For the past two weeks I have answered questions which I regularly receive from readers. There have been more emails so this week is part three of answers I have given and what I have suggested.
Many people ask, “What is the best browser to use on a PC?” This is an extremely hard question for me to answer. I cannot really tell you what is best for you. The reason is that they are all very similar with some having add-ons that the others may not. It is really a matter of preference. Currently the top three on the market, in order of popularity, are Chrome, Firefox and MSIE (Microsoft Internet Explorer).
My current favorite is Chrome, made and maintained by Google. I just like the way it works and the Extensions (add-ons) available. Extensions give the browser additional capabilities that are not there by default. I also use Chrome for my Android tablet and phone. However, this again is personal preference. I used Firefox exclusively up until a couple of years ago and it would still be my second choice. When Windows 10 comes out MSIE will go away to be replaced by “Microsoft Edge” and then my preference may change. Pick one, try it out and if you like it keep it, if not install one of the others. The only one you cannot uninstall on a PC is MISE as it is basically part of the operating system and needed to run your computer. 
Next, “How can I password protect a zipped file in Windows 7 or 8.1?” Quick answer is you cannot. With Windows XP you could but not in the following two versions. Why did they remove that capability…who knows? Longer answer is that you need to download a third party app. For the uninitiated a zip file is a file that can contains one or more files combined together which makes them smaller and easier to handle. I use a zipped file to keep my past tax returns in; therefore, the reason for a password to keep prying eyes out.
The third party app for zipping files I recommend and regularly use is 7-Zip (7-zip.org). I used to swear by WinZip but it is about $30 for the better version, compared to free, so there is no comparison IMHO. There are many others but this one has been around for quite a while and is trustworthy from what I have determined. The size savings can be significant depending on the types of files zipped. I just tested the theory on a variety of file types, mostly text files.
I zipped the 52 document files of my 2014 columns at a size of 850kb into one file of 716kb. I also password protected them all in about five seconds. I can then delete the original files and have only one smaller file. As long as I do not forget the password I can retrieve them in another five seconds either minutes or years later having all of the original files. You may zip any type of file including pictures, text, spreadsheets, videos, etc. However, they compress at different size savings. Text files give you the greatest compression with pictures and videos usually the least.
Let me know if you appreciate this series of email answers and I will run a few more next time.
I will be having some upcoming columns about Windows 10; however, I will wait a week or so for you to start formulating your questions and sending them to me.
