COMPUTERS:
Stay up-to-date on the latest technology. Keep your computer running smoothly. Find lost drivers, or ones that need updating. Maximize your computer's performance. Find freeware, shareware and software reviews. Learn computer skills online, for free. Hone your digital photography skills.
Digital Cameras, Computer Downloads, Computer Information, Computer Tips,
Learn Computer Skills Online, Good To Know, Esoterica
Image Station - Learn techniques to get the most out of your digital camera. From Sony.
MegaPixel - Monthly digital camera web magazine. Articles, reviews, forums.
NY Institute of Photography - Lots of information and reviews for digital photographers. Info for film photographers too.
Pocket Guides - Downloadable PDF pocket guides for many types of digital cameras from Canon, Nikon, Olympus and Sony.
Short Courses - A veritable treasure trove of material on getting incredible results from your digital camera. Getting started, special effects, lighting, equipment. Home Page.
SpotLife - Store still photos or captured video online to share with your friends, or broadcast live video using SpotLife's technology. Very low cost.
Adware Removal - See Spyware Removal below.
Adobe Acrobat - Free . Needed for reading PDF (Portable Document Format) files.
Anti-Virus Software - Free & For Purchase.
Everyone these days needs to have good, up-to-date anti-virus software running on their computer. One virus can wipe out your entire system, slow it down, or allow a hacker to access your private files. McAfee
makes one of the best. They will check your files for free from their site, or you can purchase anti-virus or other security software online also. Panda Software has a free trial version of several of their anti-virus software products. Vexira has free 30-day trials of their anti-virus software available. Grisoft also has a free trial version of it's AVG 7.0 Anti-Virus System.
Bootdisk - System won't boot and you forgot to create, or misplaced, your bootdisk? No worries! You can download a bootdisk here. This site also has drivers, updates, tweaks, guides for Windows XP, 95/98 and DOS.
Download.com - From C/Net. Hundreds, if not thousands, of Freeware and Shareware downloads. Gazillions of catagories. Software reviews. Check them out.
Drivers - Free. Did your system just crash, and you can't find your old driver floppies, or you upgraded to a new OS and need new peripheral drivers? Check out these sites, and you may be able to keep those old devices running for a few more years. Driver Guide - 70,000+ drivers, including hard-to-find ones from companies gone bye-bye. Or pick by device: BIOS, CD-ROM/DVD, Graphics/Video Card, Input Device, Modem, Monitor, NIC, Scanner, Sound Card, Storage Device, USB and Windows XP.
Dynamic Drive - Free, original DHTML scripts and components to enhance your web site.
Firewall - Free. Anyone with an always-on connection (DSL or cable modem) should protect their computer from being hacked. A good method is to use a software "firewall". Click link for a free version of the ZoneAlarm Firewall (Download will start immediately upon clicking link). Or Agnitum's Outpost Firewall (Free and trial versions of several products). Or Sygate's Personal Firewall (Free and trial versions of several products).
Flash 6 - Free. Needed for all those cool new animations.
FTP Programs - Free File Transfer Protocol programs:
FTP Commander WS_FTP
Guru Net - Free (or one-time $40 fee) Amazing program which integrates into any Windows application, including web browsers and e-mail, and allows for "one-click" lookup of information on any word (word, name, place, company, term, concept, etc.) that you click on. Free version includes dictionary, thesaurus, spelling checker, and word translations into 14 languages. Paid version includes all that, plus far, far too many reference materials to list here. Check out the demo. It's definately worth a look.
Instant Messengers - Free. Extremely popular chatting programs. Some include voice and/or video also.
AOL: Windows Mac Linux
ICQ: Win95/98/2K/ME/NT/XP Other OS
Microsoft: XP Mac NT4/2K
Yahoo (Pick OS on page)
Intel Application Accelerator - Free - A software package that replaces the ATA drivers that come with Windows with drivers optimized for desktop PCs (with select Intel chipsets) that will speed transmission of data from peripherals, such as the hard drive, to the microprocessor.
