Top Computer Tech Tips Of 2011
The year 2011 is just about over and that time almost perfectly matches a year since I started Computer Tech Tips. I’ve had a lot of fun writing helpful tips, providing assistance with technical queries, and also improving my own computer and web development skills. While I always look for ways to improve, I’m still proud of what was accomplished this first year. Here is this year in review with the ten most popular articles.
10.) Windows 7 Service Pack 1
A detailed step-by-step for installing the massive number of hotfixes Microsoft calls a service pack. Even 10 months after its release, some people are still hesitant with installing Service Pack 1 on their Windows 7 machines. It’s nice to have this article to share the answers to common questions they have and walk them through the installation process. I love installation guides and plan for more in the future.
9.) CSS Sprites Speed Up Your Site
One of my favorite articles I wrote this year; it’s also one of the more extensive in research and explanation. Even though it took a bit of work to implement, I think everyone can appreciate the decrease in load times and overall data transfer. I also haven’t forgotten about Lauri’s interesting comment. PNG Crush is certainly something I’m interested in learning more about, and you can bet I’ll have an article about it when I do.
8.) WordPress Update Error: Maximum Execution Time
Updating WordPress on my development site gave me an error and it was one I had to solve in order to efficiently update. With a new problem, I gain a better understanding of how WordPress works and I can better manage my installations. I like writing about error messages because it’s great to see people coming in after searching for solutions to the exact same problem. Computer Tech Tips is all about helping people solve their technical problems, and hundreds found their way here just for this one.
7.) Snipping Tool Vs. Print Screen
Gaining a considerable amount of traffic even at #7, this article was a comparison of functionality between the old Print Screen key and the new Snipping Tool for taking screen shots. In the end, Snipping Tool was lacking too much in precision, inability to have multiple snips open, and it cannot directly print as Ozzoid would have wanted.
6.) Installing Malwarebytes’ Anti-Malware Free
“MBAM” is nothing short of a fantastic piece of software. Other than an attempt to install a trial of the paid version, the installation process of MBAM Free is straight forward. It’s one of the few popular programs I see that doesn’t try to install bloatware, and it’s continually getting better. Just earlier today, I posted a link on the Twitter feed about how MBAM can now better protect against forms of malware which try to prevent anti-malware programs from performing.
5.) Disable Firefox 4 Add-on Compatibility Checking
Firefox 4 was not only a change to the outward appearance, but also introduced a feature that disabled add-ons if they weren’t listed to be compatible. The add-on may work just fine, but if the developer didn’t say it worked fine in Firefox 4, it was automatically disabled. One of the most appealing features of Firefox is it’s easy ability to customize the controls and add new settings to disable this feature.
4.) WAMPserver Error: Could Not Execute Menu Item
This was a problem I personally encountered. After looking around the web for a solution, even on the developer’s website, I decided to tackle it myself. Not only was the solution quick and easy, but I didn’t even have to backup/replace my files in order to do it.
3.) Block Internet Explorer 8 Delete Browsing History
Although not a need I had personally, many others found it interesting enough to take a look. I did still enjoy finding a solution suitable to the client’s needs and certainly love toying around the Group Policy editor.
2.) Permanently Disable Google Instant
Although Google had good intentions for instant search results, many people like myself found the feature annoying. Instead of speeding up my search, it ended up taking longer because I don’t have lightning speed Internet, so it’s overall faster to type out my whole query before the search commences. Finding the special Google url I listed in “Method 1” is invaluable for the number of times I use that search engine daily.
1.) Make Firefox 4 Look Like FF 3.6
By far, this was the most popular article of 2011. When Mozilla released Firefox 4 and made major adjustments to the interface, thousands found their way here looking to change the layout back. Nearly 1.5k views were accumulated in December alone, 9 months after I wrote it.
In total, I wrote 44 articles this year, exceeded 33k total views, and welcomed 168 comments. My goal was for a new article each week, but life gets in the way sometimes so I wasn’t able to reach that goal. That just means I have something to strive for next year.
The number of people subscribed to Computer Tech Tips has fluctuated a bit lately, but it still stands at about 50 right now. There are a number of ways to keep updated if you didn’t know. You can:
- Like on Facebook and carry the conversation of articles there
- Synchronize your RSS Reader using your web browser, email client, or a specialized program with one of the many RSS feeds automatically created with each update. Did you know you could synchronize to a specific category, tag, or even a single article’s comments list?
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