If you don’t have the Ultimate Boot CD in your CD collection, you should. It lives up to its name: its got pretty much everything you need to do maintenance on a computer: hard disk diagnostics, disk wiping tools, partitioning, memory and processor tests…it even has DOS boot disks in case you want to pull… Continue reading Computer Utility: Ultimate Boot CD
Category: Tech
Computer Utility: PDF Split and Merge
I really don’t like working with PDF files. They have silly DRM that interferes with your ability to copy and paste, they crash browser, they can be huge if incorrectly generated, they are generally not accessible to people who need to use special software like screen readers, sometimes you can’t search them…in short, they usually… Continue reading Computer Utility: PDF Split and Merge
Computer Utility: WinSCP
Every once in a while, you need a good FTP client. For Windows, I use WinSCP. It’s pretty simple to use, it allows you to save login information, and it has a good bunch of features. My only quibble with it is that it defaults to SFTP as the protocol, but as long as you… Continue reading Computer Utility: WinSCP
Computer Utility: CutePDF Writer
I hate PDF files for many reasons, but there are times when creating a PDF is useful, such as when you want to have an electronic copy of a document instead of printing out a paper copy. Many programs these days now come with integrated PDF converters, such as Open Office and even Microsoft Office,… Continue reading Computer Utility: CutePDF Writer
Computer utility: Notepad++
There’s always a need for a good, simple text editor when you need to edit text files or make up a simple document (a blog post, perhaps?). Windows comes with Notepad, but that’s about as bare-bones as you can get. A much more powerful, yet still free, alternative is Notepad++. It’s especially useful for programmers,… Continue reading Computer utility: Notepad++
Choosing a good password
Few things are as important in personal computer security than choosing a good password. A weak password can have ramifications from the merely annoying (it seems that every week one of my Facebook friends gets their account hacked) to very bad (such as when your bank accounts get hacked). Using the same password for all… Continue reading Choosing a good password
Computer Utility: CCleaner
It’s generally acknowledged that Windows slows down with time: as you install and uninstall programs, crap gets left behind on the hard drive and in the registry that can make your computer act like molasses on a cold day. In the old days, pros recommended that every few months you simply reinstall Windows to solve… Continue reading Computer Utility: CCleaner
Computer/Photo Utility: GeoSetter
This piece of software is a two-fer: it’s a computer utility for photographers! Most people these days know that you can “geotag” pictures; that is, add the precise location of where a picture is taken to its EXIF metadata, allowing you to see it on maps, Google Earth, etc. Unfortunately, unless you have a very… Continue reading Computer/Photo Utility: GeoSetter
The end of a (foolish) era
Today, Time Warner announced that they would be spinning off AOL into a separate company, undoing the grand AOL-Time Warner merger of 2001, a business decision that is destined to go down as one of the worst decisions of all time. There are many symbols of the dot-com boom and bust — Pets.com, eToys, computers… Continue reading The end of a (foolish) era
Computer Utility: SyncBack Freeware
If you have more than one computer, laptop, or external hard drive, and you want to keep files synchronized between them, one of the best tools out there is SyncBack Freeware. This free utility allows you to set up multiple syncing rules between different drives and network locations, such as full two-way synchronization, pushing data… Continue reading Computer Utility: SyncBack Freeware