5 Reasons to Ditch Your Cable Box or Satellite Dish

Why spend $50 to $100 a month for video entertainment when there's so much good, free stuff on the Web? Good-bye, couch potato, and hello, mouse potato.

Three Major Types of Spam

E-mail spam, also known as junk e-mail, is a subset of spam that involves nearly identical messages sent to numerous recipients by e-mail. A common synonym for spam is unsolicited bulk e-mail.

Three Major Types of Spam

Attempts to infect your computer. These emails typically ask you to open an attachment which causes the infection, or take you to a website where the infection is downloaded.

Product sales. These are trying to entice you to buy drugs, body enhancement aids, jewelry or the like at enticingly low prices. The problem, of course, is that most are scams, or the drugs are outdated, the aids don't work and the jewelry is fake.

Phishing attempts. These are trying to entice you to provide your personal information by imitating some other legitimate site with which you may have an existing relationship. Once you give up your personal information, identity theft and credit card fraud follows.

Major Web Browsers Fail Password Protection Tests

That nifty password management feature in your favorite Web browser could be helping identity thieves pilfer your personal data.

The Radio.com

Just type in any song that was ever played, and see what happens. Then, following the end of the song, it will keep playing songs of the same era forever.
You may want to consider adding this one to your favorites!

Can I Really Get Free Satellite TV on my PC?

Everything I've read about this type of thing tells me it's a scam, or at least a waste of money. The software you get for your forty bucks is nothing more than a menu of free online television broadcasts. Most of the stations listed are foreign, and the list contains many entries that are obsolete or do not work.

Dr. Libshitz Can't Get an E-Mail Address

If there's a subset of letters in your name that looks vulgar, you could be denied an e-mail address or a domain name. Just ask Dr. Herman Libshitz.

Gmail, Yahoo and Hotmail systematically abused by spammers

With the industry’s eyes constantly monitoring the usual suspects’ use of phony hosting providers, another market segment within the underground marketplace has been developing beneath the radar, aiming to build a malicious infrastructure (Spammers targeting Bebo, generate thousands of bogus accounts; Malware and spam attacks exploiting Picasa and ImageShack) through efficient CAPTCHA recognition. Read more...

The War

"American Anthem" gives voice to the sacrifice, selflessness, and bravery of those we have tried to honor, the men and women who fought and won that necessary war on our behalf.

Help -- I Can't Get Online!

So you say you can't get online, eh? It happens to all of us; Steve Bass was landlocked just last week.

There could be lots of reasons. Instead of tearing your hair out (not a good solution for me) or spending hours trying to figure it out yourself, how about trying some of this week's troubleshooting tips It may be a good idea to save Steve's newsletter (uh, offline), so you can refer back to it when disaster strikes.

Steve Bass is PC World Magazine contributing editor & columnist and my favorite tech writer. Don

Recover Lost Pics with PhotoRescue Wizard

I usually look for FREE software, but there are times....

If you've ever felt that twinge of regret the moment you hit the delete button on your digital camera, rest assured the image is probably recoverable--provided you use a tool like the $29 PhotoRescue Wizard. The utility scans the entire writable portion of your memory card and saves every recoverable byte of data to your hard drive. If there are photos on the card, it will probably be able to recover them.

Safer Shopping On The Internet

Visit trusted sites or use a third-party payment service. Many online shops and auction sites will let you pay with third-party payment services, like PayPal. That way you don't have to turn over your credit card information to an unknown person.

The Bangalore Backlash: Call Centers Return to U.S.

Dell outsources customer support to Indian call centers. That often infuriates customers. So, Dell will guarantee that you will speak with an American. And wait times are short. But you must pay.

The Best PCs for Everyone

Whether you're interested in a gaming rig, a low-priced desktop, a mainstream multimedia system, or an all-in-one PC with a built-in screen, we give you our key choices.

Whois lookup and Domain name search

If you are doing your shopping online this season, be very wary. This is the time of year when scammers notorious for taking advantage of naive online shoppers will put up junk Internet sites (domains) hoping to capture your credit card information or take your money.

If you want to find information about a retailer online, try doing a Whois search to see how long the domain has been in existence.

How to Buy a Laptop

The most highly evolved species of computer, the laptop (aka notebook) computer allows you to work without being tethered to an office. Portability and good performance make laptop PCs an essential part of the daily lives of millions of people, from college students to business travelers. Even the least-expensive of today's laptops are well equipped

Ten Stupid Things You Can Do To Mess Up Your Computer

If want to keep your computer running smoothly and avoid becoming a target for cyber criminals, here are ten things you should NOT do.

Dell: Want XP? That’ll be $150 please!

