How-To Geek - Why Is Windows Called Windows?

February 7, 2022

Did You Know?

The first antivirus software was, ironically, a virus itself. In 1971, when the first computer virus, “Creeper”, was infecting mainframe computers, programmer Ray Tomlinson wrote a virus of his own called “The Reaper” that removed the Creeper virus.

You’ve probably heard the name a million times: “Microsoft Windows.” But how did the operating system get that way, and why isn’t it named after something else—like doors or ceilings? We’ll explain. Read More »

Many people have multiple Google accounts for Gmail and other purposes. Annoyingly, Google makes it very difficult to sign out of only one account at a time. It is possible if you know where to look. Read More »

The teams have been chosen. The time and place have been set. All that’s left to do is watch the biggest football game of the year unfold in all its heart-pounding glory. To help you prepare for the main event, here are some tips for throwing a memorable football watch party. Read More »

Super Bowl LVI is almost here. If you are looking to upgrade your living room setup before the big game, retailers are offering significant discounts on some of the most popular televisions. And, we have handpicked the best TV deals. Read More »

In your Microsoft PowerPoint presentations, you can change your slides’ background to a picture, solid color fill, gradient fill, texture fill, and even pattern fill. You can apply a custom background to all or select slides in your presentation. Here’s how. Read More »

Apparently, the shades of green and red from the old Chrome logo could lead to an “unpleasant color vibration,” which prompted Google to make some relatively minor changes to its look for the first time in eight years. Read More »

Whether you're designing a website, building an app, or managing a network, it's critical to be able to identify and fix potential vulnerabilities. Python Ethical Hacking from Scratch will teach you how Python became one of the fastest-growing programming languages on the planet, plus it will help you leverage its power to enhance the security of your projects. Download your free copy now.

A Windows 11 tester did some digging and found a bunch of hidden features in the latest Windows 11 Insider build, including one that may show how eco-friendly your computer is. These features haven’t been officially announced, but hopefully, they will become official soon. Read More »

One of the great things about Android is how many models there are to choose from. That can also be overwhelming, as it can be hard to choose the right one for your loved one this holiday season. We’re here to help! Read More »

Less than a year after the pandemic-postponed Tokyo Summer Olympics, the 2022 Winter Olympics are set to take place in Beijing, China, on February 4-20. They will be broadcast in the U.S. on NBC and its affiliated networks. Read More »

Docker’s undoubtedly one of the most impactful developer technologies of the last decade. Containers have provided a solution for isolating applications, scaling them across physical machines, and abstracting the differences between environments. Read More »

Even if you’re someone who’s interested in tracking your health, sleep, exercise, and daily step count, an Apple Watch or Fitbit can be a hard sell. Those smartwatches have a ton of unnecessary features, their battery life sucks, and hey, some people don’t want to wear a big screen on their wrist. But that’s where the Withings ScanWatch comes into play. Read More »

Netflix dropped a plethora of new content last week during the first week of February, but that doesn’t mean more quality entertainment isn’t on the way this week. Read More »

You can’t escape the NFT craze right now: everybody is talking about these digital assets, or even going so far as putting out their own. As a result, you may find yourself curious about how to get in on the action. Here’s how to make your own. Read More »

Have you ever wanted to have the cover of a book you were reading as your Kindle screensaver? Well, until recently, you had to jailbreak your Kindle to do it. In 2021, though, it’s finally an official feature. Here’s how to turn on this long-awaited option. Read More »

Google Docs defaults to a light theme in most cases, but there’s an easy way to enable dark mode on Android, iPhone, iPad, and even in Google Chrome while writing on your computer. We’ll show you how. Read More »

You can quickly access someone’s Instagram profile by scanning their QR code, which the company also refers to as their Nametag. We’ll show you how to find and customize your unique QR code as well as how to scan others’ codes. Read More »

Google Play Store is how you get and update apps and games on your Android phone. Typically, it updates itself automatically so that you always have the latest bug fixes and features. However, you can also force an update to the Play Store. Read More »