There are a lot of online storage services available today but the key to having complete confidence that your files and data are securely backed up is choosing the best online storage solution available.
With the gradual transition to a paperless society, the need for online backup services has never been more felt. All sorts of important information and personal files can be rendered irretrievable in a matter of seconds. But by subscribing to an online storage backup facility, these scenarios could be a thing of the past.
And if you think that backup functions are all these services can offer, think again. Here is a rundown of what other benefits can be had from storing your data "in the cloud".
read more: A Guide To Finding the Best Online Storage Service
Filed under Computer How-To by 
In a previous tip, I showed you how to create a batch file to open multiple applications at once.
That batch file works great if you want the same applications to always open at once.
But, what if you have a number of applications that you use frequently, and only want to choose from a list, a certain combination of applications to open at the same time?
For example, you have a book report due and you need to research the material on the Internet. In this case you want to open Microsoft Word and Firefox.
Or, it's time to pay the bills, and you need to open Notepad, Calculator and Microsoft Excel.
To do this we can create a batch file with a list of applications. When you run the batch file, a menu will appear that will accept user input from the command line and open the applications that you choosen (as shown in above screen shot).
read more: How To Create A Batch File That Opens Applications You Choose From A List
Filed under Windows Tips by
Have you just purchased a new desktop or laptop computer? Congratulations, and hopefully you will get plenty of use out of your new machine, whether it is for business, finance, research, multimedia, or purely entertainment (or a little of all the above).
But wait – don't open the boxes, plug in the cords, and try to start surfing the Internet just yet! Take a few minutes and follow these 5 steps that can help increase your computer security and possibly remove some potential headaches down the road.
read more: 5 Things to Do As Soon As You Purchase a New Computer
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When it comes to the Windows System tray, I like to have items displayed that I absolutely need. One item that I usually keep minimized in the tray is the capability to view hard drive activity using Sysinternals Process Explorer.
When minimized, Process Explorer displays the current hard drive disk activity (I/O) by identifying the process and the amount of read and write bytes (displayed in Kilo Bytes) written or read from disk.
read more: Monitor Hard Drive Disk Activity From Windows System Tray
Filed under Windows Tips by
I regularly use Skype to keep in touch with my friends and family. Recently I noticed that almost all of my contacts never pickup Skype calls, but then if I ring their phone they answer. This means that their computers are being left on, even though they are not using them.
When you consider that most computers use typically 70-200 Watts of power across the nation the accumulative waste of electricity must be monumental.
Most people would say that that the amount of electricity is minimal – it’s about the same as 2 or 3 light bulbs. The same could be said for other appliances left on standby, such as DVD players, TVs, and phone chargers. I recently heard a report that 2/3 of all the electricity consumed by mobile phones from the chargers being left plugged in 24 hours a day.
Filed under Computer How-To by
In a previous tip, I showed you how you can use Firefox to browse your hard drive for files and folders. This tip works great when you want to keep the number of applications open to a minimum or you are using Firefox on a portable USB Drive
Another cool feature is the capability to view files and folders or play music and video files in Firefox simply using drag and drop.
read more: FireFox Tip: Use Drag And Drop To View Files And Play MP3 Music
Filed under Computer How-To, Ubuntu And Linux Tips, Windows Vista Tips by
Like many people, including myself, the first thing I do after purchasing a computer, electronic gadget or appliances is rip open the box and throw everyhing away that's not important.
Including the manuals.
Usually that ends up being a mistake down the road when I need to reference the manual.
Fortunately in today's world we have the Internet Google and can easily find information on almost anything. But when it comes to finding manuals, SafeManual.com is usually where I start.
read more: Lost Your Computer Manual? Find It On Safemanuals.com
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Recently, I was shopping for a new MP3 player
Instead I just decided to purchase a simple Sandisk Sansa
So what happens?
read more: Do Too Many Features Take the Excitement Out Of Using Your New Gadget?
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