Computer Tech Tips

The computer is your friend. Trust the computer.

... To visit computer product manufactures, select the topic "Companies" from the index or select this: Link and scroll down to the topics titled "Computer Software and MultiMedia, Computer Hardware and MultiMedia and Miscellaneous Computer.

Old Computers - History
... How many did you own or remember??

A visual history of Internet Explorer from 1 to 9
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Kim Komando Komputer Klinic
Kim Komando on Facebook
Kim Komando on Facebook
About Kim Komando and Pictures
Kim's Bio - Archive
Kim Komando Message Boards
Kim's Tip of the Day
Kim's Tip Categories
Kim's Weekly Kolumn
Kim's News Letter
Kim's Radio Show Picks
Kim's Radio Show
Kim FAQ
Kim's Kool Site Categories
Kim Komando Kool Sites
Kim Komando Kool Sites of the Week List
Kim's Shareware Pick of the Week
Kim's Kool Site Kompilation
Kim Komando's 10 Commandments For Kids
Kim Komandos's Computer Tip of the Day
Kim Komando's Consumer Reviews - Tell the good and bad stories
Komputer Klinic Kolumn by Kim Komando - a feature of Charleston.Net
Kim Komando's Big List of Hardware & Software Links
... Kim Komando's Komputer Klinic has information available in many ways, you can subscribe to her newsletter, listen to her radio show, check her column, or catch her on television. Her show is about Computers and the Internet, find out why Kim's helpful hints and humorous approach have earned her the nickname "The Digital Goddess". You can talk to Kim "America's Beloved Digital Goddess®," by simply calling the Kim Komando Computer Show at 1-888-825-5254 (1-888-Talk2Kim) any Saturday morning, 7 am to 10 am Pacific Time. The show provides free information that makes using your computer easy and fun. Browse the library of articles, frequently asked questions, computer tips, tricks and secrets, kool web sites, network radio shows, and a lot more! Take command of your computer with the Digital Goddess, Kim Komando. Kim is also the Computer Editor for Popular Mechanics and an author.

Leo Laporte Tech Guy Radio Show
Leo Laporte Bio
Leo Laporte Resume
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The TWiT Netcast Network with Leo Laporte
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Kellys-Korner XP
Troubleshooting Windows XP - Tweaks and fixes for Windows XP
Registry Edits for Windows XP "Tweaks and Tips"
Windows XP From A to Z
... Kellys-Korner ahs put together a lot of information from various sources, to help you find answers to the problems some users have with Windows XP. The web site also puts together some commonly requested tweaks and tips to make XP work the way you want it to.

Gibson Research Corporation (SpinRite)
Purchasing Information
A Passion for Technology book set
Steve's Page
SpinRite
SpinRite Documentation
Most Popular Freeware on GRC.COM
Truly Cool Utilities
Network Bondage - Discipline your network bindings in the privacy of your own home
Steve's TV Appearances
Personal Internet Firewalls
OptOut - Tell Unwelcome Spyware to Pack its Bags!
Shoot The Messenger
ShieldsUP! The Internet's quickest, most popular, reliable and trusted, free Internet security checkup and information service
Gibson Research Discussions Online (Newsgroups)
Quick Reference Guide to the GRC Newsgroups
Security Now - TechTV's Leo Laporte and Steve Gibson take 30 to 60 minutes near the end of each week to discuss important issues of personal computer security
... Steve Gibson.

Tom's Hardware and Performance Guide
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PC Hell - Computer Hints and Tips to bring you back from the edge
... Everyone has been to PC Hell at one time or another. It's that place you visit when your personal computer is driving you insane with problems, glitches, and so on. To try to soothe the frustration, this web site provides some tips, hints, and troubleshooting remedies to help you get out of PC Hell. Be warned however, sometimes there is no exit....

DSLDepot.com
... DSLDepot.com, where you'll find information, drivers, and manuals for hundreds of different broadband modems.

Article on LCD monitors
... WARNING! It's rather long!

UndocumentedIntel
... Learn about undocumented Pentium tricks. Also visit the News group. comp.sys.intel to learn more.

