**Issue 36 - April 1st, 2008 **
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Contents
In This Issue...
Newbies Nook - Information for those who are new to computers and computing.
Problems in Paradise - Answers to reader problems and questions.
Security Corner - Computer Security by Kenny Harthun.
Learning Linux - Joseph Bales provides instruction and insight into Linux.
Carol's Corner Office - Carol tells us how to get started with Microsoft Excel and OpenOffice Calc.
My Recommended Software - Need software? Check this list first!
Useful Freeware - Free programs that you may find useful. Did I mention they're free!
Useful web sites - Websites I've visited lately that you may find useful.
The Lighter Side - Some humor to lighten your load!
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Carol is our resident "Office Goddess". If you have Microsoft Office, OpenOffice questions, or suggestions for future Office articles shoot her an email at .
Thank you for taking a few moments to read my newsletter,
Newbies Nook
By David Hartsock
What would you like to see covered in Newbies Nook? Email me at
What is a Hard Drive?
You hear people talk about them. You read specs when you buy a computer. You may have seen one. You may have actually installed one. They are both the bane and blessing of computing, but what are they and how do they work? I bet you thought they were full of gears and magic pixy dust!
The hard disk drive was invented by IBM in the mid 1950s with an amazing capacity of 5 megabytes on it's 24 inch wide disks. A high end expensive staple of business, the hard drive didn't enter the lay person's vocabulary until the mid 1980s with the personal PC boom. The current size and shape (3.5 inches wide x 1 inch tall) was introduced in 1988 and continues today. I remember getting a 428mb hard drive in the mid 1990s. The last drive I bought was 500gb, yup, over 1000 times as much storage in the same sized package. Amazing!
I know you are curious. I will open one up so you don't have to! Let's have a look at what's inside the small metal box of a modern day hard drive.
(click image for a larger view)
So what are all these shiny, cool looking things?
1. Spindle - The spindle actually serves several purposes. At the base (not seen in the picture) is the motor and bearings that spin the platters. Common motor speeds are 4200, 5400, 7200, 10000, and 15000 RPM (rotations per minute). 7200 RPM is the most common speed for desktop drives, while 10000RPM and 15000RPM drives are generally more expensive and used in a business server environment. Above the motor are the platters and spacers to correctly position the platters.
2. Platters - Platters are where the data is actually stored. Usually made from aluminum, glass, or ceramic material and covered in a microscopic magnetic coating. Platters are generally two sided, meaning there is data stored on both sides. This drive has 2 platters, but the number of actual platters is variable based on design, capacity, heat build up, etc.
3. Landing Zone - This is an area approximately 3mm wide where the heads rest, or park, when the drive is not in use. This area allows the drive to approach its rotational operating speed without any damage occurring to the platter or head. It can't be seen in the above picture, but this area is without the magnetic coating found on the rest of the platter and is noticeable if held at the right angle to the light (think of holding a CD and looking at the reflection). This makes the landing zone have slightly less height that the remainder of the platter.
4. Read/Write Head - This is where the magic happens. The read/write head is what writes the data to the platter. In #2 above I said that platters are two sided. What you can not see in the picture is there is a read/write head on the other side of the platter. It is a mirror image!
If you remember grade school I'm sure you did several experiments involving magnetism. Maybe magnetizing a regular piece of metal by passing a magnet over it? The head is, in basic terms, an electromagnet changing the magnetism of the platter's magnetic coating as it passes over.
For the magnetic change to occur the read/write head must be extremely close to the platter surface. As the platters spin they drag air with them through friction. This moving air actually causes the head to "fly" over the platter like an airplane wing and is called an air bearing. If you were to disassemble a drive and move the head by hand you can feel the head actually scraping the platter as you move it from side to side without the benefit of the air bearing. That's how close the head and platter are!
The landing zone allows the read/write head an area to "take off" as the platter spins up to its rated RPM when powered up, and to "land" when powered down. Because there is no magnetic coating in the landing zone the read/write head has a little extra space, which prevents damage to the head and platter.
5. Actuator Arm - The actuator arm holds the read/write heads and controls their position relative to the platters. Think of it as the tone arm of a phonograph, without the grooves.
What Makes a Drive Fail?
