Chad's News

Recently, Apple quietly added the Safari browser to its automatic update program. If you simply un-check it, the update reminder will come back until you’ve installed it (or gone crazy). Here’s how to get rid of it permanently.

When you see the Apple update screen, un-select everything except Safari. Then go into the “Tools” menu and select “Ignore Selected Updates”. (Note that it’s easy to get this backwards and select everything but Safari, which will not work—you need to select only Safari.)

Link: http://cybernetnews.com/…
(via Lifehacker)

If you’ve ever double-clicked on an unknown file type in Windows, then you’re probably familiar with this dialog box. Here’s how to get rid of it and go straight to the program selection list.

Link: http://lifehacker.com/…

The linked site converts your email address into an image file, which you can use in place of your email address, to keep spammers from harvesting it. On the downside, legitimate users can’t click on it to open a new message; rather, they have to type it in. The quick and easy method of obfuscating email addresses is to encode them as HTML character entities. Probably the best method, however, is to set up a submission form on your website–but this can’t be used in every situation where you want to publish your email address.

Link: http://www.spam-proof-email-generator.com/

Here’s a useful site for those times when you wonder if a site is down for everyone, or if it’s you that’s having the problem.

Link: http://downforeveryoneorjustme.com/
(via The Presurfer)

I did instant messaging “back in the day” with ICQ, but it’s only in the past year or so that I got serious about it. And what a mess! Because the people I chat with are on different networks, I had three IM clients running at the same time. But there is a solution. Pidgin is a free, multi-platform IM client that can simultaneously connect to 16 different IM networks, including Yahoo!, AIM, MSN, Google Talk, and, yes, ICQ.

Link: http://www.pidgin.im/…

Ever set up a wireless network and then forgotten/lost the encryption key? Or worse, had to make changes to a wireless network that was set up and configured by someone else? WirelessKeyView is a Windows utility that will retrieve a stored encryption key from a computer.

Link: http://www.nirsoft.net/…
(via Lifehacker)

Here’s a tip on how to mess with telemarketers or debt collectors: use ZabaSearch to look up the caller’s phone number and address, then threaten to turn the tables. I looked myself up—they had the correct address but a very old phone number.

ZabaSearch appears to be a pretty good people-search tool, given that it’s free. Their goal, of course, is to get you to pay money to get more than just the basic information.

Link: http://consumerist.com/…

This tip from Kim Komando tells how to easily log in to a password-protected Windows computer. Just goes to show the importance of physical security.

Link: http://komando.com/…

Ever wondered how to make “My Computer” open in a double-paned Windows Explorer window? Well, here’s the shortcut that does it (and yes, that’s a double colon):

explorer.exe /e,::{20D04FE0-3AEA-1069-A2D8-08002B30309D}

Link: http://www.microsoft.com/…

I’ve just learned of a new site that allows you to share files with others—it’s called drop.io. Say you need to send a large file to several recipients. Rather than emailing it, just “drop” it to drop.io and send the link. The main difference between drop.io and other, similar sites, is that drop.io does not require anyone to register. It does, however, have a 100MB limitation.

Another feature of drop.io is that it gives out a phone number. Call the number and leave a message, then drop.io will convert the message to MP3 format and upload it to your drop. Neat!

Link: http://drop.io/
(via Lifehacker)

A class action lawsuit has been brought against members of the DeBeers Group for inflating the price of diamonds. You can get part of the settlement if you belong to this group: “All persons located in the United States who purchased any diamond or diamond jewelry or other products containing gem diamonds for personal use and not for resale between January 1, 1994 and March 31, 2006.”

Link: https://diamondsclassaction.com/
(via The Consumerist)

This article by Kim Komando has some good tips regarding what to look for in a new computer that runs Windows Vista. Vista, by the way, was named the year’s biggest tech disappointment by PC World.

Buying a New Windows Computer

By Kim Komando

You can still get computers that run Windows XP. But Vista, whatever its faults, is the future. We’ve used Vista all year in the office. It has worked fine.

Vista requires a more powerful machine than XP. That means you may have to spend more than you planned.

There are several versions of Vista. Vista Home Basic is just that—basic. Skip it. Go with Home Premium or Ultimate.

Home Premium and Ultimate give you a much better experience. You’ll be able to see all the improvements in Vista’s design. There are also more features in these editions. For example, they both include Media Center. To learn more about the different versions of Vista, read my buying guide.

With Vista, you’ll need plenty of RAM. The minimum you’ll need for Home Basic is 512 megabytes. For other versions of Vista, you’ll need 1GB. I would double this. Otherwise, be prepared to add more RAM later. This is particularly true if you’ll do photo or video editing.

You’ll also need plenty of graphics power. That’s due to Vista’s Aero interface. The minimum amount of video RAM you need for Vista is 128MB. Again, I would double this.

Buy a computer with a dedicated graphics card. The card will have its own memory.

Cheaper computers have the graphics system built in to the motherboard. This is called integrated graphics. If you buy a computer with integrated graphics, the system RAM will also be used for graphics. This will slow down your machine.

Things are different if you’re buying a laptop. You may opt for integrated graphics to improve battery life. Also, it will be more difficult to find a laptop with a dedicated video card. If you go with integrated graphics, settle for no less than 2GB of system RAM.

You may want to add RAM later. Make sure the laptop will accept more RAM. Some top out at 2GB.

Most people focus on the processor when buying a computer. These days, chips are powerful enough that most will do just fine. However, I’d stay away from the budget chips—Intel Celeron and AMD Sempron.

I would go with Intel’s Core 2 Duo or AMD’s Athlon 64 X2 dual-core chip. With laptops, buy AMD’s Turion or Intel’s Core 2 Duo Mobile.

Don’t worry too much about processor speed. Any of these processors will be fast. But if you can get a deal on a faster chip, go for it.

Hard drive capacities just grow and grow. If you’re buying a desktop computer, the hard drive will probably be 160GB or larger. This is more than adequate—unless you�re doing video editing. With laptops, hard drive size is more limited. I would aim for 80GB or larger on a laptop.

A CD/DVD burner is also essential. Fortunately, it should be standard on most computers you’ll see.

Also, the computer should have plenty of USB ports. Some laptops only have two; I would shoot for three or four. Memory card readers are also a nice touch. However, they’re useless if they don’t accept the cards from your gadgets.

Once you get your new machine, you�ll need to set it up. Vista has a tool that will help you transfer data easily. It’s called Easy Transfer. I have a tip that explains it.

Copyright 2008 WestStar TalkRadio Network. Reprinted with permission. No further republication or redistribution is permitted without the written consent of WestStar TalkRadio Network. Visit Kim Komando and sign up for her free e-mail newsletters at: www.komando.com.