Computer Shopper articles from May 2004

Computer Shopper archives from May 2004

Thumbs-up for downloads.(Google Toolbar)
May 1, 2004... I used my Google Toolbar 37 times yesterday, and for what it's worth, the results were excellent. Worth, in fact, is the crux of the matter. Sure, Google is good, but its Toolbar is probably the most continuously useful of the 50 free downloads...

To each his own.(Letters)(Letter to the Editor)
May 1, 2004... One of the many benefits of building your own computer is the elimination of proprietary software ("The D-I-Y Desktop Challenge," March, p. 82). Brand-name computers come with enormous amounts of bloated software--junk that you will never want...

Mom and pop go online.(Letters)(Letter to the Editor)
May 1, 2004... John Dvorak's column on the development of online retailing was insightful ("The Dot-Com Retailer as Global Niche Marketer," March, p. 37). Several of the little bitty shops in our town have survived by selling on eBay. Our town managed to sell...

Fun-loving gamer seeks LCD.(Letters)(Letter to the Editor)
May 1, 2004... I was excited to read your review of 15 LCD monitors ("The Flat Pack," March, p. 92) but was disappointed you did not list their response times in the feature comparison. I've always avoided LCDs due to the ghosting issue with action games. I'm...

Fight fair.(Letters)(Letter to the Editor)
May 1, 2004... Comparing a $99 PalmOne Zire 21 to a Windows PDA that costs at least twice as much isn't a fair comparison ("PDA Prizefight," February. p. 122). If I'm buying a $99 PDA, I don't expect it to have the capabilities or features of a much more...

Intel leaves the lid off its new concept PC.(Trends)
May 1, 2004... Intel has unveiled a prototype consumer portable computer that blurs the line between desktops and notebooks by shedding the traditional clamshell laptop design. The Florence Digital Home has a 17-inch wide-angle LCD, giving it a similar...

Bluetooth phones under 'snarf' attacks.(Trends)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2004... Are strangers taking control of your cellular phone? It's possible, with a wireless hacking technique called "bluesnarfing." The exploit, which affects certain models of Ericsson, Nokia, and Sony Ericsson mobile phones, allows hackers to use...

Double vision.(Trends)
May 1, 2004... Top 5 Reasons CNET Users Want an Additional Television 1 Take advantage of latest technology 2 Enjoy movies 3 Bring movie-theater experience into home 4 Watch regular TV programming 5 Get a high-end video system for media...

Is antispyware playing double agent?(Trends)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2004... Millions of computers have been hit in recent years by ads and PC-monitoring software that often comes bundled with popular free downloads. The problem has attracted dozens of companies seeking to profit by promising to root out the offending...

New handheld hurdles language barriers.(Trends)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2004... Although you probably use it every day, electronic mail has limitations that prevent it from becoming a truly ubiquitous tool. The sender needs to know how to type, and traditional e-mail doesn't handle all languages gracefully, in response, HP...

Windows wary: percentage of small companies concerned about being dependent on Microsoft.(Trends)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2004... More than two out of five companies with 500 employees or fewer revealed trepidation at becoming too reliant on Microsoft products, according to a new survey. If that wasn't bad enough news for the software giant, the study also found that 72...

Talking smack, VoIP-style.(Trends)(Microsoft's Xbox game, Sony's PlayStation 2)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2004... While the giants of the telecom industry scramble to stake a claim on the nascent market for making phone calls over the Internet, Microsoft and Sony have already discovered the first breakthrough application: talking smack to other virtual...

Focusing on camera-phone prints.(Trends)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2004... Canon, Epson, and Hewlett-Packard have started a group to promote standards for printing images taken with the increasingly popular camera phone. Through the Mobile Imaging and Printing Consortium, the three printer companies plan to...

Satisfaction now available online.(Trends)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2004... People who shop online experience more customer satisfaction than consumers in most other industries, including Web-based investing and online travel services. Statistics released as part of the annual American Customer Satisfaction Index...

Silence isn't priceless, after all.(Trends)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2004... Silence may be golden, but now, thanks to iTunes, you can download it for just 99 cents. Among the hundreds of thousands of downloadable songs for sale at Apple Computer's online music store are at least nine tracks of silence, a fact that...

