PC Pitstop

Ten years later, look what’s changed!

Microsoft screwed up, and they know it. The last version of Windows was a turkey stuffed with some pretty dumb features. I’ve spent some time with the latest version of Windows, though, and it looks like it could be a winner.

You thought I was talking about Vista and Windows 7? Nope, this is a look at ten years of system optimization at PC Pitstop, and I started at the beginning. The decade opened with a Microsoft disaster called Windows Me, followed by a decade-long success called Windows XP that still rules today. But it just goes to show a big company like Microsoft doesn’t always learn from its mistakes.

Ten years later, look what’s changed! Read More »

Chris Pirillo Video: Does Internet Explorer Suck?

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We all must browse the web. Unfortunately, the Lynx browser is no longer cutting it. If you don’t remember it, then you are not old like I am. PC PitStop community member James asks if Internet Explorer is safe yet. He’s been waiting to use the newest version, because he’s heard that it has a lot of problems. What are your thoughts on this? Is IE solid, and safe?

Chris Pirillo Video: Does Internet Explorer Suck? Read More »

Extreme PC Makeover

Welcome to a brand new and exciting addition to the PC Pitstop blog, Extreme PC Makeover. It’s happened to all of us. Your PC is getting old and it has slowed down to a crawl. You begin to look at the new computer ads in the Sunday newspaper. But you don’t really need a new PC, you need a PC Makeover. That’s the name of our new promotion, where some lucky soul will not need to buy a new computer because we will get that PC running like new and 100% for free. The only catch is that we get to write about it for this column. Just fill out the application below to see if you qualify.

Extreme PC Makeover Read More »

PC Pitstop Newsletter – January 2010

    Rescuing Your PC From Disaster
    Windows 7 Highs & Lows
    Bits from Bill: New Tech Brings Domestic Violence Danger
    Chris Pirillo: How to Convert Video
    Technologizer: Men Who Plan Beyond Tomorrow!
    The Dodge Retort: Toshiba gets A-, Best Buy C-
    Ask Leo: Is Changing My Password Enough?
    TechBite: Secret Shopping Scam
    Tekzilla Tip: 4 Tricks to Make Typing Easier
    Tip #1: Open Source Mother Load!
    Tip #2: Adobe Flash Player plug-in and ActiveX control Driving you Crazy
    Tip #3: Auto-Complete web addresses in Firefox.
    PC Pitstop Driver Library

PC Pitstop Newsletter – January 2010 Read More »

Chris Pirillo Video: How to Convert Video

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I was rummaging through old boxes the other day, and came across several MiniDV tapes. These are pretty important tapes. For instance, I have Wil Wheaton’s keynote from Gnomedex 4 back in Lake Tahoe. Another is Steve Wozniak from the same conference! If I had the proper equipment, I could hook it up to my computer, transfer the videos and convert them myself. That’s very time intensive, though. I need to find someone whom I know and can trust with these tapes to convert them for me. I remembered that Pixorial sent me a review code, so I decided to check that out.

Chris Pirillo Video: How to Convert Video Read More »

4 Years Later – PC Pitstop EULA Experiment Still the Buzz

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Hard to believe it has been 4 years since one lucky PC Pitstop Optimize user won $1,000 by simply reading our End-User License Agreement (EULA)!
Our EULA had a clause offering money to anyone who contacted us, but it took five months and more than 3,000 sales before the first person, Doug Heckman, dropped us a line asking about the clause.

In the time since word of our ‘easter egg’ got out, numerous tech columnists have cited our experiment in discussions of privacy. An article published today brought it up again.

4 Years Later – PC Pitstop EULA Experiment Still the Buzz Read More »