WATCH Top 10 Worst Toys: What, Only 10?

Every year, the Boston consumer group World Against Toys Causing Harm (WATCH) puts out its top 10 list of worst toys to buy during the holiday season. The group had a lot to choose from this year, and settling on 10 seems, as The Consumerist notes, kind of pointless.

Still, the more information, the better for parents who are trying to find safe toys for their children, so the list is worth checking out. Top on the WATCH list (bringing it to 11 with this alert) is Aqua Dots, one of the most recently recalled toys of 2007, which saw 25 million toys under 70 brands recalled for safety issues, including lead paint and other toxic materials.

Aqua Dots, colored beads used in kids' craft projects, were found to contain toxic chemicals that convert to a dangerous date-rape drug when ingested. There have been at least two reports of children swallowing the beads and slipping into a temporary comatose state.

You'll find some familiar names on the list: a Dora the Explorer lamp, Go Diego Go Animal Rescue Boat, Jack Sparrow's Spinning Dagger, Spiderman 3 New Goblin Sword. But there are also some lesser-known toys, like Sticky Stones, magnetized iron ore stones that WATCH warns can be choking hazards.

Check out the full list on the WATCH web site, and proceed with care and caution down the toy aisles this holiday season.

Excel 2007 Stricken with Bizarre Calculation Bug

Front and center in any "working guy" software arsenal is Microsoft Excel, the spreadsheet that's become a de facto industry standard. Earlier this week, reports surfaced of a strange error in Excel 2007 which caused calculations involving the number 65,535 (and thereabouts) to return wildly inaccurate results.

You can try it for yourself in Excel by multiplying 850 by 77.1. Excel will return 100,000 instead of 65,535. Similar operations that should return 65,535 will also come back incorrect, and there's a problem with 65,536, too. The problem is only present in Excel 2007; earlier versions of Excel are not affected.

Microsoft has traced the problem back to a floating point issue and how results are displayed within a cell in Excel. Microsoft says the calculation is actually done correctly, it's just that when it comes time to show the result on screen, Excel chokes. For example, if you multiply that "100,000" above by 2 and put the answer in a new cell, you'll get 131,070, not 200,000. However, this isn't reliable either: Try adding one and you get 100,001, not 65,536.

Microsoft says a fix is on the way and is in the final stages of testing. I'll update this post when the patch is available; hopefully Windows Update will also push it down automatically.

Free Phone Calls... With a Catch

I've been sitting on this one for a few days, but finally have gotten around to writing about it. It's a doozy: A company called Pudding Media has launched a web-based phone system that lets you call any phone number in North America and talk for free, as long as you want. The catch: The company listens in on your call and serves up ads based on what you're talking about.

Pudding is a VOIP operator, much like Skype, so you have to use a computer and a microphone or headset to make your calls. That's critical to the Pudding experience, as the ads are delivered on your computer screen (rather than via commercial-like audio interruptions). Of course, it wouldn't make sense for a human to listen in on your call and push a button to send you an ad. Voice recognition software listens for keywords. An example cited by the New York Times says that Pudding could offer movie reviews and ads for films if you're talking about the latest blockbuster.

Pudding says it does not keep recordings or logs of call content, but that's little consolation to those who find this an egregious privacy violation. For its part, Pudding says this is no different than what Google does with Gmail, offering ads related to what people are emailing you about, and arguably with more of a paper trail than a telephone conversation.

But is it? There's something indescribably different about a phone conversation than an email. It's more intimate, more personal. I'd have trouble using Pudding's system for all but the most trivial of phone calls. Still, I'd also have no problem trying it out and getting an account in case of emergencies. (I'm currently on the waiting list to join the beta, which you can join as well at thepudding.com.)

Would you give Pudding a try? More than once? Are free phone calls worth it? Be careful how you answer: Pudding notes that people actually change what they're talking about based on what the ads delivered on screen are. That's a little spooky, if you ask me.