Quiet computers losing fans.(Brief Article)
May 1, 2004... Looking for a PC that's the strong, silent type? The strong part is easy, but power usually comes at the price of peace and quiet. Fast PCs require three, four, and sometimes even five fans to keep things cool, and those fans are anything but...

A hand full of features.(Gear)(Sony CLIE PEG-TH55)(Product/Service Evaluation)
May 1, 2004... Sony CLIE PEG-TH55 More for less: Sony packs pounds of capability into its new 6.5-ounce CLIE. Star of the company's spring 2004 line, this freshly updated handheld is stuffed with high-end features for a palatable $399.99. Power...

Pac fan.(Gear)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2004... If you're craving old-fashioned classic coin-op gaming, Jakks Pacific's Ms. Pac-Man TV Games is sure to sate you. Reminiscent of old-school arcade machines, this $20 palm-size play machine features its own joystick and five '80s-era games,...

Smarter networking.(Gear)(IRIS)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2004... Ditch those unsightly stacks of business cards and use the desk space for the $169.99 IRIS Business Card Reader II instead. This compact 600dpi color scanner connects to your PC via USB. Scan and digitize business-card information, then sync...

A rodent revived.(Gear)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2004... Grab hold of a mighty mouse and get gaming. Revered by squads of hard-core gamers in earlier incarnations, the Boomslang mouse is back in the $79.99 Sniper Boomslang 2100. This version by BFG Technologies features 2,100dpi resolution, the...

A box that rocks.(Gear)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2004... Add a little flash and personal flavor to your PC with a slick-looking Mutant Mods accessory from StarTech.com. This new fine of highly styled components includes goodies like bubble light tubes [$14], dragon-silhouette laser-cut fan grills...

A case of PC envy.(Gear)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2004... Soup up your PC'S shell with Antec's new Super LANboy PC case. This $89 enclosure is sure to make an impression with its anodized-aluminum construction, clear side panel, and front-facing electric-blue LED fan. Better still, the LANboy accepts...

Print from afar.(Gear)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2004... Practice hands-off printing with Iogear's Wireless USB Print Server. This handy $129.95 device attaches to your printer via USB and can be configured to enable remote printing for multiple PC users on an 802.11b or 802.11g wireless network....

I've fallen into a TTL, and I can't get out! An insidious phenomenon--the telephone torture loop--is attacking company phone systems, subjecting us to anguish and humiliation.(opinions)
May 1, 2004... SOMETIMES TECHNOLOGY can be downright disturbing. A few weeks ago, I was in the kitchen foraging for sweets when I heard my husband cry for help. After his fifth or sixth plea, I grabbed my cookies and raced to his aid. As I approached the...

Microsoft calling: pick it up or let it ring? Did you hear the one about what would happen if the software giant developed a phone? Wait a sec, it just did.(opinions)
May 1, 2004... LEGEND HAS IT THAT BILL Gates once said in a speech that if computer companies made cars, by now they would cost $25 and get 1,000 miles to the gallon. As the story goes, GM responded with a list of features of a Microsoft vehicle. For example,...

Why voting over the Internet is still a really bad idea: even without the gaping security holes inherent in online voting, the concept opens up whole new avenues for corruption.(opinions)
May 1, 2004... DESPITE ITS SERIOUS FLAWS, online voting is a topic that just refuses to die. The reasons vary but seem centered on two beliefs. One is that the election would have "gone the other way" if just a few more people voted. The other is that more...

The top 25.(Illustration)(Product/Service Evaluation)
May 1, 2004... Computer shopper editors handpick this month's best desktops, notebooks, LCD monitors, MP3 players, and utility software. SPACE-SAVING' DESKTOPS PRODUCT PRICE SPECS Polywell MiniO Qbox $2,450 3.4EGHz...

At last, a media center PC styled for the family room: Gateway FMC-901X Family Media Center PC.(Product/Service Evaluation)
May 1, 2004... FINALLY, THERE'S A MEDIA Center PC that deserves the title. The $1,799 Gateway FMC-901X Family Media Center PC eschews the traditional PC tower for a design that almost any home theater setup would welcome with open ports. You'll need to...

