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  • Bullet Time in Real Life: Impacts Slowed Down with High Speed Cameras

    - by Jason Fitzpatrick
    Combine a little shooting range fun with a camera capable of shooting a million frames per second and you’ve got yourself the basis of pretty hypnotizing video. In the video above various rifle and handgun rounds are fired at a variety of materials–sheet metal, plate metal, gelatin–and captured in a halo of fragments and splatters. Have an equally enthralling high speed video to share? Throw a link in the comments! [via Mashable] How To Be Your Own Personal Clone Army (With a Little Photoshop) How To Properly Scan a Photograph (And Get An Even Better Image) The HTG Guide to Hiding Your Data in a TrueCrypt Hidden Volume

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  • The Infinite Jukebox Creates Seamless Loops from Your Favorite Songs

    - by Jason Fitzpatrick
    Why limit yourself to simply listening to a song on repeat when The Infinite Jukebox can use algorithms to turn your song into a seamless and never ending tune? Unlike simply looping a song from the start to the end over and over, The Infinite Jukebox analyzes the song and looks for spots where it can seamlessly transition from one point in the song to a previous point to create a sense of never-ending music. Some songs worked better than others in our testing–Superstition by Stevie Wonder, for example, worked flawlessly but Gangnam Style by Psy got stuck in a short loop that sounded unnatural. Hit up the link below to play with already uploaded MP3s or upload your own to take it for a spin. The Infinite Jukebox How To Use USB Drives With the Nexus 7 and Other Android Devices Why Does 64-Bit Windows Need a Separate “Program Files (x86)” Folder? Why Your Android Phone Isn’t Getting Operating System Updates and What You Can Do About It

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  • Do Limited Wi-Fi Channels Restrict Network Availability?

    - by Jason Fitzpatrick
    Wi-Fi protocol supports 13 communication channels; how do these channels relate to the volume of devices you can have on the network and the quality of the connection? Read on learn more about Wi-Fi channel usage. Today’s Question & Answer session comes to us courtesy of SuperUser—a subdivision of Stack Exchange, a community-drive grouping of Q&A web sites. Why Does 64-Bit Windows Need a Separate “Program Files (x86)” Folder? Why Your Android Phone Isn’t Getting Operating System Updates and What You Can Do About It How To Delete, Move, or Rename Locked Files in Windows

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  • Massive Google Street View Update: 250,000 Miles of Roadways, New Special Collections, and More

    - by Jason Fitzpatrick
    If you like tooling around in Google Street View to check out attractions near and far, you just got a whole lot more to look at. Street View’s new update adds in 250,000 miles of roads, increased coverage in over a dozen countries, and a whole pile of new special collections. From Russia to Taiwan to Canada, there’s thousands of new places and tens of thousands of new roads to explore. Hit up the link below to read the full announcement at the Google Maps blog. Making Google Maps More Comprehensive with Ciggest Street View Update Ever [Google Maps] HTG Explains: What is the Windows Page File and Should You Disable It? How To Get a Better Wireless Signal and Reduce Wireless Network Interference How To Troubleshoot Internet Connection Problems

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  • DIY Homemade Hybrid Rocket Engine [Video]

    - by Jason Fitzpatrick
    Remember the guy with the cool DIY astronaut ice cream build? He’s back with a mini hybrid rocket engine that runs off oxygen and acrylic. I built a small rocket engine for demonstration purposes. The engine is built from a 2″ diameter acrylic rod through which I drilled a 0.5″ hole. The oxygen at 80 psi or less is passed through the hole and then is forced through a convergent-divergent nozzle at the tail end. The nozzle’s throat is about 0.25″ and expands to 0.625″. I lit the engine by inserting a burning cotton swab (with wooden stick) while a small amount of oxygen was flowing. The acrylic catches fire very easily in a pure oxygen environment. The engine can be throttled and shut off completely, which is a major benefit to hybrid engine designs. Solid-fuel rockets cannot be throttled or shut off, which makes them difficult to control. [via Make] HTG Explains: What is the Windows Page File and Should You Disable It? How To Get a Better Wireless Signal and Reduce Wireless Network Interference How To Troubleshoot Internet Connection Problems

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  • Connectify Dispatch: Link All Your Network Connections into a Super Pipeline

