Internet tips

Stay healthy while using your PC

After years of writing about PCs, I've concluded that computer users care about only three things (in no particular order): speed, security, and reliability. But the fastest, safest, sturdiest PC in the world won't do you any good, if overuse has made you too sore to turn the darn thing on.

Organizations of all types and sizes are cutting workers, which usually leaves even more work for the people whom they retain. Computers have been a primary reason for the increase in worker productivity in the last few decades, but sooner or later, all those hours in front … Read more

Three super Firefox add-ons

A big reason for the growing popularity of the Mozilla Foundation's Firefox browser is the amazingly creative and abundantly useful add-ons that are being created for Firefox. My three new favorites let you ax the ads on a site, see the tracking pixels on the current page, and gain a wealth of options when you select and right-click text in your browser.

Browse faster by blocking ads Wouldn't you like to watch TV and listen to the radio without having to sit through the ads that pay the freight? Or dismantle the billboards that line the freeways? I … Read more

Browse safely using Internet Explorer or Firefox

The second of my three-part update of the 10-Step Security story I wrote three years ago shows that some tech advice stands the test of time. (A post earlier this week freshened up tips one, two, and three from that story, which focus on Windows updates and security features.)

Step 4: Ensure that you can see file extensions and all Windows system files in Windows Explorer and folder windows.

These days, you're less likely to encounter a dangerous executable file masquerading as a harmless type of file, but viewing file extensions and hidden files remains a good idea. The … Read more

Today's sneaky viruses require extra precautions

The malware assault on our PCs escalated in 2008, according to antivirus vendor F-Secure. The company's threat summary for the second half of 2008 reports that F-Secure added 1 million virus definitions to its database this year, a threefold increase from the number of viruses the Finnish security vendor detected in 2007.

Today's malware authors aren't just looking to cause trouble; they're after your money and personal information, which these days are synonymous. Attacks are only going to increase in number and sophistication. If you thought you could avoid an infection by staying away from questionable … Read more

Syncing your Google and Outlook calendars

Last January, a Worker's Edge post described how to swap data between your Google Calendar and the calendar in Outlook 2003 or 2007, using the import/export functions of each product.

A few months later, Google released a free program that not only moves data between the two calendar apps, but it also syncs the calendar entries automatically at the interval of your choice.

Google Calendar Sync is so fast and simple to use that my calendars were synced before I knew it. When you install the program, you're asked where you want to place the utility's … Read more

Avoid the tech-support time sink

Let me begin by stating that most tech-support staff know their stuff and exhibit the patience of Job when dealing with us dumb, short-tempered users. Let me add further that on some occasions in the past I have had a less-than-pleasant demeanor when seeking the assistance of help-desk helpers.

Even though support staffers have saved my bacon on several handfuls of occasions, I feel like I have lost untold hours of my life on tech-support lines in a futile effort to troubleshoot some PC problem or other.

My most recent exchange with tech support occurred after a mail-server upgrade went … Read more

Disable all add-ons in Firefox, Internet Explorer

I have banished the Yahoo Toolbar from my PCs. It's not that I have anything against Yahoo. I use many of the company's services.

It's just that for me, the shortcuts on the Yahoo Toolbar don't justify the lost screen space, especially on my 13.3-inch laptop display.

So imagine my surprise when I happened to find the Yahoo Toolbar listed among Firefox's add-ons. (It snuck in when another user of the machine downloaded the Yahoo IM client.)

You might be surprised by the add-ons and extensions that have wormed their way into your copy … Read more

Two more iGoogle alternatives

On Thursday, I described the Pageflakes and Netvibes home page services, which I turned to after iGoogle suddenty grew a left pane and put me a click further away from my full-function Gmail in-box, among other questionable enhancements.

I also tried two other iGoogle alternatives: the beta version of the Symbaloo service and Yahoo's Delicious bookmark-sharing site and toolbar. I was hoping to find a way to view my Gmail in-box, Google Calendar, Google Reader, and Google Docs on my home page.

In the end, only iGoogle let me put all four of the elements on my start page. … Read more

Put the information you need on your home page

Last week, my iGoogle home page suddenly got a new look via the addition of a pane on the left side containing shortcuts to my widgets. I didn't ask for the new arrangement, and I can't find a way to make the new left pane disappear.

What's worse, when I now click my Gmail in-box, I get an abbreviated version of the application, minus a search box and other useful features. To see the whole enchilada, I have to click the Launch Full Gmail link in the top-right corner of the window. Huh?

The upshot is that … Read more

Combine your Firefox bookmarks and IE favorites

For most people, browsing is an either-or proposition: they use either Microsoft's Internet Explorer or Mozilla's Firefox. But I'm betting there's a bunch of people like me who find themselves spending time in both browsers, often simultaneously.

The problem is, my list of Firefox bookmarks bears no resemblance to my collection of IE favorites. It took all of about five minutes to solve this problem.

Move your IE favorites to Firefox Open Firefox 3 and click File > Import to start the Import Wizard. Choose Microsoft Internet Explorer and click Next. Uncheck all the options except … Read more