Fortunately, for us, they are pretty robust when you take into consideration all that is happening inside the little box, but there are several main causes of failure.
Heat - Heat is a major concern for most electronic devices, and this holds true for hard drives as well. Extreme heat can lead to failure of the electronics, spindle bearings, and physical changes in the platter. With the incredible rotational speeds of today's drives friction increases. More friction = more heat. Increased heat is also an indicator of a failing drive.
Head Crashes - Because the tolerance between the read/write head and platter is so small it doesn't take much to cause the head to make contact with the data portion of the platter. Drives are sealed to prevent outside contamination, except for a small filtered hole to equalize pressure. Loss of spindle speed due to motor or bearing failure can cause the head to lose the air bearing it rides on. This in turn would cause the head to "fall" (crash) onto the platter surface and damage it. This crash could dislodge some of the magnetic material from the platter, which would contaminate the inside of the drive by leaving tiny obstacles on the platter in the path of the head. Physical shock can also cause a head crash. This isn't as big a factor as in the past, but still something to consider.
Motor and/or bearing failure - should the motor or bearing fail the platter won't rotate, thus data can not be read from the disk. This could also cause a head crash if the right circumstances are present.
There could be many other failures in the complicated device, but I think you will find these to be the "Big Three".
What to Look for in a Hard Drive?
Speed, speed speed! The hard drive is probably the most important device in your computer. It not only stores your valuable data, but it has a huge affect of the perceived speed of your computer! Let me explain. The speed at which data can be processed by your computer is generally a function of the CPU, but where does the CPU get the majority of the data? The hard drive! The hard drive plays a huge role in the time it takes your computer to boot, as well as the time it takes programs to open. So what makes a hard drive fast?
The two main measurements of speed are access time and throughput.
Access Time
Access time refers to the time frame beginning the moment the computer requests data and ending when the data request has been completed. The main factor controlling access time is rotational speed. If everything else remains the same a 7200RPM disk will have a faster access time than a 5400RPM disk.
Throughput
Throughput is the measure of data that can be processed during a given time frame. The best way to increase throughput is the increase the density of the data stored on the platter. Think of placing a stone walkway in your yard. The closer the stones are the quicker you can get from the beginning to end of the walkway (stay off the grass!).
The great thing about platter density is the drive manufacturers have introduced a new technology that has become mainstream in the last two years or so. This technology is called perpendicular recording technology. The magnetic particles applied to the platters are an oblong shape. The old method in which they were applied to the platter caused them to lay on the platter in a horizontal fashion.
Perpendicular technology applies the magnetic particles vertically, or perpendicular to the platter. This allows for a huge increase in density, which in turn increases throughput. Aren't we lucky?
So what does this mean?
If you are looking to replace or add a hard drive these are items to consider. You will find most consumer hard drives for desktops have 7200RPM speeds, laptop drives are currently available in 4200, 5400, and 7200RPM speeds. Laptops often operate by battery power. As RPM increases so does the power required to operate the drive. Faster drive = less operating time on battery. This isn't a concern with a desktop, so make sure you buy a 7200RPM drive.
The size of the drive you purchase is entirely up to you. You have to determine your own storage space needs. Don't forget to consider future requirements. Remember that greater density means greater throughput, so larger hard drives generally have better performance given the same RPM. Although the largest drives have the largest prices. If price is an concern look at drives that are one step under the top dog! Another way to compare is take the cost of the drive divided by the size of the drive. This will give you the cost per gigabyte, which is useful when comparison shopping.
Above all research your purchase! Tom's Hardware does an excellent job of researching hard drives. Be sure to take a gander before your next purchase.
Please take a moment and share your thoughts on hard drives and future topics in the box below!
Problems in Paradise
By David Hartsock
If you would like to see your question or problem answered here email me at
Windows is feeling blue!
Jeff wrote in with a common Windows problem
So far, my Vista SP1 seems to be doing OK, although I'm STILL getting a few glitches and a Blue-Screen on reboot occasionally. (Last night I just decided it was time for a reboot after a couple of days of activity and a few sleep sessions, so I rebooted and just as the boot process was almost finished [usually just as the HP Digital Imaging Monitor software is loading, apparently], I got a Blue-Screen crash). Of course on the next boot it automatically wanted to go to a Safe Mode boot, so I let it do a normal Safe Mode boot (I really DON'T know much to do after a Safe Mode boot... I've tried some diagnostics in Safe Mode, although most won't work, and never yet found MUCH that helps, and have read that just doing a Safe Mode boot will often fix things)...
