• Gadgets

    How Can I Make My Computer Boot Up Faster?

    By Amanda Schupak Posted on 8.12.2009 8 Comments

    Good news for the busy and the impatient: It’s easy to speed up your start-up. PC users can boot up within 15 seconds using new “instant-on” Linux software like Presto ($20) and Phoenix’s alternative OS, HyperSpace ($40 per year), both of which bypass Windows at start-up while still offering access to e-mail and other frequently used programs.

    8.27.2009 at 07:47am - Comment by centurion

    I rarely shut down my PC these days, so boot-up time is not an issue. Even so, on the rare occasion that I do, my system boots up very quickly despite being about two years old. Keep the install clean- avoid installing junk programs, and ensure that applications don't sneak into the startup list (use MSconfig to disable as required). Defrag with a proper defragmenter like Diskeeper to keep the drive optimized, and you're good to go.

  • DIY

    Can I Recover Deleted Files?

    By Posted on 5.23.2008 4 Comments

    So you finally finished writing your novel and then somehow accidentally dumped it? It happens. Luckily, when you delete a file from your computer’s trash bin, it’s actually just marked for deletion. That means it can be overwritten on your hard drive by other data, but there’s a good chance it’s still intact—for a while, anyway.

    5.26.2008 at 04:25pm - Comment by centurion

    looks like my earlier comment was swallowed by the internets. I wanted to add that having a data protection in place is very important to safeguard valuable data. The two important components of this are (1) regular backups (2) good file recovery software. Backups will help restore data in case of a hard drive failure. File recovery software (already installed) will help quick and hassle-free retrieval of files that were modified and accidentally deleted after the last backup. Searching for solutions after data loss is not much fun, so it's important to be proactive in this matter.

  • Science

    The Space Archaeologists

    By Posted on 5.22.2008 8 Comments

    If it weren’t for the landmines, Lingapura would be a great place to dig. For part of the 10th century, this pocket of northwestern Cambodia was the capital of the famed Angkorian empire, a sprawling city studded with homes, irrigation channels, and more than 1,000 temples crowned with stone lingam, or phalluses. But ever since Pol Pot and the Khmer Rouge dotted Cambodia with millions of landmines in the 1970s, Lingapura’s ruins have sat mostly untouched.

    5.26.2008 at 04:19pm - Comment by centurion

    Didn't they use something like this to locate the ancient temple underneath the antartctic ice, where the humans were lured by the Predators?



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December 2009: Best of What's New

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