If you have a laptop which you regularly carry around, a concern is the security of data on the laptop should it be lost or stolen. As such, if you have confidential or private data stored on your laptop, it is strongly recommended that this data be encrypted to protect it in the event your laptop goes walk-about. Mac OS X Leopard has FileVault built into the operating system and Windows Vista Ultimate and Enterprise Editions have BitLocker. However, if you are not running one of these high-end Vista Editions you will need to look for an alternative. TrueCrypt (www.truecrypt.org) is an open-source encryption program which is highly secure and even allows for the encryption of entire boot volumes.

When moving the mouse cursor across the screen it is very difficult to move and click on icons. It almost feels like some kind of magnetic field is trying to prevent my cursor from moving! At first I thought this may have been a virus on the computer, but extensive scanning has given the computer the all clear. How can I fix this problem? The computer is running Windows XP. (more…)

Occasionally when logging onto particular user accounts on my home family computer the screen resolution changes to a very low setting, making everything very large. How can I stop this from happening? The computer is running Windows XP. (more…)

If you are interested in trying cutting-edge software, the release of Windows 7 Release Candidate 1 would suit you quite well. Windows 7 RC1 is now in the Customer Preview Program stage, allowing end-users to download the release candidate version of this new version of Windows for testing. Of course, this is pre-release software so expect a few bugs. Windows 7 RC1 can be downloaded from www.microsoft.com/windows/windows-7/download.aspx .

Since moving house the sound on my computer no longer works, including CDs, MP3s, and Windows system sounds. The speakers (which are integrated into the monitor) are plugged into the speaker jack on the sound card and the sound is not muted. How can I fix this problem? The computer is running Windows XP. (more…)