How much extra will people people pay to avoid Vista? More and more. In June, Dell (DELL) started charging customers an extra $20 to $50 for a downgrade to Windows XP. By October, Dell’s XP premium was up to $100. We checked in on Dell’s site today, and the retailer is now charging a whopping $150 for what Microsoft (MSFT) says is outdated software.

Wrong Number. From Carol Burnett.

Dave’s Top 65 Free Software Picks for Windows

Everybody likes free software. Today, it is getting to the point where you can completely use your computer without paying a nickel for software. If you use Linux, everything is free. But, even if you use Windows or Mac, you can still almost completely stock up your machine with software without paying anything at all.

In this compilation, Dave has gathered a list of my top picks for free software for Windows.

Why does my computer randomly reboot without warning?

My computer likes to turn itself off and restart itself of its own free will. I do have virus and spyware protection. It doesn't present any error message, it just shuts itself off and reboots no matter what I am doing on it.

Ho, Ho, Ho: Credit Card Fraud Not A Holiday Killer. Unless You Get Hit.

A recession is when your neighbor gets laid off. A depression is when you get terminated. With credit cards, fraud is not a big deal. Unless it’s your number that’s for sale, online.

A Symantec report says the underground economy is booming. The total value of goods and services was “more than” $276 million. The most popular stuff: Bank account credentials and credit cards that have CVV2 security codes with them.

What Not to Buy in 2008

No question about it, this will be a holiday buying season unlike any other. In PC Magazine's fourth annual look at the products and tech to avoid, possible buy, and definitely make part of your holiday season, they help make sure you're blowing your somewhat smaller holiday budget in just the right way.

NoScript Add-on for Firefox

The best security you can get in a web browser!
Add-ons extend Firefox, letting you personalize your browsing experience.
Allow active content to run only from sites you trust, and protect yourself against XXS and Clickjacking attacks.

Google gives online life to Life mag's photos

Google Inc. has opened an online photo gallery that will feature millions of images from Life magazine's archives that have never been seen by the public before.

The new service, available at http://images.google.com/hosted/life, debuted Tuesday with about 2 million photos. Eventually, Google plans to scan all 10 million photos from Life's library so they can be viewed on any computer with an Internet connection.

Can Two Security Suites Co-Exist?

Are two security suites better than one?For example: Trend Micro Internet Security as added spyware protection, along with Norton 360. Answer: They don't play well together.
Read more...

BugMeNot

This Firefox add-on solves the problem. Go to a Web site, right-click in the user name or password field, and select BugMeNot. A valid user name and password will then be entered into the form. You can then use the site without having to register. The add-on works in concert with the BugMeNot Web site, which has many user names and passwords for multiple sites.

A Parent's Guide to Safe, Simple Kid-Friendly E-Mail

The Internet can be a dangerous place for children, but it's an increasingly necessary evil. Here's how to set up e-mail for your young'uns while maintaining parental control.

Antivirus vendor AVG prevents booting up

From: Windows Secrets Nomewsletter • Issue 175 • 2008-11-13

AVG's antivirus software is causing problems for Dutch, French, Italian, Portuguese, and Spanish customers by flagging a key Windows file as a virus and blocking computers from booting.

AVG flags an essential Windows file, user32.dll, as a Trojan. If you agree to Heal or Move to Virus Vault, your computer then shows a Blue Screen of Death (BSoD). Subsequent attempts to reboot either end in BSODs or in endless rebooting cycles. But if you don't "heal" the file, your computer should be OK.

AVG posted a fix on its support site (enter 1575 in the Search in FAQ box to locate the specific download). Follow the instructions on the AVG site to get your broken PC back into working condition.

HOW TO SUBSCRIBE to "Windows Secrets": Anyone may subscribe to this newsletter by visiting our free signup page.

UK couple in real-life divorce over virtual affair

A British woman is divorcing her husband after discovering his online alter-ego was having an affair with a virtual woman in the fantasy world of Second Life, media reported on Friday.

Circuit City Files for Chapter 11 Bankruptcy

When it comes to retail electronics, the two big kahunas have been Best Buy and Circuit City. Well, now Best Buy must be pretty happy because Circuit City is filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. This makes them the first major retail casualty of the U.S. economic downturn.

Want to help? Just take care to avoid online donation scams

You can use the Internet to contribute money quickly to most of your favorite nonprofit organizations.Unfortunately, there are a number of online donation scams on the Internet.

How to shop online more safely this holiday season

People shop online in large numbers to save time and avoid crowded stores (not to mention gas) during the holiday season.

Unfortunately, increased online shopping also provides cyberthieves with new potential victims. Research shows that shoppers are at increased risk of online crime during the holidays, especially if they use a retailer that they're not familiar with because the retailer offers free shipping or discounts.

If you don't know an online retailer by its brand or reputation, these tips can help you determine whether they're operating a secure and trustworthy Web site before you enter your credit card number or personal information.

