How to disable the Windows 8 lock screen

How to disable the Windows 8 lock screen

Did you know that, back in the Windows 3, 95, and 98 days, you could simply type in your password to log into your computer? It sounds crazy, I know, but it’s true. Since Windows XP, the process has become steadily more convoluted — picking your avatar from a list, or hitting Ctrl+Alt+Del before being allowed to log in (this was actually a security feature, believe it or not). Windows 8 is the worst offender yet, positively spitting in the face of keyboard users — but fortunately, it’s quite easy to disable the new Windows 8 lock screen.

In essence, the new Windows 8 lock/login screen is meant to act as a dashboard, flashing up notifications for new email, IMs, and so on. On a tablet, where you swipe the lock screen away and then begin typing, this makes perfect sense. On a desktop PC, though, the lock screen is clunky (you might say this is a bit of a recurring theme in Windows 8). Yes, theoretically you only have to tap a key and it slides away, but for some reason Microsoft introduced a delay so that you can’t immediately type your password. As a result, you often end up losing the first few letters of your password, waiting for Windows to tell you that your password is incorrect, and then typing your password in correctly.

How to bypass the Windows 8 lock screen

To remove the lock screen entirely, so that locking is just a plain password prompt — and booting up goes straight to the same password prompt — just follow these very simple steps.

1. Hit the Start key, type gpedit.msc, and press Enter. This will open the Local Group Policy Editor.
2. Navigate to Computer Configuration > Administrative Templates > Control Panel > Personalization
3. Double click “Do not display the lock screen,” and select Enabled from the dialog that pops up. Click OK.

The change is immediate. Go ahead and press Win+L and admire your new, minimal lock screen.

In addition, if you’re feeling really sassy, you can also tweak your computer to boot straight to Desktop, either with Windows 8′s built-in Task Scheduler, or by using a third-party Start menu replacement, most of which include this functionality as a configurable option. This way, the Desktop will be the second screen you see, instead of the fourth

Virus Protection Guide

Best free antivirus programs and virus propection tips 

So you got caught with your pants down on the Internet (figuratively, folks) and contracted a virus. That sucks. Or maybe you were wearing protection but still fell victim to some nasty bit of code that managed to slip by your antivirus software undetected. That sucks even more. Either way, it's nothing to feel ashamed about. The web is a dangerous place and even the most tech savvy users sometimes slip up. You can even get a virus through no fault of your own simply by visiting a reputable website that, unbeknownst to you, has been compromised by a hacker with malicious intent. The web is a war zone, and even if you're not a target, you can still end up a casualty.

That's not to say you can't stack the odds decidedly in your favor, because you can. And you should. To help you do that, we've put together a comprehensive guide on how to protect your PC from malware. We cover everything from smart (and not so smart) computing habits, the best free antivirus programs, and what tools work best for removing an infection when all else fails. Don your hazmat suits and let's get started!

If your PC looks like this, you're doing something wrong.

Virus 101

If you're reading this, it's safe to assume you already know what a computer virus is, and certainly the majority of Maximum PC readers are well informed. So, we won't spend a ton of text dissecting the different kinds of viruses, but we do want to quickly cover the basics. Strictly speaking, a virus is a program that can replicate itself and is designed to spread from one computer to another, doing things the end-user doesn't want and/or doesn't know about.

A broader term is malware, short for malicious software, and there are many different forms, including viruses, Trojan horses, keyloggers, worms, adware, and spyware, to name a few. These days, malware is most often spread through web browsers. According to Kaspersky, there were nearly 1.6 billion browser-based attacks in 2012, up from 946 million a year prior.

A common misconception is that only Windows users need to concern themselves with malware, but that isn't true. Malware writers have traditionally focused their efforts on Windows, but have started targeting other platforms as they become more popular, including mobile. Even Mac users have to be on the lookout.

"In early 2012, the Flashfake botnet was discovered, consisting of 700,000 computers all running under Mac OS X," Kaspersky states in its most recent security bulletin.

The bottom line is, if you use the Internet, you're a target.

Safe Computing is a Start

Your best line of defense is still you, the end-user. The less risks you take, the lower your chance of becoming just another statistic, and it all starts with developing smart computing habits. Here are five easy ways you can remove yourself from the line of fire:

1. Never open unexpected email attachments, even if you know the recipient. If a PC belonging to someone else is infected, it could be auto-generating malicious emails with dirty attachments or booby-trapped URLs.
2. It's easy to spoof URLs within emails. Instead of clicking on email links, type the URL directly into your browser, especially if you receive a notice that appears to come from your banking institution or PayPal. This exponentially decreases your risk of falling for a phishing scam. You know what they say about a fool and his money...
3. Stay diligent with updating and patching your software. These updates often patch security holes that malware writers can otherwise exploit. If a program has the option of automatically checking for updates, enable it. We also recommend running Secunia's Personal Software Inspector (PSI) on occasion, which is a free security tool that scans for and identifies vulnerabilities in many third-party programs.
4. Avoid visiting shadier sides of the web. We're in no way trying to play the part of moral police, but sites that serve up illegal downloads or triple-X rated content are popular places to set digital landmines.
5. Use Alt-F4 to close suspicious pop-up ads instead of clicking on the X button. Why? Sometimes the X button is really a part of the ad, and clicking it could redirect you to a malicious website.

A Word About Passwords

As much as you might love your significant other, using his or her name as your password is a really dumb idea. It's far too easy to guess, just like "123456," "iloveyou," "letmein," and others found on SplashData's list of worst passwords.

A good password will be at least eight characters long and will use a mix of letters, numbers, symbols, and capitalization. For example, "Ey3LMpC!" which stands for "I love Maximum PC" is relatively easy to remember and much more secure than a word or phrase that can be broken with a brute force dictionary attack.

You also should be using multiple passwords for different websites so that if one account is compromised, your others are still safe. The downside to this approach is that it can be difficult to remember multiple passwords, especially strong ones. An alternative to remembering them all is to use a password manager like LastPass or KeePass, both of which are free. RoboForm is another option, and though it isn't free, it also fills in forms and allows you to access RoboForm Logins and Identities on all your devices, including mobile. The same is true of 1Password, though it doesn't fill in forms.

