Category Archives: Software

computer software

Using ReadyBoost in Windows Vista/7/8

ReadyBoost is a feature available in Windows Vista, Windows 7 and Windows 8 that provides improved performance to any computer by simply adding a USB flash drive. USB flash drives of any size can be used with ReadyBoost, so even … Continue reading

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The J-Chip project

The Buffalo Bicycling Club (BBC)  is a non-profit group that organizes and promotes road bicycle racing in Western New York. The BBC purchased an RFID chip-timing system from J-Chip USA (manufactured by MTS Systems of Japan) in 2011, known as … Continue reading

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The Smartest Spam Blocker

The number one complaint from e-mail users is spam. While most e-mail services include spam detection and blocking, they often rely on testing messages with rules to detect spam. While this approach removes some spam, the constant innovation of spam … Continue reading

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Best Practices for Backup

Every computer relies on the hard disk drive inside to store programs and data. When a failure occurs and the drive cannot be used, restoring files from a backup is necessary. However, there are many approaches to backup and not … Continue reading

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The top reasons computers slow down

We are often asked to investigate why a computer is running slowly and what can be done to make it faster. Diagnosing the reason a computer is running slowly requires checking all of these potential causes, since the symptom alone … Continue reading

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Comparing all Windows versions

Between 1995 and 2011, Microsoft has produced 8 versions of Windows, and they continue to produce new versions of Windows. What are the differences and advantages of upgrading? Windows 95/98/ME: These versions are all identical, with only minor cosmetic changes. … Continue reading

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When to repair, replace or upgrade Windows

When a computer running Windows stops working, the first troubleshooting step is to test all of the hardware. Any failure in a critical component, including the processor, RAM, motherboard and hard drive will prevent Windows from starting. These components can … Continue reading

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Living with Outlook’s limits

Microsoft Outlook is a widely used e-mail program, but it should come with a book listing all of the limitations. Most of these limitations are related to the design of Outlook, because Outlook stores all messages in a single database … Continue reading

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Are you still defragmenting?

Microsoft Windows has always included a feature to defragment hard drives, and defragmenting is widely recommended as a necessary maintenance activity. But does it make a difference? When DOS and early versions of Windows 95/98/ME were released, they used a … Continue reading

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Fake anti-virus alert!

This week we are seeing a new fake anti-virus program that is interfering with computers everywhere. This fake anti-virus program imitates the Windows Security Center and goes by the name “System Security 2011”, “XP Internet Security 2012”, “Malware Protection”, “System … Continue reading

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