One of the best things about Firefox is the ability to customise it to fit your own needs.

I might always speak the praises of the Firefox web browser, available from mozilla.com, but it's for more than just the speed that it displays websites and the added security of no Active X programming language. The main reason why I like Firefox so much is because of all the extra features you can add to the programme to make it do exactly what you want it to do, look the way you want it to look, and even add more security to your web surfing. 

Firefox even has a plug-in that will allow you to get past the pesky filters many workplaces have.

I put a Norton Ghost image of my computer on an External hard drive and now my computer won't boot from it.

First up I'll explain what Norton Ghost is.

Norton Ghost is a programme from Symantec that makes a single file back up of all the files on your hard drive so if you ever want to have your computer go back to the state it was in at a certain time you can. This includes all settings and data you had at the time of the "ghosting" of back up.

I've had my old computer for nearly 10 years. The new computer I have, has XP or Vista on it and the Start menu is confusing.

For people who have been using windows for a while, the upgrade from an old version to XP or Vista can be annoying when they look at the new Start menu and have everything in the wrong places. Luckily Microsoft put in a way for you to change it back. 

Some of the sounds my computer plays have a strange static sound at times, what's wrong?

The problems could be related to the hardware, speakers, cables, sound card, or software, drivers, sound files, codecs.

With so many possible problems, you will have to go through each possible problem separatly to find and fix the problem.

I'm having problems getting websites to load, is my computer infected?

When ever I hear somebody is having problems getting websites to load my first thought is the possibility of spyware on their computer. It's only a possibility because there are a lot of factors that can affect the speed of a computer loading websites.

How do I know my files are deleted off my hard drive, and how do I get them back if I want them again?

This is an all to common question with many people wanting to sell their old computers or give them away when they get their new computers.

When you delete a file off your computer it goes into a storage area for you to confirm you want the file deleted, often called the recycle bin or trash. You can turn off this safety net if you just want all the files you want deleted to be deleted straight away. 

What is firmware and when and how should I update it?

Firmware is the programming that is used by many devices to actually run. Sometimes new features are added or problems that are found need to be fixed. To do this the makers of the device release firmware updates you can download from their website.

While some products are easy to update using a fully automated system, quite often the updates need to be handled manually by the user and that can cause some problems.

Technology moves forward very quickly. In doing so the price of components goes down, and the performance increases.

One of the main questions I get asked on a regular basis is, "What computer should I buy?" To solve this question I have decided to keep my eye on the price of computer parts throughout 2008 and update the prices of computers you can expect to pay for a quality machine that will work for a few years and do everything you can through at it.

Each month I will compare the price of a Dell laptop to a desktop computer that is comparable. Taking into account a desktop will be used for more system intensive uses and will get better performance it will not be a one to one comparison, however it will give you a good base line for what to look for when you buy a new, or even your first computer.