Get a disposable email address from MailDrop

<div class="department" style="margin:0px 0px 10px;overflow:hidden;color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:'Helvetica Neue',Arial,sans-serif;line-height:21px"><a class="topCatLink" href="http://www.pcworld.com/category/web-apps" style="color:rgb(172,31,43);float:left;font-family:facitweb,sans-serif;font-size:16px;font-weight:700;text-transform:uppercase;margin-right:5px"><br> </a></div><span itemprop="articleBody description text" style="color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:'Helvetica Neue',Arial,sans-serif;line-height:21px"><img alt="" border="0" height="154" src="http://images.techhive.com/images/article/2013/07/maildrop-100045341-large.jpg" style="box-sizing: border-box; border-width: 0px; vertical-align: middle; width: auto; height: auto; max-width: 100%; float: left;" width="580"><p style="line-height:1.7em;margin:0px 0px 0.7em"> Your email address is like your home address: Never give it out unless absolutely necessary.</p><p style="line-height:1.7em;margin:0px 0px 0.7em">Thus, if you're registering online for some freebie, promotion, or Web site that you just know is going to deluge you with ads and other spam, it makes sense to supply a disposable address—something you can access as needed for confirmation messages or the like, but that won't otherwise interfere with your primary inbox.</p> <p style="line-height:1.7em;margin:0px 0px 0.7em"><a href="http://maildrop.cc/" style="color:rgb(37,167,215)">MailDrop gives you a free throwaway email address</a>. Use it in place of your own address, then head to the site to retrieve any messages you might need.</p> <p style="line-height:1.7em;margin:0px 0px 0.7em">It works like this: Think up whatever prefix you might like for your address, then add <strong style>@maildrop.cc</strong>. Presto, there's your disposable email. For example, I might use hasslefree@maildrop.cc.</p> <p style="line-height:1.7em;margin:0px 0px 0.7em">I use that address where needed, then go to the MailDrop site, type in the prefix, and click <em style>Go</em>. Now I'm looking at my inbox, where I can read (and, if desired, delete) messages. Simple as that.</p> <p style="line-height:1.7em;margin:0px 0px 0.7em">However, this is essentially a public inbox: Anyone else who uses your same prefix will have access to "your" mailbox. One easy fix: Use something unique that no one else will guess (MarsN33dsWom3n, for example). Another: Don't use MailDrop for anything that demands security or privacy. As noted on <a href="http://maildrop.cc/how-it-works" style="color:rgb(37,167,215)">the site's FAQ page</a>, there's none of either.</p> <p style="line-height:1.7em;margin:0px 0px 0.7em">That may sound crazy, but, again, for simple things like Web registrations and confirmation emails, where you just need to retrieve the message and then be done with it, a service like this makes a ton of sense. It's free, and it couldn't be much simpler. There's nothing to sign up for and no password to remember.</p> <p style="line-height:1.7em;margin:0px 0px 0.7em">If MailDrop sounds a little familiar, you might be thinking of <a href="http://maildrop.cc/" style="color:rgb(37,167,215)">Mailinator, a similar service</a> I wrote about a few years back. That one is still around, though MailDrop keeps your messages indefinitely rather than just a few hours. However, it can store only 10 per inbox, and it lacks Mailinator's forwarding option.</p> </span>

Get a disposable email address from MailDrop

Your email address is like your home address: Never give it out unless absolutely necessary. Thus, if you're registering online for ...

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Get a disposable email address from MailDrop

<div class="department" style="margin:0px 0px 10px;overflow:hidden;color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:'Helvetica Neue',Arial,sans-serif;line-height:21px"><a class="topCatLink" href="http://www.pcworld.com/category/web-apps" style="color:rgb(172,31,43);float:left;font-family:facitweb,sans-serif;font-size:16px;font-weight:700;text-transform:uppercase;margin-right:5px"><br> </a></div><span itemprop="articleBody description text" style="color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:'Helvetica Neue',Arial,sans-serif;line-height:21px"><img alt="" border="0" height="154" src="http://images.techhive.com/images/article/2013/07/maildrop-100045341-large.jpg" style="box-sizing: border-box; border-width: 0px; vertical-align: middle; width: auto; height: auto; max-width: 100%; float: left;" width="580"><p style="line-height:1.7em;margin:0px 0px 0.7em"> Your email address is like your home address: Never give it out unless absolutely necessary.</p><p style="line-height:1.7em;margin:0px 0px 0.7em">Thus, if you're registering online for some freebie, promotion, or Web site that you just know is going to deluge you with ads and other spam, it makes sense to supply a disposable address—something you can access as needed for confirmation messages or the like, but that won't otherwise interfere with your primary inbox.</p> <p style="line-height:1.7em;margin:0px 0px 0.7em"><a href="http://maildrop.cc/" style="color:rgb(37,167,215)">MailDrop gives you a free throwaway email address</a>. Use it in place of your own address, then head to the site to retrieve any messages you might need.</p> <p style="line-height:1.7em;margin:0px 0px 0.7em">It works like this: Think up whatever prefix you might like for your address, then add <strong style>@maildrop.cc</strong>. Presto, there's your disposable email. For example, I might use hasslefree@maildrop.cc.</p> <p style="line-height:1.7em;margin:0px 0px 0.7em">I use that address where needed, then go to the MailDrop site, type in the prefix, and click <em style>Go</em>. Now I'm looking at my inbox, where I can read (and, if desired, delete) messages. Simple as that.</p> <p style="line-height:1.7em;margin:0px 0px 0.7em">However, this is essentially a public inbox: Anyone else who uses your same prefix will have access to "your" mailbox. One easy fix: Use something unique that no one else will guess (MarsN33dsWom3n, for example). Another: Don't use MailDrop for anything that demands security or privacy. As noted on <a href="http://maildrop.cc/how-it-works" style="color:rgb(37,167,215)">the site's FAQ page</a>, there's none of either.</p> <p style="line-height:1.7em;margin:0px 0px 0.7em">That may sound crazy, but, again, for simple things like Web registrations and confirmation emails, where you just need to retrieve the message and then be done with it, a service like this makes a ton of sense. It's free, and it couldn't be much simpler. There's nothing to sign up for and no password to remember.</p> <p style="line-height:1.7em;margin:0px 0px 0.7em">If MailDrop sounds a little familiar, you might be thinking of <a href="http://maildrop.cc/" style="color:rgb(37,167,215)">Mailinator, a similar service</a> I wrote about a few years back. That one is still around, though MailDrop keeps your messages indefinitely rather than just a few hours. However, it can store only 10 per inbox, and it lacks Mailinator's forwarding option.</p> </span>

Get a disposable email address from MailDrop

Your email address is like your home address: Never give it out unless absolutely necessary. Thus, if you're registering online for ...

