Hot Computer Hardware How-Tos « Computer Hardware

How To: Clean your laptop's keyboard by removing the keys

In this video DavidDaGeek shows how to clean your keyboard by removing your keys, but to be careful when doing this. Put your finger underneath a key and just pull it off. Don't break the piece that holds the key in place though! he starts at the shift key and works to the left with the ? being next. Then remove the hair or dust with your fingers. Don't remove them all at once because you might forget what order they go in. To put the key back in, put it in its spot, and click it back in. You...

How To: Fix AMD Radeon HD Series Not Detecting Second Screen

Since I recently had this problem and fixed it, I might as well share the solution. This is actually REALLY simple to fix but will impact your cards' performance.

How To: Replace a laptop CMOS battery

In this video, we learn how to replace a laptop CMOS battery. First, turn the laptop upside down and remove the screws around the panel you need inside. Set these aside and then pry the top up with a flat screwdriver. Now you will see the CMOS battery, remove this with the tab that is on top of it. Remove the battery from the area it's at and then replace it with the new one. Make sure you place it in just how it was before. After this, replace the panel on the top and screw the screws back i...

How To: View your printer's secret dots (fingerprints)

Imagine that every time you print a document, it automatically includes a secret code that could be used to identify the printer -- and, potentially, the person who used it. Sounds like something from a spy movie, right?

How To: Take apart a computer's keybaord & clean it

In this video, we learn how to take apart a computer's keyboard & clean it. First, turn the keyboard upside down and remove the screws from the side with a screwdriver. After this, flip it back over and remove the keys from the top. Put the keys into a bowl of soap and water and let them soak. Then, remove the screws from the top of the keyboard and set them aside. Open up the keyboard and then dust and clean the inside of it until clean. Next, you will replace all of the parts you removed in...

How To: Fix the click of death on a hard drive

If you have owned a lot of hard drives, you probably have experienced the clicking of death that indicates that your hard drive is having serious problems. This video will explain why the click of death happens and show you some processes you can try to fix the problem yourself.

How To: Format a USB thumb drive to NTFS in Windows XP

How to format a USB thumb drive to NTFS in Windows XP Go to my computer, click to the USB flash drive properties, in that click on Hardware, click on SanDisk Cruzer USB device, and then to its properties, then click to policies, in that click on the optimize for performance button, click ok. Again click ok on the properties icon.

How To: Set up an Epson printer wirelessly

Learn how to set up an Epson printer wirelessly when you bring your new printer home you will want to start by installing the software that came with the new printer. You can set up your printer to work without wires and it will print from all over the house. There are 3 ways to set up the printer including the Epson way, with cables, and WPS. To determine is you need to use WPS, which is more complex, check your router to see if it has a sticker on it that says Wi-Fi Protected Setup. If that...

How To: Turn an Iomega ZIP Drive into a USB drive enclosure

The good old Zip Drive introduced by Iomega in late 1994 served its purpose as a medium-capacity removable disk storage system until obsolescence kicked in as it was replaced by flash drives as well as rewritable CDs and DVDs. This video presents a number of fun, DIY art projects that you can do with your old Iomega Zip Drive. Specifically, this how-to looks at how you can take your old Zip Drive and make of it a USB driver enclosure. For more, or to get started on your own Zip Drive project,...

How To: Disassemble an Acer AspireRevo nettop PC

In this how-to video, you will learn how to disassemble an Acer Aspire Revo. First, unscrew the screw on the side of the laptop. From here, you must pull the top cover with the logo apart. This will be tough, but eventually it will be come off. A prying tool may be useful for this task. Now you will have access to the hard drive, RAM, CPU fan, processor, and wireless card. Now you are ready to perform any upgrades or repairs on your Acer Aspire. This video shows you the essential steps in ord...

How To: Install a Nvidia GeForce 8600 GT graphics card

Installing new pieces into a desktop PC can be stressful for people who don't do it routinely because it constantly feels like you are going to wreck your computer. If you use the correct procedure, you won't, don't worry. This video will teach you how to install an Nvidia 8600 GT graphics card in a desktop PC. This will allow you to run games and graphics-intensive applications much more smoothly.

How To: Defrag your computer using Ccleaner and disk defrag

This is a video tutorial in the Computers & Programming category where you are going to learn how to defrag your computer using CCleaner and disk defrag. First go to CCleaner and download the free program. After that install it and launch the program. Click on "analyze" and it will tell you how much of disk space you will gain by removing temporary files. Hit "run cleaner" and then OK and the cleaning will be done. Now go to control panel and click on "disk defragmenter" under "maintenance". ...

