When your PC mouse won’t work, you unplug it and reconnect it in the hope that it will fix the problem. But when the same thing happens on a laptop touchpad, unplugging isn’t an option. So if your mouse pointer is refusing to move on the screen as your finger moves around the pad, here are three things you can try. 1. Touchpad is disabled: re-enable it The most common reason for a cursor being stuck is because you’ve accidentally disabled the touchpad....

Now, as you’ll discover, even that latter option involves installing Google Play and Google Services by downloading APK files from the web, but thereafter you can download apps directly from the relatively safe confines of the Google Play Store. We’ll explain how to do both in this article. Before you can install any apps on your Kindle Fire you must give it permission to install software from outside the Kindle Store....

What are Android Developer Options? Every Android smartphone and Android tablet contains a secret set of options: Android Developer Options. As the name suggests these are intended principally for developers – people who need additional functions to test software and apps they are writing for Android devices. There are many options that allow you to simulate app stresses or enable debugging options. Android Developer Options allow you to enable debugging over USB, capture bug reports on to your Android device, and show CPU usage on screen to measure the impact of your software....

If you’re reading this, you must be having some kind of issue with slow internet speed that’s stopping you from doing something specific, such as streaming video, playing online games or downloading large files. And you’ve probably already run a speed test to see how fast your internet connection is. (It’s best to do this when no-one else is home so you can find out the speed when you’re the only one using the broadband connection....

Ubuntu Touch – also known as Ubuntu for devices or Ubuntu Phone – is a mobile operating system which is currently in beta. However, if you own a supported Android device, you can try it out right now. Here’s how to install Ubuntu for devices. Not many devices are officially supported, but if you own a Nexus 4, Nexus 10 or second-generation Nexus 7 (the 2013 version), then you’re best placed to give Ubuntu touch a test drive....

Windows 11 was officially announced back in June, but it’s now finally available to download. There are already a handful of new devices with the OS pre-installed, with plenty more on the way soon. If you have a compatible Windows 10 device, you can install Windows 11 now . The Windows 11 download page is now live, with the Installation Assistant making it easy to get up and running. That’s also where you’ll find the official ISO file....

Switching mobile networks or SIM cards can be a hassle, but keeping your existing phone number makes the transition smoother. Retaining your number is not only convenient but often essential for staying in touch with friends and family and maintaining work contacts. Fortunately, both the US and the UK mobile networks have established processes to help you keep your phone number when going for one of the best SIM-only deals ....

Changing phone is always bittersweet. On the one hand you have a shiny new phone, but on the other you have to go through the process of moving all of your data over, which is never quite as easy as we’d like it to be. While moving contacts and photos can be done through Google and Gmail easily, moving text messages between phones can be slightly trickier. We’re here to show you how....

If you’ve found a file that ends with the .swf extension, then you’re probably reading this because you’re struggling to actually open it. This is because you need specific software or Adobe Flash enabled in your browser. Here, then, are a couple of quick ways to get .swf files open on your Windows PC . What is a .swf file? The letters stand for Small Web Format but it’s also referred to as ShockWave Flash thanks to the fact that the files are created using Adobe Flash software....

Printing documents and photos directly from your phone has become increasingly easy and convenient over the years. Whether you need to print a family photo or a work document, many of the best Android phones and printers offer a seamless printing experience to let you turn digital to physical in a matter of moments. Here’s how to get started. How to print from an Android phone Printing from an Android phone involves a few simple steps....

Microsoft provides some incredible tools to help control and monitor your children’s experiences on the Xbox One , although some of these aren’t obvious to newcomers to the console. You can not only safeguard your child when playing online multiplayer games with friends, but you can control the amount of time they spend gaming on a daily basis, restrict access to inappropriate content and more. Here, we talk you through setting up all the parental controls that the Xbox One has to offer....

Windows 10 may still divide opinion, but if your PC or laptop has it, there are plenty of features to like. One of the default features is Fast Start-up, and it’s turned on by default. This means you computer boots up quicker, but it can make it difficult to get rid of certain issues that stop Windows from working properly as it doesn’t really ever turn off. Here’s how to find the Fast Start-up setting and toggle it off or on:...

Safe Mode has been a feature of Windows since the days of Windows 95, but it remains just as important as ever. If you’re having any serious problems, accessing the recovery tools in Safe Mode is one of the most common solutions. Prior to the launch of Windows 8 in 2012, Safe Mode could easily be triggered by hitting the F8 key as your computer booted up. But since then, it’s been a little more complicated....

Windows updates are very important for your PC or laptop, but they can arrive at inopportune moments. If you’re in the middle of a work day, for example, it’s unlikely you’ll want to take an hour out to install a security patch. Previously, there was no way you could prevent this, besides periodically postponing the restarting of your device. to stop your device from restarting. However, Microsoft has been gradually giving users more control over when and how they want updates to be installed....

We show you how to transfer music from Mac to Android whether you want to automate the process from iTunes to Google Music or drag and drop from a Finder window. Also see: How to move from iPhone to Android . The benefit of transferring files via Google Music is that they will be available on any device on which you are signed into your Google account. They are also stored on the cloud (up to 50,000 songs), which means a large music collection won’t gobble up storage on your Android....

Bitdefender is one of the two best antivirus packages to have on your computer, the other being Norton 360 . If you’re having trouble with Bitdefender, or your subscription has expired and you don’t want to renew, here’s how to uninstall it. In Windows 10 click on the Start menu and then Settings (the cog icon). Now click on Apps in the Settings window. Scroll down or search for Bitdefender and click on it....

If you use the same email address and password for every online account, you’re asking for trouble. If just one of those accounts gets hacked, all your accounts are compromised. For the best security you should use a different, long password for each account. Of course, no-one can remember hundreds of different password and email combinations but that’s where a password manager comes in. Better still, it will work across all your devices and all you have to remember is one password to access all your logins....

You’re probably thinking about how your TV is basically a huge monitor, probably with better features than your actual office monitor. Well you’d be right and there’s likely nothing stopping you from using a TV as a monitor, so here’s how to do it. In this guide we’re going to assume that you’re attempting to plug a laptop or PC into your TV. If you want to connect an Android smartphone or tablet to your TV then see how to do that here ....

Apple’s Face ID technology was a gamechanger when it first launched on the iPhone X, providing consumers with a secure way to unlock their smartphones without the need to do anything apart from look at the display. Easy, right? Of course, the pandemic hit in 2020 and the number of people wearing masks around the world shot through the roof. The problem is, Face ID needs to see your entire face to make sure it’s you – so what was Apple to do?...

A year ago we reported that Facebook had rolled out its Reactions feature, which lets you use buttons for Love, Haha, Wow, Sad and Angry for when a Like just doesn’t cut it. Now that feature is coming to Messenger, too, and rolling out on iOS right now. You can add emoji to a message simply by holding it and selecting one. How to use Facebook Reactions Facebook Reactions work in exactly the same way as the Like button used to, which is both good and bad....