How to Secure the Data on Your Laptop

Reader Jessica writes: I am an in-house investigator (not law enforcement) looking for laptop safety software. I've read on some of the "hardcore" techie pages that I need specialized encryption software to keep emails and files safe when I'm on my home wireless network. I'm planning on getting the Dell XPS 1710 for the road and working from home and know that it comes with the basic security suite. However, I'd like to be able to recommend something I can use on the laptop to the firm as well. I can't seem to convince the head honchos that information security is a huge problem!

Securing the data on a laptop computer requires a multitude of applications. The good news is that you're probably already running many of them. Here's a rundown on what you need, and what each application actually does.

Antivirus - The first line of defense; you are probably quite familiar with tools like Norton, PC-cillin, McAfee, etc. I've written about free antivirus options here.

Anti-spyware - The second line of defense; spyware blockers protect you from the other half of the malware out there. Install both Spybot and AdAware; both are free. I've written on how to clean a spyware infection here.

Firewall - A firewall protects you against direct attacks over the internet. Unlike viruses and spyware, these attacks don't arrive via a carrier application. Often they are "denial of service" attacks, which aim to simply disable your computer altogether, as long as the attack continues. The best firewall is the one on your router, so make sure it's turned out. Also turn on the built-in Windows Firewall. It does a fine job. I don't bother with additional firewalls unless the security need is extreme. In that case, ZoneAlarm is the one I'd recommend.

Data encryption - Things get more serious when we talk about encrypting the data on your PC. Encryption essentially scrambles everything on the computer unless the proper password is given to unlock it. You can also set up encryption to protect your email, but this is a more complicated process, as the recipient generally must also use the same encryption process to decode what you sent them. Just remember, encryption is only as good as the password you use to lock it. Windows Vista Ultimate Edition includes an encryption system called BitLocker. If you have Ultimate, definitely give it a spin. There are myriad encryption tools out there, most of which are free, which will encode your hard drive for you. Some are easy, some are difficult. Search around until you find one you like and which has positive reviews. You might start with FreeOTFE, which is pretty simple and rock solid. Be aware that encryption software will often slow down your PC considerably because of the complexity of the calculations it has to do.

Theft recovery - LoJack for Laptops (I've written about it many times) can help you out if your gear gets ripped off.

Additional tools (optional) - Many laptops include biometric scanners (fingerprint scanners) to help lock out unauthorized users. I find them more trouble than they're worth, but for sensitive data scenarios I'd recommend using one if your laptop includes it. Read the LoJack link above fore more commentary on how fingerprint scanners can interfere with LoJack.

Remember that all of these tools will only work as long as you keep them up to date with current data definitions, frequent scans, and with good passwords. Like most things, good security comes down mostly to common sense. Remember that laptop theft is the most common computer crime out there. Keep your machine out of sight and secured with a cable lock whenever you're unsure of your environment's safety.

How to Pick a Genuinely Secure Password

When it comes to security, Bruce Schneier is a god among us mere mortals. He has written some of the most influential books on computer security and cryptography ever printed, and his blog is essential reading for anyone on the Internet.

So when Bruce says here's how to create a secure password (and how he creates his own passwords), I listen. His post on the topic is extensive, so I'll try to boil it down to the essentials. If you have the time, I encourage you to read the whole thing, though.

First question: How are passwords cracked, anyway? Primarily through brute force "dictionary" attacks, where software tries to guess a password by running through a series of common phrases or words in various combinations. Sure, we know that "password" and "qwerty" are easy to crack, but password crackers have gotten much more sophisticated these days. Now, they check hundreds of these common "root" passwords (here's a list)... in combination with various "appendages," including all two- and three-digit combinations, single symbols (like ! and ?), dates from 1900 on, and a few others. The crackers also sub in common characters like "3" for "E" and other typical hacker-speak substitutions.

What's that mean? Basically, if you thought the safe-looking pigl3t9! was a secure password, you're sadly mistaken. Any modern password cracker will suss it out in a matter of minutes.

Before you begin to despair, Schneier offers simple rules on how to create a password that cannot be easily cracked by such methods. (Mind you, given enough time, any password can be cracked, though. But this will make it much harder.)