Amply powered budget PC comes packed with perks: EMachines T3025.(Product/Service Evaluation)
May 1, 2004... WITH A 2.17GHZ ATHLON XP 3000+ PROCESsor, 512MB of memory, a 160GB hard drive, and an open AGP slot, the eMachines T3025 ($649.99 without monitor) is a feature-rich budget PC. The $499.98 17-inch eMachines E17T LCD that shipped with our test...

A corporate workstation that knows how to rock: MPC ClientPro 345 Small Business Edition.(Product/Service Evaluation)
May 1, 2004... ALTHOUGH IT ARRIVES IN THE GUISE OF A corporate workstation, the $1,299 MPC ClientPro 345 Small Business Edition seems better suited to home offices or even basic home use. It's no speed demon, but it's surprisingly expandable and comes...

Great for games, video, but no peak performer: Gateway 710X Performance.(Product/Service Evaluation)
May 1, 2004... THE $2,599 GATEWAY 710X PERFORMANCE ISN'T the fastest Prescott Pentium 4 PC money can buy, but it has some appealing qualities, including superb video editing and authoring accoutrements. Gateway's terse warranty and tech support sour the deal,...

Big gamer speaks softly but runs at a swift clip; Voodoo Rage F-50.(Product/Service Evaluation)
May 1, 2004... ESSENTIALLY A GIGANTIC HEAT SINK WITH A high-end PC inside, the fan-free Voodoo Rage F-50 is nearly noiseless. But at $5,195, its silence is golden. The Rage F-50's matte-black aluminum case uses convection to dissipate heat via a snaking array...

Light, flexible tablet has features, not speed: Toshiba Portege M205-S809.(Product/Service Evaluation)
May 1, 2004... TOSHIBA AMERICA'S $2,299 PORTEGE M205-$809 combines the performance of a notebook with the functionality of a tablet. Built for maximum portability, this Portege lacks an integrated optical drive but comes bundled with a slim, useful USB...

True desktop power in a laptop package: Sager NP4780-V.(Product/Service Evaluation)
May 1, 2004... AT $2,365, SAGER MIDERN COMPUTER'S NP4780-V isn't cheap, but it's loaded with enough special features to make it a square deal. With a 3.2GHz Pentium 4 running windows XP Professional, the NP4780-V came to us ready to rumble. It was also...

No-frills tablet PC comes with trade-offs: TDV Vision V800XPT.(Product/Service Evaluation)
May 1, 2004... THE $899 TDV VISON V800XPT SQUEEZES enough of a full size tablet computer into a small flame to be an attractive option if you can live with trade-offs. Offering an odd mix of old and new components, the V800XPT has at its core an 800MHz...

Efficient office machine able to work long hours: HP Compaq NC8000.(Product/Service Evaluation)
May 1, 2004... Editors' Choice THE RETRO STYLING OF HEWLETT-PACKARD'S $2,875 business oriented Compaq NC8000 notebook may not appeal to everyone, but its speed and endurance certainly will. Powered by a 1.6GHz Pentium M processor and running Windows...

An exotically sharp tool for elite road warriors: Sony VAIO X505.(Product/Service Evaluation)
May 1, 2004... DYNAMISM.COM HOPES TO SATISFY HIGH-END buyers' lust for exotic gear by importing the ultra-slick $3,299 Sony VAIO X505 microportable. Previously available only in Japan, the X505 came to us running Windows XP Professional and engineered...

Looks like a sports car, runs like a Sedan: Acer Ferrari 3000LMi.(Product/Service Evaluation)
May 1, 2004... IF LOOKS COULD KILL, THE UNIQUE ACER FERRARI 3000LMi laptop would be wanted for murder. But ultimately, this $1,899 head turner comes up short in a few areas. Like its namesake, this Ferrari comes well-equipped. The notebook features an...

