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I love it when you write. (Well, most of you, anyway. I could do without the rants about my taste in browsers.) I especially get a kick when you send e-mail to follow up on a newsletter I've written. For instance, I received a bunch of good letters about two topics I'm revisiting this week--sharing big files and keeping your computer's private parts secure.

Super-Duper File Sending

Sharing humongous files with your buddies should be easy. It's often not. For example, trying to attach those big files to e-mail messages is silly; the attachment limit for most ISPs is about 10MB.

I wrote about a bunch of nifty ways to share and transfer files in "Legal and Quasi-Legal File Sharing." But readers recently told me about three slick--and free--Web sites for sending really big files. Both Dropload and YouSendIt let you send single files of up to 1GB in size. (Warning: For professional users on fast broadband connections, only. Do not try this on dial-up.)

What I like about these services is that they're both quick and easy to use, with no ActiveX installations or other hassles. With YouSendIt, just tell the site the location of the file on your drive and who the file goes to, and the file is on its way. I like being able to send the file to multiple addresses. Dropload's advantage is that once you're registered (and don't worry, it's benign), you can save recipient e-mail addresses. That's handy if you need to send a file to the same person at a later date.

Quick Tip: Both Dropload and YouSendIt allow only single files to be sent. If you have more than one file, just zip them into an archive file with any one of a bunch of free compression utilities downloadable from PC World. (My favorite is FreeZip.)

Another reader, Steve L, is using Streamload to send, store, and share multiple files. The aptly named Freeloader plan is free, and the limit on this account is 10GB. Read Tom Mainelli's February GeekTech column for details.

Dig This: In this reaction test called Sheep Dash your goal is to launch a tranquilizer dart when a sheep runs from the flock. You'll find it's hard not to jump the gun--and if you do, you get a 3-second penalty. Me? I wasn't able to get past the embarrassment of being an "ambling armadillo." [Thanks to D. Littlefield.]

Privacy at Home and on the Road

I thought I covered enough of the privacy bases in "Stay Secure at Home and on the Road." Apparently not.

I told you about the Imagine LAN and the StealthSurfer, USB drives loaded with special software that you use to browse the Web and check e-mail when you need to borrow a buddy's PC. When you're done, you leave without leaving a trace of your activity on the PC--it all stays on the USB drive. Readers had a field day--they were quick to tell me about other stealthy USB tricks.

The first, from Bill W, is RoboForm Portable, a USB version of the program I use on my PC to manage all my Web-site passwords. RoboForm stores all my user ID and password data on Web sites that need log-in information, and inserts it automatically when I visit the site. Grab a trial version of the $30 RoboForm from our Downloads library.

RoboForm Portable is a $10 add-on to RoboForm. It acts just like RoboForm does, but you store it on a USB drive, which lets you use someone else's PC and not have to remember your passwords. And passwords stay on the USB drive, so there's never a risk of anyone on the host PC seeing them.

Stephen F told me about a freshly minted version of Firefox--Portable Firefox 1.0--that's designed to run on a USB drive. Coincidentally, Portable RoboForm works perfectly with Portable Firefox. (BTW, RoboForm is compatible with Firefox, Mozilla, and Netscape 7.)

Finally, you might look at the Migo USB flash drive from PowerHouse Technologies. It's similar to the StealthSurfer I mentioned in my "Stay Secure..." column, but it goes a couple of steps further. For instance, you can create unique profiles for other family members or coworkers, and you can configure different settings for different locations, like your home or office. And unlike the StealthSurfer, you can bring along other settings--desktop icons, shortcuts, and wallpaper--so the host PC looks and acts just like yours. A 64MB model costs about $60; the PC World Product Finder has the latest pricing.

Dig This: So many of you liked the images at the Stupid Computer Tricks link I supplied last week, I thought you'd like Computer Stupidities. The site has tons of transcripts from allegedly dumb computing dialogues. My favorite is "Calls from Hell." [Thanks, Tamara.]

Steve Bass writes the "Hassle-Free PC" column in PC World's print edition and is the author of PC Annoyances, 2nd Edition: How to Fix the Most Annoying Things About Your Personal Computer, available from O'Reilly. Sign up to have Steve Bass's Tips and Tweaks newsletter e-mailed to you each week. Comments or questions? Send Steve e-mail.