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Add checkboxes to an Excel spreadsheet

<div class="imageContainer580xX" style="width:320px;height:auto;clear:both;margin:auto;color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:'Helvetica Neue',Arial,sans-serif;font-size:14px;line-height:19px"><img class="largeImage imgId100042840 " itemprop="image" src="http://zapt1.staticworld.net/images/article/2013/06/0708-thumb-100042840-large.jpg" style="box-sizing: border-box; border-width: 0px; vertical-align: middle; width: 320px; max-width: 100%;"></div> <div class="department" style="margin:0px 0px 10px;overflow:hidden"><a class="topCatLink" href="http://www.pcworld.com/category/software-productivity" style="color:rgb(172,31,43);float:left;font-family:facitweb,sans-serif;font-size:16px;font-weight:700;text-transform:uppercase;margin-right:5px"><br> </a></div><span itemprop="articleBody description text" style><p style="line-height:1.7em;margin:0px 0px 0.7em">If you're setting up a worksheet only for yourself, you can simply leave an empty cell for this purpose. To check it, just type in an <strong style>x</strong> or any other character. Then use a formula with the =isblank() function to make the contents of that cell affect the rest of the spreadsheet.</p> <p style="line-height:1.7em;margin:0px 0px 0.7em">But you might want something more mouse-friendly--especially if you're designing a spreadsheet for other people.</p><p style="line-height:1.7em;margin:0px 0px 0.7em">I've tested the technique below on Excel 2007, 2010, and 2013. I'm not sure about earlier versions.</p> <p style="line-height:1.7em;margin:0px 0px 0.7em">You can insert checkboxes on Excel's Developer tab. Unfortunately, that tab is hidden by default.</p><p style="line-height:1.7em;margin:0px 0px 0.7em">To make it visible in Excel 2010 or 2013, click the <em style>File </em>tab and select<em style>Options. </em>Click <em style>Customize Ribbon. </em>You'll see two lists. Make sure that the one on the right is titled <em style>Main Tabs. </em>Check<em style>Developer.</em></p> <em style><a class="zoom cboxElement" href="http://images.techhive.com/images/article/2013/06/0708-make-visable-100042842-orig.jpg" style="color:rgb(37,167,215)"><img alt="" border="0" height="473" src="http://images.techhive.com/images/article/2013/06/0708-make-visable-100042842-large.jpg" style="box-sizing: border-box; border-width: 0px; vertical-align: middle; width: auto; height: auto; max-width: 100%; float: left;" width="580"></a></em><em style></em><p style="line-height:1.7em;margin:0px 0px 0.7em"> If you're using Excel 2007, click the Office orb in the upper-left corner. Then click the <em style>Excel Options </em>button near the lower-right corner of the resulting pop-up box. Select <em style>Popular </em>in the left pane, then check <em style>Show Developer tab in the Ribbon.</em></p> <p style="line-height:1.7em;margin:0px 0px 0.7em">Once the Developer tab is visible, these instructions work for all three versions:</p><img alt="" border="0" height="226" src="http://images.techhive.com/images/article/2013/06/0708-insert-100042838-orig.jpg" style="box-sizing: border-box; border-width: 0px; vertical-align: middle; width: auto; height: auto; max-width: 100%; float: left;" width="245"><p style="line-height:1.7em;margin:0px 0px 0.7em"> To insert a checkbox, click the <em style>Developer </em>tab, then click the <em style>Insert </em>icon in the Controls section. From the resulting pop-up menu, select the checkbox icon in the Form Controls section.</p><p style="line-height:1.7em;margin:0px 0px 0.7em"> The mouse pointer will turn into a plus sign. Click where you want the checkbox to appear. You can drag and drop it elsewhere later.</p><p style="line-height:1.7em;margin:0px 0px 0.7em">Now you need to set the checkbox up. Right-click it and select <em style>Format Control.</em> You'll find various options here, but these two are particularly important:</p> <p style="line-height:1.7em;margin:0px 0px 0.7em">Click the <em style>Control tab,</em> go to the Cell link field, and enter a cell address (or click the icon to the right and select one). The contents of that cell will change when the checkbox is checked or unchecked, displaying either True or False, and thus allowing you to create formulas that react to the checkbox's status.</p> <img alt="" border="0" height="293" src="http://images.techhive.com/images/article/2013/06/0708-cell-link-550-100042846-orig.jpg" style="box-sizing: border-box; border-width: 0px; vertical-align: middle; width: auto; height: auto; max-width: 100%; float: left;" width="550"><p style="line-height:1.7em;margin:0px 0px 0.7em"> <br style>When you're done with the Control tab, click the <em style="line-height:1.45em">Protection</em> tab. Uncheck <em style="line-height:1.45em">Lock text, </em>then click <em style="line-height:1.45em">OK</em> to close the dialog box. This will allow you to edit the checkbox text by clicking on it. Once you've changed it, you can return to the Format Control dialog box and recheck<em style="line-height:1.45em">Lock text.</em></p> </span>

Add checkboxes to an Excel spreadsheet

If you're setting up a worksheet only for yourself, you can simply leave an empty cell for this purpose. To check it, just type in a...

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Add checkboxes to an Excel spreadsheet

<div class="imageContainer580xX" style="width:320px;height:auto;clear:both;margin:auto;color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:'Helvetica Neue',Arial,sans-serif;font-size:14px;line-height:19px"><img class="largeImage imgId100042840 " itemprop="image" src="http://zapt1.staticworld.net/images/article/2013/06/0708-thumb-100042840-large.jpg" style="box-sizing: border-box; border-width: 0px; vertical-align: middle; width: 320px; max-width: 100%;"></div> <div class="department" style="margin:0px 0px 10px;overflow:hidden"><a class="topCatLink" href="http://www.pcworld.com/category/software-productivity" style="color:rgb(172,31,43);float:left;font-family:facitweb,sans-serif;font-size:16px;font-weight:700;text-transform:uppercase;margin-right:5px"><br> </a></div><span itemprop="articleBody description text" style><p style="line-height:1.7em;margin:0px 0px 0.7em">If you're setting up a worksheet only for yourself, you can simply leave an empty cell for this purpose. To check it, just type in an <strong style>x</strong> or any other character. Then use a formula with the =isblank() function to make the contents of that cell affect the rest of the spreadsheet.</p> <p style="line-height:1.7em;margin:0px 0px 0.7em">But you might want something more mouse-friendly--especially if you're designing a spreadsheet for other people.</p><p style="line-height:1.7em;margin:0px 0px 0.7em">I've tested the technique below on Excel 2007, 2010, and 2013. I'm not sure about earlier versions.</p> <p style="line-height:1.7em;margin:0px 0px 0.7em">You can insert checkboxes on Excel's Developer tab. Unfortunately, that tab is hidden by default.</p><p style="line-height:1.7em;margin:0px 0px 0.7em">To make it visible in Excel 2010 or 2013, click the <em style>File </em>tab and select<em style>Options. </em>Click <em style>Customize Ribbon. </em>You'll see two lists. Make sure that the one on the right is titled <em style>Main Tabs. </em>Check<em style>Developer.</em></p> <em style><a class="zoom cboxElement" href="http://images.techhive.com/images/article/2013/06/0708-make-visable-100042842-orig.jpg" style="color:rgb(37,167,215)"><img alt="" border="0" height="473" src="http://images.techhive.com/images/article/2013/06/0708-make-visable-100042842-large.jpg" style="box-sizing: border-box; border-width: 0px; vertical-align: middle; width: auto; height: auto; max-width: 100%; float: left;" width="580"></a></em><em style></em><p style="line-height:1.7em;margin:0px 0px 0.7em"> If you're using Excel 2007, click the Office orb in the upper-left corner. Then click the <em style>Excel Options </em>button near the lower-right corner of the resulting pop-up box. Select <em style>Popular </em>in the left pane, then check <em style>Show Developer tab in the Ribbon.</em></p> <p style="line-height:1.7em;margin:0px 0px 0.7em">Once the Developer tab is visible, these instructions work for all three versions:</p><img alt="" border="0" height="226" src="http://images.techhive.com/images/article/2013/06/0708-insert-100042838-orig.jpg" style="box-sizing: border-box; border-width: 0px; vertical-align: middle; width: auto; height: auto; max-width: 100%; float: left;" width="245"><p style="line-height:1.7em;margin:0px 0px 0.7em"> To insert a checkbox, click the <em style>Developer </em>tab, then click the <em style>Insert </em>icon in the Controls section. From the resulting pop-up menu, select the checkbox icon in the Form Controls section.</p><p style="line-height:1.7em;margin:0px 0px 0.7em"> The mouse pointer will turn into a plus sign. Click where you want the checkbox to appear. You can drag and drop it elsewhere later.</p><p style="line-height:1.7em;margin:0px 0px 0.7em">Now you need to set the checkbox up. Right-click it and select <em style>Format Control.</em> You'll find various options here, but these two are particularly important:</p> <p style="line-height:1.7em;margin:0px 0px 0.7em">Click the <em style>Control tab,</em> go to the Cell link field, and enter a cell address (or click the icon to the right and select one). The contents of that cell will change when the checkbox is checked or unchecked, displaying either True or False, and thus allowing you to create formulas that react to the checkbox's status.</p> <img alt="" border="0" height="293" src="http://images.techhive.com/images/article/2013/06/0708-cell-link-550-100042846-orig.jpg" style="box-sizing: border-box; border-width: 0px; vertical-align: middle; width: auto; height: auto; max-width: 100%; float: left;" width="550"><p style="line-height:1.7em;margin:0px 0px 0.7em"> <br style>When you're done with the Control tab, click the <em style="line-height:1.45em">Protection</em> tab. Uncheck <em style="line-height:1.45em">Lock text, </em>then click <em style="line-height:1.45em">OK</em> to close the dialog box. This will allow you to edit the checkbox text by clicking on it. Once you've changed it, you can return to the Format Control dialog box and recheck<em style="line-height:1.45em">Lock text.</em></p> </span>