The trick is to use a "root" that is not in that list that I linked above, and to put your "appendage" (or two of them) in an unusual place: Either in the middle of the root or at both the beginning and the end.

Schneier's example is to use a word that you can pronounce but which is spelled "wrong": armwar or pitchsure or baysball are all examples. Then attach your appendage(s): arm9!9war or 1066pitchsure6601 or bay1776sball. It shouldn't take much effort to commit any of these to memory.

Two Monitors on One Laptop?

Reader Greg Davey asks: I want to use a second monitor in conjunction with my laptop: I want to have one application on my laptop screen and another application on a second monitor. I've tried setting it up via th Display > Settings control panel, but it's not working. What does the laptop physically need for the use of multiple monitors? I'm told the laptop needs a dual video card; if so, how do I tell if my laptop has a dual video card?
Having two monitors can make you doubly productive, but setting this up on a laptop isn't always easy, as you've discovered. You took the right first step: Plugging in an external monitor to the VGA port (or possibly DVI port, depending on your laptop) and then attempting to configure the Display control panel to handle two monitors, side by side. (Just position the boxes labeled 1 and 2 and click "Extend my Windows desktop onto this monitor." (See screenshot for detail.) That's all it takes... if your laptop's graphics card supports multiple monitors.
How do you know if it does? Most recent ATI and Nvidia graphics cards do, as does the Intel GMA 945G integrated graphics chip. If you have ATI or Nvidia graphics on your laptop, download the latest drivers from either the appropriate website or from your laptop manufacturer's drivers page. Windows Update can sometimes provide new drivers, too, but this isn't as reliable.
After installing the new driver, try the steps outlined above again. If you still can't get the two displays to show up, your PC probably can't support dual displays. But don't give up yet, there are other options...
Got a PC Card slot? Of course you do! You can plug the VillageTronic VTBook (or a number of other PC Card-VGA adapters), which works as a connector for a second monitor for your laptop. The quality isn't always the best on these products, and they can be expensive in some cases (especially ones that support three or four monitors), but they're worth a look if you're in a bind.
You can also do the same thing with a USB adapter. A variety of products like this one are on the market. Be aware that most are from no-name companies, reviews are spotty, and video quality isn't the best (no 3-D support at all, for example), but at least they're cheap.
Good luck. Let me know if any of these products or tips ended up working for you!

Baby Needs a New Domain Name

How's this for thinking ahead? Shortly after baby's first footprints are made in the hospital, some parents are securing another kind of identity marker: an Internet domain name.

It's hard to know just how widespread the practice is, but the AP reports that parents are snapping up domain names from companies that charge about $9 and up a year for them. Some are setting up web sites right away to share photos and moments in their babies' live, but most are tucking them away for future use. They don't want someone else to buy the names and experience what Britney Spears did when her 11-month-old son's domain name was purchased by someone else first, writes the AP's Anick Jesdanun.
But what seems forward-thinking now could be quickly outdated. As Peter Grunwald, who owns a research firm specializing in kids and technology, tells the AP: "Given the pace of change on the Internet, it strikes me as a pretty impressive leap of faith that we're going to use exactly the same system and the same tools...15 to 20 years from today."
Other parents are taking the simpler step of setting up email accounts through web-based mail services so they can send emails and thank-you's in their babies' voices to family members and friends. One mom tells the AP she'll be saving all the messages for her kids to read when they get older.
So have you secured domain names for your babies or older kids?

