By now everyone is aware of the problems associated with installing Windows XP SP3. The amount of time and money wasted with this demon is immeasurable. The public’s lack of acceptance of Windows Vista has only added to the feeling of being blindsided by an old friend.

I am outlining the problems and providing information to fix the issues found to date. Above all I’m telling you to avoid the problems. Don’t be one the unfortunates that is rear-ended while slowing to view the carnage. Stay far away from this Update. I am not telling you to take preventative measures and then install. I'm telling you to wait, "Do not install XP SP3"! Read the rest of this entry...

On Wednesday, May 7th 2008, Microsoft released the long awaited Windows XP SP3. Almost immediately hundreds of users registered complaints ranging from complete crashes to looping reboots. Similar problems have accompanied previous service packs and are usually the result of conflicting software. Read the rest of this entry...

The concept is simple and straightforward. Use flash memory in the form of a USB 2.0 drive, SD card, or Compact Flash as an area for disk cache in order to speed up your computer. Microsoft offers ready boost only with the Vista operating system, not XP, and to be useful the system must contain less than 512 MB of memory. That is the minimum required for Vista, by the way. In addition, the flash device must pass the test requirements to be of use. Are you starting to get the picture? A system, or laptop, with Vista and 256MB of memory? You’ll go a long way before you find one of those but I’m sure there are a few out there. Read the rest of this entry...

A day does not go by that I do not use Notepad. As a heavy Notepad user, here's some quick Notepad tips and suggestions.

Note taking - We are now in the digital age. When talking on the phone, if someone says "Got a pen?". I say "Yes", and I open Notepad. One problem that I have is that I don't save all my notes. Then when Windows reboots without asking, I lose my notes. Wouldn't it be cool if Notepad had an autosave feature like Word? Read the rest of this entry...

Everyone knows it's a problem. A zillion articles and lists on how to extend laptop battery life dot the Internet. The problem is that most are just vague lists … I'm going to tell you what I found that works and how to set it up. These tips are not for using the laptop around the house. This is for when you must get the absolute most from your current battery charge. How much will it get you? How about a whopping 58% more use time? Read the rest of this entry...

The 2008 version of WinPatrol is now available. BillP studios have added a great new feature, ActiveX Component Management.

WinPatrol will now monitor your system and let you know when new ActiveX components try to make their home on your system. If it's not something you wanted WinPatrol will kill the new component before it can do any damage.

Download and Try Now!

Make sure to upgrade to WinPatrol Plus 2008 to get all the benefits. Read the rest of this entry...

PC Pitstop's CEO Rob Cheng was recently featured on Computer America, the nation's longest running radio talk show about computers. Rob spent a full hour discussing Windows XP & Vista related trends as identified by the PC Pitstop Research Team.

Download the interview Read the rest of this entry...

According to the FTC, 10 million Americans will be the victims of identity theft this year

The fourth track from the PC Pitstop Tachometers addresses the hardship and pain felt by victims of this crime. Read the rest of this entry...

Earlier this month, Google and Salesforce.com announced a partnership to embed Google Apps into their CRM (Customer Relationship Management) software. The next thing you know the media is having a feeding frenzy about SaaS (Software as a Service). Then it struck me. That's what PC Pitstop is all about. We are SaaS and here's why. Read the rest of this entry...

From bloatware to craplets seems like a logical progression for unwanted waste. Are computer manufacturers finally taking this logical approach to removing the crap-lets they've been dumping on us?

Yesterday I was setting up a new laptop for a friend. I wanted to get it out of the box and make sure there were no problems accessing the Internet. After testing and timing the laptops used for our last look at bloatware, I was worried that my friend would end up with a mess. Surprisingly the first boot went smoother than I expected. There was no flood of pop-ups or junk. Humph! Read the rest of this entry...