Add checkboxes to an Excel spreadsheet

If you're setting up a worksheet only for yourself, you can simply leave an empty cell for this purpose. To check it, just type in a...

Read more »

Switch to Mac: Security basics

<div class="imageContainer580xX" style="width:320px;height:auto;clear:both;margin:auto;color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:'Helvetica Neue',Arial,sans-serif;font-size:14px;line-height:19px"><img class="galleryImage imgId100045092 " itemprop="image" src="http://zapt2.staticworld.net/images/article/2013/07/switchtomacsecurity_primary-100045092-gallery.jpg" style="box-sizing: border-box; border-width: 0px; vertical-align: middle; width: 320px; max-width: 100%;"></div> <div class="department" style="margin:0px 0px 10px;overflow:hidden"><a class="topCatLink" href="http://www.macworld.com/category/os-x" style="color:rgb(51,153,204);float:left;font-family:proxima-nova,sans-serif;font-weight:700;text-transform:uppercase;margin-right:5px"><span style="color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:'Helvetica Neue',Arial,sans-serif">U</span><span style="line-height:1.7em;color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:'Helvetica Neue',Arial,sans-serif">When it comes to your security, the latest versions of Windows and OS X are comparable, but you still have a few key differences and settings to become familiar with.</span><br> </a></div><span itemprop="articleBody description text" style><p style="line-height:1.7em;margin:0px 0px 0.7em">First, to put your mind at ease: OS X 10.8 is very secure overall. It includes many of the same inherent protections as Windows 8 does, despite being attacked far less frequently. Antiexploitation technologies, firewalls, sandboxing, and other tools are built in, with mostly sensible default settings. Some tools, such as encryption, are easier to run. Apple also includes interesting security features that take advantage of the Mac App Store to further reduce your security risk, depending on how you like to buy your software.</p> <p style="line-height:1.7em;margin:0px 0px 0.7em">Your biggest switching decision is whether to use antivirus software. Unlike with Windows, antivirus software isn't a necessity on a Mac, but it may be useful depending on your habits.</p> <p style="line-height:1.7em;margin:0px 0px 0.7em">Without further ado, here's a basic guide to your Mac's built-in security features.</p><h2 style="font-family:proxima-nova,sans-serif;margin-top:1em;margin-bottom:0.25em"> Same basic settings, different locations</h2><p style="line-height:1.7em;margin:0px 0px 0.7em">The core principles for safe Internet computing remain the same, whether you use a Windows PC or a Mac. Keep your system up-to-date, be careful what you click on, and be careful about what software you install. While you have many ways to fiddle with the security preferences on your Mac, we're going to focus on the most important ones and highlight key differences from Windows.</p> <img alt="" border="0" height="501" src="http://images.techhive.com/images/article/2013/06/system-preferences-security-100043634-large.png" style="box-sizing: border-box; border-width: 0px; vertical-align: middle; width: auto; height: auto; max-width: 100%; float: left;" width="580">Here are the three panes inside System Preferences for managing most of the security settings.<p style="line-height:1.7em;margin:0px 0px 0.7em"> <strong style>System Preferences:</strong> You manage most security settings through the System Preferences application, located in the Applications folder. (You can also find a shortcut to System Preferences in the Apple menu and, by default, in the Dock.) A quick note: To change security settings, you may need to first click the lock icon in the lower-left corner of the window and enter your password.</p> <p style="line-height:1.7em;margin:0px 0px 0.7em"><strong style>Keep current:</strong> To stay safe and avoid nasty security problems, we recommend keeping your application software and system software up-to-date. You can choose whether the computer should automatically check for and download such updates in the background by going to <em style>System Preferences > Software Update</em>.</p> <p style="line-height:1.7em;margin:0px 0px 0.7em">All your system software updates come through the Mac App Store. Your Mac prompts you with a system notification when new updates are ready; clicking the notification launches the Mac App Store. You can also see what updates are available at any time by going to the Apple menu and choosing <em style>Software Update</em>.</p> <p style="line-height:1.7em;margin:0px 0px 0.7em">The Mac App Store also offers updates for any Mac apps you may have bought through the store. For third-party apps purchased outside the store, you might have to go to the company's website to grab updates—many apps, however, will prompt you about available updates when you launch them.</p> <p style="line-height:1.7em;margin:0px 0px 0.7em"><strong style>Manage your user accounts:</strong>Managing user accounts is similar in the Mac OS and Windows; OS X just has a slightly different organization strategy. Some settings are in the<em style>Users & Groups</em> system preference pane, while others are in <em style>Security & Privacy</em>.</p> <img alt="" border="0" height="458" src="http://images.techhive.com/images/article/2013/06/guest-login-100043631-large.png" style="box-sizing: border-box; border-width: 0px; vertical-align: middle; width: auto; height: auto; max-width: 100%; float: left;" width="580">OS X includes a guest account login by default.<p style="line-height:1.7em;margin:0px 0px 0.7em"> By default, your Mac allows for guest access; it allows friends and guests to work on your Mac in an empty user account. When your friend is finished and logs out, the account is wiped. You can manage this feature in <em style>Users & Groups;</em> to control when passwords are required, however, you have to go to <em style>Security & Privacy > General</em>.</p> <p style="line-height:1.7em;margin:0px 0px 0.7em">You can also enter the <em style>Parental Controls</em> preference pane to add specific restrictions to the Guest User account or any other account on your machine.</p><p style="line-height:1.7em;margin:0px 0px 0.7em"> <strong style>Add firewall protection:</strong> Your Mac's built-in firewall isn't quite as robust as the Windows one, as it won't automatically adjust itself based on the network you are on. This limitation is okay, though, since network attacks aren't nearly as common as they used to be.