"I'm planning to buy an external hard drive to use for backups. What hardware and software do you recommend for reliable and simple backups?"...
How long will your hard drive last? Is it giving you subtle signs that a data disaster is looming? How will you know when it's time to buy a new hard drive? Here are some things you can look for......
"I'm moving to Windows 7, but I'm worried about transferring all my existing programs to the new system. I would be a major hassle to re-install all my programs… what do you recommend?"...
If you do everything just right, you'll end up with a perfect hard drive. Your operating system will be bug-free; your applications will play well together; your data will be neatly organized in folders; everything will be just perfect. And...
"My hard drive was making a clicking sound, and now it won't start up at all. Should I try to fix it myself, or send it to a hard drive repair service?"...
"I've heard good things about Windows 7, and I want to upgrade my XP system as soon as I can. What's the best way to move from Windows XP to Windows 7?"...
There is almost nothing worse than losing important files when you experience a finger fumble, brain freeze, or computer crash. But never fear, there are tools that can help you recover those lost files, and some of the best ones...
"Will I be able to upgrade my XP system to Windows 7? I'm hoping I don't have to upgrade to Vista in order to install Windows 7. What's the scoop?"...
Aside from actually drop-kicking it or smashing it with a sledge hammer, it's fairly difficult to actually "break" a computer. That said, there are a number of ways to render your computer just slightly more useful than a doorstop. Certain...
"I just got Windows Vista, after using XP for many years. Frankly, I'm not crazy about the Vista look and feel... are there some tweaks I can use to make Vista look more like XP?"...
If you have noticed your computer running a little sluggish and slow lately, it might be time to defragment your hard drive. Your hard drive does need to be cleaned out regularly and defragmented in order to keep everything working...
"Windows is giving me a warning that says 'You are running out of disk space on Local Disk (C:).' My friend told me this is not important and offered to disable the warning popup for me, but I'm not sure....
"I've heard that GnuCash is a free accounting program, similar to Quicken. So it's free, but how does it compare with Quicken or Microsoft Money, for basic household or small business accounting?"...
Do you have a clean hard drive? If you're selling a computer or discarding a hard drive, you'll want to clean off your personal files first. Or maybe you're getting that annoying "low disk space" message. Don't ignore it, or...
"Our computer is three years old, and my teenager says it's obsolete. He wants us to buy a new computer with more speed, more memory, etc. Can you give me some pointers on how to determine if I really need...
"I have a big music collection on CDROM discs. I'd like to get all this music on my computer and burn my own mix CDs. Can you help me get started?"...
For seasoned audio purists, nothing compares to good old-fashioned analog recordings on vinyl records. But those old records are fragile... here's an illustrated step-by-step guide to help you convert vinyl to CD so you can enjoy them for years to...
"I was installing a game when the CDROM disc exploded into pieces inside the computer. Is this common, and what would cause such a thing?"...
"I have Windows XP and the system has gotten very slow and flaky. I would like to learn how to reformat the drive. Can you teach me in simple English how to completely format the drive and then re-install the...
Remember that 1995 movie "The Net", starring Sandra Bullock? Okay, I didn't see it either. Somehow I couldn't imagine Sandra as a software engineer after watching her in "While You Were Sleeping". But I digress... the movie was a story...
"I need to archive some files on CDROM disks. I hear a lot about the differences in quality of CDs. How do I determine what is a high quality CD that will last at least several years?...
"My Windows startup seems to be taking a long time, and once it finally stops churning, everything seems to run slower than it used to. Can you suggest any maintenance tips to make Windows XP start and run faster?"...
I'm trying to clean my computer like you suggested but when I run ScanDisk it keeps restarting. Finally I get a message "ScanDisk has restarted 10 times because Windows or another program has been writing to this drive." You mention...
"My computer startup seems to be taking a long time. It's sometimes three or four minutes before the hard disk stops churning and I can launch a program. I'm sure it used to boot up faster -- can you suggest...
"As a fairly new computer user, I find that deleting files is a problem for me. When I want to delete a file, I get a message that I should check to see what the file does before I delete...
"My computer is 5 years old and it freezes up and shuts down on me at times. So I am considering buying a new one. How do I get rid of any files on it before I donate it to...
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