Archive for the ‘Free Programs’ Category
Thursday, April 8th, 2010
Regular PC maintenance is as important as routinely changing the fluids in your car. Without this regular upkeep, your computer can become a slow, draggy, unusable box that has you thinking about a trip to your local electronics retailer.
In the rest of today’s article, we’ve posted links to the tools you need and a simple “5-Point Maintenance Plan” that you can follow to keep your PC running like new (or better). The average user can perform these tasks in 30 minutes to an hour, depending on the size (hard drive) and speed (RAM and processor) of the computer.
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Tags: april, computer, FREE, Maintenance, PC, programs, tools, upkeep
Posted in Free Programs, Tips and Tricks | 1 Comment »
Wednesday, April 7th, 2010
An increasing trend in malware is the “fake anti-virus” program. There are hundreds of names for these programs, but the story is always the same. You are essentially locked out of your computer by a program that promises to help you remove….. itself. Unsuspecting PC users are forced to fork over $50 or more to simply regain control of their computer.
Possibly the most frustrating part of these malware programs is that there are tools out there to help you remove them IF you could gain enough control of your PC to install and run them. Unfortunately, you have no control. Whether you are tricked by one of these “fake anti-virus programs” or your real anti-virus program simply lets one get by, you are going to need some help. Luckily, the folks at Avast have developed a FREE Rescue CD that can be used to scan your system and remove these pesky programs with ease. (more…)
Tags: antispyware, Antivirus, AVG, CD, Malware, PC, rescue, USB, Vista, Windows, XP
Posted in Free Programs, Security, Viruses | No Comments »
Tuesday, April 6th, 2010
This article was originally posted in September of 2009. We have seen a recent rise in the scenario listed below and bring you this recap as a simple reminder. Enjoy!
You know the saying “your body is a temple.” Most of us are familiar with it and we at least “try” to eat things that are good for us and exercise with some regularity. Hey, our intentions are good and we are really going to get serious about this starting on Monday. That saying can really be applied to our computers as well. Pay close attention to what you put in (programs, data, hardware) and maintain your PC regularly (defrags, malware and spyware checks,etc.) and your PC will last longer and perform better.
Did you know that there are forces working against you and your goal to take care of your computer? Of course we are all familiar with the fact that viruses, malware and spyware exist, but there are other dangers stalking us from the shadows. I’m going to call them “tagalongs.” Tagalongs are programs that get installed on your computer with/without your permission. I used “with/without” because these applications get on your PC by tricking you. That’s right, it has probably happened to you before and you didn’t even know it.
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Tags: application, install, Software, Tagalong, toolbar, Trickery, Update
Posted in Free Programs, Tips and Tricks | 1 Comment »
Monday, April 5th, 2010
The article posted below is the latest (originally posted 2/17/10) in a long line of articles about one of our very favorite utilities/programs called Dropbox. The blog post itself should have been enough to convince any PC user to begin integrating Dropbox into their daily routine, but the owners of this already well-known company have gone and “sweetened the pot.” Recent changes (shown throughout the article) have made Dropbox even more accessible and attractive. Read on and enjoy!
JumpstartMyPC.com was started to help PC users get the most out of their computer and no product exemplifies this idea like Dropbox! Dropbox is a file-syncing, file sharing, online backup tool that you can access from just about anywhere and you can start using it for FREE! I have written about this product many times, shared it with clients, friends and family and I use it myself, every single day. If you aren’t using it yet, you are in for a real treat. If you are using it, read on to find out what’s new and how you can now access your files without even using a computer.
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Tags: Android, cloud, drive, Dropbox, file share, file sync, flash, FREE, iPhone, Online, program, Storage
Posted in Free Programs, Tips and Tricks | 2 Comments »
Monday, March 29th, 2010
A busy week. Those words will occupy a lot of thoughts and conversations today. We pack so many activities and so much work into such little time. When it is all done, we are left with a few precious minutes for ourselves. That “leftover” time is typically reserved for sleep, but if we are really lucky it will mean a moment with our favorite gadget, book, magazine, movie, etc.
The key to maximizing our schedules is organization and (ironically) it takes time to get organized. For those of you in the “9 to 5″ crowd, you probably have access to Microsoft Outlook for managing your work hours but what about the rest of your life? What about users who don’t have access to this email/calendar program (part of a $300 Microsoft Office package)? Even if you had a wonderful program like Outlook, would you have the time/opportunity to get in front of a computer regularly throughout the day?
For anyone interested in using a calendar to keep track of events and schedules there is a solution that offers the flexibility of an electronic system and the mobility needed in our busy lives… Google Calendar and Google Sync. They are both FREE and can help you find the time for what really matters, without wasting hours in setup.
