Have you ever had a file in a format you can’t read on your computer? Maybe it was created in a newer version of Word, or it’s a music file you can’t listen to. If you have a Google account, you can upload Word/Excel files to Google Docs and read them there or export them. You can also try Zamzar, a free online file conversion tool.
Do you constantly share files between a home and work computer? Instead of emailing them to yourself or carrying around a USB drive, try Dropbox. You get 2GB of free online storage to share files between computers or just keep an online backup. They also have an iPhone app if you need to access your data on the go.
If you use the internet on your PC, you are opening your computer up to a world of nasty viruses. It’s very important to have some kind of antivirus or anti-malware program installed. If you don’t have one, check with your Internet Service Provider (Comcast, AT&T, RCN) and see if one is included with your internet service.
If not, here are several highly rated (and free) programs you can try:
Malwarebytes’ Anti-Malware
Panda Cloud Antivirus Free Edition
Avast! Free Antivirus
AVG Anti-Virus Free Edition
Before writing a document in Word, follow these two important tips:
First, make sure autosave is enabled and set at a short interval (I recommend 1-5 min). Mac users: go to Preferences > Save > and check the AutoRecover box. PC users (Word 2007): click on the Microsoft Office Button, Word Options, and then Save. PC users (Word 2003): Go to Tools > Options > Save. If Word freezes or your computer crashes, the autosaved file should be there when you reopen Word.
Second, save your document before you start typing and do a manual save on your own every few minutes (you can do this easily by hitting CTRL-S on a PC or CMD-S on a Mac).
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