There are three parts to Jeff's problem.
Blue Screen
Blue screens at boot time are Window's way of telling you something isn't right, and are usually device driver problems. Occasionally they are related to software that starts automatically at boot. The reason device drivers are usually the cause is that they load much sooner in the boot process and the OS can not function correctly if it can’t talk to the hardware that makes the computer run. The OS (usually) does a much better job of handling software issues and can recover.
Safe Mode
Safe Mode attempts to start the OS by bypassing startup programs and all buy the most basic device drivers. In most cases it will load generic drivers for the display and disk subsystems. By doing so it removes the most common boot problems (device drivers and startup programs), and gives you the opportunity to fix the problems in the familiar Windows interface.
The Fix
I will tell you up front that this is good advice for any computer owner. Keeping up with device drivers and startup programs will not only make your computer faster, but much easier to troubleshoot when problems do occur!
Device drivers are the first thing to check when you experience blue screens. Windows Update generally shows device driver updates, but it won’t have updates for everything and sometimes they won’t be the most up to date. You need to visit the site of your computer manufacturer (Dell in your case) and make sure you have the latest device drivers for your computer. Your video card is a different story. I would go directly to nVidia’s website and get the device driver for your video card.
The second part to the puzzle is startup programs. Now I won’t lie. This part requires a little detective work on your part, but is well worth it!
Open the Start menu and type msconfig. You will notice that “msconfig.exe” appears in the left column under Programs. Right click on “msconfig.exe” and choose Run as Administrator. When the window opens you will want to click the Startup tab at the top. This is a list of the programs that Windows attempts to load when it starts. Look in the Command column for the programs exe file. Unfortunately the windows will not resize, but the column will.
You will have to Google each program to see if it’s needed or not. For those that are not needed simply uncheck the box at the beginning of the line it appears. When you are finished click OK and Windows will give you a warning that the changes will take effect after a reboot.
Reboot the computer and make sure everything works at you expect. You will receive a popup box warning you that some startup items have been disabled. Simply click the OK button. If everything works as expected reboot one more time. This time when the warning box appear check the little box at the bottom that says something to the effect of “Don’t remind be of this again” before clicking OK.
Please take a moment and comment on this article in the box below!
Security Corner
by Ken Harthun
How to Secure Your Computer: Maxim #5
Patch, Patch, Patch!
This time, after our detour into password land, we'll get back to the practical tips on how to secure your computer and home network, the security maxims.
To say nothing of Microsoft Windows, there are few, if any, application software packages that are free of security vulnerabilities. Secunia currently lists 17,686 pieces of software and operating systems with vulnerabilities. Despite many software programmers' efforts to cut down on insecure code, mistakes will be made; there'll never be a completely secure program. That's the bad news.
The good news is that most reputable software companies, including Open Source groups, when informed of a vulnerability by security researchers, promptly issue a software patch to fix it. These are widely available to the public for free download or through update features built into the software packages. Windows allows you to turn on Automatic Updates (which you should do). Check the Help menu in other software packages for the update feature. The good folks over at Secunia have a nice, free, web-based tool to scan your computer for certain common vulnerabilities in a wide range of software, the Secunia Software Inspector. You can find out more about that in my Lockergnome article.
Despite the availability of these tools, most people don't keep up with patches on their systems (except for Windows updates). This is why I stress patching as computer security Maxim #5:
A vital part of PC security is keeping up with software patches for ALL of the software on your system, not just the operating system. Where it is available, use the software's automatic updates feature.
Ken Harthun writes about security issues at LockerGnome and IT Knowledge Exchange. He also blogs on general Geek things at http://askthegeek.kennyhart.com. He's always interested in your questions.
Please take a moment and comment on Ken's Security Corner article in the box below!
