Quick Tips

Back up Firefox

Moving to a new computer is a pain. You can sync bookmarks and export some data, but it's almost like starting over again. Thankfully, Download.com editor Jessica Dolcourt tipped me off to the Weave plug-in. Weave syncs your bookmarks, search queries, passwords, and even open tabs and then encrypts the data on Mozilla's servers. This can save a lot of time when you're setting up a new computer or if you browse the Web on more than one computer.

If you're not comfortable with beta version software, you may want to wait on this, because … Read more

Free e-books for Kindle

Sony has a deal with Google that lets users of the Sony Reader get all kinds of public domain e-books for free. But what about the Kindle users? Not to worry. Thanks goes out to Buzz Out Loud listener Dave for sending along a tip for downloading free e-books right to the Kindle, no computer necessary. That's something that the Sony Reader can't do. Here's how to do it.

First, make sure your Kindle's on and the wireless connection is active.

Press menu and select experimental.

Then select basic Web.

Press menu again and select enter … Read more

Add search engines in Internet Explorer 8

Internet Explorer 8 has a cool feature where you get more than just one option in the search bar when you type in a keyword. But the default only gives you two options. Here's how to add more search options to the IE 8 search bar.

Go to Tools and select Manage Add-ons.

Then select Search providers.

You'll see Microsoft Live Search and whichever options you chose during install. If that was Live Search, that's all you'll see.

Now click Find more search providers.

You'll get a list of various options. Press "Add to … Read more

Add and remove Internet Explorer 8 add-ons

Like most Web browsers, Internet Explorer 8 has add-ons. But sometimes you may want to get rid of them, even if just temporarily. IE 8 has made it easier to disable and enable your add-ons. Here's how to do it.

Let's say you have the Google Toolbar running in IE 8. You should see an X to the left of the toolbar. It's the familiar X that usually means you can close something. In this case, you'd be right to guess that. Click that X and you'll disable the toolbar.

Now that can be dangerous … Read more

Quick Web searches in Internet Explorer 8

Internet Explorer 8 has a new feature that lets you get a lot done just by highlighting words on a Web page. Here's how to take advantage.

Quick Web searches in IE8

Highlight any text on a Web page by holding down the left mouse button and dragging your cursor over the words. You'll see a blue box with an arrow. Click on that and you'll get a list of options.

If, for instance, you're highlighting an address, you can choose to map it on Google Maps, pinpointing the location. It can also do regular Web … Read more

Fix MacBook sleep problems

One great thing about a laptop is putting it to sleep. Close the lid, pack it in your bag, and you're saved the trouble of rebooting it later. But if it doesn't go to sleep properly, it can heat up in your bag, burn your hand, or even damage its hard drive. Here's how to troubleshoot MacBook sleep problems.

The first step is to make sure you don't have an application running that's accessing the hard drive. If you're downloading a file over Wi-Fi, that can interrupt sleep. Playing music from iTunes or playing … Read more

Simple search in Firefox

One cool thing in Firefox is the capability to highlight a word, right-click, and search your default search engine. But that just gives me a general search. I swear I've seen the woman who plays Charlotte on "Lost" in some movie. I'd rather be able to right-click and immediately search IMDB. Here's a Quick Tip for adding multiple search engines to the context menu in Firefox. Watch the video to see how it works.

Go to addons.mozilla.org and search for SimpleSearch. While it's still in the experimental stage, you'll have to … Read more

10 Firefox keyboard shortcuts

The mouse is a lovely invention, but the keyboard is much faster. Your Internet connection is slow enough; you don't want to be slow using Firefox, too. So here are some Quick Tips for Firefox keyboard shortcuts.

The back button. The backspace key or Delete button on a Mac, sends you back one page.

Need to type in a URL? F6 highlights the address bar. No more fumbling around with the mouse.

Need to search for a word on a page? Control-F in Windows or Command-F in a Mac opens the Find function.

Maybe you want to copy all … Read more

Restore iTunes sync

Recently, I accidentally grabbed my wife's iPhone and plugged it into my MacBook Pro. No big deal, right? Nothing bad happened. But after that: iTunes refused to sync my calendar, contacts, e-mail, or bookmarks.

I found a fix on the Apple discussion boards suggested by StephenDunn2. Be warned, Apple specifically states you should NOT mess with the SyncServices folder. As if it were a swarm of bees, they say you should avoid it.

OK, I get the picture, but at a certain point, if you're frustration surpasses your bee fear, you may want to try this. It worked … Read more

Text message a landline

Ever needed to text message, oh I don't know, grandma, but she doesn't have a cell phone? Watch our video on how this works, then refer back to this article for the steps.

This is actually just to help you discover a feature you probably didn't know you had. Sprint and Verizon allow this on their networks in the U.S.; check with your local carrier to see if they also permit it. If they do, it's simple.

Write your text message and include the landline phone number in the to: line. The text message will … Read more