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Is Blu-ray Doomed?

"I'm thinking about buying a Blu-ray player, but I've read some reports that claim Blu-ray may not survive in the marketplace. What's your take on Blu-ray's chances of long-term success?"...

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...

Great Gadget Gifts

Are you going nuts over the selection of electronics that are available for this holiday season? There are so many choices -- cell phones, music players, PDAs, video cams and more. Read on for my personal recommendations to help you...

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?"...

Malware Scanners

"There are so many malware scanners to choose from, when trying to protect against adware, spyware and other online threats. Which one(s) do you recommend?"...

Online Photo Editing

"What do you recommend for quick photo editing when you're away from your own computer and you don't have PhotoShop or something similar available?"...

AVG Review

Is your computer safe from viruses? Without the proper protection, your computer can catch a virus faster than you can recite your email address three times. Viruses can destroy files, compromise your privacy, and make you vulnerable to identity theft....

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?...

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...

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?"...

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...

Voyager Versus iPhone

"Some people are calling the new LG Voyager a potential iPhone killer. I'm considering buying the Voyager so I'd like your take on how it stacks up against the Apple iPhone."...

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...

Mac OS X Leopard

Apple's newest operating system, released in the Fall of 2007, is Mac OS X Leopard. Like it's feline namesake, this OS is slick and sleek and features all the multimedia bells and whistles Apple users have come to expect. Since...

Automatic Digital Cameras

Are you a camera klutz? Don't know the difference between an f-stop and a fill flash? Then today's new automated digital cameras are just perfect for you. Just point and click, they do the rest. Here are my picks for...

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...

Ebay Tips for Sellers

"I'm thinking about selling some stuff on eBay to make a little money for the holidays, but my previous attempts to sell on eBay haven't worked out very well. Can you give me some power tips for eBay sellers to...

Running Linux In Windows

So you're ready to explore Linux, an operating system alternative to Windows or Mac. But you don't have an extra computer laying around. No problem... you can run Linux on your existing computer, without messing up your Windows system. Here's...

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?"...

HP OfficeJet Pro L7780

HP is known for its versatile line of business and home office equipment. One of their latest releases is the HP OfficeJet Pro L7780 All-In-One. This office machine operates as both a color and a black and white printer, copier,...

Buying a Laptop

Laptops are a great option for people who need to compute on the move. In the past, laptops were bulky, heavy and slow. But today, laptop technology has advanced and today's models are fast, light and offer nearly the same...

Top Ten Sites for Homeschoolers

"I've read your articles about the best sites for public school students. But my children are young and I'm considering home schooling for them. Can you recommend any sites with good resources for homeschooling families?"...

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....

Free Anti-Virus Programs

"I've been using the free Norton antivirus package that came with my computer, but the subscription will expire in a few days. Are the free anti-virus programs any good? What do you recommend?"...

Boost Your Wi-Fi Signal

"I have a wireless router with high-speed internet and a laptop that connects via Wi-Fi signal. Sometimes I get a decent wi-fi connection, and sometimes nothing at all. What can I do to boost my Wi-fi signal?"...

What is Firewire?

"I was told that I should have a Firewire cable to transfer videos from my camcorder to my computer. I have USB connectors on my PC, is that the same thing, or can the Firewire plug in to that?"...

Do I Need A New Computer?

"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...

No iPhone For Me

Apple's iPhone seems like the coolest gadget to hit the streets in a long time. It slices, it dices, it can browse the web, manage your calendar, take pictures, and even make a phone call. But here's why I'm NOT...

Gas Mileage Tips

High prices at the gas pump continue to put the squeeze on family budgets, recent fluctuations not withstanding. It seems like $3 per gallon gas is here to stay. While there’s no magic pill or bolt-on gizmo that will magically...

Which Printer Should I Buy?

At first glance, an inkjet printer may seem appealing because of its relatively low price tag compared to laser printers. Even though the ink cartridges often cost nearly as much as the printer, it still might make sense to buy...

What Is a Rootkit?

Rootkit... the name sounds innocent enough. Kinda like something your Grandma would use in her garden. Actually, rootkits are a particularly nasty form of malware, created to wreak havoc on computers....

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...

Adding Memory

If your computer seems to stagger under the burden of your commands, responding slowly, freezing or timing you out; if working at your system feels like bicycling uphill, consider adding extra memory. Adding memory to your computer isn't so hard...

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...

Converting Vinyl Records to CD

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...

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?"...

Download With Bittorrent?

"I've been told that I can download movies and even popular software for free using Bittorrent. Sounds too good to be true… What exactly is Bittorrent, is it legal, and safe to use?"...

Hide Your SSID?

"I have a wireless network at home, which lets me get an internet connection on my laptop all over the house. But I'm concerned that neighbors or people driving by can hack into my computer. A friend said that hiding...

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...

Too Many Spyware Scanners?

"I downloaded a spyware scanner, which detected many problems. I then had to pay for the software to fix all the problems, which I did. But... since then my computer crashes often and I cannot get into some web sites....

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...

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...

Radar Detectors

"I just got a speeding ticket, and now I'm wishing I had a radar detector. But there are so many different kinds and price ranges. How do radar detectors work, and which one should I buy?"...

Reformat hard drive under XP?

"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...

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......

Convert VHS to DVD

Let's face it... your old VHS tapes with treasured family memories won't last forever. Even if the VCR doesn't eventually jam and eat the tape, a VHS recording uses fragile magnetic tape that degrades over time -- whether you watch...

Should I Buy Anti-Spyware or Anti-Virus Software?

"Task Manager shows I have 50+ processes running, and I have no idea which ones are slowing down my system. Should I regularly run SpyBot, AdAware and other freeware, or should I pay for a supposedly better program? I read...

Low Virtual Memory

"Recently I installed a game on a friend's computer and when we tried playing it, we would get a message saying 'Your system is low on virtual memory.' Can you please help us fix this problem?"...

Internet History

The history of computing and the story of how the Internet came to be are fascinating subjects to me. After doing some reading and research on early computers and Internet history, I've put together some excellent links that you can...

Do I Need a Registry Cleaner?

"My computer seems to get slower and slower. A friend told me to clean my registry. Will that really help, and how can I do that?"...

Internet Connection Fails

"I am using XP home with a cable modem connection, and quite often using while online, I get the error of can't find the server. I just lose my internet connection, and it says my TCP/IP needs resetting. How do...

Do Computers Get Tired?

"Sometimes my computer acts weird when it's been running for several days. I've heard about something called 'electron buildup' but I'm not sure I should take it seriously. Can electronic devices really suffer from fatigue if they're on too long?"...

Make Windows XP Run Faster!

"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...

Thunderbird is Slow

I started using Mozilla Thunderbird early this year. About a month ago it started acting up. When I open the program it will take from five to fifteen minutes before it will start to download any messages. Once open, it...

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...

Icons in the System Tray

"I have a large number of icons in my system tray (in the left hand lower corner of the screen) which I don't use and would like to remove. Do they in anyway slow down the computer?"...

New Computer is SLOW

"A good friend just bought a new eMachines system. But already it's slower than the 8 year old Gateway he got rid of! If they can't work out the wrinkles they're returning the whole thing. Can you give me a...

Making Windows XP Start Faster

"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...

Slow Downloads with Broadband

"I have broadband, and when I run a speed test, my system passes with numbers that approach the speed of light. However, when I download a file, the download speed always hovers around 500k. What am I overlooking?"...

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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