YouTube to Run Full-Length MGM Films

YouTube, the largest video-sharing website, will show full-length television shows and films from Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer's archives in its latest step to boost advertising revenue by adding professional programing, the company told Reuters on Sunday.

Foxit Reader 2.3 for Windows

Dump Adobe Reader. Foxit Reader is free and easy to use. What is a PDF?

Malicious Spam Jumps Eightfold

The amount of spam containing dangerous attachments designed to infect PCs with malicious viruses increased by eight times between July and September this year, according to Sophos.

The security firm said one in every 416 email messages received between July and September was spam compared to just one in every 3,333 emails between April and June.

Much of the increase has been caused by several large-scale malware attacks. Sophos said the worst single attack was the Agent-HNY Trojan horse, which was disguised as the Penguin Panic arcade game for Apple iPhones. However, only Windows users are affected by the viruses.

F.B.I. Looks Into a Threat to Reveal Patient Data

The Federal Bureau of Investigation is investigating an extortion letter threatening to expose millions of patient records stolen from Express Scripts, a medical benefits management company.The company said Thursday that it had been investigating the threat since early October, when it received a letter that contained personal information on about 75 of its members including names, dates of birth, Social Security numbers and, in some cases, prescription information.

How To Clean Stuff

This site will tell you how to tackle anything.

Categories

• Cleaning Technology
• Strategies
• House
• Kitchen & Bath
• Floor & Carpet
• Clothing & Fabrics
• Automotive
• Things You Own
• Outdoors
• People & Pets

Sony recalls 100,000 PC batteries

SAN FRANCISCO/TOKYO--Sony said five PC makers including Hewlett-Packard and Toshiba will recall 100,000 computer battery packs made by the Japanese electronics maker due to a fire hazard

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Sneaky Fees: 7 New Ways You're Paying More

Faced with a worsening economy, companies are afraid to raise prices, sothey're introducing sneaky fees instead.

Third Chrome beta another notch faster

The latest beta (trial version) of Google's browser, Chrome, shows a 37 percent JavaScript performance improvement over the initial beta released two months ago.
JavaScript is a programming language used to add some pizazz to innumerable Web pages, but more importantly from Google's perspective, to power sophisticated Web applications such as Google Docs, Google Calendar, and Gmail. Users of Chrome should see that speed bump in other JavaScript services too. Read more .

Download Google's Chrome browser

Simple and Easy to Use Cell Phones

Many of today’s cell phones are complex multimedia gadgets. That’s great for some people. But older folks might prefer a phone that is easier to use.

Just what is PDF format, how do I view it, and why do people use it?

I got a manual for a monitor, but it was not a paper printed manual, it was in PDF form! Question: How do I convert those 1's and 0's and all that other stuff into simple plain English?? And why do they put it in PDF in the first place? Why not simply put it in English to begin with? Seems like an avoidable second step. What is a PDF document?

Why are emails I send with attachments not being delivered?

I have noticed that a number of my emails w/attachments have not been delivered. One ISP actually told me the email was not delivered. I divided it into 2 emails w/attachments of less than 100kb and it seemed to be delivered. Could this be my problem (I have and pay for Hotmail and receive large files up to 20mb regularly) or a problem with my correspondent's email account?

I received a comment today, October 31st, that the link to Leo's site was not working well. Therefore I changed the link to his home page. The article about the emails w/attachment is on that home page now. If it has moved when you go there simply do a search on his site for that article. Don

GetHuman database of secret phone numbers

When you're tired of wasting money and time due to phone systems that require you to press 10 or more options in order to reach a real person and spending many minutes or even hours on hold, consult the GetHuman database of secret phone numbers and codes that immediately get an actual, live person on the customer service line for at nearly 1000 major companies.

Click here for a full list

35 Things Every PC User Should Know

Want to speed up your broadband connection? Diagnose mysterious crashes? Move massive files across the Internet? Sooner or later, you will--and you'll find step-by-step instructions for these and other common PC tasks right here.

Blu-ray is dead - heckuva job, Sony!

Blu-ray is in a death spiral. 12 months from now Blu-ray will be a videophile niche, not a mass market product.

With only a 4% share of US movie disc sales and HD download capability arriving, the Blu-ray disc Association (BDA) is still smoking dope. Even $150 Blu-ray players won’t save it.

Online User Reviews: Can They Be Trusted?

They're all over the Web. Everybody reads them. But are reader reviews reliable enough to depend on when it comes to spending your cold, hard cash?

K9 Web Protection

K9 Web Protection is our free Internet filtering and control solution for the home. K9 puts YOU in control of the Internet so you can protect your kids.

Forget a Password? Hack Your Own PC!

Few will admit it openly, but forgetting the password that gets you in to your PC is a popular problem. In the "old days" this often meant that you'd have to reinstall Windows to get in - meaning everything on your computer would be lost.

