You’ve probably heard the term “chipset” tossed around when talking about new computers, but what exactly is a chipset, and how does it affect your computer’s performance? In a nutshell, a chipset acts like the motherboard’s communications center and traffic controller, and it ultimately determines what components are compatible with the motherboard—including the CPU, RAM, hard drives, and graphics cards. It also dictates your future expansion options, and to what extent, if any, your system can be overclocked....

What Is a PEM File? PEM is just a standard; they contain text, and the format dictates that PEM files start with… …and end with: Everything in between is base64 encoded (uppercase and lowercase letters, digits, +, and /). This forms a block of data that can be used in other programs. A single PEM file can contain multiple blocks. This can be used to represent all kinds of data, but it’s commonly used to encode keyfiles, such as RSA keys used for SSH, and certificates used for SSL encryption....

It’s All About the Math Computers have numeric keypads because they make repetitive data entry easier. They allow you to type numbers and perform mathematical operations rapidly, with only one hand. The modern design of numeric keypads may seem obvious today, but it is the product of decades of refinement in adding machine technology, most of which took place over 100 years ago. The modern numeric keypad layout—sometimes called a “tenkey” layout—can trace its roots back to David Sundstrand, whose company released the first commercial tenkey mechanical adding machine in 1914....

Windows 10 is shaping up to be really, really good. I’ve been running it as my primary OS on my Surface Pro 3 since early April (release 10041), and I’m getting really excited for the final product. Microsoft has taken the things that worked with Windows 8.1, the things we missed from Windows 7, and some of the best features from Windows Phone and rolled them into their new OS....

While many people actively choose to encrypt their data, others may be surprised to find out that their current drive is doing so automatically without input from them. Why is that? Today’s SuperUser Q&A post has the answers to a curious reader’s question. Today’s Question & Answer session comes to us courtesy of SuperUser—a subdivision of Stack Exchange, a community-driven grouping of Q&A web sites. Photo courtesy of Roo Reynolds (Flickr)....

When you install a major Windows 10 update, you may reboot to find some of your programs missing. Yes, Windows 10 may remove your programs without asking you–but you can get them back pretty easily. This is the takeaway from some people’s experiences with the “November update,” Windows 10’s first big update. Microsoft has refused to comment on this, but it seems like the update process is designed to remove incompatible programs....

Windows 11, like any new operating system, has had its fair share of issues. The latest sees many users with HDR displays (and some without) having problems with colors displaying correctly in image editing applications. As first reported by Windows Latest, a bug in Windows 11 could prevent specific image editing applications from rendering colors correctly on HDR displays (and occasionally on other displays, too). Most users have reported the issue when editing pictures with white colors or on a white background....

All you have to do is download and install the utility, and click the apply button to immediately see the changes. (It will lock your computer to show you, so you’ll have to use your password to unlock it) The utility is remarkably easy to use, just click on an entry in the list, and use the Apply button to select it. The download button will take you to the directory of logon screens on WinCustomize....

Why Do Wi-Fi Extenders Have Such a Polarized Reputation? Wi-Fi extenders don’t universally have a bad reputation. The truth is that opinions on them are quite polarized. On the one hand, you’ll find tech-minded people talking about how awful they are. Get a group of networking nerds together, and there is no end to the negative things they can say about Wi-Fi extenders. And, in fairness, those negative things are solidly grounded in both science and real-world experience....

If you’ve been paying any attention to the media over the past year or so, you might get the impression that it’s only a matter of time before the threat of artificial intelligence comes to destroy us all. Editor’s Note: this is a departure from our normal how-to and explanatory format where we let our writers research and present a thought-provoking look at technology. From big summer blockbusters like Avengers: Age of Ultron and Johnny Depp’s stink-fest Transcendence, to smaller, indie flicks like Ex-Machina or Channel 4’s hit drama Humans, screenwriters seemingly can’t get enough of the trope that no matter what form AI eventually takes in the next few decades, you can bet it’ll be hell bent on teaching humanity a lesson about falling victim to its own hubris....