An inexpensive PDA with all the basics: ViewSonic Pocket PC V37.(Product/Service Evaluation)
May 1, 2004... ABOUT A YEAR AFTER IT RELEASED ITS FIRST Pocket PC, the V35, ViewSonic has rolled out the V37. Like its predecessor, the $349 V37 is a powerful but basic, no-frills PDA. Clad in a Sliver finish and beating a minimalist design, the V37...

The new BlackBerry blend is sweet voice, data mix: Rim Blackberry 7280 Wireless Handheld.(Product/Service Evaluation)
May 1, 2004... Editors' Choice THE EARLY ATTEMPTS BY RESEARCH IN Motion (RIM) at mating its popular e-mail device/PDA with a cell phone weren't very impressive, but the BlackBerry 7280 Wireless Handheld is a different story We tested the $449.99...

Plug in supreme laptop audio: Creative Labs Audigy 2 NX.(Product/Service Evaluation)
May 1, 2004... Editors' Choice Creative Labs' $129.99 Audigy 2 NX external sound card plugs into USB 2.0 and upgrades the 16-bit audio found in most notebooks to full 24-bit resolution Equipped with its own infrared remote, the Audigy has useful...

A flashy jukebox for solid playback: Gateway DMP-X20 Jukebox Player.(Product/Service Evaluation)
May 1, 2004... GATEWAY ENTERS THE IPOD arena with its $299.99 DMP X20 20GB Jukebox Player. At 4x2.6x0.8 inches and weighing 7.7 ounces, the 20GB DMP-X20 is relatively svelte. The player has a shiny aluminum finish and massive 2.5-inch blue-backlit...

Phone bargain packs competent camera: NEC 525 High Definition Mobile.(Product/Service Evaluation)
May 1, 2004... Editors' Choice AT $149.99 FACTORING IN REBATES, and a service contract, the NEC 525 High Definition Mobile (HDM) phone isn't expensive. The fact that it features a capable camera only adds to its appeal. Measuring 4.1x1.9x1.1 inches...

Stylish four-in-one gadget offers little substance: Panasonic SV-AS10 D-Snap.(Product/Service Evaluation)
May 1, 2004... PANASONIC'S $299.95 SV-AS10 D-SNAP COMBINES a 2-megapixel digital camera, a video recorder, a digital voice recorder, and an audio player in one wafer-thin package. Despite this ambitious roster of features and an elegant design, this...

Pocket-friendly digicam requires feats of dexterity: Casio Exilim EX-S3.(Product/Service Evaluation)
May 1, 2004... WITH THE CASIO EXILIM EX-S3, THERE'S NO excuse not to pack 3 megapixels in your pocket. No larger than a stack of 14 credit cards, the $349.99 EX-$3 is enticingly small and manages impressive battery life, though its ergonomics and fixed lens...

Portable CIS scanner delivers crisp output: Visioneer OneTouch 7300 USB.
May 1, 2004... Editors' Choice VISIONEER'S ONETOUCH 7300 USB SCANNER boasts a svelte and easily portable figure--made possible by its use of a contact image sensor (CIS) light source--and, unexpectedly, it manages to produce great scans. At $79.99, it's...

Inexpensive mono laser is fast and functional: HP LaserJet 1012.(Product/Service Evaluation)
May 1, 2004... ONE OF HEWLETT-PACKARD'S MOST AFFORDable laser printers, the $199.99 monochrome LaserJet 1012 is reliable and easy to use, turning out crisp text and graphics as well as watermarks and double sided prints, with its small-capacity paper tray and...

Funky knob yields decent sound: Guillemot Hercules Gamesurround Muse Pocket USB.(Product/Service Evaluation)
May 1, 2004... If you're looking to upgrade beyond a two-speaker setup, Guillemot's $69.99 Hercules Gamesurround Muse Pocket USB external sound module is an easy entry point to the world of 5.1-channel PC surround sound. It's not the highest-end audio option...

Will dual-panel LCD double your pleasure? Doublesight DS-1500 Dual LCD Monitor.(Product/Service Evaluation)
May 1, 2004... SPREADSHEET JOCKEYS AND stock traders will quickly see the value in DoubleSight Displays' $799 DS-1500 Dual LCD Monitor. Made of conjoined 15-inch LCD panels, the DS-1500 can be used as one wide display spread across two screens or as two...

