October 4, 2007
Get Fred Langa's wallpaper for your desktop
Our editor-at-large, Fred Langa, is back from a 5-month motorcycle tour of the U.S. and Canada. Through Oct. 24, all paid subscribers are eligible for a bonus download, Wallpaper of the Journey — 25 high-quality images Fred that you can use as desktop wallpaper. Read more »
Get free patching without Windows Update
My Sept. 20 and Sept. 27 articles about silent and flawed upgrades involving Windows Update have made many people wonder whether they should really trust Microsoft's installer. Fortunately, there are alternatives to Windows Update that will keep your system fully patched without costing you a dime. Read more »
A flustered Microsoft posts Windows Update trick
Our Sept. 27 story on problems caused Windows Update's stealth installs was widely circulated other news sites. In the wake of the media coverage and user complaints, Microsoft quickly cobbled together a response that confirms the problem and provides a manual fix. Read more »
How Halo 3 makes the world a better place
A video's catchy tune offers a humorously cynical — and not politically correct — summary of the world's ills that will be cured after the overhyped release of Halo 3. Read more »
Part two: finishing the first Housecall 
In this second of eight installments about my travels, I finish helping a Windows Secrets reader decluttering his Startup folder, sorting out an IP address issue, and testing his laptop's firewall. In Part One last week, I described the beginning of my first Housecall (a free, day-long PC tune-up and tech session given to four contest winners). Read more »
Excel 2007 bug generates wrong numbers
Microsoft would have you believe that a recently discovered Excel 2007 bug amounts to little more than a display problem — a cosmetic glitch. You may be surprised to discover that the erroneous results can spread throughout your spreadsheets, because this bug is more than skin deep. Read more »
Three more rootkit scanners to consider
I'd like to introduce you today to three free rootkit scanning tools you can add to the ones I briefly reviewed on Sept. 20. Based on reader feedback, I'm covering this additional set of antirootkit tools and explaining some different schemes for rootkit detection. Read more »