Google's best-kept secrets: its features

Google continues to be the world's most-used search engine. So you might think that the search engine giant would roll out new features gently, not wanting to upset its massive user base, right? Not quite. Google introduces new features of its search engine with little warning and even less explanation of how to use them. The Instant Preview, Wonder Wheel, Timeline, and Date Ranges features are prime examples. What are they all about? Read on to find out.

Benefits of last bard drives

If you have a large media collection -music, video, or photos -be sure to place them on a fast hard drive, if possible. Most media players and browsers will create a catalogue of your media files and accessing that catalogue can take a lot of time -and slow your PC down -when the media player starts. An alternative to cataloguing a large media collection is to force your media player not to catalogue all of the files. Instead, open the music or video files individually.

BCC e-mails

To send a copy of an e-mail message to one or more additional recipients without the main recipient knowing, use your e-mail program's BCC field. BCC stands for "blind carbon copy" and it's often used to disguise the e-mail addresses of additional recipients. You can even use Bee to hide the addresses of all recipients. To do so, place your own e-mail address in the to field and the e-mail addresses of all recipients in the BCC field.

Speedy surfing

Want to get quickly to a website? Place your cursor in the address bar of your favorite browser, type the name of the site -minus the .com or http://www -and press Ctrl-Enter. Most browsers will automatically add ".com" to the end of the word and ''http://www'' to the beginning

Defrag details

Should you defragment your hard drive? With Windows 7, that question is becoming increasingly irrelevant these days. Disk defragmentation is automatically scheduled in Windows 7 on those drives that need it. With newer solid state disks (SSDs), defragmentation is not recommended at all, since files are stored differently on SSDs than they are on traditional disks. Windows 7 is smart enough to recognise SSDs and will turn off defragmentation by default.

Take charge of your Hard drive

It’s hard to feel in control of your digital life if you're not in control of your hard drive. After all, your hard drive is where all of your files are stored. When hard drives fill up or don't allow you to organise your data the way you'd like, frustration results. And when your computer won't start, it's important to know whether your hard drive is at the heart of the problem. Read on for some tips that will help you get a grip on your hard drive -and the data that lives there.

My computer won't start. How can I know if the hard drive has died?

      Failures of conventional hard drives are often, but not always, preceded by some clicking or tapping sounds emanating from your PC. Sometimes a steady click-click-click sound will indicate a hard drive that has malfunctioned. Solid State Drives (SSDs), which have no moving parts, will obviously not exhibit such a clicking sound. They will simply fail, with no audible warning.

Plan a stress-free Migration to Windows7

For many, the hardest part about using Windows 7 is actually getting up the nerve to migrate to it. After all, you have all of your data files, e-mail, photos, addresses -and more -stored on your existing operating system. What if you should lose some of it in the move?

It's a reasonable concern. But with some careful planning, you can have both a seamless transition to Windows 7 and set yourself up to make future upgrades even easier. Here’s how.

Know what you're getting

When choosing a graphics card, there's more to consider than price. The most expensive cards may give you the impression that they'll be the fastest, but this might be true only for garners, Who require cards that offer high frame rates for the latest 3D games. For typical business applications, you may not notice much performance improvement over less expensive cards. High-end cards notonly cost more, but they also typically run hotter and consume more power. So know what you're getting before you buy.

Change battery

Does your mobile phone battery seem to run down faster than it used to? Try turning off hardware-based features that you don't use, such as built-in Wi-fi or Bluetooth. It's easy to activate these and forget about them. But your mobile phone doesn't and they use power. If that doesn't solve your problem, you may need to swap out the battery for a newer one. Batteries do wear out over time. Buying a replacement could make your phone run like new.

Google alert

Keep up with what's said about you or your company online by setting up a Google alert. The Google Alerts feature (http://www.google.com/alerts) will e-mail you about all new mentions of a particular keyword, including your name or your company's name. You can also use Google Alert to keep up on the latest news, event or your favorite sports team without having to visit a website. 

Keeping your kids safe online

The Internet is scary enough for adults. For kids, whose experience in real life is limited, the Internet presents special challenges when it comes to safety.

How can you equip your kids with the knowledge to work and play safely online? And what software tools can you use to help give you some peace of mind? Read on for some answers.

Buying a Netbook

Netbooks are all the rage today, but they're not all created equal. That's why it's risky to order one over the Internet without having tried it in person. Among attributes that can quickly mean dissatisfaction or satisfaction are the feel of the keyboard, the clarity of the screen. and the responsiveness of the unit. Visit a local computer store to tryout several models. Then, if you find a great deal online, you'll be able to buy with more confidence.

Why is free software free?

These days, when we want to spend money on anything unnecessary, the lure of free software is greater than ever. Software makers are aware of this, and as a consequence, there's more free software available now than ever before.

But how can you trust free software? How can companies give away software for free? How do you know whether a program that you download might contain a virus or be a phishing scam?