Second Line of Defense: Antivirus Software

Whenever the topic of security software comes up, inevitably someone chimes in that it's completely unnecessary so long as you surf the web safely. They'll then provide anecdotal evidence based on their own personal experience, and while it's true you can get by without AV protection, it's a constant roll of the dice. And for what? To save a few CPU cycles? It's simply not worth the risk, and certainly not the cost when there are free options out there. Let's focus on those first.

-Avast Free Edition (Free, www.avast.com/en-us/index)

Every year we run a roundup of security software and you can read the latest one in the April issue of Maximum PC magazine. In it we tested three free antivirus programs -- Avast, Microsoft Security Essentials, and AVG -- and out of those three, we found Avast to be the best free antivirus software.

We like Avast because it scans for viruses and spyware, and has a built-in remote support tool that allows you to dish out (or receive) assistance to other trusted Avast users, which is extremely handy if you're the IT guy for family and friends. It also offers tons of fine grain control.

One of our few complaints is that Avast doesn't guard against Potentially Unwanted Programs (PUPs) by default. To change that, click on Security > File System Shield > Settings > Sensitivity and check the box underneath "PUP and suspicious files."

We also recommend doing a full system scan at least once a month. If you keep your PC on 24/7, it's not a bad idea to schedule nightly scans when you're asleep. This ensures that any potential threats are caught before they have much chance to do any harm, provided they get past Avast's real-time scan engine to begin with.

-Second Opinions

No virus scanner is capable of catching and neutralizing every single threat; it's simply not possible due to the sheer number of new malware that is created on a daily basis. For this reason, it's in your best interest to solicit a second and/or third opinion on occasion using a dedicated spyware scanner. How often depends on how risky your online behavior. If all you're doing is surfing Maximum PC, sports sites, and updating your Facebook feed, quarterly scans should be sufficient.

One of the best programs out there is Malwarebytes. It's free (there's also a paid version) and it does an excellent job of detecting deeply embedded threats that other scanners miss. Malwarebytes is also great at cleaning up remnants left behind after you've eradicated a virus, such as lingering registry entries.

Another popular program is SuperAntiSpyware, which is also available in free and paid flavors. Scanning with both Malwarebyes and SuperAntiSpyware on occasion is a potent one-two combo to supplement your daily AV program.

-Internet Security Suites

If you're willing to pay for security software, an Internet security suite offers more robust protection than what's available in any single free program. One of the best available is Norton Internet Security. Put your pitchforks away, if you haven't taken Norton for a test drive in several years, then you have no idea what you're missing. It's not the same bloated program that it was prior to 2009. That's when Symantec re-wrote the software from the ground up with an emphasis on performance. These days it offers top-notch protection with little impact on system performance

Click the next page to see what you should do when your computer has already been infected!

Stick Your Head in the Cloud

A substitute for installing security software is to tap into the cloud. There are several cloud scanners at your disposal, but only a select few will go the extra mile and actually disinfect your machine if it finds something wrong, while others try to upsell you. Panda Security's Panda Active Scan detects and removes, though it only works with Internet Explorer. There's also an option to install a small front-end, but even if you go that route, it's still a cloud-based scanner that won't suck up your system resources.

Another handy bookmark is VirusTotal, a free, on-demand online scanner with a twist. Let's say you downloaded a file or email attachment, but are suspicious of its contents. Before you open it up, just upload it to VirusTotal and it will be put under the microscope of dozens of scan engines. It's the ultimate second opinion for single files and URLs, albeit the maximum file size is 32MB.

Hide Behind a Virtual Machine

Have kids that share your PC? You're a brave soul. Kids have a tendency to click on pop-up requests willy-nilly, but there are steps you can take to mitigate any potential headaches. Here they are:

1. Teach them smart computing habits. It's never too early to learn, and since their brains are like little sponges, they may surprise you with how much they retain.
2. Set up a different user account. It won't save your PC from nasty infections, but hey, do you really want to login and find that your Windows theme has been changed over to Spongebob or Dora the Explorer? We didn't think so.
3. Install Sandboxie, a free application that runs selected programs in an isolated environment. You can configure Sandboxie to run any time a browser is opened, so when your kids inevitably download something they shouldn't have, the changes aren't permanent. This is also a wonderful tool for installing on PCs belonging to friends and family. It works with any browser, too.

If you're particularly reckless on the web, a full-blown virtual machine is the next best thing to a dedicated web box. A virtual machine isn't completely fool proof, but it's close to it. Microsoft'sVirtual PC works relatively well, especially if you're mostly interested in surfing the web, and so isVMWare's Player. Another thing VMs are good for is installing suspicious programs and beta software. If something turns out to be malicious, the damage is contained away from your OS.

I'm Already Infected, Now What!?

Despite your best efforts, sometimes the bad guys win. If that happens, or if a family member drops off a badly infected PC, follow these steps to clean it up.

-Scan, Scan, and Scan Again

First, try installing a free antivirus program. If it works, great, proceed to scan the system, and then follow that up with Malwarebytes and SuperAntiSpyware sweeps. This three-pronged approach should rid the system of most, if not all malware, unless it's a particularly nasty infection. If it doesn't, don't worry, we're not ready to throw in the towel.

Before we proceed, are you even able to install security programs? Some malware detects when security software is being installed and stops it dead in its tracks. If that's happening to you, try to disable the offending program. Hit CTRL+ALT+DEL to start the Task Manager and look for any suspicious entries in the Processes tab. Anything that's gibberish -- for example, "mgbelwisfl" -- is probably up to no good. Highlight the entry and press End Process. Are you now able to install AV scanners?

If not, you'll need to boot into Safe Mode, which only loads the bare minimum drivers required to run Windows. To do that, hit the F8 key during boot (press it repeatedly during during bootup if you have trouble with the timing). When prompted, select Safe Mode with Networking. Now try installing/running your security software.

