by David Hakala
Sometimes you have to prepare a brand new hard drive for use. At other times, you may have to reformat a badly messed-up hard drive; that is, wipe it clean and start over with a fresh installation of Windows and all your applications and data. Either need calls for formatting the hard drive. It’s simple, but it takes a bit of time and you have to be careful to preserve irreplaceable data.
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by David Strom
One of the more useful utilities that come with the Mac OS is the aptly named Disk Utility. You can use it to create ISO images to quickly copy CDs and DVDs, as well as convert ISO formats to ordinary collections of files.
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by Tina Gasperson
If you’re online, you will need to install Java because so many interactive applications use Java encoding, which makes it possible for the applications to run on any kind of computer.
You’ll know if you don’t have Java installed, or if you have the wrong version installed, because the site or application you’re trying to access will tell you that you need to install the latest version of Java. It used to be a bit tricky to find and install Java, but that’s no longer the case. Now, it’s as easy as clicking a few buttons and you’re done.
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by David Hakala
One day you may decide you need a bigger hard drive; a second hard drive so you can keep your data separate from your operating system; or a replacement for a drive that died. Then you will need to perform the following minor surgery on your computer.
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by Gabe Goldberg
After you start most software installation and update processes, perhaps after accepting whatever terms and conditions the vendor imposes, you see buttons with labels such as “Express (Recommended)” and “Custom.”
If you wouldn’t let an amateur handyman work on your house without detailed instructions, or let a car salesman pick your automotive options and accessories, you should learn advantages of the “Custom” choice.
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by Tina Gasperson
If there’s one constant with Windows computers and the Internet, it’s that one must always remain vigilant. The Internet is a dangerous place for computers because some people with too much time on their hands are always looking for ways to exploit weaknesses in your system, whether those weaknesses come from your computer itself, or from operator error. One way you can stay on top of the nasties is to keep an eye on running processes to make sure nothing malicious is there.
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by David Hakala
Microsoft Windows needs to be kept up to date to close newly discovered security vulnerabilities and patch bugs that can degrade performance or crash your computer completely. There are several ways to get Microsoft’s frequently released Windows update packages, including one that works with Web browsers other than Internet Explorer.
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by Dee-Ann LeBlanc
There are three major sites that OS X users in the know keep a close eye on: MacHeist, MacUpdate Promo, and MacZOT. These three sites offer discounts on software written by independent developers, and can save you a ton of money on a lot of excellent software.
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by Tina Gasperson
Water is just plain bad for electronic gadgets, but for some reason our cell phones seem to be almost magnetically attracted to the wet stuff. Maybe it’s because they’re small and fit into our pockets that they seem to get washed more than their fair share. Or maybe they end up swimming in the sink because they’re too small and won’t stay put. Whatever the reason, you’ll probably have the opportunity at least once in your life to perform a water rescue mission on your mobile phone. With lots of luck and a little skill, you can resuscitate your gadget.
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by David Hakala
When you create a user account under Windows, the operating system sets up a number of different folders to contain data specific to that user. These folders are placed on the same drive with the Windows operating systems files by default. There are some good reasons to change the location of these user files to a drive other than the one which Windows resides.
First, it makes backup operations faster and more efficient. User data changes very frequently, while the operating system changes seldom. If you make backups daily, as you should, then your backup program must a) work to sort changed files from unchanged files before backing up only the changed files, or b) back up unchanged files unnecessarily. Either way, backups take longer and consume more system resources while they are running, slowing down other things you may be doing.
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by David Strom
Yes, it is a Windows world out there, as those of us that use Macs on a daily basis know. And while the Internet has leveled the playing field somewhat, it can be annoying to come across the occasional Windows Media audio or video file that you would like to view on your Mac. There is a simple solution: download Telestream’s Flip4Mac and you won’t ever have to worry again.
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