Superfast drive shines on CD-burning tasks: Lite-On IT LTR-52327S.(Product/Service Evaluation)
May 1, 2004... Editors' Choice IF YOU WANT ONE OF THE FASTEST CD-RW drives on the market, you want Lite-On IT's $79.99 LTR-52327S. With superfast 52x-recording and 32x-rewriting speeds, it delivered excellent performance on most of our tests. ...

Pen-size Wi-Fi adapter offers slick security: Zyxel Zyair B-220 Wireless LAN USB Stick.(Product/Service Evaluation)
May 1, 2004... SMALL, STYLISH, AND SECURE, ZYXEL COMMunications' $49 ZyAir B-220 Wireless LAN USB Stick is eye-catching 802.11b adapter. It's also one of the best means we've seen to connect to a wireless network protected with 802.1x security, making it a...

802.11b home Gateway merges DSL/cable modem: 2wire HomePortal 1800HW.(Product/Service Evaluation)
May 1, 2004... THE $200 2WIRE HOMEPORTAL 1800HW IS AN all-in one Internet firewall, router, access point, and broadband modem that comes preconfigured for your cable or DSL connection, making it easy to hook up to the Internet. It's a satisfactory solution if...

Great graphics suite is cheaper than Adobe's: CorelDraw Graphics Suite 12.(Product/Service Evaluation)
May 1, 2004... COREL'S $399 CORELDRAW GRAPHICS SUITE 12 is a complete graphics package suitable for most users, and inexpensive compared with similar Adobe design programs. Still, considering the suite's minimal enhancements to Cord Photo Paint and Cord RAVE,...

This OCR software earns its recognition: OmniPage Pro 14 Office.(Product/Service Evaluation)
May 1, 2004... IN THE LEAPFROG GAME OF PROFESSIONAl, optical-character recognition (OCR) packages, ScanSoft jumps ahead of the competition with its $599.99 OmniPage Pro 14 Office. We tested the program with various documents, and its recognition accuracy...

Making DVD authoring a task worth repeating: Adobe Encore DVD.(Product/Service Evaluation)
May 1, 2004... ENCORE DVD, ADOBE SYSTEMS' NEW $549 DVD authoring application, lets you have your cake and eat it, too. It's a tasty cake for beginners, with easy drag-and-drop menu creation and automatic transcoding to DVD formats. It's 'also a filling cake,...

Put your home movies on the DV assembly line: ULead DVD MovieFactory 3 Disc Creator.(Product/Service Evaluation)
May 1, 2004... ULEAD SYSTEMS' FIRST TWO RELEASES OF ITS DVD-authoring software were called simply DVD MovieFactory. Version 3 adds "Disc Creator" as a suffix, and the $99.95 program offers some new functionality to justify its longer name. Ulead has made...

Utility suite goes under the PC's hood for repairs: System Mechanic 4 Professional.(Product/Service Evaluation)
May 1, 2004... WHEN A UTILITY SUITE PROMISES NOT ONLY system fixes and fine-tuning, but also protection from hackers, viruses, pop up ads, and spyware, it holds a lot of appeal. Iolo Technologies' $69.95 System Mechanic 4 Professional is such a product,...

Crack the code for cloning your PC content: Desktop DNA Professional 4.7.
May 1, 2004... IT'S NOT A MAJOR STRETCH TO DESCRIBE YOUR computer's files, settings, and data as its DNA, the "genetic code" that makes it unique. Miramar Systems' $39 Desktop DNA Professional 4.7 helps you transfer these genes to another computer,...

A media jukebox that plays well with others: RealPlayer 10.(RealPlayer 10)
May 1, 2004... WITH THE FREE REALPLAYER 10, REALNETworks joins the 99-cent music-download [:ray, and, despite some performance issues, it's a worthy addition to the crowded field of media jukeboxes. Note, however, that some choice features are available only...

The small-business tool to keep accounts in order: Quickbooks Premier Edition 2004.(QuickBooks 2004)
May 1, 2004... INTUIT'S $499.95 QUICKBOOKS PREMIER EDITION 2004 is the best and most comprehensive small-business accounting program out there. With its sophisticated forecasting and business-planning tools, as well as a thoughtful interface, it outpaces the...

