Many older computers have USB ports at the back of the computer, but none at the front. This can cause a lot of difficulty (crawling around and climbing on desks) when attempting to connect USB thumb drives or card readers to the computer. However, there is a better way! A USB extension lead is one way, where one end can be connected to the rear USB port on the computer and the other end provides an easy way to connect devices. An alternative way is to buy a USB hub, which can sit on your desk allowing for multiple USB devices to connect to the one USB port. Both these methods are relatively inexpensive, yet very useful. Just make sure, if your computer supports (high-speed) USB 2.0, you buy an extension lead or USB hub that supports USB 2.0, otherwise you will be subjected to the significantly slower speed of USB 1.0. (more…)

The Gibson Research Corporation (www.grc.com) has, amongst other things, some excellent free utilities which allow you to test the security of your computer. ShieldsUP! allows you to test your computer and firewall for any open ports which could be vulnerable to attack. LeakTest is another useful utility, allowing you to test the outbound program authentication on your firewall. All the utilities on the website also come with easy to understand explanations of what they are designed to test and why they are important. (more…)

Ever wondered what is happening behind the scenes on your network? If so, you may find a program called Ethereal to be quite useful. This open-source program is used to analyse network traffic and allows you to see exactly what is happening between your computer and the network. Ethereal is available for free download from www.ethereal.com. (more…)

You will be amazed at the amount of dust that accumulates behind your computer desk. The items behind most computer desks (such as power supplies, cables, and the carpet) don’t move very much, and combined with the lack of air flow is a haven for dust build-up. So, every 6-months or so it is a good idea to unplug your computer equipment from the power, get the vacuum cleaner and get rid of all the dust. (more…)

If you have a collection of MP3s you have ripped from your CDs (for personal use), you may notice some of the MP3s have different volume levels, requiring the volume to be changed every time a new song is played. There is a handy open-source program called MP3Gain (mp3gain.sourceforge.net) which allows you to adjust the volume of MP3 files so they have the same volume. The program is available for free download from the website. (more…)