Protecting Your Laptop from Viruses

• What it does: Prevents certain malicious programs from infecting your computer.
  What it protects against: Viruses, worms, Trojan Horses. These programs set up operation on your computer, doing a number of nasty things, such as
  Destroying random files on your hard drive.
  Storing pornography on your hard drive and using your computer to distribute those images.
  Scanning your hard drive for valuable information, such as passwords, bank account numbers, or credit card numbers.
  Taking over your computer to launch viral attacks on other computers on the Internet.
  Taking over your computer so that spammers can spew out bulk e-mail.
  Any number of other hideous, horrible things!
  The background: In the olden days, it took an infected floppy disk or CD to give your computer a virus. That may still happen today, but most likely a virus infects your computer through an e-mail attachment.
  To protect yourself against this scourge, you need to run antivirus software. You need to run it all the time. You need to use this software to protect your computer.
  Scanning for viruses
  Windows XP doesn't come with its own virus scanner. You have to get a third-party virus scanner, such as the Norton AntiVirus or McAfee's VirusScan. Other antivirus programs to consider include
  Avast! Antivirus
  AVG Anti-Virus
  Kaspersky antivirus protection
  You can use these programs in two ways:
  Actively: To actively scan for viruses, the antivirus program does a complete scan of memory, then the hard drive, then files on the hard drive. Everything is checked against a database of known viruses.
  Passively: The antivirus programs uses the passive virus scan as your computer receives files. The program individually scans and checks each file coming in against the virus database.
  Obviously, each antivirus program does things differently. Refer to the documentation that came with your antivirus software program to see how things work.
  Sometimes it helps to have and run two different antivirus programs. Not at the same time, but perhaps run one first, shut it down, then run a second antivirus program. The second one may catch some things that the first one misses.
  Yes, some antivirus programs require a paid subscription. You don't pay for the program, but rather for accessing and updating the antivirus database. But the cost of the subscription is worth it! Don't delay in updating your antivirus database!
  Though most of the Web-based virus-scanning utilities are legitimate, you may want to avoid using them. Only trust the software if you're darn certain that it's okay; otherwise, who knows what kind of program you're letting into your computer?
  Good advice to help protect you from the viral scourge
  Viruses happen to good people, but they also happen to idiots who don't heed good advice (such as these pearls of wisdom):
  Don't open unexpected e-mail file attachments, even if they appear to be from someone you know and trust. If you weren't expecting anything, don't open it!
  Especially avoid any file attachment with these suffixes, or filename extensions: BAT, COM, EXE, HTM, HTML, PIF, SCR, VBS.
  A plain text e-mail can't contain a virus. But a virus can sneak in by using an e-mail signature or attachment!
  If you don't open the attachment and just delete the message, you can probably prevent your computer from being infected.
  If your e-mail program automatically saves e-mail file attachments, then delete those attachments from the folder that your program saves them in.
  Microsoft's Outlook Express is particularly vulnerable to e-mail viruses. Consider getting an alternative e-mail program, such as Web-based e-mail.
  The best protection against nasty programs in e-mail is to use antivirus softwa

Dealing with a Dead Laptop Keyboard

Every once in a while, a computer user ends up with a dead keyboard. You usually have an electrical or electronic culprit in a keyboard demise. An electrical breakdown may involve a frayed or broken connecting cable; failure of the keyboard's processor, which translates key strokes into scan codes that the CPUS recognizes and acts upon, may cause an electronic problem.
Poking your head in
If your keyboard stops working, open the laptop, removing whatever pieces stand in the way of getting at the connections to the internal keyboard. (These obstacles may include plastic casings, the hard drive, the battery, and sometimes much more.) Check the ribbon cable and power connector that go between the keyboard and the motherboard. Sometimes, nothing more than a loose cable causes the problem. Remove and reattach the cable, reinstall the parts that you removed, and try the system.
For this approach, and all other work that takes you inside the covers of your laptop, be sure to consult the repair manual for your machine. You may have received a copy of the manual at the time of purchase, or you may find the manual on the Internet, available as a PDF or HTML (Web page). Place the computer on a sturdy, well-lighted surface and provide yourself with numbered or lettered containers for parts. Keep a notepad and pen nearby to keep track of all of the steps that you take. You can use an empty egg container to store your computer parts; mark each of the dozen egg cups and track which cup contains which parts in your notes. Be sure to ground yourself before touching any internal part of the machine.
Going shopping
If adjusting the cables doesn't fix the problem, you can choose to replace the laptop's keyboard with a new unit.
When shopping for a replacement keyboard, you may find three types of offerings:
An original equipment manufacturer (OEM) replacement: A new unit exactly like the ones that the laptop manufacturer uses. Note that very few laptop marketers - including Dell, IBM, Compaq, HP, and Gateway - actually make their own models.
A compatible replacement: A new unit that's promised to work in your laptop although not specifically designed for that purpose. Be very careful to make sure that the seller guarantees the replacement will fit in your machine and work properly. Be very specific about the model number and the serial number, and be sure that you agree with the seller's return policy in case it turns out to be not quite as compatible as promised.
A refurbished replacement: Either a new unit removed from a laptop where other components have failed or a used unit that a competent technician has repaired. Be sure that you understand any warranty offered by the seller.
Working around
If you have a failed laptop keyboard, you can also try to find a way to work around the built-in unit. Unless the motherboard fails - which is a much more serious issue than a mere keyboard - you should be able to attach an external keyboard to a laptop. You may find this approach an acceptable workaround if you use the laptop on a desk, but you may not find it a great solution for the seatback tray of an airliner.
You can use any desktop replacement keyboard with a laptop; you only have to match its connector to an available port. Some laptops offer a PS/2 keyboard or mouse connector; or you can purchase a keyboard that uses a USB port for attachment.
You can attach a USB keyboard while the laptop is running. To safely add a keyboard that uses a PS/2 port (an option available only on older models), you probably want to turn off the laptop and install the plug for the new board before reapplying power; this precaution prevents accidental shorts or static jolts to the system.