CNET Help.com
... Answers to all your technology questions.

Working Off-Line in IE - Archive
... Why and how you can browse the Web without being connected.

Linux for Newbies
... There are three major Linux distributions, Red Hat, Slackware and Caldera.
The official pronunciation of Linux is LIE-nucks, with the long i sound.

How to Disable the Windows Messenger Service
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Remember playing the game of Pong on your television?
... The very first idea of the video game was conceived way back in 1951. A young engineer wanted to make the best television set in the world. He envisioned a TV that could play games with you! Learn more about the history of the video game at PONG-Story. This site pays tribute to the first video game ever. Pong, or “Tennis for Two” as it was originally called, was born in 1958. Of course, it didn’t become widely popular until companies like Magnavox, Atari and Sears began distributing home consoles in the 1970s and well, the rest is history. This site is very nostalgic. The only thing missing is an emulated copy of the game to play on your computer.

The Consortium Of Anti-Spyware Technology vendors (COAST)
The Consortium Of Anti-Spyware Technology vendors (COAST) Press Releases
Consortium of Anti- Spyware Technology Vendors Accepts Lavasoft Resignation
Worst Practices – Why Lavasoft decided to leave COAST
Worst Practices – Why Lavasoft decided to leave COAST
... The Consortium Of Anti-Spyware Technology vendors (COAST) is a non-profit organization that has been established to create a forum in which members can collaborate on a wide range of projects designed to increase awareness of the growing spyware problem facing everyone using the Internet.

The DigiBarn Computer Museum
... DigiBarn by curator Bruce Damer. Traces the history of the evolution of personal computing and the graphical user interface.

Chronology of Personal Computers
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Chronology of the Commodore 64 Computer
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Bigger Disk, Unprecedented 1 terabyte capacity
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Computer Answer Man
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Computer Hope - Free computer Help for Everyone
Microsoft DOS Information about the fdisk command
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How to change file associations in Windows XP
Change a file association on the fly
Changing a File Association, Repairing broken File Associations
... You can specify that files with certain file name extensions are always opened in the same program. You can also modify an existing file type to change its association with a program. You can work with file associations in Microsoft Windows Explorer or My Computer.

Windows XP Tips, Illustrations and registry edits
... This site contains tips and HOW TOs for most of the common tasks in Windows XP, and should help any audience with skill level Basic to Advanced. Walk through our Windows XP Tips page to learn information given in a step-by-step approach.

How to reinstall or repair Internet Explorer in Windows XP
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How to perform an in-place upgrade (reinstallation) of Windows XP
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Windows XP Registry Fixes, Utilities, Illustrations and Tweaks
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Windows 2000 Tricks
Windows 2000 Tricks
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Internet Explorer Content Advisor
... This Microsoft chapter describes the Microsoft® Internet Explorer Content Advisor, which allows you to rate the appropriateness of Web content and to control which Web sites your users can visit. This feature can help you create a more secure environment that protects your users from unsuitable content on the Internet.

Microsoft - Rename a batch of photos all at once
... Make photos easier to find by giving them descriptive names.

Bob Cerelli's Windows site
... The main goal of this site is to provide clear, accurate and easy to understand information regarding Windows95/98/ME/2000/XP.

Microsoft Internet Explorer Tips
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How to Set up and Use Automated System Recovery in Windows XP
Windows XP Tip of the Day - Tip #555 - Automated System Recovery
Automated System Recovery - Backup of System Files in Windows XP Professional
To create an Automated System Recovery set for Windows XP using Backup
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Appendix: Windows XP Service Pack 2 Enhancements to Internet Explorer 6
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How to reinstall or repair Internet Explorer and Outlook Express in Windows XP
... This article describes how to reinstall or repair Internet Explorer 6 and Outlook Express 6 in Windows XP. You may have to do this if you are having problems with Internet Explorer or Outlook Express because of damaged files or missing.

