General Computing

Sub-Categories:

"(Not Responding)" - What does it mean, and what do I do about it?
'(Not Responding)' is Windows' way of telling you that a program might have a problem. Somtimes '(Not Responding)' is benign, but sometimes it's a sign of a deeper issue. (Continue reading...)

Are Mac's inherently safer?

Are automatic updates a good thing?

Can I ZIP my pictures or MP3 files to save space?
Most picture and movie files are already compressed, which means that they won't save space if made into a ZIP file. (Continue reading...)

Can I transfer my software to my new machine?

Can my boyfriend/girlfriend/spouse tell that I've hacked into their account?
Once you've hacked into someone else's account you've not only done something morally wrong - you're at risk of being found out. (Continue reading...)

Digital Signatures: what are they, and how do they protect me?
Digital Signatures use public key cryptography to validate both message sender and message contents. Digital Signatures rely on simple concepts you should know, built on top of very complex mathematics you don't need to worry about. (Continue reading...)

Do ebook copy protection schemes work?
When publishing an ebook for sale, it's natural to want to retain control over distribution. Sadly many techniques simply add barriers to purchasers. (Continue reading...)

Does Linux have a role in the home?
Linux is something more people are looking at to avoid issues they might have with Windows. Linux in the home is definitely getting closer. (Continue reading...)

How can I automate an SFTP transfer between two servers?

How can I do dictation on my computer using my voice recorder?
It's tempting to want to record speech on the road and then automatically transcribe it to your PC. The technology's not there, but alternatives exist. (Continue reading...)

How can I keep data on my laptop secure?
Laptops are portable, convenient and easily lost. When lost all the data could easily be available to the finder. Encryption is the answer. (Continue reading...)

How can I password protect my documents?

How can I send and receive FAXes using my PC?

How do I "image" a hard drive?

How do I become a computer programmer?

How do I clean up after someone's broken into my computer?
The news is grim if someone's broken into your computer, but there are steps to take to prevent it from happening again. (Continue reading...)

How do I copy VHS tapes to my computer or DVD?

How do I fix "The instruction at -- referenced memory at --. The memory could not be read."?
That's not enough information for an answer, so we'll look at the other types of information that should accompany a general question such as this. (Continue reading...)

How do I hack into someone's account?

How do I keep from getting my account hacked?

How do I keep my information on a shared computer private?
When using a shared computer it's often easy for others to see your data or history. If you must use a shared computer, you need to protect yourself. (Continue reading...)

How do I keep people from seeing possibly private things on my shared computer?
Sharing a computer is common, but it's fraught with issues. It's all too easy to expose your private information by accident if you share a computer. (Continue reading...)

How do I put my business on the web?
Every business should have some kind of presence on the web, but it's not always obvious how to start. I share a couple of ideas. (Continue reading...)

How do I read a message that flies by too quickly on my screen?

How do I remove myself from a machine?
Although there's no way to remove all traces of yourself from a machine, there certainly things you should do to remove traces of yourself. (Continue reading...)

How do I set up my computer - simply?
If you don't want to spend a lot of time tweaking an elaborate setup, I present a basic, simpler, and quicker set of instructions to setup your computer. (Continue reading...)

How do I share a copy of an application with a friend?
It's tempting to try to email a copy of an application to a friend so you can share data. Unfortunately it's probably wrong, and it won't work simply. (Continue reading...)

How do I tell if this software is a good deal?
With so many products being offered how do you tell what's good? We'll look at some of the things I did in a recent bit of research. (Continue reading...)

How do I use iTunes music in my videos?
iTunes is a great source for music to listen to, but there are technical and perhaps legal hurdles to use it for anything else. (Continue reading...)

How do bad software companies stay in business?
With so much bad software on the market its amazing that the companies stay in business. It's not about technology, it's all about economics. (Continue reading...)

How do you ask a question when you don't even know the right words to use?
New words and concepts come along at a frightening pace and we're all somehow expected to know what words to use to ask for help. Here are some ideas. (Continue reading...)

How should I backup my music library?

How should I set up my computer? (Part I)
In previous articles I discussed the process I used to select a new computer for myself. Next, we'll step through configuring my new machine. (Continue reading...)

How should I set up my computer? (Part II)
In my first article on setting up my new computer I walked through some of the basic actions I took to get my new machine configured. The saga continues! (Continue reading...)

How should I set up my computer? (Part III)
In this third in a series of articles covering my new computer's setup, we continue by making additional tweaks to the operating system and utilities. (Continue reading...)

How should I set up my computer? (Part IV)
In this fourth in a series of articles covering my new computer's setup, we continue by making adjustments to Microsoft Office and by using Tweak UI. (Continue reading...)

How should I set up my computer? (Part VI)
In this sixth in a series of articles covering my new computer's setup, we continue by making final adjustments to my computer and installing lots of software. (Continue reading...)

How should I set up my computer? (Part VII)
In this seventh and final article in a series of articles covering my new computer's setup, we continue by making a few final adjustments. (Continue reading...)

How should I store my travel pictures while I'm away?
Travel pictures are a valuable keepsake that you don't want to lose. On a long trip you'll want to take extra steps to store those travel pictures. (Continue reading...)

