Links to Computer-Related Web Sites |
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Click on a letter for a list of computer-related sites beginning with that letter. Click your browser's Back button to return here.
Adobe Acrobat Reader 6.0 - free
Required to read documents in the PDF format. - Version 6.0 is available now - http://www.adobe.com/acrobat
Gymnast v3.5 - Win9.x/2000/XP - 1.4MB - free
Converts your documents to the PDF format, readable by the Adobe Acrobat Reader.
http://www.oakworth.demon.co.uk/gymnast.htm
Foxit PDF Reader is a free reader for PDF (Portable Document Format) documents. You can view and print PDF documents with it. Much better than the bloated Acrobat Reader. -
http://www.foxitsoftware.com/pdf/rd_intro.php
ADSL Guide (For advice on (A)DSL broadband connections to the Internet) - http://www.adslguide.org.uk/
ADSL Resource Page (Caters for all of your DSL requirements) - http://www.nwfusion.com/research/dsl.html
AMI - American Megatrends Incorporated (BIOS manufacturer) - http://www.megatrends.com
AMD (American Micro Devices - processor and motherboard chipset manufacturer)
Home Page - http://www.amd.com
Ask AMD - to access the AMD Knowledge Base - http://ask.amd.com/
AnandTech (Motherboard and other useful information and reviews) - http://www.anandtech.com/
ANTI-VIRUS - VIRUS PROGRAMS/SCANNERS
The links to virus scanners have been moved to the new Security page on this site.
ATI - the famous video-card and video-chip manufacturer - http://ati.amd.com/
AUDIO Sites
Creative (Labs) - European site for sound-card drivers, forums, a Knowledge Base, and manuals.
http://www.europe.soundblaster.com/support/drivers/most.asp
Audacity - version 0.98 - W9x/2k/XP - Free - 1.3MB - import all the major audio formats, edit, mix, and apply effects until you have created the masterpiece you probably fluked. - http://audacity.sourceforge.net/
Award (BIOS chip manufacturer - now part of Phoenix) - http://www.phoenix.com/en/home/
Look under the letter B for other BIOS or BIOS-related sites.
Backup and Disk Imaging Software
Click here! to go to the page on this site that covers backups.
Batch Files - sites dealing with them:
Batchrun - allows you to create batch files by using a program with a graphical user interface (GUI) -
DOS Batch Files - http://www.fpschultze.de/batstuff.html
Xen - http://homepage.ntlworld.com/mrx9000
Try copying "dos batch files" (as is) into the Google search box at the top of this page to find more sites.
The BIOS section of this site contains plenty of useful information on the BIOS setup program.
Bioscentral.com -"BIOS Central is not for everyone. It is intended to be a technical reference home site for technicians and advanced computer users who troubleshoot computers using Power-On Self-Test cards or diagnostics, developers or technicians who want to find or add POST code information, users who want to flash their BIOSes, people who want to solve computer hardware or firmware problems, and anyone who wants to submit or read a competent review on PC maintenance products like diagnostic software, test cards, and recovery tools and other utilities. You are still welcome if you are a computer neophyte. On both sides of this text you can see many links to click on to access our reference lists and other material. You may learn some useful and interesting things here." - http://www.bioscentral.com/
CTBIOS - a DOS utility that can identify a BIOS. Click here! to download a copy in a 36KB Zip file.
Award (BIOS chip manufacturer - now owned by Phoenix) - http://www.phoenix.com/en/home/
AMI - American Megatrends Incorporated (BIOS manufacturer) - http://www.megatrends.com and http://www.ami.com/.
BIOS (CMOS) Battery Replacement Site - how to replace a BIOS battery
http://www.monster-hardware.com/modules.php?name=Content&pa=showpage&pid=6
LostCircuits BIOS Guide - http://www.lostcircuits.com/advice/bios2/1.shtml
BIOS Upgrades - site (Covers all BIOSes) - http://www.unicore.com/
BIOS Wizard - identifies your BIOS - replacements can be purchased here - http://www.esupport.com/index.cfm
Basic BIOS Tweaking Guide (12/07/2001) - http://www.tweaktown.com/document.php?dType=review&dId=67
BIOS Tuning Guide (26/02/2002) - http://www.tweaktown.com/document.php?dType=review&dId=192
BIOS Tweak and Settings Guide - http://www.3dspotlight.com/tweaks/bios/print.shtml
Wim's BIOS Page - probably the best BIOS site on the web - http://www.wimsbios.com/
Flashbios Site - Inter alia, an inexpensive BIOS chip reprogramming service - http://www.flashbios.org
BadFlash.com - Jack (the site owner) provides an excellent, efficient, inexpensive service. E-mail him the identification string of the BIOS your computer uses, and a link to the download of the particular BIOS file update, and he will send you a BIOS chip pre-programmed with it, ready to install in the motherboard. - http://www.badflash.com/
Boot Managers - free for personal use
Note well - read the documentation that is provided before attempting to use these programs.
Boot-US - http://www.boot-us.com/
TinyApps - "Small is beautiful" - http://www.tinyapps.org/system.html
Find others by using a phrase in the Google search box at the top of this page such as: free + "boot manager" + "enter your version of Windows between these quotation marks".
BOOT FLOPPY DISKS/CDs/DVDs
August 9, 2005. - BartPE is a free utility that allows you to create a bootable Windows XP CD that operates from the CD completely independently of an installed version of Windows, allowing you to troubleshoot and repair an ailing installation of Windows. For more information on the utility and how to use it to create the bootable CD visit Bart's Preinstalled Environment (BartPE) bootable live windows CD/DVD. - http://www.nu2.nu/pebuilder/
Many plugins are available that you can add to the BartPE CD in order to increase what it can achieve. To find them, enter bartpe + plugins in the Google search box at the top of this page with its Web radio button enabled. Here is a site that offers such plugins:
BartPE Plugin Repository - http://www.bootcd.us/BartPE_Plugins_Repository.php
Moreover, you can add entire programs, such as this excellent free disk-imaging application:
DriveImage XML - Image and Backup logical Drives and Partitions - http://www.runtime.org/dixml.htm
You could therefore make an image of an entire hard drive and save it to a recordable DVD disc if the system can be booted from a BartPE CD with this program installed on it.
The Ultimate Boot CD set of utilities is indispensable for thousands of DOS, Windows, and Linux users. Windows and DOS users should download the 44.7MB .ZIP file, which contains a self-extracting .EXE. Linux users should download the 101MB .ISO download. You then burn these utilities to a bootable CD. Visit the Ultimate Boot CD (UBCD) site to see all of the open-source or freeware products that are provided in the downloads. - http://www.ultimatebootcd.com/
This free command-line utility for Windows XP only can be used to burn an ISO file to CD/DVD disks: http://isorecorder.alexfeinman.com/isorecorder.htm
Bootdisk.com (Downloads of ready-made boot disks, drivers, patches, Microsoft's RegClean, and TweakUI): http://www.bootdisk.com
Emergency Boot CD from http://www.ebcd.pcministry.com/
Bart's Boot Disks
Everything you need to create network, CD-ROM, or Windows NT4 boot disks is on this website. There are files available that you can use for creating a boot disk for SCSI devices, or even a bootable CD. -
http://www.nu2.nu/bootdisk/ - system boot disk
http://www.nu2.nu/bootcd - bootable CDs
Boot-disk sets for Windows XP Home and Professional - links to pages on Microsoft.com
XP Home Edition - "Windows XP Home Edition with Service Pack 1 Utility: Setup Disks for Floppy Boot Install"
XP Pro - "Windows XP Pro Edition with Service Pack 1 Utility: Setup Disks for Floppy Boot Install"
Startdisk.com
"This single disk offers: Virus Scan Option, Restoration of System Files, Rapid Windows Installs, Identification of PC Hardware, Extraction of Windows CD files, Year 2000 Readiness Check, Full Hard Drive Test, and PC Memory Optimization. CAUTION: The Ultimate Boot Disk is optimized for modern PCs. If you have less than 32MB of RAM or a CD-ROM drive that's slower than 4X, it is not recommended you use these disks." - http://www.startdisk.com/
Read NTFS Disks from DOS - This freeware NTFS file system reader fits onto a FreeDOS bootable floppy disk, which means that, should your NTFS based Windows system (NT/2000/XP) become fatally corrupted, you can still access your NTFS hard drives. It even includes a file search and copy utility. (832KB) -
http://www.ntfs.com/products.htm.
BootIt NG - If you want a good paid-for disk-imager and multi-boot and partition manager, this one is recommended: "BootIt™ Next Generation (BootIt NG) (BING) is a partition and multi-boot manager with a powerful and simple-to-use set of tools for partitioning, imaging, and multi-booting your computer. It combines the features of several standalone products costing hundreds of dollars more."