Sharing Folders Over a Home Network

In home networking, sharing is what you do to make hard drives, folders, files, and peripheral devices available to all users of the network. You can configure your network so that the computers share hard drives (which automatically makes them share folders), or you can make it so that they don't share hard drives but can still share folders.
Even if your network does share hard drives, it's best to actually create shared folders because doing so makes it easier to get to those folders from the other computers on the network. When you open Network Neighborhood or My Network Places and double-click a computer icon, all the shares on that computer are displayed. If the only share is the hard drive, many mouse clicks will be needed to navigate through the drive to get to a specific folder.
You can create as many folder shares on your computer as you please, using the same steps you use to share a drive. Here are the basic steps (note that the options will vary, depending on the operating system you're using) in My Computer or Windows Explorer:
1. In My Computer or Windows Explorer, right-click the icon for the folder you want to share and choose Sharing from the shortcut menu that appears.
2. Select Sharing or its equivalent, depending on your operating system (for example, it might be Share This Folder).
3. Click the Shared As (or New Share or the equivalent, again depending on your operating system) button.
5. In the dialog box that opens, name the share, and optionally, enter a description in the Comment field.
Using hidden shares
You can hide a shared folder from Network Neighborhood or My Network Places. The cool thing about a hidden share is that you can get to it if you know it exists and if you know the trick for accessing it. A hidden share can be a useful location for documents you don't want other network users to see when you can't easily set security options for the computer that holds those documents.
A hidden share works only if you keep in mind the basic rules about shares:
Shares are for remote users, and they're irrelevant when somebody is using your computer. The folder you hide isn't hidden from anyone who is using your computer.
If you want to hide even one folder on a drive, you cannot share the drive, because as soon as you do, every folder in the drive can be seen. Folders are children of drives, and when you share a parent, you share all its children.
A hidden share must be a parent share, because if it's a child of a share, it's visible in Network Neighborhood and My Network Places as soon as a remote user expands the parent share.
The best way to hide a folder from everyone (users who work at the computer and users who access the computer across the network) is to make it a subfolder of a folder you're not sharing, on a drive you're not sharing.
Create a parent folder for the express purpose of creating a subfolder that you want to hide. Give the parent folder an innocuous name so that nobody who uses your computer would be curious enough to expand the folder in Windows Explorer and find your secret. For example, create a folder on your drive and name it Tools or Maintenance. Then create a subfolder and name it Logfiles or another name that seems equally boring or technical. In Logfiles, you can keep all your naughty and nice lists, and no one will suspect a thing.