-HiJackThis

If your system's still displaying malware symptoms (slowed performance, random pop-ups, etc), you may need to dig deeper. HiJackThis is a free utility that generates an in-depth report of registry and file settings, but be warned it doesn't discern between good and harmful settings. If you don't know what the settings are, solicit outside help by posting a HiJackThis log to a computer forum like one here at Maximum PC. Alternately, you can post the contents of the log onHiJackThis.de Security and/or I Am Not a Geek for quick and basic parsing, though you should still seek outside help before nuking an entry you're unfamiliar with.

Running HiJackThis is simple. Just click the "Scan" button and wait for it to finish scanning your system (it only takes a few seconds). When it's finished, click on "Save Log" to save the contents to a Notepad file, which you can then copy/paste into any of the sites mentioned above.

Assuming you recognize an obvious malicious entry, check the appropriate box(es) and click "Fix checked."

-Comodo Cleaning Essentials

At this point, we're starting to run out of options, but all is not yet lost. Comodo Cleaning Essentials(CCE) is a tool that any geek should be toting around in his/her tool chest. It doesn't require any installation, meaning you can run it direct from a USB key, which is perfect for making house calls.

CCE digs deep for a variety of infections, including rootkits, making it an indispensable tool. It even scans the Master Boot Record (MBR), so to say it's thorough is an understatement.

Inside the CCE directory, you'll also find an entry called KillSwitch.exe. It's a much better version of the built-in Task Manager because it provides a bunch of additional information, and will even tell you if a program that's running is safe or known to be malicious. If you can't get into the Task Manager to kill an offending program, try using KillSwitch. If you want, you can even have it replace the Task Manager by enabling the setting in the Options menu.

-TDSSKiller

Persistent infections that manage to evade your best efforts to eradicate could be indicative of a rootkit. A rootkit is particularly stealthy, though not entirely invisible. Download and run Kaskperky's TDSSKiller if you think you might have a rootkit. Like CCE, this utility doesn't require installation and can be carried on a USB stick.

-ComboFix

When you're at your wit's end and ready to reinstall Windows, that's when you should tryComboFix, a powerful cleanup tool that can either save the day or leave your PC unable to operate correctly. Before downloading and running ComboFix, backup any data as if you're reinstalling Windows, because in the end, you might have to anyway. Before you proceed, you should also read through the extensive usage guide on Bleeping Computer.

If you've gotten this far and your system is still infected, throw in the towel and start with a fresh Windows installation. Sure, you could keep plugging away in hopes of cleaning up your system, but by the time you're done, you could be rocking a fresh Windows install with no trace of malware.

Know of any tips we missed or have software recommendations of your own? Let us and other readers know by posting them in the comments section below!

Ubuntu 13.04 (Raring Ringtail) Now Available to Download

The newest version of Ubuntu promises dramatic graphical performance enhancements.  

Canonical's pretty good about keeping its Ubuntu Linux distro up to date with frequent releases, the latest of which is Ubuntu 13.04, otherwise known as Raring Ringtail. Now available to download to desktops and servers, version 13.04 is being billed as the "fastest and most visually polished" build to date. Canonical said it particularly focused its attention on fine tuning performance on lightweight systems as it gets ready to launch Ubuntu to a range of mobile devices.

The benefit for all users is that Canonical's focus on lightweight systems means faster response times in casual use and a reduced memory footprint anyone can appreciate, regardless of system specs.

"This release also illustrates Ubuntu’s ongoing commitment to quality and dependability. Our kaizen approach to development as well as community engagement result in a high quality alternative for people worldwide," said Jane Silber, CEO at Canonical. "This release, our 17th on a regular cadence, meets the needs of enterprises, organizations, governments and communities looking for a secure and intuitive computing experience."

Developers who want to test out MIR, which is Canonical's next generation display server, can optionally do so. MIR is what will make it possible to offer a streamlined Ubuntu experience across different devices, such as mobile phones, tablets, and PCs.

Not sure if you want to commit to downloading and installing Ubuntu 13.04? Feel free to give it atest drive in your browser.

Eight ( 8 ) Ways to Automatically Share Your Blog Posts

When you publish a new blog post, how do you get the word out? Do you manually go to several different social networks and share your post, or do you let a WordPress plugin or Web service do the work for you?

Sharing manually is nice because you can add a personal touch to each post, as opposed to sending out the same thing to all of your social networks. However, it's also a time-consuming process. Some days, you just may not have the time to share your new content manually. This is why many bloggers opt for automatic sharing, which is not only easier, but more convenient.

There are many ways that you can automatically share your content on the Web, and we'll go over 8 of those methods below.

Jetpack Publicize

Publicize is part of the popular Jetpack plugin. It's an obvious choice for automatically sharing your posts on several social networks at once, since many blogs are already using  Jetpack. You can currently share to Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Tumblr, and Yahoo. Setup is easy and done via the Sharing sub-menu under Settings. You can choose which posts to share and which social networks to share to on a post-by-post basis.

WP-AutoSharePost

This plugin automatically shares your posts to Facebook and Twitter, along with a predefined message. WP-AutoSharePost is a bit more technical than Jetpack Publicize, since you'll have to create a Facebook app and Twitter app in order to share your posts. However, it supports Bit.ly URL shortening, which is great for tracking your links.

Additionally, the plugin grabs comments from Facebook (related to the post) and adds them to your blog comments section.

1-Click Retweet/Share/Like

1-Click is a plugin with many features, including the option to automatically share your blog posts on 30+ social networks. You can automatically share to: Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Delicious, Diigo, Tumblr, Foursquare, and more. You can also customize the message to be included with your shares to Facebook and LinkedIn, on a post-by-post basis.

SocialPublish

SocialPublish shares your blog posts to Facebook and Twitter as soon as they're published. You don't have to create any Facebook or Twitter apps to use this plugin. Simply sign up for a SocialPublish account (it's an actual Web service) and then connect your accounts. Like Jetpack Publicize, you can choose which social networks to share to for each post. You can also choose to add a custom message, but it's not required.