BROWSERS (The big three are Internet Explorer, Mozilla, and Opera)
Bowsers.com
- http://www.browsers.com/
The Firefox browser from Mozilla.com
November 9, 2004. - Mozilla has released its superb free Firefox 1.0 browser that has been two years in the making. Firefox is already the second most popular browser being used on the web, but it is still dwarfed by Microsoft's Internet Explorer browser, which holds a 94% share of the market. However this state of affairs might change significantly as soon as more people realise that Firefox is much less prone to security problems than Internet Explorer. - http://www.mozilla.com/
Mozilla Thunderbird e-mail and newsgroup client is also a free download from Mozilla.com: http://www.mozilla.com/thunderbird/
Because Sun's Java Runtime Environment isn't installed automatically, many enterprise web applications can fail to work. But it's a simple matter to download and install the latest version of this software from Sun Microsystem's Java site. A manual or offline installation is advisable, because you download the Java installer first and then run it on your computer. There are also many websites that require the use of Microsoft's ActiveX controls, which Firefox doesn't support, because they allow direct control of the system, and Internet Explorer's default support of them can be exploited by rogue sites, viruses, and hackers. Microsoft Update and ClearType sites are good examples of sites that use ActiveX controls, and therefore can't be accessed by Firefox.
Opera
8.5 - http://www.opera.com/
Opera 8.5 for Windows is receiving very good reviews as the number two
browser after Internet Explorer. It is heralded as the fastest browser. Many are
they who are paying for the edition that is not supported by advertisements. If
you have trouble accessing websites, Opera can identify itself as Internet Explorer.
A version for Linux is available.
Crazy Browser - http://www.crazybrowser.com/
OffByOne 1.1MB browser - free - good reviews - http://offbyone.com/
PC Buyer Beware! - http://www.pcbuyerbeware.co.uk/
Intel: Build Your Own PC - http://www.intel.com/cd/personal/computing/EMEA/ENG/build/index.htm
Tweak3D.net - http://www.tweak3d.net/
PC mechanic - Build Your Own PC - http://www.pcmech.com/byopc/index.htm
Build Your Own Server - http://www.pcmech.com/byos/index.htm
Build Your Own PC - http://www.buildyourown.org.uk/
Motherboard Homeworld - http://www.motherboards.org
Tom's Hardware Guide - http://www.tomshardware.co.uk/
Hardware Central - http://www.hardwarecentral.com/hardwarecentral/tutorials/109/1/
Cacheman - Excellent freeware utility! Configures VCACHE in Windows 95/98/Me:
CachemanXP - http://www.outertech.com/index.php?_charisma_page=product&id=7
For a free old version of Cacheman look at http://www.oldversion.com/.
CD drives: software, troubleshooting, FAQ, and information sites
Bart's way to create bootable CD-ROM disks - the best site I have found on the subject -
Windows XP - Burning CDs - http://aumha.org/a/xpcd.htm
Webmonkey CD Burning Basics - 5-page article - http://hotwired.lycos.com/webmonkey/00/38/index4a.html
Troubleshooting/tutorials on CD-R/CD-RW drives and burning software - http://www.5starsupport.com
ImgBurn is a lightweight CD / DVD / HD DVD / Blu-ray burning application that everyone should have in their toolkit! - http://www.imgburn.com/
Easy CD-DA Extractor is a music converter that copies audio CDs, converts music files from one format to another, and burns audio CDs, MP3 CDs, WMA CDs, and regular Data CDs. Supports all popular audio file formats such as 3G2, 3GP, MP1, MP2, MP3, Windows Media Audio, Ogg Vorbis, MP4, M4A, AAC, aacPlus (HE-AAC, AAC+, HE-AAC+PS, eAAC+), FLAC, Musepack, WavPack, WAV, AIFF, Monkey's Audio, CUE and M3U. - http://www.poikosoft.com/
ISO Recorder - A free command-line ISO-recorder for Windows XP only that can be used to burn ISO files to CD/DVD disks so that they function as programs - and you can also download CreateCD - a command-line CD-burner for Windows XP and Windows Server 2003 - http://isorecorder.alexfeinman.com/isorecorder.htm
CDBurnerXP Pro - If you're using Windows Media dump it and install a decent program. Before you spend money, try the excellent free program CDBurnerXP Pro from http://www.cdburnerxp.se/. - The critics are raving about it.
Audio CD burning - A website to help novices to burn audio CDs that provides links to freeware programs that can do the job properly - http://www.sticksite.com/tape2cd/.
DeepBurner - 1.42MB - Windows 9.x/2000/XP - easy and free CD and DVD burning software - Very simple to use. As soon as you enter the program, it presents a split screen - one for the files to go on the CD/DVD, and the other is the file browser. Drag-and-drop the files you want burnt to the CD/DVD from the right window to the left window. In the lower left corner is a marker that lets you know how much in the way of files you've loaded and how much space is free when using a 22 minute, 74 minute, or 80 minute CD. You can click the printer icon to make a label for the CD/DVD and its case. Place a blank CD/DVD into the drive and click Burn Disk. - http://www.deepburner.com/
Offline CD Browser - Free - Index and catalog your removable drives to get your files organized and categorized - http://hem.spray.se/anders.peterson/ocdb.html
CD-R FAQ sites
Webmonkey MP3 Overview - http://hotwired.lycos.com/webmonkey/00/31/index3a.html?tw=multimedia
CD-R information site - Masses of CD-R and CD-RW information - Go here for the latest firmware information - http://www.cdrinfo.com/
The Firmware Page - Update Your CD/DVD Drive Firmware. Most users know that they can update their BIOS but not many know that they can also update the firmware of (most) CD and DVD drives. This site has full details plus some handy tips for overcoming the region locking on your DVD drive.- http://forum.rpc1.org/portal.php
Look under the letter D for DVD sites.
CloneCD v3.0.9.1 - Win9X/NT/W2K/XP - 2.18MB - Inter alia, can copy copy-protected CDs -
Compaq - the new Hewlett Packard site for the combined company - http://thenew.hp.com/
CompletelyFreeSoftware.com - http://www.completelyfreesoftware.com/
Computer Repair with Diagnostic Flowcharts - http://www.fonerbooks.com/pcrepair.htm
Computer terms and acronyms defined or explained - look under the letter G for Glossaries of PC terms
Computer Cases - ATX - Quality Products
Lian-Li - http://www.lian-li.com/
Antec - http://www.antec-inc.com/
Coolermaster - USA - http://www.coolermaster.com/
Elight - http://www.enlightcorp.com/
Cooling - Processor Cooling - Look under the letter O for Overclocking and Cooling Sites
Creative (Labs) - European site for sound card drivers, forums, a Knowledge Base, and manuals -
http://www.europe.soundblaster.com/support/drivers/most.asp
CPUID - identifies processors and provides information such as their speeds, etc - http://www.cpuid.com/
CPU Killer - The latest super-fast processors operate at speeds (frequencies) that old programs (such as those designed for an MS DOS system) weren't designed to run at. Consequently, such software may fail to work properly, if at all. CPU Killer is a free utility that allows a user to slow a super-fast processor down sufficiently to be able to run old software. - http://www.cpukiller.com/products/cpukiller/
Crucial (RAM delivered directly to the purchaser on a motherboard basis.)
See the RAM page on this site for the US and UK Crucial Memory Selectors and the Memory Calculator.
Latest update for the Belarc Advisor - http://www.belarc.com/free_download.html
DATA RECOVERY - services and programs
Getdataback - "I have found and use a program called Getdataback for NTFS by Runtime Software - http://www.runtime.org/ - and it is fantastic. It has only failed once in more than 2 dozen attempts at recovering deleted files or even corrupted file systems as well as damaged hard drives (the time it failed was a completely failed hardware issue). We use the NTFS version, as that is what we have in our environment, but they make a version for FAT filing structures. The nice thing with them is they allow a download to try the software and allow you to see what can be recovered first. If it is what you want then purchase the program and that allows the data to be resurrected."
This excellent free disk-imaging application is also available from http://www.runtime.org/:
DriveImage XML - Image and Backup logical Drives and Partitions - http://www.runtime.org/dixml.htm
DTI Data Recovery - http://www.dtidata.co.uk/
See the Hard Disk Drive Problems page on this site for information on a batch of faulty Fujitsu drives.
Adroit Data Recovery Centre - provides a professional data recovery service in the Far East - http://www.adrc.net
Ontrack: EasyRecovery recovers the data from inaccessible hard disk drives. Recovery software seldom comes free because of its complexity. This software is no exception to the rule: Data Recovery Software - http://www.ontrack.com/software/.
But here is an excellent exception to the rule...
