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Questions tagged [community-faq]

These questions have been selected by the community as high-quality posts with generalized answers to questions which come up frequently on Super User. They are more canonical answers which can apply to many different variations on a topic.

Community FAQ questions should be clear, concise, and understandable. To propose a new Community FAQ question, tag it . Once the question has suitable answers which meet these guidelines, it can be tagged by a moderator or user experienced with the subject as .

36 questions
473
votes
18 answers

How can I remove malicious spyware, malware, adware, viruses, trojans or rootkits from my PC?

What should I do if my Windows computer seems to be infected with a virus or malware? What are the symptoms of an infection? What should I do after noticing an infection? What can I do to get rid of it? how to prevent from infection by…
Gnoupi
  • 8,188
415
votes
6 answers

What are PATH and other environment variables, and how can I set or use them?

Questions about setting environment variables the PATH are very common here, and in most cases the answers are very similar to each other. In the future it would be nice to have a good Q/A for this. So the question is: What are environment…
slhck
  • 235,242
315
votes
23 answers

How can I visualize the file system usage on Windows?

How can I visualize which folders and files are taking up all of the space on my hard drive? I'm getting some conflicting reports on the size of hard drive contents. Namely what is and isn't there and what folders are actually using the space. I…
mutewinter
  • 797
241
votes
1 answer

What is port forwarding and what is it used for?

There are a lot of questions on 'port forwarding', but there doesn't seem to be one that clearly states what it is and what it's used for. So: What is port forwarding? What is it used for, and why would I need it?
James Mertz
  • 26,529
207
votes
7 answers

Where can I download Windows 7 (legally from Microsoft)?

I just bought a serial for Windows 7 on-line from the Microsoft store (the most painful shopping experience EVER!). I selected that I wanted to download my version of Windows 7 after purchase. After payment, I have listed a Product Key but no…
Luke
  • 2,659
176
votes
17 answers

What can I do if I forgot my Windows password?

I got a brand new Windows 7 machine, installed the operating system, created one account and forgot its password. What can I do? There is no external CD, the operating system is loaded from somewhere inside the machine. I already tried to remember…
flybywire
  • 4,110
127
votes
1 answer

Windows Activation FAQ: How do language, version, 64-bit or 32-bit, and source affect ability to install and transfer Windows licenses?

We get a lot of questions on Super User about Windows activation and licensing. This question is an attempt to answer the most common questions in one place with a canonical answer. When reinstalling Windows, the following questions often come…
nhinkle
  • 37,661
95
votes
9 answers

Why does Windows only show about 3.5 GB of my 4 GB of RAM?

I recently upgraded my computer's RAM to 4 GB. My 32-bit Windows installation shows only 3574 MB of the memory. How can I make Windows use the full amount of RAM?
ala
  • 1,208
71
votes
5 answers

What do I need to consider when buying hardware to meet my needs?

I'm looking to build a new computer from the ground up. I'm not sure what to look out for and need guidance and help on how to pick the hardware needed to construct my new rig. How do I know what to buy? How do I find out if a given CPU will be…
Darth Android
  • 38,658
68
votes
7 answers

Install Windows 7 from USB flash drive

I have an ISO image of the Windows 7 installation DVD, but I can't burn it to CD or DVD. I have an empty flash drive with plenty of space. Is there any way I can put the ISO image on it and install from it as if it were a CD?
user5828
58
votes
8 answers

HDMI vs Component vs VGA vs DVI vs DisplayPort

What are the pros and cons of each of these different display adapters and cables? From what I can understand, HDMI offers the ability to send audio along the same cable as well as the ability to do progressive scan. I've Googled but I can't seem to…
Nazadus
  • 683
57
votes
4 answers

How do I diagnose not being able to reach a specific website as an end user?

If I can generally reach web pages on the Internet but can't reach a specific one, how do I troubleshoot what the cause is as an end user? This question was a Super User Question of the Week. Read the blog entry for more details or contribute to…
Kyle Brandt
  • 4,729
56
votes
9 answers

How do I recover lost/inaccessible data from my storage device?

What steps can I take to try to recover lost or inaccessible data from any storage device? Answers: This applies to any computer storage device, e.g. internal/external hard drives, USB sticks, flash memory. The most important thing is to STOP…
Tamara Wijsman
  • 57,881
55
votes
3 answers

What can I do if my USB flash drive is write-protected or read-only?

When I plug in my USB flash drive, it shows up on my computer as write-protected or read-only. I am unable to transfer data to it, nor can I modify or delete any files already stored on it. I also cannot repartition or reformat the drive using…
bwDraco
  • 46,683
52
votes
5 answers

What is the difference between Windows 8 and Windows RT?

I was reading the specs about MS Surface and saw that there are two Models offered. One with Windows RT and one with Windows 8 Pro. I'm wondering what's the difference between those two OS?
gsharp
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1
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