How To

A bad memory module (RAM) can cause unpredictable behavior in a Windows system, including the dreaded blue screen of death. If you suspect that your RAM may be faulty, you can run a memory test to confirm that you have a bad memory module.

Laptop and desktop PC makers occasionally provide preinstalled utilities that sometimes include a memory test. Feel free to try out those utilities, especially if your computer is under warranty and you want to make a warranty claim. Manufacturers will often require you to run their support utilities first, before agreeing to replace hardware or move forward … Read more

If you need to print in black and white in OS X, you can, but it may not be obvious how to do it.

Apple used to include an obvious setting in its print dialog boxes for color or black and white, but in OS X this has disappeared since these options are now handled by the specific driver for your printer.

You can certainly still print in grayscale and there are various ways to do it, although some of these options might be a bit obscure, may only be available on some systems, or might require a few extra steps.… Read more

QR codes are cool, but they haven't quite caught on en masse yet, because finding cool uses for them have been challenging.

One popular use for QR codes is printing them on business cards. Sharon Vaknin also showed you a clever way to make a personalized QR code gift tag. In this tutorial, we're going to show you how to add a QR code to a digital photo.

Digital photos contain lots of data in them, like locations, dates, and camera type, but once they're printed, you're left with just the photo. With a QR code, … Read more

Working within the Cloud using Google Docs is a great way to ensure that your content is available whenever you need it. Well, almost whenever, as there are some situations (power/Internet outage, Google services down temporarily, etc.) where relying on the Cloud can leave you stuck. 

KumoSync is a tool that can prevent you from being stranded without your data. It works by syncing your Google Docs data to your PC (even your shared content), so you can work on your computer at work or home and have the changes uploaded for you automatically. Follow these seven steps … Read more

Amazon's $199 Kindle Fire tablet is an outstanding portable video player.

With it, you can purchase movies and TV shows from Amazon's video store, stream movies from Netflix, and dig through a trove of free movie and TV content during your one-month trial membership to Amazon Prime.

But what about loading up your own movies and playing them even when there's no Internet connection to be found? Well, it's easier than you think, but the process does seem to throw people--especially if you're new to Android.

In this CNET How To, I show you how … Read more

GPS has made life dramatically different (and, yes, better) for many of us, but it's not the only way to get location info. Windows 7 has a built-in framework for sensors that is only just now getting some developer love. Take a look at GeoSense, a nifty, free tool that pings local Wi-Fi networks, cell signals and other stationary devices to get a lock on your computer's current location. It's slick and seamless, and there are likely to be quite a few apps making use of it soon. Here's how to get it: 

Screen-sharing is that fascinating technology that lets you give any number of people a look at your desktop screen the way you see it now.

Many programs like WebEx and GoToMeeting offer robust solutions for companies who use screen-sharing to facilitate virtual meetings, while more-common apps like Skype and iChat integrate it into their software, too.

But if all you want to do is quickly share your screen (or see someone else's), Join.me (compatible with PC and Mac) is a free Web-based program that lets you share your screen, chat with viewers, and even allow others to control … Read more

Is your Mac's desktop horribly cluttered with various folders and files? If you can't be trusted to create a sensible folder hierarchy and then save files to appropriate folders, it's likely you default to saving file after file to your desktop. It's no way to live.

Thankfully, the Mac App Store has three apps that can help restore order to your desktop. Two are free and will sweep up files and folders on your desktop when you command or, in the case of one, as scheduled. The third simply hides them, presenting the illusion of a sparkling clean desktop but preserving your mess of files and folders.… Read more

Lord knows I love a Smart Album. Set it up once and it automatically updates as new photos arrive that meet its criteria.

I also love Photo Stream and the ability it gives me to view and share photos taken on my iPad from my iPhone, and vice versa. I also love being able to view my Photo Stream photos on my Mac in iPhoto, but what I don't love is the message I receive when I try to do anything but view these photos in iPhoto. You can't simply edit a photo in iPhoto's Photo Stream … Read more