The free Drive Rescue utility - http://home.arcor.de/christian_grau/rescue/index.html
PC Inspector File Recovery - Free - 3.8MB - Windows9.x/2000/XP - Find and recover lost data, files, or drives on a FAT 12/16/32 or NTFS file system. You should obviously not install the software on the drive from which you intend to recover data, install it on a second and independent drive, including a Zip drive, or even burn the program's files to a recordable CD. It can recover files on network drives. The program can't reconstruct files from data drives or disks that are mechanically or electronically damaged, and it should only be used by the computer-literate. - http://www.pcinspector.de/file_recovery/UK/welcome.htm
Recover 4 All - recovers files emptied from Recycle Bin -
http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/Kaus/homepage.htm
"Best $49 I ever spent on utility software. Inside of an hour, I was back up and running with all my data restored. I have since had the opportunity to use the software on other "dead" drives and it was always able to recover some level of data, even after a format. The downside is that this utility only works on NTFS partitions. If they came up with a version that worked on FAT partitions, they would have the market cornered. Just wanted to drop you a note to tell you about this wonderful utility at a bargain price. The web link is:
http://www.restorer2000.com/."
CD/DVD Data Recovery Tool - http://www.smart-projects.net/isobuster/
CD/DVD Diagnostic - "Recovers lost data, photos, files, music and more from CDs and DVDs. Now supports DVD recorder discs! More tools, more features and more capable than the competition." - http://www.arrowkey.com/
Free Hard Disk Utilities: Recover Deleted Files and Lost Data: -
http://www.pcworld.com/downloads/collection/1,collid,1295,tk,lg,00.asp
Free CD Utilities: Burn Disks, Fix Damaged Tracks - these tools let you detect corrupted files, rip tracks from your disks and burn them: - http://www.pcworld.com/downloads/collection/0,collid,1289,tk,lg,00.asp
eImage Recovery - a program designed to recover images - http://www.octanesoft.com/
MS DirectX download - http://www.microsoft.com/windows/directx/default.asp
DX Extractor (removes DirectX 9.x from all versions of Windows) - http://www.geocities.com/clb92001/
DXBuster (removes some versions of DirectX from Windows 9.x/Me/2000) -
http://www.dxbuster.de/index_e.html
DirectX information and ideas - http://www.mvps.org/directx
DirectX information page - Shep's site - of newsgroup alt.windows98 -
http://www.geocities.com/sheppola/directx.html
Disk Defragmentation - troubleshooting the Windows Disk Defragmenter -
http://home.satx.rr.com/badour/html/defrag.html
DIAGNOSTIC UTILITIES - freeware or shareware
Three hard-disk-drive testing utilities -
Adenix S.M.A.R.T. Indicator - http://www.adenix.net/smart/indicator.html
Active Smart - http://www.ariolic.com/
Drive Health - http://www.helexis.com/
Note that most of the major hard-disk-drive manufacturer's provide free utilities that test their drives from their websites and enable the transfer of data to a new drive.
PC World's diagnostic and/or benchmarking utilities:
http://www.pcworld.com/downloads/collection/0,collid,1304,tk,lg,00.asp
Free BCM Diagnostics Suite: - http://www.pcworld.com/downloads/file_description/0,fid,5044,00.asp
Free RAM Diagnostic Software:
Microsoft Windows Memory Diagnostic tool: - http://oca.microsoft.com/en/windiag.asp
Memtest86: - latest version - http://www.memtest86.com/ and http://www.memtest.org/
You can make use of the Google search box at the top of this page to locate sources of your own that provide free or paid-for diagnostic testing utilities for computer hardware. For example, to locate free utilities that diagnose faults in dial-up modems use a search phrase such as free + "dial-up modem" + diagnostic + utility. Experiment with the wording if a particular search fails to turn up useful site links.
DLL (Dynamic Link Library) SITES
A typical DLL problem: when trying to run the program, an error popped up indicating CNCS232.dll was missing or corrupted. I entered the file's name in Google to find it on the web, and then saved it to the Windows/System folder, and the problem was fixed. You can also use sites such as DLL Downloads - http://www.dll-downloads.com/
If you want to use Google, there's a search box at the top of this page.
Drive Rescue - Free - Undelete and data recovery tool
http://home.arcor.de/christian_grau/rescue/index.html
The major computer motherboard and adapter-card chipset manufacturers' sites: -
Intel - http://www.intel.com/ - chipset page - http://support.intel.com/support/chipsets/
VIA - http://www.via.com.tw/ and the Official VIA Forums - http://forums.viaarena.com/
NEC - http://www.nec.com/
ATI - http://ati.amd.com/
nVidia - http://www.nvidia.com/ - nVidia drivers: http://www.nvidia.com/content/drivers/drivers.asp
Acer Laboratories Inc. (ALi) - http://www.ali.com.tw/
Silicon Intergrated Systems (SiS) - http://www.sis.com/
VIDEO CARD DRIVERS:
The drivers on the CD that comes with new computer or video card will probably already be out of date by the time you buy it. Therefore it is a good idea to download the latest drivers from the Internet. Newer games tend to have problems with older drivers. The same is true for Microsoft's DirectX, which you should also keep up to date. Newer games often ship with the runtime installer of the current version of DirectX, which you run while online to obtain the latest version. Here is a list of the most important graphics-card driver links:
ATI-based graphics cards (Radeon, All In Wonder, IGP) - http://ati.amd.com/support/driver.html
ATI Catalyst [Drivers] Installation Guide (06/11/2003) - http://www.tweaktown.com/document.php?dType=review&dId=569
Intel integrated graphics (chipsets i865G, 915G) -
http://downloadfinder.intel.com/scripts-df/support_intel.asp?iid=HPAGE+header_support_download&#
NVIDIA-based graphics cards (GeForce, nForce) - http://www.nvidia.com/content/drivers/drivers.asp
S3-based graphics cards (Deltachrome) - http://www.s3graphics.com/drivers.jsp
SIS integrated graphics - http://download.sis.com/
XGI-based graphics (Volari) - http://www.xgitech.com/sd/sd_download.asp
OTHER DRIVER SITES -
Network drivers - Network-Drivers.com - This site maintains listings of network drivers available on the web, organized by company. Includes links to useful resources. -
http://www.network-drivers.com/
Driversguide.com - An excellent site when you can't find device drivers - particularly for older devices. -
DriverGuide Toolkit - a simple, reliable method of backing up your system's device drivers. Use this tool to back them up so that they can be restored easily after a disaster strikes. -
http://www.driverguidetoolkit.com/
http://www.monitor-drivers.com/
http://www.3dchipset.com/ (Recommended by Sysopt.com)
Modem Drivers:
http://www.modemdriver.com - Comprehensive list of manufacturers - existing and out of business
http://www.linmodems.org/ - Linux modem drivers and general modem ID site
DVD SITES - if a site name or description is not provided, the URL address provides the main purpose of each site:
ImgBurn is a lightweight CD / DVD / HD DVD / Blu-ray burning application that everyone should have in their toolkit! - http://www.imgburn.com/
DVD Shrink 3.2 - "Recently, compressed domain transcoders have reached quite some popularity. These transcoders are based on algorithms designed to recompress an MPEG-2 stream in real-time for TV broadcast. These programs can transcode an entire DVD movie in only a few minutes, because they do not have to decode and re-encode the entire video stream, but only part of it. I will not go into a detailed explanation of the mechanisms used as they are quite involved but basically what you get is a size (and hence quality) reduction per time unit that cannot be rivaled by regular MPEG-2 encoders (though the latter category can yield better quality). DVD2One was the first program to be based on these principles, now DVD Shrink is the first free program to offer this functionality." - http://www.doom9.org/index.html?/mpg/dvdshrink31-main.htm
DVD COPYING SOFTWARE - DVD Copy Software Review - http://www.dvd-copy-software-review.com/
DVDPlusRW.org - http://www.dvdplusrw.org/ - "This web site is dedicated to the DVD+RW and DVD+R format, and as such it is by far the largest - independent - online source for DVD+RW information. It will provide you with lots of product information, technical stuff, downloads, promotional material, compatibility lists, media overviews and other resources about DVD+RW. This site provides you with the most interesting, unique and up-to-date DVD+R and DVD+RW related information available on the web. Have a look around, and make sure to come back regularly as we will frequently add more intresting material! Don't forget to visit our discussion forum for all your DVD+RW questions, comments and inquiries."