Intel Chipset Identification Utility - Free - Provides an easy way to identify the specific Intel chipset that is located on your motherboard. Also available is an Intel Processor Frequency ID Utility.
JAVA Download - Free. Microsoft no longer includes JAVA with it's Internet Explorer, so if you have a new computer or OS, and stock tickers, online games, and the like don't work, then you can download it here for free.
Media Players - Free. Play audio, video, MP3 and many other formats.
Microsoft Windows Media Player
(Windows & Mac)
Real 1 Win98/2K/ME/NT4/XP Mac OSX Linux
Microsoft Office Templates - Free. Find special templates for calendars, certificates, business cards, flyers, menus, and much more. For Macs.
Microsoft Office Converters & Viewers - Free. Need to view an Office document (Word, Excel, Outlook, etc.) but have a different version of Office, or don't have Office at all? Download these free converters and viewers. (Note: With stand-alone viewers, you can view downloaded files without fear of opening a virus along with the file.)
Old Version - Free - After upgrading to the latest, greatest version of your favorite program, you suddenly discover that it no longer works on your system. Maybe the newer version doesn't have features the older version did. Need to re-install an older version of Acrobat Reader, ICQ, IE, Kazaa, Morpheus, WinAmp, or one of many other free programs? Check here.
Open Office - Free Open Source multi-platform office productivity suite which includes a word processor, spreadsheet, presentation manager, and drawing program. User interface and feature set similar to other office suites. Works transparently with a variety of file formats, including those of Microsoft Office. Available in 25 languages
Password Recovery - Free utility download to help recover passwords hidden under asterisks.
PDF Conversion - Free - Not a download, but if you upload a DOC, RTF, XLS, PPT or TXT document here, they will convert it to PDF or HTML format for free.
Pop-Up Blocker - The Free Google Toolbar will block annoying pop-ups, as well as provide additional functionality to your web browser. The Pop-Up Blocker requires Internet Explorer 5.5 or higher. Not yet available for Mac browsers.
Product Key - Free . The Magical Jelly Bean Keyfinder is a freeware utility that retrieves your Product Key (cd key) used to install Windows from your registry. It has the options to copy the key to clipboard, save it to a text file, or print it for safekeeping. It works on Windows 95, 98, ME, NT4, 2000, XP, .NET, Office 97, and Office XP.
RocketDownload - Shareware and Freeware in the following categories: Audio, Business, Development Tools, Education, Games, Mac OS. Graphics, Home/Hobby, Internet, Shell & Desktop Enhancements, Utilities, and Wireless Solutions.
Security Tools - Free - Microsoft's security tools, including their Baseline Security Analyzer.
Spyware Removal - Free. Many programs that you download from the Internet, or even from a CD, contain Spyware, or Adware: Programs that track your movements over the Internet, what sites you visit, what online stores you shop at. They may even record keystrokes and passwords! Then they report this information back to whomever wrote the Spyware program, supposedly to help target advertising, usually annoying pop-up and pop-under ads, to your computer. Ad-Aware will locate and remove these annoying and possibly harmful programs from your computer. [A good firewall will help too...see Firewall above for a free one] Spybot Search & Destroy is another free program to locate and remove Spyware. [Also, Spychecker has a free online database that lists known programs with Spyware included, so check there before downloading anything.]
StartPage Guard - Free - Tired of unscrupulous sites or programs changing your Start Page (the site that loads when you open a web browser), or changing your Search Page (when your browser can't find the site you've typed in, a Search Page may appear) without your permission? Download this free program that will stop this practice.
Tucows - Tons of Freeware (totally free) and Shareware (test for free for a specified period, then purchase, if desired). For most Operating Systems. Catagories include business, games, home & education, Internet, multi-media, systems & utilities, and more. Software reviews.
Web Browsers - Free - Monzilla, Microsoft IE, Netscape Navigator, Opera
Safari (Mac).