Chow down at the retro-classics buffet: Atari: 80 Classic Games in One.(Brief Article)
May 1, 2004... ATARI: 80 CLASSIC GAMES IN ONE is a great way to relive classic console and arcade gaming, but some uneven emulations hinder an otherwise incredible trip down memory lane Of the 80 games, 62 were previously released on the Atari 2600...

This baseball sim is a good rookie effort: inside the park baseball.(Product/Service Evaluation)
May 1, 2004... INSIDE THE PARK BASEBALL (IPB) IS unlike every other sports sim on the market. Instead of managing a team, you control a single player shooting for the big leagues. Though it has a sports-sim look, with numbers-laden graphics and little...

Rock while you roll: Saitek R440 Force Feedback Wheel.(Brief Article)
May 1, 2004... The Saitek R440 Force Feedback Wheel is a well-designed, affordable choice for PC racing enthusiasts. At $79.95, it's an attractive value that sacrifices little in overall performance. Constructed of sleek black plastic with contrasting...

The best software money can't buy: 50 great apps from Download.com to customize your PC without lightening your wallet.(The Best Free Downloads)(Buyers Guide)
May 1, 2004... COMMERCIAL SOFTWARE COMPANIES WOULD HAVE YOU believe there are plenty of good reasons to avoid freeware, whether it's the lack of phone support, pesky bugs, or limited feature sets. But plenty of commercial software suffers from the same...

A pentium with a future: we bring you five of the first PCs to incorporate Intel's latest Pentium 4, which promises more speed and new multimedia capabilities.(Prescott PCs)(Product/Service Evaluation)
May 1, 2004... Intel unveiled its newly designed Pentium 4 CPUs with more of a muffled pop than a bang. Despite its redesigned core, 1MB of Level 2 cache, and 13 new multimedia instructions, the new CPU, codenamed Prescott, took the same Pentium 4 designation...

The wide world of Wi-Fi: wherever you are, wireless networking is where it's at. Find out which Wi-Fi components will help you stay connected while you roam--without sacrificing speed or security.(Wireless Networking)(Product/Service Evaluation)
May 1, 2004... Wi-Fi isn't quite everywhere just yet, but it's getting there fast. Many hotels and airports offer Wi-Fi access, usually for a fee, and the list of Wi-Fi hot spots worldwide now includes destinations as exotic as Mount Everest. Still, for...

Hard drives made easy: how to get the right high-capacity hard drive at a low cost.(Hard Drive Guide)(Buyers Guide)
May 1, 2004... WHETHER YOU'RE BUYING A NEW PC OR TRYING to breathe life into your current system, remember this: Software takes up space. And with all the multimedia fries being generated today--photos, video, and games--you can't possibly overestimate your...

20 web services worth paying for: our editors track down the best for-pay information and technology sites.(Paid Web Services)(Buyers Guide)
May 1, 2004... Let's face it: The golden age of a totally free Internet is long behind us. To get an idea of what's worth it on the Web these days, our editors wrestled over which sites and services most merit their hard-earned cash. The universal theme was a...

The Hard Edge: the Prescott is not so fast; ultrawideband is doomed; and the real reason behind the first Mars Rover's temporary inability to fetch.(help & how-to)(National Aeronautics and Space Administration)
May 1, 2004... ONE OF ALICE AND BILL'S main jobs writing "The Hard Edge" is to soundly ring the warning bell whenever a new technology trend comes along. Today's Trend Gone Wrong serves as a great lesson in hype-spotting for the newer members of the happy...

A brighter outlook: taking a few minutes to learn some key tricks for working with Microsoft Outlook can save you loads of time when you need it most.(Tune-Up)
May 1, 2004... When it comes to Microsoft Outlook, the 80/20 rule means 80 percent of us use it, but 20 percent of us spend our days cursing its limitations and intricacies. If you're a frequent traveler, for instance, chances are Outlook's handling of time...