Compatibility of the new DVD+R DL (double-layer) standard with existing DVD drives:
http://www.videohelp.com/dvdplayers
ISO Recorder - a free command-line ISO-recorder for Windows XP only that can be used to burn ISO files to CD/DVD disks so that they function as programs - and you can also download CreateCD - a command-line CD-burner for Windows XP and Windows Server 2003 - http://isorecorder.alexfeinman.com/isorecorder.htm
DeepBurner - 1.42MB - Windows 9.x/2000/XP - easy and free CD and DVD burning software - Very simple to use. As soon as you enter the program, it presents a split screen - one for the files to go on the CD/DVD, and the other is the file browser. Drag-and-drop the files you want burnt to the CD/DVD from the right window to the left window. In the lower left corner is a marker that lets you know how much in the way of files you've loaded and how much space is free when using a 22 minute, 74 minute, or 80 minute CD. You can click the printer icon to make a label for the CD/DVD and its case. Place a blank CD/DVD into the drive and click Burn Disk. - http://www.deepburner.com/
DVDINF Pro - is a free utility that provides all the details you might want to know about an installed DVD drive, including the driver and version of firmware being used -
If you want the it for free, there are hundreds of sites that offer free copying software. Just enter a search term such as dvd + copying + software in the Google search box at the top of this page to obtain the links to many sites that provide it. Remember that it is illegal to copy DVDs for the use of others or to sell. You should only back-up DVDs that you have purchased legally.
Doom9.net - "Welcome to Doom9.net - the definitive DVD backup resource" - http://www.doom9.net/
DVDRHelp.com - http://www.dvdrhelp.com/
How to capture Video, TV, Cam, DV, 8mm, Hi8 - http://www.dvdrhelp.com/capture
If you want to create DVD Video disks to watch on a DVD home player (not a DVD drive), visit http://www.dvdrhelp.com/dvdplayers to find out which DVD formats the player supports.
Understanding DVD Formats - http://www.dvdirect.com/TSS/charts/DVDFormats.htm
The Firmware Page - Update Your CD/DVD Drive Firmware. Most users know that they can update their BIOS but not many know that they can also update the firmware of (most) CD and DVD drives. This site has full details plus some handy tips for overcoming the region locking on your DVD drive. - http://forum.rpc1.org/portal.php
VideoLAN - an excellent free program specifically designed to stream audio and video across a LAN -
OTHER DVD SITES:
http://www.dvddemystified.com/dvdfaq.html
http://www.dvdforum.org/forum.shtml
End-It-All 2.0 is a very useful tool that can close all or only selected running programs with a single click. If you're having problems with ScanDisk or the Windows Disk Defragmenter, you can use it to close all of the programs running in the background. First, close all of the Windows programs showing on the taskbar, run End-It-All. Now, with one click, all of the background programs, except Windows Explorer, the System Tray (the box in the bottom right-hand corner), and any others you've given protection from within the program, such as a firewall, can be shut down. The program doesn't appear to have a site of its own, but it can be downloaded from many download sites. Entering "end-it-all" in the Google search box at the top of this page will bring up the links. Here is one of them: http://www.docsdownloads.com/Tier1/enditall.htm
Eraser 5.0 - Erases files up to 34 times to make sure that they cannot be recovered -
http://www.tolvanen.com/eraser/
Error Messages - Windows
http://www.bootdisk.com/ - Look for the Errors section on the Home page
http://www.geocities.com/budallen98_98/windows_protection_error.html - Windows 9.x protection errors
http://www.geocities.com/budallen98_98/dmancode.html - Windows 9.x - Device Manager error codes
http://www.geocities.com/budallen98_98/errorcode.html - Windows 9.x - List of error codes
ExcelTip.com - http://www.exceltip.com/ - MS Excel tips
FDISK sites - for information on the MS-DOS partitioning utility
http://home.pacbell.net/dbk4297/fdiskformat.html
Enter fdisk in the Google search box at the top of this page to find more links to relevant sites.
Note that FDISK has an option that can be used to remove a non-DOS partition (e.g., a partition created with Windows XP's setup program that has set the system up to use XP's native NTFS file system).
Find a missing file or replace a corrupt DLL file - See the Microsoft DLL Help Database, under the letter M.
FIREWALLS - Go to this Security page on this site for the links to free software firewalls.
FONT sites:
The Font Thing - The site to visit for font information. - http://members.ozemail.com.au/~scef/tft.html
Fonts.com - http://www.fonts.com/
Fontosaurus.com - The FAQ explains how to download and install the font on your computer. -
FORUMS - Computer-related forums:
There are hundreds, if not thousands of computer-related Forums, many of which are conducted live in real time. Here are just a few. Use the Google search box at the top of this page (with its Web radio button enabled) to find others by using terms such as "Computer forum", "PC forum", "Mac Forum", pc + forum, computer + forum, etc.
Overclock.net Forums - http://overclock.net/
Computer Hardware Forum - Welcome to the MCSE forums - http://hardware.mcse.ms/
Tweak3D Forum - Bulletin Board - http://www.tweak3d.net/
Web Developer.com - programming discussion forums - http://www.webdeveloper.com/forum
The overclocking and modding forum: To visit it, go to http://www.computershopper.co.uk/ and scroll down the left-hand navigation bar to the Interactive heading. Click on IT Forums. There are several forums, including the Overclocking and Modding, Help, and general discussion forums.
Sundry excellent forums:
http://www.sysopt.com/forum/index.php
http://forums.scotsnewsletter.com/
http://www.spywareinfo.com/ - (The forum deals with adware/spyware/snoopware matters)
http://www.broadbandreports.com/ - (Forums on broadband matters - accessed from the Home page)
http://reviews.cnet.com/4002-7600-5137381.html
http://www.experts-exchange.com/
http://www.codingforums.com/ (Forum for computer programmers)
FREEWARE AND SHAREWARE SITES:
"The Sysinternals [freeware] web site provides you with advanced utilities, technical information, and source code related to Windows NT/2000/XP/2K3 and Windows 9x, Windows Me internals that you won't find anywhere else. Mark Russinovich and Bryce Cogswell alone write and update everything here. We welcome all suggestions and comments." -
Sysinternals was an independent organisation but it is now owned by Microsoft. Visit http://www.microsoft.com/technet/sysinternals/default.mspx for the great free utilities.
| Obtaining old versions of free software If you have problems with a new version of a program, or it develops a security problem, you should visit OldVersion.com, where the old versions of many free programs that are no longer available are made available as free downloads: http://www.oldversion.com/ |
http://www.djbdesigns.com/wtvzone/downloads.htm
http://www.freewaregaming.com/
http://www.completelyfreesoftware.com/
http://www.lurkhere.com/~nicefiles/index.html
MSN (Microsoft Network) Gaming Zone - http://zone.msn.com/
3DSpotlight.com - Your definitive PC hardware and gaming resource - http://www.3dspotlight.com/
Freeware Gaming - Hundreds of free downloadable games. Categories include Puzzle/Logic, Sport Card/Casino and Action/Arcade - http://www.freewaregaming.com/.
Smiley’s Games Emporium has more than 30 games to play for free online. Classics to choose from include Asteroids, Breakout and Centipede. All of the games are written in Java, which means that you don't need to download any plugins to play. - http://www.clickets.com/targets/Games/Games.asp
Gaming Links page - http://www.infinitefrontiers.0catch.com/Links.htm
Classic Free Games - http://slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=02/08/04/2016246
GeForce FAQ - Frequently Asked Questions answered about the GeForce video (graphics accelerator) cards.
Use this redirector, because the site often changes address - http://go.to/geforcefaq
GetRight - software downloader - can resume broken downloads - shareware - http://www.getright.com/
Gibson Research Corporation
Steve Gibson is the creator of the SpinRite hard-disk-drive maintenance and repair utility, the ShieldsUp site that tests for hacker vulnerabilities, the Wizmo system configuration utility - and others. You can also read his detailed accounts of the hacker attacks his site has suffered. There is no www in his website address:
GOOGLE - THE search engine
There's a Google search box at the top of this page.
Google is probably the best search engine in existence. Usenet newsgroups are a mine of useful information, but you will probably have to sift through tons of silt to find the occasional nugget. If you don't have the time to wade through newsgroup posts, use the little known Google Group Search Engine at:
http://www.google.com/grphp?hl=en&ie=ISO-8859-1&q=
It's a wonderful time saver, and will often get you results when every other method fails.
Hard Disk Drives (HDDs) - Tutorials on how to install them:
http://www.tweak3d.net/articles/howtoinstallhd/
http://www.harddriveupgrade.com/
http://www.thepc.info/harddrive_upgrade.html
HDD diagnostic utilities:
Note well that if such a utility is used on a faulty system (suffering from bad RAM, an inadequate power supply unit, a faulty motherboard, etc.) it could produce unreliable results.