Learning Linux
by Joseph Bales
Install Prep
As I mentioned before, the most important step here is backing up your data. I cannot stress this step enough. I burn all of my important files to CDs and then test the CDs to make sure they work. I test them in another computer if possible. I also back my data up to an external hard drive. If you have a second hard drive inside your computer, you can back up your files there as well. If you are backing up to either type of hard drive, I recommend that you physically unplug the backup hard drive until installation is complete for maximum data safety.
You will also want to make a list of all your hardware. Ubuntu should automatically detect most of your hardware if not all of it. However, if something is not working once installation is complete, a list of your exact hardware will be helpful. You can go to Start > Control Panel > System > Hardware (tab) > Device Manager (button) to get a list of all your hardware in Windows XP.
You will also need to make sure you have a working copy of your Windows disc and a valid installation key in case you need or want to reinstall Windows. It might be a good idea to go ahead and make backup copies of any Windows programs you have installed and Windows drivers you might need. I made a CD with nothing but drivers for my laptop so that if I need to reinstall them I can go to one CD.
Creating Space on Your Hard Drive
If you plan to install Ubuntu onto a drive by itself, your installation prep is finished. If you plan a dual boot installation, you will need to create room on your disc for Ubuntu to reside. The first step is to make sure you have enough room for Ubuntu. I recommend 10GB. That should give you plenty of space to install the system and store files afterwards. You can do more or less, but I would not do less than 5GB.
If your disk is full you will need to delete some files or move them to another disk. The best way to clear space is to move or delete large files. You can use the search utility built into Windows XP for this. Go to Start > Search. Click on All files and Folders in the sidebar, then click on What Size is It? Select Specify Size and make your search at least 100000KB. This will find all files bigger than 100MB. Clear a few of those and you'll have enough space in no time.
Defragmenting
Next you will need to defragment your hard disk. Windows writes files all over your disc and sometimes one file can physically be broken into several parts on different sections of the hard drive. Defragmenting your drive should move those all into one continuous place on the drive. It should also consolidate your files into just a few sections of the drive and leave large continuous spaces. This is important because Ubuntu needs to have one continuous space to live on. To start the defragmenter, go to Start > All Programs > Accessories > System Tools > Disk Defragmenter. It should look similar to the following image when you open it.
First click Analyze to get a picture of what will happen, then click Defragment to actually start the process. If it tells you that you don't need to defragment, go ahead and do it anyway to maximize the amount of space you will have for Ubuntu. This could take several minutes to several hours depending on the size of your hard drive, number of files, and amount of fragmentation. You can leave it running overnight or while you are at work. However, try not to download or save any files once it is complete to avoid using the blank spaces you have just created. Once it is complete you can close it out. After defragmenting you are now ready to reboot and start installation via the Live CD we downloaded and burned in the last issue.
Booting from the Live CD
To install Ubuntu, you will need a computer capable of booting from the CD drive. This capability has been standard in most computers for about the last ten years. Installation methods other than the CD boot method are possible, but outside the scope of this article. Please check out the installation instructions for Ubuntu at: https://help.ubuntu.com/community/Installation This is also a good place to read up on installation before you get started. There are plenty of details including a list of hardware requirements. I recommend reading through the major points just to familiarize yourself with what you will be going through.
Booting from the CD drive can be tricky. The problem is that there is no one good method since boot software is hard coded into your motherboard and is therefore manufacturer specific. When your computer first powers on, you will need to look for instructions for changing the boot setup. You may need to press the delete key or F2 or F10 or F12. You can check your manufacturer's website to find out how to change the boot order for your particular computer. On my Dell Inspiron 6000 I press F12 to change the boot configuration or I could hit F2 to go into the BIOS setup program and change it there too. Either way, the CD drive needs to be the first drive on the list. Save your configuration and reboot with the Ubuntu CD in the drive and you should be running the Live CD within minutes. You may want to write down instructions on how you changed your boot configuration so that you can go back and change the hard drive to boot first later.
