Jon L. JacobiFreelance contributor, PCWorld
Jon is a Juilliard-trained musician, former x86/6800 programmer, and long-time (late 70s) computer enthusiast living in the San Francisco bay area. jjacobi@pcworld.com
How to use MAME emulator to cure computer game nostalgia
MAME is the name that matters for arcade game and PC emulators. Its aim is to preserve the PC and gaming past—and let you enjoy them once again.
When to defrag a hard drive, TRIM an SSD and perform other storage tasks, or not
Hard drives need defragging. All SSDs can use a good TRIM. But how and when? We'll tell you what to do and not do, and what's being done automatically.
How to reclaim file permissions and ownership in Windows
Malware or network issues can sometimes change file permissions or disown you. If you're getting a "you don't have permissions" error, here's how to fix it.
How to connect your PC or laptop to any TV
Given a relatively recent PC or laptop, you can connect it to just about any TV with an input.
Sony shows off its new OLED and LCD TVs, video projector, and Bluetooth speakers
Our first look at the products Sony announced at CES reveals additional details and impresses us anew.
With all the appearance of a 3.5-inch hard drive, this RAID enclosure lets you increase hard drive performance using RAID 0. But SSDs proved problematic.
Back up all your data—and we mean all of it—to your NAS box without installing any software
NAS boxes can use old-school protocols and their own apps to back up your PCs from far and near, as well as sync with cloud services to keep your mobile data safe.
When cell phone disaster strikes, you have some options
Your cell phone is lost, stolen, or down the toilet. Don't wait until disaster strikes to prepare for the worst. Here's what you can do.
How Babelsoft Media Preview reveals less-common file types in Explorer
Babelsoft Media Preview is the answer for revealing less-common multimedia files that Windows Explorer's own Preview tool doesn't support.
ADATA XPG SX8000 M.2 NVMe SSD review: A more affordable NVMe option
ADATA has undercut the field by offering the joy-inducing XPG SX8000 NVMe SSD for a joy-inducing price.
LeEco Super4 X65 TV review:A good picture and great features at a nice price
This large-screen 4K UHD smart TV has a super-responsive interface, and the picture is surprisingly rich given the absence of quantum dots.
How Windows Explorer can help you find duplicate files
Sure, you could buy a utility to ease the task of finding duplicate files or organizing your multimedia, but Windows Explorer is quite good at it in its own right.
Apricorn Aegis Secure Key 3z review: This USB thumbdrive is small, secure, and device-agnostic
Apricorn has taken the Aegis Secure Key 3.0 and made it smaller, less expensive, and more easily configurable in batches with a $99 USB configuration hub.
Set up your webcam for access from the road
If you have a webcam without a vendor web portal, you can still view it while on the road. Here's how.
Seagate Personal Cloud 3TB NAS review: Incredible bang for the buck
Seagate's Personal Cloud 3TB NAS is only a single-bay NAS, but $140 for 3TB of storage and advanced software features is a steal.