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Moon Software's Font Xplorer is a freeware font manager that makes it easy to view, print, sample, and handle the many fonts installed on your PC -- and take it from us, there are more fonts in your system than you might realize. Font Xplorer's text compare mode makes it easy to pick just the right font, and it can also search your system to find duplicate fonts that you can remove to reclaim disk space and keep your Windows waistline trim. This tool can load, unload, install, and uninstall fonts by folder, search for uninstalled fonts, show … Read more

Let me get the bad news out of the way up front: installing personal computer operating systems isn't easy, and Windows 8 is no exception.

I've installed more versions of DOS, Linux, Windows, Mac OS, OS X, Android, and iOS than I can remember over more than two decades, and the fact of the matter is that there's a basic level of technical difficulty. How many average people actually know the name of their hard drives?

It is getting better, particularly with iOS and Android updates or with PC upgrades. But PCs are complex beasts with complex … Read more

The Windows 8 eagle has landed, which means that Microsoft's $39.99 in-place upgrade is now available. They've made it extremely easy to upgrade your computer from a Windows 7, Vista, or XP computer to Windows 8. Here's how it's done.

First, check out our CNET guide on how to prepare your computer for Windows 8. There's also instructions on how to restore your old system, which is important in case something unexpectedly goes awry, or you decide you don't like Windows 8, you can restore what you had before.

If you're upgrading … Read more

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

This week, readers wrote in with questions on hiding specific file types in the Finder, managing a program opening numerous documents when launched, dealing with "file in use" warnings in the Finder, resetting a Mac to factory default settings, and concerns about memory leaks in Apple's Dashboard feature. I welcome views from readers, so if you have any suggestions or alternative approaches to these problems, please post them in the comments!

Question: Hiding files of a specific type in the Finder MacFixIt … Read more

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