NextScripts: Social Networks Auto-Poster

NextScripts is by far the best plugin for auto-posting to numerous social networks. It supports 18 social networks (more coming soon), including Facebook, Instapaper, Google+, LinkedIn, Pinterest, StumbleUpon, Tumblr, Twitter, YouTube, and more. You can even post to multiple accounts on the same social network (i.e. multiple Twitter accounts, multiple Facebook pages).

The plugin makes 100% white labeled posts, meaning the posts will look as if you posted them directly - no "shared via NextScripts.com or posted by SNAP for WordPress" messages.

MailChimp Social

Social is another plugin that only shares to Facebook and Twitter, but it goes a step further by pulling in reactions (from Facebook and Twitter) and displaying them inline with your regular comments. You can publish to multiple accounts on the same social network, and you can customize the messages associated with your posts. Social requires the use of custom apps in order to share to your accounts.

Dlvr.it

Although Dlvr.it is a Web service, as opposed to a WordPress plugin, it's still an excellent tool to automatically distribute your blog to your favorite social networks. Dlvr.it supports Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook, Tumblr, and App.net. Once you sign up, simply enter your RSS feed, choose the social network you want to post to, and you're all done. Dlvr.it also lets you post to Google+ Pages, but only if you upgrade to a Pro or Ultimate plan.

IFTTT

IFTTT is my preferred method for automatically sharing my blog posts. I use recipes for each of the blogs that I own and for the blogs that I contribute to. Each recipe involves the Feed channel (or you can use the WordPress channel) along with a social channel like Twitter, Facebook, Buffer, and HootSuite. This makes it easy to keep up with all of the blogs that I'm sharing from within a single interface.

My favorite thing about the IFTTT method is that I can send new RSS feed items (new blog posts) to Buffer and HootSuite, two services that let you schedule your posts as opposed to having them all post at the same time. This helps to cut down on noise and makes your shares look more natural.

How Do You Share?

So now that I've gone over 8 ways to automatically share your blog posts to social media sites like Facebook and Twitter, let us know which method you use. Do you choose to manually share your blog posts, or do you prefer to share them automatically via a method above or another method?

Twenty ( 20 ) Instant Upgrades to Make Chrome Better than Firefox

Show of hands - how many of you are still clinging to Firefox not because it's the perfect browser, but because it's the best alternative out there to Internet Explorer? Probably a good many of you, and the reason why Firefox has been so hard to supplant as the No. 2 gateway to the Web is because Mozilla had the foresight to make it extensible. Thousands of add-ons exist allowing users to custom tailor the open- source browser however they see fit, and it only takes a few mouse clicks to do so.
Well move over Mozilla, and make room for Google Chrome. Why is that? To start with, Google recently added extension support to Chrome, which was previously only available in beta builds. Now that Google has given users the green light to install third-party add-ons, it's a brand new ballgame in the browser world. And in case you haven't heard, Chrome also supports Greasemonkey scripts, of which there are over 40,000 to choose from.
But those aren't the only reasons to give Chrome a second look. Google continues to tweak the underlying code and add features to what's already a fast, lean, and intelligent browser. Chrome is also highly tweakable, though you wouldn't know it by glancing at the sparse interface.
On the following pages, we'll show you how to soup up Chrome so you can leave Firefox in the rear view mirror and never look back!

Master Chrome's Essential Shortcuts

Don't fret if you've spent years learning Firefox's shortcut keys, most of the basic ones are retained in Chrome, such as opening a new window or tab. This makes transitioning to Chrome a piece of cake, though there are more than a handful that are specific to Chrome only. Whether Chrome- specific or cross-browser, here's a list of some of our favorites:

• CTRL+N: Open a new window
• CTRL+T: Open a new tab
• CTRL+Shift+N: Open a new window in incognito (private) mode
• CTRL+O, then select file: Open a file from our PC in Chrome
• Hold CTRL and click a link (or use middle mouse button) :Opens link in new tab
• Hold CTRL+Shift and click a link: Opens a link in a new tab and switches to it
• CTRL+Shift +T: Reopens the last tab you've closed, up to 10 tabs
• CTRL +1 through CTRL+8: Switches to the tab at the specified position
• CTRL+B: Toggles the bookmarks bar on and off
• CTRL+Shift+B: Opens the Bookmark manager
• CTRL+H: Opens the History page
• CTRL +Shift+J: Opens Developer tools
• F1: Opens the Help Center in a new tab

Address Bar Shorcuts

• CTRL+Enter: Adds www. and .com to your input and then opens the resulting URL
• CTRL+K or CTRL+E: Places a '?' in the address bar
• CTRL and left or right arrow: Moves the cursor to the preceding or next key term in the address bar

Webpage Shortcuts

• CTRL+F5 or Shift +F5: Reloads current page and ignores cached content
• CTRL +D: Bookmarks current page
• CTRL+U: Opens the source of your current page
• CTRL+0: Returns page to its normal size

Other Shortcut Tips
To quickly delete a specific entry from your browsing history that shows up in the drop-down menu of your address bar, highlight the entry and press Shift+Delete. And to select the first or last entry in the drop-down menu, press the Page Up or Page Down key.
These are just some of the shortcuts you can use in Chrome (and Windows). For a full list, see Google's support page here, which also lists shortcuts applicable to Mac and Linux users.

Make Use of Your Mouse

Once you've mastered a few handy keyboard shortcuts, it's time to shift focus to your other input peripheral, the computer mouse. Learn these as well and you'll be surfing the Web at record speed.

One of our favorite tricks involves navigating back or forth through our page history. We often find ourselves venturing several links deep on a webpage. If you're like most users, you probably think that going back to the beginning means mashing the back button repeatedly and hoping you don't overshoot your target, but there's a much easier way. Simply click and hold on the Back or Forward button to see a list of links you've navigated. You can also right-click to bring up this drop-down menu of links.

Another handy feature in Chrome, and that one that isn't duplicated in Firefox (not out of the box, anyway) is the ability to paste a link and go directly to it without ever hitting the Enter key. Just right-click the address bar and select 'Paste and go'.

Particularly handy for bloggers but also useful for forum posts, Webmail, and other online forms, you can resize any text area in Chrome. All you need to do is click and drag the lower right corner.