    - by Jason Fitzpatrick
    Connectify Dispatch is a network management tool that takes all the connections around you–Ethernet, Wi-Fi nodes, even 3G/4G cellular connections–and combines them into one giant data pipeline. At its most simple, Connectify Dispatch takes all the network inputs available to your computer (be those connections hard-line Ethernet, Wi-Fi nodes, or cellular connections) and merges the separate data connections seamlessly into one master connection. If any of the connections should falter (like your 3G reception goes out), Connectify automatically shifts the data to other available networks without any interruption. In addition you can specify which network Connectify should favor with connection prioritization; perfect for using your cellular connection without breaking through your data cap for the month right away. Hit up the link below to read more about Connectify Dispatch and the companion app Connectify Hotspot. Connectify Dispatch Secure Yourself by Using Two-Step Verification on These 16 Web Services How to Fix a Stuck Pixel on an LCD Monitor How to Factory Reset Your Android Phone or Tablet When It Won’t Boot

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  • How to Identify Which Hardware Component is Failing in Your Computer

    - by Chris Hoffman
    Concluding that your computer has a hardware problem is just the first step. If you’re dealing with a hardware issue and not a software issue, the next step is determining what hardware problem you’re actually dealing with. If you purchased a laptop or pre-built desktop PC and it’s still under warranty, you don’t need to care about this. Have the manufacturer fix the PC for you — figuring it out is their problem. If you’ve built your own PC or you want to fix a computer that’s out of warranty, this is something you’ll need to do on your own. Blue Screen 101: Search for the Error Message This may seem like obvious advice, but searching for information about a blue screen’s error message can help immensely. Most blue screens of death you’ll encounter on modern versions of Windows will likely be caused by hardware failures. The blue screen of death often displays information about the driver that crashed or the type of error it encountered. For example, let’s say you encounter a blue screen that identified “NV4_disp.dll” as the driver that caused the blue screen. A quick Google search will reveal that this is the driver for NVIDIA graphics cards, so you now have somewhere to start. It’s possible that your graphics card is failing if you encounter such an error message. Check Hard Drive SMART Status Hard drives have a built in S.M.A.R.T. (Self-Monitoring, Analysis, and Reporting Technology) feature. The idea is that the hard drive monitors itself and will notice if it starts to fail, providing you with some advance notice before the drive fails completely. This isn’t perfect, so your hard drive may fail even if SMART says everything is okay. If you see any sort of “SMART error” message, your hard drive is failing. You can use SMART analysis tools to view the SMART health status information your hard drives are reporting. Test Your RAM RAM failure can result in a variety of problems. If the computer writes data to RAM and the RAM returns different data because it’s malfunctioning, you may see application crashes, blue screens, and file system corruption. To test your memory and see if it’s working properly, use Windows’ built-in Memory Diagnostic tool. The Memory Diagnostic tool will write data to every sector of your RAM and read it back afterwards, ensuring that all your RAM is working properly. Check Heat Levels How hot is is inside your computer? Overheating can rsult in blue screens, crashes, and abrupt shut downs. Your computer may be overheating because you’re in a very hot location, it’s ventilated poorly, a fan has stopped inside your computer, or it’s full of dust. Your computer monitors its own internal temperatures and you can access this information. It’s generally available in your computer’s BIOS, but you can also view it with system information utilities such as SpeedFan or Speccy. Check your computer’s recommended temperature level and ensure it’s within the appropriate range. If your computer is overheating, you may see problems only when you’re doing something demanding, such as playing a game that stresses your CPU and graphics card. Be sure to keep an eye on how hot your computer gets when it performs these demanding tasks, not only when it’s idle. Stress Test Your CPU You can use a utility like Prime95 to stress test your CPU. Such a utility will fore your computer’s CPU to perform calculations without allowing it to rest, working it hard and generating heat. If your CPU is becoming too hot, you’ll start to see errors or system crashes. Overclockers use Prime95 to stress test their overclock settings — if Prime95 experiences errors, they throttle back on their overclocks to ensure the CPU runs cooler and more stable. It’s a good way to check if your CPU is stable under load. Stress Test Your Graphics Card Your graphics card can also be stress tested. For example, if your graphics driver crashes while playing games, the games themselves crash, or you see odd graphical corruption, you can run a graphics benchmark utility like 3DMark. The benchmark will stress your graphics card and, if it’s overheating or failing under load, you’ll see graphical problems, crashes, or blue screens while running the benchmark. If the benchmark seems to work fine but you have issues playing a certain game, it may just be a problem with that game. Swap it Out Not every hardware problem is easy to diagnose. If you have a bad motherboard or power supply, their problems may only manifest through occasional odd issues with other components. It’s hard to tell if these components are causing problems unless you replace them completely. Ultimately, the best way to determine whether a component is faulty is to swap it out. For example, if you think your graphics card may be causing your computer to blue screen, pull the graphics card out of your computer and swap in a new graphics card. If everything is working well, it’s likely that your previous graphics card was bad. This isn’t easy for people who don’t have boxes of components sitting around, but it’s the ideal way to troubleshoot. Troubleshooting is all about trial and error, and swapping components out allows you to pin down which component is actually causing the problem through a process of elimination. This isn’t a complete guide to everything that could likely go wrong and how to identify it — someone could write a full textbook on identifying failing components and still not cover everything. But the tips above should give you some places to start dealing with the more common problems. Image Credit: Justin Marty on Flickr     

