Kill your data dead with these tips and tools | PCWorld

Kill your data dead with these tips and tools | PCWorld: "There are lots of ways to obliterate sensitive data from of your drive: blast furnaces, degaussers (magnet field generators), sledgehammers, and secure-deletion software among them. These tools vary in effectiveness—especially as applied variously to hard drives, solid-state drives, and USB flash drives—and in the subsequent usability of the drive.

For the sake of argument (and a more interesting article), let’s assume you’d like to preserve your drive’s functionality. This rules out violence and degaussing, which, though wonderfully effective and perhaps therapeutic, will render a drive useless. Excluding those options leaves you with a choice between software and software-combined-with-firmware methods."

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▶ How to rescue your PC from ransomware | PCWorld

▶ How to rescue your PC from ransomware | PCWorld: "With the nasty CryptoLocker malware making the rounds—encrypting its victims’ files, and then refusing to provide the unlock key unless a payment of $300 is made via Bitcoin or a prepaid cash voucher—ransomware is back in the spotlight.

You can remove many ransomware viruses without losing your files, but with some variants that isn’t the case. In the past I’ve discussed general steps for removing malware and viruses, but you need to apply some specific tips and tricks for ransomware. The process varies and depends on the type of invader. Some procedures involve a simple virus scan, while others require offline scans and advanced recovery of your files. I categorize ransomware into three varieties: scareware, lock-screen viruses, and the really nasty stuff."

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Latest Chrome build brings all of Chrome OS to Windows 8 | PCWorld

Latest Chrome build brings all of Chrome OS to Windows 8 | PCWorld: "Google is now offering a way to get a Chrome OS PC for free: Just download Chrome on Windows 8 or 8.1. After first appearing the Chrome dev channel in October , the search giant officially added what is basically the Chrome OS interface to the modern UI version of Chrome on Windows 8."

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▶ How to recover files after a malware attack | PCWorld

▶ How to recover files after a malware attack | PCWorld: "A malicious program infects your PC and makes your documents and other important files inaccessible, then it pops up a message demanding money to get the files back. You’ve got a ransomware infection, and that isn’t good.

How do you get the files back without paying for them? That’s simple: Restore them from a backup. That is, of course, if you’ve been backing up daily."

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▶ Create a website the easy way | PCWorld

▶ Create a website the easy way | PCWorld: "As President Obama discovered last fall, building a good website can be a daunting task. But if you don’t require a lot of complex forms that share data with hundreds of insurance companies, it’s actually pretty simple.

If you don’t want to learn the technical complexities of modern Web design, or hire someone who has already learned it, find another option. Go with a do-it-yourself online service that provides the building blocks and then hosts the site for you. There will be some limitations on how much you can customize the site design, but the results will still look good and have all of the functionality you need."

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The Best Tuneup Utilities | PCMag.com

The Best Tuneup Utilities | PCMag.com: "Remember how your PC sprinted like Usain Bolt when you first booted it up? Your computer can have that fresh-out-of-the-box performance once again after you run a pc tuneup utility.
What is a PC tuneup utility, you ask? It's an application designed to fix the wear and tear that computers suffer over time by repairing hard drive fragmentation, fixing the problematic Windows registry, and deleting useless and duplicate files. While all of the tools listed below perform these basic actions, a few stand out from the pack by implementing unique features."

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How to Create a Search Shortcut on the Desktop in Windows 8.1

How to Create a Search Shortcut on the Desktop in Windows 8.1: "Do you do a lot of searching in Windows Explorer? You can make it quicker and easier for yourself with a custom shortcut on your Desktop. We’ll show you how to create a shortcut that opens Windows Explorer ready for you to begin a search.

Right-click in any empty space on the Desktop and select New | Shortcut from the popup menu."

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How to Create a Search Shortcut on the Desktop in Windows 8.1

How to Create a Search Shortcut on the Desktop in Windows 8.1: "Do you do a lot of searching in Windows Explorer? You can make it quicker and easier for yourself with a custom shortcut on your Desktop. We’ll show you how to create a shortcut that opens Windows Explorer ready for you to begin a search.

Right-click in any empty space on the Desktop and select New | Shortcut from the popup menu."

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Stupid Geek Tricks: How to Turn a Windows 8 PC Into a Chromebook

Stupid Geek Tricks: How to Turn a Windows 8 PC Into a Chromebook: "Do you prefer Google Chrome to Microsoft’s Windows 8 apps? Well, you’re in luck, even if you have a Windows 8 PC. You can swap the entire “Modern” environment for the Chrome OS desktop, hiding the Windows 8 interface entirely.

You can also use the Chrome desktop as just another app on Windows 8, swapping back and forth between other Windows 8 apps and the traditional desktop. That’s more practical, but where’s the fun in that?"

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