AskBob's Best of 2022 - Part Two

Your Favorite AskBob Stories of 2022

In AskBob's Best of 2022 - Part One, some of the topics were focused on dealing with Email, Security, Privacy. Looking at today, some of the key concepts that jump out at me are Search, Speed, Spam and Software. I hope you'll enjoy today's final Top Ten of 2022...

1. Your Free Tech Support Toolkit

A well-prepared adventurer never goes anywhere without his trusty Swiss Army knife. Similarly, you need a portable arsenal of troubleshooting tools to solve common computer problems. Load these free tech support utilities on a USB flash drive and your friends and family will think you're a tech support superhero! Read on for your tech support toolkit...

2. Here's How to Clean Computer Clutter

A computer is like a car in one respect: both tend to accumulate junk in hard-to-reach places. Cleaning out your car can be a messy, sweaty job with plenty of opportunities for back injuries. Cleaning out a PC is a more civilized affair. Here are some free tools to clean up your hard drive, improve system performance, and make sure your backups run smoothly...

3. Desperately Seeking Something? Try These Free Research Tools

Depending on your needs, the Web can be a gold mine, a cesspool, or both. So how can you find answers to your questions, and the helpful, authoritative information you need? Check out my list of the best free online serach, research and reference and tools...

4. Send a Free Fax From Your Computer

No Fax Machine? No Problem! Old-school fax machines are the dinosaurs of the communications world, but sending a fax from your computer is a convenient, money-saving way to communicate with people who insist on paper documents. There are several ways to send a free fax right from your computer, even if you don't have a fax machine. Here's how you can start faxing from your PC, Mac or mobile device...

5. 1How Fast Is Your CPU? Benchmark it!

How fast is your computer's central processing unit (CPU) compared to others? That's one question that CPU benchmarking can help you answer. Another good question is whether your particular CPU is performing up to manufacturer's specs; CPU benchmarking can answer that one too. Here's how to test your own CPU, with free software. Read on and learn how to run a CPU benchmark test...

6. Your Email Inbox Overfloweth?

Are you spending too much time managing your email inbox? If so, it's likely you're not using filters to direct the flow of incoming emails. Learn how to automatically file messages in folders, forward them to someone else, or dump them straight into the trash. Oh, and if your Spam folder is gobbling up messages that don't belong there, I'll also show you how to solve that problem, by creating your own email rules and filters...

7. 18 Things That Cause Computer Crashes

Why Do Computers Crash? Have you experienced the dreaded Blue Screen of Death? Does your computer lock up, freeze, crash, or display cryptic error messages?. This sort of problem can be very difficult to diagnose, because many things can cause a computer to crash (and even burn!). Here are eight common causes of computer crashes and some tips on how to deal with them...

8. Stop Using Microsoft Office - Here's Why...

Since the Dark Ages, Microsoft Office has been the standard for home, school, and office productivity suites. But it's always been a rather expensive software package. Today's prices range from $249 for Office Home & Business, up to $439 for Microsoft Office Professional. The subscription-based Microsoft 365 Family product costs $100/year. Fortunately, there are plenty of good, compatible alternatives to Microsoft's word processor, spreadsheet tools and related office tools. Many are free, and even those that are not cost much less than Microsoft Office. Here are some of the best free and low-cost office suites to replace Microsoft Office.

9. 1How Soon Will Your Hard Drive Crash?

Is your hard drive about to fail? A reader asks: 'Sometimes I hear a click-click sound from my hard drive, but it's only occasionally. Does this mean my hard drive is going to crash soon? Are there any tests I can run to check the health of my hard drive?' Read on to learn the tell-tale signs of impending hard drive doom, and some things you can do now to protect your data...

10. My Near-Perfect Spam Filter

Researchers estimate that about 45 percent of all email traffic is spam. But I rarely see any spam in my inbox. That's because Gmail blocks 99.9 percent of all spam, phishing and malware emails. Read on to learn how you can get near-perfect spam filtering, even if you don't use Gmail for your inbox... Try Blocking Spam With Gmail (it works for any inbox)

I hope you enjoy reading (or re-discovering) each of these stories, and of course, please leave your own comments! I'd also be grateful if you forward this to a friend who would enjoy it. If you're not a subscriber, you can sign up for AskBob Updates. Happy New Year, I look forward to seeing you in 2023!