Bypass a Security Torx Screw with a Flathead Screwdriver

You are halfway into trying to repair something when it happens--you discover that there are two Security Torx screws that prevent you from going any further. Rather than having to stop and hunt store-to-store for the proper screwdriver, check your toolbox. You probably already have the tool you need.

A Security Torx screw (also known as a Tamper-Resistant Torx screw) has a post in the center of the head that prevents a standard Torx bit from being inserted. These screws are common to in many electronics to prevent tampering. Luckily, you probably already have the screwdriver you need to remove these screws.

Removing the screw is simple if you have the correct size flathead screwdriver. Insert the screwdriver into the head of the Security Torx screw as illustrated to the right. The screwdriver should be butted into one of the corners of the screw with the other side of the screwdriver against the post. The screw will come out as if you used the proper screwdriver.

Did you have success with this tip? Or have similar tips for tinkerers? Tell us about them in the comments below.

How to Use Perk TV with Multiple Phones

Perk TV is an application for Android and iOS that pays you to watch ads. What sets Perk TV apart from other applications like this (e.g. Swagbucks) is that ads continually play without physical interaction (pressing buttons) for hours at a time. Taking advantage of this opportunity, you can easily buy some phones, install the app, and start earning passive income. Setup is easy, and you can be making $30+ per month per a phone starting right now!

Before you start, check to see if your internet service provider has a data cap, since streaming videos 24/7 chews up a lot of data.

Step One: Sign Up

Sign up for Perk TV

Step Two: Purchase Phones

If you are going to buy phones to run Perk TV, go with cheap Android devices that meet the minimum requirements for Perk TV. Currently, the requirements are just Android 4.0 or higher and WiFi. One of the most popular phones for running Perk TV is the Kyocera Hydro. At the time of this article the Hydros can be purchased on Amazon for about $30 and Amazon will buy the Hydros back for about $9. Because the Hydros earn around $1 a day, you would only have to run the phone for 21 days ($30 - $9) to break even if you choose to sell the phone back after that point. Anything afterwards is profit. Also note that you can have up to five phones per an account.

Kyocera Hydro on Amazon

Step Three: Prep the Phones

To maximize earning potential on your phones you will want the following applications:

• Perk TV - The application
• Always On - Keeps the screen on
• Screen Filter - Dims the screen to save electricity

Optional: If you root the phones you can freeze (disable) all unnecessary applications with Titanium Backup Pro to conserve resources for Perk TV.

Step Four: Setup

Plug your phones into a cheap surge protector or a multi-port usb wall charger near your wireless access point and you (Perk TV's terms and Conditions state that users must physically be in front of the phone(s) when using Perk apps). When you open Perk TV you have the option to play application trailers or movie trailers. Start with application trailers as they earn faster. The phone will automatically switch back to movie trailers after a while, but that's alright.

Step Five: Maintenance

Although not always required, reboot the phones once a day to prevent them from crashing. Phones can sometimes go days without a reboot, but it is better to reboot daily to avoid this risk.

Step Six: Earn and Redeem

That's it! Welcome to the world of perking!

I currently have four Kyocera Hydros that earn about $120+ dollars a month, which pays for my groceries. 

Using Perk TV already or coming up with ideas on how to set your phones up? Tell us about it in the comments section below. If you liked this article, check out my post on How to Make a Passive Income from an Idle Computer. Happy perking!

UPDATE: Perk TV now gives a prompt every 5 hours reading "Are you still watching?" Although annoying, it is not a huge inconvenience given the rewards you still get, and if you are physically in front of the phones when using Perk TV--like their Terms and Conditions state.

Recover Your Own Gold from Old Electronics

Gone are the days when gold prospectors sift through rocks and dirt in rivers and hills. Modern-day prospectors get their gold from old phones and computer components. Best of all, just about anyone can do this in their apartment or garage with just a little collecting.

The Instructable in the source link illustrates the entire process, but you’re basically, just collecting old electronics, soaking them in a mixture of readily available chemicals, and then melting down the result into a gold ingot. With that in mind, it's time sit in sadness like the rest of us while you think about all the electronics you have thrown in the trash over the years and all the gold that could have amounted to.

Gold Recovery | Instructables

How to Turn a Windows 7 PC Into a Dedicated Steam Machine

As most Steam users know, Steam is coming out with their very own console. However, those of us who want a Steam console experience still have to wait. Also, Steam Box will be Linux-based, which is a problem for those of us who own several Windows or Mac only games, and are not ready to part with them. Below are instructions to convert a Windows 7 PC into a Windows-based Steam Box.