Read on for some answers.

Guard against virus

What's the easiest way to catch a computer virus? Participate in a peer-to-peer file sharing service. These services -with names like BitTorrent and Gnutella -are popular among those who go looking for free software or music files. There's just one problem. aside from the frequently illegal software found on these networks: plenty of viruses are hiding in the files distributed. Not using these services can put you one step ahead in the struggle to maintain a virus free computer.

Check Firmware

Having problems with your wireless router? Check to see whether the unit's firmware is up to·date. Firmware is the software that controls many vital functions of the router. And manufacturers frequently provide updates to this software in order to correct connectivity and other issues. Check the manufacturer's website for the latest firmware. There, You should also find instructions for applying the firmware updates. 

Speed bootup in Windows7

Windows 7 is faster overall than Vista. But startup and shutdown times can still be frustrating. If you shut down your computer once a day -or more -those minutes waiting for a usable Windows 7 desktop can seem to drag on forever.

The same can go for shutting down. The good news: There are steps you can take to shave seconds, even minutes, off of both processes.

Assembling a PC first-aid kit

When it comes to computers, there's really only one certainty: at some point, difference between being trouble will strike. The only question is whether you'll be ready.

If either your livelihood or your sanity depends upon having a computer up and running when you need it, you owe it to yourself to have on hand the parts you need to get your machine back up to speed as quickly as possible once trouble does occur.

Here's a rundown of some items that could mean the difference between being without your PC for a week or more and being back in business in no time flat.

Speed up your PC

Getting rid of unwanted programs is not an easy task, since it’s all too easy to wind up with system full of free or low-cost software that seemed necessary and useful at the time but ended up being more of a nuisance than a gift.

And it can, at times, seem almost impossible to prevent applications you need from installing all kinds of" helper" applications that slow down your bootup process and increase overall system sluggishness.

Luckily, among the many free applications out there are some that can help restore your PC to the zippy state it was in when you first brought it home.

Tips to secure Netbook from theft

Netbooks are terrific for computing on the go. Yet their very compactness makes them easy to lose or to forget -not to mention being a target for thieves.

The material loss is bad enough the threat of someone getting access to your data can be catastrophic. The two obvious countermeasures include a mechanical lock or one of the various electronic solutions on the market.

There are three primary methods to protect the data on a netbook in the event of theft: encryption, BIOS and Windows passwords, or special anti-theft software.

Passwords alone aren't necessarily secure, "Thieves can circumvent Windows passwords by reinstalling the operating system, for example, or using a live CD!'

Change Update setting

Windows Update can either be useful or annoying. It's annoying when it's on autopilot, set up to automatically download and install updates, which sometimes require a reboot. Change the Windows Update setting in the Windows Security section of the Control Panel to download updates automatically but them to ask you whether to install them.

Right Posture

If you use a computer for long periods of time, remember that proper posture is crucial to your health. Keep your feet on the floor, arms parallel with the desk, head up, and back straight. It's also a great idea to invest in a high quality office chair, one that provides as many adjustments as possible. Also, if you have short legs, consider adding a footrest to your setup.

Increase Circulation

Sitting at the computer for long hours will take a toll on your body. That's why it's important to get up, stretch, and move your legs from time to time. if you have trouble remembering, download a program such as Stretch Break http://www.paratec.com, which will not only remind you to take breaks but also show you examples of how to move around to increase circulation.

CPU Details

Thinking of upgrading your computer's central  processing unit (CPU) ? Take the guesswork out of finding out which CPU is compatible with your current computer by visiting CPU upgrade.com (http://www.cpu-upgrade.com). The site provides information on exactly which processors your motherboard supports. You can conduct searches by motherboard or by CPU, and links take you to more information about individual processors.

Animation image to DVD Writer/Converter

AVStoDVD is a flexible tool to convert various media formats to DVD compliant streams and burn them into a highly compatible multiple tracks DVD.
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• Video encoding using QuEnc/HCenc/ReJig/FFmpeg
• Audio encoding using QuEnc/FFmpeg/Aften/Wavi 
• Subtitles encoding using SubtitlesCreator
• DVD Authoring using MuxMan/BatchMux
• ISO Image Building and DVD Burning using ImgBurn
• Internal DVD Menu Editor with customizable menus

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Free Antivirus Lists

Dear friends First things first: you should have some kind of antivirus protection on your PC otherwise you will lose your valuable information.

Following Computer viruses;  offers total PC protection for free. It's not some stripped down version of a paid product: it's the real deal. Scan any drive or file. Get in-depth reports on viral activity. Detect suspicious files that behave like computer viruses do. Even scan compressed .zip files, where viruses often hide. All in one attractive user-friendly interface.

1. Microsoft Security Essentials
2. Comodo Antivirus
3. AVG
4. Avira
5. Avast
6. ThreatFire