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Geekly Update February 10
Here's your Geekly Update for this week, presented in small bytes. Get the scoop on gadgets & hardware, computer security, online happenings, social networking, web tech and search engines. Read on......
How Long Do Flash Drives Last?
Flash drives are an increasingly popular form of portable storage. Some people predict that flash drives will replace hard drives in time, just as optical disks replaced floppy disks. But are flash drives as safe as other mass storage media...
What is the Apple iPad?
After months of rumor and hype unrivaled since Windows Vista was conceived, Apple finally revealed the final form of its iPad tablet computer on Wednesday, January 27, 2010. What's it all about, and what does it mean to you?...
Are Online Backup Services Safe?
The recent hack of Google by Chinese espionage agencies has raised concerns about the security and safety of online backup services. Is the protection provided by Mozy, Carbonite and other popular backup services enough to keep your files safe from...
Geekly Update January 12
Here's your Geekly Update for this week, presented in small bytes. Get the scoop on gadgets & hardware, computer security, online happenings, social networking, web tech and search engines. Read on......
How to Buy a Laptop
A laptop computer makes a popular gift to give or receive. But the laptop landscape is dotted with thousands of species and subspecies. Which one should you choose, and how should you buy it - online or in a big...
Digital Camera Memory Cards
"I'm a little confused about all the different memory cards that are available for digital cameras and video cams. The memory card I bought for my digital camera is not recognized by my computer. Can you demystify this for me?"...
Setting Up A Website
So, you want your own website... Setting up a site of your very own can be free and easy, or as expensive and complicated as a NASA mission to Mars. Here are some tips on getting started......
WAV to MP3 Converter
"I have hundreds of WAV audio files that are taking up a lot of hard drive space. Can you recommend a good WAV to MP3 converter that will do the job, preferably free?"...
What Is Picasa?
Picasa is a free photo editing and management application offered by Google. It offers many photo editing, organization and online storage features that photo buffs will find useful. Here's my review of Picasa......
Copy DVD to Hard Drive
Have you run out of slots in your DVD storage tower? Do you find DVDs in the wrong cases, or find a case you've been seeking only to learn it's empty? Many movie buffs have such problems. You can solve...
Free DVD Burning Software
"I want to create a backup of my photos and home videos, but I have several gigabytes of data, so I want to put it all on DVD discs. Can you recommend any free DVD burning software?"...
Inexpensive Computer Upgrades
"My computer is showing signs of age, but I can't afford a new one. What hardware upgrades do you recommend to improve speed and usability for those with older computers?"...
Geekly Update October 20
Here's your Geekly Update for the week of October 20th, presented in small bytes. Get the scoop on gadgets & hardware, computer security, online happenings, social networking, web tech and search engines. Read on......
Microsoft Office Web Apps
Office Web Apps is Microsoft's answer to Google Docs and other online office apps. Even if you don't have MS Office installed on your computer, you will be able to create, edit, save, and share Office documents with other people...
Data Recovery
So you were working on that big presentation for the boss, when suddenly the power went out and your computer shut down. And when you restarted the computer and ran your software it said "Cannot open file; file corrupt" or...
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......
Upgrade Vista to Windows 7
"I'm currently running Vista on my home computer, but I've heard that Windows 7 is faster. Should I upgrade my Vista to Windows 7, or leave well enough alone?"...
Geekly Update August 24
Here's your Geekly Update for the week of August 24th, presented in small bytes. Get the scoop on gadgets & hardware, security patches, browser news, social networking, web tech and search engines. Read on......
Netbook Or Laptop?
What is a netbook? And what's the difference between a netbook and a laptop? You may be standing in a store asking yourself these questions soon. Here are the answers......
Webmail Smackdown!
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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?"...
Portable Apps
Did you know that you can load up a flash drive with your favorite programs and run them on any computer, without installing, directly from the portable drive? Here's the scoop on portable apps......
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...
Turn Your PC Into a Home Theater
If you have a decent computer, why buy a home theater system that can cost thousands? For a lot less money, I'll show you how to convert your PC into an awesome home theater system at about the quarter of...
Windows 7 is Coming
Windows 7 does not sleep... it waits. Will the eagerly awaited successor to Vista be a winner in the marketplace? Read on for a preview of what to expect in Windows 7......
Terabyte Hard Drives
"I've been thinking about buying a terabyte hard drive. Right now I have a 500GB drive. Are the terabyte drives as fast and reliable as smaller drives?"...
