If you use Microsoft Windows, then it’s my sincere hope that you also use the Mozilla Firefox Web browser (www.mozilla.com) for viewing websites, instead of Microsoft’s lame Internet Explorer.  As I’ve noted in previous columns, your computer will be much less...

Like a punch-drunk boxer swinging wildly in the hopes of hitting his opponent, government agencies continue to stumble stupidly ahead in implementing “homeland security” technology that is riddled with known, demonstrated flaws. One of the latest debacles in this...

As dangerous as the Internet may be, as threatening as an insecure network is, and as scary as criminal hackers appear, none can compare to the havoc that can be wreaked on a business by a company insider.  Most dangerous of all is the company employee who, either...

Other computer pundits before me have pontificated on the demise of dial-up Internet service, such as that offered by SBC (now, AT&T), Earthlink, AOL and others.  Although an estimated 23 million American households still use clunky, slow dial-up Internet service,...

I write this article on the second Tuesday of the month – “PatchTuesday,” as it’s come to be known – the day when Microsoft issues “patches” to fix the latest security and operational flaws that have been found in its products.  Most prudent computer users access...

The usual corporate/government modus operandi in responding to situations that expose their own wrongdoing is to deny, distract and cover up.  However, in a move rarely seen among global Internet mega-companies caught with their pants down, heads have finally rolled...

AOL has been in boiling-hot water lately over the intentional release of three months of search queries by 658,000 AOL users. Even though, after being called on the carpet, AOL grudgingly removed the data from its website, the damage has been done, and the data has...

We looked last week at ways to speed up computers running Microsoft Windows XP and 2000.  I received so many good responses to the article that I’ve decided to present you with a few more easy-to-implement Windows tweaks. Run the Windows Disk Cleanup utility.  Click...

Microsoft’s Windows operating system is by far the most widely used operating system in the world, dominating the market to the point that most folks don’t even know that there are any alternative ways to use a computer.  This is not to say that Windows is the best...

There are few programs that come with Windows that I use more often, or that are more useful than Windows Explorer, yet I’m amazed at how many computer users don’t even know that it exists.  This is partly due to Microsoft’s dumbing down of Windows when they released...

Wireless networking, also known as “wi-fi,” is now all the rage for home computer users.  Media ads assault us about our “need” to share Internet access throughout the home and “experience the freedom” of wireless.  And, we are told, we simply must have the most...

On my repair bench this week is a computer that has suffered a catastrophic Windows XP meltdown.  All of the owner’s important files were on the computer, and there were no backup copies.  There were thousands of irreplaceable letters, financial records, emails and...

The acronym “RTM” is widely used in the computer geek community, and is often used in reply to dumb questions that are posted to Internet computer repair forums.  If the person posting the question would simply “RTM” (Read The Manual), they would see that their...

As if the identity theft crisis wasn’t bad enough, federal and local police have found a new way to evade Constitutional search and seizure limitations by hiring crooks to steal the personal records of innocent citizens. Numerous federal agencies, including the...

Recent weeks have brought more reports of personal information theft and loss than I can ever remember occurring in such a brief amount of time.  Businesses, schools and government institutions are in deep trouble as their poor data protection policies are proving to...

Efforts by computer companies such as Microsoft to fight software piracy have always been too little, too late.  In a constant cat-and-mouse game, Microsoft will release an “anti-piracy” measure designed to disable illegitimate copies of its products, only to be...

Experienced users of Microsoft Windows are used to the idea of “rebooting” their computers.  Often called “restarting,” the process is akin to turning off your car, and then starting it up again. If you spend much time fiddling about with your computer, such as...

Many of the mostly-adult age class remember the introduction of Microsoft’s Windows 98 operating system.  Originally slated as “Windows 97,” programming problems at Microsoft kept delaying the release date until the product was finally introduced a year later as...

So-called Internet “vigilantes” are certainly an interesting bunch.  It’s no secret that law enforcement agencies in every country are completely overwhelmed by the sheer numbers of Internet bad guys, both within their own borders, and outside of their jurisdictions. ...

As I was preparing to push the button on the self-help machine at the local post office, I heard a voice over my shoulder.  “Do you need some help with that?” came an impatient, young female voice.  I turned to see the face associated with the voice, as the...