SysInspector, a free diagnostic tool from antivirus maker ESET, digs into your system and reports on all the running programs, registry entries, network connections and other info it finds. Its extensive but technical reports would be of most use to those with high-end tech skills.

If you're trying to figure out whether that "MalwareDefender2009" program is a legit app or a scam, a new listing of the known scams can help.

The new Rogue Gallery from the Lavasoft Malware Lab lists lists many of the known fake programs, which attempt to use fake infection warnings and similar social engineering to trick people into handing over cash for a worthless program license. Along with a name and date for each item, you'll find a screen shot and a list of files and system changes for each program.

Windows 7 has the same core code as Windows Vista, right? So application compatibility should be a non-issue, right?

Wrong.

Amid the back and forth over whether an e-reader is or is not this year's perfect gift, let me settle things once and for all: Just order a Nook and give the recipient another small present with the Nook holiday certificate attached.

Yes, the Nook e-reader is the perfect gift for your book-reading friends.

Led by the late Michael Jackson and the vampire-driven "Twilight" series, Yahoo's Top 10 Searches for 2009 show that penny-pinching consumers are escaping to the Web "to pursue news and their guilty pleasures," according to a Yahoo search trend analyst.

Microsoft has confirmed that Office 2010 will ship in June, but continues to hammer home a marketing line that could spell trouble for sales.

Any Windows owner is familiar with the Blue Screen of Death, that much-dreaded white text on a blue background that essentially says you're through. But what you may not know is that there's a new contender in town: the Black Screen of Death. So what is this horrible-sounding thing, where did it come from, what's being done to fix it, and how bad is it? Here are five things you need to know about the Black Screen of Death.

AT&T's exclusive hold on the iPhone is coming to an end, and speculation is bubbling as to which U.S. carrier will get Apple's smartphone next. Verizon has been hot tipped to take over the iPhone, but the latest iPhone-trashing campaign for the Motorola Droid could mean it's not going to happen. Now, a new carrier has emerged as a possible contender: T-Mobile. Yes, T-Mobile.

With the expanded partitioning abilities of Vista and Windows 7, Paragon Partition Manager Express 10's limited feature set--while unique--means it is probably only worth the download for XP users. That said, the free program's distinctive take on implementing basic partitioning is worth a look.

Motorola is set to sell its millionth Google-powered Droid device by the end of this year, exceeding analyst expectations, and quickly developing a large fan base. But can Motorola replicate the success of the late RAZR and create an iconic Google Android phone to threaten Apple's iPhone?

Ailing Motorola may just be on the road to recovery. The Droid, sold in conduction with Verizon in a $100 million marketing push, is on track to sell one million units in the U.S. by the end of this year, according to an analyst quoted by GigaOm. The European outlook, where the Droid is known as the Milestone, is not as cheery -- as Dext (U.S. Cliq) and Milestone haven't benefited from such a strong marketing push.

A robotic forklift picks up a sheet of glass thinner than a credit card and as big as two table-tennis tables, and effortlessly swings it 90 degrees before gently placing it into an oven where it will bake at 200 degrees Celsius. It's a graceful and finely engineered process and one of several that takes place minute after minute, hour after hour, day after day in Sharp's LCD factory in Sakai, western Japan.