Recent Comments
Comment by chris on Forgot Your Windows 10 or 11 Password? Here's the Solution (June 2, 2023 03:00 PM)
Maybe I am missing something. Instead of going through all of this, can't you just write down your passwords? I have a Rolodex with all of my account...
Comment by Neil McPherson on Forgot Your Windows 10 or 11 Password? Here's the Solution (June 1, 2023 11:15 PM)
Hi Bob, Your instructions to creat a password recovery disk above did not work for me. There was nowhere in 'User Accounts' to do this. The instructi...
Comment by Ernest N. Wilcox Jr. on Forgot Your Windows 10 or 11 Password? Here's the Solution (June 1, 2023 11:04 PM)
There is one more way to make sure you never lose access to your local account. I have a desktop PC and three laptops. One of the laptops is my primar...
Comment by Hill on Forgot Your Windows 10 or 11 Password? Here's the Solution (June 1, 2023 09:50 PM)
I think that if your disk is encrypted, and you kick off your password with one of these tricks and then log in without the password, your disk doesn'...
Comment by DaveM on Forgot Your Windows 10 or 11 Password? Here's the Solution (June 1, 2023 09:19 PM)
All great information (as usual). But important to note that none of this applies if you sign into Windows with a PIN - a completely different beast t...
Comment by Cold City on Forgot Your Windows 10 or 11 Password? Here's the Solution (June 1, 2023 07:35 PM)
Thanks to the openness of Microsoft compared to Apple you can get around. A friend of mine inherited an iPad but the first owner was dying of a diseas...
Comment by BillP on How to Erase Your Hard Drive - Going Nuclear? (June 1, 2023 05:45 AM)
To Steve and Ernie: After the drive is wiped, download Windows from Microsoft, and install it. It will automatically activate, once the computer is co...
Comment by Thomas on Review: PC Matic Gets a Zero! (May 31, 2023 04:37 PM)
I used PC Matic for a year or so. This month, I switched due to PC Matic's handling of software installations. Their White List must be really short a...
Comment by Frank on How to Erase Your Hard Drive - Going Nuclear? (May 31, 2023 12:29 AM)
I have always done as Bob suggested in the last section.. I have disassembled the drive and taken each platter and drilled a few holes in them. They...
Comment by Bill Ferguson on How to Erase Your Hard Drive - Going Nuclear? (May 30, 2023 09:22 PM)
Forget all the fancy programs. Simply remove the HDD or SSD from your computer, put on a pair of safety glasses, go out to the back yard and place you...
Fax Articles
Send a Free Fax From Your Computer
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...
...7 Good Reasons to Trash Your Fax Machine
One annoyed AskBob reader says: “I am amazed at how many professional offices still insist on sending and receiving documents by fax. It's like they've never heard of computers, email or the Internet. I'd love it if you could give me a list of reasons why people should stop using old fashioned fax machines. I'll e-fax it to my doctor, banker, accountant and lawyer!” Good idea... here's my list of reasons why fax machines should be relegated to the recycle bin.
...[HOWTO] Inbound Faxes Without a Fax Machine
A reader asks: 'Once in a while I need to receive an inbound fax, but I don't have a fax machine. Going to Staples, a friend's houe, or the local print shop to pick up a fax is a nuisance, and nothing is private there. Is there some way to get incoming faxes on my computer, but still have a real phone number that people can use to send faxes to me? Oh, and free is nice...' The answer is YES -- and here's how to get your own free fax number...
...No Fax Machine? No Problem! Send a Free Fax
Old-school fax machines are obsolete, 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 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...
...[HOWTO] Receive Faxes Without a Fax Machine
A reader asks: 'Occasionally I need to receive an inbound fax, but I don't have a fax machine. Going to Staples or the local print shop to pick up a fax is a nuisance, and nothing is private there. Is there some way to get incoming faxes on my computer, but still have a real phone number that people can use to send faxes to me? Oh, and free is nice...' The answer is YES -- and here's how to get your own free fax number...
