If you want really quick access to launch a frequently used application without putting extra icons on your desktop, you can add that application to the context menu for the desktop with a simple registry hack. Here’s how to do it for Windows 7. I don't have any other OS's to test this on. If you're afraid to edit your Windows Registry believe me, I understand. Just go to my response number 6 to get a nifty program to do this more easily. If you have problems, please pm...
The Microsoft Fix It Center is a resource I knew nothing about until I started poking around with this new job of mine. This site automates repairs which many lay people are afraid to attempt and quite frankly, are ignorant of including advanced trouble shooting techniques and the Windows registry. The latter is a daunting prospect (remember to always make a backup, and change things one at a time). In later posts I'll deal with System Utility software. Now, at this MS site,...
Here's Part One if you didn't see it. Beth Jones is a senior threat researcher with Sophos. She stated to PCWorld (another of Doc's faves), "The two-week mark before Christmas is when things start to ramp up out of control. Spammers and malware authors focus on when the attention is going to be there. That's generally two weeks before a holiday." You don't need to be shopping online to get caught in one of their traps. Even checking out email or spending time on Facebook and Twit...
Since we're getting down to the wire, I thought to add this little post about keeping your guard up. This holiday season, your joy in giving can turn into a disaster if you're not careful! TrendMicro has put together a slightly awkward, but still valuable reminder about how to beware and not fall prey to the Grinches and Blue Meanies who thrive off your naivete and desire to stretch your hard earned money. Please take a minute and check out the tips in this onli...
Free utility Disk Space Fan analyzes your hard drive usage to help you determine what's taking up space on your hard drive, representing it all with fancy visualization eye candy. Disk Space Fan is one of many disk visualization tools, from the classic WinDirStat to DriveSpacio, Disktective, and others. WinDirStat has always been excellent when it came time to visualize your hard drive usage and knock off space-wasting files, but it's not the most attractive tool in the toolbox. ...
We're all so blessed during the holiday season with the ability and SD software to customize our computers and make them special! There are many themes, gadgets and walls to be had. Just look at I.D.'s Articles and Posts Monday's Picks and This Week in Skinning, as well as the December Desktop thread and the Galleries! Today, I.D. added Cursors ! Well, I decided to contribute to this wonderful season, and I found some really beautiful Themes provided by Microsoft ...
I love finding wallpapers. I love popping up with one to match new skins. I haunt wall sites and have several I check almost everyday. I also like Firefox (as many do....and also Opera) especially for this new extension I found. Everyone knows or should know about TinEye ( http://www.tineye.com/ ), a site you upload an image to and find it's location on the net. Well, now you won't have to do that. It's enough to right click on the Image and TinEye image search will appear...
Microsoft’s Kinect has been awarded The National Parenting Center’s 2011 Seal of Approval recommending it for age 6 and up. The National Parenting Center was founded in July of 1989 with the intention of providing the most comprehensive and responsible parenting advice to parents everywhere. Unless you live in a cave it is pretty hard to avoid the crush of media coverage for Microsoft’s newest baby, the Kinect for Xbox. Hype can be a blessing or a c...
Hi folks, I hope you’re enjoying the weekend. I just became aware of this and thought you should also although there’s no fix for it at present. XP and Vista appear to be vulnerable while Windows 7 does not. Microsoft Security Advisory (2490606) Vulnerability in Graphics Rendering Engine Could Allow Remote Code Execution Published: January 04, 2011 | Updated: January 05, 2011 Version: 1.1 General Information Executive Summary Microsoft i...
How secure is your wireless network? Are your neighbors eavesdropping on your Internet connection (are you sure)? Have you ever used your laptop or netbook to connect to an unknown network in order to get on the Internet? If you've answered "Yes" to any of these questions, you are putting yourself at a huge security risk. So, what steps can you take to better protect yourself, your personal information, and your PC? Here's a list of 10 things yo...
Microsoft has a huge line up of paid software (thanks, Captain Obvious), but it also has lots of high quality software that are available for free to use. Here is my list of top five must have free software from Microsoft. 1. Microsoft Security Essentials : It is a free security suite ( Genuine Windows validation required ) developed by Microsoft to protect your Windows based computer from viruses, spyware and other malicious software. It is available to download fro...
Just a quick warning! Microsoft is today warning users of fake security alerts arriving via email. Microsoft is reminding users that it never sends out security alerts with attachments via email and that you should never open such an email if it arrives in your inbox . Microsoft Email Security Updates are a Scam Cyber-criminals have been sending a so-called Microsoft updates that are actually viruses. This scam in particular takes advantage of Microsoft's well-established ...
Magazines really hate it when you let your subscription lapse. The time between receiving your first issue and receiving your first renewal notice can be amazingly short. If you like the magazine that's not a problem; you can renew any time and simply extend your subscription. Not all security software subscriptions work the same way, though. In particular, if you renew your Kaspersky subscription too early you can incur a significant loss. I'm bringing this t...
This is a “Special Request” dedicated to TheAVMan for all the folks on Stardock sites using Windows 7 phones. How to download updates link: http://www.microsoft.com/windowsphone/en-us/howto/wp7/basics/how-do-i-update-my-phone-software.aspx And a special little present - a link to the apps for your phone: http://www.microsoft.com/windowsphone/en-us/apps/default.aspx Microsoft has finally gone official on its website and declared t...
“Gimme!” or, “Poof Goes My New Year's Savings Resolution”. I love the idea of tablets . I always have. Here's my Plan A (and I bet Lightstar 's too!) : The Asus Eee Slider: It's a smallish, thin, quickly accessible portable computer with (hopefully) a low performance overhead. One of my biggest gripes with tablets is the size of my thumbs. Well, more accurately the size of the software keyboard keys and how they relate to ...