are plenty of tiles, menu entries, and buttons, though you will eventually get used to it. Based on actual test, AVG Free is very effective in cleaning up a computer from malware infections. Check it here.

Bitdefender Antivirus Free Edition

It is recently released free software from the famous commercial antivirus. This software also offers user friendly solution because of its minimalistic interface. The fact that the engine is the same as the commercial version makes it an excellent virus protection software. Check it here.

Panda Cloud Antivirus

Panda Cloud Antivirus is a great choice for average users with simple interface and automated features with automatic updating, detection, and removal of malware. The detection level is absolutely high, which makes very reliable. It also uses 'cloud' technology to provide a much quicker release & installation of updates because all definitions are already stored in the cloud. Therefore, the moment Panda updates their list, all users of Panda Cloud Antivirus with an Internet connection are protected from threats. Check it here.

Avira AntiVir Personal Edition

Avira AntiVir Personal Edition is another good quality free antivirus program. The program has been famous because of its outstanding detection rates of malware, higher than almost every other antivirus according to tests. Though the interface may look a little complicated for average users, it still remains a very capable and effective security program. Check it here.


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By: Heroine Lloyd Barcatan

About the author: Heroine has been in the tech support industry for more than 5 years now and most of it spent at Supportrix. Aside from being an awesome tech support engineer, she love writing blogs and creating knowledge base articles.

Useful Tools to Help You Diagnose Computer Problems

Technology continues to evolve. The market constantly releases new updates that will entice consumers to avail of the new features they offer. The computer is not exempted from this fast innovation. With new updates from different operating systems, whether it may be Windows, Mac OS X, Linux, and the like, you can't deny the fact that it has glitches - flaws that you can't just ignore but you have to deal with. We have to admit that life is so much better with computers. You can transact business online, make online job so you don't have to go to the office just to earn money, we pay bills online and a lot of things that we can do over the Internet. Imagine life without Internet, difficult right? But there are things that users tend to overlook when it comes to computers. Computers just like our pets need extra love and care. It needs maintenance in order for your computer to be operational and for us to save money for repairs.

That's where PC Diagnostic tools takes place. There are a lot of tools that we can use to diagnose computer problems. For me, having this tool is a necessity, a must and not just an option.

One example of this tool is HIREN's BOOT CD. Hiren's boot CD also known as HBCD is a bootable software CD that contains numerous programs that will diagnose computer problems. This will help you recover your computer from any malfunction or recover any lost data. Hiren's BootCD is known to be a collection of freeware tools. Because of its reliability, it creates controversy that it can be used as a hacker tool that violates copyrights. Well, not bad though.

Next is System Information for Windowzs (SIW). This tool is used to check the interior of your Windows computer. You just have to download it and run the application. It will give you detailed information about your system that includes the temperature of your hard disk. It gives you a rundown on the hardware or software installed on it. It will also give you information about your system set-up, network driver, motherboards, and all peripherals installed in your computer. Basically, it will give you complete information and status of your computer so you would know if there is something wrong with it.

Malwarebytes Anti-Malware. As a technician, I usually use this tool to remove adware, malware, or any viruses that might infect my system. Malware are the ones that will disrupt the operation of your system so it needs to be removed to prevent your computer from crashing.

Iobit Advance System Care is another tool that you have to consider. Same with other software, it will also check if you have malicious software installed in your computer and get rid of it. It will perform disk defragmentation and repair registry problem.

CCleaner. This is a tool that ranks when it comes on cleaning your windows computer. It is a secured software that will protect your privacy online. This tool makes your computer much faster because it will clean temporary files, delete cookies and history, or any programs that needs to be fixed.

Microsoft Fix It Center is another type for diagnostic tool. You just have to run it and it will check your system if there's something wrong. It also gives you an option to fix it.

There are still a lot of tools that you can use when it comes on diagnosing computer problems. You can always Google it, a primary tool that gives you all the information you need including the entire tool mentioned above. Google is the number one tool among all the tools. But take note, you should be very careful in choosing the right tool. With the new changes, people are getting smarter and with their intellect, it's often used and misused. There's a lot of good and bad fish over the Internet. You just need to catch the right one. The best tool is be smart, BE AWARE and BEWARE!

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By: Princess Palacio

About the Author: Princess is one of the tech support engineer of Supportrix who loves to write about the latest in the world of technology; reviews, tech tips, troubleshooting techniques.