Running the Live CD
Once you have booted to the Ubuntu Live CD, you will be able to use Ubuntu as if it were installed on your hard drive. Go ahead and play around with it. Open some of the programs and try them out. Make note of any hardware that doesn't work so that you can troubleshoot it later. Do not worry about data loss at this point. You shouldn't be able to do any damage to the data on your hard drive while running from the CD unless you start the installation program. Just remember that you are running the complete Ubuntu OS from the CD drive. It will be VERY slow and will take a LONG time to fully boot. Once it is booted programs will also run only VERY slowly. Do not be discouraged though, once Ubuntu is installed on the hard drive, everything will run as fast or faster than similar programs in Windows and booting from a cold start will take less than a minute. In my next article, we will begin the installation process in a dual boot configuration with Windows XP.
Joseph Bales is a writer of fiction and humor, as well as a true computer geek and Linux guru. Visit his blog at http://josephbales.com.
Please take a moment and comment on Joey's Linux article in the box below!
Carol's Corner Office
by Carol A. Bratt
Hi everyone,
I hope this finds you all well. Spring is finally here and I am loving life. I finally got the root canal finished and now I can move on. It is wonderful being able to chew on both sides of my mouth again! Note to self - try not to crack anymore teeth!
The birds are chirping and the frogs and peeping, the flowers are blooming and we have extra daylight! Who could ask for more?
Ok, on with the article!
Getting Started with MS Excel
MS Excel is a wonderful piece of software - very robust and a real workhorse. You can create a budget and financial statements, calculate loan payments, chart sales, or hand lists of data. All of these tasks are very easy to perform when you use MS Excel. You can quickly enter information and do simple or sophisticated calculations with all the speed and accuracy that make you love your computer. In this article, I will cover the basics.
Let's start by taking a look at the Excel screen (click the image for a larger view):
You can find out about each element of the Excel screen by using the mouse.
Click the Help menu name and choose What's This? The mouse pointer changes to a question mark.
Click anywhere on the screen you want more information about.
When you begin a new workbook, the active cell is the one that is surrounded by the bold border, where any typing will appear, in the top-left corner of the worksheet called A1.
Workbooks typically contain three worksheets, although you can easily add or delete sheets. To use or view a different worksheet, click the tab on the bottom of the worksheet. When you click a worksheet's tab, the sheet is displayed so you can work in it.
More in OpenOffice Calc
We will start with the screen in OpenOffice Calc just like we did with MS Excel. (click image for a larger view).
You will see that they look a lot alike. The biggest difference is that Excel supports 65,536 rows and Calc only 32,000.
There are, of course, other differences between the two applications and we will get into that more in future articles. But until we do that, open up the applications and hover your cursor over the icons on the Standard and Formatting toolbars and note the differences between the two applications. You will note that Calc is a lot like Excel and it is pretty straightforward in what it does.
In my next article, I will start pointing out the differences between the two applications. And in the following article, I will be going over what each does and how to do it.
Until next time, take care and enjoy the Springtime! Thanks for all of your wonderful comments and for your continued confidence in me!
Carol Bratt has authored several informative Microsoft Office books and writes the monthly Word Bytes Newsletter with more tips and tricks in each issue. Visit Carol's website for more great Microsoft Office tips and tricks! Click here to see her latest books!
Please take a moment and comment on Carol's article in the box below!
My Recommended Software
Anti-spyware and Anti-malware Software
Webroot SpySweeper - Daves Computer Tips Seal of Approval Winner! See the test results HERE. Spysweeper provides the best protection of the seven anti-spyware programs tested! Great detection and removal rates with a small real-time protection memory footprint. This is the one you want! SpySweeper includes the ASK toolbar. Be sure to uncheck this option during installation. Free 14 day trial.
CounterSpy - Runner-up in my Anti-Spyware test. Not only does CounterSpy scan and remove spyware, it also uses real time protection. Real-time protection prevents spyware infection. Free 15 day trial. Winner of Computer Shopper Magazine's Best Buy Award!
Antivirus and Firewall Software
ESET Smart Security - New from the maker's of NOD32. Antivirus, Antispyware, Antispam, and Firewall all wrapped into one effective, swift, and low resource package. It is what I use to protect each of my computers!
Kaspersky Antivirus - Kaspersky is my second choice for antivirus software. A good program that is very close in performance to NOD32. Free trial.
Online Armor Firewall - You shouldn't be on the internet without a software firewall that offers inbound and outbound protection. Online Armor is the Best of the Best. Online Armor uses an interface that is easier to navigate than most other firewalls and the protection level can't be beat! Online Armor is available in both a free and reasonably priced paid version, which offers even more protection!
