Oops!

I have always been very careful when working on building a new computer.  There are certain things you must do; however, I missed one a couple of weeks ago.  (Geek confession coming up.) Someone came to me and basically said since I am a geek and obviously quite knowledgeable with computers would I totally rebuild…

Good News and a Warning

A few weeks back I wrote about an application you could use to retrieve deleted files from a computer’s drive, SD Card, etc.  This was really highlighted when I got an email from Tom in Harrisonburg, about his adventure with that application, Recuva.  It began with, "I took a deep breath, downloaded, installed and ran…

Google Hero and Yet?

As you regular readers know I am a fan of Google and yet on occasion they fail me totally.  Mostly this is due to them doing away with applications I use and enjoy: Google Reader, Calendar Sync, iGoogle, Google Notebook just to name a few. But I enjoy their products so much that I have…

Piriform Tools, Part 2

Last week I talked about two of Piriform’s excellent tools for keeping your computer in good shape. CCleaner and Defraggler. Today we will look at two others. Speccy is a very good application from Piriform; however, it is one I rarely use. You should download it and run it anyway just so you can have…

Piriform Tools, Part 1

I recently mentioned the site Piriform.  I received several emails asking about what it offers, so today we will take a look at some of the excellent free utilities they have. Their most well-known tool is CCleaner.  When the company first started out this was their first app and then it stood for, "Crap Cleaner." …

Things Wanted, Part 4

I never realized the past three articles would provide me with so much email from readers.  So today I will close out the series with one final shot at discussing things people want to know most from me.  One follow up to last week.  I did not recommend the $49 version of various tablets and…

Things Wanted, Part 3

Following the past two weeks’ columns, I’ve received many responses. So, I thought I would continue the series addressing common suggestions I offer regarding questions I frequently receive. For instance, I am often asked, “Which is the best e-reader app?” I use Android tablets and phones, but my suggestion holds true for most all systems….

Things Wanted, Part 2

I received quite a few emails following last week’s column. First, with regard to Thunderbird – the email client mentioned – several users said they enjoy it and have been using it for some time. David suggested another similar program, "Windows Live Mail," by Microsoft. Next, several readers chimed in with questions regarding the appeal…