There’s no reason to pay big bucks for Windows software. There are literally hundreds of free applications out there that perform the same tasks as the commercial applications. Below are the top 20 picks as selected by The Computer Psychic. Read the rest of this entry »
You’re concerned about your computer’s security. You are proactive. You have a good anti-virus application. Your Windows firewall is turned on. But is that enough? Did you know that the bad guys might be able to gain access to your computer in spite of those precautions? Windows file sharing and opening ports for program access can leave your computer vulnerable to port sniffers, and actually allow hackers to access files in your computer, implant viruses, and even take over your system!
Fortunately, there’s a web service that will simulate intrusions by hackers, and give you a report of any weak points in your computer. Along with the report, it will give you suggestions you can follow to make your system more secure.
Visit the ShieldsUP! website and run their free test. It only takes a couple of minutes, and it’s a valuable tool towards keeping your computer safe.
Do you have a wireless internet connection at home, or at the office? Isn’t it great? With a wireless connection you can move your laptop from room to room and still access the web and your email. But keep in mind that by its very nature, a wireless connection is slower than a wired connection. Having said that, if you’re concerned that your wireless internet speed isn’t what it should be, there are things you can try to speed it up Read the rest of this entry »
So, you’ve put in a hard day at the computer – time to put it away and join the “real” world. Did you know you have options as to how you turn off the computer? Depending on which method you use, you could greatly reduce the time it takes to turn on the computer next time. Read the rest of this entry »
There’s a particularly nasty virus going around these days. It goes by the name of Internet Security. This virus, if left unchecked, will progressively inject itself into running processes, block internet access, prevent you from accessing certain Windows features, and eventually render your computer unusable.
Internet Security infects your computer with the Vundo virus. This virus is often missed by the latest anti-virus programs, meaning even if your anti-virus software is up to date, you may still get infected by the virus. Read the rest of this entry »
Yes, I know advertising pays for all that great web content that we get for free. But between animated banners at the top, columns of ads at the left and right, plus ads interspersed in the midst of an article, some web pages are just plain cluttered. All you want to do is read an article, and these ads are yelling at you – distracting you – can’t they just leave you alone?!?
Along comes Readability (http://lab.arc90.com/experiments/readability/). This little gem sits in your bookmark toolbar. When you want to read an article without all the clutter, just click on the bookmark and Readability will remove all superfluous content, leaving just the text you want. Best of all, it’s free! Read the rest of this entry »
So, the holidays are over, the wrapping is in the recycle bins, and it’s time to get back to a “normal” life. And do you have a brand-shiny-new computer now? Great! Before you do much with that computer, here are a few steps to assure that this new computer is as fast and secure as it can be. Read the rest of this entry »
Regular followers of The Computer Psychic know that I’m all about the free software. And there’s plenty of it around. Almost any application that you could pay for has a free alternative available if you know where to look.
Admittedly it can be a chore to track down the desired software, and then run a separate setup program for each application you want to install. Plus, many “free” applications include optional toolbars and other ad-driven components that you simply don’t want to install. Fortunately, the good folks at Secure by Design, Inc. have produced a helpful app called Ninite. Read the rest of this entry »
Is your internet running sluggish? Do pages seem to take longer to load than they used to? It may be that your browser is storing unneeded data – in a space called a cache – which is slowing the system down. By clearing this cache, you may well find your internet experience is back up to the speed you expect.
Before we proceed with the steps to clear the data, let’s take a closer look at why this data is there to start with. When you visit an internet site, you don’t simply see the information as presented by the web server. Instead, you system downloads the entire web page you’re viewing. This includes the HTML code, all graphics, and supporting files, such as Java files or CSS formatting files. These files get downloaded into temporary file caches. If these caches get too large, they can actually slow down your internet experience. Read the rest of this entry »
Have you done it? I know I have. Pressed Delete on a file, just as you realize, “Wait, that’s the wrong file!” Since Microsoft introduced the Recycle Bin, it’s easier than ever to recover a file you’ve deleted. Simply double-click on the Recycle Bin icon on your desktop, find the file you wish to recover, right-click on it, and select Restore. The deleted file will reappear in its original location.
That’s well and good, but what if you’ve already emptied the recycle bin? Or what if you bypassed the Recycle Bin by holding down the Shift key as you deleted the file? Or what if you’ve disabled the Recycle Bin? (Yes, that can be done, but I don’t recommend it.) Don’t worry, using the steps outlined below, you *may* be able to recover the file. Read the rest of this entry »
