November 15, 2007
Get Woody's new e-book bonus
Our contributing editor, Woody Leonhard, thinks Microsoft has done something right with its new product, Windows Home Server. The software shares all your files, photos, videos, and songs with everyone on your network, and it automatically backs up all your PCs. Read more »
Next issue: November 29
We're taking a break on Nov. 22, which is the Thanksgiving holiday in the United States. Our next regular newsletter will be published on Nov. 29, the 5th Thursday of the month. We're ignoring our usual policy of skipping an issue on any 5th Thursday that occurs. Publishing an issue will allow us to explain to you any problem that may come to light with the patches that Microsoft released this week. Read more »
Simple tips save power and the environment
Computers and computer peripherals consume dramatic amounts of electricity every year, draining your budget and contributing to greenhouse gases. But for little or no money, you can reduce the number of watts your system and peripherals use, saving cash and limiting the environmental damage. Read more »
Handle Registry editing with caution
In a Nov. 8 article, I explained how to disable Windows' auto-run behavior to protect yourself from inadvertently running malware that might exist on USB drives or other devices you insert into your PC. Be aware, however, that careless Registry editing can make your system malfunction or even keep you from starting Windows. Read more »
Saving the world with dial-up
It's 1994. Who knew that in the day of single-word coffee orders and Netscape Navigator, the world of national security was such a struggle? Luckily for us, and Jack Bauer, things have progressed a little since those days. Sorry, terrorists. Jack's got his BlackBerry now! Read more »
Part eight: Regedit can fix Symantec problem 
In this, my eighth and final column on my Housecalls across the continent, we see how editing the Registry resolves a Symantec networking problem. Symantec's Norton Antivirus requires a larger IRPStackSize than the default value in order to handle data in a peer-to-peer network. Read more »
Use disposable e-mail addresses to minimize spam
Spam is a major problem, so keeping your e-mail address private is paramount. This week, I tell you where you can get free, disposable e-mail addresses and how to automate the creation of those addresses. Read more »
URI patch for IE 7 needs action now
A new patch for Internet Explorer needs to be installed quickly, in addition to more Vista patches that you need to know about. Administrators of WSUS (Windows Server Update Services) also got yet another surprise this week — a poorly punctuated category name caused problems with the patching interface. Read more »