Seagate - http://www.seagate.com/support/seatools
Maxtor - http://www.maxtor.com/en/support/downloads/index.htm
Adenix S.M.A.R.T. Indicator - http://www.adenix.net/smart/indicator.html
Active Smart - http://www.ariolic.com/
Drive Health - http://www.helexis.com
Henri Leboeuf - Visual Basic & Windows Troubleshooting - http://www.generation.net/~hleboeuf/index.htm
Hewlett Packard
Home page - http://www.hp.com/
Support and Drivers - http://welcome.hp.com/country/us/en/support.html
Housecall - live online anti-virus scanning by Trend, makers of PC-Cillin - http://housecall.antivirus.com
How Stuff Works - a site devoted to providing information how most things work - great site -
How-to information and tutorial sites on personal-computer related matters
Look under the letter T for Tutorials.
IDENTIFY YOUR HARDWARE AND SOFTWARE:
If you have a piece of computer hardware - modem, adapter card, motherboard, etc. - and you don't who the manufacturer is, then follow this procedure. - Open the computer case, and remove the no-name card. Write down the FCC ID number that appears on the card, reinstall the card, and close the case. Now visit the website iven below.. Enter in the FCC ID number in the relevant dialog box. The site will search its database, and if the information is there, will identify your hardware so that you can search the web for updated drivers. -
Identify Your Processor -
The best tool processor identification is the free WCPUID utility, which is made available from http://www.h-oda.com. Your browser may ask if you want to install various Asian character sets to view the pages, but you can refuse, because the download link and the actual software is in English.
CPUID - identifies the processor(s) and more - http://www.cpuid.com/
MYCPU shows vendor, type, model, stepping, and speed information, and it scans for features like MMX, 3DNow! and SIMD (ISSE).
MyCPU v1.3f Windows9.x/W2000/WindowsXP - Free -
http://www.mywebattack.com/gnomeapp.php?id=105265
If the link doesn't work, try using the Google search box at the top of this page to look for MyCPU.
See the first item of "Identify Your Hardware and software" - above.
Belarc Advisor - creates an analysis of the hardware and software on a personal computer - look under FREE DOWNLOAD - http://www.belarc.com/
CPU-Z - free - 299KB - Windows 98/Me/XP - Provides information on the computer's processor (under the CPU tab: make and model, speed, instruction sets, caches, FSB, clock multiplier, etc), its motherboard (under the Mainboard tab: make and model, chipset, BIOS), and the RAM installed under the Memory tab: make, amount, speed/frequency, etc.) -
"The Elusive Zen of Motherboard Identification" - http://www.motherboards.org/articlesd/how-to-guides/910_1.html
Sisoft Sandra - System information with comparative hardware benchmarks - http://www.sisoftware.co.uk/
Image Viewers - Free - also allow image editing, resizing, etc
Picasa - A free software download from Google. Picasa is software that helps you instantly find, edit and share all the pictures on your PC. Every time you open Picasa, it automatically locates all your pictures (even ones you forgot you had) and sorts them into visual albums organized by date with folder names you will recognize. You can drag and drop to arrange your albums and make labels to create new groups. Picasa makes sure your pictures are always organized. Picasa also makes advanced editing simple by putting one-click fixes and powerful effects at your fingertips. And Picasa makes it a snap to share your pictures – you can email, print photos home, make gift CDs, instantly share via Hello™, and even post pictures on your own blog. - http://www.picasa.com/
XnView - http://www.xnview.com/
IrfanView - http://www.irfanview.com/.
Internet Tips and Secrets - http://www.internet-tips.net/
Internet Security Sites - Go to the Security pages on this site for links to security-related sites.
Intel - http://www.intel.com/
Sun has created a site as the central resource for everything to do with Java, including the Java Virtual Machine (JVM). - http://www.java.com/.
Click here! to visit an interesting article on the Java Virtual Machine on this site.
JavaScript sites:
JavaScript is the script language that all web browser's can interpret and implement. Unfortunately, not all JS features are supported by all browsers, so only use scripts that run on all of the recent versions of the Internet Explorer, Netscape, and Opera browsers. JavaScript has similarities with Java, but Java is a compiled language. It has to be compiled using a compiler in order that a Java Virtual Machine installed on a computer can run Java programs. To create a JS script all you need is the Windows Notepad to incorporate JS code into a web page. On web pages, JavaScript provides rollover effects, snazzy menus, scrollers, mouse trails, counters, etc.
For more information about JavaScript, www.javascript.com/ is the best place to start.
Superb JavaScript site - for scripts and tutorials - http://www.gatescript.com/
Webmonkey - The Web Developer's Resource - HTML/XML/Java/JavaScript and much more -
http://hotwired.lycos.com/webmonkey/programming/javascript/
Offers a very useful set of free utilities. Opens with the Replicator that can schedule back-ups, but there are many others, all free, such as the WhoIs utility that can check the validity of any number of websites by dialling them up without bringing the page to the screen. -
http://www.karenware.com/powertools/ptreplicator.asp
Laptop and notebook computers:
Visit the Laptops page on this site for information on laptop/notebook computers.
What Laptop and Handheld PC - http://www.whatlaptop.co.uk/
Letter Assigner - A very useful utility that allows you to choose any drive's letter -
http://www.v72735.f2s.com/LetAssig/Screenshots.html
Assign/Change Drive Letters In XP - http://www.google.com/search?q=assign+drive+letters+xp
Assign/Change Drive Letters In Win2000 -
http://www.google.com/search?q=assign+drive+letters+windows+2000
Assign/Change Drive Letters In Win9x/ME -
http://www.google.com/search?q=assign+drive+letters+win98+winme
The "Lastdrive" Command: - http://www.google.com/search?q=lastdrive%3D
LINUX: distributions and sites devoted to this open-source operating system:
Click here! to go to the Linux page on this site for information on this open-source operating system and for links to Linux-related sites.
Lockergnome.com - Visit this site to sign up for a range of free, informative computer-related newsletters. -
Macromedia - the company that creates the Dreamweaver, Fireworks, Flash, and Homesite website-creation tools. - http://www.macromedia.com/
Homesite 5.5 - the best HTML editor on the market - approx. £60/$99 - http://www.macromedia.com/software/homesite/
Maxtor - the manufacturer of Maxtor and Quantum hard disk drives
A great site for general information on hard disk drives, and on Maxtor and Quantum drives -
Microsoft:
Microsoft - Windows XP Support - http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=fh;en-us;winxp
Microsoft - Windows XP Tips - Dozens of Windows XP Pro tips including a sneaky way to bulk rename files -
http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/expertzone/tips/default.asp
Microsoft Update - Downloads figured out and updates automatically installed - http://update.microsoft.com/
Microsoft DLL Help Database - Solve DLL file version conflicts, etc. - http://support.microsoft.com/dllhelp/
Microsoft - The MS Knowledge Base
The MS Knowledgebase (KB) has information on how to rectify all of the known faults and bugs in the various versions of Windows, their applications, and compliant hardware. -
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?pr=kbinfo&
Visit the Diagnostics page on this site for more information on the KB.
If you want to visit a site that alerts you about Knowledge Base articles, here it is -
KB Alertz - http://www.kbAlertz.com/
MODEMS: standard 56K dial-up / Broadband: (A)DSL - cable - wireless
How Modems Work - http://www.howstuffworks.com/modem.htm
Build Your Own PC - Page 5 on this site contains information on modems and how to configure a 33.6K or 56K dial-up modem.
Note that many recent standard analog modems that use software as opposed to hardware decoding might require a processor capable of executing MMX instructions. If you have a non-MMX processor, such as the Cyrix 166+, Pentium 1 166, AMD K5 processors, etc., you will not be able to use such modems. Their drivers will not install. IBM/Cyrix M2 and M3, AMD K6-2 / K6-3, Duron, Athlon, and Intel Pentium 2, 3, and 4 processors support the MMX instruction set. So, if you are using a non-MMX processor, check the hardware and software requirements before purchasing a modem.
Windows XP can be problematic with at least some modems. Links to XP-specific drivers have recently been added to the Conexant Soft56 (HSF), Conexant HCF, ESS, Intel, Motorola, Smartlink, and Intel pages of the Modemsite.com site. Existing (6.0 and 8.10) generic LT Win Modem drivers support XP.
Modem - Windows XP Modem Tweak Guide - http://www.techspot.com/tweaks/winxp_modem/print.shtml
Modem Speed Test Page - http://homepage.tinet.ie/~leslie/testpage/testpg56.htm?16156763
Broadband Reports - the tests and tips here can help you to get your broadand setup tuned and tweaked so you're not wasting any of the available bandwidth. - http://www.broadbandreports.com/. There is information there for every kind of connection. not only broadband connections, and there are also forums on broadband matters.