Western Digital Downloads - Free - Hard drive drivers and Data Lifeguard Diagnostic Tools for hard drives.
WinZip - Free . Free evaluation copy of the file decompression software.
Annoyances - The most complete collection of information assembled for and by actual users of Microsoft Windows. Using Windows, customizing, registry tips, networking, troubleshooting, and more.
Apple Insider - Apple insider news and rumors.
Beep Codes - You boot up your computer and get an unusual sequence of beeps, then your computer plays dead. What to do now? Find out what those beeps mean.
C/Net Tech News - Major tech news site.
DNS Stuff - DNS tools, DNS hosting tests, Tracert, Ping, and other tools.
Download Speed Analysis - Want to find out your real-time speed for downloading from the Internet? This site will test it for you. Once you know that, there's a calculator here to figure out how long that big file will take to download. Good info. Second site. Third site.
eWeek - THE source for high-tech news on a continual basis throughout the day--every day. News, analysis and technology evaluations.
Extreme Tech - A community of users and experts seeking to answer the unanswerable questions of technology. One-stop-shop for serious technological needs.
Geek - Tech news & reviews, tips & tricks, geek support, rants & raves, buyers guides, and more.
Hard Drive Diagnostics - Diagnose the health condition of any brand of EIDE hard drive. From Western Digital.
Hard OCP (Overclockers Comparison Page) - ["Overclocking" is running your computer's CPU at higher speeds than it is rated at] For PC enthusiasts interested in pushing their computers to their limits, and beyond. Reviews, articles, forums, and more.
How Spyware Works - Article from Small Business Pipeline.
Internet Connection Privacy Analysis - Find out what information your computer is disclosing to Websites.
IP (Internet Protocol) Address Lookup - (Example: 123.456.789.123)
IP Address - Find out your own IP Address.
IP Address Lookup - Find out the contact & registration info of an IP address.
Also see Whois below.
Kim Komando "America's Digital Goddess" - Weekly call-in radio show about computers and technology on KQBZ 100.7 FM, Saturdays from 10am to 1pm. Her web site has lots of good advice, tips and links.
Mac Opinion - News, views & reviews for Apple users. Article archive.
Maximum PC - For Extreme PCers only, others need not apply! Ultimate machines, overclocking, custom & tricked out, tweaks, tips and tricks to max out your baby!
Mobile Pipeline - the latest news, trends, how-to's, and product information on wireless LANs, mobile devices, and much more.
Nameserver Lookup - NS, MX, A, AAAA, PTR, SOA, CNAME, HINFO and TXT lookup.
Network Security Terms Online Glossary - Contains a list of terms, abbreviations, and acronyms frequently used when discussing networks, security & firewalls.
Overclocker Cafe - Articles on overclocking your computer. Product reviews.
Part Identification - Unable to get drivers for a particular peripheral for your computer (modem, etc.) because you don't know the manufacturer? Try using the FCC's part identification database. The part ID number should be on a sticker on it.
PC Magazine - The Independant guide to technology. Lab-based comparative reviews of computing and Internet products.
PC Stats - Has a wide range of technology news, in-depth reviews, and information on the latest in computers and computing peripherals. Their Beginners Guides provide in depth information on computers & software, written in easy to understand language, to help you tackle a wide variety of situations.
PC World - News, how-to articles, features, and special reports, monthly Top 100 product rankings.
Public PC Security - A great article by Kim Komando on the security risks involved when using public PCs, and how to deal with them.
Security Analysis - Free . How secure is your Internet Browser? Your Network? What other security vulnerabilities do you have? Find out with these free online tools. From Qualys.
Security Check - Free. Scan your computer or network for security risks and viruses. Graphically trace a potential attacker's computer. From Symantec.
Security Check - Free. Check the vulnerability of your computer's Ports, where hackers could potentially gain access to your system. Second site.
Silicon Valley - News from inside the tech economy.
Tech News World - All tech, all the time. Tech news, information & opinion. Covers hardware, software, networks, open source, wireless, security, and more.