If you need to quickly resize an entire webpage, hold down the CTRL key and scroll up (enlarge) or down (decrease) with your mouse's scroll wheel. To reset the page back to normal, either scroll back to the appropriate size, or press CTRL+0.

Manipulate Chrome with Startup Switches

Maybe you always want to hide your tracks when surfing the Web and are only interested in Chrome's Incognito mode. Or perhaps you're trying to speed things up by disabling Java, Flash, plugins, and other features. By utilizing startup switches, you can manipulate how Chrome loads up. Here's how.

Right-click the Chrome shortcut on your desktop or Taskbar and select Properties. Navigate to the Shortcut tab and pay attention to the Target field. This is where you'll be entering in command line switches. Depending on which OS you're using and where you installed Chrome, you should see something like this:
C:\Users\[USERNAME]\AppData\Local\Google\Chrome\Application\chrome.exe
When you find a switch you want to use, append it to the end, making sure to leave a space in between chrome.exe and the switch.

There are a lot of things you can accomplish with switches, and we're going to share some of them here. To add a Bookmarks button Chrome's toolbar, you would use the command line switch -bookmark- menu. The full path in the Target field would then read:
C:\Users \[USERNAME]\AppData\Local\Google\Chrome\Applications\chrome.exe -bookmark-menu

We don't necessarily recommend using all of these, but if you want to try speeding up Chrome, you can disable a handful of functions with these switches (separate each one with a space when entering them in):
-disable-dev-tools
-disable-hang- monitor
-disable-images
-disable-java
-disable-javascript
-disable- metrics
-disable-metrics- reporting
-disable-plugins
-disable-popup- blocking
-disable-prompt-on- repost
See here for a list of more switches you can experiment with. And remember, if you don't like the effect, all you have to do is remove them!

Set up Multiple Home Pages

You probably have a handful of sites you visit every morning, right after you finish checking your email and before getting down to business. Maybe you surf to ESPN for your sports news, Maximum PC for all things tech, and The New York Times for world events. So which one takes precedence as your browser's home page?
In Chrome, it can be all of them! It doesn't matter how many pages you surf to when you first fire up your browser, Chrome will happily open each one, whether you regularly visit just a couple of sites, or a dozen or more.

To take advantage of this feature, click on the Tools button (wrench icon) and select Options. Under the Basics tab, click the 'Open the following pages' radio button where it says 'On startup.' Mash the Add button to select from a list of recently visited Websites, or manually enter the URL.

Search with Power

Quick, how many search engines can you rattle off? Most of you probably came up with 5 or 6, and a few of you may be able to recite 10 more. But the number of search engines you can configure with Chrome is pretty close to endless. More on that in a minute, let's first look at how to change the default option.

It should come as no big surprise that Chrome ships with Google as its default search engine, but maybe you'd rather use Bing. No problem, just navigate to Tools>Options and click on the Basics tab. Towards the bottom third of the window is where you can select from a list of search engines. Just choose the one you want from the pull-down menu and click Close.

Pretty basic, right? Now here's where things start to get a little more fun. With Chrome, search is made super easy for any site Chrome recognizes has a search engine. Want to search for Die Antwoord videos on YouTube? Start typing YouTube's address in the Omnibar and a message will appear on the right- hand side saying 'Press tab to search youtube.com.' Do as it says (hit the tab key) and type in your search term.

To speed things up even more, you can customize your search engines with keywords. To create a keyword for MaximumPC.com, for example, you would click on Tools>Options. Bring up the Basics tab and press the Manage button located next to Default Search. This brings up a window showing all the search engines Chrome currently recognizes. Scroll down and see if MaximumPC.com is already there. If so, highlight it and click on Edit. If not, mash the Add button instead.

We want to create a keyword that tells Chrome to search MaximumPC.com with Google. There are three fields we need to fill in, the first being the name. We can name this Maximum PC, or if we want to be more specific, we can name it Maximum PC Google. For the keyword, we'll use the letters 'mpc.' And for the search URL, here's what it should read:
http://google.com/search?q=%s+site:maximumpc.com
Now whenever you want to perform a Google search for content only on MaximumPC.com, you would type mpc into the Omnibar and press tab, followed by your search term.

But wait, there's more! We can use a similar trick to setup a custom search engine that's already integrated onto a Website. We'll again use MaximumPC.com for our example, but this will work with any site that has a search function. What we're after is the URL that pops up when performing a search, so in this example, perform a search on Maximum PC for 'Intel' or any other term. Hit return and notice the URL. It should read:
http://www.maximumpc.com/search/node/Intel
Copy the above URL to your clipboard. Next, right-click the Omnibar and select Edit Search Engines. Press the Add button and fill out the fields like you did above (Name, Keyword, URL), only this time, replace the search term ('Intel') with %s. Your fields should look similar to this:
Name: Maximum PC Search
Keywords: max
URL: http://www.maximumpc.com/search/node/%s
If you often search through Google Images, this little trick can be a huge time saver. Just use the following URL when creating a custom search engine:
http://images.google.com/images?gbv=2&hl=en&q=%s&btnG=Search+Images

Live on the Bleeding Edge with Beta and Developer Builds

Nobody can accuse Google of standing still, and one of the coolest things about Chrome -- and all Google products, really -- is that it's constantly being developed. We're not talking about lame additions either (though some forgettable features inevitably pass Q&A), but useful, and sometimes unique additions. You can especially see this with Gmail, where a ton of experimental add-ons exist under the Labs tab, but Chrome keeps moving forward as well.
Unfortunately, Google has also built a reputation for being content to let coveted features sit in beta for far too long. We supposed this is a better alternative than playing with a half-baked product, but never was the frustration higher than when we sat waiting patiently for Chrome to add support for extensions.
But here's something you may not have known. While extensions and other features are relatively new additions to Chrome, beta users have been enjoying them for months. Ready for some good news? There's no requirement to meet or registration form to fill out in order to be a beta tester, you just have to be willing to put up with potentially buggy code. And if that doesn't scare you off in the slightest, you may want to consider joining the Dev channel, which is sort of like paying with alpha code. Let's break these down.

