Archive for July, 2006
From the browser front
There’s a fair amount of activity in browsers these days. Microsoft has released beta 3 of Internet Explorer 7 and it seems to be an almost finished product. However, you can only try it if you have Windows XP SP2 and jump through the hoops of “Windows Genuine Advantage”. Ed Bott likes the latest IE [...]
Privacy folder for Windows XP and other add-ons
I am not sure how useful it will be but Microsoft has released an add-on to Windows XP that creates a password-protected “My Private Folder” for storing private documents and files. There are already ways to password-protect a folder but if you want this add-on, go to this Microsoft link. Unfortunately, you need to [...]
Windows licensing rules explained
Microsoft’s licensing practices are so labyrinthine that sometimes it seems that you need a lawyer to figure them out. However, Ed Bott does a pretty good job in clarifying them for Windows XP and Office in a quiz followed by answers. One misconception that I hear a lot concerns OEM versions of Windows. Here [...]
Google becomes a verb
Sometimes a company comes up with a new product or service that is so widely used that the company name enters the general vocabulary. We all “xerox” things (or used to before the scanner became so cheap). Many of us also “google” people or topics. And now it’s official that google (lowercase) is a verb. [...]
Useful shortcuts with the Windows key
The keyboard on many desktop computers contains a key with the Windows flag logo on it, usually located between Ctrl and Alt. (Because of space limitations, it is not on many notebook computers.) I find that many people do not know what this key is for and it is often ignored. However, there are [...]
An anniversary for viruses
It may be hard to believe now but there once was a time when you could use a computer and not have to worry about viruses. Of course, that was over 20 years ago. The history of the PC virus is the subject of an article, 20 Years Of PC Viruses: What A Long, Strange [...]
Love and hate for Google
Danny Sullivan is a honcho in the search engine business and he writes a lot of interesting articles. Here’s a couple for your holiday reading. First there is the article 25 Things I Hate About Google. You can follow that with the balancing 25 Things I Love About Google.
Love it or hate it, Google is [...]
What that row of keys F1- F12 is for
I sometimes get asked about the purpose of the row of keys F1 to F12 that are at or near the top of most keyboards. These are often called function keys and their purpose is to provide shortcuts to various actions. Their precise nature depends on what program is active and varies from one program [...]
Security threats
Sometimes I wonder if the constant drum beat about security doesn’t get counter-productive as people become inured to the constant warnings and begin to tune out. Anyway, here is an article from PC World for your holiday reading pleasure. It is called The 10 Biggest Security Risks You Don’t Know About
Hackers, scammers, and identity thieves [...]
