Rick Broida - Author - Good Gear Guide

Stories by Rick Broida

Article | 15/04/2009 Disk Defrag Help From Hassle-Free PC

For the last couple months I've been troubleshooting a vexing problem on my new quad-core HP desktop: Roughly once per week, the machine would start r...

Article | 17/04/2009 Automatically restore open folders after a reboot

Windows doesn't have a very good memory. I mean, when I reboot my system, it doesn't even remember the folders I had open!

Article | 14/04/2009 Turning off disk defragmenter may solve a sluggish PC (Part 2)

When we last left our intrepid blogger (way back on Friday), he'd pointed the finger at Vista's Disk Defragmenter and cried, "J'accuse!"

Article | 11/04/2009 Turning off disk defragmenter may solve a sluggish PC

For the last couple months I've been troubleshooting a vexing problem on my new quad-core HP desktop: Roughly once per week, the machine would start r...

Article | 15/04/2009 Solve Common PC Problems with Microsoft 'Fix Its'

Microsoft's Knowledge Base</a> is a treasure trove of helpful information regarding common hardware and software problems.

Article | 26/03/2009 Cheap HDTV and home theater tricks

Entertainment doesn't have to be expensive, even with a large HDTV and great content.

Article | 20/03/2009 Make paper documents digital without a scanner

Drowning in paper? Don't have time to feed hundreds of documents into your scanner? A Web service called Pixily will turn your hard copies into electr...

Article | 19/03/2009 Restore 'classic' menus to Office 2007

If you're anything like me, seek help. Oh, I mean, if you're anything like me, you probably had trouble adjusting to Office 2007's Ribbon interface.

Article | 17/03/2009 Make Outlook Automatically Spell-Check Your E-mail

I'm kind of a spelling snob. I take pains to make sure I spell everything correctly, so it bugs me a little bit when I receive mail that contains spel...

Article | 17/03/2009 View Vista's Hidden Files and Folders

By default, Windows "hides" various files and folders that are essential to system operation and data integrity. Why the Big Brother tactic? To protec...

Article | 18/02/2009 Resize Vista's Taskbar preview thumbnails

Much as I love the idea behind Vista's window-preview thumbnails, which pop up when you mouse over any running program in the taskbar, I find them alm...

Article | 27/01/2009 Add Windows 7-Style Icons to Vista

As most Windows watchers know by now, Windows 7 brings a handful of interface tweaks to the table, starting with large, eye-pleasing program icons tha...

Article | 27/01/2009 Stop Internet poachers from stealing your Wi-Fi

Everyone has a different system for keeping their home networks secure. And by "secure" I mean "safe from cheapskate neighbours looking to poach some ...

Article | 23/01/2009 How to install Windows 7

Interested in installing Windows 7 but want to avoid headaches and potential pitfalls? Then read our guide on how to set up a dual-boot Vista/Windows ...

Article | 17/01/2009 Plan your migration to a new PC

I just ordered a new PC. That's right, I'm doing my part to help the economy (or so I told the missus). When it arrives, I'll get to enjoy the kind of...