Chrome Dev Channel
Dev, as you probably guessed, is short for developer, and that's who this channel is really targeted towards. However, there's nothing stopping you or anyone else from joining Chrome's Dev channel and playing with freshly baked features. Just be warned that these are often not yet fully cooked, so they may be broken, unstable, or ultimately destined for the dust bin.
Chrome Beta Channel
As any frequent beta can attest, beta software can range from horribly unstable to surprisingly refined. Google's beta products tend to lean towards the latter, and Chrome is no exception. That doesn't mean you won't ever experience crashes or other quirky behavior with a Chrome beta build, but we've found these incidents to be pretty few and far between. Plus, Google only promotes complete and stable features from the Dev channel to the Beta channel, so it's a great way to get a jump on upcoming functionality before they go public.
Where to Join
Joining one of these channels entails installing the appropriate version of Chrome (developer or beta build), and once you do, you'll automatically be updated to later versions as they become available. Use these links:
More Info: http://dev.chromium.org/getting-involved/dev-channel
Dev Channel: http://www.google.com/chrome/eula.html?extra=devchannel
Beta Channel: http://www.google.com/chrome/eula.html? extra=betachannel

Set up and Manage Multiple Profiles

There are few different reasons for wanting to create separate profiles in Chrome. For one, maybe you have a hankering for, um, 'entertaining' sites, but you don't want the URLs to show up as search suggestions when someone else is using the PC. Yes, that's what Incognito mode is for (well, one of the things), but not everyone wants to load up a stealthy browser just for certain sites. On top of that, once you exit Incognito, all your history for that session is gone, not just the illicit variety.
Another reason for separate profiles is simply to stay organized. If your kids use your PC, do you really want Chrome suggesting Sponge Bob and Twilight links when you're surfing the Web? Probably not, and the more people you let use your PC, the harder it is to sift through your history when you want to find a specific link.

Ready to create a profile? You'll need to navigate to Chrome's User Data folder on your hard drive. Depending on which OS you own, you'll find this folder by navigating to:
Windows XP*
C:\Document and Settings\[USERNAME]\Local Settings\Application Data\Google\Chrome\User Data
Windows Vista and Windows 7*
C:\Users\[USERNAME]\AppData\Local\Google\Chrome\User Data
*Note that you may need to enable viewing hidden files and folders. Open up My Computer, press Alt, and select Tools>Folder Options. Select the View tab and check the 'Show hidden files, folders, and drives' radio button.
Next, make a copy of the Default folder in the above location. Just right-click and select copy, and then paste it into the same directory. To save space, and to give the new profile a fresh start, it's a good idea to clear your browser cache before doing this.

When you paste the copied folder, Windows will name it Default - Copy, or something similar. Go ahead and rename this to whatever you want to call your new profile (right-click, rename). When you're finished, navigate back to Chrome's Application Data folder (or Application on Vista and Windows 7). Right-click chrome.exe and select Create Shortcut.

Right-click the new shortcut you just created and select Properties. Bring up the Shortcut tab, and in the Target field, cut/paste the following:
Windows XPC:\Documents and Settings\[USERNAME]\Local Settings\Application Data\Google\Chrome\Application\chrome.exe –user-data-dir="..\User Data\[PROFILE NAME] "
Windows Vista and Windows 7C:\Users\[USERNAME]\AppData\Local\Google\Chrome\Application \chrome.exe –user-data-dir="..\User Data\[PROFILE NAME] "
Save the changes and then drag the new shortcut to your desktop, and be sure to rename it so you can keep track of which shortcut launches your profile.

If you don't want to go through all that trouble of creating a new profile, there's a free program called Google Chrome Backup (not affiliated with Google) that streamlines the process. You can also use this to backup and restore profiles, and all with just a few self-explanatory mouse clicks. You can download the program here.

Get Familiar with About: Pages

Special About pages are nothing new when it comes to browsers, and while Chrome doesn't have a tweakable about:config page like Firefox does, there are plenty of other commands recognized by Chrome. To access them, you type the command in the Ominbar just like you would a Web address. Here are some of the more useful ones.
About:DNS

One of the things that helps give Chrome its zip is a feature called DSN prefetching, or otherwise known as pre-resolving. The idea here is that rather than wait for DNS to resolve domain names, Chrome takes a proactive approach by resolving domain names while a user views a webpage. According to Google, this can result in an average of 250ms faster load times when first visiting a domain than with traditional browser.
Type about:dns into the Omnibar allows you see data about which sites are cached and how many of them have benefited from this technique.
About:Cache

This one lists all the items contained in Chrome's cache, with each one hyperlinked.
About:Memory

Need proof that Firefox's well-documented memory leak still exists? There are several ways to get it, including typing about:memory in Chromes Omnibar. Doing so brings up a page displaying all kinds of memory stats, such as how much total RAM Chrome, Firefox, and other browsers are chewing up, as well as breaks down Chrome's individual processes and tabs.
About:Plugins

Displays a list of installed plugins, like Silverlight, QuickTime, Winamp, Hulu Desktop, and any others. Also tells you which ones are enabled, and some of them include short descriptions.
About:Version

Just like the 'About Google Chrome' link accessible via the Tools menu, only more detailed. In addition to the overall browser version, this also displays the WebKit version and V8 engine info.
There are a handful of other About pages to play around with, including:
About:Stats
About:Network
About:Crash
About:Internets (Windows XP only)

Try Out a New Look with Themes

Probably one of the biggest complaints (or benefits, depending on who you ask) with Chrome is the browser's minimalistic interface. There just isn't much to look at, and quite frankly, it's bland. That might be okay in some circumstances, but if you've taken the time to deck out your desktop (like we showed you in our Rainmeter guide), then why not spend some time getting your browser to match?

Applying a theme couldn't be easier. Just head over to Chrome's Themes Gallery, browser around, and mash whichever 'Apply theme' suits you.

Don't be bashful about trying out different looks. If you don't like, just hit the Undo button that appears immediately after installing a theme. If you've already closed the box and/or want to revert back to the default look, navigate to Tools>Options, select the Personal Stuff tab, and press 'Reset to default theme.'
While you're browsing themes, be sure to also check out www.chromethemes.org for even more great looks.

