installation

Product Key Finder has only one purpose, which is to display your Windows Product Key. It sounds like a small thing, but if you've ever had to reinstall Windows on your computer and couldn't find the product key in your pile of paperwork, you'll know this simple, free app can solve a big problem, especially if you're not comfortable digging around in the Registry.

Like many free utilities today, the Product Key Finder installation prompts you to also install additional software, but the actual Product Key Finder installation takes only a few seconds and you're … Read more

An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure, and that's especially true when it comes to spyware; wouldn't you rather protect your system than spend hours trying to rid it of malicious visitors? SpywareBlaster is a simple program that provides protection from ActiveX-based software and unwanted cookies for both Firefox and Internet Explorer users.

SpywareBlaster has a simple interface that will be easy for even novices to navigate. The main screen shows the protection status for Internet Explorer, restricted Web sites, and Firefox. By default, protection is disabled for each of these, but you can easily … Read more

MacFixIt Answers is a feature in which we answer questions e-mailed in by our readers.

This week readers wrote in with questions about a Mac system issuing a beep tone and not turning on when the power is pressed, Active Directory accounts not properly accessing e-mail through Apple's Mail program, and the best way to install OS X on a new hard drive. We welcome views from readers, so if you have any suggestions or alternative approaches to these problems, post them in the comments!

Question: Mac beeps and does not turn on MacFixIt reader Navid asks:

Apple has released its OS X 10.8 Mountain Lion (see CNET's full review) and it's available for download from the Mac App Store on systems running OS X 10.6.6 or later. If you're interested in the new OS, then be sure to read our guide on preparing your Mac for installing the upgrade, which includes information on the OS requirements, backing up, and clearing up resolvable issues before performing the upgrade.

You also might be interested in creating a standalone install drive for Mountain Lion. As with OS X Lion, Apple will likely release … Read more

Outdoor speakers are a little out of my area of expertise, and most of the ones I've seen at shows look like plastic rocks. Leon Speakers' Boundary B404 is definitely a big step up from those sorts of things.

The B404 sports a gorgeous solid mahogany cabinet inspired by Chris Craft's classic Thunderbird boats. Right now there's just one model in the Boundary line, the B404.… Read more

The opening keynote for Google I/O 2012 just wrapped up, complete with Android 4.1 Jelly Bean, the Nexus 7 tablet, the Nexus Q and an insane Google Glass product demo.

There were some changes brought to the Google Play Store as well. One of the changes wasn't even mentioned during the keynote -- the ability to update or uninstall apps on your Android device, directly from the Google Play Web site. A small feature, but one that is sure to come in handy to many users. Here's how it works.

Visit play.google.com on your … Read more

Many applications in OS X are self-contained applications packages, where all of the resources that the program needs to run are located within the .app file that you put in your Applications folder or elsewhere on your system. This .app file is actually a folder that contains the program executable, along with configuration files and other resources that can sometimes be quite extensive.

This approach to managing programs differs from the classic approach where program installers place them and their resources in specific folders or other locations on the filesystem (such as the system folder) that are needed for the … Read more

Apple has released a small update for its Software Update service, which addresses a problem with Snow Leopard systems where the installers for some software updates may not run. This issue does not happen for all software updates, so only a select few people will experience updates not installing; however, without being patched, the issue might surface with future updates that Apple releases.

On systems where this problem happens, the Software Update utility will detect updates as being available, but when you click to install them, nothing will happen. If you are having such problems on your system, then you … Read more

Remember Cable Card? It's still around, quietly allowing owners of TiVos and Home Theater PCs, via devices like the HDHomeRun Prime, to get the full complement of cable TV programming without having to use the company-issued DVR or cable box.

At CNET we've tested a few Cable Card products, including TiVos and the now-defunct Moxi DVR. The latter product was still hanging around the CNET offices so I decided to test it out for myself at home.

I called up Verizon (I'm a Fios TV subscriber) last week, told the rep I had a third-party DVR and … Read more