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About the editors

Brian Livingston, editorial director of WindowsSecrets.com, is co-author of "Windows Vista Secrets", "Windows Me Secrets", and nine other books in the Windows Secrets series. He was named Entrepreneur of the Year at the 6th annual Internet Content Summit in New York City on May 8, 2006.

Ian "Gizmo" Richards is the senior editor of the Windows Secrets Newsletter. He formerly edited the Support Alert Newsletter, which is merging with Windows Secrets on July 24. Gizmo writes exclusive ratings of free software twice a month in the combined newsletter's paid content.

In our latest articles...

These days, even the software we like often comes with hidden annoyances designed to help the vendor at the expense of us poor customers. Here are five examples of sneaky marketing — snarketing, as I call it — and what you can do to mitigate the practice's ill effects. Read more »

Topics in our free content:

• Support Alert is merging with Windows Secrets

• New readers join us from Support Alert on July 24

• SAN + WS = the info Windows users need

• So that's why they're called flip-flops!

Topics in our paid content:

• The top Firefox security and privacy add-ons

• Microsoft presents: Attack of the Killer Updates

• Block a serious threat to your DNS servers

Recent headlines from past articles

When your computer is behaving strangely, you want answers and you want them in a hurry. My hands-on tests evaluated a dozen searchable sites to find the ones that get you the answers you need. July 10, 2008

I'm extremely proud to say that Windows Secrets is joining together with the Support Alert Newsletter, a major tech publication. When our two newsletters merge on July 24, we'll reach over 400,000 subscribers in total and add new content from one of the world's best sources of Windows software reviews. July 9, 2008

The next time your computer acts up, drop the mouse, put down the phone, and use this troubleshooting checklist to find and fix the problem. Whether it's a slowdown, some strange behavior, or a total crash, a few basic troubleshooting tricks and tools may be all you need to get your PC back to peak performance. July 3, 2008

Simplify file management by generating new folders from your right-click menu that automatically have the current date in the folder name. Run a four-line batch file from your context menu that creates whole hierarchies of folders that you name from the Command Prompt. June 26, 2008

The latest version of the leading IE alternative is fresh off the assembly line, with revved-up performance and handy new features. Firefox 3's about:config settings let you fine-tune the browser to the perfect mix of speed and security. June 19, 2008

You can choose from dozens of file managers to replace Windows Explorer — some of them are even free — but only the original is so closely integrated into the OS. Before you give Explorer the boot, check out some first-rate add-ons that turn Windows' tired file browser into the information manager of the future. June 12, 2008

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