Keep Chrome Accountable

Whenever your system starts to feel sluggish, one of the first things you do is hit up the Task manager (CTRL+ALT+DEL) so you can audit every process and piece of software that's running. But did you know that Chrome comes with its own Task Manager?

It does, and it's pretty informative. To access it, just press Shift+Esc. By default, you'll be shown a basic view of running Chrome processes and how much memory and CPU percentage each one is using, as well some network stats. If you run into a problematic plugin or tab that's simply taking up too much memory, just press the End process button.

While pretty basic at first glance, Chrome's built-in Task Manager contains a few hidden monitors that can come in handy. Right-click anywhere in the Task Manager window and choose to display or hide Image Cache, Script Cache, JavaScript Memory, and a handful of others.
For even more details, press the 'Stats for nerds' URL in the lower left corner, which brings up an about:memory page.

Edit Web Pages That Aren't You're Own!

Don't worry, we're not about to toss our morals off the Golden Gate Bridge and show you how to hack someone else's site, at least not in the way you might think. We are, however, going to show you how to edit any website in cyberspace, whether you're the rightful owner or not, except the changes will only be visible on your end.

To edit someone's website locally, simply right-click any part of the page you want to alter and select Inspect Element. This brings up a window in which you're then able to inspect, edit, and debug various components, such as HTML code, CSS, or JavaScript. Anyone experienced with Web design will feel right at home, but the interface can be more than a little overwhelming if you're not a code junkie.
What's cool about the Elements tab is that any changes you make appear on the webpage in real time. But developers and webmasters will also find loads of value in the Resources tab, which reveals the resource consumption of each element.

Create App Shortcuts to Any Site or Bookmark

One of Chrome's unique features is the ability to create site-specific shortcuts to your favorite sites, web apps, or bookmarks. By using Chrome as a site-specific browser, you can open up Facebook, Twitter, Gmail, or any other site or service in its own window with a shortcut installed to your desktop, Start menu, or quick launch bar (or all three). Here's how.

Open up the site in a separate window. For this example, we'll use Facebook. To open a new Chrome window, press CTRL+N, or find the option in the Tools menu.

Once you've loaded up the site you want to make a shortcut for, open up the Page menu and select 'Create application shortcuts...' In some cases, you'll a short description of the site, along with three options for creating shortcuts. Choose as many as you want and press Create.

Whenever you use your newly created shortcut(s), the site will launch in its own window, but without the browser controls, bookmarks, and any other browser-related clutter.

Synchronize Your Bookmarks

Not that long ago, it was a pretty big hassle setting up Chrome to synchronize your bookmarks. It involved downloading the developer build, creating a shortcut, and adding a line of code. Once you did all that (and assuming you did it correctly), the option would then appear in Chrome.

What a difference a few months make. Chrome's developers got on the ball and made it super easy for anyone to sync up their bookmarks, not just those who like to play with experimental code. No matter which browser you're using (stable, beta, or developer), open up the Tools menu and select 'Synchronize my bookmarks...' You'll need a Google account for this, which you most likely already have (if not, click the link the create one).

Once you fill in your credentials, Google will sync up your bookmarks to Google Docs. To sync and access them on another PC, just repeat the above step. Easy, right?

If you ever want Google to stop syncing your bookmarks, just head back into Tools>Bookmarks synced... and bring up the Personal Stuff tab. At the very top you'll find an option to 'Stop syncing this account.'

Honey, I Shrunk My Tabs - And It's Awesome!

This is one of our favorite tricks. Why? Well, you only have so much screen real estate to work with, and even less when working in your browser. If you're a heavy Web surfer, it's not uncommon to have several tabs open at once. We're not talking about 3 or 4, but a dozen or more.
It quickly adds up to a lot of clutter, but do all those tabs really need to take up so much space? Even worse, there are some sites you're likely to always keep open, like Gmail, Facebook, Twitter, and any other persistent destinations. It doesn't take long to fill up your browser, but with Chrome, you can shrink one or more tabs down to just their favicon, freeing up a ton of space in the process.

To organize your tabs into tiny thumbnails, just right-click on it and select Pin Tab. It will then be whisked over to the left side of the browser identifiable by its favicon.

Change the Number of Search Suggestions (or Disable Them Completely)

Whenever you type in Chrome's Omnibar, the browser 'suggests' sites that are similar to what it thinks you're typing, which is based partially on your search history. It's not hard to see how this could turn into an awkward situation if someone else is sitting next to you while you surf the Web. To disable Chrome's Search Suggestion feature, click on Tools>Options. Bring up the Under the Hood tab and deselect the 'Use a suggestion service...' checkbox.
On the other end of the spectrum, you may feel that Chrome doesn't serve up enough suggestions. There's no integrated way to change this, but you can take matters into your own hands using a startup switch (see the section about startup switches earlier in this guide).

Find Chrome's startup icon on your desktop or taskbar, and then right-click and select Properties. Make sure the Shortcut tab is selected. In the target box, append -ominibox-popup-count=xx, replacing xx with the number of suggestions you want to appear. The final result should look something like this:
C:\Users\Paul\AppData\Local\Google\Chrome\Application\ -omnibox-popup-count=35

Customize Chrome with these Five Awesome Add-Ons

We don't know why it took so long for Google to add official extensions support for Chrome, but now that they have, we couldn't be happier. Mozilla? Probably not so much. The lack of extensions is a major reason why many users just couldn't bring themselves to make the switch, but now that the door has been opened, expect a flood of add-ons, just like what happened with Firefox. And the coolest part about all this is you don't even need to restart Chrome for extensions to take effect - groovy! Here are some we just can't live without.
Chrome Gestures

Better known as 'mouse gestures,' Chrome gestures is Chrome's equivalent, and it's just as awesome here as it is on any other browser. This should be on everyone's install list.
Download Link
IE Tab

As much we like Chrome, there are still some webpages that will only work correctly in Internet Explorer. But rather than resort to loading up IE, this extension allows you to load the page with IE, but in a separate tab within Chrome. In other words, you're getting the best of worlds!
Download Link
Tab Sync

