Tweak And Trick

Convert Video to Audio (MP3) with VLC Media Player for Free

VLC describes itself as a free and open source cross platform multimedia player and framework which plays most multimedia files and various streaming protocols. This article, however, involves utilizing the conversion abilities of the media framework rather than its media playing abilities to extract audio from any supported video.

Google Adsense has approved this blog (as on 14th December 2022)

I had been working with Google Adsense for nearly a decade on this blog.

Due to legal issues with my day job in the last few years, I had to remove Adsense code from this blog and stop posting updates.

During that time, Google had reset my Adsense account citing "no impressions during the last 6 months" as the reason.

How to Unblock Websites at School, Work, Home or Anywhere

Internet censorship has grown drastically over the past few years. Government censorship is also on the rise. Some network administrators also prevent users from accessing certain websites which they believe are of no use in places such as schools, colleges and sometimes, even offices. In such times, you may need to access a website that is blocked. This article explains how.

Enable or Disable Hibernation in Windows

Hibernation is a special power saving state designed for laptops which do not have easy access to power supply for an extended amount of time. When you put your computer to sleep, your running programs stay in the memory (RAM) and your computer keeps drawing power to keep the RAM running. Hibernation on the other hand stores the content of your computer's memory on the hard disk in a hidden protected system file (C:/hiberfil.sys) which generally consumes disk space equal to 75% of your computer's RAM size.

How to Cut Videos with VLC Media Player

VLC offers the option of using the Record button (as covered earlier) to allow users to save a portion of the video clip that is currently being played. However, the problem with using the Record button for cutting videos is that you need to actually play the entire portion of the video that you need. This makes it especially difficult to cut lengthy portions of a video. Moreover, exact start and stop times are difficult to maintain. This article offers a better way to cut videos with VLC media player that solves both these problems.

How to Start Windows 10, 8(.1), 7 or XP in Safe Mode

Safe Mode is a special diagnostic mode in which Windows runs with the minimum amount of features. As the features are limited, Windows does not load unnecessary startup items and runs only those files and drivers that are necessary for the basic functioning of the operating system. Consequently, safe mode allows Windows to run despite having recently installed programs that might be preventing Windows from starting correctly. As Windows does not start unnecessary programs while in Safe Mode, it can also be used to remove viruses and malware with reduced risk of the infection getting worse.

How to Speed Up a Slow Windows Computer

Having a slow computer is not something most users fancy, but that is what most of us end up with after prolonged usage. Understandably, there are also a few of us who are stuck with a low-end PC and are forced to get as much out of it as possible. This article caters to both these type of users as it not only explains how to make your computer as fast as possible but also how to reduce the footprint of your system to utilize your PC's current system resources in the best possible way.

Install Windows 11, 10, 8, 8.1, or 7 from a Bootable USB drive

Windows is sold in the form of DVDs and downloadable ISOs. The Windows DVD can be put into an optical drive for easy installation. However, with the advent of ultra portable devices and tablets that do not have optical drives, installing Windows from the setup DVD becomes a problem. This does not normally cause issues as Windows can be installed with the setup files on any working computer. You just need to copy paste the setup files from your DVD from a working computer with an optical drive on to your device without optical drive. However, in certain situations, you might be forced to install Windows from a bootable drive (such as when your system without an optical drive becomes unresponsive).

Create Bootable USB Drives to Install (Almost) Any OS

With the advent of ultra portable laptops, optical drives are becoming a thing of the past. Although not having optical drives allows manufacturers to make lighter devices, it causes problems to users when they want to fresh install operating systems, as most of them are still available in the form of CDs, DVDs and downloadable ISOs. For users of these devices, an option is to use a flash drive to install the operating system of their choice.

