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 [...]
Adios Windows 98/Me
A final reminder: tomorrow, July 11, Microsoft will terminate support for Windows 98, Windows 98SE, and Windows Me. After that date, Microsoft will release no more security or any other kinds of fixes for those platforms. Also, Microsoft will stop support for Windows XP SP1 in October 2006.
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 [...]
How the mighty have fallen
AOL was once the biggest Internet service provider by far. Of course, they were always rated at the bottom by consumer satisfaction surveys. But that did not matter when armies of newbies who knew no better kept signing up. The AOL marketing machine was more potent than AOL’s technological deficiencies. However, as the newbies got [...]
Phony tax refund
The phishers never stop. Ed Bott reports one that masquerades as a notice from the IRS that you have a tax refund coming. They tell you to click on a link to get your form to apply for the refund. But guess what? The link takes you to somewhere in Romania, not the IRS.
Just one [...]
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 [...]
Google maps the future
The amount of information that Google and other search engines have collected is like nothing else that has ever existed. The sheer staggering amount of data out-leaps what the mind can contemplate. The name “Google” is a play on the mathematician’s very large number, the googol (1 followed by 100 zeros), and they are living [...]
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 [...]