Q: I cannot remove McAfee Virus Scan Enterprise from my computer through the control panel. Is there any other way to do this?
A: Usually, McAfee and NOD32 have a tendency to “stick” to the host computer, much like a virus does. It’s kind of ironic, considering that they’re anti-virus solutions. Fortunately, McAfee has a removal tool for its own applications. First, however, you’ll have to access “msconfig” through the “Run” dialog. Access the “Run” dialog by pressing “Win+R” or “Start+R.” The “Win/Start” key is next to either “Alt” key, usually. Now, type “msconfig” into the dialog and press “Enter.” This should appear:
Click on the “Startup” tab like in the picture above, and just disable anything to do with McAfee. You’ll usually find that it’s easier to sort the list by manufacturer. Once you’ve disabled McAfee’s startup applications, restart the computer. Go ahead and download + run the removal tool from McAfee here. This should take care of your problems.
Q: I have Windows 7, and every time I click on something in my taskbar, the text is difficult to read. How can I resolve this issue?
A: Usually, you can resolve this by switching the resolution. Windows has an issue clearing up fonts, especially on laptops, when the resolution isn’t optimal for the display in questions. On larger displays, you might notice a slight blur in text, while on smaller displays, you might notice that small pieces of each letter might be distorted or garbled. You must find out the optimal resolution for your computer, which usually comes in the manual that came with the computer. Now, to solve this issue, go to your desktop, right-click on an empty space, and click “Screen Resolution.” Adjust the screen resolution and click “Apply”. Continue adjusting until you come up with something sufficiently satisfying. You should see the following screen when adjusting your resolution:
Q: How do I remove the overlaid arrow on shortcut icons?
A: With Windows Vista and later, you can only remove the arrow overlay using third-party utilities. I suggest downloading the Shortcut Overlay Remover for 32-bit Windows. If you have a 64-bit version of Windows, download and install the Ultimate Windows Tweaker.
Q: How can I lock a folder using the command line?
A: You can either password protect a folder or hide it. There’s no such thing as “locking” a folder in Windows. If you hide a folder correctly, no one will be able to see it unless you type its direct path in Windows Explorer or reveal it again. If you have Windows Explorer set to see hidden folders, then you will still see them as faded out icons, but you can still enter the folders by double-clicking them. If you want to make sure the folder is truly hidden, you have to set WE not to show hidden folders. Windows does this by default. To hide a folder, open your command line and type Remember to replace “path_to_folder” with the actual path to the folder you’d like to hide. If you’d like to reveal the folder again, just replace “+s +h” with “-s -h“. You’re all set!
Q: My DVD drive isn’t showing up in Windows 8 Consumer Preview x64. How can I get it to show up?
A: Your DVD drive probably doesn’t show up in W8CP because it doesn’t have a disc inserted in it. If you still have problems detecting the disc drive, even after inserting a disc, plug the SATA cable on your motherboard leading to the DVD drive in another slot of the motherboard. If you have a PATA/ATAPI/IDE DVD drive, you must configure the DVD drive as “Master” by moving the jumpers appropriately. I can’t help you much in this department, since each make of DVD drive uses different settings and behaves differently to changes in your system. Just experiment with it. You’ll get it right.
Q: My display flipped over backwards and all the text appears backwards. The desktop icons are on the right instead of the left as well. How can I correct this?
A: Relax. There’s a very simple solution to this problem, and you’ll find it in this article. Follow the tutorial and come back to the comments section here if that doesn’t help you.
Q: I have a partition “C” and a partition “D” on my laptop. Is there any way I can move the space from the “D” partition to fill up the “C” partition?
A: Yes there is! Go to your disk management (Start -> Control Panel -> System and Security -> Administrative Tools -> Computer Management -> Disk Management).
Check the disk containing the C and D partitions. Does the “D” partition sit to the right of the “C” partition? If it does, you can delete the “D” partition and extend the “C” partition to take up the remaining space that “D” left behind. Otherwise, you’ll have to use a disk cloning software to clone “C” the partition to “D” and do the reverse (i.e. deleting “C” and extending “D”). There’s a ton of ways to do this, but it will not be easy any way you try it.
Had a Question That Was Unanswered?
If your question wasn’t answered, it could happen because of one of three reasons:
The wording was difficult to understand. This often happens when someone doesn’t know English very well. Have a friend who is well-versed in English translate your question for you. It will help everyone understand what you want to say. There wasn’t enough detail. You need to provide more details at times, especially pertaining to your particular situation. Use common sense and see if you have to tell us your make and model of PC/device or your operating system version. Some of these things could really help. The problem wasn’t Windows-related. We often see problems pertaining to Facebook or other things that have nothing to do with Windows. The exception here is hardware, because sometimes you can be experiencing a Windows-related problem due to your computer’s components.
If you keep your question understandable, detailed, and on-topic, you raise the chances of the answer appearing in Ask a Windows Expert. Have a nice day, and leave a comment below if you’re still having issues with an answer from the above questions!