Another nifty place to put a hidden subfolder is in the Windows folder (C:Windows or C:WINNT in Windows 2000). There's no reason to share the Windows folder because its contents are specific to the local computer. Other people who use the computer are unlikely to scroll through the subfolders in the Windows folders, unless they're suspicious about your ability to be sneaky.
Creating a hidden share
To hide a folder's share, follow the steps just described to create a folder share. However, when you give the share a name, make the last character of the share name a dollar sign ($). That's it, the share is hidden. Easy, huh?
Getting to your hidden share from a remote computer
When you work at a different computer and you want to get to a file that's in your hidden share, follow these steps:
1. Choose Start --> Run.
The Run dialog box opens.
2. Type \\ComputerName\ShareName in the Open text box, substituting the real names of the computer and the share.
For example, if you're trying to get to a hidden share named Logs$ on a computer named Den, type \\den\logs$. A window opens to display the contents of your hidden share.
Keeping the secret a secret
When you use the Run command, Windows saves the command. The next time you open the Run command, the last command that you typed displays. Just click OK to run the command again. Very convenient, eh? Uh, not if you share the computer with other users.
The way to prevent your command from being visible to another user is to make sure that you log off when you leave the computer you were using. This ensures that nobody else can sit at the computer using your logon name and settings. The Run commands are saved on a user-by-user basis, so when a user named Mom is logged on, only commands issued by Mom are visible in the list.

Inserting Clip Art in Word 2007

Clip art is a collection of images, both line art and pictures, that you're free to use in your Word documents. In most cases, the result is the same as inserting a picture, although you're using images from a clip art library rather than graphics files on your PC's hard drive.
Here's how you add clip art to your Word document:
1. Click the Insert tab.
2. From the Illustrations group, click the Clip Art button.
The Clip Art task pane appears.
Just as you would search your hard drive for a picture, you search the Clip Art library for artwork.
3. In the Search For box, type a description of what you want.
4. Click the Go button.
The results are displayed in the task pane. Peruse the results - you may have to scroll a bit to see all of them. If you don't find what you want, go back to Step 3 and refine your search.
5. Point the mouse at the image you want.
A menu button appears.
6. Click the menu button and choose Insert.
The image is plopped down into your document.
7. Close the Clip Art task pane by clicking the X in its upper-right corner.
Word inserts the clip art graphic right into your text, just like it's a big character, where the insertion pointer is blinking. At this point, you probably want to move the image, resize it, or do other things.
The problem with clip art is that it's inanely common. That means the image you choose will doubtless be used by someone else. This gives clip art an air of unoriginality.
Clip art libraries exist that you can buy at a software store. Because those images are stored on CDs or DVDs, you need to use the Picture command button to insert them into your documents.

Getting Rid of Red Eye in a Digital Photo

The Red Eye Removal tool in Photoshop Elements allows you to click or paint away those glowing pupils that affect pets, children, or anyone else wide-eyed and close enough to the camera and its overzealous flash. Photoshop Elements isn't the only image editor that has this feature - check your software manual to see if you can use your program to remove the nasty red eye.
To use the Red Eye Removal tool, you have to use the Options bar (which you can see in Figure 1). If you want to use the Red Eye Removal tool, follow these steps to customize the tool's effects and apply them to the glowing eyes in question:

Figure 1: The Options bar in the Red Eye Removal tool.
1. Check to see that the layer with the demonic-looking eyes is, in fact, the active layer in the Layers palette.
2. Click the Red Eye Removal tool in the Tool palette to activate it and consider the following options:
• Pupil Size: This measurement is the size of the brush that you use to paint over the red-eye.
Darken Amount: This option is the degree that you want to darken the red eyes.
3. Click in the area of the image that includes the red-eye effect.
The tool automatically seeks out the red tone and darkens it, creating more natural-looking eyes.
4. If both eyes are glowing (they usually are), you can repeat Step 3 for the second eye.

Photoshop Elements 3.0's brand-new Red Eye Removal tool doesn't work with the similar yellow or green eye effect produced in animals. Try using the Color Replacement tool instead. For best results, don't apply the same exact pupil color to both eyes. Usually, the lighting on the individual eyes is slightly different, which affects both the glow that you're trying to get rid of and the pupil color that you want. If you apply too dark or too large a pupil, the results look fake.