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  • The Best Application Launchers and Docks for Organizing Your Desktop

    - by Lori Kaufman
    Is your desktop so cluttered you can’t find anything? Is your Start menu so long you have to scroll to see what programs are there? If so, you probably need an application launcher to organize your desktop and make your life easier. We’ve created a list of many useful application launchers in different forms. You can choose from dock programs, portable application launchers, Start menu and Taskbar replacements, and keyboard-oriented launchers. HTG Explains: What Is RSS and How Can I Benefit From Using It? HTG Explains: Why You Only Have to Wipe a Disk Once to Erase It HTG Explains: Learn How Websites Are Tracking You Online

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  • How to Make and Install an Electric Outlet in a Cabinet or Desk

    - by Eric Z Goodnight
    If you’re like most geeks, you’re always looking for power—there’s never an outlet where you need one! With this simple how-to, see how you can install an outlet in a desk, cabinet or wherever—right where you need it! It’s simple, fun, and reasonably cheap, so why not install some outlets exactly where you need them? There are kits available to buy online, but these are often quite expensive. See how you can buy off the shelf, stock parts and install an outlet wherever you want to.  How to Make and Install an Electric Outlet in a Cabinet or DeskHow To Recover After Your Email Password Is CompromisedHow to Clean Your Filthy Keyboard in the Dishwasher (Without Ruining it)

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  • Watch the Geminid Meteors Tonight

    - by Jason Fitzpatrick
    Tonight is the peak of the Geminid Meteor shower, if you don’t mind braving the cold and have a spot relatively free from light pollution to stretch out in you’ll be able to enjoy one of the more brilliant and busy meteor showers of the year. Sky and Telescope magazine reports on the Geminid Meteor shower: If it’s clear late Thursday night, December 13th, 2012, keep a lookout high overhead for the shooting stars of the Geminid meteor shower. The Geminids are usually one of the two best meteor showers of the year, often beating out the Perseids of August. And this year there’s no moonlight to interfere. Under a clear, dark sky, you may see at least one Geminid per minute on average from roughly 10 p.m. Thursday until dawn Friday morning. If you live under the artificial skyglow of light pollution your numbers will be less, but the brightest meteors will still shine through. Hit up the link below to read the full article and learn more about the Geminid Meteor shower. Secure Yourself by Using Two-Step Verification on These 16 Web Services How to Fix a Stuck Pixel on an LCD Monitor How to Factory Reset Your Android Phone or Tablet When It Won’t Boot

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  • Roll Your Own Passive 3D Movie System with Dual Projectors

    - by Jason Fitzpatrick
    If you’d like to enjoy 3D movies with passive polarized glasses for less than $50,000 (the average price of a passive 3D projector), this DIY setup brings the price down to a more accessible level. Courtesy of 3D movie and theater enthusiast Jahun, this guide details how you can achieve passive 3D projection using two radically less expensive projectors, cheap polarized filters, and some software. The project won’t be free-as-in-beer but with some careful shopping the bill will ring up at the thousands instead of tens-of-thousands of dollars. Hit up the link below to see how he pulled off miming a $50,000 projector for less than a tenth the cost. Passive Projection [via Hack A Day] How to Get Pro Features in Windows Home Versions with Third Party Tools HTG Explains: Is ReadyBoost Worth Using? HTG Explains: What The Windows Event Viewer Is and How You Can Use It

