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Practical tips and tricks to take your tech gear and computing skills to the next level.

by Melanie Pinola

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Melanie Pinola is a freelance writer covering all things tech-related. A former IT admin and occasional web developer, she is also a Lifehacker editor, PCWorld contributor, and the Guide to Mobile Office Tech at About.com.

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Why you should definitely upgrade to Windows 8 (or not)

Posted Oct 25, 2012 - 04:33 pm

Forget what you’ve heard. Microsoft’s most radically redesigned version of Windows is often brilliant and improves upon Windows 7--even if you don’t own a touchscreen. But, still, it’s not for everyone.
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- Windows, windows 8
Download Windows 8 for Dummies and nearly a hundred other Microsoft e-books for free

Posted Nov 05, 2012 - 12:36 pm

Dozens of free e-books from Microsoft will teach you how to use Windows 8, Microsoft Office, SQL Server, SharePoint, and lots more
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- e-books, ebooks
Free Adobe Creative Suite CS2: Maybe, maybe not?

Posted Jan 08, 2013 - 05:26 pm

Adobe staff say they're not giving away Photoshop, Illustrator, etc. for free, but the CS2 software is still available for download
Send huge, 10GB email attachments with Gmail and Google Drive

Posted Nov 28, 2012 - 02:04 pm

If you're not using Google Drive to its fullest yet, this is a reason to start: way bigger email attachments in Gmail
Add Windows Media Center to Windows 8 for free--for a limited time

Posted Nov 14, 2012 - 01:41 pm

For some odd reason, Microsoft decided to leave Windows Media Center out of Windows 8. The company is planning on offering Windows Media Center as an optional add-on for $9.99. Better yet, save ten bucks by downloading it for free with Microsoft's special offer.
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- free, Microsoft
Host your website for free on Google Drive

Posted Feb 06, 2013 - 02:20 pm

It's easy to store your web pages on Google Drive and serve them up to the world
How to make Google Chrome work better with touchscreen PCs

Posted Feb 25, 2013 - 03:25 pm

These tweaks make Chrome much more touch-friendly on new Windows 8 touch computers
Just stop 'liking' things on Facebook

Posted Mar 08, 2013 - 06:41 pm

What's the point?
This free site could teach you a new language more effectively than a college class or Rosetta Stone

Posted Jan 28, 2013 - 12:14 pm

You could start speaking Spanish in about half the time it'd take to learn with Rosetta Stone. Best of all, Duolingo is free.
What's the difference between Windows RT and Windows 8?

Posted Oct 18, 2012 - 05:46 pm

[chunklet]
Image credit: Microsoft

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