December 2006 Newsletter

In This Issue

• Commentary: A Video is Worth a Hundred Blogs
• 100,000 Kbps? Lightning Fast Connections Drive Test Enhancements
• Announcing the Pitstop 500! Great Prizes for the Fastest PC
• Research: Keeping Microsoft Up at Night & Slaying the Antivirus Giants
• Tip: Protection from Little Fingers
• Research: Password Survey Results
• Research: Password Management Software Trends
• Tip: Disabling Auto-Restart
• New Survey: Data Backup & Storage

Commentary: A Video is Worth a Hundred Blogs

What began as our effort to educate the public about a serious PC safety issue, evolved into one of the most watched online videos of November. Rob reflects on our first venture into video and what you might expect from us next.

100,000 Kbps? Lightning Fast Connections Drive Test Enhancements

In the last month, we’ve had PC’s with download scores of close to 100,000 kbps! We’ve improved our logic and added larger download images to improve the accuracy of our Internet Connection Center and award winning Full Tests.

Announcing the Pitstop 500! Great Prizes for the Fastest PC

Start your PC’s! This month, when you run our world renowned Full Tests, you will automatically be eligible in the Pitstop 500! The fastest PC takes first prize, but everyone is eligible for the random drawing. Contest Details & Rules.

Research: Software Market Trends

After looking at close to 2 million PC’s in the last year, we provide an inside look at the software industry analyzing all of the industry heavyweights including Yahoo, Symantec, McAfee, Microsoft, Corel, Google, eBay, and Apple. Our research team delves into the impact of freeware and shareware on the software titans in this comprehensive yet concise video report.

Tip: Protection from Little Fingers

Have you ever lost an important project to a youngster eager to explore the power button on your PC? Stormy13 shares a great tip for protecting against this possibility. Learn more

Password Survey Results

62% of those responding to our November password survey, change their passwords only when they perceive a security threat and amazingly, 36% simply commit their passwords to memory. Do your password related habits put you at risk? Check out all of the results.

Research: Password Management Software Trends

Given some of the surprising results from the password survey, our research team took a closer look at the use of password management software on PCs we have tested.

Tip: Disabling Auto-Restart

By default, a Windows XP system will auto-restart when a system crashes. The reboot can happen so fast that you miss the opportunity to read the related error messages. Rmcvey shows us how to disable this feature.

Participate In Our New Survey and Win a $100 Gift Certificate

This month we put together a short survey about data backup and storage. One lucky participant will receive a $100 Amazon gift certificate. Click here to take the survey. Check out the list of past lucky winners.

Got a Windows Tip or Trick?

You can win $100 if your Windows Tip or Trick is selected for our monthly newsletter. Just join our forums, affectionately called The Pit, and make your submission in the Tips or Tricks section. Even if you don’t have a tip or trick, come join our growing and happening online community. Join

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