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Steve Bass's Tips & Tweaks
Steve Bass's Tips & Tweaks
Each week Contributing Editor Steve Bass tackles the most exasperating PC problems, including stubborn spam, pokey broadband, and unreliable hardware.
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Tuesday, May 13, 2008 10:20 AM PDT

Installing Windows XP SP3? Read This First

Take your hands off that mouse. I know, you're ready to grab XP SP3. But slow down a sec and read my quick tutorial. It could save you some time and make your life with the new Service Pack less harrowing.

Wait a minute! You say you haven't followed the XP SP3 saga? Read "Early Tests Say SP3 Speeds Windows XP" and Robert Strohmeyer's "Windows XP SP3: First Impressions."

Reading Materials

Start with Microsoft's "Steps to take before you install Windows XP Service Pack 3," a handy set of instructions to ensure a pleasant experience. It talks about "fast user switching" issues (like making sure everyone's logged off), administrator rights, and error messages you may encounter.

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Friday, May 09, 2008 04:00 PM PDT

Three Easy Fixes for Windows Annoyances

Restore Windows' picture viewer, hibernate your PC instantly, and turn off indexing to crank up your system's performance.

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Tuesday, May 06, 2008 02:00 PM PDT

Fun With Restore Points

How to set Restore Points in Windows XP, troubleshoot them, and remove them. Plus a handful of fun videos and quirky sites.

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Tuesday, April 29, 2008 01:00 AM PDT

Smooth Your On-Screen Fonts, Control Errant Folders

Fine-tune ClearType, keep folders from opening at start-up, and decrease your productivity.

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Tuesday, April 22, 2008 01:00 AM PDT

A Better Way to Uninstall Apps

Replace the Add/Remove applet in Windows with super-cool Revo--plus, a perfectly legal hallucinogen.

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Tuesday, April 15, 2008 01:00 AM PDT

Dealing With Hard Drive Problems

Tips to help if your drive bails on you, plus fabulous and weird time wasters.

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Thursday, April 10, 2008 05:15 PM PDT

Seven Free Geek Tools--and a Quick Tip

Fix PC lock-ups, jump-start your cable modem, and diagnose problems with your router.

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Tuesday, April 08, 2008 10:20 AM PDT

Hard Drive Disaster: A Cautionary Tale

In which our fearless columnist learns the hard way that you should always verify your backups.

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Tuesday, April 01, 2008 01:00 AM PDT

Download Manager Tips, Reader Q&A

An important message for FlashGet users, plus how to fix weird PC clock problems--and a brand new time-wasters section.

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Tuesday, March 25, 2008 01:00 AM PDT

Don't Like RealPlayer? You've Got Options

Some folks say RealPlayer is loaded with ads. Here's how to play its media files without getting more than you want.

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Tuesday, March 18, 2008 01:00 AM PDT

Super-Useful Web Services

Get names and addresses from the Web, research practically anything, and learn about a new input device.

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Tuesday, March 11, 2008 10:54 AM PDT

Simple Fixes for Hard Drive and Folder Annoyances

Boot unbootable drives, silence annoying start-up folders, and speed up Windows Explorer.

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