How to Uninstall Internet Explorer 6
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Microsoft Outlook Express 6.0 Support Center
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Description of the Internet Explorer Information Bar in Windows XP SP2
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Snoop (W)
... This site will tell you what type of computer system you are using.

Kevin Mitnick
Free Kevin Mitnick
Kevin Mitnick - A convicted hacker debunks some myths - Oct. 2005
Mitnick Security
Defensive Thinking
LabMistress.com - Darci Wood, has kept a detailed Web log, or blog of her and Mitnick's activities
LabMistress Forum - Mitnick Monitor - Keeping up with Kevin
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CyberCom (W)
Your Computer Minute (W)
... Peter Kay, President.

ha.ckers - The Web Application Security labs
sla.ckers - The Web Application Security Forums
fthe net - The name says it all
... The ha.ckers.org and sla.ckers.org web application security lab house rules and a place for you to introduce yourself if you like.

Backup Windows Address Book Entries
Exporting the AOL address book
EarthLink TotalAccess Tutorial
Using the EarthLink Address Book
Importing Your Address Book into EarthLink
EarthLink Tech Tip Archive
EarthLink MailBox
Email Address Book
... Exporting your email program address book. The most common conversion is to export the address book entries as a CSV file.

Remove Favorites from Windows Explorer in Windows 7
... Techrepublic.com

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Bandwidth Speed Tests

... Wondering what your true speed is on the Internet? Check out these Band width Speed Tests and you'll find out. To calculate your connect speed, the sites send a large amount of data to your computer. When it's done with the calculations, the results will be displayed on screen and within the Speed Test Thermometer that explains where your connection falls in the Internet Speed Food Chain.

... Rough Speed Guide
ADSL Speed 512Kbps
Typical Download 460 Kbps
Typical Upload 220-260 Kbps

Speakeasy Speed Test
... Take the Speakeasy Speed Test and test your connection speed! By measuring the download and upload rate from the following locations you are able to accurately judge your current line throughput or internet connection speed. To take the speed test, choose the server nearest you.

50K - Bandwidth Speed Test
... Bandwidth Speed Test Results From box54.org

Beeline Bandwidth Test
... Test your internet connection speed by downloading a 150K file.

Buy Telco Speed Test
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Testmyspeed.com
Testmyspeed.com Modem Speed Tests
Testmyspeed.com West Coast U.S. Modem Speed Tests
... Bandwidth. Everybody want more than they already have, even if they have a T1! But just how fast is your connection? Here's a site with more than 200 links to Internet connection speed tests, listed by country and state.

ZDNetUK Bandwidth Speed Test
ZDNetUK Bandwidth Speed Test
ZDNetUK Bandwidth Speed Test
ZDNetUK Bandwidth Speed Test
... Speed Test Thermometer.

Speed-Test.Net
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Justins Bandwidth Speed Test
... Find out how fast your connection is! This tests your Internet connection speed, works with any type of Internet connection 56K, ISDN, Cable, DSL, T1.

Speed Test - Test the bandwidth capabilities of your Internet connection
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A simple Bandwidth Speed Test
... From CFM Resources.

CNET's Bandwidth Meter
... Want to know how your connection to the Web stacks up? This service will run a quick test that will compare your connection to DSL, Cable modems, and more.

FrontierNet DSL Speed Test
FrontierNet DSL Speed Test (Elkgrove, CA)
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Bandwidth Test - Measure Your Download Speed
... This download bandwidth tests measure the transmission speed or throughput of your connection to the Internet by downloading a block of random text embedded in a Web page.

Bandwidth Test - Measure Your Upload Speed
... Because many connections are asymmetrical (they have different download and upload rated speeds). This test measures the time it takes to upload a block of random text to a temporary file on an ftp server.

dslreports.com Speed Test
dslreports.com Speed Test
Broadband Tests and Tools
... Testing your broadband connection. Get performance, security and utility from your connection.

FrontierNet Network Speed Test
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Bandwidth Place Speed Test
Bandwidth Place Speed Test
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Online Speed Test - Java Applet
Online Speed Test - Old Version
... Test your download speeds! To gauge how fast your cable modem can move data to and from the Internet, the CABLE-MODEM.NET Speed Test transfers a 322-kilobyte file and expresses the results in kilobytes, or thousands of bytes, per second.