How To: Change touch settings on an HP TouchSmart PC

In this tutorial, Malou and Bob show tips and tricks to use an HP TouchSmart computer. First, you can touch the house button that will lead you to the home page. The computer is so sensitive, it will detect your touch without even having to touch the screen. When you select an object, press and hold it if you want to move it somewhere else, if you move it to the bottom on your homepage it will go into the designated area. If you press and hold your finger on the screen, it's just like right c...

How To: Install a USB wireless wifi adapter

This video demonstrate how to install a wireless USB wifi adapter to your PC. The computer will immediately recognize new hardware. Install a USB wireless wifi adapter.

How To: Fax directly from PCs with an Epson All-in-One printer

This is the future, where you can fax not only from a piece of paper, but directly from your computer, too. Whether you have a PC or a Mac, Epson All-in-One printers allow you to send a fax right from your computer.

How To: Clean the keyboard on a Dell laptop

A laptop keyboard can collect a lot of dust, dirt, and breadcrumbs. In this tutorial, we learn how to clean out your laptop keyboard. Start off by removing the casing from around your laptop, making sure not to unplug any wires. You will need a screwdriver to remove the screw. Next, you will want to use a soft brush or tooth brush to clean where the keys were, and the inside underneath the screen. Next, replace the keyboard where it was and any screws. Also, plug in anything that may have com...

How To: Align the printhead on your Epson printer

Not aligning your printer before you print is like going to a job interview without brushing your hair: Everything else looks right, but you somehow still look unprepared and messy. Aligning the printhead on your printer will help ensure all text prints out where it's supposed to print out and there's no awkward color blurring with pictures.

How To: Replace a space bar on a Dell laptop keyboard

Is the spacebar on your keyboard out of whack? This simple video will show you how to re-seat it in less than two minutes. Start by using your fingers (or a small screwdriver or spudger if needed) to gently pry up along the top of the spacebar, working from one direction to another. Continue working along the top until the key is free from its mounting clips. Observe the location of the mounting clips. After the key is free from the keyboard, you can also remove the metal support bar from the...

How To: Fix a broken or unresponsive keyboard key on your PC

This quick fix is really easy and super useful. Every once in a while we all get a key on our keyboards that starts to act up. Whether the key is unresponsive, tempermental or just plain annoying you can fix it with this easy method.

How To: Hack a computer by resetting the bios password

This is hardcore, serious hacking at its best. So it goes without saying that you probably shouldn't be attempting this computer hack unless you've successfully shut down your friend's computer at school using Command Prompt and sent out a fake virus to loved ones.

How To: Make a Pandora battery without opening it

So to do that you will need 5.03 firmware, ac adaptor to turn your battery to normal after this, download the easy installer from the link in the video description and check if your motherboard is capable to convert your battery by the link in the video description. Now Switch on your PSP on ac adaptor and then put your battery in. Now run the easy installer. Now go to battery options and select convert to service mode battery. It will make the Pandora battery. Now you can switch off your PSP...

How To: Clean an aluminum Apple keyboard by removing its keys

In this tutorial, we learn how to clean an aluminum Apple keyboard. You will need: soap , q-tips, and water. First, remove each individual key to your keyboard gently, then, clean off the keys and the inside with a mixture of soap and water on a q-tip. When finished, place your key back onto the keyboard. Repeat this step for your entire keyboard, making sure to be gentle when you remove and replace the keys back on. Don't do more than two at a time or you run the risk of forgetting where the...

How To: Fix Stuck Pixels in LCD TVs, Monitors & Displays

This video will show you a few techniques for removing stuck pixels from an LCD screen. This is not a guaranteed fix. Please only use these as a last resort, as some of them can cause more damage to the LCD. Only attempt these if you are experienced and know what you are doing.

How To: Hack a Windows PC with a USB key

In this episode of Hak5, Darren shows us a USB key, dubbed the USB Hacksaw, that instantly and silently installs on target Windows 2000 or higher computers with guest or higher privileges which will monitor USB ports for flash drives and automatically download their contents for silent archival and email. For detailed instructions on replicating this hack yourself, watch this video hacking tutorial.

How To: Build a USB hard drive

If you are looking for a data storage solution that's portable, but also durable, you should watch this video to learn how to build a USB hard drive. Take apart your external hard drive to find out what kind it is and then build a new one.

How To: Turn an old WiFi router into a wireless repeater

In this clip, you'll learn how to boost your WiFi signal strength by building a wireless repeater from an old WiFi router. It's an easy process and this video presents a complete guide. For more information, including a full demonstration and detailed, step-by-step instructions, watch this helpful home-computing how-to.

How To: Burn an img file to dvd on the Mac

In this quick video tutorial Mike will show you how to burn an IMG file to DVD on the Mac. Follow these steps to burn an IMG file to DVD on the Mac: Click on Finder Applications Utilities Disk Utility. Highlight the file, click Burn. You will be asked if you want to burn it to the superdrive. Click Burn. It may take a while, but when you are done you will have a CD or DVD that is ready to use.

