Quick Links A bootable USB drive is the best way to install or try Linux. But most Linux distributions—like Ubuntu—only offer an ISO disc image file for download. You’ll need a third-party tool to turn that ISO file into a bootable USB drive. If you’re not sure which one to download, we recommend theLTS release. Download Rufus and run it on your Windows PC. The tool will open immediately—you don’t even have to install it....

In this case, the immovable file is actually the MFT, or Master File Table for the volume. At this point you should be able to shrink the partition, at least a decent amount. Using Linux to Resize you’ve got the option to also use thegparted live cdto resize your partitions. We prefer free software here whenever possible. In summary, If you are lucky enough for Shrink Volume to work for you, great....

Quick Links Modern versions of Windows defragment drives during regular maintenance schedules. Windows automatically defragments drives that need it once per week—by default at 1:00 am on Wednesdays. (And it is smart enough not to defragment SSDs at all.) Right-click theshellkey and choose New > Key. Name the new key “runas.” Now, you’ll change the(Default)value inside the newrunaskey. With therunaskey selected, double-pick the(Default)value to open its properties window. To to that, right-click therunaskey and choose New > String Value....

You don’t need third-party software. Windows 7 requires specialized software, like WinCDEmu. If you’re using Windows 7, you’ll need a third-party tool. Hannah Stryker / How-To Geek You have three options. Right-smack the drive and select “Eject” to unmount the ISO file when you’re done. We likeWinCDEmu, a simple and open-source disc mounting program. It supports ISO files and other disc image formats. Install WinCDEmu and give it permission to set up the hardware driver it requires....

Here’s how to do it. Right-click theNameSpacekey and choose New > Key. The name you give the new key depends on the view you want Control Panel to open with. This will remove Control Panel from the “This PC” section of File Explorer. The Remove Control Panel from File Explorer (Default) hack deletes those keys, restoring the default. Both hacks are included in the following ZIP file. Double-poke the one you want to use and click through the prompts....

Right on the context menu. Related:How to Backup and Restore the Windows Registry Next, youll create a new key inside theshellkey. Right-click theshellkey and choose New > Key. Name the new key “Control Panel.” The name of this key is the name that will show up on the context menu. Next, you’ll another new key, this time inside the newControl Panelkey. Right-nudge the Control Panel key and choose New > Key....

On the prefs screen, click Forwarding and POP/IMAP. Scroll down to the IMAP Access section and select Enable IMAP. Click Save Changes at the bottom of the screen. Gmail blocks less secure apps from accessing Google Apps accounts because these apps are easier to break into. Blocking less secure apps helps keep your Google account safe. Then, turn on Access for less secure apps. Now you should be able to continue to the next section and add your Gmail account to Outlook....

Here’s how to get it done. It only takes a bit of mild Registry hacking. Right-click theNameSpacekey and choose New > Key. This will remove Recycle Bin from the “This PC” section of File Explorer. The Add Recycle Bin to File Explorer hack creates the new key you need. The Remove Recycle Bin from File Explorer (Default) hack deletes the key, restoring the default. Both hacks are included in the following ZIP file....

You just have to make a quick Registry edit. We’ve talked abouthow to customize the “Send To” menuand how toadd things like Dropboxto it. Double-tap the(Default)value to open its properties window. To test it out, just right-click any file and confirm the “Send To” folder is gone. The “Restore Send To Folder to Context Menu (Default)” hack restores the original value. Both hacks are included in the following ZIP file....

However, if you dont like this feature, you could turn it off. The following procedure will work for both. That way, if something goes wrong, you’re free to always roll back. You may find that theExplorerkey does not exist, but we can add it. If you dont see theExplorerkey under Windows, create it. To do this, right-tap on theWindowskey and select New > Key. TypeExploreras the name for the new key....

Today we look at how to change the boot menu options in Grub2. In our case we want to remove the 2.6.32-21-generic boot menu entries. To remove old kernel versions, open up Synaptic Package Manager, found in the System > Administration menu. The first few numbers should suffice. For each of the entries associated with the old kernel (e.g. linux-headers-2.6.32-21 and linux-image-2.6.32-21-generic), right-click and choose Mark for Complete Removal. smack the Apply button in the toolbar and then Apply in the summary window that pops up....

Quick Links Fast User Switching can be handy, but also comes with downsides. Here’s how to disable it on all versions of Windows, if you want to. You should note that this hack does not technically disable Fast User Switching. Right-click theSystemkey and choose New > DWORD (32-bit) Value. Name the new value “HideFastUserSwitching.” Double-hit the newHideFastUserSwitchingvalue to open its properties window. One hack disables Fast User Switching and the other enables it again, restoring the default setting....

This doesn’t seem like a big deal, but they can be bothersome. How much reminding do we really need that they are, in fact, shortcuts? When you’ve found—or created—the linkvalue, double-click it to open its properties window. In the “Value data” box, replace the current value with “00 00 00 00.” Note that the current value you see will depend on what version and edition of Windows you’re running. It doesn’t matter what’s there already....