TOAST.net Performance Test
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Warwick Online Bandwidth Meter
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MSN Internet Speed Test
... Think your 56K connection feels more like a 28.8? It might be! Take the speed test to see how fast your Internet connection really is.

Bandwidth Speed Test Broadband Internet Connection Speedtest
... Test the internet connection speed, by analyzing the efficiency of an online connection during a large file download. What you're testing is not just the speed into the computer, but the speed of the slowest link between you and the networked test server. Lots of links to Bandwidth testing sites.

Dr.Speed
Speed Test sites
Network Services & Consulting Corporation
Internet Speed Check
Internet Speed Test Directory
... Links to other speed test sites. Do you know the speed of your Internet connection? Use a variety of tools and resources to measure your bandwidth.

Broadband Speed Test
... To use this broadband speed testing page you must have Java installed and enabled.

Ping Test
... The PC Pitstop Ping Test measures the round-trip time in milliseconds for a packet to travel from your PC to seven other Web sites and back. It'll show you how to identify bottlenecks in your connection, and help you determine if poor performance is the result of your ISP's server or simply another remote site.

Trace Route Utility
... The Trace Route utility is a graphical version of the tracert ort raceroute command-line program found in Windows and Unix. Using an ActiveX control, the utility sends small ping packets from your PC to each hop on the way to an Internet destination that you specify. The trace shows where performance bottlenecks might be occurring.

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Microsoft TechNet
Microsoft Security Bulletin Search
... Microsoft TechNet provides you with a broad perspective on current IT issues from leading industry sources, which helps you make informed strategic decisions to align with business goals and objectives.

Multibooting with Windows
Multibooting with Windows 2000 and Windows XP
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Temporarily Disabling Delivery of Windows XP Service Pack 2 Through Windows Update and Automatic Updates
MSN Tech and Gadgets
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Acronyms and Abbreviations
... If you've listened to people discuss something sprinkled with acronyms and wondered just what they're talking about, this site is for you. It's also great for folks who are new to the Internet and don't know SLIP from IMAP from POP3. This handy little tool, brought to you by the scholars of University College Cork in Ireland, allows you to type in any acronym of any length and get back a list of probables for match. We found that it doesn't do nearly as well on abbreviations as acronyms, but with a list of over 17,000 entries to hunt through it usually finds what you are after.

Acronyms (archive)
Internet Terms
Matisse's Glossary of Internet Terms
Matisse's Glossary of Internet Terms (archive)
CNET.com's Glossary of Internet and Computer Terms
CNET Glossary
A Glossary of Computer/Internet Terms (www.htmlgoodies.com)
Allcheaphosting.com Glossary
... Do all your Net-savvy friends laugh at you every time you open your mouth? Netify your vocabulary here. Computer and Internet terms.

NetSol Glossary of Terms
... Do you really want to know what "DNS" stands for? Use this glossary to lookup help information and other words that can make your tongue numb.

Web Glossary
... YCOLN Knowledge Base. A glossary of web and internet terms with individual links to other resources or to books related to the term.

3Com Glossary of Technology Terms
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WebCom Glossary of Terms
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DISK/TREND, Inc.
... DISK/TREND, publisher of the most widely used market studies on the worldwide disk drive industry from 1977 through 1999. In late 1999, DISK/TREND phased out its market research programs, but the 1999 reports, as well as older editions, are still available. The 1999 DataStorage Forum, co-sponsored for 18 years with Freeman Associates, was the last in the series offered by the original partners. This site contains summaries and ordering information for 1999 DISK/TREND reports, plus extensive information on the data storage industry, including links to companies, government agencies, educational institutions and other organizations concerned with the disk drive industry.

PC hardware primer
... By Bruce Stewart, A Help & How-To. Ever wonder what's inside your PC? This guide will take you step-by-step through identifying all the standard parts of a computer.