Think Secret - Mac insider news.
Web Talk Guys - Get the inside view of the Internet on this Streaming Media talk radio show from expert co-hosts who work everyday in the industry. Each show features Internet Industry CEO's and new media executive interviews, website tips and listener call-in comments and questions. Extensive past show archives.
Whois (Who Is) - Look up contact and registration information for Domain Names: (Example: www.anycompany.com)
EasyWhois - Quick lookup of website ownership info for domain names.
InterNIC - Same as above.
Also see IP Address Lookup above.
Wi-Fi Hotspots - Resource for finding wireless (802.11) access points around the world. Some free, most for fee.
World Electricity Guide - When traveling the World you will encounter electrical outlets with different voltages, different hertz (cycles per second), along with many varying sizes and shapes of wall outlets themselves. Find out what you need to know, and what adapters you will need, to safely use your small appliances, hair dryers, laptop computers, radios, clocks, et al, without damaging them.
ONLINE LEARNING - Learn computer skills online, for free.
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What was your Credit Card Number? Ebay, AOL and any other legitimate site will NEVER ask you for ANY personal information (credit card numbers, birthdates, passwords, etc.) in an e-mail, or by phone. This is a common fraud. Delete all such e-mails, and hang up on any caller claiming to be from these companies. Speaking of e-mail fraud, Microsoft will NEVER send you Windows updates via e-mail. Windows updates can ONLY be retrieved from the Microsoft site (windowsupdate.microsoft.com). Any e-mail claiming to be an update from Microsoft is likely to be Spyware, a virus, or other annoyances. Delete all these e-mails immediately and NEVER open their attachments.
Easter Eggs - An "Easter Egg" is a hidden surprise or amusing tidbit inserted into computer software (also movies, books, art, etc.) by it's creator, that can only be found if you know how or where to look. This site has 6,500+ Easter Eggs listed in such venues, and how to find them. Who said programmers don't have a sense of humor?
The Network Calculus book - Free PDF download of the book. Network Calculus is a collection of results based on Min-Plus algebra, which applies to deterministic queuing systems found in communication networks.
Browser Bookmarks - Saving Them To File - It's always a good idea to save a back-up of your favorite bookmarked sites. Here's how:
IE 6 - Select "File">"Import and Export">"Next">"Export Favorites">"Next". Leave "Favorites" highlighted if you want to save all.>"Next". Pick where you want to
save.>"Browse">(File location, Example: A Drive.)>"Next">"Finish".
Netscape 6.2 - Press Ctrl+B to open the Bookmarks>"File">"Export Bookmarks". Pick folder to save in.>"Save".
File & Printer Sharing - Turn Them Off For Protection - If your computers are networked, you may be exposing your files to hackers.
Windows 98 and ME - Click "Start">"Settings">"Control Panel">Double click the Network icon>"Configuration">"File and Print Sharing">Deselect file sharing and print
sharing>"OK">"OK". Restart your computer.
Windows XP - Double click the Network icon>Right click Local Area Connection>"Properties">General tab>Clear "File and Printer Sharing for Microsoft
Networks">"OK">Close the Network Connections window and restart the computer.
A good Firewall should protect you as well.
On-Screen Keyboard - Did you know that you likely have an on-screen keyboard, operated by your mouse? Click "Start">"Run">Type in osk (for "On Screen Keyboard")>"OK".
Taskbar On Top - The Taskbar is the bar that runs across the bottom of your screen, containing the Start button, Quick Launch buttons, all open Windows, etc. Often, annoying oversized pop-ups will cover this (keeping you from closing them with a right-click to it's Taskbar marker and a click on Close) or their Close Window button (X at the top right of a Window) is somewhere off your screen, and the Title Bar (top bar of a Window) is not visible either, for grabbing and moving the Window. To keep your Taskbar on top of all other Windows, right-click on any open area of the Taskbar, click on Properties, check Always On Top, and OK. Now you're set. By the way, you can also close the topmost Window by holding Alt and hitting F4.
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