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Free Internet Faxing
Why use an expensive and complicated fax machine when there are so many Internet alternatives? Some even allow you to send and receive faxes online for free. Here's a roundup of free Internet fax services......
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...
Online Health Records
Recently, a few organizations have begun offering an alternative to paper documentation of health records. Would you trust your personal health records to an online company?...
Accessing Blocked Websites
If you are a student, employee, or part of the military, you've probably experienced the frustration of not being able to access certain websites or even your webmail. Fortunately there are some things you can do to access these blocked...
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...
Defrag Your Hard Drive
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...
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...
Search Privacy
"I've heard that Google keeps a log of everything that people search for. If this is true, can I delete my search history? Who else is keeping track of what I search for?"...
iPhone Accesories
There's no shortage of accessories out there when it comes to the iPhone. So I've compiled a list of the coolest and most useful add-ons to complement your iPhone....
Is Privacy History?
What information about you is publicly available on the Web? In the past, only government agencies and businesses with a 'need to know' were able to access personal information. Today, Internet search engines allow almost anyone to find information about...
Upgrade to Windows XP SP3
"I've heard that Microsoft just released a new service pack for Windows XP. Is SP3 going to make my XP machine run faster and jump higher? Or should I avoid it? I remember the SP2 hassles... What's your take on...
Converting FAT to NTFS
“A tech support guy told me my system is running FAT, and advised me to convert my hard drive to NTFS. I didn’t really understand his explanation… can you explain the difference and when it makes sense to convert FAT...
What Is My House Worth?
"I'm worried about the worth of my house in today's economy. The mortgage crisis is wreaking havoc on property values. What online tools can you suggest to help determine the value of my home?"...
10 Ways To Boost Your WiFi Signal
You finally got that wireless router, but the wifi signal is not so great in some parts of the house. Here's how to boost your wireless signal strength......
Low Disk Space Warning
"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....
Analog to Digital TV Conversion
Analog TV will cease to exist on February 17, 2009. Is this the end of free TV? Will your current TV set need to be replaced with a digital TV? Find out what the switch to digital television broadcasting means...
What is Joost?
"I've heard that Joost offers free online TV, but I'm afraid it's either a scam, or something illegal that will get me in trouble. I don't want to end up like the woman in Minnesota who was fined $200,000 for...
Free Online Translations
"I have a site that attracts visitors from all over the world, so I often get emails in Spanish, French, and German language. Sometimes even Russian and Japanese! Is there a tool that will help me translate to English? I...
People Search
"I'm trying to find some old friends from high school. What are the best people search tools on the Internet? Free is nice, but I'll pay for a really good people finder tool if it can save me a lot...
Gmail: Beyond the Basics
You've opened a Gmail account and now you can send and receive email on the web. Lots of email... 5.2 gigs and counting. But beyond all that space, Google's Gmail can give you better control over how you manage your...
Fantasy Leagues
"My husband likes his Fantasy Football league so much, I'm wondering if there are any interesting fantasy leagues for women (that don't involve sports). Come on, give us girls a little fantasy too!"...
New Power Supply
"My computer is making a loud noise that sounds like a fan going bad. A friend told me I should replace the power supply. Can you give me some tips on installing a new power supply?"...
Vista to XP Downgrade
Windows Vista was launched with much fanfare and was touted as the operating system for a new generation with a slick graphical interface and many new features. But the reaction to Vista has been mostly lukewarm, and many customers are...
What is a Terabyte?
"I just saw an ad for a Terabyte hard drive. What exactly is a terabyte?"...
Jott - Note to Self
Jott is a cool new service that will convert your voice into email or a text message. Just call a toll-free number from your cell phone, and leave a voice message. Jott will translate your spoken words into text, and...
Top Ten Sites for Teachers
Back to school time seems to sneak up on us each year, but with the assistance of the Internet it is easier than ever for teachers to formulate lesson plans or spice up the ones they already have....
Facebook Privacy
"I've switched from Myspace to Facebook because I was unhappy with the privacy controls there, and I've been told that Facebook lets you control this much better. Would you please go over the Facebook privacy settings and recommend which ones...
Computer Privacy At Work
Can the boss really see when you're surfing the Internet at work? Can the geeks from the IT Department monitor everything you do on your PC? Are any of them keeping tabs on those last twenty minutes of your lunch...
Forgot Facebook Password
Did you forget your Facebook password? Having trouble logging in? Or did you forget the email address for your Facebook login? Maybe your email account is not working, so you can't change your password. Or maybe it's something with a...