Computer Knowledge
FILExt The File Extension Source
File Extension .FLV Details
... Computer Knowledge has tutorials, a free newsletter, info, acronyms, and much more. The File Extension Source site is an extensive list of every known file extension.

DotWhat.net provides you with detailed information on file extensions and formats.
... Thanks to years of research and help from our loyal visitors, they now have one of the world's largest and most detailed databases of file extension information, covering multiple operating systems from Microsoft's Windows, Apple's OS X and all variations of Unix to those used on the latest mobile devices and phones. They try to provide as much information on each file extension as possible and they encourage visitors to contact them if they have any additional information on an extension or if they think a new file extension should be added to the database. Alternatively, each entry can be edited and visitors have the option of adding a comment, question or tip.

File Extension Library
... Uniblue File Extension Library. This library is a detailed database of file extensions. The entire database available for free for online users.

FileInfo.net
Common file extensions that are organized by file format
Search for a File Extension
... FileInfo.net contains a searchable database of thousands of file extensions with detailed information about the associated file types. Each entry contains information about the file format, a description of the file, and the program or programs that can open the file. Programs for opening the files are listed for Macintosh, Windows, and Linux platforms. For more information about file extensions, view the "What is a File Extension?" page. If you have other file-related questions, please visit the FileInfo.net Help section.

Filesuffix.com
... Filename extension database.

Port Numbers registry (Directory of General Assigned Numbers)
Protocol Numbers and Assignment Services
... The port numbers are divided into three ranges: the Well Known Ports, the Registered Ports, and the Dynamic and/or Private Ports. The Well Known Ports are those from 0 through 1023. The Registered Ports are those from 1024 through 49151. The Dynamic and/or Private Ports are those from 49152 through 65535.

The Request for Comments (RFCs)
... The Requests for Comments (RFC) document series is a set of technical and organizational notes about the Internet (orginally the ARPANET). Memos in the RFC series discuss many aspects of computer networking, including protocols, procedures, programs, and concepts, as well as meeting notes, opinions, and sometimes humor. The official specification documents of the Internet Protocol suite are defined by the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF) and the Internet Engineering Steering Group (IESG ). These specifications are recorded and published as standards track RFCs. As a result, the RFC publication process plays an important role in the Internet standards process. RFCs must first be published as Internet Drafts.

Obsolete Computer Museum
... Oh, the good old days when all you needed was 64K! Visions just make us jump for joy thinking of the alluring Apples, the tantalizing Tandy computers, the cunning Commodores, and others that kept us up late at night and our minds in a daze. Wait, computers still do that!

Microsoft quietly shuts down Office Genuine Advantage program - December 19, 2010
... Microsoft quietly shuts down Office Genuine Advantage program - December 19, 2010.

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News Articles about Computers

'Master' and 'slave' computer labels unacceptable, officials say
LA County wants to eliminate computer 'master' and 'slave' labels
... Time to remark the hard drives and modify all those Trackers so we can make our computers "PC".

More on machine names and spam
... By Mark Gibbs, Network World, May, 9 2005.

NEC PC gets the chills
... Your car has a water-cooled radiator, and now the latest desktop PC from NEC does too. The Japanese PC maker took the wraps off its Valuestar G Type C, a new desktop PC that has a radiator embedded in the water cooler unit built into the back of the chassis. The company said the added refrigeration will let consumers overwork the included Intel Celeron processor but keep the PC running at 30 decibels, which is whisper voice. PC noise is increasingly a concern as more powerful computers require stronger and often louder cooling systems....

Computer saves drowning girl
Computer saves drowning girl (short URL)
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Judge: Microsoft's music player gaffe is 'concern'
... ZDNet News, October 26, 2005. A federal judge scolded Microsoft on Wednesday for devising a marketing plan that would have forced portable- music player makers to package only Windows Media Player with their products.

A brief history of hard drives
... A c/net News.com January 26, 2006 article. What high-tech product advances the fastest? It's probably the hard drive. The capacity doubles easily every two years and sometimes every year, faster even than the chip progress described by Moore's Law. The first drives took up storage closets. Now, a 5GB drive can fit in a phone. Hitachi Global Storage Technologies, which has made drives for years and also now owns IBM's drive division, recently collected pictures from hard drive history and made a calendar. This news story shows some of the highlights.

