Free PDF Creator

Download this free PDF tool and try it out. Once installed, you simply choose the print option from Word, Excel, etc., and select "CutePDF" as the printer. It will create a PDF file on your computer. It's possible that complex documents won't convert perfectly, but I haven't experienced this yet with any of my documents.

http://www.cutepdf.com/Products/CutePDF/writer.asp

Having Trouble with Internet Explorer?

If you're experiencing problems with Internet Explorer (IE), here are some steps you can follow to ensure you're running the latest version of IE, that cleans up unnecessary files or data that may be causing problems, and restores it to standard settings:

1. Run Windows Update or Microsoft Update to make sure you're running the latest operating systems, browser, and patches.
2. Go into Control Panel, Internet Options, and choose to delete files, cookies, history, etc. (delete everything). In effect, by doing this you're removing all the browser "clutter" that may be interfering.
3. Using the browser's Tools page, go to the Security tab and reset all four Internet "zones" to their default level.
4. Using the browser's Tools page, go to the Advanced tab and restore all the browser defaults.
5. Reboot your computer and hope for the best.

Accessing PC's Remotely

If you ever need to remotely access your PC or someone else's PC, here's a handy and inexpensive tool. For an attended PC, say when you're on the phone with someone and you need to access their desktop, there's no charge. For an unattended PC, say when you have a home or office computer that you'd like to access remotely, the cost is $10 per month with no contract.

For attended PCs, there's nothing to pre-install. The person at the PC you want to view simply goes to http://www.showmypc.com/ and clicks on the option "Show My PC to a Remote User". The program runs on demand so you don't need to have anything installed. Then, you go to the same site and click on the option "View Remote User's PC". Once you enter the one-time password you should be able to view and control the remote PC.

The technology seems pretty sound from a security standpoint. One-time only passwords are used; SSL is used; VNC is tunneled over SSH; and all connections go over an 128bit encrypted ssh tunnel.

To access your own PC remotely, you'll want to install and use the service version (http://showmypc.com/service/). When you install it on the PC, intended to be accessed later, you specifiy a hostname, email address and password. It then installs it as a windows service. Whenever you want to connect to it, simply use the same hostname/email/password in the client, and you'll then be able to view and control the PC remotely. The Windows Services options does not have an "always on" connection, but only connects when you enter the remote password from the viewer side. A new SSH connection is made on host and viewer side and then VNC is started. If you're unable to authenticate the connection is dropped on both host and the viewer side.

This tool is currently hosted in data centers and on servers that are constantly being monitored, so reliabilty seems sound.

A Simple External Hard Drive

A simple external hard drive: http://www.officedepot.com/a/products/469100/Western-My-Essential-Portable-USB-Hard/

A Simple, Inexpensive External DVD/CD Burner

A simple inexpensive external DVD/CD burner:
http://www.officedepot.com/a/browse/dvd-external-hard-drives/Nr=200000&N=267589+10391/

Internet / Desktop Security Software

One of my favorite Internet/desktop security suites is Norton Internet Security 2008. It provides anti-virus, anti-spam, anti-spy, anti-phising, and a personal firewall, among other things. As with any Internet/desktop security products, be sure it's set to receive updates automatically to keep your computer protected from the latest security threats.

http://www.symantec.com/norton/products/overview.jsp?pcid=is&pvid=nis2008

Enabling Windows Wireless Connection

Many computers come with third-party wireless configuration wizards. However, if at any time you need or want to use Windows to manage access to wireless networks, you may need to enable the "Windows Wireless Zero Configuration" service. Below are some basic steps to check to see if the service is already enabled on your machine and to enable the service if you find it isn't already available. These guidelines are taken from http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;871122&Product=winxp. The steps can come in handy if you're trying to get your wireless laptop or desktop to connect with a wireless router, say in your home, but can't get Windows to recognize a wireless router or wireless access point.

To check to see if your computer is already running the Windows Wireless Zero Configuration service, follow these steps:

1. Click Start, click Run, type ncpa.cpl, and then click OK.
2. Click Network Connections.
3. In Network Connections, click to select your wireless connection, and then click Change settings of this connection.
4. On the Wireless Networks tab, click to select the Use Windows to configure my wireless network settings check box.

If the Wireless Networks tab doesn't appear, follow the steps below to start the Wireless Zero Configuration service, and then repeat the steps above to make sure your computer is set to use Windows to configure the wireless network settings:

1. Click Start, click Run, type %SystemRoot%\system32\services.msc /s, and then click OK.
2. Double-click Wireless Zero Configuration.
3. In the Startup type list, click Automatic, and then click Apply.
4. In the Service status area, click Start, and then click OK.