Microsoft

How to Uninstall iTunes (Windows and Mac)

Last updated on September 19, 2019

Learning how to uninstall iTunes is quite simple. Why do it? Well, that’s up to you to decide, really. But, the truth is that as music streaming apps like Spotify are becoming more and more popular, other apps like iTunes are becoming more and more obsolete. So, we can’t really blame you for wanting to get rid of it.

Other than that, you may also want to simply re-install it or have one less thing to worry about. In any case, here’s how to uninstall iTunes on Windows and Mac!

How to Uninstall iTunes on Windows 10

Uninstalling apps in older versions of Windows was quite a bit tiresome, to say the least. Thankfully, Microsoft heard our pleas and made it much easier to do so in Windows 10.

Here’s how to remove iTunes in the latest version of Windows:

Click on the Windows icon (lower left part of the screen) or hit the Windows icon on your keyboard
Go to settings by clicking on the gear icon
Go to Apps
Scroll down until you find iTunes
Click on “Uninstall”
Confirm and follow any on-screen instructions
Done

In case that there are other Apple apps that you don’t need, you can remove them with the exact same method. Just repeat the uninstallation process and you should be good to go.

If you wish to install iTunes again, all you have to do is head over to its official website, download it, follow the installation instructions (Mostly just pressing on “Next”) and you should be good to go in no time. Just do keep in mind that you’ll need your log-in credentials (Apple ID and password).

How to Uninstall iTunes on Mac

Mac computers come with iTunes pre-installed. It’s considered a vital part of the operating system, so, do not uninstall it unless you absolutely have to. Obviously, that doesn’t apply for Windows.

That being said, if you simply wish to fix something that went wrong and re-install it, try running the installer first and see if that fixes the issue. In case you insist on uninstalling it, keep on reading, but don’t blame us in case that certain functionalities start breaking apart.

So, to uninstall iTunes on Mac, go to:

Finder
Applications
iTunes
Drag it to “Trash”
Click on “Trash” while holding down the “CTRL” key
And click on “Empty trash”

Chances are that you don’t have the required permissions to get rid of iTunes. And in that case, you’ll probably get a warning that looks like this:

In order to bypass that, we need to change iTune’s permissions. And in order to change the permissions, you’ll have to be an administrator (One who knows the password as well).

In order to do that:

Hold down CTRL while selecting iTunes
Click on “Sharing and permissions”
Click on the lock icon
Type in your password (Admin)
Set the read and write permissions to “Everyone”

And now you should be able to uninstall iTunes.

If you’re still unable to uninstall it to system restrictions, then it’s for the best to stop right here. Tinkering with system files is not for the faint of heart. Preferably, only for those who know what they are doing.

Wrapping Up

That’s all for now. Quite simple really. But, again, do be careful with Mac. If you’ve got any questions, let us know about them in the comments section down below and we’ll try to get back to you.

How to Customize Windows 10

Last updated on June 27, 2019

Upon trying to customize Windows 10, you’ll soon find out that you don’t have a lot of options. It may be one of the most optimized Windows versions up to date, but it sure isn’t one of the most beautiful.

Thankfully, the Windows community has created lots of little goodies that can make Windows 10 look like a totally different operating system. Let’s get right into it!

How to Customize Windows 10: The Basics

First things first, before moving on to anything advanced, let’s make sure that you’ve tried everything that Windows offers by default. If you’re not satisfied with that, then we can move towards more drastic measures.

The basics include:

Windows 10 themes
Taskbar and color settings along with transparency
And Chrome themes

Starting off with Windows 10 themes, well, they are basically just a wallpaper bundle. If you’re lucky, you may also get a few new notification sounds.

You can find plenty of themes by going to Settings -> Personalization -> Themes -> Get More Themes in Microsoft Store. Once you’re into the MS Store and you got the list of available themes, all you need to do is get whatever you want, wait for the installation to finish, and you’ll be good to go. You can change themes back in the settings menu, so, do keep that in mind!

As for the taskbar, simply click on it then move on to taskbar settings and you’ll have everything you want there. Though, to be honest, there’s not much that you can change. You can make the icons smaller, maybe show the labels, hide or show your contacts icon, things like that.

As for Chrome themes, assuming that you’re using Chrome, you can find plenty of safe options in the Chrome store. Once you’re there, the rest is self-explanatory.

The same thing applies to Firefox. Simply head to the add-ons page, select the theme that you want, and proceed from there. Both browsers have plenty of options. So, just choose whatever works best for you and don’t worry too much about theme availability.