</p> <p style="line-height:1.7em;margin:0px 0px 0.7em">Go to <em style>System Preferences > Security & Privacy > Firewall</em> to turn on the firewall; it works similarly to the Windows Firewall by default, blocking incoming connections on a per-application basis. If you want, you can also block all connections under 'Firewall Options'.</p> <p style="line-height:1.7em;margin:0px 0px 0.7em">Unlike Windows, your Mac doesn't include an outbound firewall, but you can always add one if you wish by installing a third-party program such as <a href="http://www.macworld.com/article/2017161/mac-gems-little-snitch-snitches-on-misbehaving-apps.html" style="color:rgb(37,167,215)">Objective Development's Little Snitch</a>.</p> <p style="line-height:1.7em;margin:0px 0px 0.7em"><strong style>Built-in antivirus support:</strong> Your Mac includes a (very) basic antivirus feature (called <a href="http://www.macworld.com/article/1142457/snowleopard_malware.html" style="color:rgb(37,167,215)">XProtect or File Quarantine</a>) that operates in the background to keep you from running into trouble while you're browsing the Web. It's similar to—though not as powerful as—Microsoft's <a href="http://www.pcworld.com/article/254758/microsoft_security_essentials_2_1.html" style="color:rgb(37,167,215)">Security Essentials</a>.</p> <p style="line-height:1.7em;margin:0px 0px 0.7em">Safari, Apple's built-in Web browser, doesn't have all the same protections found in the latest version of <a href="http://www.pcworld.com/article/2040349/7-things-you-can-do-to-make-internet-explorer-more-secure.html" style="color:rgb(37,167,215)">Internet Explorer</a>, but it still offers several great security options, such as the ability to allow Java—an oft-hacked technology available as a plug-in—only on specific sites. By default, Java isn't even installed on your Mac, so you can eschew using the plug-in altogether if you prefer.</p> <h2 style="font-family:proxima-nova,sans-serif;margin-top:1em;margin-bottom:0.25em">OS X's built-in security</h2><p style="line-height:1.7em;margin:0px 0px 0.7em">OS X includes two powerful security features that aren't available on consumer versions of Windows.</p> <p style="line-height:1.7em;margin:0px 0px 0.7em"><strong style>Full hard-drive encryption:</strong> Encrypt your entire hard drive (and external hard drives) with FileVault. You can find it by going to <em style>System Preferences > Security & Privacy > FileVault</em>. It's similar to <a href="http://www.pcworld.com/article/242617/how_to_use_bitlocker_to_encrypt_your_hard_drive.html" style="color:rgb(37,167,215)">Microsoft's BitLocker</a>—but that utility is available only in the Windows Enterprise and Ultimate editions, whereas FileVault is available for all OS X users.</p> <p style="line-height:1.7em;margin:0px 0px 0.7em">FileVault is reliable, and generally it doesn't affect system performance. It's ideal for laptops, and it even includes a recovery option that you can use in case you forget your password.</p> <p style="line-height:1.7em;margin:0px 0px 0.7em"><strong style>Meet your Gatekeeper:</strong> The Gatekeeper feature (go to <em style>System Preferences > Security & Privacy > General</em> and look under Allow Applications Downloaded From) restricts what kind of software you can install on your Mac. By default, you can download and launch software only from the Mac App Store (all of which Apple has prescreened and approved) and from websites of registered third-party developers. You can change these settings to allow downloading and launching software from the Mac App Store and nowhere else, or open up your Mac to software from any location.</p> <img alt="" border="0" height="472" src="http://images.techhive.com/images/article/2013/06/app-store-gatekeeper-100043632-large.png" style="box-sizing: border-box; border-width: 0px; vertical-align: middle; width: auto; height: auto; max-width: 100%; float: left;" width="580">Gatekeeper can limit your app installations to just those downloaded from registered developers and the Mac App Store.<p style="line-height:1.7em;margin:0px 0px 0.7em"> Your Mac's default settings largely reduce the chances that a bad guy will trick you into installing malware. You may be tempted to allow all apps, but we suggest leaving the default setting as is and opening any app that doesn't qualify (but you know you want to install) by Control-clicking it and choosing <em style>Open.</em> By doing so, you tell Gatekeeper that you purposefully want to bypass its security controls when opening this specific app.</p> <h2 style="font-family:proxima-nova,sans-serif;margin-top:1em;margin-bottom:0.25em">To antivirus or not?</h2><p style="line-height:1.7em;margin:0px 0px 0.7em">The biggest security question we get from people who first switch to a Mac is: "Should I install antivirus?" The answer, for most users, is no—with a few caveats.</p> <p style="line-height:1.7em;margin:0px 0px 0.7em">If you use Gatekeeper, keep Java disabled, and use an email service—such as Gmail or iCloud—that filters out known malware, the odds of your Mac ever getting infected with malware are minuscule. Switch to Google Chrome, and you further reduce those odds.</p> <p style="line-height:1.7em;margin:0px 0px 0.7em">Why can you get away with no antivirus software on a Mac? Some antivirus firms say they see 65,000 new Windows malware variants<em style>every day</em>, while Macs get a handful or two <em style>every year</em>. The numbers are in your favor.</p> <p style="line-height:1.7em;margin:0px 0px 0.7em">If you still insist on buying antivirus software, however, or if your company requires your computer to run such a utility, you can find a few reputable applications for the Mac, such as <a href="http://www.sophos.com/en-us/products/free-tools/sophos-antivirus-for-mac-home-edition.aspx" style="color:rgb(37,167,215)">Sophos's free Anti-Virus tool</a>.</p> <h2 style="font-family:proxima-nova,sans-serif;margin-top:1em;margin-bottom:0.25em">Welcome to security</h2><p style="line-height:1.7em;margin:0px 0px 0.7em">Overall, while it may not have as many bells and whistles as you're used to, your Mac's security requires much less active effort on your part to maintain than a Windows system does. As a switcher, you can go to bed at night knowing that you just moved to a safer—even if it's not perfect—neighborhood.</p> </span>

Switch to Mac: Security basics

U When it comes to your security, the latest versions of Windows and OS X are comparable, but you still have a few key differences and set...