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  • Tempescope Displays Weather by Recreating It

    - by Jason Fitzpatrick
    Yesterday we showed you an umbrella stand that signals raining/clear skies by color, today we have something even more interesting: an ambient desktop weather station that recreates the outside weather. The Tempescope pulls down the current weather report from Weather Underground’s API and feeds it to an Arduino board which in turn controls the device. When it’s raining, it pumps water down to simulate rain in the chamber. When there is lightening, LEDs flash. When there is cloud cover, an ultrasonic generator creates a fine mist inside the cylinder. Finally, on sunny days the entire thing glows warmly. To say that we want one would be an understatement. Hit up the link below to read more about the project, the display modes, and to peek inside the device. Prototyping “Tempescope”, An Ambient Weather Display [via Hack A Day] How To Delete, Move, or Rename Locked Files in Windows HTG Explains: Why Screen Savers Are No Longer Necessary 6 Ways Windows 8 Is More Secure Than Windows 7

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  • Ask the Readers: Do You Use a Desktop Email Client?

    - by Jason Fitzpatrick
    Thanks to the rise of free and numerous webmail providers, there’s an entire generation of email users who have never used a desktop email client. None the less there are still many dedicated desktop client users (and reasons to be one)–are you among them? Image available as wallpaper here. Whether you’re webmail all the way, stick with your very desktop email client, or use a hybrid system, we want to hear from you. How are you reading and responding to your email? On the web? After downloading it to your dedicated client? What’s the advantages and disadvantages to the way you do things; how would you sell your email workflow to your fellow readers? Sound off in the comments and then check back in on Friday for the What You Said roundup to see how your fellow readers manage their email workflow. 6 Start Menu Replacements for Windows 8 What Is the Purpose of the “Do Not Cover This Hole” Hole on Hard Drives? How To Log Into The Desktop, Add a Start Menu, and Disable Hot Corners in Windows 8

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  • What You Said: Desktop vs. Web-based Email Cients

    - by Jason Fitzpatrick
    We clearly tapped into a subject you all have a strong opinion about with this week’s Ask the Readers post; read on to see how your fellow readers manage their email on, off, and across desktops and devices. Earlier this week we asked you to share your email workflow and you all responded in force. TusconMatt doesn’t miss desktop clients one bit: Switched to Gmail years ago and never looked back. No more losing my emails and contacts if my HDD crashes or when I reinstall. No more frustration with not being able to access an email on the road because it downloaded to my drive and deleted from the server. No more mailbox full messages because I left messages on the server to avoid the above problem! I love having access to all emails from anywhere on any platform and don’t think I could ever go back to a dedicated email client. How To Play DVDs on Windows 8 6 Start Menu Replacements for Windows 8 What Is the Purpose of the “Do Not Cover This Hole” Hole on Hard Drives?

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  • The Best Text to Speech (TTS) Software Programs and Online Tools

    - by Lori Kaufman
    Text to Speech (TTS) software allows you to have text read aloud to you. This is useful for struggling readers and for writers, when editing and revising their work. You can also convert eBooks to audiobooks so you can listen to them on long drives. We’ve posted some websites here where you can find some good TTS software programs and online tools that are free or at least have free versions available. 8 Deadly Commands You Should Never Run on Linux 14 Special Google Searches That Show Instant Answers How To Create a Customized Windows 7 Installation Disc With Integrated Updates

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  • What Keeps You from Changing Your Public IP Address and Wreaking Havoc on the Internet?

