Choosing Good Passwords
When it comes to your computer, choosing good passwords are the keys to the kingdom—you don't want them falling into the wrong hands. Follow these tips for creating and safeguarding effective passwords, and you'll keep the bad guys guessing. What makes a password obvious to hackers? Often you create a password on the spot, when you may be in a hurry. Go to article/video >
Connect with Friends and Family Online
How many times a year do we make that extra effort to get in touch with friends and family for a friendly greeting? This year, with the entire world's mind seemingly focused on things related to the economy, why not consider these alternative and inexpensive options to get you through? Reach out and touch someone. Go to article/video >
Freeware Programs
If you've bought a computer recently, you may have spent more for the software than you did for the computer itself. That's because for a number of years, the price of computer hardware has been decreasing, while the cost of software has been increasing. One way to save money on some of the popular software packages is to consider free alternatives. Read article >
Getting Rid of Spyware
Most of us don't have to worry about encountering 007-style super-spies or shifty-eyed characters in trench coats, but we all need to know about their cyber-versions-spyware. Spyware lurks around every corner of the Web, waiting for a chance to infect your computer. Knowing what to look out for is your best counterattack, and we'll show you how. I've heard of spyware, but what is... Go to article/video >
Google Tools
A Swiss Army* knife is a wonderful tool. When everything is folded away, it looks neat and simple, but when you inspect it closely you might find a magnifying glass, a USB memory card, a laser pointer, a flashlight, or a cigar cutter (I kid you not, visit www.victorinox.ch and see for yourself). Google* is a lot like a Swiss Army knife. Go to article/video >
How to Set Up Instant Messaging
Sure, e-mail is a great way to connect with friends and family. It's free, quick, and best of all it's easy. However, much like sending a letter through the mail, with e-mail you usually have to wait awhile for a response, check your spelling and hit send. What if you could chat with someone, much like you do on the phone, and get a response back in an instant? Go to article/video >
Protect Your Computer from Viruses
As everyone who has ever had the flu knows, viruses can be devastating—and computers don't get off any easier than people. Even though a flu virus and a computer virus have obvious differences, there are some similarities: Both you and your computer get viruses from others who are already infected, and prevention can help keep both of you healthy. Go to article/video >
Protect Your Online Privacy
Social networking, blogs, and even e-mail have connected most of us to the rest of the world like never before. Unfortunately, that also means that some things that we later decide we would have liked to have kept private are out there for the whole world to see. By then, it's too late. Go to article/video >
Share Files Between Computers
Share and share alike, we always say. And when it comes to your home network, we're sure you'll agree that being able to share files—documents, pictures, music, and whatever else you store on your computers—between all of the computers in your house is a handy idea. Go to article/video >
Share Large Files Online
When you want to share a digital video or other large file with your friends and family, I recommend using MediaFire*, which lets you store and share files of up to 100 megabytes. That's enough capacity for a short home video or a vacation picture slideshow. Go to article/video >
