Category Archives: Software Tips

How to set FireFox homepage and disable top sites/recommended/highlights [SOLVED]

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Question: Help! How do I disable the “Top Sites” “Recommended by Pocket” and “Highlights” when I start Firefox? Also, how do I set my OWN homepage? Thank you. Answer: In the Firefox address bar, type about:preferences and press Enter. That takes you to preferences. Now you can: Set your preferred Homepage for new windows Set your preferred page for new tabs Disable Top Sites by unchecking (under the “Firefox Home Content”  heading) Disable Recommended by Pocket Disable Highlights I hope

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How to shutdown laptop during Windows 11 or Windows 10 initial setup (Set Up Windows)

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Question: I reset a laptop (Lenovo X1 Carbon G6) using Windows 10 and I want to ship it to a new owner in a pristine condition where it will let them set up Windows 10 to their liking. However, after I booted it to test that it booted okay, I am now at the initial Windows let’s start with region setup screen and I cannot shut down 🙁 Can you tell me how to turn off my PC during the

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How to check WiFi speeds in Windows 10 [Solved]

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Question. How can I check wifi speeds in Windows 10 Pro? Answer. Here are two methods to check Windows 10 wifi connection speeds: #1 Graphical User Interface (GUI) method Press Windows Key + R and type ncpa.cpl Press Enter Double-click the WiFi adapter that you want to check The Wi-Fi Status window will display: #2 Command Prompt text method Open a Command Prompt (or Press Windows Key + R and type cmd) Type netsh wlan show interfaces and press Enter You will

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EXCEL: How to extract text before a comma, space or period [SOLVED]

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Excel tip:  If you try to extract text before a space ” “, comma “,” or period “.” in Excel you may try something along these lines: =LEFT(A2,(FIND(” “,A2,1)-1)) However, if you have non-matching records, i.e. something without a space in the previous example then you will get the following result: #VALUE! Since that is probably not what you wanted, try the following: =IFERROR(LEFT(A2,(FIND(” “,A2,1)-1)),A2) Which will result in either (A) the shortened result (where applicable) or (B) the original

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Adjust WordPress Divi theme footer text [SOLVED]

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Question: I am trying to adjust the footer text on a Divi based theme but cannot find it anywhere in the PHP code! How do I adjust the footer text in a Divi (child) WordPress theme? Answer: Good question! You can adjust the footer text via the theme customizer: #1 Login to the WordPress admin area and go to Divi -> Theme Customizer #2 Choose: Footer #3 Choose: Bottom Bar Voila, your theme’s footer text has been edited. I hope this helps! 🙂

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How to adjust Picasa collage output size [SOLVED]

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Question: I am creating a collage in Google’s Picasa application and I cannot get it to be the right aspect ratio for my paper which is 8.5×11 inches. Can you help? Answer: If you go to collage settings in Picasa, you can select the “Page Format” and choose something other than the default HDTV. Please see this screenshot for an example: I hope this helps 🙂

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Photoshop CC fix D3DCompiler_47.dll is missing from your computer… [SOLVED]

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A question from reader Henry: Hi. Today I did a fresh install of windows 7 pro on my lenovo thinkpad. Then I try to install adobe photoshop cc but I got an error when running the application: “D3DCompiler_47.dll is missing from your computer….” I reinstalled everything but that did not help. Can you help me with this dll problem? Thanks, –Henry Dear Henry, It looks like you are encountering the following error: Please find the following update for your Windows 7

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Cinemagraph apps: Plotagraph, Zoetropic, Plotaverse +more

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If you are looking for an easy way to add some pizzazz to your still photos, you may want to try making a cinemagraph. In the past, it required quite a bit of time to craft a cinemagraph utilizing fairly expensive programs. Now, however, it can be done on your phone in just a few minutes (or your laptop, tablet, PC if you so desire) at minimal to no cost. As an example, I tried Zoetropic on my Note 8 (Android) and within about

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