Spyware For The Masses
... April 5, 2006 article by By David Miller.

Insignificant Thoughts
Insignificant Thoughts Cancelling AOL
Insignificant Thoughts Cancelling AOL Audio file
Cancelling AOL YouTube News Video file
Cancelling AOL PoeTV News Video file
Cancelling AOL Consumerist News Video file
AOL Canceler on CNN, For Reals This Time
Consumerist - Tomorrow We Interview Vincent Ferrari
... Vincent Ferrari, The New York blogger and former AOL loyalist used to spend his time online exclusively at AOL's Web portal. He even met his wife there. But broadband beckoned and Ferrari's AOL usage declined to nearly zero. He decided to end the relationship. Ferrari had heard that breaking up with AOL was difficult to do -- customer service agents allegedly employed every trick short of threats to keep people from dropping out -- so he recorded his call to customer service.

Hack lets intruders sneak into home routers
Dlink
Linksys
NETGEAR
SpeedStream
Siemens/SpeedStream
Changing the Linksys Router's Password
Linksys - How to Secure Your Network
DNS servers--an Internet Achilles' heel
Technical Report TR641: Drive-By Pharming
Security Now - A Security column & podcast by Steve Gibson and Leo Laporte
Security Now - A Busy Week for Security Troubles
Security Now - A Busy Week for Security Troubles (MP3)
... If you haven't changed the default password on your home router, let this recent threat serve as a reminder. CNET News.com, February 15, 2007.

An Overview of the File Transfer Protocol
... The File Transfer Protocol (FTP) was one of the first efforts to create a standard means of exchanging files over a TCP/IP network, so the FTP has been around since the 1970's. The FTP was designed with as much flexibility as possible, so it could be used over networks other than TCP/IP, as well as being engineered to have the capability with exchanging files with a broad variety of machines.

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News Letters about Computers

The Naked PC Newsletter (TNPC)
The current Naked PC News Letter
... What You Need to Know about All Things PC.

Lavasoft
Lavasoft News
... Subscribe to free Lavasoft News newsletter The Eye for the latest news on issues concerning your security and privacy.

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Discussion Groups and Forums

PC Magazine Forum
... PC Magazine's online.

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Miscellaneous

Animator vs Animation by alanbecker (swf)
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Tools and Resources

CD.TEXTFILES.COM - The Past on Plastic
CD.TEXTFILES.COM Directory
... Who knew that the companies looking for a quick buck through the late 1980's and early 1990's with "Shovelware" CDs would become the unwitting archivists of the BBS age? No one did, but here we are, looking back, muttering thanks to these souless con artists as we plunder the very data they themselves took from a time now past.

Win98 Diagnostics
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General DOS Diagnostics
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DOS Boot Setup
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DOS Tools and More - 1
... The Explorer: Save Your Butt With DOS: Part One.

DOS Tools and More - 2
... The Explorer: Save Your Butt With DOS: Part Two.

DOS Tools and More - 3
... The Explorer: Save Your Butt With DOS: Part Three.

DOS Tools and More - 4
... The Explorer: Save Your Butt With DOS: Part Four, Pulling It All Together.

Memory (RAM) Tests
... Memtest86 - A Stand-alone Memory Diagnostic.

Search Google for Memory (RAM) Tests
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Western Digital Drive Diagnostics
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Maxtor Drive Diagnostics
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Hitachi Global Storage Technologies Drive Diagnostics
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SEAGATE Drive Diagnostics
How to interpret the model numbers of Seagate drives - Interpretation Schemes for Seagate and Maxtor-brand hard drives
Seagate Downloads
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Search Google for Modem diagnostics
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Search Google for Network/NIC diagnostics
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Search Google for CD diagnostics
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Search Google for DVD diagnostics
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Search Google for Motherboard diagnostics
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Search Google for CPU diagnostics
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