These instructions will tell you how to make windows boot straight into Steam Big Picture, disable windows interface from loading and set Steam as shell, disable user interaction at windows logon screen, customize windows logon screen, and customize boot screen. Note: this is only if your computer is only going to be a dedicated Steam Box. I’m not responsible if you don’t like what you did or if you messed up your machine. Okay, so let’s start.

Part One: Set Big Picture on Steam Start

 This part will set Steam Big Picture Mode to startup whenever Steam starts.

1. Open Steam in windowed mode (not Big Picture)
2. Click on the ‘Steam’ dropdown menu in the top left corner. Then press ‘Settings.’
3. Click on the ‘Interface’ tab and check the box that says ‘Start Steam in Big Picture Mode.’

Part Two: Set Steam as Shell (Main Graphical User Interface)

In this part we will set Steam as your computers shell instead of what most people consider to be Windows. This will mean that as soon as your computer logs in, Steam Big Picture Mode will start. You will not see and Windows background, start menu, or anything of that nature.

1. Open the start menu. In the start menu search box type ‘regedit’ and press ENTER. This will open regedit.
2. Navigate through the folders to [HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\WindowsNT\CurrentVersion\Winlogon]. 
3. Right click on the ‘Winlogon’ folder and select ‘New > String Value’ 
4. Name it ‘Shell’. 
5. Right click on the newly created ‘Shell’ and press ‘Modify’ 
6. Type in the path to Steam.exe on your machine. By default on a 64-bit Windows 7 machine, the path is ‘C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\Steam.exe’ Press OK after you have entered the path.

You can stop here if you want and you will have a dedicated Windows-based Steam Box. The next parts just make the power up of the ‘console’ more elegant and beautiful.

Note: Now that your computer boots straight into Big Picture, you won’t have immediate access to you Windows Graphical User Interface. If you ever decide that you don’t want your computer to boot into Steam, just delete the ‘Shell’ entry that you made in regedit. Below are instructions in case you ever need access to windows.

1. Press CTRL+ALT+DELETE and Select ‘Start Task Manager’
2. Press the File dropdown menu at the top and select ‘New Task (Run…)’ 
3. Type in ‘explorer.exe’ and press OK

Part Three: Set Windows To Automatically Login

Since you’re making a dedicated Steam Box it makes sense to not type in your Windows password or click your user icon every time you turn on your machine. In this section we will set windows to automatically login so you don’t have to mess with unnecessary typing or clicking.

1. Open the start menu. In the start menu search box type ‘netplwiz’ and press ENTER. This will open regedit.
2. Uncheck the box that says ‘Users must enter a user name and password to use this computer’
3. Press ‘Apply’ and then press ‘OK’

Part Four: Customize Windows Logon Screen

Yes, you have already set Windows to automatically login, but your machine will still show the Windows logon screen while it’s booting. You can edit the background with registry edits, but’Tweaks.com Logon Changer for Windows 7’ makes it simple and does not require an install either.

1. Download ’Tweaks.com Logon Changer for Windows 7’ http://tweaks.com/software/tweakslogon/
2. Download or create a background. I suggest a good quality Steam background. 
3. Run ’Tweaks.com Logon Changer for Windows 7’ 
4. Press the ‘Change Logon Screen’ Button 
5. Select your new background and press ‘Open’ 
6. Press the ‘Test’ button to make sure it looks right

Part Five: Remove Windows Branding on Logon Screen

Two things you may have notice while customizing your logon screen are the Windows branding and ‘Ease of Access’ Button of the screen. For this step, I suggest just following the instructions from.

http://www.askvg.com/how-to-remove-branding-logo-and-ease-of-access-accessibility-button-from-windows-vista-and-7-login-screens/

Part Six: Customize Boot Screen

When your machine boots up, you may have notice the Windows icon and text saying ‘Starting Windows’ below it. This can be changed to anything you want with a program called ‘Windows 7 Boot Updater.’ You can make animated images during the boot screen, but for this example, we’ll just use a static image.

1. Download ‘Windows 7 Boot Updater’ http://windows-7-boot-updater.en.softonic.com/
2. Download or create a Steam Logo 
3. Run ‘Windows 7 Boot Updater’ 
4. Under ‘Animation’ select ‘Static Image’ 
5. Select your image and press ‘Open’ 
6. Select the ‘Message 2’ tab and replace ‘Starting Windows’ with ‘Starting Steambox’
7. Change the text in the ‘Message 1’ tab to something clever. 
8. Press ‘Apply’

Part Seven: Time To Play!

You created your very own Windows-based Steam Box. Now it’s time to connect your new Steam Box to your TV, plug in a controller, and have fun!

Did you have any success with your Steam Machine project? Or are you having trouble getting started? Let me know in the comments below.