Audio and Video Software
Acoustica Audio Converter Pro - This program converts audio formats and bitrates. Perfect for those with portable audio players or large music collections. 30 day trial.
Adobe Premier Elements - Elements is the consumer version of Adobe Premiere. It costs 1/6th the price, but is very capable of making videos that will impress everyone.
DVDFab is my favorite DVD software. I tried over 30 different programs before settling on DVDFab. It offers every function of the other programs and more! Copy, burn, shrink, convert for mobile devices, or convert for streaming. Almost all of the other programs I've tried did not function as advertised, were extremely slow, or did not have features that worked as advertised. DVDFab works, and works as advertised! It's easy to use, has a pleasant user interface, and it updated often.
Computer Hardware
Crucial Memory - Memory (RAM) is the upgrade that gives any computer the best bang for the buck. If you want to speed things up with more memory, why not purchase it from the leading source of quality RAM memory. Great selection, good prices, excellent support, and a lifetime warranty! A real winner!
CyberGuys - The place to get those hard to find cables and accessories for your computer!
HP Computers
- My current pick for new laptops and desktops. In the current market I don't think you can beat HP's combination of price and performance. Their laptop line is very cost effective and the design is absolutely beautiful!
Newegg - Newegg.com is known for great service and awesome pricing on computers, upgrades, and electronics. If you're looking for computers, computer parts, or electronics you owe it to yourself to start here! Great Products. Great Prices. Great Customer Service!
Computer Maintenance Software
Diskeeper 2008 - My current favorite defrag program. As files are written and erased from the hard drive they begin to leave "spaces" behind. When the drive is written to again files are broken up to fill in these spaces. This causes the drive to go to several different locations to read an entire file, which slows performance greatly. Diskeeper has several advanced features such as; automatic defrag, scheduled defrag, and the ability to defrag the MFT (Master File Table) and paging file. 30 day trial.
Registry Mechanic - A very thorough and efficient registry cleaner and defragmenter. A definite must to maintain peak performance and stabile operation. 30 day trial.
Computer Utility Software
Acronis True Image 11 - Do you value the data on your computer? Do you value your time? How much time will you spend recovering data and returning your computer to its original state after a hardware failure or software glitch? True Image is my #1 choice in backup tools. Whether you choose file or image based backups (you should use both!) True Image will perform better than any other application I've used. Disk images created with True Image are generally 10-20% smaller than those from comparable programs. If your time and files are as important to you as mine are to me this is a must have.
Acronis Disk Director - My favorite tool to partition, format, and resize hard drives.
Roboform - This program is the next best thing since sliced bread in my book! This program integrates into Internet Explorer and firefox. It generates very secure passwords at the click of a button. How do I remember these complex passwords? Roboform allows you to save passwords and personal data in an encrypted format. A master password (yes only one password to remember!) allows access. Roboform in IE and FireFox works like a super powered bookmark. You click the site you want to go to and Roboform opens the site, enters your username and password for the site (if required) and as if by magic clicks the submit button. If you shop online Roboform can enter your personal information and credit card information, which is also stored in a secure encrypted file, in one click. A real time saver with great security thrown in to boot! 30 day trial.
WinRar - What is commonly called a zip utility, similar to the more widely known WinZip. WinRar is faster and works with more formats for about 1/2 the price of WinZip. 30 day trial.
Desktop Utility Software
LogonStudio - Change the screen that appears when you boot Windows (the one with the moving bar graph). Hundreds of free skins available online. It's free.
Cursor XP Plus - Change the cursors on your computer. Hundreds of cursor packs are available online for free.
Icon Packager - Change the icons on your computer. Icon Packager puts you in control to change every icon with the click of a button. Tired of the plain icons built into Windows? There are hundreds of Icon Packs available online for free, which will add a truly personal feel to your computer.
WindowBlinds 6 - This is the icing on the proverbial cake. WindowBlinds changes the look and feel of Windows. By changing the appearance of the task bar, start menu, and any other window or program you open. It adds transparency, shadows, alpha blending, and animations. Hundreds of themes are available online for free.