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Switch to Mac: Security basics

<div class="imageContainer580xX" style="width:320px;height:auto;clear:both;margin:auto;color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:'Helvetica Neue',Arial,sans-serif;font-size:14px;line-height:19px"><img class="galleryImage imgId100045092 " itemprop="image" src="http://zapt2.staticworld.net/images/article/2013/07/switchtomacsecurity_primary-100045092-gallery.jpg" style="box-sizing: border-box; border-width: 0px; vertical-align: middle; width: 320px; max-width: 100%;"></div> <div class="department" style="margin:0px 0px 10px;overflow:hidden"><a class="topCatLink" href="http://www.macworld.com/category/os-x" style="color:rgb(51,153,204);float:left;font-family:proxima-nova,sans-serif;font-weight:700;text-transform:uppercase;margin-right:5px"><span style="color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:'Helvetica Neue',Arial,sans-serif">U</span><span style="line-height:1.7em;color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:'Helvetica Neue',Arial,sans-serif">When it comes to your security, the latest versions of Windows and OS X are comparable, but you still have a few key differences and settings to become familiar with.</span><br> </a></div><span itemprop="articleBody description text" style><p style="line-height:1.7em;margin:0px 0px 0.7em">First, to put your mind at ease: OS X 10.8 is very secure overall. It includes many of the same inherent protections as Windows 8 does, despite being attacked far less frequently. Antiexploitation technologies, firewalls, sandboxing, and other tools are built in, with mostly sensible default settings. Some tools, such as encryption, are easier to run. Apple also includes interesting security features that take advantage of the Mac App Store to further reduce your security risk, depending on how you like to buy your software.</p> <p style="line-height:1.7em;margin:0px 0px 0.7em">Your biggest switching decision is whether to use antivirus software. Unlike with Windows, antivirus software isn't a necessity on a Mac, but it may be useful depending on your habits.</p> <p style="line-height:1.7em;margin:0px 0px 0.7em">Without further ado, here's a basic guide to your Mac's built-in security features.</p><h2 style="font-family:proxima-nova,sans-serif;margin-top:1em;margin-bottom:0.25em"> Same basic settings, different locations</h2><p style="line-height:1.7em;margin:0px 0px 0.7em">The core principles for safe Internet computing remain the same, whether you use a Windows PC or a Mac. Keep your system up-to-date, be careful what you click on, and be careful about what software you install. While you have many ways to fiddle with the security preferences on your Mac, we're going to focus on the most important ones and highlight key differences from Windows.</p> <img alt="" border="0" height="501" src="http://images.techhive.com/images/article/2013/06/system-preferences-security-100043634-large.png" style="box-sizing: border-box; border-width: 0px; vertical-align: middle; width: auto; height: auto; max-width: 100%; float: left;" width="580">Here are the three panes inside System Preferences for managing most of the security settings.<p style="line-height:1.7em;margin:0px 0px 0.7em"> <strong style>System Preferences:</strong> You manage most security settings through the System Preferences application, located in the Applications folder. (You can also find a shortcut to System Preferences in the Apple menu and, by default, in the Dock.) A quick note: To change security settings, you may need to first click the lock icon in the lower-left corner of the window and enter your password.</p> <p style="line-height:1.7em;margin:0px 0px 0.7em"><strong style>Keep current:</strong> To stay safe and avoid nasty security problems, we recommend keeping your application software and system software up-to-date. You can choose whether the computer should automatically check for and download such updates in the background by going to <em style>System Preferences > Software Update</em>.</p> <p style="line-height:1.7em;margin:0px 0px 0.7em">All your system software updates come through the Mac App Store. Your Mac prompts you with a system notification when new updates are ready; clicking the notification launches the Mac App Store. You can also see what updates are available at any time by going to the Apple menu and choosing <em style>Software Update</em>.</p> <p style="line-height:1.7em;margin:0px 0px 0.7em">The Mac App Store also offers updates for any Mac apps you may have bought through the store. For third-party apps purchased outside the store, you might have to go to the company's website to grab updates—many apps, however, will prompt you about available updates when you launch them.</p> <p style="line-height:1.7em;margin:0px 0px 0.7em"><strong style>Manage your user accounts:</strong>Managing user accounts is similar in the Mac OS and Windows; OS X just has a slightly different organization strategy. Some settings are in the<em style>Users & Groups</em> system preference pane, while others are in <em style>Security & Privacy</em>.</p> <img alt="" border="0" height="458" src="http://images.techhive.com/images/article/2013/06/guest-login-100043631-large.png" style="box-sizing: border-box; border-width: 0px; vertical-align: middle; width: auto; height: auto; max-width: 100%; float: left;" width="580">OS X includes a guest account login by default.<p style="line-height:1.7em;margin:0px 0px 0.7em"> By default, your Mac allows for guest access; it allows friends and guests to work on your Mac in an empty user account. When your friend is finished and logs out, the account is wiped. You can manage this feature in <em style>Users & Groups;</em> to control when passwords are required, however, you have to go to <em style>Security & Privacy > General</em>.</p> <p style="line-height:1.7em;margin:0px 0px 0.7em">You can also enter the <em style>Parental Controls</em> preference pane to add specific restrictions to the Guest User account or any other account on your machine.</p><p style="line-height:1.7em;margin:0px 0px 0.7em"> <strong style>Add firewall protection:</strong> Your Mac's built-in firewall isn't quite as robust as the Windows one, as it won't automatically adjust itself based on the network you are on. This limitation is okay, though, since network attacks aren't nearly as common as they used to be.</p> <p style="line-height:1.7em;margin:0px 0px 0.7em">Go to <em style>System Preferences > Security & Privacy > Firewall</em> to turn on the firewall; it works similarly to the Windows Firewall by default, blocking incoming connections on a per-application basis. If you want, you can also block all connections under 'Firewall Options'.</p> <p style="line-height:1.7em;margin:0px 0px 0.7em">Unlike Windows, your Mac doesn't include an outbound firewall, but you can always add one if you wish by installing a third-party program such as <a href="http://www.macworld.com/article/2017161/mac-gems-little-snitch-snitches-on-misbehaving-apps.html" style="color:rgb(37,167,215)">Objective Development's Little Snitch</a>.</p> <p style="line-height:1.7em;margin:0px 0px 0.7em"><strong style>Built-in antivirus support:</strong> Your Mac includes a (very) basic antivirus feature (called <a href="http://www.macworld.com/article/1142457/snowleopard_malware.html" style="color:rgb(37,167,215)">XProtect or File Quarantine</a>) that operates in the background to keep you from running into trouble while you're browsing the Web. It's similar to—though not as powerful as—Microsoft's <a href="http://www.pcworld.com/article/254758/microsoft_security_essentials_2_1.html" style="color:rgb(37,167,215)">Security Essentials</a>.</p> <p style="line-height:1.7em;margin:0px 0px 0.7em">Safari, Apple's built-in Web browser, doesn't have all the same protections found in the latest version of <a href="http://www.pcworld.com/article/2040349/7-things-you-can-do-to-make-internet-explorer-more-secure.html" style="color:rgb(37,167,215)">Internet Explorer</a>, but it still offers several great security options, such as the ability to allow Java—an oft-hacked technology available as a plug-in—only on specific sites. By default, Java isn't even installed on your Mac, so you can eschew using the plug-in altogether if you prefer.</p> <h2 style="font-family:proxima-nova,sans-serif;margin-top:1em;margin-bottom:0.25em">OS X's built-in security</h2><p style="line-height:1.7em;margin:0px 0px 0.7em">OS X includes two powerful security features that aren't available on consumer versions of Windows.</p> <p style="line-height:1.7em;margin:0px 0px 0.7em"><strong style>Full hard-drive encryption:</strong> Encrypt your entire hard drive (and external hard drives) with FileVault. You can find it by going to <em style>System Preferences > Security & Privacy > FileVault</em>. It's similar to <a href="http://www.pcworld.com/article/242617/how_to_use_bitlocker_to_encrypt_your_hard_drive.html" style="color:rgb(37,167,215)">Microsoft's BitLocker</a>—but that utility is available only in the Windows Enterprise and Ultimate editions, whereas FileVault is available for all OS X users.</p> <p style="line-height:1.7em;margin:0px 0px 0.7em">FileVault is reliable, and generally it doesn't affect system performance. It's ideal for laptops, and it even includes a recovery option that you can use in case you forget your password.</p> <p style="line-height:1.7em;margin:0px 0px 0.7em"><strong style>Meet your Gatekeeper:</strong> The Gatekeeper feature (go to <em style>System Preferences > Security & Privacy > General</em> and look under Allow Applications Downloaded From) restricts what kind of software you can install on your Mac. By default, you can download and launch software only from the Mac App Store (all of which Apple has prescreened and approved) and from websites of registered third-party developers. You can change these settings to allow downloading and launching software from the Mac App Store and nowhere else, or open up your Mac to software from any location.</p> <img alt="" border="0" height="472" src="http://images.techhive.com/images/article/2013/06/app-store-gatekeeper-100043632-large.png" style="box-sizing: border-box; border-width: 0px; vertical-align: middle; width: auto; height: auto; max-width: 100%; float: left;" width="580">Gatekeeper can limit your app installations to just those downloaded from registered developers and the Mac App Store.<p style="line-height:1.7em;margin:0px 0px 0.7em"> Your Mac's default settings largely reduce the chances that a bad guy will trick you into installing malware. You may be tempted to allow all apps, but we suggest leaving the default setting as is and opening any app that doesn't qualify (but you know you want to install) by Control-clicking it and choosing <em style>Open.</em> By doing so, you tell Gatekeeper that you purposefully want to bypass its security controls when opening this specific app.</p> <h2 style="font-family:proxima-nova,sans-serif;margin-top:1em;margin-bottom:0.25em">To antivirus or not?</h2><p style="line-height:1.7em;margin:0px 0px 0.7em">The biggest security question we get from people who first switch to a Mac is: "Should I install antivirus?" The answer, for most users, is no—with a few caveats.</p> <p style="line-height:1.7em;margin:0px 0px 0.7em">If you use Gatekeeper, keep Java disabled, and use an email service—such as Gmail or iCloud—that filters out known malware, the odds of your Mac ever getting infected with malware are minuscule. Switch to Google Chrome, and you further reduce those odds.</p> <p style="line-height:1.7em;margin:0px 0px 0.7em">Why can you get away with no antivirus software on a Mac? Some antivirus firms say they see 65,000 new Windows malware variants<em style>every day</em>, while Macs get a handful or two <em style>every year</em>. The numbers are in your favor.</p> <p style="line-height:1.7em;margin:0px 0px 0.7em">If you still insist on buying antivirus software, however, or if your company requires your computer to run such a utility, you can find a few reputable applications for the Mac, such as <a href="http://www.sophos.com/en-us/products/free-tools/sophos-antivirus-for-mac-home-edition.aspx" style="color:rgb(37,167,215)">Sophos's free Anti-Virus tool</a>.</p> <h2 style="font-family:proxima-nova,sans-serif;margin-top:1em;margin-bottom:0.25em">Welcome to security</h2><p style="line-height:1.7em;margin:0px 0px 0.7em">Overall, while it may not have as many bells and whistles as you're used to, your Mac's security requires much less active effort on your part to maintain than a Windows system does. As a switcher, you can go to bed at night knowing that you just moved to a safer—even if it's not perfect—neighborhood.</p> </span>

