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Create A WiFi Hotspot With Your Mac’s Wired Connection

If your Mac is connected to a network via an ethernet cable but there is no associated WiFi hotspot, you can actually create one using the Internet Sharing feature in Mac OS X. This is incredibly useful for sharing your internet connection with other devices without an ethernet cable. You can also use this technique to boost your WiFi network by forwarding the WiFi connection through your Mac if it is receiving a good signal. Just follow these quick steps to create a shared WiFi hotspot using only your Mac with a wired internet connection.

1. Open System Preferences, then select Sharing.

2. Now, check the box titled ‘Internet Sharing’ on the left. Then under ‘Share your connection from:’ select ‘Ethernet’. If you have a more recent MacBook, this might be titled ‘Thunderbolt Ethernet’ instead.

3. Beneath that, under ‘To computers using:’, check the box for ‘Wi-Fi’.

4. Now click the ‘Wi-Fi Options’ button below to begin configuring your new hotspot.

5. For Network Name, enter the name you’d like to be broadcast for the new hotspot. This is equivalent to an SSID.

6. You can also set a wireless channel, security type, and password for your hotspot. Click ‘OK’ when you’re done changing the settings.

7. Now back in the Sharing window, check the box for ‘Internet Sharing’ and then ‘Start’ in the confirmation window to create the WiFi hotspot.

With your WiFi hotspot created, you can now connect any number of devices wirelessly to this new hotspot. It’s also a great way to create an additional network for guests or family that can remain separate from your main internet or wired connection. Unfortunately this technique only works if your Mac has a wired ethernet connection and will not work if you are only connected via WiFi in the first place. If you want to forward your WiFi connection you’ll need a separate USB WiFI adapter.

The 5 Best Tools To Edit A PDF

PDF files are amazing for creating a final draft of a digital document that can then be distributed with its formatting intact. It’s no surprise that many companies use PDFs for their internal documents, product manuals, and anything else that needs to have a set format but be flexible enough to store and distribute digitally. This formatting strength is also the main weakness of the PDF and it can be a major hassle trying to edit PDF files. Thankfully there is software available that can edit PDF files though they vary in their features and price. Check out these 5 recommended PDF editing apps.

1. Adobe Acrobat DC

It’s no surprise that the best PDF editor comes from Adobe, the creator of the PDF format itself. With Adobe Acrobat DC, you can have nearly full control over a PDF file from replacing text and images, to a helpful find and replace function, as well as altering the formatting of the document itself. All of this functionality doesn’t come cheap however but you can choose between a permanent license, monthly access, or just try it out for 30 days free.

2. PDFescape

This is an online tool that lets you edit a PDF of up to 10MB and 100 pages in size for free. You just drag and drop or upload your PDF, perform edits such as adding or removing drawings and text, and then save the edited document with all changes intact. It’s great for quick and dirty editing on smaller PDF files and you don’t need to install anything on your computer to use it.

3. Dochub

Dochub is another great online PDF editor. You can delete and hide text and images or add your own new ones, all while preserving the original and saving a copy with your edits. It offers an interesting ability to create comments on documents, sign them, or request a signature. These features are definitely useful in a business or cooperative setting. You will need to sign into a Dochub or Google account to use Dochub.

4. Nitro Pro

Nitro Pro is nearly as feature rich as the official PDF editor from Adobe but is much cheaper. You can fully edit a PDF file and even alter the metadata. Editing features include the ability to remove and alter images and text, change layout and formatting, merge PDFs and more. As with Adobe’s software, you can also try Nitro Pro free for a 14 day trial period.

5. PDF Edit

A free alternative to other desktop PDF editors, PDF Edit performs many of the same functions as Adobe Acrobat DC and Nitro Pro. It’s easy to add and remove images and text and you can even search for terms within the PDF document for easier editing.

If you have some PDF files that need editing, check these apps out.

Try Out Some Of Android 6.0 Marshmallow’s New Features Early

The latest version of Android has been known by the code name Android M for some time now. Well, Google has revealed that the M will now stand for Marshmallow, as in Android 6.0 Marshmallow. This is in keeping with their tradition of naming each new version after some kind of sweet. For now, only Nexus phones and developers have access to the latest revisions of Android Marshmallow, but that doesn’t stop other users from experiencing a taste of it. Though you’ll have to wait for the official release if you don’t have one of those devices, it is possible to use Marshmallow’s wallpapers, launcher, and even use its boot animation on nearly any other updated Android device.

