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Ask Bob Rankin search results: free backup
External Hard Drive For Backups
"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?"...
Backup Your Mobile Phone
"Recently I lost my phone, and along with it, all my contacts, music, text messages and apps. It's been expensive and time consuming to reconstruct everything, so I'm looking for a way to back up all the data on my...
Is Your Hard Drive Dying?
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......
System Restore Not Working
"I tried to run System Restore and got this error message: 'System Restore did not complete successfully. Your computer's files and settings were not changed.' Uggh. Why does this happen, and what can I do about it?"...
What Does System Restore Do?
System Restore is a great feature in Windows that lets you roll back the clock on system changes. Have you ever wondered how System Restore affects your computer's resources, performance and what's really going on behind the scenes? Read on......
Is Cloud Storage Safe?
"I'm using cloud-based services like online backup, web-based email and document sharing. But I really don't know much about the safety and security of cloud computing. How vulnerable am I?"...
Which Online Backup Service Is Best?
If you listen to talk radio, you've probably heard online backup services like Carbonite, Mozy and iDrive advertising incessantly. Let's take a look at each of them, to see what they offer......
How to Remove Rootkits
"What exactly is a rootkit, and how is it different than a virus? Also, how can I detect and remove rootkit infections from my computer?"...
Partition Managers
Partitioning your hard drive is like putting up a digital fence, splitting your hard drive into distinct sections, each for a specific purpose. It allows you to install multiple operating systems, or just keep different types of data in their...
Hard Drive Backup Image
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...
Hard Drive Recovery Services
"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?"...
Social Networking Backup
"A huge chunk of my life social life is stored on Facebook and Twitter. What would happen if I could no longer access that information? Is there a way to backup my social network postings?"...
Geekly Update - June 29
Here's your Geekly Update for the week of June 29th, presented in small bytes. Get the scoop on gadgets & hardware, security patches, browser news, social networking, web tech and search engines. Read on......
Windows 7 Half Price Offer
Thinking about upgrading to Windows 7? Microsoft is offering users of Windows XP and Vista a chance to get the Windows 7 Upgrade for half price......
Free Online Storage
"I'm running out of storage space on my hard drive. On a tight budget, I'm considering using a free online storage tool to offload some files. But which ones do you recommend?"...
Free Backup Solutions
"I know I need to backup my computer, because I've experienced a hard drive failure in the past. But I don't have a lot of money to spend on backup software. Are there any good FREE backup software programs, or...
Upgrading to Windows 7
"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?"...
Parental Control Software
"I have pre-teen children who are just starting to get interested in the Web. What parental control software do you recommend?"...
Free Registry Cleaners
"I've heard conflicting stories on the effectiveness of registry cleaners. Do they really help? If so, which registry cleaner do you recommend?"...
How To Mess Up Your Computer
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...
Cloud Computing
"I'm hearing the term Cloud Computing more and more. One friend told me that it means computers will soon not need a hard drive. Is that correct?"...
Speed Up Vista
"I upgraded to Windows Vista on my desktop PC, and instead of speeding up, it seems to run slower than ever. Do you have any tips or tweaks to make Vista run faster?"...
Avira Free Anti-Virus
"I'm confused by all the free antivirus products. I've read in some forums that Avira is the best, others claim that AVG or Avast is definitely the way to go. Which one do you recommend?"...
Avast Free Anti-Virus
"It seems there are lots of choices for a free anti-virus program. My neighbor swears by Avast! Anti-Virus and says it's better than Avira, which I currently use. Is Avast! worth looking into, or are they all pretty much the...
Partitioning Your Hard Drive
"I just got a new computer and I'm wondering about hard drive partitioning strategies. A friend told me to create a very small C: partition for a swap file, put Windows on the D: drive, and create several other parititions...
External Hard Drive Security
"I want to backup my home computers to an external hard drive, but I'm worried about security. If the drive is lost or stolen, all my sensitive personal and financial data goes with it. Is there a way to password...
Five Geeky Gadgets
Anyone can plug in a computer and attach a printer. But that's not all there is to being a serious computer jockey these days. Are you ready to get your geek on? Check out these five must-have gadgets to enhance...
My Favorite Software
In the course of doing my job, I use certain programs on a regular basis. On any given day, I might be doing word processing, web design, programming, image editing, trouble shooting, and of course email and web surfing. Here...
Do I Need a Registry Cleaner?
"My computer seems to get slower and slower. A friend told me I need a registry cleaner. Will that really help? If so, where can I get a good free registry cleaner to do the job?"...
Automatic Backups
"My hard drive failed last week, and my latest backup was a year old. So I lost pretty much ALL of my important files. Can you recommend an AUTOMATIC backup that just works?"...
DRM-Free Music
"I've run into problems trying to transfer my iTunes music to an MP3 player. I am told that the problem is DRM, some sort of copy protection built into the songs. Are there ways to get around this? Can I...
Cheap Desktop Computers
"I'm looking for a basic entry-level desktop computer to give to a high-school student as a Christmas gift. What do you recommend in the budget category that can handle web surfing, email and word processing?"...
DRM Removal
Are you trying to convert iTunes music to MP3 format? Or maybe you have some "protected" WMA files that you want to convert? There are plenty of good reasons why honest people might want to use a DRM remover to...
Hard Drive Recovery
If it hasn't happened yet, be sure that it will... you're working away on an important project and the computer freezes. You reboot, but instead of the familiar startup screen, you black screen with one of these ominous messages: DISK...
Is Webmail Better?
"I'm thinking about switching from Outlook Express to a webmail service. What are the trade-offs? Are some better than others? Is webmail secure?"...
Online Backup
Periodically creating a backup of your computer files is critically important to the preservation of your work, your entertainment and your memories. In the event that your system is corrupted by a virus, natural disaster or hardware malfunction you must...
Run Windows On Mac
Why choose between Windows and Mac? Now you can run BOTH operating systems side-by-side on your Mac desktop. Here's the scoop on how to run Windows on your Mac......
Rip & Burn Basics
"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?"...
Recover Deleted Files
It's happened to all of us at some point. One stray mouse click, and poof! You've deleted a file that you did not mean to. But must it really be the final goodbye to that file? Happily, there are tons...
Upgrade to Vista?
"I'm confused about upgrading to Windows Vista. There are so many options, prices, and new features. Which ones are really important, and is Vista ready for prime time?"...
What is Internet Telephony?
Seems like everybody, and everything, is getting connected to the Internet. Have you heard about Internet Telephony? If you have high- speed Internet service, you may be able to save on telephone charges by connecting the phone to your modem...
Lifetime of a CDROM disk
"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?...
Backing Up Your Files
Sooner or later, something terrible will happen to your hard drive. That's not a very happy thought, but the good news is you can survive a hard drive failure with only minimal inconvenience -- if you back up your files....
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