How to Buy a Computer
"I teach senior citizens in a community based free computer lab. They often ask what to look for when buying a computer, what software they need for email, basic Internet usage, word processing, etc. Many are on a limited budget....
Solid State Hard Drives
"I'm checking out laptops, and some say they have a solid state hard drive. Is this a good thing? How does a solid state hard drive compare to a regular hard drive?...
What's New With Zune?
It's been a year since I compared the newest Zune and the iPod. So let's see what's new with Microsoft's music player and if it is a force that Apple has to reckon with for the holiday season and beyond......
Virtual Memory
"What's the difference between virtual memory and real memory? And how can I add more virtual memory to my computer?"...
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...
Mini Laptops
"I'm considering buying one of those netbook mini-laptops for my daughter. Can they do everything that the larger laptops do? Can you recommend any specific mini laptop models?"...
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......
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?...
Vista ReadyBoost
What exactly does Vista ReadyBoost do? Is it the same as adding RAM, or is it more like a disk cache? I've read varying reports as to whether or not it really boosts performance on Vista. What do you know...
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."...
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?"...
Vista SP1 - Do You Need It?
"I've heard that Microsoft just released Vista SP1, a package of updates that will make Vista run faster. Should I install it? If so, how do I get Vista SP1?"...
Content Management Systems
If you maintain a website, a content management system (CMS) can make it easier to add or update information, whether it has 10 pages or 10,000 pages. Read on to learn what a content management system can do for you,...
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....
Free Online Word Processors
"Microsoft Word is so expensive... are there free alternatives? I'd really like a full featured web-based word processor that allows me to access and store documents online, instead of my hard drive."...
Fast Color Laser Printers
"I'm looking for a color laser printer that's reliable and fast. A price tag under $500 would be nice... what do you recommend?"...
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...
The New Zune
"Just a few days ago I was wondering whatever happened to the Zune. Now I'm seeing commercials for the new improved Zune. Is it worth another look as an iPod alternative?"...
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...
What is RAID?
"I've heard that a RAID hard drive is the best solution for automatic backups. What exactly is a RAID, and what are the pros and cons of RAID systems?"...
What is a Terabyte?
"I just saw an ad for a Terabyte hard drive. What exactly is a terabyte?"...
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...
Get Your Tech Fix
"There's so much happening with computers and technology. How do you keep up with all the latest cool stuff without getting information overload?"...
Sharing A Hard Drive Online
"I have photos, MP3s and some Word documents on my hard drive. How can I share my hard drive online so that just certain people can access my files? My colleagues have Internet access but we do not share a...
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?"...
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?"...
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...
Tricking Out Firefox
Firefox is an open source web browser that is rapidly gaining in popularity - approaching 100 million users worldwide and grabbing 15 percent of the browser market from Internet Explorer. A casual user might not even notice the difference between...
What is BIOS?
"I've heard you can change BIOS settings to affect performance and startup options, but I've always been hesitant to poke around in the BIOS setup screens. Can you demystify this for me?"...
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...
Top Ten Tech Gadgets
Looking for some uber-cool gadgets to trick out your personal computer? Here are my picks for the top ten gadgets, guaranteed to make everyone else in the office (or home office) jealous......
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...
FireFox Extensions
"I switched to FireFox because I like some of the unique features it offers. I've heard people talk about Firefox extensions that sound really cool, but I'm not sure if they are safe to use, given all the concerns about...
AOL for Free?
"I read somewhere that AOL is going to stop charging for their Internet service and make AOL access free. Is that true, and if so, are there any gotchas I should now about?"...
Photo Printing and Sharing
To say that digital cameras have revolutionized photography would be an understatement. It's not just the way we take pictures that has changed, but photo printing, photo storage and photo sharing have all gone digital as well. Free digital photo...
Add a Second Hard Drive
Adding a second hard drive to a computer system is an easy way to get around storage problems, and also a good way to protect valuable data. With the cost of hard drives dropping well below $1 per gigabyte, it...
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...
Linux Installation
In setting up some space on which to install linux, AND not have to move all my partitions around, I have been wondering IF buying a USB "external" drive would be the way to go. The external drives are being...
Where Can I Download Linux?
I hear people saying that Microsoft is evil, and I should switch to Linux. What is Linux, who should use it, and where can I download Linux for free?...
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