...7 Reasons to Trash Your Fax Machine
An annoyed reader says: “I am amazed at how many professional offices still insist on sending and receiving documents by fax. It's like they've never heard of computers, email or the Internet. I'd love it if you could give me a list of reasons why people should stop using old fashioned fax machines. I'll e-fax it to my doctor, banker, accountant and lawyer!” Good idea... here's my list!
...Get Your Free Inbound Fax Number
A reader asks: 'I occasionally need to receive an inbound fax, but I don't own a fax machine. Going to Staples or the local print shop to pick up a fax is a nuisance, and nothing is private there. Is there some way to get my faxes online, but still have a real phone number that people can use to send faxes to me? Oh, and free is nice...' The answer is YES -- and here's how to get your own free fax number...
...6 Reasons to Trash Your Fax Machine
A reader says: “I am amazed at how many professional offices still insist on sending and receiving documents by fax. It's like they've never heard of computers, email or the Internet. I'd love it if you could give me a list of reasons why people should stop using old fashioned fax machines. I'll e-fax it to my banker, accountant and lawyer!” Good idea... here's my list!
Free Internet Faxing Services
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...
...How Secure is Internet Faxing?
A reader asks: 'I have been using online faxing for about a year, but until now I never really thought about the potential for my fax transmission falling into the wrong hands. Should I be concerned about the security of Internet faxing?'
...How To Stop Fax Spam
If you own a fax machine, you may be afflicted by fax spam -- unsolicited faxes advertising commercial products. Fax spam is even more offensive than email spam because it costs the victim money. Fax spammers are using YOUR paper and ink or toner to deliver their unwanted messages. Here's what works to eliminate fax spam...
...Send a Free Fax
I don't have a fax machine, but I've heard that there are places on the Web that will let me send a free fax. I visited one site but they wanted my credit card to open a free trial account. Is there a truly FREE internet fax service?
...Top Online Fax Services
Using an online fax service can save you money on paper, ink, a fax machine, and machine maintenance. Some of the top online fax services have been in business for many years now. Here is a guide to internet faxing and my picks for the top online fax services...
...Is Internet Faxing Secure?
I've been using online faxing for about a year, but until now I never really thought about the potential for my fax transmission falling into the wrong hands. Should I be concerned about the security of Internet faxing?
...Free Internet Faxing With FaxZero
I need to send an occasional fax, but I don't want to buy a fax machine. Is there any way to send a fax directly from my computer, without a fax machine and a phone line?
...Free International Fax
If you send a lot of international faxes the cost can add up pretty quickly. International telephone calls using major carriers are still very expensive. However, the Internet offers some alternative ways to send and receive free international fax messages. Here's how to find a free international fax service that meets your needs...
...Fax Broadcasting
I need to send a weekly fax update to a large group of people. It's tedious to stand at the fax machine and enter each number. Is there software that can do this for me?
...What Is a Fax Server?
I work in a busy office, and often the fax machine is a major source of frustation and lost productivity. I'm no geek, but it sounds like a central fax server would save time and money. Can you get me started?
...Fax Over VOIP?
I'm thinking of switching to VOIP phone service with Vonage or my cable provider. But I'm not sure if I can send a fax over a VOIP connection. Does faxing with VOIP work well?
...Send a Fax by Email
I don't have a fax machine. Is it possible to send a free fax by email?
...Free Fax Software
I want to send a fax, but I don't have a fax machine. Can I use fax software on my computer to send or receive a fax? If so, what free fax software is available for Windows? I have a laptop with Vista and XP at home.
...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...
...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, scanner and fax machine. I've had mine for a few weeks, so it's time for a review...
...MS Fax doesn't work with XP SP2
I used the MS fax program in Windows XP for sending faxes on my telephone line. After installing SP2 updates, the program doesn't work. The fax console reports All fax printers are inaccessible and I also get a Microsoft Shared Fax Driver is not installed message.
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