Anyone who has used Windows has seen the occasional system message stating that a program is not responding, but how exactly does Windows know that? Today’s SuperUser Q&A post has the answer to a baffled reader’s question. Today’s Question & Answer session comes to us courtesy of SuperUser—a subdivision of Stack Exchange, a community-driven grouping of Q&A web sites. Photo courtesy of Matthias Ripp (Flickr). The Question SuperUser reader ArunPrasanth wants to know how Windows knows that a program is not responding:...

Samsung has finally won me over. I’ve hated Samsung Android phones for a long time—basically as long as Samsung has been making Android phones. I’ve given them various tries throughout the years, and every one of them left me with the incredibly strong urge to throw the phone across the room (and I did, once). Then I tried the Galaxy S7 Edge, and everything changed. Samsung: Some Things to Love, a Lot More to Hate I’ve been an Android user since the original Motorola Droid, and I’ve used more phones than I can count over the last six or seven years....

Headers and footers are useful for adding things such as page numbers, dates, file names, and disclaimers to documents. Word allows you to add headers and footers with built-in, ready-made layouts or add your own custom headers and footers. NOTE: We used Word 2013 to illustrate this feature. To add a header or footer, click the “Insert” tab. For this example, we’ll start with adding a header, so, in the “Header & Footer” section of the “Insert” tab, click “Header....

When you got your new Sonos player, you probably found it easy to set up. It even offers to automatically scan your music folder. What you may not realize is that you can also add a variety of music streaming services. RELATED: How to Set Up a New Sonos Speaker You can’t play whatever you want using any media player or browser on your Sonos player. You have to use the Sonos app, so being able to add services like Spotify and Pandora is pretty cool and convenient....

If you use a Mac, chances are you might not even realize that OS X comes with a firewall. This firewall helps ensure unauthorized app and services can’t contact your computer, and prevents intruders from sniffing out your Mac on a network. RELATED: What Does a Firewall Actually Do? In this article, we will show you how to allow or prevent apps and services access through your OS X firewall....

Outlook and Gmail have separate address books. They don’t sync, which means that if you change your contacts in one or the other, then you have one address book that remains unchanged. Here’s how to keep your address books synced with free, open-source software. It’s really simple to export and import your contacts, either from Gmail to Outlook, or vice-versa. The problem is, it’s a one-time thing. If you make a change to your Outlook contacts, if your friend changes their e-mail address or phone number, or you add or remove a contact, then you have to change it in your Gmail....

If an app ever hangs or malfunctions on your iPhone SE, it’s easy to force the app to close in just a few swipes. While you don’t normally need to do this, it sometimes comes in handy. Here’s how. Normally, You Don’t Need to Close Apps Unless an app is malfunctioning, you typically don’t need to manually force iPhone apps to close. That’s because the iPhone operating system (iOS) handles system resources automatically....

Safari allows you to subscribe to RSS feeds and add your social media accounts so you can view them right in the browser, in one universal feed, without the need of any add-on applications or extensions. That way, instead of manually browsing to all your favorite sites and social media pages, you can view every article, tweet, and status update in your Safari sidebar. How to Add RSS Feeds to Safari on OS X and iOS RELATED: What Is RSS, and How Can I Benefit From Using It?...

Among the new features in Microsoft Office 2016 are some improvements to the user interface. For example, they added a background image to the title bar in each Office program, and an improved dark theme. Customizing the background and theme is easy, and we’ll show you how to do it. RELATED: Screenshot Tour: What’s New in Office 2016 By default, the background image is clouds, but there are several other background images from which you can choose....

Okay, speedy thumb tappers, you know how this works: you’re typing a super important text message at breakneck speed, when all of a sudden the keyboard detects your Flash-like tapping quickness as a swipe. Doh! Now instead of saying “Yeah, I’d love to go to the movies this weekend!” you just dropped a “Travis lobectomy govt movies this written!” on your unsuspecting fling. (Yes, that’s a real message I got using gesture typing....