Convert FAT32 to NTFS Without Formatting or Losing Data

You have a flash drive or probably an external hard drive that currently has FAT32 file system and you want to change it to NTFS, because FAT32 does not support handling large files (over 4GB) or it is simply old for your taste but there is just one problem, you don't want to lose your saved data. This article is for you then as it explains exactly how you can achieve seamless transition from FAT to NTFS without involving any data loss.

How to Really Delete Your Confidential Data

Everyone has some documents that need to be kept confidential. They can be anything from financial records to sensitive personal information to confidential trade or national data. Destroying some data could also be a legal requirement in some industries. Sometimes, some data needs to be destroyed because there is simply no physical or digital space to maintain it, and it cannot just be thrown away in a random place. Here are some ways in which an individual or business can dispose of its confidential waste and have a more clutter-free working environment:

Facebook Scams and How to Tackle Them

Online scams are ever increasing. Almost in every phase of the online world, you will come across scams. Social networks are no exception for such malicious activity. Millions of accounts from sites such as Twitter, LinkedIn and eHarmony have been compromised in the past. Facebook seeing danger timely updates its security and advises its users regarding various scams and how to fight them back.

Safety and Security Risks When Using Facebook

There is no doubt that the biggest social networking site taking over the whole globe is Facebook. Since it’s the biggest thing the online world has ever seen for the last several years, it’s critical that you understand the guidelines and policies listed on the site. They’re very useful in keeping you informed with various aspects of the site and how it runs.

How to Follow Search Terms and Keyword Mentions on Twitter

Following a certain keyword or a search term on Twitter can be useful for multiple reasons. For example, we can understand how people reacted to a particular event, follow news on a certain topic, know what people say about a brand, find all job postings in our area or know about the latest giveaways of our favorite software. Everything that gets written most probably will get tweeted. Therefore, Twitter is the best place to follow latest trends and conversations on any topic.

How to Reveal Passwords hidden as Asterisks/Stars/Dots

Most modern browsers offer the capability of remembering usernames and passwords. Most of us use this feature to automatically save our passwords in order to log in to our favorite websites more quickly. What if you forget the saved password?

How to Edit PDF Files With Free Software

PDF, or the Portable Document Format is one of the most popular format for document sharing. Its popularity is mainly because PDF files are multi-platform (can be run on most devices without any change in formatting), smaller in size, can be opened on most devices with free software and are difficult to edit as they are "read only".

Convert PDF to Word and Word to PDF with Free Software

PDF and Word (.doc and .docx) are two document formats most computer users encounter on a frequent basis. PDF files have advantages of being platform independent, hard to edit and smaller in size. Word documents on the other hand are easy to edit, format and read on devices that support them. As both of these formats have their advantages, many users have felt the need to convert a document in one format to the other to take advantage of the other's features.

Password Protect & Encrypt Files or Folders in Windows: Free

With hackers becoming more and more sophisticated, most users are worried about the safety of their personal data. There are many options available to protect the user’s data but none comes close to encryption in terms of safety offered. This article contains some of the best and easy to use methods that allow you to password protect and encrypt important files and folders in Windows without spending anything.

How to Secure a Wi-Fi Network from Hackers

With the world going wireless in every sphere of technology, the question of security has often been raised. The same is true for wireless internet networks with hackers and Wi-Fi intruders always looking for ways to gain access to unsecured networks.

Security aside, there are several reasons why you might want to protect your Wi-Fi network. A secured wireless network will not only mean reduced bills for pay as you go connections but also faster internet speeds due to no unwanted users sharing the network resources. This post contains few simple techniques you can use to make sure that your wireless network is as secure as it possible can be.

Enable the Hidden Administrator Account on Windows 7, 8, 8.1 & 10

Windows automatically creates an Administrator account with elevated privileges during the installation process. We mostly need to access it to perform tasks limited only to system Administrators. These are tasks performing which result in the UAC asking for confirmation even if you are using an account with administrative privileges. The elevated Administrator account is disabled by default in Windows Vista, Windows 7, Windows 8, Windows 8.1 and Windows 10.