The new Google Now Launcher is one of the easiest things to download and try out and will give you a bit of an idea of what to expect from Marshmallow in terms of interfaces and changes. You simply need to download the apk file, enable installation from Unknown Sources, and then install the apk. Then you’ll be able to use all of the new features present in the Google Now Launcher.

The default Marshmallow wallpapers are also now widely available for download online. A simple search should reveal nine great looking new wallpaper to try out on your device. It’s nothing revolutionary but it can be fun to try out Google’s offerings to spice up your device background.

Finally, you can also alter your device’s boot animation to use the new Marshmallow one. If you have the Cyanogen Theme Engine, it’s as easy as downloading the new boot animation apk file and then setting it as your theme. Then, whenever your device boots you’ll see Marshmallow’s new playful, colorful animation which is very well done indeed. Other users can flash the animation to their device from recovery mode.

Android Marshmallow should be arriving in a few months but until then, if you can’t wait this is a great way to get some of that Marshmallow flavor early.

Use The Classic Photo Viewer In Windows 10

The upgrade to Windows 10 has gone smoothly for millions of users and it’s just as surprising to see how much Microsoft has left alone compared to how much has changed. While certain apps and features were removed for the sake of modernity and change for the better in Windows 10, quite a few features are actually still there and just in hiding. It might take a few extra steps to enable these features again, but for fans of the classics it’s well worth it.

One notable change is when it comes to opening and viewing photos. When you open a photo in Windows 10, everything is now handled by the new Windows 10 Photos app. For the most part the functionality is the same, but there are some differences. The new Photos app is perhaps sleeker and has more features, but it forces you to interact with photos in an album format that can be distracting. The old Photo Viewer app was more matter-of-fact and let you view a single photo at a time, quickly rotate it, zoom in or out, or move to the next photo with little fuss. If you preferred the old Photo Viewer app, it is actually still present in Windows 10 and can easily be accessed.

To enable using the old Photo Viewer you will need to copy and paste the following in a notepad file:

Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Applications\photoviewer.dll]

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Applications\photoviewer.dll\shell]

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Applications\photoviewer.dll\shell\open]
"MuiVerb"="@photoviewer.dll,-3043"

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Applications\photoviewer.dll\shell\open\command]
@=hex(2):25,00,53,00,79,00,73,00,74,00,65,00,6d,00,52,00,6f,00,6f,00,74,00,25,\
00,5c,00,53,00,79,00,73,00,74,00,65,00,6d,00,33,00,32,00,5c,00,72,00,75,00,\
6e,00,64,00,6c,00,6c,00,33,00,32,00,2e,00,65,00,78,00,65,00,20,00,22,00,25,\
00,50,00,72,00,6f,00,67,00,72,00,61,00,6d,00,46,00,69,00,6c,00,65,00,73,00,\
25,00,5c,00,57,00,69,00,6e,00,64,00,6f,00,77,00,73,00,20,00,50,00,68,00,6f,\
00,74,00,6f,00,20,00,56,00,69,00,65,00,77,00,65,00,72,00,5c,00,50,00,68,00,\
6f,00,74,00,6f,00,56,00,69,00,65,00,77,00,65,00,72,00,2e,00,64,00,6c,00,6c,\
00,22,00,2c,00,20,00,49,00,6d,00,61,00,67,00,65,00,56,00,69,00,65,00,77,00,\
5f,00,46,00,75,00,6c,00,6c,00,73,00,63,00,72,00,65,00,65,00,6e,00,20,00,25,\
00,31,00,00,00

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Applications\photoviewer.dll\shell\open\DropTarget]
"Clsid"="{FFE2A43C-56B9-4bf5-9A79-CC6D4285608A}"

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Applications\photoviewer.dll\shell\print]

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Applications\photoviewer.dll\shell\print\command]
@=hex(2):25,00,53,00,79,00,73,00,74,00,65,00,6d,00,52,00,6f,00,6f,00,74,00,25,\
00,5c,00,53,00,79,00,73,00,74,00,65,00,6d,00,33,00,32,00,5c,00,72,00,75,00,\
6e,00,64,00,6c,00,6c,00,33,00,32,00,2e,00,65,00,78,00,65,00,20,00,22,00,25,\
00,50,00,72,00,6f,00,67,00,72,00,61,00,6d,00,46,00,69,00,6c,00,65,00,73,00,\
25,00,5c,00,57,00,69,00,6e,00,64,00,6f,00,77,00,73,00,20,00,50,00,68,00,6f,\
00,74,00,6f,00,20,00,56,00,69,00,65,00,77,00,65,00,72,00,5c,00,50,00,68,00,\
6f,00,74,00,6f,00,56,00,69,00,65,00,77,00,65,00,72,00,2e,00,64,00,6c,00,6c,\
00,22,00,2c,00,20,00,49,00,6d,00,61,00,67,00,65,00,56,00,69,00,65,00,77,00,\
5f,00,46,00,75,00,6c,00,6c,00,73,00,63,00,72,00,65,00,65,00,6e,00,20,00,25,\
00,31,00,00,00

