I was looking for a cheap program that recorded and saved videos from the Internet. I had previously used the free trial version of the Windows Media Recorder, but the limited recording time of 5 minutes was not adequate enough for my purposes. The Ask and Record Toolbar 4.0 was a device that I stumbled upon by accident. There are many reasons to recommend this software. I have used the prog...

When I first started using my HP Pavilion a1440n in 2006, I did not know much about keeping a computer's temperatures down. I knew that it was important to reduce heat to internal components, so that longevity could be increased. How to achieve this was not within my knowledge. I searched the Internet for different solutions. Some forums suggested water cooling, which seemed advanced an...

Open Office 3.1 is an office suite that is similar in description to Microsoft Office. It has a word document application, a spreadsheet application, a drawing application, etc. The remarkable part of Open Office is that it is completely free. One must consider the advantages and disadvantages of the program before abandoning Microsoft's software though.The download size of Open Office i...

The free version of Plants vs Zombies by PopCap Games is basically a short demo of the actual game, which is categorized as a defense game. Defense games can vary in style, but they share several core characteristics. The basic concept is that you, the player, must protect your base of operations from waves of enemies. Doing so is accomplished by killing the invaders with weapons of some kin...

My parents experimented with all kinds of vitamins and supplements when I was growing up. I have tried different types of barley pills, cod liver oil in pill and liquid form, and common brand-name pills like Centrum under their supervision. I did not particularly like any of them and did not use them regularly as I got older. A couple years ago, when I was in college, my mom suggested using ...

I bought the HP Pavilion a1440n in Summer 2006 to replace my faltering HP Pavilion 716n, which I had bought in 2003. I needed a computer that ran simple typing and Internet applications for school, but I also wanted one that could run computer games I played in my spare time. The features of the a1440n is a Pentium D 820 2.8GHZ CPU, 2GB of RAM (expandable to 4 GB total), 250 GB hard drive, Nv...

Choosing a brand of memory for a computer can be as easy or as difficult as one wants it to be. Memory is used to store data or instructions from programs, but I often think of it in practical terms as the capacity by which the computer is able to perform multiple tasks; usually with more memory installed, a computer can operate and execute programs faster. I wanted 4 GB of memory for my new ...

In my college, students were given a free copy of McAfee antivirus version 8.5 (I think) for their computer security. I ran that program on subsequent computers until I made a new computer in late 2008. As a change of pace, I wanted a new program that was free and effective. Out of the many reviews I read online, I decided to try Avira. I currently use Avira AntiVir Personal Free Edition v...

When building my new computer a few months ago, I was told that a computer can have limiting factors to performance. If a part is too old or obsolete, it can bottleneck a graphics card's performance, or vice versa perhaps. I decided to upgrade from my old 15 inch Sony LCD monitor that I had purchased back in April of 2005. The monitor still worked perfectly, but I thought I needed a chan...

When I built my new computer, I decided not to use my old wireless adapter because the software for it was for Windows XP and earlier OS versions. I was going to install Windows Vista 64 bit for my new desktop, and I was under the impression that some older hardware was not compatible with Vista 64. To err on the safe side, I decided to buy a new wireless adapter made from the same manufactur...

The Logitech MX518 is a computer and gaming mouse. I purchased the Logitech MX518 online from newegg.com for $24.99 (originally $39.99, with a coupon code and mail-in rebate) in late November 2008. I upgraded from a Logitech MX310, another laser mouse, to the Logitech MX518. Movement of the mouse was smoother. Like its predecessor, the additional buttons on the mouse, other than the standar...

I usually do not play a lot of Flash-based games on the Internet because I am often busy playing CounterStrike Source (2004) or Left 4 Dead (2008). Every so often, I do play one that holds my attention for an hour or so, but I quickly tire of it or move on to something else. One of my gaming buddies suggested I and others in our gaming community to play MyBrute.com with him in May 2009. At h...

I once received a movie file a couple years ago from a reliable source. It was in a format I had never seen before: 3ivx. My usual players, Windows Media Player, Quicktime Player, and a DIVX Player, could not display the file. Confused, I looked online for a suitable means to play the file. From my search, I found a media player called VLC. I installed it, and I was able to view my file su...

World of Goo is a physics-based game in which one builds structures using balls of goo. Your missions generally revolve around escorting these balls to a tube, which vacuums them to safety. After each completed level, you are given stats on how many moves it took you to reach the end, how many goo balls you saved, and the time you took to do so. The first game that I thought of when I first ...

I have gone through several cheap headphones over the years and was looking for a good pair for my computer, specifically for gaming and other general purposes. I started reading reviews online and decided to try out the Sennheiser PC151, a set of headphones equipped with a microphone and a volume control feature. There are several positive aspects of the Sennheiser PC151. It has excellent ...

Back in October 2008, my dad asked me to backup the files on his laptop because he was going to send it in to be reformatted at a computer repair shop. I decided to buy an external hard drive for this purpose. I settled on getting a Seagate FreeAgent Go drive at a local Best Buy for $84.99 with tax; I would have preferred ordering it online for a cheaper price, but I had to backup the files v...

I was content playing primarily CounterStrike Source (2004) until November 2008. People in my gaming community started talking about Left 4 Dead (2008), a multiplayer team-based shooter where you fend off zombies. I was intrigued by the concept and participated in the demo (demonstration) of the game with my friends. I enjoyed the game very much and bought the full version a couple weeks aft...

I am always looking for ways to make my computer function faster, but I do not like engaging in tactics such as overclocking, which consists of changing the voltage your CPU or memory receives in order to increase their performance. Overclocking parts of your computer can be dangerous if done incorrectly, so I generally avoid such measures. I do not mind, however, using small and safe program...

About 3 years ago, I bought an HP Pavilion a1440n desktop computer. I liked everything about it except the graphics card, a Nvidia 7300LE, which I thought was a bit too weak to handle computer games. I did not really play a lot of games, but I needed a better one that was more than adequate to play CounterStrike Source (2004) and Guild Wars: Factions (2006). I looked for something that was c...

I started searching for computer parts to construct my first computer in November 2008. I did not have a lot of ideas of what I wanted specifically except for the power supply brand, video card, the amount of memory, and the operating system. The NZXT Alpha Black ATX Mid Tower Computer Case with Open Window was listed as a deal on a website I frequent. Apparently, it was $30.00 after a mail-...