    - by Jason Fitzpatrick
    What exactly is preventing you (or anyone else) from changing their IP address and causing all sorts of headaches for ISPs and other Internet users? Today’s Question & Answer session comes to us courtesy of SuperUser—a subdivision of Stack Exchange, a community-driven grouping of Q&A web sites. The Question SuperUser reader Whitemage is curious about what’s preventing him from wantonly changing his IP address and causing trouble: An interesting question was asked of me and I did not know what to answer. So I’ll ask here. Let’s say I subscribed to an ISP and I’m using cable internet access. The ISP gives me a public IP address of 60.61.62.63. What keeps me from changing this IP address to, let’s say, 60.61.62.75, and messing with another consumer’s internet access? For the sake of this argument, let’s say that this other IP address is also owned by the same ISP. Also, let’s assume that it’s possible for me to go into the cable modem settings and manually change the IP address. Under a business contract where you are allocated static addresses, you are also assigned a default gateway, a network address and a broadcast address. So that’s 3 addresses the ISP “loses” to you. That seems very wasteful for dynamically assigned IP addresses, which the majority of customers are. Could they simply be using static arps? ACLs? Other simple mechanisms? Two things to investigate here, why can’t we just go around changing our addresses, and is the assignment process as wasteful as it seems? The Answer SuperUser contributor Moses offers some insight: Cable modems aren’t like your home router (ie. they don’t have a web interface with simple point-and-click buttons that any kid can “hack” into). Cable modems are “looked up” and located by their MAC address by the ISP, and are typically accessed by technicians using proprietary software that only they have access to, that only runs on their servers, and therefore can’t really be stolen. Cable modems also authenticate and cross-check settings with the ISPs servers. The server has to tell the modem whether it’s settings (and location on the cable network) are valid, and simply sets it to what the ISP has it set it for (bandwidth, DHCP allocations, etc). For instance, when you tell your ISP “I would like a static IP, please.”, they allocate one to the modem through their servers, and the modem allows you to use that IP. Same with bandwidth changes, for instance. To do what you are suggesting, you would likely have to break into the servers at the ISP and change what it has set up for your modem. Could they simply be using static arps? ACLs? Other simple mechanisms? Every ISP is different, both in practice and how close they are with the larger network that is providing service to them. Depending on those factors, they could be using a combination of ACL and static ARP. It also depends on the technology in the cable network itself. The ISP I worked for used some form of ACL, but that knowledge was a little beyond my paygrade. I only got to work with the technician’s interface and do routine maintenance and service changes. What keeps me from changing this IP address to, let’s say, 60.61.62.75 and mess with another consumer’s internet access? Given the above, what keeps you from changing your IP to one that your ISP hasn’t specifically given to you is a server that is instructing your modem what it can and can’t do. Even if you somehow broke into the modem, if 60.61.62.75 is already allocated to another customer, then the server will simply tell your modem that it can’t have it. David Schwartz offers some additional insight with a link to a white paper for the really curious: Most modern ISPs (last 13 years or so) will not accept traffic from a customer connection with a source IP address they would not route to that customer were it the destination IP address. This is called “reverse path forwarding”. See BCP 38. Have something to add to the explanation? Sound off in the the comments. Want to read more answers from other tech-savvy Stack Exchange users? Check out the full discussion thread here.     

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  • E3 Booth Babes Display a Painful Lack of Video Game Knowledge [Video]

    - by Jason Fitzpatrick
    If you thought a prerequisite for manning a booth at an electronics expo was a passing knowledge of the electronics and games you were promoting, you were wrong. In the above video Chloe Dykstra puts a set of “booth babes” from the E3 2011 conference to the test by asking them simple questions about video games both new and old. If you’re a gaming fan and you can watch this video without laughing out loud you’ve got an iron will (or you’re shaking your head in disbelief that someone could work a gaming convention and not know the answers to these questions). We won’t lie, we were shaking our head when the one model admitted that she’d worked at GameStop for a year and still didn’t know any of the answers. What questions would you put on list? How about “Finish this sentence: ‘Your Princess is in another…’”, “Dimension?”. 5HP: Booth Babe Edition – E3 2011 [YouTube via Kotaku] How To Encrypt Your Cloud-Based Drive with BoxcryptorHTG Explains: Photography with Film-Based CamerasHow to Clean Your Dirty Smartphone (Without Breaking Something)

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  • eReaderLookup Catalogs and Compares Over 100 eBook Readers

    - by Jason Fitzpatrick
    Although the Kindle and Nook get the most press time, there’s a world of ebook readers out there; eReaderLookup helps you search by price, size, screen type, storage, and other parameters to find the perfect ebook reader for your needs. Whether you’re trying to find a reader with an SD card slot, a large screen, or native support for an less-than-popular file format, you can plug it into eReaderLookup and see if a reader exists that fits your needs. If there is more than one reader that matches your search parameters you can easily compare them in a side-by-side setup to quickly compare the stats. Hit up the link below to take it for a spin. eReaderLookup [via MakeUseOf] How to Stress Test the Hard Drives in Your PC or Server How To Customize Your Android Lock Screen with WidgetLocker The Best Free Portable Apps for Your Flash Drive Toolkit