Switch to Mac: Security basics

U When it comes to your security, the latest versions of Windows and OS X are comparable, but you still have a few key differences and set...

Read more »

How to change drive letters--even when the letter you want isn't available

<div class="imageContainer580xX" style="width:320px;height:auto;clear:both;margin:auto;color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:'Helvetica Neue',Arial,sans-serif;font-size:14px;line-height:19px"><img class="largeImage imgId100036980 " itemprop="image" src="http://zapt2.staticworld.net/images/article/2013/05/0520-thumb-100036980-large.jpg" style="box-sizing: border-box; border-width: 0px; vertical-align: middle; width: 320px; max-width: 100%;"></div> <div class="department" style="margin:0px 0px 10px;overflow:hidden"><a class="topCatLink" href="http://www.pcworld.com/category/storage-drives" style="color:rgb(172,31,43);float:left;font-family:facitweb,sans-serif;font-size:16px;font-weight:700;text-transform:uppercase;margin-right:5px"><span style="color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:'Helvetica Neue',Arial,sans-serif;font-size:14px">Mr. Reddy </span><em style="color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:'Helvetica Neue',Arial,sans-serif;line-height:1.45em;font-size:14px">wants Windows to identify his data drive as D:, but D: is already taken.</em><br> </a></div><span itemprop="articleBody description text" style><p style="line-height:1.7em;margin:0px 0px 0.7em">We were using drive letters before DOS, and I'm surprised we're still using them. Everyone knows that C: is the main drive--or at least the one Windows boots from. (Why C:? Because A: and B: were originally reserved for floppies.) But not everyone knows that if you have an administrator-level account, you can reassign drive letters.</p> <p style="line-height:1.7em;margin:0px 0px 0.7em"><br></p><p style="line-height:1.7em;margin:0px 0px 0.7em">Here's how to change a PC's drive letters:</p><p style="line-height:1.7em;margin:0px 0px 0.7em">First, you need to get to the Disk Management tool. If you're using Windows 7, XP, or Vista, click <em style>Start,</em>right-click <em style>Computer </em>(in XP, right-click<em style>My Computer</em>), and select <em style>Manage</em>. Once the Computer Management program is up, click <em style>Disk Management.</em>You'll find it in the left pane, under Storage.</p> <p style="line-height:1.7em;margin:0px 0px 0.7em">You can't click <em style>Start </em>in Windows 8, so press <strong style>WINKEY-X</strong> and select <em style>Disk Management</em>.</p><p style="line-height:1.7em;margin:0px 0px 0.7em"> Whatever version of Windows you're using, you're now in Disk Management. You'll see a graphic list of drives and partitions on those drives. (Remember that drive letters don't actually label drives, but partitions. But if there's only one partition on the drive, it's effectively the same thing.)</p> <p style="line-height:1.7em;margin:0px 0px 0.7em">Make sure that the drive containing the partition you want to change is listed. </p><p style="line-height:1.7em;margin:0px 0px 0.7em">Also, check to see if another partition or device is already using the drive letter you want. If it is, you'll have to change that drive first. For instance, if you want your data partition to be D:, but your optical drive is already D:, change the optical drive to something else (say, E:, or O:). That will free up D:, allowing you to make the change you originally wanted.</p> <p style="line-height:1.7em;margin:0px 0px 0.7em">I strongly suggest that you leave the boot drive (probably C:) alone.</p><p style="line-height:1.7em;margin:0px 0px 0.7em">Here's how:</p><ol style="margin:1em 0px;padding:0px 0px 0px 40px"> <li style="line-height:1.45em">Right-click the partition you want to change, then select <em style>Change Drive Letter and Paths.<br style><a class="zoom cboxElement" href="http://images.techhive.com/images/article/2013/06/0704-rename-partition-100042806-orig.jpg" style="color:rgb(37,167,215)"><img alt="" border="0" height="438" src="http://images.techhive.com/images/article/2013/06/0704-rename-partition-100042806-large.jpg" style="box-sizing: border-box; border-width: 0px; vertical-align: middle; width: auto; height: auto; max-width: 100%; float: left;" width="580"></a></em></li> <li style="line-height:1.45em">In the resulting dialog box, click<em style>Change.</em></li><li style="line-height:1.45em">In the next dialog box, select your desired drive letter.<br style><a class="zoom cboxElement" href="http://images.techhive.com/images/article/2013/06/0704-rename-2-100042813-orig.jpg" style="color:rgb(37,167,215)"><img alt="" border="0" height="361" src="http://images.techhive.com/images/article/2013/06/0704-rename-2-100042813-large.jpg" style="box-sizing: border-box; border-width: 0px; vertical-align: middle; width: auto; height: auto; max-width: 100%; float: left;" width="580"></a></li> </ol><p style="line-height:1.7em;margin:0px 0px 0.7em">After you click <em style>OK</em>, a dialog box will warn you that some programs may not work. If a problem arises (and I doubt it), you can go back and change the letters again).</p> <p style="line-height:1.7em;margin:0px 0px 0.7em">One last comment: You can change an external drive's letter, but the change won't be permanent. Every time you plug a storage device into a USB port, Windows will give it the first available drive letter.</p> </span>