That’s it if you want to customize Windows 10 at its core without much fluff to it. For those of you who feel a bit more open to new stuff, keep on reading!

How to Customize Windows 10’s Desktop

While trying to customize Windows 10, you could be a normie and stick with the classic shortcuts, or you could step out from your safe zone and use something like Rainmeter to up your game. Just joking, though. You can pick whatever you like and feel most comfortable with.

In case you’re not familiar with it, Rainmeter is a program which allows you to customize your desktop in ways that Windows itself would never allow you to. You can add visualizers, gauge meters, moderation tools, fancy icons, anything you want.

This effectively allows you to make Windows look and feel like a totally different OS. And you can do that by either using Rainmeter skins that the community has created, or you can even make your own.

Though, with that being said, to create a custom skin, you’ll need to be a little bit tech-savvy. And it goes without saying that you’ll have to devote a lot of time and effort – assuming that you’re a very creative person.

So, for most of us, using the skins that others have created is the easy way out. And the good thing is that there are plenty of options out there.

You can find Rainmeter skins in:

Those sources should be enough to get you started. All you have to do is install Rainmeter, find a skin that you want, download it, and you can proceed from there.

There are a few paid skins. But, for the most part, you won’t have to give a penny. You can always donate if you feel like the creator should get a small reward for his hard work. Obviously, that’s completely up to you!

We’ve also made a list of the best Rainmeter skins that you can find. So, do make sure to check that out.

Consider Using Animated Wallpapers

Once you try out animated wallpapers, there is simply no going back to “normal” ones. They just feel too dull and stale. Animated wallpapers, on the other hand, can bring new life to your PC – especially if you combine them with Rainmeter.

But, wait. We’re not simply talking about GIFs or videos that are playing on the background here. You can find plenty of interactive wallpapers or even some that will add functionality to your desktop.

This happens because there is a program in the background which is responsible for everything and it’s called Wallpaper Engine. You can easily get it on Steam in a matter of seconds or minutes – depending on your Internet speed.

You may be wondering if there’s a catch, and the truth is that there a couple of things that you must keep in mind:

You need to have Steam installed – which is free to use anyway
But Wallpaper Engine itself costs about 5 bucks (depending on your region)

Now, we feel like 5 bucks is nothing for a program that can drastically change the look of your OS. But, that’s a matter of personal opinion. And using it is extremely simple since there are a ton of wallpapers that have been created by the community. Many of them are adult-oriented as well – if you’re into that sort of thing.

As is the case with Rainmeter, Wallpaper Engine allows you create your own animated wallpapers as well. However, you do also need the necessary experience to do such a thing. Still, with time, effort, and patience, everything is possible.

To summarize, if you want to use animated wallpapers, all you need to do is:

Install Steam
Buy and install Wallpaper Engine
Launch it.
Download any wallpaper that catches your eye
You’re all set

F.A.Q

Will this slow down my PC? – That largely depends on your computer. My Ryzen 5 build doesn’t feel a thing but that’s a somewhat powerful machine. So, your mileage may vary. You can at the very least try out Rainmeter since it’s completely free and see for yourself.
Are there any dangers to using these programs? – Not really. Just download all your themes and wallpapers from reputable sources and you’ll be fine. If you mess something up, WTLS won’t take any responsibility for it.
I’ve got a Laptop. Can I still use these programs? – Again, depends on the Laptop. Not only because of power demands, but also because of thermals. After all, Laptops do struggle considerably more with cooling due to their size. At the very least, you’re going to drain your battery sooner.
Is this bad for gamers? – Depends. If you’ve got an entry build (Ryzen 3/Core i3/i5 or anything slower) we’d recommend against it. After all, if you need every little bit of horsepower to run your games efficiently, you shouldn’t leave any programs running in the background. For mid-range users and above (At least Ryzen 5/Core i7), you should be fine.

How To Use iMessage On PC/Windows

Last updated on May 28, 2019

Looking for how to use iMessage on PC? Well, while the app itself isn’t natively available on Windows, we do have a couple of tricks up our sleeve. There’s an easy way and a hard way. And when we say hard way, we really mean a 90% of it not working. Still, the easy way is bound to work, so, let’s dig right into it!

How To Use iMessage On PC With Chrome’s Remote Desktop Feature

So, as we mentioned above, iMessage isn’t natively available on Windows. But, what if we told you that you can actually use iMessage from your Mac – but from another computer?

