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The Top Tech Tips of 2008, Part 2

 & Whitney Reynolds Producer

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Buying Guide: The Top Tech Tips of 2008, Part 2

Month after month, and year after year, one of the most consistently popular features of PCMag.com are our Solutions. It's hardly any surprise; we have tech experts Loyd Case and Neil Rubenking answering your hardware and software questions, DIY projects to keep you building and busy, and a plethora of tips covering many aspects of tech. What can we say; PCMag.com just loves to help.

Every weekday we send out a Tip of the Day newsletter, bringing the best of our solutions straight to your inbox. If you haven't subscribed yet, scroll about halfway down this page, and you'll find a gray box that will get you signed up. A few weeks ago we brought you the first 50 of these greatest tip hits; now it's time for the rest. Read on and you might just find the tip that changes the way you operate.

51. Build a RAID Array
Don't wait for the inevitable hard disk crash; set up a mirrored RAID array and let your PC handle the backups for you. Follow our step-by-step guide.

52. Multitasking Monitor
Turn two monitors into one by combining your PC screen and TV into one.

53. Easy Date and Time Entry in Excel
Cut down data entry time in a flash with handy Excel tricks.

54. Outsmart Calendar Spam
Spam has a tricky new mode of entry, so here's what you need to know to protect yourself.

55. 72 Tips for Safer Computing
From the basics to the extreme, here are the tricks that will keep your computer, you, and your family secure and safe.

56. Missing Drive Partition
How to recover a drive partition that has seemingly disappeared.

57. RAM Modules Preventing Boot
Is your new RAM keeping your computer from booting? Read this tip to learn how to fix this irritating problem.

58. Playing MP3s Through a Stereo
Is one MP3 player better suited to play through your stereo than the rest? Read this tip to find out.

59. Open Objects in Windows Explorer
Have a particular way you want your shortcuts? Create shortcuts your way with this tip.

60. XP Users, Speed Up Your 802.11n Connection
When you think about boosting the performance of your wireless network, 5-GHz wireless 802.11n routers are probably what come to mind. But the higher frequency used in the draft-n routers is only half the story.

—next: Tips 61-70 >

61. How to Convert Web Sites to PDF Documents
Clumsy, page-by-page conversion to PDF is a thing of the past. With Acrobat 9, you can capture entire Web sites.

62. How to Build a Home Server
Building a home server to back up, share, or remotely access your data isn't so hard. Here's how to do it in nine easy steps.

63. How to Manage Your Music
Whether you prefer a simple set of playlists or a sophisticated smart-tagging system, follow these tips to organize your music to your heart's content.

64. Streaming Video for Cheapskates
You don't need a media center PC or a set-top box to watch PC video on your TV. Read our tip to learn how to do it on the cheap.

65. Secure Your E-Mail and IM Communications
Are you concerned that anyone can intercept and read your e-mail and instant messages? You should be.

66. Missing Security Tab in XP
Simple File Sharing may be why you have less Security tabs in Windows XP than you expect.

67. Windows in a Window
Virtual machines let you muck around with older versions of Windows—and even other operating systems—without consequences! Learn how to run and use a virtual OS in today's tip.

68. 91 Ways to Supercharge Windows
The powerful programs we highlight (half of which are free) in our annual utility guide will help you take control of your OS from all angles, including backup, file transfers, organization, networking, and more. See what made the list, and start customizing Vista and XP today.

69. Turn Excel Data and Charts into JPEGs
Got lots of Excel data you'd like to share? There's an easy way to change it all into small, easy-to-copy pictures.

70. Drive-Mapping Problems
Use the command line utility to deal with drive-mapping errors and make Windows sharing easier.

—next: Tips 71-80 >

71. I Want My Aero!
Want to get the cool window transparency effect in Windows Vista? Read our tip to learn what you need.

72. Double Up on Graphics Cards?
What's a better value for the money, one GPU or two? Read today's tip to find out.

73. Windows Media Center TV Pack 2008: The Unofficial User's Guide
We have everything you need to know to install, tune, and get the most out of the new Windows Media Center TV Pack.

74. Sending E-Mail in a Spam-Hysterical World
The classic spam stream of porn and Nigerian scams has evolved into a torrent of nonsensical missives laced with malware. Here's why this spells trouble for your outgoing messages.