Should Babies Watch TV?

It's something every new parent grapples with: How much TV is too much TV?Researchers at the University of Washington have found really young kids seem to be watching a lot of it. And while they're not sure how bad that is for them, they know it's not entirely good. Here's what their survey turned up:
90 percent of children under the age of 2 watch TV and videos regularly
40 percent of infants under 3 months are, too (Three months?)
29 percent of parents whose babies are watching TV and DVDs believe the educational programming is good for their brain stimulation, though no research has proven this
Sure, every parent of a baby and young toddler needs a break, but check out the full story in the Seattle Post-Intelligencer to help you decide how much is okay. Remember that the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends no television for children younger than 2, and only one to two hours a day of quality programming for older children.
Resist the temptation to put TVs in children's bedrooms, too. The academy says one of out of every five children age 2 or younger has a TV in his bedroom. There's another reason this may not be a good thing — an increased risk of obesity for preschoolers who have TVs in their bedrooms.
So, truthfully, do you think babies should watch any TV or videos? Please share how you manage the balance of educational videos, TV, and good old-fashioned play with your little ones. And check out these related posts:

Improve PC Performance: Defragment Your Hard Drive

Windows XP stores files on your hard drive in blocks of data called sectors. When a file is stored in several sectors that aren't located next to each other, it becomes fragmented, and a hard drive with lots of fragmented files can slow down PC performance. The Disk Defragmenter Utility scans your hard drive and rearranges scattered files so the hard drive runs as efficiently as possible. Running Disk Defragmenter once a month is enough for the average home user.

Defragmenting a large partition can take a long time. Plan to run Disk Defragmenter when you're not using your computer.

1. Go to Start | All Programs | Accessories | System Tools | Disk Defragmenter.

   

   Sometimes Disk Defragmenter conflicts with other programs running on the computer. If this happens, shut down all other programs including anti-virus programs.

2. Select the drive you want to defragment and click Analyze (see Figure 1).

3. Look at the horizontal bar in Figure 2 labeled Estimated Disk Usage Before Defragmentation. Red represents fragmented files. If you see lots of red, you should defragment the disk.

4. When the analysis is complete, a small window pops up telling you if you need to defragment the disk. Click View Report for more details.

5. The Analysis Report shown in Figure 3 provides all kinds of statistics about the hard disk. Click Close to continue.

6. Click the Defragment button to defragment the disk.

   

   If Disk Defragmenter freezes and won't shut down, press CTRL-ALT-DELETE to shut down the program.

Considering a Spare Battery for Your Laptop

One option that you probably ignored when you bought your laptop was getting a second or spare battery. But people who are on the road all the time or in a remote location where they spend a long time away from the power socket absolutely have to have a spare battery handy.

Before you use a spare battery, make sure that you fully charge it. Either charge it in the laptop or use an external charger (if you have one). Put the fully charged, spare battery in your laptop case or in any non-conducting (metallic) container. Then head out on the road.

If your laptop has some type of quick-swapping ability, then when the power gets low, you can just eject your laptop's original, spent battery and quickly insert the spare battery. But be sure that your laptop can survive such a heart transplant before you attempt it!

If your laptop doesn't have the ability to hot-swap batteries, then just turn off (or hibernate) the laptop when the original battery is nearly spent. Remove the old battery, insert the fresh one, and then turn the laptop on again.

Keep these spare-battery tips in mind when out and about with your multiple batteries:

• Yeah, you probably want to get a laptop that supports hot-swapping batteries, if you plan on pulling this trick often.

• You may want to label your batteries with a Sharpie so that you don't get the two (or more) confused and accidentally insert a dead battery.

• You can buy a spare battery from your dealer or from stores (either brick-and-mortar or online) that sell extra batteries.

• Be wary of generic batteries! Always try to get manufacturer or manufacturer-approved batteries for your laptop. Anything less, and you run the risk of setting your laptop ablaze! It's happened!

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