In case you haven’t heard about it, Remote Desktop is a sort of feature that allows you to control computers remotely by using other devices like phones, tablets, or even from other computers. There are applications which are dedicated to providing this kind of thing while there also others which provide it as an additional option. We’ll be looking at the second one, Chrome’s Remote Desktop feature.

For this to work, you need to have:

Chrome installed
Chrome’s Remote Desktop add-on
A Mac and a PC
An Internet connection with both of your computers being connected to it locally

So, if you haven’t already, the first thing you need to do is head over to this link and follow the instructions that you’ll be provided with to download and install Chrome on both of your computers.

After that, you also need Chrome’s Remote Desktop extension. You should be able to get it from this link. All you have to do is click on “Add to Chrome”, wait for the installation to finish, and then you should be all set – almost.

Now we need to set things up and you’re ready to go.

Setup

Now that everything is installed, you need to set things up. It’ll take but a minute if you follow these steps (Use your Mac for those):

Open a new tab
Head over to your bookmarks bar at the top left part of your screen and click on “Apps” (Make sure that the “Apps” shortcut is enabled. if not, right click on your bookmarks bar and select “Show Apps shortcut”.
Click on “Chrome Remote Desktop”
Select “Enable Remote Connections”
Wait for the download to finish and choose a PIN

Now that this process is done, your Mac should be ready to be “Controlled” by another computer. All that remains to be done is for you to open your Windows computer, get access to your Mac, and use your Windows PC as if you were using a Mac. To do that:

Make sure that your PC is connected to the same network with your Mac
Open Chrome’s Remote Desktop (Follow the same steps that we provided above)
Head over to “My Computers”
Select your Mac computer which should be detected by now
Input the PIN which you choose
And you should be all set

That’s it for the easy way which is more or less bound to work without any issues. If you’re feeling a bit adventurous, you can follow the hard way as well. However, do keep in mind that you’ll most likely come across numerous issues with this one – if it’ll work at all.

2: How To Use iMessage On PC With VirtualBox

If you’ve got the appropriate software, hardware, and tools for it, computers have the ability to run multiple operating systems simultaneously. So, if your PC is powerful enough, you’ll be able to run both Windows and Mac at the same time, which effectively allows you to get access to iMessage natively.

Now, do keep in mind four things:

You’re doing this through a virtual machine – which means that Mac OS won’t be running natively
Only specific CPUs and motherboards are known for playing well with Mac OS. AMD chipsets are particularly known for not working at all with this
Even if you’ve got the exact hardware that works flawlessly with Mac OS, chances are that you’ll come across numerous issues
This isn’t a detailed guide. We’ll be posting one in the upcoming weeks

That being said, only follow those steps for the lols. If you are serious about getting iMessage to work on your PC, stick with our previous method. It’s the safest, easiest, and verified to work.

Download and install VirtualBox
Find the appropriate ISOs. Medium has already made a right over here
Open VirtualBox and proceed with the installation procedure

If the steps that VirtualBox provides you with don’t make much sense, you can wait until we release our dedicated guide on how to install Mac OS as a virtual machine.

Now, again, even if you do everything right, there is a good chance that you’ll come across issues or that the OS won’t work at all.

That’s all for now. Hopefully, that helped you with your issue. If you’ve got any questions, let us know about them in the comments section and we’ll see if we can help you.

If you liked this article, don’t forget to share it with your friends. Feel free to come back as we regularly post new content including, but not limited to, how-to guides, reviews, listicles, and more! Till next time!

What’s The Best PC Gamepad? (2019)

Last updated on May 10, 2019

The mouse and keyboard are the main weapons of every PC gamer. However, that’s not to say that there aren’t times where a PC gamepad may be needed.

For example, racing gamers like Dirt Rally are generally much easier to play with a gamepad. The same goes for most RPG titles like The Witcher, Dark Souls, etc.

That being said, if you’re planning on getting a PC gamepad, you best make sure that it’s going to be endurable, compatible with your games, and with good build quality. No need to go on a searching spree – we already did that for you. So, let’s check out the best options that we came across.

Best PC Gamepad With Cross-Platform Compatibility: Gamesir G3s

I (the author) have personally been using this gamepad for about a year now and it’s definitely one of the best gamepads that I’ve ever tried. At least when it comes to PC.

Because, to be honest, while it’s one of the very few gamepads to offer cross-platform compatibility out there, it still kinda sucks at that. Getting it to work on a PS3 was a pain and it has quite a lot of input delay when using it wirelessly with a phone. No problems with wired connectivity, though.

