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Windows 7 introduces a feature known as Windows XP Mode, which is reliant on the latest version of their virtualization software: Windows Virtual PC. The older Microsoft Virtual PC 2007 is unable to run when Windows Virtual PC is installed, and vice versa. But what if you need to run both? Microsoft says it's impossible, but I will prove otherwise.

A complete guide to converting a computer power supply into one suitable for electronics, with many tips and suggestions for improving the basic design.

You buy a nice, shiny 500 GB hard drive. But to your horror, you realize that its actual capacity is only 465 GB. Where did 35 GB worth of space go? Your friend claims that it's used by "formatting". But formatting can't really take that muchspace... or can it?

The days of small, square CRT monitors are over. Bigger, wider, and higher-resolution monitors now dominate the market. But how does one properly make use of all of this extra space? I run into a good deal of people who simply don't understand how to take advantage of this extra room, and hopefully this article will teach you how.

Binary numbers – seen as strings of 0's and 1's – are often associated with computers. But why is this? Why can't computers just use base 10 instead of converting to and from binary? Isn't it more efficient to use a higher base, since binary (base 2)representation uses up more "spaces"?

Did you forget your Windows user account password? Are you stuck with no access to an administrative account? Do you need to get into someone else's computer for whatever reason? If so, there is an easy way to do it... and all it requires is a Windows Vista/7 DVD.

An open-standard smartphone that works equally well for all users. A pocket computer that runs your programs, your way. A phone that works on Verizon and T-Mobile without a hitch, thanks to its dual cellular radios. A device that plays your music in far better quality than your iPod, and is capable of streaming it via FM radio. I present to you, for lack of a better name, the "NookkinPhone" concept.

Do you need a home server? Yes, if you want the convenience of an always-on media server, instant access to your printer from any computer in the house, a dedicated machine for downloading and uploading large files, and a development web server that can be used to host an intranet within your home (or for testing a website outside the home).

What color are the numbers 0 through 9 and the letters A through Z? This question will strike many as odd. After all, numbers and letters are usually black, and if they're colored, it's usually in an arbitrary fashion. But what if I told you that the number 2 is green, 4 is blue, 5 is red, C is yellow, and T is purple?

Passwords. They're the bane of our online existence, yet they are critical for protecting our privacy. How complex should a password be? How can you create a password that is secure and easy to remember at the same time – does such a thing even exist? Why do I regularly use 30-character passwords, while most people balk at meeting the minimum length of 8 characters?

Did you know that 2 AND 2 is not equal to 4? Well, it's not – open up Windows Calculator, click [2] [and] [2] [=], and you will see that the result is 2. But how does this work? This seems to make no sense. Haven't we all heard the expression "put 2 and 2 together"?

By default, Windows Display Properties displays only the resolutions allowed by its driver, or (in the case of a Plug-and-Play monitor) exposed by its EDID. If you are using Windows Vista (or Windows 7), you have probably noticed that you can only select modes exposed by your monitor even if you uncheck "Hide modes that this monitor cannot display". This is not limited to Display Settings: the NVIDIA Control Panel (if you have an NVIDIA card) and List All Modes dialog also display only those modes that are allowed by the EDID. But what if you wanted to run your CRT monitor at a higher resolution than it tells Windows it supports? What if you have defined a custom mode that is outside the range specified in the EDID? What if you are stuck at 60 Hz because you are running at the rated maximum resolution of your monitor?

If you want both Windows XP and Windows Vista on your computer, you can set up a dual-boot configuration easily enough. But the default configuration may not be suitable for your needs. For example, I wanted to have XP and Vista installed on one hard drive, with XP being on a smallerpartition which I planned on eventually using for a different operating system. However, setting up this dual-boot proved to be somewhat more complicated than I had imagined.

We've all used them – programs that either seemed to be designed by a 6-year-old, or that crash regularly, or even those that installed malware. But how does a software developer try his hardest to design the worst possible piece of software? The tips on this page will be sure to help.

You are no doubt familiar with the concept of a word filter – a function that replaces "naughty" words with asterisks. There are many cases when a word filter is useful. A profanity filter can keep a site "G-rated" by removing profanity, while a word filter can also be used simply to removeany words that shouldn't appear in a block of text (such as removing spammy terms or technical data).