Broadband Connection Tweaking Guide (24/08/2001) - http://www.tweaktown.com/document.php?dType=review&dId=93
Modem drivers for Linux
You don't need to use a Linux driver for a hardware modem (a modem that has its own signal processor), because Linux is already programmed to run any hardware modem, but finding a driver for a winmodem (a software-driven modem designed for use with Windows) used to be a problem. However, the situation is much improved now. To find a driver for a winmodem, visit the following site.
Note that this site also provides a link to download the ListModem application, and the guide on how to use it in PDF format, requiring the free Acrobat reader. This will identify the modem's manufacturer and the modem's chipset manufacturer. To be able to download the latest drivers, examine the modem to discover the chipset's ID number, and either visit the manufacturer's site, or download the generic driver from the chipset manufacturer's site. - http://www.linmodems.org/
Linux modem drivers for Conexant chipsets - http://www.mbsi.ca/cnxtlindrv/hcf/downloads.html
Windows/Linux software modem - If you want to purchase an excellent V.92 software modem for $20, for which Linux drivers are available, click the following link. - Modemsite.com - http://www.modemsite.com/56k/subwv92.htm
Modem configuration settings and tweaks - http://www.techspot.com/guides-hardware.shtml
If you want to optimize your modem speed, visit these free sites:
http://www.tweak3d.net/tweak/modem/
http://www.modemsite.com/56k/speedup.asp
http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&lr=&q=modem+tweak+rwin+mtu
Note that a Modemsite Premium Access subscription is now required to view the complete contents at Modemsite and Forum56.
Rockwell/Conexant Soft56 HSF Modem - http://modemsite.com/56k/soft56.htm
Rockwell / Conexant HCF Modem - http://modemsite.com/56k/rockhcf.htm
ESS Chipset - http://modemsite.com/56k/ess.htm
Cirrus/Ambient/Intel Chipsets - http://modemsite.com/56k/intel.htm
Motorola Modem Chipsets SM56 - http://modemsite.com/56k/sm56.htm
LT Win Modem w/ Lucent chipset Page - http://modemsite.com/56k/ltwin.htm
John Nava's FAQ site - Frequently-asked questions on modems - http://modemfaq.home.att.net/
OTHER MODEM SITES:
Rockwell, the modem chip maker, is now called Conexant - http://www.conexant.com/
Conexant: Modem Driver Support & Information: Modem Driver Assistance -
http://www.conexant.com/support/md_driverassistance.html
US Robotics - http://www.usr.com/
Site devoted to 56K analog modems - http://www.56k.com/
No-name, generic modems - http://www.56k.com/trouble/noname.shtml
Bud's troubleshooter - http://www.geocities.com/budallen98_98/modem.html
Modems.com - http://www.modems.com
Modem drivers - http://www.driverzone.com/modem.html
Modem Help - http://www.modemhelp.net/
A(DSL):
How DSL Works - http://www.howstuffworks.com/dsl.htm
How VDSL Works - http://www.howstuffworks.com/vdsl.htm
ADSL Guide - For advice on (A)DSL connections to the Internet. - http://www.adslguide.org.uk/
DSL Resource Page - Caters for all of your DSL requirements - http://www.nwfusion.com/research/dsl.html
Cable Modems
Robin Walker's Cable Modem Pages -- http://homepage.ntlworld.com/robin.d.h.walker/
How Cable Modems Work - http://www.howstuffworks.com/vdsl.htm
Cable-Modem.net - http://www.cable-modem.net/
Linux cable modem information - http://www.cablemodeminfo.com/LinuxCableModem.html
Wireless connection that uses a network card with a special radio antenna, not a modem:
Airewaves, Inc. - http://www.airewaves.com/
MOTHERBOARD (MAINBOARD) MANUFACTURERS:
MSI - http://www.msicomputer.com/
Asus - http://www.asus.com/
Abit - http://www.abit-usa.com/
Gigabyte - http://www.gigabyte.com.tw/
ECS - EliteGroup Computer Systems - http://www.ecsusa.com/ and http://www.ecs.com.tw/
Chaintech - http://www.chaintech.com.tw/
Epox - http://www.epox.com/
Foxconn - http://www.foxconn.com/
Enter the company's name in Google search box at the top of this page to find the sites of other manufacturers such as Asrock, Shuttle, Tyan, FIC, Jetway, etc.
If the computer's motherboard manufacturer doesn't provide the monitoring software free from its site, there are shareware alternatives such as Hmonitor from http://www.hmonitor.net. Hmonitor provides motherboard and processor temperatures for two processors (for use on a motherboard that can support two processors), the temperatures of three hard disk drives, the processor temperatures for two processors, reports the system voltages, and can report the fan speed, graphics processing unit (GPU) and video RAM temperatures, and the voltages of the system's AGP video card.
February 6 2005. - Motherboard Monitor is no longer supported, but it still works on most systems, and is still available (free) from many download sites. Locate it by entering "motherboard monitor", as is in the Google search box provided at the top of this page if this link doesn't work:
http://www.passmark.com/products/temperature.htm
"SpeedFan is a freeware program that monitors fan speeds, temperatures and voltages in computers with hardware monitoring chips. SpeedFan can even access S.M.A.R.T. info for those hard disks that support this feature and show hard disk temperatures too, if supported. SpeedFan can even change the FSB on some motherboards (but this should be considered a bonus feature). At the lowest level, SpeedFan is hardware monitoring software, but its main feature is that it can control the speed of the fans (depending on the capabilities of your sensor chip and your hardware) according to the temperatures inside your pc, thus reducing noise and power consumption." - http://www.almico.com/speedfan.php
Motherboard identification - Click here! to go to Identify Your Hardware
Motherboard HomeWorld - http://www.motherboards.org/
Motherboard reviews - Anandtech - http://www.anandtech.com/mb/
Visit the three Motherboard pages on this site for information on motherboards, cases, and power supply units.
Click here! to go directly to the networking sites listed on the third Networking page on this site.
See the Networking pages on this site for plenty of comprehensive information on wired and wireless networking.
News - excellent computer-related news and reviews sites:
http://www.sysopt.com/news.html
http://www.tomshardware.co.uk/
Motherboard reviews and US prices with links to processor and video card reviews and US prices. -
http://www.sharkyextreme.com/hardware/motherboards/index.php
Newsletters on computer-related subjects sent by e-mail - free:
Lockergnome.com - http://www.lockergnome.com/ - to sign up for a range of free, informative newletters
TechSpot Gaming - Free TS Newsletter - Tweak Guides - Game Reviews - Drivers - Downloads - Pricewatch - OS updates - OpenForum - http://www.techspot.com/gaming.shtml
Jim Powell's "The Office Letter" newsletter - http://www.officeletter.com/ (Microsoft Office news)
Karen's Power Tools - http://www.karenware.com/
Scot Finnie's Newsletter - http://www.scotsnewsletter.com/
(New link)
Mike Elgan's List - http://www.mikeslist.com/default.htm
Yael Li-Ron's MS Office Beat - http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Li-Ron/
Webmonkey webmaster tutorials and free newsletter - http://hotwired.lycos.com/webmonkey/programming/javascript/
Also look under W for Webmaster sites and Winguides.com. Many of those webmaster sites provide free newsletters.
By entering the word "newsletters" (between quotation marks) in the Google search box at the top of this page, you'll be able to find hundreds, if not thousands, of others. You could also try refining your search by using phrases such as "computer newsletters", "PC newsletters", "Windows newsletters", "PC repair newsletters", etc.
NVIDIA - the famous video-card and video chip manufacturer - http://www.nvidia.com/
OFFICE SUITES - Alternatives to the expensive MS Office Suite:
Open Office - Free Office Suite - Versions are available for Windows (98/ME/NT/2000/XP), Linux, and Solaris Operating System, in English, French, German, Italian, Spanish, Chinese (simplified & traditional), Korean, and Japanese.
Home Page - http://www.openoffice.org/
October 22, 2005. - OpenOffice.org 2.0 has been released. Its presentation and user-friendliness is much improved compared to the previous version, and it has a new database module. OpenOffice.org 2.0 features a word processor - Writer - a spreadsheet - Calc - a drawing package - Draw - presentation graphics - Impress - and the new database module - Base - plus Math and Gallery. It is the first open-source office suite with full support for the OpenDocument format.
See http://www.openoffice.org/dev_docs/features/1.1/index.html
A very interesting comparison between Microsoft Office 2003 and the free OpenOffice suite:
http://www.eweek.com/article2/0,1759,1570801,00.asp
Portable OpenOffice.org 2.0 Beta 3 runs from a flash drive
It is now possible to run a full free office suite from a flash drive. You can download the Portable OpenOffice.org 2.0 Beta 3 from http://www.openoffice.org/. It contains a wordprocessor, spreadsheet, database, and drawing and presentation tools. Note that it is beta software that isn't yet the finished product.