Science Fiction Sites
It’s sometimes difficult these days to differentiate between science fiction and fact, because the two worlds often borrow ideas from each other. If you've ever read Alfred Bester's classic 1956 sci-fi thriller "The Stars My Destination", or Ray Bradbury's space...
Top Sites for Kids
"My eleven year old wants a Myspace account, but I think she's a bit young for that. Are there some other sites I can encourage her to visit, with games and activities that are appropriate for pre-teen kids?"...
Remembering Passwords
Passwords... we have a love/hate relationship with them. We love them because they are the first line of defense against fraud and identity theft. They protect the security of our email account, online banking and credit card purchases. We hate...
Facebook - Getting Started
Looking for an alternative to an oversaturated MySpace? Facebook is a great alternative for the college and professional set. A little more serious than MySpace, Facebook is more than just competing to see who can have the most friends. Facebook...
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...
Myspace and Copyrights
"Suddenly, I can no longer upload music to Myspace. The message says 'Your upload privileges have been suspended' but all copyrights are mine. Any suggestions?"...
Carpal Tunnel Syndrome
About ten years ago, when I worked as a programmer at IBM, my wrists began to get very sore and painful. Every night I had to come home and ice them down to ease the pain and swelling. The doctor...
Secure Passwords
"With identify theft so common now, I'm concerned that my passwords may not be good enough. Can you give me some tips to picking good passwords that can't be easily guessed by hackers?"...
What is Blu-Ray?
"I've seen ads for movies on Blu-Ray discs but I'm not sure what that means. What is Blu-Ray and how is it different from a regular DVD disc? Do I need a special player to view a Blu-Ray disc?"...
TV as Computer Monitor
Imagine... putting that big old television set to good use as a secondary, or even primary, monitor for your computer. The thought has certainly crossed the minds of many a technophile. Here's how to hook it up......
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......
Anonymous Web Surfing
Going online can be like taking a walk in the park after midnight. Behind every tree there may be someone getting ready to mug you. This article will tell you how to surf the web with a higher level of...
Download Movies
"I've been using Netflix to rent movies by mail, which is okay, but with high-speed connections so common now, why can't I just download movies I want to watch from the Internet?"...
What is RFID?
"I understand that RFID involves some sort of computer chip that can identify objects and their locations. What exactly can be tracked with RFID and are there any privacy concerns I should know about?"...
Myspace Trackers
"I visited someone else's Myspace profile and saw a little graphic that said "You've been tracked!" Can people really track who is visiting their Myspace pages?"...
Online Shopping
Have you experienced the frustration of making a purchase, only to find that very same item offered somewhere else at a lower price? Smart shoppers can eliminate this problem by using online comparison shopping tools and coupon finders before the...
Beyond Myspace
As the Myspace population passes 100 million members, the site seems to be creaking and groaning, ready to burst at the seams. With frequent outages, valid passwords being rejected, problems with music players, and comment spammers, you might be looking...
Social Bookmarking
"What is social bookmarking, and how is it different from a regular bookmark or favorite in my browser?"...
What is YouTube?
YouTube is a video-sharing website that is changing American culture. It seems that every day, some short video clip on YouTube makes headline news. Here's the story behind the phenomenal success of YouTube, and some tips on how you can...
What is Second Life?
"Some of my friends are really into Second Life, they say it's the future of the Internet. Looks like Sim City on drugs to me... What is the big deal with Second Life -- who is playing and why?"...
View Private Profile
"I have my Myspace page set to private, but an ex-friend has gotten access to all of my Myspace friends that are on my page, and is emailing them. I asked him about this and he told me that he...
What is Broadband?
"I see commercials on TV telling me to switch to broadband, but I'm not sure what that means. They talk about DSL lines, cable access, satellites and megabits, which further confuses me. I've had dialup access through AOL for years...
Cancel Myspace Account
"My daughter has two Myspace accounts. One gives out too much personal information and we want to delete it. But we don't remember the password and we no longer have access to the email account she used to create the...
Add Music to Myspace Blog
"I read your guide to adding music to a Myspace profile. But I've had trouble adding music to a Myspace blog posting. Is it possible to add or embed music in our myspace blogs?"...
Windows PreFetch
"I've heard that Windows XP will run faster if you disable something called PreFetch. Apparently Windows remembers everything you have done and, in a misguided attempt to be helpful, pre-loads all the files and links when XP boots. What's your...
