When you use the Ultimate Boot CD, it’s not exactly clear as to which utility you need to use when you need to zero fill a drive. So, when you boot the CD, press F2 to get into the Hard Drive tool section. Next, press the right arrow once to get to the diagnostic tools. Select the newest version of the diagnostic tool under the manufacturer’s name...

If you have two accounts at a certain website and you are tired of having to log in and log out all the time, try using multiple browsers. With the popularity of alternate browsers to IE, such as Firefox and Opera, you can save your settings for one account in your first browser and then the settings for your alternate account in your second browser. Since the...

If you are searching for a particular word or phrase on a rather lengthy web page, you most likely use the Find feature. One really useful function is the ability to emphasize or highlight all occurrences of your search. Here is how to use this function in the two most popular browsers: Firefox – On the Find bar, click the Highlight All toggle and all...

A widely implemented, yet surprisingly under used, function in programs is the keyboard shortcut for save. It only takes one or two times of losing an hour’s worth of work to start becoming “obsessive compulsive” about this. I now find myself utilizing this function, literally, every other minute to make sure I am safe in the event of a...

Please don’t be scared by the title of this tip, I’m not asking you to shun Windows for eternity! What I am suggesting you do, though, is to always have a Linux Live CD around if you are ever, for your sins, charged with fixing computers and broken Operating systems. A Linux Live CD can, very quickly, load a completely working operating system into your...

Continuing the theme of drive images from my last Tip of the Day; should you not want the advanced functionality of comprehensive imaging software, there are some FREE alternatives! I’m sure many of you have wanted, or will want to, replace the hard drive in your computer with a larger model. In this case, hard drive manufacturers provide free cloning...

Not all the best software can be had for free (which may surprise you if you regularly read our columns!). Nevertheless, a good piece of hard drive imaging software will very quickly pay for itself – assuming that your time = money! This software will allow you to easily take an exact replica of your entire hard disk(s), or specific partitions, and store...

Most people really don’t look after their computers, and in this online world, that usually results in a broken windows installation that YOU – that person’s friendly tech – could be tasked to fix. Now, I personally believe that a re-install is a last resort, but sometimes it really is the only option. If that PC isn’t a brand name system, do yourself...

It is always a good idea to have a full backup of all your data before installing *any* beta or new release software. Beta means that there are still bugs in the program, and those could lead to serious system errors, causing a loss of data. New releases are often less buggy than Beta software, but they still have not be tested fully on a huge number of...