OK, you know the mantra already. You know which software I use and recommend (Yrag too). Now there’s no excuse: Go and get this FREE guide (just register with minimal info) at: http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/download-stuff-backup-restore-guide/ “It will explain: -How to use the built-in Windows 7/Vista backup tool. -Which files you should backup. -Putting your data and your operating system on separate partitions or disks. ...

  Microsoft has just released an on-demand anti-malware scanner called "The Microsoft Safety Scanner". It’s a free downloadable security tool for the Windows user and provides on-demand scanning and helps remove viruses, spyware, and other malicious software. It’s a 67.9 Mb file.     It expires 10 days after being downloaded . I think this is MS’s answer to adding new definitions and preventing the casual user from thinking “Download and...

  Also courtesy of Hankers….who sent this to me for everyone. There’s a lot of info on this chart which graphic artists and photographers should have available. Also, please note the remarks about Metadata. That might be info you don’t want everyone to know. Master Skinner Po’ Smedley published a nice post about this: https://forums.wincustomize.com/339359   you should probably read. Anyway, here’s the chart:   Source: http://www.t...

  AV comparatives tested a slew of antivirals and has published it’s results. They do this testing every three months. This isn’t supposed to be a “mine’s better than yours” post. It is meant to help you decide which software you might wish to obtain to protect your computer/s. Bear in mind the limitations of the testing (see my last paragraph). The software tested:   “Seven products attained the ADVANCED+ rating: Avira, BitDefender, eScan, F-Secur...

    I’ve published on the need for strong passwords . There’s also great software available for free to keep your passwords safe: Of course, they can’t prevent the sites you visit from being hacked and your info grabbed. Yesterday, the White House outlined its plan for a secure online identification system intended to allow people to get rid of the user ID/password setup for a " trusted identity " they would obtain from a private company that specializes in ...

  Ma Yi Xuan, wherever you are: Bless you! How much time have you wasted trying to flip the USB plug so it fits?   This is how it should have been done in the first place! The greatest part of this simple modification? It’s just an extra fixed piece of squishy plastic (in addition to the one already in USB plugs) to press the electrical contacts into place, regardless of which side is facing up.   My blessing to this designer who just made USB...

  Try stealing one of these babies, and all you’ll have is a brick. Smart anti theft device, BUT: don’t try to transfer it to another computer, even one you own (which to me is a major drawback). Because of this, I would think it’s best use will be in large companies and government where more than one user is probable. No more loss of huge, sensitive databases through misplacing a computer. The usual erasing process rewrites data over the chosen area of the HDD. This Disk wor...

  http://www.giveawayoftheday.com/paragon-migrate-os-to-ssd/ I’ve seen some posts about migration to SSD’s recently, so I figured when I saw this, some folks might be interested/benefit from it… You can read a fairly extensive description here: http://avaxhome.ws/software/software_type/utilities/Paragon.Migrate.OS.to.SSD.Special.Edition.html I haven’t found a real review of the software in my search, though. Note: It isn’t portable. READ the instructions CAREFUL...

  Amazing as it might seem, malware distributed by email surged 400% after Microsoft helped take down the Rustock botnet central servers at the end of March. However, zombie attacks dropped sharply. What I found most amazing was that email-attached malware made up almost 30% of the total email sent! I believe that was because a major malware propagation route was taken down, along with secondary spread (victim to victim) occurred also in this period. You can rea...

    Stephen Chapman has made a startling find regarding personal info. You need to read his article: http://www.zdnet.com/blog/seo/beware-social-security-numbers-available-online-via-indexed-tax-documents/2819?tag=nl.e539 You think he’s a hacker? No… this was freely available using a simple browser and simple search questions: “Sadly, the 50+ documents I have made note of do not even begin to scratch the surface of what is actually available out there bet...

A really HUGE Update is coming on Tuesday! 17   patches are coming: 8 rated “Critical” and 9 rated “Important” with fixes for 64 documented vulnerabilities across Microsoft Windows, Microsoft Office, Internet Explorer, Visual Studio, .NET Framework and GDI+. From Pete Voss’s Technet Blog:   “This month we'll be closing some issues that Microsoft has already previously spoken to, including the SMB Browser (Critical) issue publicly disclosed Feb. 15. Micr...

    Lifehacker (one of my most favorite sites to visit and learn things) published their Top 10 MicroApps for Windows and Mac. I'm really happy to relay that "Fences" was chosen among the top ten yet again!     Read more about "Fences" Pro here: https://www.stardock.com/products/fences/?ref = 

  Mozilla is nothing if not honest. The newest edition, ff4 is very fast. I prefer Pale Moon because I find it faster on my system. We’re all in it for speed, security, rendering and stability, truth be told. So, which are the add-ons that really slow you down (by significant amounts)? Thake a look, especially if your browser is not meeting your expectations regarding speed. The article (and expandable table) are here: https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/fire...

  You can’t make this stuff up. Just read at infopackets that J. Napolitano is strongly considering implementing the Terrorism Alert Warning system through Twitter and Facebook. Honestly….this is not a joke. The United States government says it's considering replacing the old color-coded ratings ranging from "Low" to "Guarded" all the way up to "High" and "Severe". From infopackets   : “The report doesn't come to us fr...

  I came across a really good article this morning, and wanted to share it with you all: WindowTabs . For XP users, I’m sure you remember QTTabs. Until now, nothing like it has existed for 7 users, except “Tiles”. In the free version , three windows can be dragged together under one Tab. For a year subscription ($19), you can have an unlimited number of windows per tab, and updates for that year. There’s a well illustrated “Features” page he...