How to change drive letters--even when the letter you want isn't available

Mr. Reddy  wants Windows to identify his data drive as D:, but D: is already taken. We were using drive letters before DOS, and I'm ...

Read more »

How to change drive letters--even when the letter you want isn't available

<div class="imageContainer580xX" style="width:320px;height:auto;clear:both;margin:auto;color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:'Helvetica Neue',Arial,sans-serif;font-size:14px;line-height:19px"><img class="largeImage imgId100036980 " itemprop="image" src="http://zapt2.staticworld.net/images/article/2013/05/0520-thumb-100036980-large.jpg" style="box-sizing: border-box; border-width: 0px; vertical-align: middle; width: 320px; max-width: 100%;"></div> <div class="department" style="margin:0px 0px 10px;overflow:hidden"><a class="topCatLink" href="http://www.pcworld.com/category/storage-drives" style="color:rgb(172,31,43);float:left;font-family:facitweb,sans-serif;font-size:16px;font-weight:700;text-transform:uppercase;margin-right:5px"><span style="color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:'Helvetica Neue',Arial,sans-serif;font-size:14px">Mr. Reddy </span><em style="color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:'Helvetica Neue',Arial,sans-serif;line-height:1.45em;font-size:14px">wants Windows to identify his data drive as D:, but D: is already taken.</em><br> </a></div><span itemprop="articleBody description text" style><p style="line-height:1.7em;margin:0px 0px 0.7em">We were using drive letters before DOS, and I'm surprised we're still using them. Everyone knows that C: is the main drive--or at least the one Windows boots from. (Why C:? Because A: and B: were originally reserved for floppies.) But not everyone knows that if you have an administrator-level account, you can reassign drive letters.</p> <p style="line-height:1.7em;margin:0px 0px 0.7em"><br></p><p style="line-height:1.7em;margin:0px 0px 0.7em">Here's how to change a PC's drive letters:</p><p style="line-height:1.7em;margin:0px 0px 0.7em">First, you need to get to the Disk Management tool. If you're using Windows 7, XP, or Vista, click <em style>Start,</em>right-click <em style>Computer </em>(in XP, right-click<em style>My Computer</em>), and select <em style>Manage</em>. Once the Computer Management program is up, click <em style>Disk Management.</em>You'll find it in the left pane, under Storage.</p> <p style="line-height:1.7em;margin:0px 0px 0.7em">You can't click <em style>Start </em>in Windows 8, so press <strong style>WINKEY-X</strong> and select <em style>Disk Management</em>.</p><p style="line-height:1.7em;margin:0px 0px 0.7em"> Whatever version of Windows you're using, you're now in Disk Management. You'll see a graphic list of drives and partitions on those drives. (Remember that drive letters don't actually label drives, but partitions. But if there's only one partition on the drive, it's effectively the same thing.)</p> <p style="line-height:1.7em;margin:0px 0px 0.7em">Make sure that the drive containing the partition you want to change is listed. </p><p style="line-height:1.7em;margin:0px 0px 0.7em">Also, check to see if another partition or device is already using the drive letter you want. If it is, you'll have to change that drive first. For instance, if you want your data partition to be D:, but your optical drive is already D:, change the optical drive to something else (say, E:, or O:). That will free up D:, allowing you to make the change you originally wanted.</p> <p style="line-height:1.7em;margin:0px 0px 0.7em">I strongly suggest that you leave the boot drive (probably C:) alone.</p><p style="line-height:1.7em;margin:0px 0px 0.7em">Here's how:</p><ol style="margin:1em 0px;padding:0px 0px 0px 40px"> <li style="line-height:1.45em">Right-click the partition you want to change, then select <em style>Change Drive Letter and Paths.<br style><a class="zoom cboxElement" href="http://images.techhive.com/images/article/2013/06/0704-rename-partition-100042806-orig.jpg" style="color:rgb(37,167,215)"><img alt="" border="0" height="438" src="http://images.techhive.com/images/article/2013/06/0704-rename-partition-100042806-large.jpg" style="box-sizing: border-box; border-width: 0px; vertical-align: middle; width: auto; height: auto; max-width: 100%; float: left;" width="580"></a></em></li> <li style="line-height:1.45em">In the resulting dialog box, click<em style>Change.</em></li><li style="line-height:1.45em">In the next dialog box, select your desired drive letter.<br style><a class="zoom cboxElement" href="http://images.techhive.com/images/article/2013/06/0704-rename-2-100042813-orig.jpg" style="color:rgb(37,167,215)"><img alt="" border="0" height="361" src="http://images.techhive.com/images/article/2013/06/0704-rename-2-100042813-large.jpg" style="box-sizing: border-box; border-width: 0px; vertical-align: middle; width: auto; height: auto; max-width: 100%; float: left;" width="580"></a></li> </ol><p style="line-height:1.7em;margin:0px 0px 0.7em">After you click <em style>OK</em>, a dialog box will warn you that some programs may not work. If a problem arises (and I doubt it), you can go back and change the letters again).</p> <p style="line-height:1.7em;margin:0px 0px 0.7em">One last comment: You can change an external drive's letter, but the change won't be permanent. Every time you plug a storage device into a USB port, Windows will give it the first available drive letter.</p> </span>

How to change drive letters--even when the letter you want isn't available

Mr. Reddy  wants Windows to identify his data drive as D:, but D: is already taken. We were using drive letters before DOS, and I'm ...