75. How Is Printer Ink Like Milk?
The expiration dates on ink cartridges are not a scam. Learn more about the life of your printer ink in this tip.

76. Can I Add a Graphics Card?
Can a PC without a graphics card handle the addition?

77. The Right Upgrade Speed
How can you find the right balance of components to boost your machine's overall efficiency and compatibility? Read this tip.

78. Thwarting Identity Theft
Identity theft has been a federal offense since 1998. But are we getting any better at dealing with it? Actually, we are. Read this tip to learn how to thwart identity thieves, how to know if your identity is compromised, and what to do if your identity gets stolen.

79. The Definitive Guide to Wi-Fi
The wireless Internet is everywhere, but how do you find a hot spot—or make one for yourself? This tip will teach you about the the full spectrum of Wi-Fi access methods to try when you're not at home.

80. What's Holding You Back?
Does it seem as if something's dragging on your Internet connection? There's an easy way to figure out what's holding you down in Vista.

—next: Tips 81-90 >

81. Restore Drive Type Grouping
Learn how to return My Computer to its original state without altering file and folder display in Windows Explorer.

82. Avoid Confirmation at Start-Up in Vista
Microsoft makes it hard to disable user authorization at start-up in Vista, but we've got the workaround.

83. Drag and Drop Confusion Resolved
What may seem like a drag and drop error is not as strange as you might think.

84. Outlook Contacts in Your Pocket
You can take your Outlook contacts on the road with you with a flash drive. Read this tip to learn how.

85. Be in Two Places at Once
Ever get frustrated moving from one section of a document to another, then back to compare, then back again to tweak the wording, then back again to make sure everything is consistent and you're not repeating yourself? There's an easy way to fix it.

86. Resizing Columns
Don't spend time trying to jimmy the width of columns in Excel so they'll fit the widest text. Excel will take care of that task for you!

87. Controlling Defragmentation in Vista
Even though Vista defrags on its own, you can still watch it work if you want.

88. Word Can Help Save Trees
There's a feature in Word that allows you to reduce the size of your document by one page. Learn how to save paper across different Word versions in this tip.

89. Recycle Your PC the Right Way
Don't just toss out your old machine when you bring a new one. Here's the eco-friendly way to get rid of old hardware.

90. What You Need to Know About Cloud Computing
Cloud computing promises that we'll never have to worry about hardware again. But will it deliver?

—next: Tips 91-100 >

91. Windows Power Saving
Want to save energy with your computer? Read this tip to learn what settings you need to change to cut down on your power consumption.

92. Is the File on the Other Monitor?
Swapping between a multi-monitor setup and a single screen can get tricky.

93. Unlocking the Secrets of RSS
Learn how to get the most out of the RSS and Atom feeds you read, as well as the Web feeds you publish yourself.

94. 529 Tips for Better Computing
Crafted by our analysts and editors and tested in the PCMag Labs, our vast list of tips starts with the fundamentals of computing and then moves on to multimedia, mobility, business, and online solutions for maximizing your digital life.

95. Hack Your Canon PowerShot to Add Superpowers
Enhance your Canon camera—and awaken your inner photo geek—with the ultimate hack, adding RAW support, motion detection, time-lapse photography, and much more.

96. Mac Software on a PC?
Is it possible to run Mac platform software on an Intel-based PC? Sort of. Read this tip to learn more.

97. Eliminate Unwanted Window Animations
Annoyed by the little animation that happens when you minimize or restore windows? It's easy to get rid of.

98. TiVo: 10 Things You Didn't Know You Could Do
Take your mastery of that glorious TiVo to the next level—without digging through obscure operating system codes or (heaven forbid) opening up the box.

99. Enough for High-Def?
What adapters do you need to view high-def content on your computer?

100. Install an Ancient Printer in Vista
If you're having trouble making an older and well-loved printer work with Microsoft's latest OS, we have some tips that may get you printing again.

This article originally appeared on PCMag.com.

About Our Expert

Whitney Reynolds

Whitney Reynolds

Producer

Whitney Reynolds has been a Web Producer for PCMag.com since 2003. In that time she's served as an occasional game reviewer, contributed to the Appscout and Gearlog blogs, and moderated a lot of comments. When she's not creating yet another slideshow story, she dabbles in podcasting and has been a contributor on The Toast.

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