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MacFixIt Answers is a feature in which we answer questions e-mailed in by our readers. This week we had questions on how the iTunes Home Sharing feature works, different approaches for upgrading to OS X Lion, how to list open network ports in OS X, and how to identify whether you installed the Adobe Flash Trojan. We continually answer e-mail questions, and though we present a few answers here, we welcome alternative approaches and views from readers and encourage you to post your suggestions in the comments.

Question: Options for reinstalling OS X MacFixIt reader "Eric" asks:

Starting in the early nineties, the PowerPC chip became the primary CPU architecture used in Macs for the next decade and a half. While it had potential, both it and the corporate politics behind it ultimately became a hinderance for Apple when competing with the vast and growing x86 and developing x64 architectures from Intel and AMD.

Apple made the transition to the x86 and x64 architectures very smooth with the use of Rosetta and Universal Binary applications, but this effort also resulted in a lot of remaining PowerPC code that is either still being used or is being packaged … Read more

The built-in Windows search utility works fine for a lot of search tasks, but sometimes you need to search with something a little more powerful. MultiFind is a basic Windows search tool that has many of the same features as the built-in Windows search, but includes a few useful extras, including a replace feature.

The program's interface is plain and fairly easy to figure out. The basic search parameters include the search path, file name, and file contents. Users can also opt to search only hidden or read-only files, as well as perform case-sensitive searches and search for whole … Read more

As you may have heard, I am moving on after a decade here at CNET.

While I pack up my desk and say goodbye to my incredible co-workers, I also wanted to express my gratitude to you, the readers who have been on this journey with me for the past decade.

More than 4,500 times I got to share photos, stories, and videos with you. Together we have traveled to Computex in Taiwan, explored the emerging markets for computing in Brazil and Colombia, and got to see the technology that powered the recent Winter Olympics in Vancouver, B.C. … Read more

The Windows Clipboard only displays basic file formats like text and bitmap when you copy a file to it, but in fact it makes a wide range of formats available; it just doesn't show them. NirSoft's InsideClipboard is a small, free utility that displays the binary content of all the formats currently stored in the Clipboard and lets you save the content of a specified format as a binary file.

Like most of NirSoft's utilities, Inside Clipboard is completely portable and runs as soon as you click the program file, with no formal installation required. It has … Read more

Trying to identify the differences between two text documents full of hundreds of lines of code can be time-consuming and frustrating. Fortunately, there are utilities that can do this work for you, making document comparison both faster and more accurate. AptDiff is an easy-to-use program that can compare both text and binary files and easily identify differences.

The program's interface is plain and intuitive. When AptDiff is opened, a dialog box appears asking users to select the two files that they want to compare. Users simply choose the desired files, and AptDiff will display a side-by-side or top-bottom comparison, … Read more

Those who need an old-school newsreader could do worse than DaanSystems' NewsReactor. You can use it to search for, combine, and download binaries in Usenet newsgroups via as many as six servers. It can group similar files together and claims advanced error detection.

NewsReactor's trial version is limited to 50 uses, which a nag screen starts counting down when you first open the program. A First Time Wizard that can be reactivated at any time from the File menu lets you scan automatically for news servers or manually enter your server; we chose the latter. The wizard quickly established … Read more

This episode had a number of potential titles. Nerd Alert, Nerd party, Nerdgasm... but we honed in on the one that really encapsulates the sheer nerditude of stuff covered in today's show. Let your inner nerd shine through.

Nerdgasm: HTC Evo 4G

Pong and BSOD belt buckles

Cell Mate headset heads-on

Binary Flow, officially the hardest watch to read ever

Sticker pockets change everything

It’s About Time, Best Edition Evar. Luxury watch made from dinosaur crap

What a Concept Heatswell coffee cup grows a sleeve when hot liquid is poured in… Read more

When one monitor isn't enough, you may appreciate the monitor management options this free utility provides.

DisplayFusion installs an icon in your system tray that holds a menu for configuring a multimonitor setup for your system. The tabbed menus are well organized and clearly designed for ease of use and reading.

This application performed well in our tests, responding quickly to our commands. We liked that we could configure hot key combinations for a number of tasks, such as moving a window to the center of a monitor, resizing a window, or spanning a window across all monitors. Other … Read more