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How to shoot great fireworks photos with any camera

<div class="imageContainer580xX" style="width:320px;height:auto;clear:both;margin:auto;color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:'Helvetica Neue',Arial,sans-serif;font-size:14px;line-height:19px"><img class="galleryImage imgId100045099 " itemprop="image" src="http://zapt1.staticworld.net/images/article/2013/07/photographfireworks_primary-100045099-gallery.jpg" style="box-sizing: border-box; border-width: 0px; vertical-align: middle; width: 320px; max-width: 100%;"></div> <div class="department" style="margin:0px 0px 10px;overflow:hidden"><a class="topCatLink" href="http://www.techhive.com/category/phones" style="color:rgb(215,114,39);float:left;font-family:ff-enzo-web,sans-serif;font-weight:700;text-transform:uppercase;margin-right:5px"><span style="line-height:1.7em;color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:'Helvetica Neue',Arial,sans-serif">Independence Day is also unofficially known as barbecue-and-fireworks day—and while I can't help you grill a better burger, you've come to the right place if you're looking for some quick tips on taking better photos of your local pyrotechnics display. Believe it or not, it's pretty easy to capture dramatic and vivid fireworks in a photo.</span><br> </a></div><span itemprop="articleBody description text" style><a class="zoom cboxElement" href="http://images.techhive.com/images/article/2013/07/fireworks1-100044852-orig.jpg" style="color:rgb(37,167,215)"><img alt="" border="0" height="388" src="http://images.techhive.com/images/article/2013/07/fireworks1-100044852-large.jpg" style="box-sizing: border-box; border-width: 0px; vertical-align: middle; width: auto; height: auto; max-width: 100%; float: left;" width="580"></a>These fireworks were captured in manual mode with an 8-second exposure at f/8.<h2 style="font-family:ff-enzo-web,sans-serif;margin-top:1em;margin-bottom:0.25em"> Fireworks with a point-and-shoot</h2><p style="line-height:1.7em;margin:0px 0px 0.7em">If you have a point-and-shoot or compact digital camera with a variety of scene modes, you're in luck—taking photos of fireworks should be fairly straightforward. Set the camera to Fireworks mode (you might need to refer to your user guide to see how to change scene modes), and your camera will use a slower shutter speed to help you capture light trails. That's the only camera setting you need to mess with.</p> <p style="line-height:1.7em;margin:0px 0px 0.7em">Since you're shooting with a slower shutter speed, keeping the camera steady is essential to prevent shake and blur. If possible, mount the camera on a tripod—even a lightweight one will do. No tripod handy? Steady the camera by leaning it on a wall, a chair, the hood of your car, or some other rigid surface. You might even want to carry beanbags to stabilize the camera, or use a gadget like <a href="http://thepod.ca/" style="color:rgb(37,167,215)">The Pod</a>, which is essentially a small beanbag with a tripod mounting screw built in.</p> <a class="zoom cboxElement" href="http://images.techhive.com/images/article/2013/07/fireworks2-100044851-orig.jpg" style="color:rgb(37,167,215)"><img alt="" border="0" height="390" src="http://images.techhive.com/images/article/2013/07/fireworks2-100044851-large.jpg" style="box-sizing: border-box; border-width: 0px; vertical-align: middle; width: auto; height: auto; max-width: 100%; float: left;" width="580"></a>Don't let bad weather put a damper on your shooting. You can get good photos even in cloudy, drizzly conditions.<p style="line-height:1.7em;margin:0px 0px 0.7em"> If your camera lacks a variety of scene modes, you can probably still get some good photos. Set your camera to Landscape mode, which sets the focus at infinity, and cover the lens with your hand at the very moment you press the shutter release so that the lack of light will encourage the camera to take a longer exposure.</p> <h2 style="font-family:ff-enzo-web,sans-serif;margin-top:1em;margin-bottom:0.25em">Using a Digital SLR</h2><p style="line-height:1.7em;margin:0px 0px 0.7em">If you have an advanced compact camera or a digital SLR, you can use manual exposure controls to get a little more creative. Skip Fireworks mode and switch to Manual, where you can dial in the aperture and the shutter speed separately.</p> <p style="line-height:1.7em;margin:0px 0px 0.7em">Here's how to crack the code of manual exposure settings: When you're shooting light sources at night, the aperture largely controls the brightness of the lights, while the shutter speed determines how long the light trails appear in the photo. Start with f/8 and 2 seconds, and review your shots in the LCD display. If you want brighter fireworks, open the aperture by making the f number smaller. If the overall photo looks overexposed, make the f-number bigger. You can get great fireworks with a wide range of settings; don't be afraid to make the shutter speed much slower, as well.</p> <a class="zoom cboxElement" href="http://images.techhive.com/images/article/2013/07/fireworks3-100044853-orig.jpg" style="color:rgb(37,167,215)"><img alt="" border="0" height="329" src="http://images.techhive.com/images/article/2013/07/fireworks3-100044853-large.jpg" style="box-sizing: border-box; border-width: 0px; vertical-align: middle; width: auto; height: auto; max-width: 100%; float: left;" width="580"></a>Rather than simply capturing fireworks in the sky, frame the shot to include some of the landscape as well.<h2 style="font-family:ff-enzo-web,sans-serif;margin-top:1em;margin-bottom:0.25em"> Capturing fireworks with a smartphone</h2><p style="line-height:1.7em;margin:0px 0px 0.7em">Now for the inevitable question: Can you get nice photos of fireworks with a smartphone? Unfortunately, smartphones simply aren't equipped for the rigors of taking fireworks photos. One limitation is their inherently wide-angle lens; another is their inability to control the aperture or shutter speed.</p> <p style="line-height:1.7em;margin:0px 0px 0.7em">However, with an app like <a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/top-camera-hdr-slow-shutter/id463430049?mt=8" style="color:rgb(37,167,215)">Top Camera</a>, which includes the ability to force your phone to use a slightly slower shutter mode, you can try to capture some fireworks. In doing that, remember to stabilize your phone, since holding it in your hand will inevitably give you blurry results.</p> <h2 style="font-family:ff-enzo-web,sans-serif;margin-top:1em;margin-bottom:0.25em">Other tips</h2><p style="line-height:1.7em;margin:0px 0px 0.7em">Once you get the hang of shooting fireworks, try setting the shutter speed to the Bulb setting, if you have one. Bulb leaves the shutter open for as long as you depress the shutter release, and it's a great way to make sure that you capture exactly what you see in the sky —you control when the exposure starts and stops. Be careful not to leave the shutter open too long, though, or you can get an overexposed mess. You can always review your last shot in the LCD display, though, to see how you're doing.</p> <p style="line-height:1.7em;margin:0px 0px 0.7em">If you have control over your camera's focus, set it at infinity and leave it there. The fireworks will likely be far enough away that the camera will focus at infinity anyway, and manually making the camera focus at infinity will save you time and frustration. Fireworks and Landscape modes do this for you automatically; with an SLR, you'll need to remember to dial the focus to infinity on your own.</p> <p style="line-height:1.7em;margin:0px 0px 0.7em">Also, leave the camera's ISO at the lowest setting—probably about 100—so that you can minimize noise, which will be worse than usual because of the long exposure times. Likewise, if your camera offers a noise-reduction feature, it's a good idea to turn it on.</p> </span>

How to shoot great fireworks photos with any camera

Independence Day is also unofficially known as barbecue-and-fireworks day—and while I can't help you grill a better burger, you've...

Read more »