How To: Install a 233 PowerForce G4 accelerator in a Mac Tower

The PowerForce G4 Series 233 is the versatile single processor upgrade for PowerMac G4 AGP towers, G4 Cubes, PowerMac G4 Digital Audio, QuickSilver, and QuickSilver 2002 models. It features the G4-7451 and G4-7455 processors, with speeds up to 1.2GHz. The PowerForce G4 Series 233 processor card, like its predecessors - the Series 100 and 133 upgrades - is the most advanced, highest performance CPU card available on the market today. It's also easy to install Feature List: PowerPC 7451 or 7455...

How To: Clean an Apple Mighty Mouse scroll ball

Do you have a Apple Might Mouse? After a few months, you'll notice that your scroll ball probably isn't working anymore. Well, check out this video to get that Apple Mighty Mouse scroll ball up and rolling. This involves a little disassembly, if you're worried about your warranty. There will be some Mighty Mouse cutting involved. But a dirty mouse is a bad one, so why not do what it takes to maneuver on your computer properly?

How To: Tell if a CD is blank

Need to figure out if your cd has been written on or not? Here is a quick way to be able to tell the difference between a blank cd and a cd that has been written on. Obtain the techniques to be able to tell between a dvd and an audio cd that have been written on.

How To: Extract an ".exe" file

Looking to open an .exe file? In this video, learn specifically how to extract an exe file onto your desktop, but additionally where to find & download the free 7-zip file archiver.

How To: Open ports on your Windows XP computer

In this video tutorial, viewers learn how to open ports on a Windows XP computer. Begin by clicking on the Start menu and open Control Panel. Double-click on Network Connections and select your network connection. Right-click on it and select Properties. Click on the Advanced tab and click on Settings. Select the Advanced tab again. Click on your internet connection and click on Settings. Click Add and fill in the port information. Click OK. T forward a port, users need to go to their router'...

How To: Fix your computer when it won't recognize your CD or DVD disc drive

One of the most annoying of the many annoying types of errors on Windows computers is when you computer won't recognize parts that have always been a part of it, like the drives or keyboard. If your computer has stopped recognizing your CD or DVD disc drive, watch this video. As long as the drive is still connected, the steps in this video should allow you to fix the problem and continue using your drive.

How To: Open ports in Windows 7

This video tells us the method to open ports in Windows 7. Click on myu icon and go to 'Preferences'. Copy the port number from the resulting window. Go to 'Start', 'Control Panel' and 'System and Security'. Go to 'Windows Firewall' and 'Advanced Settings'. Go to 'Inbound Rules' and 'New Rule'. Click on 'Port' and select 'TCP' and 'Specific Local Port'. Type the port number in the text box. Click 'Next' and 'Allow Connection'. Press 'Next' twice and put the name in the space provided for it. ...

How To: Install a SIM card for a 3G modem in a Lenovo ThinkPad X61 laptop

This video explains where to install a SIM card for a 3G modem in a Lenovo X61. With just a screwdriver you can replace the SIM card in a Lenovo X61. It is a simple installation, once you learn where the SIM card should go.

How To: Pair a wireless keyboard or mouse to a Microsoft Windows PC

In this clip, you'll learn how to go about pairing a Bluetooth-enabled wireless keyboard or mouse to a Microsoft Windows (Vista, XP, 7) PC. For more information, including a complete demonstration, and to get started setting up your own wireless peripherals, take a look.

How To: Video chat on an HP TouchSmart

HO TouchSmart is a all-in-one PC with many essential features. You can video chat using your HP TouchSmart PC. Note that you will need a internet connection to use the video chat feature. There are lots of messengers available on the net like Windows Live messenger, Yahoo messenger, AOL and others. You will need to have a messenger to chat with an other person using the same messenger. So first go to the respective websites and download the required messenger. Install the messenger as shown i...

How To: Get a Lot More Use Out of Printer Ink Cartridges

This video reveals to us about the secret of ink cartridges. It is a very common problem faced by those people with ink printers that run out of ink, but this video shows us that even though it signals that we are running out of ink, do not throw the ink cartridge into the waste bin.

How To: Track a USB device

Hak5 isn't your ordinary tech show. It's hacking in the old-school sense, covering everything from network security, open source and forensics, to DIY modding and the homebrew scene. Damn the warranties, it's time to Trust your Technolust. In this episode, see how to track a USB device.

How To: Fix a sticky mouse

This video shows you how to fix a sticky computer mouse. Probably one of the most infuriating issues surrounding computers, never let your mouse get sticky again! Fix a sticky mouse.