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  • How to Add the Old Control Panel to the Metro Start Screen in Windows 8

    - by Taylor Gibb
    By default there is no way to easily access the old Control Panel in Windows 8, in order to get to it you have to go through the new Metro Control Panel or switch to Explorer. Here’s how to create your own tile for it. To get started you need to create a shortcut, so right-click on the desktop, and choose New –>  Shortcut. When you are asked for the location of the item, type the following: The Best Free Portable Apps for Your Flash Drive Toolkit How to Own Your Own Website (Even If You Can’t Build One) Pt 3 How to Sync Your Media Across Your Entire House with XBMC

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  • How We Learn To Hold Our Keyboards [Funny]

    - by Jason Fitzpatrick
    Your environment can have a big influence on your default keyboard hold: which kind of hold do you use? We don’t know about the rest of you but we learned the cubicle-hold long before we landed in a cubicle farm. [via MakeUseOf] HTG Explains: How Windows Uses The Task Scheduler for System Tasks HTG Explains: Why Do Hard Drives Show the Wrong Capacity in Windows? Java is Insecure and Awful, It’s Time to Disable It, and Here’s How

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  • Donkey Kong Wall Shelves [DIY Project Inspiration]

    - by Asian Angel
    Are you looking for inspiration for a geeky DIY project to get into over the holiday weekend? Then take a look at this fantastic looking set of Donkey Kong wall shelves created by artist Igor Chak! From the website: So here is a Donkey Kong wall, strong, good looking but still has its character. The wall is made out of individual sections; each section is made out of durable but light carbon fiber, anodized aluminum pixels that are joined with strong stainless steel rods and toughened glass tops. The special mounts themselves are made out of steel and can support up to 60 lbs. Igor’s notes and additional images for the project can be found approximately half way down the webpage linked below. If Donkey Kong is not your favorite game, this could still inspire a shelving project focused on the one you like best! Donkey Kong Wall [via Neatorama] HTG Explains: Why Do Hard Drives Show the Wrong Capacity in Windows? Java is Insecure and Awful, It’s Time to Disable It, and Here’s How What Are the Windows A: and B: Drives Used For?

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  • How to Install Incompatible Android Apps from Google Play

    - by Chris Hoffman
    Some Android apps on Google Play claim to be incompatible with various devices. There’s a good chance that these apps will run fine on many of these devices – you can bypass this check with root access. Some apps won’t actually work after you install them, but many will. This also solves problems with games that will install but refuse to play – for example, Gameloft games with the “this device is incompatible” message. Hack Your Kindle for Easy Font Customization HTG Explains: What Is RSS and How Can I Benefit From Using It? HTG Explains: Why You Only Have to Wipe a Disk Once to Erase It

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  • How to Recover From a Virus Infection: 3 Things You Need to Do