Still, it offers a vastly better experience on PC and that’s what we care about here. First of all, after more than a year of heavy use, it still works like brand new with no signs of usage. Sure, the left stick is a tiny bit more sensitive. But, that’s about it.

Other than that, the GameSir G3s also offers XInput which is the same with Xbox controllers. This is very important because it gives you global compatibility with all games that support PC gamepads without you having to tweak and adjust anything. And you get all that with about 30 bucks. Pretty good deal, if you ask me.

You can use it both wired and wirelessly, as it comes with a removable cable and a wireless adapter. But, do keep in mind that there is a tiny bit of input delay when using it wirelessly. Nothing deal breaking if you’re playing an RPG like The Witcher or something. But, that tiny delay can make the difference between winning or losing in competitive games like Tekken or Dirt Rally. So, do keep that in mind.

Check out the GameSir G3s on Amazon

Best Budget PC Gamepad: Xbox 360 Controller

Flashy LED lights and cross-platoform compatibility are great and everything. But, when it comes to raw performance and endurance, the Xbox 360 controller from Microsoft is definitely one to look out for.

As you’d expect, it works out of the box with every game that supports gamepads out there while offering the build quality of Microsoft. Overall, it simply gets the job done for less than 30 bucks.

The only downside that it has is that you can’t use it wirelessly. And while there is a wireless version, it probably doesn’t make too much sense to get it when you can simply go with the newer Xbox One controller that works both wired and wirelessly on demand.

One advantage that this old fella has compared to any other PC gamepad out there is the guarantee that it’s not going to give up on you anytime soon. Some people have even mentioned that it’s more endurable than the Xbox One controller.

The 360 gamepad may be older, out of style, and cheaper than the competition. But, again, it’s one that will surely work for a long time without having you to worry about things like input lag, endurance, compatibility, or anything like that. If you haven’t used one before, now is your chance to check it out!

Check out the Xbox 360 controller on Amazon

Best High-End PC Gamepad: Xbox One Controller

You saw that coming from a mile ago, didn’t you? If not, you should have (JK). The Xbox One controller is basically the improved version of its predecessor.

Just like the Gamesir G3s, it allows you to go wired or wireless with its removable cable while it offers excellent build quality, game compatibility, and a solid feel. Definitely a great contender when it comes to premium gamepads. And if you feel like spending even more, you can also get the Elite version.

Other than that, there’s really not a lot to say about it. Other than the fact that you can connect headphones and that the buttons feel a little bit better, especially the Dpad, this is another gamepad that simply gets the job done.

You can usually find it new for about 50 bucks brand new and $35 second hand – depending on how heavily it has been used, how long, and if it has any signs of wear.

Check out the Xbox One controller on Amazon

Best Gamepad For Compatibility And Customizability: Steam Controller

There seems to be a lot of hate around this controller. Most likely because it’s not something that your average gamer will really need. However, there’s no denying that it’s the best at what it does.

You see, as we mentioned above, our recommendations are widely compatible with games that feature gamepad support. The Steam controller, however, is even compatible with games that do NOT feature gamepad support. And that’s one of the amazing things that this gamepad does.

By using it through the Steam platform, you can customize this controller to work with pretty much any PC game out there. Not to mention that the touchpad helps tremendously with playing FPS games.

However, do not forget that in some cases, you’re far better off with a traditional gamepad. For example, a “normal” gamepad will likely fare much better in things like fighting and racing games. Maybe even RPG.

But, when it comes to playing full-fledged PC games from your couch that normally require a mouse and keyboard, no other gamepad does it as well as the Steam controller. So, check it out!

Check out the Steam controller on Amazon

Best Budget Option: Logitech Gamepad F310

So, all of the gamepads that we checked out till now are obviously great. But, pretty much all of them cost at least 30 bucks with the exception of the 360 controller which is kinda old and we couldn’t find it new anyway.

That being said, we decided to include a budget option in this list. And the best gamepad that we could find for a small price (without completely butchering compatibility and build quality) is the Logitech F310!

At the moment, you can get it for about 15 bucks which is frankly ridiculous. It couldn’t get any cheaper than that. Obviously, for that price, you can’t expect any fancy features or insane longevity.

What you get, however, is a gamepad that gets the job done without asking for a lot of money. Again, it does feel a lot cheaper compared to the rest of our options and it sacrifices a little bit of performance due to the Dpad and trigger design. But, still, it gets the job done. And at the end of the day, I guess that you get what you pay for.

If you feel like there is another gamepad that is worthy of being on this list, then make sure to let us and everyone else know about it in the comments section down below!