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Author Archives: Lincoln Spector
Answer Line Fixed
The technical problems with my PC World blog, Answer Line, have been fixed. You can once again find my advice to readers at http://www.pcworld.com/column/answer-line.
Posted in Uncategorized
Where’s Answer Line
If you’ve been to PC World’s Answer Line page lately, you may notice that the latest post is from December 3. Is this the end of Answer Line? No. Do to a technical problem (or perhaps a design problem; I’m … Continue reading
Posted in Answer Line
Microsoft’s Motive: It’s the Store
Microsoft’s motive behind Windows 8 seems pretty clear to most observers. As the PC market loses ground and mindshare, Redmond desperately needs to turn its flagship OS into an important player in the growing mobile market. But that doesn’t explain … Continue reading
Posted in Windows
My Best Work in June
Alternative music sites for eclectic tastes (requires a paid subscription) How to transfer files from Windows to the iPad (requires a paid subscription) Answer Line Another, Sometimes More Convenient Way to Copy and Move Files Tweaking Windows 7′s Sleeping Habits … Continue reading
Posted in Best Articles
My Best Work in May
Samsung UN46D6000 Review: $1000 Set Has Great Features, Middling Video Unusual photo and video effects from Microsoft Free photo-editing tools do more than ever (requires a paid membership to Windows Secrets) Answer Line Should I Turn Off Automatic Updates? Remove … Continue reading
Posted in Best Articles
My Best March and April Articles
I never got around to listing my best work for March, so I’m combining it with April. March was a particularly good month for my Answer Line blog. April, on the other hand, saw a considerable number of Bayflicks posts, … Continue reading
Posted in Best Articles
My Best February Articles
Getting to basics: straight and simple text (requires Windows Secrets subscription) Smart configuration tricks for Win7 Explorer (requires Windows Secrets subscription) Answer Line Can I Safely Open a File That Contains “Macros?” How Do I See Who’s Been Using My … Continue reading
Posted in Best Articles
My Best January Articles
Hard-drive partitioning gives better protection (requires Windows Secrets subscription) Five tricks for improving Windows Media Player (requires Windows Secrets subscription) Windows 8 on a desktop PC Work Smarter in Office Answer Line Should I Use the 32- or 64-bit Version … Continue reading
My Best December Articles
Like most Decembers, last month was a slow one for me. But I did some interesting work. Sysinternals: an underappreciated utility suite Blu-ray Players Bring Cheap 3D, Great Images, and Internet Services VM: Running computers inside computers Answer Line How … Continue reading
Posted in Best Articles
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My Best November Articles
The Lost Interview: Steve Jobs, Unfiltered Smart surge protectors can cut your power bill Connected Blu-ray Players for Any Budget Answer Line Should I Remove My Laptop Battery to Increase its Life? How Safe is WPA2-Secured WiFi? Remove Hard-to-Kill Malware … Continue reading
Posted in Best Articles
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Best Articles for October
I had a very busy October, but not much to show for it. Not all of my work turns up on the Internet with my name on it. But here are a few items I’m proud of: Answer Line Will … Continue reading
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My Best September Articles
Passwords — don’t take them with you What to do about bad technical support Answer Line Overheating Laptop Watch Out for Rogues Can You Put an SSD and HDD In a Laptop? Turn a PC Off or Leave It On? … Continue reading
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My Best August Articles
Six PowerPoint Nightmares (and How to Fix Them) Word 2010 tricks for more polished documents Five Outlook Nightmares (and How to Fix Them) When it’s time to do a total Windows 7 reinstall Answer Line Bring Back Internet Explorer 8 … Continue reading
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Recent Articles Worth Reading
Yeah, I know. I haven’t been keeping this blog up to date. I figured that people who want to know what I’ve been writing lately can always subscribe to my twitter feed. But not everyone loves Twitter. So here are … Continue reading
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Windows Nightmares, Headaches, and Reinstalls
Support people are way to eager to recommend reinstalling Windows. It’s a scary, time-consuming tasks, it endangers your data, and it doesn’t always work. And it’s usually not necessary. Before you wipe that hard drive clean, read one of both … Continue reading
Posted in How-To
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It Was Fifty Years Ago Today (and had nothing to do with the Beatles)
Fifty years ago today–April 12, 1961–Yuri Gagarin became the first human being to leave the Earth’s atmosphere and venture into space, as well as the first to orbit the planet. I was not quite seven at the time. I remember … Continue reading
Posted in History
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My Favorite Thumbnails
PC World requires me to include a small thumbnail image, 180 x 119 pixels, with each Answer Line post. While I can use other artwork off the magazine’s site, and the Art Department even provided me with a generic Answer … Continue reading
Posted in Visuals
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A Few March Articles
I keep writing. Here are some recent favorites. From my PC World Answer Line blog: Should I Switch to Linux? Organize the Windows Desktop For Windows Secrets, I wrote Simple steps for backing up Web-based e-mail. Unfortunately, you’ll need a … Continue reading
Posted in Answer Line, Film, Home Theater, How-To
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What to do when Windows refuses to boot
You’ll need a Windows Secrets subscription to read this article.
Posted in How-To, Windows
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Speed Up Windows by Stripping It Down
Another PC World article about removing the fat in Windows.
Posted in How-To
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