Today's story is a bit different. If you've forgot your password, just hack in! Anyone can do it (even you) since the tools are readily available and completely free.

TreeSize Free

If your hard drive is getting full or you notice the space is filling up fast, a handy tool to use in order to find where all your space is going is:

TreeSize.

WinExt

WinExt provides quick access to your programs, desktop icons and files in a bar that stretches across the top of your screen. Though you can get most of what it offers via the Windows Start Menu, it makes getting to things a little faster.

WinExt

Virustotal

Virustotal is a FREE service that analyzes suspicious files and facilitates the quick detection of viruses, worms, trojans, and all kinds of malware detected by antivirus engines.

Hackers Renew Airline-Ticket Scam Spam

In a reprise of a summer tactic, hackers are trying to trick people into infecting their PCs with malware by sending them e-mail that poses as bogus airline ticket invoices and boarding passes, a security company said Monday.

Gmail Manager

Gmail Manager has loads of options you can tweak, like new-mail notifications, a numeric unread-mail count, and a pop-up "snippet" box. In short, it does everything you could want short of actually reading your mail for you. This is a killer Firefox extension and a must-have for anyone who uses multiple Gmail accounts.

Zombie PCs: ‘Time to infection is less than five minutes’

A horrifying new article in The New York Times offers the lowdown on "zombie computers," the half-a-million-or-so machines that are converted, assembled into systems called "botnets" and forced to do a shadowy figure's bidding, namely in the form of automated programs that send the majority of e-mail spam, illegally seek financial information and install malicious software on still more PCs. Lock up your Windows and children!

Gas Prices

The price for gas fluctuates daily and depending on what side of town you are on the prices can vary, sometimes significantly. So to help find the lowest price in town, check out this

Secure your Computer

Without security software, any computer with an Internet connection leaves you open to hackers, identity theft, and file corruption. Before you settle in with your new software, make sure your machine is ready to protect you and your data. Download.com provides security software to fill a wide variety of needs--browse our categories below.

Remove personal data from online databases

There is an endless supply of information on the Web. And some of it is about you. You may have created some of that information yourself. It could be social-networking profiles, blogs or other content.

What you put out there is your business. But personal information can come from other sources as well. Your address, phone number, date of birth and more are online. This information comes from public records and marketing databases. Click on Kim's photo.

The top five reasons why Windows Vista failed

On Friday, Microsoft gave computer makers a six-month extension for offering Windows XP on newly-shipped PCs. While this doesn’t impact enterprise IT — because volume licensing agreements will allow IT to keep installing Windows XP for many years to come — the move is another symbolic nail in Vista’s coffin.

Image Composite Editor

What is Image Composite Editor?
Microsoft Image Composite Editor is an advanced panoramic image stitcher. The application takes a set of overlapping photographs of a scene shot from a single camera location and creates a high-resolution panorama incorporating all the source images at full resolution. The stitched panorama can be saved in a wide variety of formats.

Image Composite Editor

FixYa

Fixya provides Free tech support and technical help for gadgets, electronic equipment and consumer products. Fixya's technical experts advise on fixing problems and provide instructions on proper usage of products either by chat or message posting. Fixya stores manuals and troubleshooting guides for over half a million products. Fixya's tech support community will provide a quick solution for your "how to" problem.

Tech Support, Manuals & Troubleshooting for Consumers

Yahoo! Answers

At Yahoo An­­swers, regular folks write in questions ("How do I get the ring around the collar off of my white dress shirt and make it white again?") and site users offer helpful answers. The answers are rated on usefulness by other users.

I am getting better

On October 1st, I had a spinal fusion. It was pretty rough. However, I am confident that my back will be a whole lot better. The recovery period is long and I am quite limited in activity.

I am home now and I can only sit at the computer for a few minutes at a time. I will post whatever I can in these short periods.

Don

The top five reasons why Windows Vista failed

On Friday, Microsoft gave computer makers a six-month extension for offering Windows XP on newly-shipped PCs. While this doesn’t impact enterprise IT — because volume licensing agreements will allow IT to keep installing Windows XP for many years to come — the move is another symbolic nail in Vista’s coffin.

I Have Been Away

I just returned from a 17 day trip to France where I was stationed while in the army. We had a great time! Practicing my French before leaving really paid off. They loved me!

I am going in for spinal surgery tomorrow, October 1st. During my recovery I hope to be able to use a laptop to post again.

Don

Tunatic

Ever thought ‘what is this song?’ Let Tunatic hear it and you will get the artist's name and the song's title within seconds. Tunatic is the very first song search engine based on sound for your computer. All you need is a microphone and Internet access.

Musopen

This page allows you to browse our music by composer, performer, instrument, form and time period.

There are several ways to obtain music from Musopen. You can browse our collection, search for music, or listen to a piece at random.