How-to Tech

Installing malware on your computer could enable crackers to take it over as a zombie computer. So what happens once you find out your machine's been hijacked?

By Jonathan Strickland

You thought your home theater setup was nice until you watched TV at your friend's house. He's got it equipped with a surround sound system. How can you match his movielike audio quality?

By Jane McGrath

If you love classic video games, have an old computer lying around and some skill with power tools, you could build your own home gaming machine.

By Jonathan Strickland

There's an old adage that says if something seems too good to be true then it probably is. It's true on the Internet, too. So why are people still getting scammed?

By Jonathan Strickland

A warm laptop might feel cozy when you're working on the couch, but that heat can damage your hard drive or burn your legs. How do you keep your machine cool?

By Julia Layton

Cheaters never prosper, right? Apparently not in video games. Otherwise, developers wouldn't encode cheat codes right into the games themselves. But the easy road isn't always easy.

By Jonathan Strickland

Nobody likes to see the blue screen of death taunt you from your computer, but will fiddling with the Windows Registry fix the problem or make you live to regret it?

By Jacob Silverman

The cables for electronics devices come in an astounding variety. Should you buy gold-plated connectors? Do expensive cables mean better quality?

By Dave Roos

Unlike desktop computers, laptops are carefully designed to be extremely compact. That makes it difficult to get inside to add more memory, right? You might be surprised how easy it is.

By John Fuller

Why build your own computer? Because you can make it to fit your needs exactly and save some money in the process. Plus, it's fun and easy to do.

By Marshall Brain & Jonathan Strickland