The Software602 Office Suite - A free alternative to MS Office® compatible with Word/Excel files. The suite is composed of four full-featured applications: a word processor, spreadsheet, graphics editor and digital photo organizer. - http://www.software602.com/.
Atlantis Nova - [900KB] Word Processor - W9x/2000/XP - Free - http://www.rssol.com/en/
OPERATING SYSTEMS:
Alternatives to Windows - also look under L for Linux sites.
Free Tech Books - most of them on programming and operating systems. -
The OS Files... The truth is out there...
This site identifies around 50 operating systems - past, present, and future, and gives details about them. There is also a section on free operating systems. Well worth a visit. - http://www.theosfiles.com/
FreeBSD - http://www.freebsd.org/ - a variant of Unix.
FreeOS.com - a huge and excellent site for info, downloads, etc. on a wide range of alternative OSes.
Outlook and Outlook Express tweaking and troubleshooting advice
Tweak Outlook XP - http://www.annoyances.org/exec/show/article08-104
Inside Outlook Express - http://www.tomsterdam.com/ and http://insideoe.tomsterdam.com/
Spell Checker for OE (supports XP) - http://www.geocities.com/vampirefo/
Outlook/Outlook Express - stationery help - http://www.mindspring.com/~majik
Internet Explorer and Outlook Express - http://www.mvps.org/inetexplorer
Rescue
Outlook Express data - http://www.techweb.com/winmag//fixes/2001/05.htm
Rescue Outlook 2000 data - http://www.techweb.com/winmag//fixes/2001/06.htm
OVERCLOCKING AND COOLING - INFO/HARDWARE SITES:
The overclocking and modding forum: To visit it, go to http://www.computershopper.co.uk/ and click on the Interactive heading. A menu presents itself. Click Forums.
The Overclocking Database - http://www.sysopt.com/ocdatabase.html
Tweak3D.net - several articles on overclocking processors and video cards - http://www.tweak3d.net/
Overclock.net Forums - http://overclock.net/
The following sites have forums or pages devoted to overclocking:
http://www.tomshardware.co.uk/
Go
to this page of Overclockers.com for many articles about water-cooling and building
water-coolers - http://www.overclockers.com/topiclist/index31.asp
UK Supplier of overclocked/overclockable hardware - http://www.overclockers.co.uk
Overclockers Club - Also provides 'hardcore hardware reviews' - http://www.overclockersclub.com/
GeForce4 Ti and MX (Video Card) Overclocking Guide - http://www.sharkyextreme.com/guides/hwGuides/article.php/1182771
COOLING SITES:
Coolermaster - USA - http://www.coolermaster.com/
http://www.1coolpc.com/
http://www.pcpowercooling.com/home.htm
http://www.heatsinkfactory.com/
http://www.coolerguys.com/
http://www.ocworkbench.com/
PASSWORD AND DATA RECOVERY SITES
| Resetting the Administrator password in Windows XP I would first try using a password-cracking tool such as Openwall's John the Ripper from http://www.openwall.com/john. It can be used to find out what the passwords used in Windows NT/2000/XP are. If that doesn't work, try the Offline NT Password & Registry Editor from http://www.home.eunet.no/~pnordahl/ntpasswd. It looks complicated but when mastered it does the job well and is available as a bootable floppy disk or as a bootable CD. You can also use it to edit the Windows Registry. If that is of no use, you can try using the Emergency Boot CD from http://www.ebcd.pcministry.com/. It is capable of resetting the Administrator password. |
Ontrack's EasyRecovery recovers the data from inaccessible hard disk drives. Recovery software seldom comes free because of its complexity. This software is no exception to the rule. - Data Recovery Software - http://www.ontrack.com/software/.
But here is an excellent exception to the rule -
The free Drive Rescue utility - http://home.arcor.de/christian_grau/rescue/index.html
PasswordTools.com (Password cracking software for a wide range of software - Word, Excel, etc. Not free)
Lostpassword.com - http://www.lostpassword.com/
A free password recovery tool - Cain 2.0 - http://www.oxid.it/
A generator of secure passwords - generate passwords from 4 to 64 characters long, and even generate a phonetic equivalent to help you memorize it - http://www.winguides.com/security/password.php?guide=registry.
PC World - excellent site for purchases, reviews, how-to guides, and free downloads -
Free Hard Disk Utilities: Recover Deleted Files and Lost Data: -
http://www.pcworld.com/downloads/collection/1,collid,1295,tk,lg,00.asp
Free CD Utilities: Burn Disks, Fix Damaged Tracks - these tools let you detect corrupted files, rip tracks from your disks and burn them: - http://www.pcworld.com/downloads/collection/0,collid,1289,tk,lg,00.asp
PC Guide - Superb site - information on every aspect of computers, including a troubleshooter - http://www.pcguide.com
PC Support sites:
Windows Support Center - http://aumha.org/
About PC Support - The "About..." site, which contains guides on dozens of subjects, also includes an excellent guide to PC support. So if your own PC is playing up, or you're a support person looking after other people's machines, here's a useful place to start. - http://pcsupport.about.com
PC Mechanic - The PC Mechanic site is free, though you do need to register. Once you've done so, it's a great way to get answers to your technical problems and queries. - http://www.pcmech.com
Experts Exchange - An online community of more than 400,000 users and IT professionals working together to help each other solve problems. And it's totally free too. - http://www.experts-exchange.com
There are more technical support sites at - http://www.techsupportalert.com.
PC Tuning Tips - Want to get more performance from your PC or broadband connection? Then visit this excellent site. - http://www.speedguide.net/
PCWorld.com - for comprehensive computer information - http://www.pcworld.com/reviews/index/0,00.asp
PRINTER SITES:
Click here! to go to the page on this site that contains some useful information about inkjet and laser printers and multifunction devices that print, scan, and copy.
Troubleshooting printer problems: inkjet, laser, and dot matrix printers - Solutions are provided for a number of the problems that occur with inkjet, laser and dot matrix printers on this Printer troubleshooting guide: http://kb.indiana.edu/data/acbl.html
FixYourOwnPrinter.com
Kits are provided to repair mainly HP printers, but Apple and Epson are provided for, but not to the same extent. Perhaps more different types will be added later, such as Canon and Lexmark. Other printer-related information is provided, such as the sources of drivers, etc. - http://fixyourownprinter.com/
Printer Troubleshooting - http://www.5starsupport.com/info/printer.htm
How to reset the monitoring information recorded by HP's latest inkjet cartridges -
http://www.misterinkjet.com/hpreset.htm
Printscreen - free utility - alternative to using the native Windows feature -
http://www.gadwin.com/printscreen/
Processor identification utilities:
The best tool processor identification is the free WCPUID utility, which is made available from http://www.h-oda.com/. Your browser may ask if you want to install various Asian character sets to view the pages, but you can refuse, because the download link and the actual software is in English.
Click here! to go to the links for more such utilities on this page.
Programming - also look under J for Java sites:
Functionx.com - a great site for tutorials on programming, databases, spreadsheets, etc. -
Free Tech Books - most of them on programming and operating systems. -
http://www.tcfb.com/freetechbooks/index.html
"Thinking in Java" and "Thinking in C++" - free downloads if these excellent books by Bruce Eckel. -
http://www.mindview.net/Books/TIJ/
Webmonkey - "The Web Developer's Resource" - HTML/XML/Java/JavaScript, etc.)
http://hotwired.lycos.com/webmonkey/programming/javascript/ (Use the Search box on this page.)
Experts Exchange - An online community of more than 400,000 users and IT professionals working together to help each other solve problems. All of the major programming languages are covered, and it's totally free.
http://www.experts-exchange.com
Programmer's Heaven - "It's all here." - http://www.programmersheaven.com/
Web Developer.com - programming discussion forums - http://www.webdeveloper.com/forum
http://www.codingforums.com/ (Forums for programmers)
http://www.pshack.com/ (Programmer's Shack)
http://www.perl.com (The Perl programming language)
http://www.python.org (The Python programming language)
Visit the RAM pages on this site for comprehensive information on computer memory.
RamBooster - Excellent free RAM optimising utility for systems with 32MB RAM or less -
http://www.sci.fi/~borg/rambooster/index.htm
RAM part number ID sites - one of several sites that provide a searchable database of RAM chip part numbers.
Decode RAM Chip Numbers - At this site you just enter RAM chip part numbers to find out the details and specs: http://www.chipmunk.nl/DRAM/ChipManufacturers.htm
RAM Diagnostic Software - look under the letter D for Diagnostic Utilities
Ranish (Free) Partition Manager - The Readme info is very poor, so take care with it:
RealPlayer - free plug-in utility - uses buffering for unbroken TV and radio broadcasts - http://www.real.com/
Reviews - Hardware:
http://www.pcworld.com/reviews/index/0,00.asp
http://www.sysopt.com/news.html
http://www.tomshardware.co.uk/
Motherboard reviews and US prices with links to processor and video card reviews and US prices. -
http://www.sharkyextreme.com/hardware/motherboards/index.php
Seagate - Hard disk drive manufacturer. Good FAQ pages and free disk utilities - http://www.seagate.com/
SECURITY SITES - COMPUTER SYSTEMS:
There were so many of them that I have moved the list of security-related links to the new Security pages on this site.
