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Posted on November 21, 2012 by Susan Bradley in Top Story

We rely on SSL certificates for safe Web surfing and secure online transactions; but how many of us understand the issues surrounding security certs — or those related error messages? Here’s what you need to know about SSL certificates — and how update KB 2661254 helps solve certificate problems.

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Posted on November 21, 2012 by Kathleen Atkins in Lounge Life

Before commencing your holiday online gift-buying binge, you might want to fortify yourself with a few cautionary tales.

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Posted on November 21, 2012 by Andy Boyd in Bonus Download

Some Windows 8 differences from its predecessors are more than skin-deep. Among these are security enhancements that bolster your computing safety — especially when you’re behaving prudently.

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Posted on November 21, 2012 by Kathleen Atkins in Wacky Web Week

Most people acknowledge the mental toughness required for life in Manhattan, one of the most densely populated peninsulas on the planet. Zelda, who has lived in Battery Park since mid-2003, must be exceptionally resolute — and cannier than many of her kind.

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Posted on November 21, 2012 by Fred Langa in LangaList Plus

There can be all sorts of legitimate reasons for software to launch, seemingly on its own. But when an app frequently and repeatedly launches itself against your wishes, mangled file associations and flawed startup settings could be the cause.

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Posted on November 21, 2012 by Michael Lasky in Best Hardware

Planning to buy a new Windows 8 system or upgrade your not-so-old Windows 7 system to the new OS? You can choose from a bevy of new notebooks and peripheral devices to make the transition to Windows 8′s touchscreen paradigm easier than you might think.

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Posted on November 15, 2012 by Kathleen Atkins in In the news

The widely covered and “immediate” departure of Steven Sinofsky, the now-former Windows chief at Microsoft, late Monday night is a big story. It’s also a story full of speculation and qualifiers such as “some say,” when the topic turns to why Sinofsky left the company.

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Posted on November 15, 2012 by Fred Langa in Top Story

Windows’ Services tool gives you very fine control over how and when your system services run. The Services tool is one of Windows’ Administrative Tools, a suite of professional-quality, system-management utilities used to adjust and control many of the operating system’s essential functions and features.

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Posted on November 15, 2012 by Kathleen Atkins in Wacky Web Week

Consider the pastime of domino toppling, in which structures rise for the specific purpose of falling apart spectacularly.

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Posted on November 15, 2012 by Kathleen Atkins in Letters

The recent release of Windows 8 received almost universal attention — the Windows Secrets newsletter and its readers included. As we expected, views on Microsoft’s most controversial OS varied widely among WS readers. Most of the letters would not please Microsoft. Here’s a small sampling of opinions.

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Posted on November 15, 2012 by Fred Langa in LangaList Plus

How can you use your Microsoft Outlook–based e-mail, contacts, and calendar on an Android smartphone or tablet? It’s surprisingly easy! A number of built-in and free third-party Android tools provide the solution.

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Posted on November 15, 2012 by Woody Leonhard in Woody's Windows

For those venturing into Windows 8, one of the first surprises during the installation process is a request for your Microsoft account. Providing your account name is optional, but doing so has numerous implications that extend beyond Windows 8.

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Posted on November 15, 2012 by Susan Bradley in Patch Watch

Windows 7 users receive security patches for IE 9 plus a preview of IE 10. Also, OpenDNS and Microsoft duke it out over an IPv6 update — with your computer acting as referee.

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Posted on November 8, 2012 by Tracey Capen in Introduction

Once or twice a year, we like to take a more formal poll of our readership. This year’s survey is now up.

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Posted on November 8, 2012 by Tracey Capen in Top Story

We all know that Superstorm Sandy was immensely destructive to the eastern coast of North America, with New York and New Jersey particularly hard-hit. While individuals battled to save their property — and in many cases their lives — huge Internet data centers struggled to stay online.

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Posted on November 8, 2012 by Kathleen Atkins in Lounge Life

How’s this for an impressive product name: “Windows 7 Antivirus Pro 2013″? Don’t buy it. It’s malware.

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Posted on November 8, 2012 by Kathleen Atkins in Wacky Web Week

We at Windows Secrets were distracted from Halloween last week by the debut of Windows 8. But Henri, the Francophone cat, was concentrating on that difficult holiday, happily for us.

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Posted on November 8, 2012 by Fred Langa in LangaList Plus

A Windows Secrets reader dug deep into Windows to solve his PC’s far-too-frequent crashes. He eventually tracked the problem to Windows Media Player Network Sharing Service, a program that can cause crashes or severe slowdowns — and one that most PC users don’t need.

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Posted on November 8, 2012 by Ryan Pierson in Best Practices

For millions of Internet denizens, Facebook and LinkedIn are crucial for keeping in touch with scattered friends, family, and business contacts. Although the two services have a lot in common, what you use them for will determine which is more worthy of your time.

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Posted on November 8, 2012 by Patrick Marshall in Windows 8

Microsoft makes it relatively easy to upgrade to new versions of Windows, but not if you’re upgrading your hardware at the same time. To make the process of moving programs and data to a new Win8 machine less time-consuming, Laplink now has PCmover with Windows 8 support.

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Posted on November 1, 2012 by Tracey Capen in Introduction

Well, it’s here. The most controversial version of Windows ever released is out in new PCs and as an upgrade. We won’t predict the success or failure of Windows 8 (there is no shortage of tech pundits who have), but we will provide lots of helpful information on how to get started exploring the new OS.

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Posted on November 1, 2012 by Woody Leonhard in Top Story

Win8 is unique among Windows versions; every experienced Windows user will feel significant disorientation on that first journey into the new OS.
I call it “Metro vertigo.” To get you off on the right foot, here’s a one-hour intro to Win8 that will get you up to speed with minimal frustration.

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Posted on November 1, 2012 by Kathleen Atkins in Lounge Life

After you successfully download the Windows 8 operating system flavor of your choice, you have still more software adventures on which to embark. To help you concentrate your effort, this week’s Lounge Life focuses on Windows 8 questions.

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Posted on November 1, 2012 by Kathleen Atkins in Wacky Web Week

Chris Pirillo is one of the more entertaining technology observers on the Net. In this amusing clip, he discusses the pros and cons of installing Windows 8. If our Windows 8 stories haven’t persuaded you one way or the other, surely Chris’ explaination will.

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Posted on November 1, 2012 by Lincoln Spector in Windows 8

In the great divide between those who like Windows 8 and those who don’t, I confess I fall into the latter category. But I do like the operating system’s File Explorer — it’s one piece of Win8 that really is an improvement on earlier versions.

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Posted on November 1, 2012 by Fred Langa in LangaList Plus

The new Windows 8 Start screen hides common Windows commands such