Ransomware is a type of malware and virus that encrypts your personal files and seeks a payment in order to gain access to the decryption key. It targets documents, pictures, spreadsheets, and other common files. The payment is usually requested via bitcoin.

The Windows Path variable is a semicolon-delimited string of directory locations. These locations contain executable programs that can be called directly, without needing to type in the full file path.

With version 3.15 of FileZilla FTP, the developers have added a notification bubble that pops up when transfers are complete and FileZilla is not in the foreground. With version 3.16 they made the bubbles pop up whether FileZilla is in the foreground or background. Disabling these notifications isn't immediately obvious. Here is how.

FlashBeat is an Adware program that runs in the background. It injects ads into webpages that are designed to look like they're part of the host website. For example: It will insert fake ads to the top of Google search results pages that look very similar to the normal Google ads.

If you have the local IP address of a computer on your network, and need to get that computer's name, there is an easy method using the ping command in a Windows command prompt.

Update: It looks like with newer versions of Chrome (after 40), this setting no longer removes the button. View this issue page for more details on the change. Try this webpage for a potential fix, though I have no tested it.

In a recent version of Chrome, a new button was added next to the minimize, maximize, and close buttons. This button brings up the user menu and allows you to sign into and out of Chrome, change users, and enter incognito mode more easily.

This method of cleaning a computer requires that you have access to another computer as well as a clean USB drive. This method is more effective than just running a spyware scanner with Windows booted normally, but may take a little longer.

This requires that you have access to another Windows computer with an Internet connection. You'll be installing and updating Malwarebytes on that computer, and then copying the up-to-date data folder via USB drive (or similar) to the computer that lacks Internet or is in Safe Mode.

The normal Chrome and Canary download is a small 800~ kilobyte program. Upon running, this program downloads the remaining part of itself (approximately 40 megabytes) before installing. If you prefer, you can alternately make it download the whole program at once, which is great for installing in offline situations.

Here are the steps needed to export 2160p (4K) videos using Adobe Premiere. These instructions are from CS5.5 but should be usable for other versions as well.

Adobe Reader X and newer versions have become somewhat bloated with features and content. This can slow down older computers and be a nuisance even on new computers. To fix this you can downgrade to Reader 9.5, which fires up nearly instantly on a modern PC and consumes very little memory.

Here is one way that you can record the screen, including audio, and upload it to YouTube for free. This is useful for recording game footage, creating a presentation, or showing how to perform some task on the computer.

To open a command prompt on Windows 7, open the start menu by clicking the start menu button in the lower left or pressing the Windows key. Then type in cmd and click on cmd.exe (or just hit enter).

If you need to determine the bitrate or frequency of an audio file, such as an MP3, or the audio in a movie file, such as an MPEG or MP4, you can do so on Windows using a free program called Pazera Free Audio Extractor. This program includes the powerful FFMPEG library with an easy-to-use and quick interface.