I forgot my password - can I somehow get my auto-login remembered password?
There are tools to recover most of your 'remembered' password. You can use them if you forgot your 'remembered' password, and so can anyone with access to your machine. (Continue reading...)

I keep getting SVCHOST failures. Why?
When reporting a failure it's important to include all the relevant information. We'll outline some of the basics that help get your question answered. (Continue reading...)

Is it safe to delete this file?
Looking for large files when running out of disk space makes sense. We look at the steps to determine whether a file, such as a .dat file, is important. (Continue reading...)

My computer doesn't work, what do I do?
With very few clues folks often ask what might be broken if their computer does nothing. It's a long list, and I'll look at some possibilities. (Continue reading...)

My computers keep dying. Is it me?
Sometimes it's easy to feel almost cursed if computer after computer you deal with has problems. It's often not you at all, but rather the environment. (Continue reading...)

Secure Delete: what is it, and do I need it?
Secure Delete is a way to make sure that when you delete a file it cannot be recovered. Understanding Secure Delete is important to protect sensitive data properly. (Continue reading...)

Should I convert to Linux?
Linux is often a viable alternative to extend the life of older machines. We'll look at some of the issues involved in switching to Linux. (Continue reading...)

So just what is a "Server" anyway?
The term "server" is used a lot in many contexts but is really just a computer, and quite often a computer that isn't all that special. (Continue reading...)

So, what do you think about Kindle?
Amazon's new Kindle electronic book reader has some truly compelling features, several issues and a few surprises. It may change the way I read books. (Continue reading...)

Someone used my credit card on-line illegally. What recourse do I have?
Identify theft is a growing problem. Using someone else's credit card illegally is the most common problem. There's not a lot you can do - except prevent it. (Continue reading...)

Someone's created an account in my name, what are my options to stop them?
It's easy to create an account in someone else's name and harass people. It's not so easy to track or punish the offenders, but it can be done. (Continue reading...)

What are XML documents?
XML is a specification for structuring data in a file. Exactly what data, and what it might be used for, is not part of that specification. (Continue reading...)

What are cabinet files?
Cabinet files are container files often used to distribute software. What to do with left over cabinet files after setup is done isn't always clear. (Continue reading...)

What are iso files, and how do I open them?
Iso files are a common disk image distribution format. We'll look at the best ways to open iso files as well as a couple of ways to create them. (Continue reading...)

What are some other good support sites?
I don't have all the answers; I don't even have time for all the questions! Here are some additional resources to get your questions answered. (Continue reading...)

What does "Beta" mean?

What happens when I die?
With all the digital data we take great care to secure, we need to consider who might need access to it and how if we're not around to unlock it. (Continue reading...)

What is Software Escrow?

What is Virtual Memory?
Virtual memory is conceptually somewhere between RAM and hard disk space; it's disk space used to maximize the amount of RAM available to programs. (Continue reading...)

What software do you use?
I get lots of questions about what's the best software for various situations. I can't answer them all, but I can tell you what I'm using. (Continue reading...)

What's Bluetooth?

What's OEM software? Is it safe to buy?
OEM Software is heavily advertised, often in spam, at prices much cheaper than retail. The problem is that OEM software is often illegal. (Continue reading...)

What's a "single point of failure", and why do I need to know?

What's a Captcha?
You've probably seen Captcha's and not even realized it. Captcha's are used frequently to make sure that systems aren't gamed or spammed by machines. (Continue reading...)

What's a good password?
Good passwords are hard to crack and hard to remember. As a result, many people don't use really good passwords, even though they should. We'll look at what makes a good password, and some ways to make them easier to remember. (Continue reading...)

What's a good portable PDF reader?

What's a good way to securely keep track of all my passwords?

What's an "instance"?
In casual computing the term instance frequently signifies one of multiple copies of the same running program. (Continue reading...)

What's an MD5 Signature?

What's so special about "32"?

Where can I get a PSP downgrade?

Who should I believe?
With different support resources offering frequently conflicting advice, how do you decide who's right? Which tech support resource do you believe? (Continue reading...)

Why can't I just use one password everywhere?
With so many sites requiring a password it's very tempting to use only a single password everywhere. That's dangerous, and there are alternatives. (Continue reading...)

Why can't the poor just pirate software?
Commercial software can be expensive. Does not being able to afford it justify stealing? You can guess my answer, but better: theft isn't necessary. (Continue reading...)

Why didn't my backup program restore everything?
Backups are an important necessity. Making sure your backups are configured properly and backing up what you expect is equally important. (Continue reading...)

Why is using Paypal to purchase at a conference or open market such a bad idea?
Paypal is a fast and convenient way to pay someone from your computer. Using Paypal elsewhere, on someone else's computer, can be very, very dangerous. (Continue reading...)

Why isn't there 80 gigabytes of free space on my empty 80 gigabyte drive?

Why shouldn't I forward this email asking me to "forward to everyone I know"?

Why shouldn't I use TAB characters in my source files?

Will I have to start paying for Hotmail and Messenger?