Upgrading Your Mozilla Thunderbird from 32-bit to 64-bit - Without Losing Any Settings

Many users don't think about it, but when you're running a 64-bit operating system, it's crazy to have old software. It may be updated on a regular basis, but you want to avoid all the x86-software, because 32-bit computing IS slower than staying in the 64-bit framework.

One Thing You Should Always Do When Using a New Hard Drive

Nowadays, you would probably choose to buy a SSD rather than choosing a 'normal' hard drive with rotating reading heads. But IF you buy a normal hard drive (typically S-ATA), there is one thing you should always do when you begin using the hard drive...

Should You Choose a Desktop PC or a Laptop?

In the good old days when I began using a computer laptops were extremely expensive. In those days, you had desktop and tower cabinets for your computing needs. In those days the logic was also that you could replace parts as new expansion cards changed your computing power for a fraction of buying a new PC.

Choose SSD Over 'Normal' Hard Drives - Here's Why!

Many are not aware of this, probably because SSD [Solid State Drive] started off as a very expensive technology. You had to be a gamer or a nerd to choose them as the effect on overall performance was limited back then. Much has changed, and today it would be a very good choice, especially for laptop computers since Solid State Drives consume far less power.

How You Can Remove Clutter From Your Hard Drive

I have been using quite a few programs from Ashampoo for quite some time. As you may remember from previous articles, I am a nerd when it comes to keeping my computer free from clutter. I like to remove unneeded files and clean up my Mozilla Thunderbird email client at regular intervals to ensure everything is running smoothly...

Scam Emails - Here's What You Should Do..

As with any other type of spam, the best advice is to delete it. Don't click any links! Don't give any spammer the benefit of earning even as much as a single dime from his spam being sent out on any number of computer systems. It has been a problem for many years, and nowadays, some spew out millions of emails because we never listened to the experts who said we should have created some form of authentication as a GENERAL aspect for all emails...

Fundamentals of Computing - Test Your Knowledge of IT

I have started a project entitled Fundamentals of Computing where I collect information about IT in a more structured way. There is both a fundamental and an advanced level, and I will take you through the world of Information Technology so you can be more informed about what happens in your computer.

ZIP-Files - How to Handle Zip-Files

I thought everyone knew what a zip-file was. Sometimes I forget that many people are not anywhere nearly as experienced as I am, and many others also are if they have the same experience with computers. In the old days, you could even compress a zip-file from the command prompt under DOS.

One Spam Filter You Should Have

The one spam filter you should have is one you can create right away. Regardless of whether you read e-mails online through the so-called 'webmail' or you have a specific program such as Thunderbird, you can create one filter that will avoid quite a bit of spam.

Don't Open Anything From Unknown Sources

A few years back I took part in a security course that also focused on hacking, and my best advice to all of you, dear readers, is that you don't ever open anything from unknown sources. That is especially important when it comes to your e-mail account.

Don't Download Beta Drivers

I came across a very bad article on running beta drivers. In the article the person recommended a beta of a graphics driver to enhance a specific game. I would NEVER do that if you want to use your pc for both gaming and serious stuff. Here's the reason why.

QuiteRSS - A Good RSS Reader

A blogger needs RSS feeds. Not to copy anything, but to be regularly inspired by what happens on other people's blogs. You cannot always rely upon people to update their G+ or Twitter profiles every time they have written, and you might also lose an update due to clutter from other subjects. Well, calling it clutter may be a bit derogatory, but you know what I mean... :-)

We get excited, and in that process we forget to follow people we are interested in reading more from. In that context you need the QuiteRSS feedreader. You can read more about it right here: https://quiterss.org/.

Your PC Can't Multiply Correctly

When you enter the number 2 in the field A1 in a spreadsheet, and enter this formula in the field A2: =A1*2 and press , you can then click at the lower right of the cell, and drag down so that you copy the formula, so that A3 contains the formula =A2*2, and A4 contains the formula =A3*2...

When you get down a number of cells, you start noticing errors, as I have shown in both row 51 and 54 in this screen dump next to this text. 20 multiplied by 2 should be 40 - not 50. 500 multiplied by 2 doesn't give you 990 etc...

I fully realize this won't affect your personal budget, but this type of error is rather interesting, because we did this experiment almost twenty years ago with exactly the same result, and both OpenOffice and Microsoft have this error in their spreadsheet software.

It might not be useful for much, but you can at least refer to this next time someone wants to make the claim that software is error-free...

Maximize Your WiFi Network Performance

After reading a special interest magazine here in Denmark, I came across a very good tip on how to maximize your WiFi network performance that I wanted to share with you on this blog. It is certainly a highly effective tool, and was worthwhile in securing my wireless network, and I am quite sure you want to do the same with your network.

Read What's On Your Screen

90% of errors happen when people don't read what's on their screen. It's quite simple actually - yet somewhat worrying for quite a few of us nerds to see the effect of people clicking Next, Next, Next, Done.

Resetting to Factory Settings

I learned something new today, and I want to share this with you, my dear followers and regular readers. I had the challenge of resetting a friend's machine that was infested with spyware, malware etc, and it would take far too long to TRY to avoid a full reset to factory settings.

A Good Source for Formatting USB Keys

Today I want to share a good source for formatting USB keys. This was a highly useful free tool when I just received an extra travelling notebook which had a bad operating system. This tool allowed me to format a USB key, and then convert an ISO image over on that USB key so I could book the computer with this USB key in one of the USB ports on that new second hand computer.

As some of you may know I have been working with Linux before, so this was in no way any problem. Actually, it ensures that I can access a free - and legal - operating system when I travel back and forth, so it is a highly useful tool.

You may download this tool from this link: http://www.pendrivelinux.com/.

Right-Click Problems Under Windows 10?

I had a problem with my pc. When I wanted to move files, I sometimes used the right-click option in my file manager. When that stopped working, I could still use Ctrl+C to copy, Ctrl+X to move and Ctrl+V to insert, but nonetheless, I was somewhat annoyed.

When searching forums for a solution, I came across MalWareBytes, and that scanner seems to do the trick. It's free, so go check it over at www.malwarebytes.org

Hope it helps you too. Have a nice weekend everyone. :-)

Putting an End to Scam Attempts

I'm quite sure many of you are tired of fake Facebook profiles and e-mail scam attempts. I have decided to send all such scam attempts to abuse departments. By doing so, you can disable some accounts being used for these scam attempts by making it far more difficult to continue this type of behavior.

WordPress 4.4 Soon Available

If you are a blogger, you will want to know that WordPress is now in beta3. That is very close to the first Release Candidate, so your current version is probably WordPress 4.3.1, which is the latest at the moment, and potentially, the new version should download to your site automatically.

You should remember to do occasional backups of your blog. I recommend you check this Backup plugin which is compatible all the way up the most recent version of WordPress, and is updated regularly. There was another plugin I used previously, but that hasn't been updated for more than two years, so obviously it's virtually worthless today, as there could be compatibility issues with new versions of WordPress.