Insider tips, how-to, best security practices, and more

Simple hacker tools can easily sniff out Wi-Fi passwords from routers that have Wi-Fi Protected Setup enabled — quite possibly yours included. Here’s how to protect your network — and even hack your own router to see whether it’s vulnerable.

Curious about your Internet speed? Most Internet service providers (ISPs) offer some sort of throughput test tool on their sites — just click, and you’ll get a couple of often-impressive numbers. It’s in an ISP’s interest to provide the best speed numbers possible; your actual throughput is probably something quite different.

We rely on SSL certificates for safe Web surfing and secure online transactions; but how many of us understand the issues surrounding security certs — or those related error messages? Here’s what you need to know about SSL certificates — and how update KB 2661254 helps solve certificate problems.

Windows’ Services tool gives you very fine control over how and when your system services run. The Services tool is one of Windows’ Administrative Tools, a suite of professional-quality, system-management utilities used to adjust and control many of the operating system’s essential functions and features.

We all know that Superstorm Sandy was immensely destructive to the eastern coast of North America, with New York and New Jersey particularly hard-hit. While individuals battled to save their property — and in many cases their lives — huge Internet data centers struggled to stay online.

Win8 is unique among Windows versions; every experienced Windows user will feel significant disorientation on that first journey into the new OS.
I call it “Metro vertigo.” To get you off on the right foot, here’s a one-hour intro to Win8 that will get you up to speed with minimal frustration.

I asked many computer salespeople about Windows 8 — and was truly shocked at inaccurate information provided about the new OS. Few knew the key differences between versions, and almost all offered “advice” that was way off the mark.