How-to Tech

Why do flight attendants instruct us to turn our mobile devices on airplane mode before takeoff? And what does airplane mode even do?

By Talon Homer

Casting lets you go from watching a movie or TV show on your mobile device and to watching it on your TV without ever skipping a beat. And Roku devices make it super simple.

By Talon Homer

Since many of your favorite songs are streamed online, you've surely wondered how to download music from YouTube. Want to learn how to download these files and play them offline? Let us explain!

By Talon Homer

All that listening to podcasts and music can get your AirPods dirty! Here's an easy way to clean them.

By Alia Hoyt

We get it. You want to watch your favorite videos even when you're not connected to the internet. We'll walk you through the YouTube-sanctioned way to do it.

By Andrew Silver

The internet has made it possible to have a side job — or a full-time one — within your four walls, or just beyond them. We look at 10 great gigs.

By John Fuller, Nathan Chandler & Zach Taras

You need buy a new laptop, but you're not sure how to find the right one. Learn about how to find the right laptop in this article.

By HowStuffWorks.com Contributors

When doing your spring cleaning, don't forget to clean your laptop. Here's how to clean a laptop so it's as spic and span as the rest of your house.

By HowStuffWorks.com Contributors

You need to change the battery of your Barnes and Noble Nook eReader, but you're not sure how to do this. This article will tell you how to change the battery of a Barnes and Noble Nook eReader.

By HowStuffWorks.com Contributors

It's easy to assume that no one knows who you really are online, but that's never been the case. However, surfing the Web anonymously has become so simple that anyone can conceal his or her identity with little trouble.

By Dave Roos

That old hard drive's been clicking for some time, and now your computer won't boot. Is there any way to restore that project you've been working on?

By Ed Grabianowski

Upgrading your computer's memory may sound like a lot of trouble and something you should pay a specialist for. But you can do it yourself.

By Jonathan Strickland & Zach Taras

Digital video recorders (DVRs) let you stay up-to-date on your favorite TV shows, but they can be expensive. They're essentially computers -- could you build one yourself for less?

By Ed Grabianowski

Your computer is running more slowly than usual. Could it be infected with some kind of malware, or does it just need a reboot?

By Jonathan Strickland

You just bought a brand-new computer. But what'll you do with the old machine? Is there something else it could be doing, instead of sitting in your closet?

By Peter May

Broadband Internet access is great -- high-speed connections let us watch video, listen to music and more. But what happens when you can't get a signal?

By Ed Grabianowski

Your wireless network's running slow again. It's time to get to the bottom of things. Yes, stealing WiFi still goes on. How can you tell if it's happening to you?

By Nathan Chandler & Wesley Fenlon

Spyware can track what you do on your computer and can even steal your passwords. But you can avoid it -- the trick is knowing how spyware programmers think.

By Peter May

Spyware may follow your every move on the Internet. Or it may record your passwords as you type them in to steal your identity. So how do you stop it?

By Jonathan Strickland

Leaving your home network unsecure is like leaving your front door unlocked. How long will it be before someone finds that it's open and walks right in?

By Jonathan Strickland

So you have a shiny new iPhone and loads of applications available through Apple. But the apps you really want aren't there. Can you jailbreak your phone?

By Maria Trimarchi

Your computer's hard drive has all your stored music, pictures and everything you've worked on for the past few years. What would you do if your hard drive crashed?

By Josh Briggs

Your computer is running slowly. You've checked it for viruses and spyware, but other than a few cookies, it's clean. So what's the problem and what can you do about it?

By Peter May

So your computer got infected with a virus. It happens to the best of us. You've got to move on, but what do you need to do to get your computer back into shape?

By Jonathan Strickland

Unlocking cellphones is not the problem it used to be. Here's how it changed.

By Ed Grabianowski & Talon Homer