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Best free antivirus

Dave Farquhar security September 9, 2016November 21, 20181990s, antivirus, AV, malware, Microsoft Security Essentials, Task Manager, Windows 10, windows 7

What’s the best free antivirus? I have an answer that may surprise you. I also have a supplement that may surprise you. And I have a third supplement you already have but probably never heard of.

Keep something in mind. I don’t like using words like “good” and “best” in the same sentence as antivirus software. Imagine a college graduating class whose valedictorian is Chris Farley’s character from the movie Tommy Boy. What you want from your antivirus software is something that doesn’t do a lot of damage.

Fix Chrome running slowly and lots of aw snap errors

Dave Farquhar Software September 8, 2016April 3, 2021chrome, Windows 10

I had a big problem with Chrome running slowly and lots of aw snap errors. It took me a while to fix it, but I’ll share my secret with you. It sounds weird but I promise it helps.

What does scroll lock do? Or scrlk?

Dave Farquhar Retro Computing September 7, 2016August 7, 20181980s, excel, IBM, lenovo

What’s the purpose of the scroll lock key? What does scroll lock do? With modern windowing operating systems we don’t need the scroll lock or scrlk key very often, but it solved a very real problem in the days of DOS.

The scrlk key is an abbreviation for scroll lock. Some keyboards abbreviate it even further. I one keyboard that just says “scr” on that key. However your keyboard abbreviates it, it’s almost always the key in between the print screen and pause keys.

Splunk vs Loglogic: Battle of the logs

Dave Farquhar security September 6, 2016October 11, 2019excel, Log Logic, splunk

If you need a centralized logging solution for your business, you’ll need to consider Splunk vs Loglogic. I have experience with both in corporate environments.

I guess you can say I spent a lot of time configuring and waiting on Loglogic. I spent a little time configuring Splunk and a lot of time turning the data inside it into knowledge.

Where to connect the red wire to a light switch

Dave Farquhar DIY September 5, 2016September 7, 2023red wire

After reading where the red wire goes in a light fixture, someone asked me where to connect the red wire to a light switch.

That’s a good question. The first time I saw a red wire on a light switch, it certainly confused me. I have one in my kitchen and it scared me for years.

How long does it take to paint a bedroom?

Dave Farquhar DIY September 2, 2016July 16, 2017hardware store

How long does it take to paint a bedroom? Well, it depends. But I can tell you what it depends on, and how to make it take less time.

It depends on the tools you have. Or whether the bedroom is empty or furnished. It can even depend on the kind of paint you use.

Commodore financial history, 1978-1994

Dave Farquhar Retro Computing September 1, 2016October 11, 2025

Commodore’s rise and fall are legendary, at least to people like me who grew up using their computers. Putting numbers to that rise and fall was more difficult. I dug up the Commodore financial history from 1978-1994 to help quantify that spectacular rise and fall. Read more

Is my IT department spying on me?

Dave Farquhar Careers, security August 31, 2016October 5, 2018CIO, Microsoft Office, Proxy server, troubleshooting

There’ve been some stories floating around about how to make your IT department spy on you. The advice is good. The question you may be asking is how much does your IT department really know? Or, more directly, is my IT department spying on me?

I can’t answer the second question with certainty. But the first question is a lot. I’ll tell you a story.

XCOPY vs ROBOCOPY

Dave Farquhar Windows August 30, 2016January 7, 2025command prompt, Japan, lunchtime, PIP, syntax, vista, WAN, windows 8, windows me

XCOPY vs ROBOCOPY: Which do you like? If you’re a command line jockey, both Windows tools have their place. Here’s how I decide when to use which one.

Note: If you’re looking for a comparison of Robocopy and the third-party freemium tool Xxcopy, see this post.

Garage sale tips and tricks for buyers

Dave Farquhar Saving money August 30, 2016July 29, 2018electric trains, estate sales, garage sale, garage sales, VHS

I am a garage sale pro. Over the course of a decade, I attended thousands of garage sales, saved thousands of dollars buying things for my own use, and made tens of thousands of dollars reselling my loot (yes, I had a business license and declared it on my taxes). Here are my favorite garage sale tips and tricks for buyers.