System restore is an important, but often a misunderstood tool for guarding against system file corruption or loss. Read on for an explanation of System Restore.

The System Restore function in Windows XP and Vista is one defense line against file corruption or loss, but it is far from a complete backup. Many PC users are confused about what System Restore actually does. When you create a restore point, what is actually being saved? System Restore monitors certain parts of Windows XP and Vista known as the "system state." The system state includes the Registry, COM+ Class Registration database, boot files, and certain file types.

Periodically (usually once a day) System Restore takes a snapshot of the system state and stores the various files in a condensed form. At some later time, the system can then be rolled back to a previous system state.

Contrary to what many think, System Restore does not back up the computer. It does not monitor changes to personal data files such as documents, pictures, email, and so on. For example, one folder that is not monitored by System Restore is My Documents. So if you use My Documents for your personal files, you will need another way to keep them backed up.

A team of researchers at Massachusetts Institute of Technology has outlined a relatively simple system that could deliver the power to your electronic system such as laptops, cell phones, MP3 players without the use of power cords. According to them, cables and plugs used to recharge your day to day electronic items could soon be objects of history. Their computer models and mathematics demonstrate that this technique should work over a distance of many meters.

UK based company, Splashpower, has already started making a wireless charging pad for the gadget world. They have developed an innovative technique of powering devices using their wireless power pads called “Splashpad.” These power charging pads will give you some major advantages over existing cable environments.

• Charge your devices in a wireless environment
• Eliminate the need for a different charger for every gadget
• Charge more than one gadget at a time
• A hassle-free and easier process

Mainly there are two parts to the system: The Universal wireless charging pad (Splashpad) and the compatible Splashpower enabled electronic devices. You can charge your compatible devices such as PDAs, cell phones, and cameras by just dropping them on the charging pads. According to the company, these universal charging pads will be available soon in everyday environments. Devices will begin being released to the gadget market during this year.

Spam has reached such a volume that it threatens to overwhelm the average Internet user. The ultimate outcome is unclear, but here are a few tips to help reduce the problem for home PC users.

In theory the best defense against spam is to stay off the mailing lists. So how do we get there in the first place? Unfortunately, it is almost impossible to keep your email address hidden from determined marketers. Once on a list for any reason, your address may be sold and resold many times until it is on dozens of lists. CDs with millions of email addresses are readily available for a few dollars. Any action you take that might expose your email address on the Internet can end you up on spammer’s lists. Participation in chat rooms, newsgroup discussions, investment forums are all ways to get on lists. In a practice called “harvesting,” spammers use software called “spiders” to regularly comb the Internet for addresses. Also, many ISPs offer the option of being listed in a directory and these are fair game for advertisers.

Shopping on the Internet, signing up for newsletters, entering contests, registering to download software, or other activity requiring that you provide your email address can also get your name on lists. Although reputable merchants, newsletter writers, shareware sites, etc. will respect your privacy, some sites may feel free to sell your name to others. Always look for a statement of the policy on privacy before signing up for something.

Although there are many ways to try to block spam from arriving in your mailbox by using software or filtering services, our experience is that spam has reached the point where the best defense is to have more than one email address. You can reserve one address for friends and relatives and have a second throwaway address that is changed fairly regularly. This second address would be the one that is used whenever it might be subject to public exposure. Many ISPs allow for an account to have multiple mailboxes and one can be set aside for junk. If the volume builds up, the box can be discarded and replaced by a new one. Another route is to use one of the free Internet email services such as Yahoo or Gmail.

Another method is to set up rules in your email application for blocking random email addresses. Use the blacklist options to better filter spam. Don’t open obvious spam messages and be very careful about responding to “Remove me from this list” type of addresses—this may very well just get you on more lists.

If you installed an Office 2003 product on top of Office 2007 in a Vista PC, you may experience problems with the search portion of the application. The reason is because two different versions of Microsoft office applications will start conflicting with each other.

To fix the above issue, please follow the steps below:

• Close all office applications.
• Start the office setup using the Microsoft Office 2007 original source.
• In the Microsoft Office Version 2007 dialog box, click Repair, and then click Continue.
• Go to Control Panel and select Indexing option.
• Highlight “Microsoft Office Outlook” and select “Advanced”
• In the Advance options screen, under troubleshooting select “Rebuild” and close the screens.
  
• This process might take a while to re-index depending on the amount of info you have.
• Start Outlook again—the Search option will now work.
  

Often when dealing with directories that contain more than a few files, finding and opening the file you want can include a lot of scrolling and resizing of the Open File window. Unfortunately, the Open File window does not remember its size the next time you go to open a file, which means more scrolling, and more resizing. After four or five files, this gets to be a real pain. Here is how to fix it:

The first time you need to open a file, immediately resize the Open File window, then hold down the Ctrl key, and click the window’s [X] button in its upper-right corner.

Now, open files as normal, and luxuriate in seeing a nice big window each time. Unfortunately, you’ll need to do this each time you start your application, but it can still save a lot of clicking and aggravation throughout your day.