When using Windows 8, you encounter all kinds of scenarios in which you are asked to enter one password or another. And, as all operating systems do, Windows 8 masks the passwords you enter with bullets, so that they cannot be read by someone standing nearby. A useful security precaution. But, what if you want to double check what you just typed, to make sure it is correct. How do you temporarily reveal the password you just typed, before submitting it?

A while ago we talked about environment variables and their role in Windows operating systems. Did you ever need to experiment with these variables? Or do you want to learn more about how to use environment variables? Then, read this guide and learn how to create your own user & system variables, both in Windows 7 and Windows 8. Creating your own variables may turn out to be useful in certain scenarios.

Windows 8 themes are not different from Windows 7 themes, at least not when you look at them for the first time. The process for creating and customizing themes is the same in both operating systems but the theme files that result from the process have a different file extension and they are not compatible with each other. Why is that? I really wanted to learn the answer to this question and I decided to do a bit of research on my own. Here's what I have learned:

When accessing network shared folders from your Mac is a difficult task to do, the only solution you have left is to map a network shared folder from your Windows 7 or Windows 8 computer, so that the Mac always remembers its IP address and the credentials required to login. Here’s how it works

What prerequisites must be met in order to be able to access, from Mac OS X, network folders shared by Windows 7 and Windows 8 computers? In this article I will detail all the dependencies that must be met in order for things to work well and also suggest a solution for what to do when things go wrong. Read on to learn more.

Maria Galea’s photographs show a keen eye and a sensitive nature hiding behind the viewfinder. Although she’s only 18, Maria, originally from Malta, shows great potential and an enthusiasm for learning new things and improving her technique. Her chosen subjects, often flowers and waterscapes as well as portraits, showcase a budding talent that is just beginning to shine. Still in highschool, she intends to pursue higher education in the future and loves all the arts, especially literature and photography. To learn more about Maria and download her Malta-flavored theme for Windows 7 and Windows 8, we recommend reading her interview below.

I recently encountered weird issues with my 27" Asus LCD display. When I plugged it in, the image displayed did not fill the whole screen, everything was blurry and it looked like there was something wrong with the monitor. If you have similar issues and you are using an AMD/ATI video card, don’t hesitate to read this guide. As it turns out, this problem can be fixed relatively quickly and you don’t need any special skills to do it.

The User Account Control (UAC) implementation in Windows 7 and Windows 8 is a lot friendlier than the one in Windows Vista. In a previous tutorial we explained what UAC does, how it runs and why you should keep it turned on. Now it is time to explain how to change between the available UAC levels, so that it works the way you want it to.

Windows 8’s Family Safety allows you to police your children’s user accounts to ensure their safety and innocence while they use the computer. Microsoft provides a helpful web interface for this service that allows you to change your settings, monitor requests from your child to change permissions for pages and apps and monitor reports of your child’s usage. While this is a great feature that is sure to help a lot of users, it isn’t for everyone. If you don’t like the web interface, or would just rather manage your Family Safety reports locally, you have the option to disable the website for your user accounts. Keep in mind that this will disable the ability for your children to send requests from their account(s).

The region or the home location is a rather hidden setting in Windows 8 which is important when using the operating system and even more important when trying to find, access and use localized apps. If you have set the wrong region, you won’t be able to find certain apps or access relevant content for your location. Here’s how to change the location in Windows 8 so that you can solve such problems.

Do you have a network with multiple devices, computers and operating systems? What does it take to set up Windows 7 and Windows 8 so that you can easily share folders, libraries and devices with the other computers that are part of the network? It turns out that the answer is: "not much". All you have to do is to double check a few settings and adjust them where appropriate.

Computers on a network can be part of a workgroup or a domain. The difference between them is how resources are managed on the network. While domains are fit for enterprise networks, home networks can work very well with workgroups. In this article I will explain the difference between domains and workgroups, show how to access your workgroup settings and how to change them, both in Windows 7 and Windows 8.