Stories by Rick Broida

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 running as slow as molasses.

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.

Cheap HDTV and home theater tricks

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

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 electronic documents you can store, share, and search online.

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.

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 spelling mistakes.

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 protect you from yourself: moving or deleting any of these items could have unwelcome consequences.

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 almost useless.

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 that take up residence in the taskbar. Of course, this is little more than an update to the Quick Launc...

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 free Internet."

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 7 machine and migrate to a new PC.

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 fun that usually requires a visit to the dentist's chair: migrating all my programs, data, and sett...

Three ways to make iTunes run faster

I think I'm safe in saying that iTunes is the single slowest application on my PC. It not only takes a week or two just to start up, but also seems to pause indefinitely on simple tasks like switching between different sections of the iTunes Store.

Send Web Sites to Your Inbox with Toread

Common dilemma: You come across a cool Web site you want to revisit later, but how will you remember you want to revisit it later? Sure, you can bookmark it, but then it might get lost and/or forgotten amidst your hundreds of other bookmarks.