It’s officially summer — aka vacation season. There’s no better way to vacation than with streamlined, barely-there tech. IFTTT, or “IF This, Then That,” is an online automation service that connects apps and services so that certain actions can be set up to automatically trigger other actions. I know that sounds complicated, but it actually …

The File Explorer changed its name in Windows 8 (it was previously known as the Windows Explorer), but it’s gotten more functionality in Windows 10. Because the File Explorer is where you’ll go to find, manage, and otherwise explore your files, you may as well make it as comfortable an experience as you can. Here are some tips — including …

The Internet is a scary place even if you don’t have children. But for those of you who do have children, Microsoft has built parental controls into Windows 10 (and Windows 8) that can help you track what your kids are doing online, limit their screen time across multiple devices and prevent them from bankrupting you with in-app purchases. To …

If you’re looking for Windows Update, look no further — it’s located in the new Windows 10 Settings menu. In an obvious effort to minimize the Control Panel (or perhaps do away with it altogether) in Windows 10, Microsoft has removed Windows Update from the Control Panel and placed it in the new Settings menu. Related stories: Stop Windows 10 …

Computers crash for a number of reasons — anything from simple software incompatibilities to hardware issues — and computers running Windows 10 are no different. While Windows 10’s Blue Screen of Death (BSoD) is considerably less terrifying than the BSoD in previous versions of Windows, it’s still a frustrating sight. There’s no easy way to fix all computer crashes, but …

The iPhone 6S is made of metal and glass — mostly glass. So it’s probably only a matter of time before you drop it on the concrete and end up with a shattered screen (unless you happen to be rocking an ultra-protective Ballistic case, or something). Assuming you don’t have month-to-month phone insurance, what do you do now? Here are …

Now playing: Watch this: Take control of Facebook’s targeted ads 1:16 Justin Sullivan/Getty Images Facebook is now using your Facebook ad preferences — your information, interests and browsing history — to show you targeted ads both on and off of Facebook. And for those of you patting yourself on the back for staying off Facebook, not so fast — Facebook …

The new Windows 10 Settings menu is sort of a mashup between the Windows 8 PC settings menu and the traditional Control Panel. The Privacy tab, however, has several privacy settings that are unique to the Settings menu — settings that are designed for tablets and phones, as Microsoft tries to accommodate all devices in its universal operating system. Related …

If you’re looking for a high-contrast theme, voice narration or closed captions, you’ll find them in the Ease of Access tab in the new Windows 10 Settings menu. But for those of you who are more comfortable with Microsoft’s Ease of Access Center, which offers up recommendations and optimization schemes for different issues, you can still find that in the …

The Time & language tab in the new Windows 10 Settings menu is pretty straightforward. This is where you go to change the time and date, add languages (read: keyboards) to your PC, and adjust the speech settings. Windows 8 users will recognize this section from the Windows 8 PC settings menu (Charms bar > Settings > Change PC settings …