Emailing Photos
"Emailing a group of 4 or 5 JPG photos from the 'My Pictures' folder is no problem. But Emailing a group of 50 seems to clog the system for ever and nothing actually sends. The pictures are taken with my...
LimeWire - File Sharing
"My kids are using something called LimeWire to download music and videos. They call it a a P2P file sharing program. Can you explain what that means, and how safe it is to use?"...
Teacher Terror?
NEWS FLASH: Teacher Arrested at Airport -- A public school teacher was arrested today at John F. Kennedy International Airport as he attempted to board a flight while in possession of a ruler, a protractor, a set square, a slide...
Spyware or Virus?
"I had an anti virus program by McAfee but uninstalled because it was bogging my computer down. I now have anti spyware software, so do I still need to get an anti virus program? What is the difference between viruses...
Senior Citizens Online
"I'm a long-time computer user, almost 80 years young, but I'm no expert at Internet searching. Can you point me to some sites that are especially useful to senior citizens?"...
Stock Investing
If you're a stock market investor, there lots of great resources on the Net that will help you keep tabs on your stock portfolio, keep up with the latest market news, do company research, and even do your trading online....
RPC Server Unavailable
After helping a friend clean up a nasty spyware infestation, we had one remaining problem. Windows would say "RPC Server is Unavailable" when starting up, and also later when trying to print or install new software. Some other things just...
Remove PurityScan
"This PurityScan software is driving me crazy with popups. Spyware Doctor claimed to remove it, but after a restart it was back. Adaware and other spyware removal programs couldn't even detect it. Can you help me remove PurityScan from my...
CDROM Icon Missing
"When I go to My Computer the CDROM and DVD icons are gone. They were there yesterday, and working fine. It seems like this happened after I removed some CD burner software. Now I can't install anything from a CDROM,...
Remote Assistance
"My friends often call or email and ask computer questions that are hard to answer without actually sitting in front of their computer. I've heard radio commercials for a product that lets you control another computer over the Internet. But...
Take A Screenshot
"I want to take a screenshot of my screen and save it in a graphics file, so I can email it to a friend. Do I need to purchase or download special software to do this?"...
Is Google Desktop Evil?
"I got a warning from a friend who told me not to use the Google Desktop program. He says it will secretly make copies of my personal files and send them to Google's own servers, and from there they could...
Private Myspace Profile
"My child is 16 and has a Myspace page. He tells me the only way to make his Myspace profile private is to set his age to 14 or 15 years old. Is there a way to set the Myspace...
Add Music to Myspace
Have you ever visited a friend's Myspace profile and they had some cool music playing when the profile is displayed? Here's how you can add music to your Myspace profile......
Myspace Safety Tips
Are teens putting themselves at risk by posting too much personal information on Myspace? Is Myspace a danger to kids that should be tightly controlled or shut down?...
Searching in Myspace
"I understand that once I'm logged in to my Myspace account, I can search for people that meet certain criteria. For example, I may want to search for guys over 40 within 60 miles of my city that have "softball"...
Windows on a Mac
"I've heard that Apple is now making Mac computers with Intel chips, which power Windows PCs. Does this mean I can now install Windows on a Mac?"...
Myspace - Good or Evil?
MySpace is a popular online community that lets you meet and interact with your friends, your friends' friends, and all of their friends. You can use it to share photos, public or private journals, and build a network of mutual...
System Restore
"Help! I downloaded a program that was supposed to remove spyware from my computer. But now I'm getting even MORE popups and my system freezes at random intervals. I tried to uninstall but can't find a way to get rid...
Sharing a Printer
"I have two computers but only one printer. I understand there is a way to share the printer so both can print to it. Can you tell me how to do that?"...
Buying a Car, Selling a Car - Online
Are you thinking about buying a new car? Whether you're buying or selling, new or used, I'll point you to the websites you MUST visit before your trip to see the man in the polyester suit....
Fiddling While Your Hard Drive Crashes
After reading about the sounds that a dying hard drive makes in Click of Doom, long-time reader MmeMoxie sent me a link to something absolutely hilarious. It's music based on the sounds of hard drive failures......
Eat Your Cookies
I often get mail from people who misunderstand or fear browser cookies, so I've written a a guide that tells you everything need to know about these tasty little critters. Read on for a closer look at the good, the...
Directory Information Overload?
Sure, there are lots of online yellow pages websites. But all too often, I find it frustrating to get the phone number or address for a business or public facility. Point, click, search, wade through multiple pages of search results,...
Identity Theft
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...
