When you go to download/upgrade your Adobe Flash Player, which you would ordinarily download from http://get.adobe.com/flashplayer/, this installs a download manager which some of you (myself included) find quite irritating to deal with. There is a way to download a standalone installer that does not use the download manager. It is available...

When it comes to software, rude is defined as software doing something that’s in your face that happens with no warning at all. The recent update from Opera 10.51 to 10.52 is exactly like this. When Firefox has an update, the way most people have that browser configured is so it will auto-download the update. When it does, a toaster pop-up happens that...

Building on a tip I posted a couple of weeks ago about opening non-zip files using 7-Zip, a practical use for this can be when you want to run a program that does not offer a portable version without installing. By opening the setup EXE file using 7-Zip, you can extract the files the installer copies to your system and then run the program like a portable...

With more and more applications becoming deployable without the use of an installer (i.e. PortableApps and the like), you may wonder which option is best. After all, why install it if you don’t have to as this will surely clutter your system, right? As with just about any computer question, the answer is “it depends”. Take 7-Zip for example...

For those who remember installing Internet Explorer either an an upgrade or fresh install, the process was specifically tailored to replace your default browser settings when electing to use the "Express" installation method. This is no longer the case. This comes shortly after it was announced that Windows 7 upgrade for UK users would not come with...

Yesterday I posted about archiving CD/DVDs to your hard drive for easy access and distribution. So now, what if you want to install from one of these? With the use of a tool I have referenced in the past, Virtual Clone Drive, here are simple instructions for installing from an ISO. Note: These instructions are intended to read by end users I distribute the zip...

For a while now I’ve been using the Zune Windows XP theme (download). That one is by Microsoft and a complete theme compared to Royale which is incomplete (there are "rough" spots here and there). I like the "Classic" XP theme but it’s a bit too bland. However there is an alternative called HmmXP. It is not by Microsoft and...

Years ago when I first started examining if you could in fact run an entire OS off a single USB stick (meaning not external hard drive), you could with “biz card” sized Linux distributions such as Damn Small Linux and Puppy Linux. These distros are still available today and still actively developed. The reason people chose these over full-sized...

Put simply, I don’t upgrade operating systems. Ever. I install any OS new and recommend the same to anyone else. It doesn’t matter if it’s Windows, OS X or Linux. Don’t upgrade. Back up your stuff, wipe the drive and start from scratch with the new OS. To note, I don’t do this with incremental updates (e.g. XP Service Pack 2 to 3)...

In previous articles and videos I’ve discussed how to get a "Live" mode (i.e. as if your computer were booting from CD) of Linux on a USB stick. Some people think this is cool but would rather have a full CD-sized distribution installation instead. And when I said "CD-sized" I’m referring to distributions that take up the entire...

This is a follow-up article to this one showing how simple it is to use Unetbootin to install a Linux distribution to your USB stick. Bear in mind that Unetbootin has the choice of many different distros to choose from. Even if you have only have an older 128MB stick, you still could use Damn Small Linux on it! See video below for...

What exactly is a “persistent” install? With a normal Live-CD boot of Ubuntu, you can’t save your session settings on exit of the OS. And if you boot off USB stick from a transferred CD image (such as one created using the Unetbootin utility), that won’t save your settings either because the OS is still in Live mode on boot. A persistent...

In this video, I will show you how to install WordPress to your web server. It is a very simple script to install, however people new to these things could get a little confused with the database setup. So, watch this video and we’ll walk you through it. Video Length: 15:48 [hidepost=1] [flv:http://pcmech.s3.amazonaws.com/wordpress/wordpress2.flv 610...

Introduction Welcome to PCMech! If you run into any trouble following this guide or installing your hard drive, feel free to join our forums at http://forum.pcmech.com and ask for help, someone will be glad to help. For continued tips, tricks, and updates on our content, you might also consider signing up for our newsletter by entering your email address into...

A visual look at what’s involved in installing a standard hard...