Archive for November, 2005
Firefox 1.5 is now available
Download Firefox 1.5 here.
Time to switch to a Mac?
Walt Mossberg is a respected writer about consumer electronics for the Wall Street Journal. Unlike so many people that write about computers, his livelihood does not depend on staying on the right side of Microsoft. His point of view comes from what is best for the consumer. As a result, I take his [...]
USB key drives
One of the most useful developments in the last couple of years is the availability of flash memory drives at ever lower prices for ever bigger capacity. These handy little gadgets let you carry around large amounts of data and computer programs in your pocket (or around your neck , if that’s your desire). [...]
“Sober” worm attack
The “sober” worm infestation first mentioned here with regard to phony emails purporting to be from the FBI or CIA has become a major problem. The Desktop Pipeline reports
The Sober worm outbreak that began in earnest Tuesday has been dubbed the world’s largest mass-mailed malware attack of 2005 by a Finnish security firm.
“The numbers we’re [...]
News on the browser front
There is quite a lot going on right now in the area of Internet browsers. After running Netscape out of business (AOL bought what was left) and making Internet Explorer virtually the only browser on the PC (even AOL was using IE under its proprietary interface) , Microsoft sat on its laurels. With a [...]
PC maintenance checklist
Just as a car needs regular maintenance so does a PC. A series of articles on the subject can be found here. Fred Langa has also written a number of articles on the subject and his checklist for regular maintenance is here.
Make a shortcut to System Restore
I try out a lot of system tweaks and new software and that means that I am frequently creating new System Restore points. Opening System Restore from the All Programs menu or from Control Panel is a bit tedious. So I prefer a shortcut. (I discuss the details of how to make shortcuts to programs [...]
How to get information about your system (continued)
Previously I discussed finding out what’s on your computer by using the Windows system tool System Information. However. some PC users find the application to be somewhat cumbersome and prefer a third-party program. One that is often used is the free program Belarc Advisor. This program creates an HTML file with all your [...]
The Internet Flunks Teaching
You may have noticed on your phone bill a tax item for something called the Federal Universal Service Fund Surcharge. This money funds Internet access discounts to schools, libraries, and rural health care providers. If you ever wondered if the money was being usefully spent, an Internet Week article with the title given above [...]
How to get information about your system
I often help people with computer problems and very frequently it turns out that they know very little about what is actually on their computer. If you want to know things such as how much RAM you have, what hardware and software are installed, and many other interesting details about your PC, you can use [...]
The FBI and CIA are sending out emails- Not
Another email version of the Sober worm is becoming widespread. This one pretends it’s from the FBI or CIA. I shouldn’t need to say this but just delete any such message and do not try to open the attachment. It always surprises me how many people get taken in by this kind of thing but [...]