Sometimes 5 o'clock rolls around way too early. Maybe you're waist deep in a super important project for work, or perhaps you were in the middle of an entertaining article, but it's time to go. One solution is to bookmark all of your open tabs, enable bookmark syncing, and then load them up one-by-one when you get home. Or you could install Tab Sync. Just as the name implies, this handy add-on syncs all of your open tabs. Just click the button and you're good to go.
Download Link
The Camelizer

Shop more intelligently with the Camelizer add-on. Camelizer tracks product price changes and works a variety of popular e-tailers, including Amazon, Best Buy, Newegg, Overstock, and a few others. It will tell you what the lowest price for a product was, how recently it was marked that low, and other helpful stats to make sure you're not overpaying.
Download Link
Tab Menu

Extremely handy for anyone who often loads more than 10 tabs at a time, and the more tabs you have open, the more use you'll get out of this one. Easily perform functions like select, close, rearrange, find, and more, and do it with a convenient pull-down menu.
Download Link

Get Going with Greasemonkey

Move over Mozilla, your Firefox browser isn't the only one to support Greasemonkey anymore. As of February 1, 2010, so does Google Chrome. This is such a huge development, that we might someday look back and rank this as one of the most critical moments in Chrome's history.
To give you a little background information, Greasemonkey started off as a Firefox extension. More than just another add-on, however, Greasemonkey makes it possible for users to install scripts and integrate on-the-fly Javascript changes to websites. Put more plainly, Greasemonkey gives users access to a ton of additional extensions, over 40,000 of which can be found on userscripts.org. Not all of them work correctly, but a good many do, and that number will only increase with time.
There's no plug-in to install here, Greasemonkey works natively with the latest version of Chrome. Just click the above link and start experimenting. Here are a couple to get you started.
Facebook Purity

Hey, we love racking up trillions of dollars and wiping out our enemies in Mafia Wars just as much as the next virtual mafioso, but we could care less about your mafia. We also wouldn't be sad if an asteroid landied on your farm and decimated your crops, and while it might sound callous, we also have no interest in how you fared in whatever quiz you decided to participate in.
We're not haters in general, we just hate the crap that floods Facebook. Luckily for us, we're not the only ones, and someone had the good sense to make Facebook Purity. This script does what your so-called friends should be doing - it removes all the quiz and application messages, letting you enjoy Facebook the way it was designed to be enjoyed before the whole MySpace crowd migrated over.
Download Link
Ebay Hacks

Attention Ebay shoppers, you need to install this script. Ebay has made more than a few changes to its Feedback system over the years, but one thing the online auction hasn't done is make it easy to see a user's negative or neutral remarks. The only way to do that is to scroll through someone's entire feedback profile, and when dealing with a PowerSeller, that can be pretty time consuming. It's also necessary, because do you really want to take a chance on a seller who has a history of selling counterfeit goods?
Ebay Hacks adds a pair of tabs to Feedback profiles allowing you to quickly sort through all "Complaints Received" and "Complaints Left."
Download Link
Want more? Be sure to check out our '11 Best Greasemonkey Scripts that Actually Work with Chrome' article.

Get NoScript-Like Behavior in Chrome (and a Word about AdBlock)

It probably seems silly to talk about NoScript without mentioning AdBlock, so we we'll the give popular ad blocking service a shout out. And while we're at it, let us clear the air. In general, we don't condone running AdBlock, and with good reason. If all of our readers blocked the ads on our site, we wouldn't be able to exist, plain and simple. We also realize that there are some sites that make malicious use of ads, bombarding you with popups at every turn. That's also bunk. So our stance is this: If you must, go ahead and install AdBlock (it's now available for Chrome right here), but disable it for sites you trust and support, which we hope includes MaximumPC.com. You can do so by installing the Browser Button for AdBlock extension (available here), and then clicking on the icon and selecting 'Don't run on this domain.'
All rright, now that we've stepped down from our soapbox, let us turn our attention to NoScript. NoScript is somewhat of a different beast as it provides an extra layer of protection against potentially malicious (or just annoying) JavaScript code. It's become a favorite among Firefox users, but isn't available on Chrome.

That's the bad news. The good news is you can still get NoScript-like behavior in Chrome, though you'll have to run the developer build (currently 5.0.xxx.x). It also isn't as slick, but it works. After you've installed the developer build (download it here) and restarted your browser, go to Tools>Options and load up the 'Under the Hood' tab. Right under Privacy, click the Content settings... button.

Head over to the JavaScript tab and click the 'Do not allow any site to run JavaScript' radio button. This will block all JavaScript from executing, but if there are certain sites you want to allow, mash the Exceptions... button and manually enter them in. Alternately, you can allow JavaScript to run and set up a blacklist but typing in sites and selecting 'Disable' from the pull-down menu.
While you're in there, you can also control images, plug-ins, pop-ups, and cookies by diving into each one's tab and adjusting the settings.

Compare Sites with Split Page View

Tabbed browsing is the greatest thing since, well, tabbed browsing, but if you want to view two websites at the same time, you need to open another window. Or you can rapid-fire switch between tabs. Neither of these is ideal.

We don't know why split-screen browsing hasn't yet been adopted by every major browser maker, especially with widescreen monitors now commonplace. But while browser makers drag their feet, you can take matters into your own hands by bookmarking http://www.podobne.pl/splitscreen/. This URL splits your browser in half with separate URL bars. It's not a perfect solution -- some sites, like Newegg, hijack the entire screen -- but until browser makers get on the ball, it's the best we've got.

Stuff Chrome in Your Pocket

There are three main ways to take Chrome with you:
1. Build a LAN box
2. Buy a notebook/netbook
3. Download Chrome Portable
Door number 3 is the only one that will fit in your pocket, at least without looking silly. It doesn't take much room on your USB key either, consuming about 35MB.

Just click the link above to download and 'install' the app. This really just unpacks the files, and you can choose to do this to your desktop and then move the folder over to your USB key, or unpack directly to your thumb drive. Once you're finished, just fire up Chrome Portable and start browsing!