Internet and Email
1&1 hosting - If you want to start your own website, blog, photo gallery, or have a personalized email address then 1&1 is for you. 1&1 can not be beat for reliability, features, support, and price. 90 day guarantee.
Google Gmail - The best internet based email (webmail) available. Each mailbox has a 6.5GB limit. The interface is superb, and the spam filter is top notch. You will never need to delete an email again! It has a great search function and a feature called thread view, which makes finding emails easy. A webmail account offers several advantages including not being required to change your email address if you change service providers. Gmail requires an invitation from a current member. If you are interested shoot me an email and I'll send you an invite.
Microsoft Outlook 2007 - Outlook is the current email client of choice for corporate America. I get well over 200 emails a day. Outlook has a few features I really need such as a plug in for automatic backups, office sounds which offers me some audible feedback, and the ability to change headers. I've used Mozilla Thunderbird and liked it a lot. With the amount of mail I go through I really need the features of Outlook. If you aren't a heavy user, or don't need the features I do then Thunderbird is a great alternative.
- An amazing, free, web browser. If you aren't using it you should be! Highly customizable through addins called extensions. There are thousands of extensions which can allow FireFox to do just about anything you can imagine. More importantly, Firefox is not subject to ActiveX, which is a large part of Internet Explorer, AOL, and MSN. No ActiveX means much less chance of getting spyware! Firefox also conforms to web standards more closely than Internet Explorer, which means you will see what the authors intended, not Microsoft.
Mozilla Thunderbird - A great free email client, from the same folks that brought us FireFox. Easy to use and highly customizable through extensions.
Photo and Picture Software
Adobe Photoshop Elements - Photoshop Elements is a consumer version of Adobe Photoshop. If you are serious about digital photos you will find Photoshop Elements a great program to have at your disposal. Elements provides all the functionality most will need at 1/6th the price of the full Photoshop version.
Picasa - A great (FREE) way to organize, edit, and share your digital photos.
Please take a moment and comment on this software in the box below!
Useful Freeware
If you find a program that hasn't been included in a previous newsletter tell me by emailing me at
Darik's Boot and Nuke (dban) - A self contained boot disk that securely wipes the hard drive of your computer. Very useful for removing personal data from a computer you are donating or disposing of. Works with any OS.
Recuva - Delete a file by mistake? Having a drive problem? Recuva (from the author of Ccleaner) may be able to recover your files. - XP/Vista
CC PDF - Free PDF file creation software. -XP/Vista
Foxmarks - If you use Firefox this extension is a must. If you don't use Firefox this extension is the reason to switch! Access your bookmarks from anywhere, sync bookmarks between computers, and backup bookmarks. - Thanks Ken
Please take a moment and comment on this software in the box below!
Useful websites
If you find a website that hasn't been included in a previous newsletter tell me by emailing me at
Startup Applications List - A site worth bookmarking. Thousands of startup programs listed to help you find what is safe to disable.
ZamZar - Free online video conversion. Need to convert a video to a different format? Make it smaller? Upload your video to ZamZar and let it do the work!
Quick Thumbnail - Free online photo resizing. Select an image, hit Resize and the it do the work!
MediaMax - 25GB (that's a lot!) of free online storage.
Adobe Photoshop Express - Need to edit a photo? How about remove red-eye? Don't do it often, or need to do it on someone else's computer? Adobe has released a FREE basic version of their Photoshop Elements program. It's all done online. All you need is a browser equipped with Flash (which you probably already have)!
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The Lighter Side
I spend thousands of hours each week searching the internet for funny or entertaining items to share with my readers. Enjoy!
Ever wonder what affects the Hollywood writer's strike had? - This video shows the horror!
This video is for the pyromaniac music lover in all of us! - Very cool!
Wow - I'm a big fan of natural (and unnatural) wonders. There is so much beauty in this world that we will never see. I found this site (from China?) with some beautiful pictures! It may load slowly, so be patient. I've added this to my list of places I'll visit when I win the lottery. :)
Guoliang Tunnel - Another Chinese masterpiece to add to the list. Often confused with the Bolivian "Road of Death".
Very Interesting Experiments - Makes me want to buy a chemistry set!
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