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Tags: Android, Blackberry, Calendar, Contacts, FREE, Google, iPhone, Mobile, phone, Schedule, Smart, Sync
Posted in Free Programs, Tips and Tricks | 1 Comment »
Tuesday, March 23rd, 2010
Yesterday, we began our week-long series on desktops and the different ways you can “skin” your background to provide both entertainment and functionality. Our first article, titled Desktop Departures – Escape With a Wallpaper Change, focused on suggestions for PC users with multiple displays. Today, we take things in a new direction, with a fresh idea for users of any number of monitors and just about every version of Windows that is still used today…. Wallpaper Slideshows.
Introduced in Windows 7 as a standard feature (for all versions except Windows 7 Starter), the wallpaper slideshow provides users with a utility that automatically changes the background picture at regular intervals, using a select group of images. Users are no longer forced to stare at the same image for hours, days or even years. With this application, the desktop can change every 30 minutes, giving you a fresh desktop. As with many features found in newer operating systems, this type of feature has been recreated (under other names) for use in Windows XP and Vista as well.
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Tags: alternating, change, Changer, Slideshow, themes, Vista, wallpaper, Windows, Windows 7, XP
Posted in Free Programs, Tips and Tricks, Windows 7 | No Comments »
Thursday, March 18th, 2010
March Madness kicks into high gear today, March 18th, 2010, with the first games taking place at 12:20 PM EST. From now until the end of March, millions of fans will tune in to watch as the field of 65 teams quickly dwindles down to the famous Final Four. During this ten day stretch, many of the games will take place during traditional “work hours,” forcing a majority of the fans to turn to the internet for schedules, updates, scores and even FREE live streaming of the games. Unfortunately, criminals and hackers are aware of this increased interest and have turned their malware all the way to 11 to take advantage of unsuspecting basketball fans.
As with any other spike in a particular search topic/interest, the criminally minded will attempt to capitalize on the frenzy surrounding this event by bullying their way into your search results and (with any luck) your computer. Many fans will be rushing to news sites and unfamiliar web sites to find out how their favorite team is doing and, in this rush, users might not be focused on the security of their computer. A great article, titled Don’t Let Malware Score This March, was posted by Lockergnome yesterday afternoon. The blog post points out the potential dangers facing fans and offers up a solution for the problem (WinPatrol Plus). While this software might be a great solution, I am unfamiliar with it and I see that it will run you $29.95. So, I thought I would bring you some of my own suggestions on preventing Malware Madness this March.
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Tags: Final Four, Firewall, Madness, Malware, March, McAfee, Scans, TrustedSource, Updates, web of trust, Windows, WOT
Posted in Free Programs, Security, Tips and Tricks | 5 Comments »
Monday, March 15th, 2010
Spring is here. It was a beautiful weekend here in Texas and I’m sure many of you spent time outside enjoying the sun, cleaning the yard, etc. While prepping your yard for the spring and summer is important, don’t forget that your PC needs some attention too.
In the rest of today’s article, we’ve posted links to the tools you need and a simple “5-Point Maintenance Plan” that you can follow to keep your PC running like new (or better). The average user can perform these tasks in 30 minutes to an hour, depending on the size (hard drive) and speed (RAM and processor) of the computer.
(more…)
Tags: cleaning, defrag, Maintenance, PC, registry, scan, Update
Posted in Free Programs, Tips and Tricks | 6 Comments »
Wednesday, March 3rd, 2010
Printing information from web pages has always been a hassle. You find a web page with some information you want to print out so you click on the printer icon in your browser. Instead of the page or two that you expected to come out of the printer, you get 14 pages of complete randomness with your information sprinkled in. 12 pages go in the trash, your wallet gets a little lighter from the paper and toner that just went down the drain, and a few trees scream somewhere off in the distance. If you are like me, you avoid printing from the web so you can escape this hassle and waste. That was, until the introduction of PrintWhatYouLike.com!
PrintWhatYouLike.com was created by two developers who shared our frustrations with printing from the web and decided to do something about it. The PrintWhatYouLike tool comes in several forms (listed below) and provides users the ability to choose what elements of a web page they want to print before the information is transmitted to their printer. Print a single paragraph, an article, an image or several pages of information. It is entirely up to you. This truly amazing service is provided to you for FREE, so there is no reason not to start using it today.
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Tags: Add-on, bookmark, bookmarklet, environment, Firefox, green, ink, papaer, PDF, print, printer, PrintWhatYouLike
Posted in Firefox, Free Programs, Tips and Tricks | No Comments »
