Software for Your Toolbox

PC World -

Help Distant Friends Fix Their PC Problems

The curse of being tech-savvy is that you're often called upon to help friends and family resolve their computer problems. Of course, as you've probably learned, trying to troubleshoot by phone is maddeningly difficult. It's so much easier when you can actually visit the problematic PC and work your magic directly. But until science invents Star Trek-style transporters, you'll have to rely on the next best thing: remote-control software.

CrossLoop lets you take full control of another PC. Just click the Free Download button to download and install the small client app on your PC, then instruct the other person to do likewise. Next, he or she clicks the Share tab and reads you the access code listed there, which you type into the client at your end. Click Connect and presto: You're connected. Now you have total control of the other system, so you can find the missing file, install the antivirus software, figure out why the printer's not printing, or whatever.

Free and blissfully easy to use, CrossLoop is a must for anyone trying to troubleshoot a remote PC.

Remove Ads From Recorded TV Shows

My TiVo of choice is actually a media-center PC, one running Windows Vista, and its aptly named Media Center software (a staple in the Home Premium and Ultimate versions). Part of what I love about it is the extensive library of third-party tools and add-ons. My favorite: Lifextender, which automatically removes the commercials from recorded TV shows.

Using Lifextender is dead-simple: Install it, run it, then set it up. Specifically, right-click the Lifextender System Tray icon and click Options. If you want the software to work its magic on all your shows, check the Automated Library Scanning box.

You can set up rules to include or ignore shows based on certain criteria: title, channel, duration and so on. In fact, before you let Lifextender loose on all your recorded shows (once it strips the commercials, there's no going back), I recommend setting up a rule so that it scans only one show. That way you can make sure it performs to your liking.

The software works swiftly and in the background. When it's done, your shows appear in your Recorded TV library just like before--but without commercials. In my experience, it's fantastic right out of the box.

There are added bonuses to using Lifextender. Not only does it "extend your life" by removing commercials, it produces smaller files that consume less hard-drive space. And those files are easier to fit on DVDs, great if you're into archiving your shows. It's win-win-win.