Keep your laptop cool

It’s not just you. Your laptop is hot, too. And yes, you can bypass the password in Windows 8.1 but I don’t recommend it especially on a laptop.

 

It’s that time of year again where I remind everyone that laptops need air flow. Using a laptop flat on a desk, counter, table, or any surface will impede air flow and cause the laptop to heat up.

You can buy USB cooling pads if you want to, but two inexpensive solutions work well and are lighter than a cooling pad. My favourite is two rubber doorstops from the dollar store used as wedges under the back of the laptop. You get the laptop off the table enough for some cooling and as a bonus it’s easier on your hands when you type.

Last year a customer turned me on to the “laptop ball” in The Source (http://images.thesource.ca/images/Online/26/2606116l.jpg. About the size of a golf ball, this silicone item comes apart to do the same thing as the doorstops. They’re about $5.00, come in several colours and look a little classier than doorstops. I keep one in my laptop bag and another on my desk.

I’ve written several times about how to do this in previous versions of Windows. (I still don’t recommend it on a laptop). But there must be something especially irritating about signing in to a Microsoft Account (http://rlis.com/columns/column452.htm) on Windows 8. People want to skip that step.

In Windows 8, you do it the same way as in Vista and Windows 7:

• Press the Windows Key and the R key simultaneously (WinKey + R)
• In the Run box, type netplwiz and press Enter
• The User Accounts box will open. Select your account from the list (it might be the only one, if you’re the only one using the computer. You still have to select it!)
• Remove the check mark from the Users must enter a user name… box
• In Windows 8, you’ll get the automatically sign in box. In older versions you’ll get the same prompts, but it will look a little different. Enter your user name and password. Confirm the password.
• OK your way out.

In Windows 8.1, if you also want to bypass the new Start Screen and go straight to the Desktop when you boot up:

• Right-click the Taskbar
• Click on Properties | Navigation
• Put a check in the box called When I sign in or close all pages on a screen, go to the desktop instead of Start
• OK your way out

If you want a free utility to do that for you, Windows Tweaker (http://www.thewindowstweaker.com/) will do that an a lot more. Windows Tweaker runs on Vista through Windows 8.1 and includes more than 100 tweaks. A nice touch is that you don’t have to go digging through many menus to find what you need because the utility is searchable. As always, I encourage caution when you tweak Windows. If you don’t know the expected outcome of a tweak, you probably shouldn’t tweak that thing!

Do you need help with your computer? I'm here to help you and your home or business computer get along!

Cate Eales runs Computer Care Kelowna (http://computercarekelowna.com/) a mobile service helping home users and businesses get along with their computers. To arrange an appointment phone her at 250-764-7043. Cate also welcomes your comments and suggestions. Send email to [email protected].

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This article is written by or on behalf of an outsourced columnist and does not necessarily reflect the views of Castanet.