Create a Blog
"Blogs, bloggers and blogging... they seem to be everywhere I look. I have lots to say, but I'm not a techie and have no idea how to start my own blog. Can you help?"...
Setting Up a Website
Will Rogers said "Buy land... they're not making any more of it." In a way, the same is true of real estate in cyberspace. So let this be the year you get your own website, whether it be personal or...
Computer Humor
"Every day I get the same lame jokes in my email that have been making the rounds for years. Are there some websites you can recommend for really good computer humor?"...
Wireless Security
"Is it safe to use wireless Internet access in my home? I've heard that neighbors or even people driving by can tap in to my wireless signal. There must be a way to do it safely, since it's so common...
Windows XP Security Tips
"Some of my geeky friends are telling me that Windows XP is full of security holes, and that I am putting my privacy at risk by going online with a Windows PC. Can you offer some tips to help me...
Online Shopping
I still meet people who tell me they've never purchased anything on the Internet. I always tell 'em that it's safer to use a credit card online than in a department store, and there are so many tools to help...
Shell Script Programming - Loops
"I'm just starting to program shell scripts in Linux. I can handle basic IF ... THEN ... ELSE stuff, but I'm having trouble with looping? Can you give me some examples?"...
Bots and Intelligent Agents
Remember back when you were a kid, watching The Jetsons and wishing someone would invent a robot to do your chores? Decades later, we still haven't realized the promise of a machine to clear the dishes off the table, but...
Digital Music and Lyrics
Remember the good old days of Napster & Cohorts, when you could illegally download your favorite music all day long, while thumbing your nose at the greedy record companies? Ahhh, the memories......
Web Moments That Changed the World
The folks at the Webby Awards are celebrating their 10th anniversary by compiling a list of 10 Web Moments That Changed the World. Some of them I agree are significant, others are ho-hum. And certainly there are some biggies missing...
Internet Innovators: Dave Taylor
Back in 1995-96 I worked for BoardWatch Magazine, covering the world of Bulletin Board Systems and the fledgling Internet. One of my favorite parts of that job was interviewing prominent netizens of the day. Some may boast about being self-made...
What is RSS?
I keep hearing about RSS, XML and RSS feeds. I have only a vague idea of what they are, but then people start talking about RSS aggregators, and I get really confused. What are they talking about and why would...
Blue Security - Spam Solution?
"BlueSecurity.com has a bold plan to go after spammers. Have you reviewed this outfit? If so, what say you about it?"...
Free Virus Scan
"My computer has been acting strangely... at times it's very slow and I'm getting lots of popups. I'm afraid I have a virus, and the anti-virus software that came with my computer has expired. Can you recommend a good (and...
Online Maps and Driving Directions
"Once upon a time, I had to drop off my kids at the airport. It's a 90 minute drive, or at least it's SUPPOSED to be a 90 minute drive. Without heaping too much embarrassment on myself, let's just say...
Printing a .PRN file
"If I'm using my laptop away from the office and I choose to print something and select "print to file" (since I don't have a printer with me) it creates a .PRN file, but how can I print that file...
Turning F-Lock key ON automatically
On certain Microsoft keyboards, the function keys (F1, F2, F3, etc.) will not work normally unless you press the F-Lock key. Arrogantly flouting decades of keyboard convention, Microsoft markets "Natural" and "Multimedia" and "Office" keyboards that have the F-keys reassigned...
Scandisk doesn't work on Windows XP?
A reader asks "I had the SCANDISK program in Windows 98. Now I'm running Windows XP and I can't find ScanDisk. Is it under another name?" The short answer is YES......
What is ASCII Art?
Have you heard the term "ASCII art" and wondered what that's all about? Long before the advent of the Web and all of its glittering graphics, people were creating computer graphics of a different sort that required no special hardware...
How can I avoid computer viruses?
When I wrote in a previous entry "Do I need anti-virus software?" that "You CANNOT get a virus just by opening or reading your email" I fully expected it would unleash a torrent of emails in response. I knew this...
Spy, Counter-Spy
Is your computer running slower than usual? Has your browser's start page been hijacked? Having trouble reaching your favorite search engine? Popups driving you crazy? Most likely your computer is infested with spyware, the cockroaches of the digital age....
Do I need anti-virus software?
I have an unorthodox strategy for dealing with computer viruses. It doesn't involve the use of firewalls or anti-virus software. But if everyone understood the simple virus safety tips I'll outline here, the virus writers would get very bored very...
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spyware OR virus
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