    - by Chris Hoffman
    If your computer becomes infected with a virus or another piece of malware, removing the malware from your computer is only the first step. There’s more you need to do to ensure you’re secure. Note that not every antivirus alert is an actual infection. If your antivirus program catches a virus before it ever gets a chance to run on your computer, you’re safe. If it catches the malware later, you have a bigger problem. Change Your Passwords You’ve probably used your computer to log into your email, online banking websites, and other important accounts. Assuming you had malware on your computer, the malware could have logged your passwords and uploaded them to a malicious third party. With just your email account, the third party could reset your passwords on other websites and gain access to almost any of your online accounts. To prevent this, you’ll want to change the passwords for your important accounts — email, online banking, and whatever other important accounts you’ve logged into from the infected computer. You should probably use another computer that you know is clean to change the passwords, just to be safe. When changing your passwords, consider using a password manager to keep track of strong, unique passwords and two-factor authentication to prevent people from logging into your important accounts even if they know your password. This will help protect you in the future. Ensure the Malware Is Actually Removed Once malware gets access to your computer and starts running, it has the ability to do many more nasty things to your computer. For example, some malware may install rootkit software and attempt to hide itself from the system. Many types of Trojans also “open the floodgates” after they’re running, downloading many different types of malware from malicious web servers to the local system. In other words, if your computer was infected, you’ll want to take extra precautions. You shouldn’t assume it’s clean just because your antivirus removed what it found. It’s probably a good idea to scan your computer with multiple antivirus products to ensure maximum detection. You may also want to run a bootable antivirus program, which runs outside of Windows. Such bootable antivirus programs will be able to detect rootkits that hide themselves from Windows and even the software running within Windows. avast! offers the ability to quickly create a bootable CD or USB drive for scanning, as do many other antivirus programs. You may also want to reinstall Windows (or use the Refresh feature on Windows 8) to get your computer back to a clean state. This is more time-consuming, especially if you don’t have good backups and can’t get back up and running quickly, but this is the only way you can have 100% confidence that your Windows system isn’t infected. It’s all a matter of how paranoid you want to be. Figure Out How the Malware Arrived If your computer became infected, the malware must have arrived somehow. You’ll want to examine your computer’s security and your habits to prevent more malware from slipping through in the same way. Windows is complex. For example, there are over 50 different types of potentially dangerous file extensions that can contain malware to keep track of. We’ve tried to cover many of the most important security practices you should be following, but here are some of the more important questions to ask: Are you using an antivirus? – If you don’t have an antivirus installed, you should. If you have Microsoft Security Essentials (known as Windows Defender on Windows 8), you may want to switch to a different antivirus like the free version of avast!. Microsoft’s antivirus product has been doing very poorly in tests. Do you have Java installed? – Java is a huge source of security problems. The majority of computers on the Internet have an out-of-date, vulnerable version of Java installed, which would allow malicious websites to install malware on your computer. If you have Java installed, uninstall it. If you actually need Java for something (like Minecraft), at least disable the Java browser plugin. If you’re not sure whether you need Java, you probably don’t. Are any browser plugins out-of-date? – Visit Mozilla’s Plugin Check website (yes, it also works in other browsers, not just Firefox) and see if you have any critically vulnerable plugins installed. If you do, ensure you update them — or uninstall them. You probably don’t need older plugins like QuickTime or RealPlayer installed on your computer, although Flash is still widely used. Are your web browser and operating system set to automatically update? – You should be installing updates for Windows via Windows Update when they appear. Modern web browsers are set to automatically update, so they should be fine — unless you went out of your way to disable automatic updates. Using out-of-date web browsers and Windows versions is dangerous. Are you being careful about what you run? – Watch out when downloading software to ensure you don’t accidentally click sketchy advertisements and download harmful software. Avoid pirated software that may be full of malware. Don’t run programs from email attachments. Be careful about what you run and where you get it from in general. If you can’t figure out how the malware arrived because everything looks okay, there’s not much more you can do. Just try to follow proper security practices. You may also want to keep an extra-close eye on your credit card statement for a while if you did any online-shopping recently. As so much malware is now related to organized crime, credit card numbers are a popular target.     

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  • More Than Headsets: 5 Things You Can Do With Bluetooth

    - by Chris Hoffman
    Your laptop, smartphone, and tablet probably all have integrated Bluetooth support. Bluetooth is a standard that allows devices to communicate wirelessly. Most people are familiar with Bluetooth headsets, but there are more things you can do with Bluetooth. To make two Bluetooth devices work together, you’ll have to “pair” them. For example, you can pair a Bluetooth mouse with your laptop, pair a Bluetooth headset with your phone, or pair your smartphone with your laptop.    

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  • Why Are Dial-up Modems so Noisy?

    - by Jason Fitzpatrick
    Throughout the 1990s the majority of internet users began their session with the noisy handshake of a dial-up modem, but what exactly was all that electronic chatter about? Read on as we investigate one of the more iconic sounds of the burgeoning Internet age. Today’s Question & Answer session comes to us courtesy of SuperUser—a subdivision of Stack Exchange, a community-drive grouping of Q&A web sites. While dial-up modem use might be down from the nearly 100% market saturation in the 1990s to only 10% of current US internet users, the sound of a dial-up modem connecting lives on in the memories of geeks everywhere. This week we’re taking a look at the technology behind the noisy process and what exactly was going on when you dialed in for your internet session. Why Enabling “Do Not Track” Doesn’t Stop You From Being Tracked HTG Explains: What is the Windows Page File and Should You Disable It? How To Get a Better Wireless Signal and Reduce Wireless Network Interference

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