64-bit

Q-Dir (64-bit) is a free file management utility for 64-bit editions of Windows. Like other file management tools, its main job is to display your system's files, folders, and directory structure as well as related information in a single interface that makes it easy to move, delete, copy, and otherwise manage your data. Q-Dir's distinguishing feature is its four-in-one interface, which displays up to four identical Explorer-like windows in various configurations. This arrangement makes it easy to drag and drop objects between directories without fumbling between several open windows or trying to use the back-and-forth arrows for multiple … Read more

Q-Dir (64-bit) from Nenad Hrg is a freeware file manager with some interesting twists. Like other file management utilities, it displays your disk drives, files, folders, and other system information, making it easy to delete, copy, export, rename, and move files and folders. Q-Dir also offers optional context-menu integration and portable operation, but what really sets it apart from other file management tools is its highly flexible interface with "amazing Quadro-View technology." That sounds like something you'd find at the 1951 Motorama, not a 2011 file management utility, but it's actually a useful four-screen interface with … Read more

MacFixIt Answers is a feature in which we answer e-mailed questions from our readers. This week we have questions on replacing the proper backup to use before upgrading OS X, how to determine the bitness of your processor, options for resizing Finder columns, and managing permissions for centralized iTunes libraries. We continually answer e-mail questions, and though we present a few answers here, we certainly welcome alternative approaches and views from readers and encourage you to post your suggestions in the comments.

Question: Proper backup before upgrading OS X MacFixIt reader "Marija" asks:

Cybercriminals are likely to find more jobs next year, one of five top trends forecast by security vendor Fortinet.

In an ironic twist in the job market, more positions will open up for developers who can write customized malware packers, people who can break CAPTCHA codes, and distributors who can spread malicious code, according to Fortinet.

And though cybercrooks have typically deployed their own botnets themselves, Fortinet believes this job will increasingly be farmed out to middlemen, citing the Alureon and Hiloti botnets as two examples of malware distributed this way. Money mules responsible for wiring funds and cashing checks … Read more

Rainmeter is a free, open-source desktop environment and customization tool. It lets you re-skin your Windows desktop with various themes and create real-time displays for everything from system resources to e-mail alerts, even the weather. It's built around customizable resource meters and desktop widgets similar to Windows gadgets, and it can integrate music and media players and files as well as Web-based resources like RSS feeds, video, and data streams. Since Rainmeter is an open-source project, you can download new skins online and even contribute your own creations.

Rainmeter's themes are basically just .ini text files that tell … Read more

Back in January 2009, Apple released iLife '09 and we haven't gotten a full version update since. Now, new rumors peg a November 2010 release for the iLife '11 suite that includes 64-bit support, a brand new iWeb, iOS compatibility, and the demise of iDVD.… Read more

Adobe Systems released a preview version of its widely used Flash Player plug-in that catches up to newer trends in Web browser development: 64-bit designs and support for the newly Internet Explorer 9 beta.

The new Flash beta, code-named Square, is available for Mac OS X, Windows, and Linux, siad Adobe's Paul Betlem in a blog post today. The download is on Adobe Labs; note that if you install Square, you'll have to manually update it on your own.

The move isn't a big surprise--in June, the Adobe said 64-bit Flash is a "top priority"… Read more

MacFixIt Answers is a feature in which we answer questions e-mailed from our readers. This week we have questions on missing "new message" chimes in Mail, installing iPhoto from another computer, Time Machine drives not being recognized despite being formatted properly, and how to set a system to boot to the 64-bit kernel by default.

Question: New message chimes in Mail

MacFixIt reader "Robert" asks:

I have an iMac that is 2 years old. When I purchased it I was running Leopard 10.5.8 I have since upgraded to Snow Leopard 10.6.4 I … Read more

While the phrase "640KB RAM ought to be enough for anybody" was falsely attributed to Bill Gates, it definitely outlines a way many of us think about the computing limits we're faced with. At the time this was purportedly said, computers were just transitioning to 16-bit architectures with the Intel 8088 processor (the one used in some of the first PCs), which broke through the 64-byte memory limit of the older architecture.

In the past few years Macs and other PCs have been in a similar transition with 64-bit capable processors (starting with Apple's G5), but … Read more