copies

A scratched DVD is a worthless DVD. I learned this the hard way after the kids destroyed half our Pixar movie collection. That's why I'm a strong believer in making backups.

Today only, Giveaway of the Day is giving away Digiarty's WinX DVD Copy Pro 3.4.3 for Windows. (I mention the version number because if you have an older freebie, here's your chance to upgrade.)

To get the program, click only the link marked Download WinX DVD Copy Pro 3.4.3 now. There's a lot of promotional clutter on that page, including … Read more

Copying large files can be a tedious and time-consuming task. Fortunately, there's ExtremeCopy Free (32-bit). This easy-to-use program can significantly reduce the amount of time it takes to copy files. Although when we tried it the program didn't reach "up to eight times the speed of the Windows copying function" as the publisher claims it can, it still offered a meaningful improvement over the native Windows feature.

The program has no real interface of its own, aside from a configuration menu. Here, users can choose to set ExtremeCopy as Explorer's default copier and keep it … Read more

When it comes to incorporating new features in Macs or OS X that have been tried and true in other computing systems, Apple sometimes takes a bit of a stubborn approach and attempts to incorporate the feature in novel ways.

For instance, when Apple finally released its own multibutton mouse, it used touch-based surfaces and to date has still not released a mainstream mouse with two main click surfaces. Sometimes Apple's approaches, like its use of gestures and two-finger clicking on trackpads, hit the mark, but in other situations the new approaches may take some getting used to.

One … Read more

HP held its annual Imaging and Printing Conference in Shanghai today, where the company announced plans to build out its business imaging division with 13 new printers designed to grease the workflow for small to midsize businesses. Along with hardware announcements, HP also unveiled new consumer features like ePrint Wireless Direct that lets users print with a smartphone without the need for an Internet connection; an advanced HP Printer Control app (PDF) for iOS devices; and a twist on HP ePrint called SocialID, which lets you assign a custom e-mail address that makes it easier for multiple users to print in the cloud.

One of the new product offerings you'll see soon is the HP LaserJet M275 (PDF), a multifunction printer with new TopShot Scanning that's essentially the reverse of 3D printing: the scanner bed can capture a 3D image of any object placed on the top-mounted tray.

This workhorse laser targets SMBs, so it can only hold up to 150 sheets of paper, but it also features ePrint and is fully compatible with Apple AirPrint so you can output images and documents directly from your iOS devices.… Read more

One of the features in OS X Lion that has gained some attention is the new Duplicate command that Apple has implemented to replace the age-old Save As feature in the Mac OS. The Save As function has become a regular option in programs that many have relied on, and to see it changed in Lion has raised some concern and disappointment; however, exploring the feature should show that it can perform similar functions as the Save As feature, albeit not without question to its necessity.

Since early in their development, computer systems have had basic Save commands to preserve … Read more

CDs and DVDs can store a lot of data, but over time they have a tendency to get lost or damaged. When either of these tragic events happens the data on the disc becomes unusable or impossible to recover. Follow these steps to create a digital archive of all of your software discs and never have to worry about these issues again.

First you'll need to download and install Daemon Tools. For general use the Lite version will provide all the options you'll need--and it's free! However, there is also a Pro version&… Read more

Ever find it frustrating trying to copy or move files in Windows? Then some long-overdue improvements in Windows 8 should be welcome news.

Admitting that file management or the "copy jobs" feature now in Windows can be confusing, Alex Simons, a program management director on Microsoft's Windows engineering team, yesterday revealed four enhancements destined to surface in Windows 8.

Contributing to the latest installment of Microsoft's ongoing "Building Windows 8" blog, Simons said that copying, moving, renaming, and deleting files are the most heavily used features in Windows Explorer, accounting for 50 percent of … Read more

When managing files in OS X, common practices are to drag and drop them in various locations to move them or copy them between storage devices. Simple tasks include dragging individual items between folders, or even selecting multiple items to move at once for easy consolidation of files. Apple's file-system browser, Finder, is fairly straightforward in this respect, but in addition to these basic routines are some hidden options you can use to enhance the basic drag-and-drop features.

1. Copy files When you drag a file to a new location on the same disk, the default behavior is to … Read more

File management and viewing utilities are great for comparing, copying, and moving files and folders in one or more directories, especially if they also extract compressed files, rename files in batches, and display a wide range of image files with auto scaling and enhancement options. If they're free, compatible with all versions of Windows from 98 to 7, and have lots of options, like MeeSoft's Commander, then all the better. It displays JPEG, GIF, PNG, BMP, ICO, HIPS, CR2, WMF, EMF, and other file types, extracts ZIP and RAR files, and displays hex files.

Commander uses a split-view … Read more