Shareware - Look under the letter F for "Freeware and shareware sites".
Shep's Tips, Tricks, Support, and Freeware info site - Covers most aspects of personal computing -
http://www.geocities.com/sheppola/index.html
Serial ATA - Site devoted to the new IDE drive standard - http://www.serialata.org/ - including a members' forum.
Silent - quiet - hardware for computers - specially designed silent fans, cases, PSUs, etc:
Quiet PC - http://www.quietpc.com/
Silent PC Review - based in Canada but the users are from the USA, UK, and many other areas around the world - http://www.silentpcreview.com/
Sisoft Sandra - System information utility with comparative hardware benchmarks
Free version available, but it's not nearly as compehensive as the paid-for version.
Home page - http://www.sisoftware.co.uk/
Start-up programs in Windows listed and explained:
It's frustrating trying to edit the Windows start-up list because the filenames themselves tell you little about the program's function. These free sites list thousands of common start-up files, providing full descriptions of what they do and links back to the vendor's website. Make sure that you understand what you're disabling before doing so. If you don't understand what you're doing, don't do it. Make one change at a time, and reboot your system after each change to make sure of no ill effects. -
Pacman's Windows StartUp Online Repository - http://www.windowsstartup.com/
Start-Up Applications Unplugged - http://www.sysinfo.org/startuplist.php
AnswersThat Work - Look under "Task List" - http://www.answersthatwork.com/
Support sites - technical - see the Great Sites page of this site.
StarSuite Office 7.0 - office suite
StarSuite Office 7.0 is now easily a viable alternative to the MS Office suite. Sun has made substantial advances in the development of this office suite, which was free, but now costs a fraction of the cost of Office XP. -
http://wwws.sun.com/software/star/starsuite/
Note that OpenOffice 1.1 is a superb free office suite with a database that runs on Windows and Linux. See the first item under the letter O on this page for links and information.
SysOpt.com - Excellent system optimisation information, forums, news, and reviews - http://www.sysopt.com/
See the Great Sites page of this site.
A Guide to the Web's Best Technical Support Resources - http://www.techsupportalert.com/
TechSpot Gaming
Tweak Guides - Game Reviews - Drivers - Downloads - Pricewatch - OS updates - OpenForum - Free TS Newsletter. Reviews of sound cards, video cards, motherboards, cooling units, etc. - http://www.techspot.com/gaming.shtml
The Register - The latest general computer information - reviews, etc. - http://www.theregister.co.uk
Tom's Hardware Guide - http://www.tomshardware.co.uk/
Tucows - One of the best free software and shareware providers - http://www.tucows.com/
Tutorials - PC - Windows - Applications - Networking, Certification, etc.
Functionx.com - a great site for tutorials on programming, databases, spreadsheets, etc. - http://www.functionx.com/
How to troubleshoot a dead computer - http://www.sysopt.com/articles/troubleshoot/index.html
How
to - Bart's way to create bootable CD-Roms - http://www.nu2.nu/bootcd/
Guides, free support forums, reviews, etc. - http://www.opentechsupport.net/forums/forumdisplay.php?s=&forumid=71
Many free technology, Windows, and Windows application tutorials (Word, Excel, Access, etc.), and links to many of the best free technology tutorial sites on the web. -
http://members.tripod.com/MR_LEGO_JOE/free_online_tutorials.htm
Free tutorials on how to use many applications - http://the-internet-eye.com/howto/
IBM's tutorial and training page - http://www-106.ibm.com/developerworks/training/?n-t-9131
Tech Support Alert - many PDF how-to articles - http://www.techsupportalert.com/index.html
How to get the most from your system's RAM, overclock a processor, flash a BIOS, etc. - http://www.motherboards.org
HowStuffWorks - PCs - CD burners - search engines - networks, etc. - http://www.howstuffworks.com/
Lynda.com - $25 a month for complete access - 3500+ tutorial movies - Dreamweaver, Fireworks, Flash, Photoshop, etc. - http://www.lynda.com
TweakXP.com - Tweak Windows XP site - now all you need is XP - in the shops from 25/10/01 - http://www.tweakxp.com/
Tweak3D.COM - Comprehensive hardware tweak, review, information site - http://www.tweak3d.net/
TweakUI - the Microsoft tweaking utility that isn't officially supported by Microsoft -
TweakUI 1.33 - the latest version for all versions of Windows from 95 to Me and 2000 - http://www.microsoft.com/ntworkstation/downloads/PowerToys/Networking/NTTweakUI.asp
Information on TweakUI can be found at http://www.geocities.com/sheppola/tweakui.html and http://www.scotsnewsletter.com/best_of/sbs/default.htm
TweakUI for XP (part of the Powertoys) - http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/downloads/powertoys/xppowertoys.mspx
Universal Serial Bus (USB) Sites:
See the USB page on this site for information on USB and FireWire (IEEE 1394), and for problem-solving go to the USB Problems' page.
USB drivers - http://www.usb-drivers.com/
USB How-to - http://www.ramelectronics.net/html/usb-howto.html
USB and FireWire cables and adapters (adaptors) - http://www.cableuniverse.co.uk/
Other USB sites:
http://www.geocities.com/budallen98_98/usb.html
Utilities that can view or delete e-mail while it is still on your ISP's mail server:
MailWasher - shareware - excellent e-mail processor - register and pay and receive extra benefits - can be used without paying and registering. Delete, bounce, and blacklist e-mail. Accesses your e-mail account to delete spam before it is downloaded. You can view message headings before processing it - http://www.mailwasher.net/
UTILITIES - all of them are FREE - Windows Vista users check to see if the utility supports Vista:
PIXresizer - Free Image Resizer - "PIXresizer is a photo resizing program to easily create web and e-mail friendly versions of your images with reduced file sizes." -
http://bluefive.pair.com/pixresizer.htm
MHDD is the most popular freeware program for low-level hard-disk-drive diagnostics. - http://hddguru.com/content/en/software/2005.10.02-MHDD/
You can find many other free hard-disk-drive utilities at http://hddguru.com/.
Microsoft's Virtual PC installs a virtual PC within Windows that allows the installation of another operating system without it affecting the main operating system.
Virtual PC Is Now Free - "Whether Microsoft virtualization technology is an important component of your existing infrastructure or you're just a Virtual PC enthusiast, you can now download Virtual PC 2004 Service Pack 1 (full-version software) absolutely free. Virtual PC 2007 will be available for free in 2007, with support for Microsoft Windows Vista." -
http://www.microsoft.com/windows/virtualpc/default.mspx
What Works and What Doesn't in Microsoft Virtual PC 2004 - Lists over 600 operating system versions and whether they are known to work on Virtual PC. -
SMP Seesaw by Mike Lin. A free utility for use with dual-core processors:
"SMP Seesaw is a small utility for dual CPU workstations that allows the user to finely tune how Windows balances the processing load between the two CPUs." - http://www.mlin.net/
Google Pack - "A free collection of essential software" - http://pack.google.com/
Foxit PDF Reader is a free reader for PDF (Portable Document Format) documents. You can view and print PDF documents with it. Much better than the bloated Acrobat Reader. -
http://www.foxitsoftware.com/pdf/rd_intro.php
August 9, 2005. - BartPE is a free utility that allows you to create a bootable Windows XP CD that operates from the CD completely independently of an installed version of Windows, allowing you to troubleshoot and repair an ailing installation of Windows. For more information on the utility and how to use it to create the bootable CD visit Bart's Preinstalled Environment (BartPE) bootable live windows CD/DVD. - http://www.nu2.nu/pebuilder/
Microsoft's Windows Defender:
March 6, 2006. - Microsoft AntiSpyware has been renamed Windows Defender and been given a new user interface. It is essentially the same spyware monitor and removal tool, but it has been improved and streamlined. A download link and the details can be found here: http://microsoft.com/athome/security/spyware/software/about/overview.mspx
The Windows Defender home page also provides a download link: http://microsoft.com/athome/security/spyware/software/default.mspx
Microsoft has provided some details of its plans for Windows Defender and several related products, such as Live Safety Center and One Care Live at http://tinyurl.com/ahfh4. Unfortunately, two of the five listed services look as if they are going to be charged for. However, Windows Defender, Windows Live Safety Center, and the Malicious Software Remov