The problem with pixels.(computer cures)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2004... I've seen the term "pixel" used to describe different things in different contexts, and I would like to know which is correct. In display products--such as LCD monitors--it's a combination of red, green, and blue subpixels. But the makers of...

A sound audio solution.(computer cures)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2004... How do I capture music from my radio onto my computer? I currently use my PC to listen to radio, and I want to create a WAV or MP3 file I can put on a CD, a DVD, or a portable MP3 player. I don't know what I need to capture this directly from...

Tricking windows.(computer cures)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2004... My wife uses an old freeware app for her recipe database that runs in a DOS window, and she loves it. The problem is that it will print only to an LPT port, and our printer has a USB connection. Is there some way to make our Windows XP Home...

Difficult defragging.(computer cures)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2004... I've been able to run the Windows 98 defrag utility in the past without any trouble, but now it hangs up at 0 percent to I percent complete, then goes back to 0 percent. Even after more than 11 hours, it never finishes. I have used only about...

Time to decompress.(computer cures)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2004... I want to install a new copy of Windows 98 on a friend's desktop computer. I've backed up all his files, but he has compressed his hard drive so I can't reformat it. How can I clean up the disk for afresh install? Alberto Rodriguez ...

More misappropriated media.(computer cures)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2004... How can I change my settings to designate a default media player? I installed a new player, and now that program--instead of Windows Media Player--launches when I double-click on a media file. Michael Boyd I get this one all the time....

Cables on a roll.(computer cures)
May 1, 2004... No, this isn't the latest menu item from your local digital dell It's a solution to a problem most computer users experience: how to keep cables from getting tangled in a laptop bag or when running them behind a desk, This month's tipster...

Been there, done that, burning the DVD: a retired Air Force photographer has loads of memories to preserve. We land him a high-flying, low-cost video- and photo-editing PC.(Buying Advisor)(VAIO PCV-RS530G Digital Studio, nVidia GeForce FX 5200, eVGA e-GeForce FX 5900)(Sony Electronics, Gateway, ABS Computer Technologies)(Buyers Guide)
May 1, 2004... KEN MEYER HAS FLOWN AT near Mach 2, braved an Antarctic winter, and spent a decade at a NASA satellite-tracking station in Alaska. The U.S. Air Force photographer, a retired master sergeant, has settled into a more ordinary lift: these days,...

Tech shopping.(Web buyer: the best sites for online shopping)(Buyers Guide)
May 1, 2004... americal.com Burn, baby, burn! Americal Micro Products sells an array of blank DVD and CD media. Use the drop-down menus to zoom to the type of media you need, including colored, rectangular, and printable discs. audioadvisor.com...

onecall.com.(Web buyer: the best sites for online shopping)(Brief Article)(Buyers Guide)
May 1, 2004... When you're shopping for cameras, camcorders, or home theater equipment, OneCall does it all. Handy buying guides and explanations of tricky tech terms help take the guesswork out of choosing the right rear-projection television, an affordable...

Price-comparison sites.(Web buyer: the best sites for online shopping)(Buyers Guide)
May 1, 2004... addall.com Read all about it! Dedicated exclusively to books, AddALL searches for new and used volumes at more than 40 online bookstores. Prices include shipping anywhere in the world and can be shown in 20 currencies. ...

Notebook parts and accessories.(Web buyer: the best sites for online shopping)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2004... laptopparts.com Tell LaptopParts the make and model of your portable PC, even if it's an older unit, and it will show you a list of compatible batteries, herd drives, network cards, and other upgrades. For do-it-yourself repairs, check the...

Direct PC vendors.(Web buyer: the best sites for online shopping)(Buyers Guide)
May 1, 2004... abspc.com Expect gaming, multimedia, and business PCs aplenty at ABS Computer Technologies. The company offers a choice of Intel or AMD processors, a three-year parts and lifetime labor warranty, and toll-free technical support. Every...

PC resources.(Web buyer: the best sites for online shopping)(Buyers Guide)
May 1, 2004... annoyances.org Does Microsoft Windows have you on edge? Visit Annoyances.org, where you'll find information about living peaceably with Windows. Sections include Customizing, Reducing Clutter, and Troubleshooting. if Windows has moved...