by David Hakala
Q: How does one get rid of History Swatter? And, how did one get History Swatter to begin with? — Bill
A: To get rid of History Swatter and a bunch of other adware you undoubtedly picked up with it, run a scan with an antivirus program such as Avast! Antivirus or an adware remover such as Ad-Aware Plus. Both are free for non-commercial home users.
You probably got History Swatter by downloading MyWebSearch Plus, or by downloading any of several hundred free applications that bundle MyWebSearch as part of their super-duper deals.
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by David Hakala
You may want to get rid of Outlook Express if you do not use it for email. It is a weakness in your system’s security perimeter, a favorite target of hackers. Much malware targets Outlook Express because Outlook Express has been around since 1998, is installed automatically on every machine running Windows 98 to Windows XP, and is so devilishly difficult to remove that very few people take the trouble. To remove Outlook Express manually you must:
Rename three folders, for every user account on the system
Find and delete seven registry keys
Rename 17 files twice, for they are in two folders
Most people would rather pull out their toenails one by one. Outlook Express consumes a trivial 190 KB of disk space so they leave it alone. The back door for hackers remains open and unnoticed. Here is how to close it easily:
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by Gabe Goldberg
Which Beatles song describes an under-used PC resource for solving problems and answering questions? It’s not “Ask Me Why?” or “Do You Want to Know a Secret.” It’s “Help”!
Since Windows’ early days, Windows itself and most applications have included information on setting configuration options, usage, and problem determination. Being able to access this material lets you deal with problems whenever they occur, rather than waiting to call an expensive or frustrating support line during working hours. It leads to better productivity, can be faster than Google searching or pestering friends, is available when you’re offline, and it can even make PC use more enjoyable by revealing techniques which impress those around you.
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by Tina Gasperson
For creating and manipulating digital graphics, many consider Adobe Photoshop to be the standard. Professional graphic artists use this tool to work their magic on images for online use and in print publications of all kinds. Photoshop is such a powerful tool that most people need to take at least one class to even come close to learning how to use it to full effect. Most “regular” computer users only need a few of the features included in Photoshop and may find the program, if not the price tag, intimidating. So, what low-cost software is available for the “rest of us” who only need to perform basic manipulation of our digital images? Depending on what you need to do with your images, there are several applications available for you to try in your search for image editing software that fits the bill.
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by David Hakala
There are hundreds of ways to customize Windows and speed up system performance. Whether you should implement one method usually depends upon what hardware, software, and other Windows features you are using. Several third-party applications relieve you of these many decisions, scanning your system to see what it’s using and optimizing Windows settings automatically.
Many optimization apps also find and correct configuration errors that slow performance, shutdown, and startup. Some include performance-enhancing features such as file system optimization and RAM optimization.
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by Tina Gasperson
Q: What are some of the free alternatives to Microsoft Word, and how do I get them?
A: Because of its widespread use, Microsoft Word is often the first choice for small and large businesses and individuals who want the most professional looking documents they can create. However, Word is often too expensive for the average computer user, since it is only available as part of the Microsoft Office suite which also includes Excel spreadsheet and PowerPoint presentation slide software. Fortunately, there are several alternatives to Microsoft Word that can recognize, open, and save your files in the .doc format. (more…)
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