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Applications\photoviewer.dll\shell\print\DropTarget]
"Clsid"="{60fd46de-f830-4894-a628-6fa81bc0190d}"

Then, save it with the file extension “.reg” to make it a registry file. Next, right-click the file you’ve created and select ‘Merge’ from the options.

This will make the registry changes to allow you to use Photo Viewer again. Now if you right-click any image, you can select ‘Open With’ and then select ‘Windows Photo Viewer’ to open it with the old classic Photo Viewer app.

It looks and functions exactly as it did in your previous version of Windows and is a great alternative if you preferred the old interface.

Better Copy and Paste With These Android Apps

It doesn’t get much simpler than copying and pasting. It’s such a common and useful task that many people even know the keyboard shortcuts Ctrl + C for copying and Ctrl + V for pasting. You might think that would be the long and short of it but you would be mistaken. In fact copy and paste can be much more flexible than just taking a bit of text or data and copying it somewhere else. Unfortunately the stock Android copy and paste functionality is missing many of these more advanced features and that’s where apps step in. Give these apps a try to vastly improve the copy and paste capabilities of your Android device.

1. Native Clipboard

Native Clipboard is a souped up copy and paste app that can store a record of what you’ve copy and pasted for quick and repeated access. The interface is great and very easy to navigate and your copied snippets are easily visible and usable. It can also double as a note taking or memo app as you can categorize and color code what you’ve copied.

2. Clipper

Clipper is highly recommended for its clean, fast and intuitive interface. It copies, pastes, and keeps a record of your clips for convenience and speed. It also has a separate list for very frequently used clips which can mightily speed up entering things like longer URLs or e-mail addresses. The free version unfortunately has a rather obtrusive ad along the bottom and a 20 clip limit but these can be removed by purchasing the app for $1.99.

3. Copy Bubble

Copy Bubble is unique in that it has a floating interface bubble. You simply copy clips and they are all added to your Copy Bubble which can then be used to paste those entries anywhere by tapping the bubble. It’s amazing if you are a highly frequent user of copy and paste but maybe a little much for more casual jobs.

4. AnyCopy

AnyCopy features much more security than the other apps combined. It has a PIN option to lock the app, encryption of your notes and password protection can be enabled for individual folders. It’s also completely free and does a fantastic job with any copy and paste task.

5. EasyCopy

EasyCopy augments your existing Android copy and paste to make it much faster and easier to copy to other apps. Usually you’d need to copy something, then close the app you copied the data from, open the app you’d like to paste the data into, and then paste it. EasyCopy presents a shortcut menu of apps when you copy something. It’s essentially saving you a few taps to open the other app you need to paste into but those taps and seconds can add up. The menu of apps to paste into can be configured to match your most frequently used apps for even more convenience.

Windows 10, Product Keys, and Activation

If you recently upgraded from an earlier version of Windows to Windows 10, you might be wondering about your product key and how it is treated with the upgrade. There are some important differences if you upgraded with Microsoft’s free upgrade program from Windows 7/8/8.1 or if you upgraded from a retail or official version received as part of a program like MSDN. They are important differences but shouldn’t be of much concern to the average user.

If you received your free upgrade from Microsoft and upgraded from Windows 7/8/8.1 then your key is tied to your specific hardware. You will only have a generic key that cannot be used to install Windows on other machines. If you need to do a fresh Windows 10 install, you can do so with a bootable DVD or USB device with a Windows 10 ISO on it and then skip the step to enter your product key. The installation will continue and then Windows 10 will be activated once it connects to the internet and recognizes your hardware. If you do change your hardware and want to retain Windows 10, you’ll need to contact Microsoft to allow them to activate your system.

On the other hand, if you got your copy from MSDN (and similar programs) or purchased it as a retail version, you will have a unique product key that can be used to install Windows on various hardware and will not be tied to a single piece of hardware. You can save this key and use it for fresh installs, installation on other machines, and as a backup for your current system. If you do lose it, there is third party software that can find your product key so you can record it once more for future installs.

If you need to check your activation status, you can click the Windows button, Settings, Update & Security, then Activation where your status will be shown under the Activation entry.