Warning! This newest virus is severe and evil... running rampant through the internet deleting everything on your hard drive and turning your pc into a virtual door stop - but it's so new that no one knows about it... And Microsoft, McAfee, & Norton don't have a patch yet & don't know what to do!  Tell everyone you know right away!  - Have you ever gotten an email that sounds the doom and gloom alarm from family or friends?  The First thing to do is go to http://snopes.com/ or http://hoaxbusters.org/ to check out what they know about it.  Almost always, it's bogus.  If it is true at all, it's probably been around for years and the threat minimal - especially for updated computers (make sure your operating system and virus program are updated regularly - or you're just asking for it).  If it's false & you did forward the email, you've effectively turned it into a virus by definition - spreading an email through the internet where it will annoy and clog inboxes with a bogus "warning".  Please spare yourself the embarrassment and your friends the annoyance by always checking first.  Also, try http://vil.nai.com/vil/hoaxes.aspx where McAfee has a good explanation why Virus Hoaxes are bad.  Simply put - because people will become numb to the warnings.

***While I'm on my soapbox... Don't think for a second that anyone in their right mind will pay you hundreds of dollars just for sending emails.  Certainly Not Bill Gates. He has a foundation figuring out how to "invest" or share his excess of money. Grow Up!  BTW, those emails with all of those email addresses still intact of who it was sent to are virtual gold mines for spammers!  These usually come with a comment by the sender, "What the heck? it's worth a try because we could sure use the cash."  I can't believe that anyone is gullible enough to think there's any chance at all of getting a penny.

The Seattle Times ran an article "Software can help retrieve your stolen laptop" on 3-28-2009 that had these tips that I thought were prudent:

Drivers
http://www.driverguide.com/  (Drivers - All)
http://www.driverzone.com/  The place to find device drivers
http://www.windrivers.com/  The number one source for Windows Support/Drivers
http://www.drivershq.com  Computer Technical Support -PC Drivers Headquarters

http://www.download.com  CNET's Download Launchpad

Reference

http://www.acronymfinder.com/ Acronym Finder is a searchable database of more than 227,000 abbreviations and acronyms about computers, technology, telecommunications, and military acronyms and abbreviations.  Try this handy form:

Acronym or abbreviation to find:

Concise information in one click

http://members.aol.com/nigthomas/alphabet.html Acronyms - Alphabet Soup Explained

http://support.microsoft.com/search/?adv=1   Microsoft Support Search -In the past, I used this site a lot when having problems with a Microsoft product.

http://www.dslreports.com/tools Broadband Tests and Tools from BroadbandReports.com

http://www.easydos.com/dosindex.html Dr. Everett Murdock's DOS Command Index

http://www.psacake.com/web/eg.asp  Look who an IP address belongs to

http://www.techencyclopedia.com/  Where your IT staff goes for answers.  This link is to the encyclopedia from TechWeb with over 20,000 IT terms.
http://www.techtarget.com/  How IT know-it-alls know it all.  I found this site through the next one...
http://www.whatis.com/  The IT-Specific encyclopedia
http://www.pctechguide.com/  Welcome to The PC Technology Guide!
http://www.tomshardware.com/  Welcome to Tom's Hardware Guide
http://www.computing.net/  Tech Support for Business and You
"What does that word (or acronym) mean?"  These next two sites might help you find out.  The first one offers to do an additional search on the Internet.
http://www.webopedia.com/
http://www.zdwebopedia.com/

http://www.filext.com/  The File Extension Source -find out about mystery extensions - from Computer Knowledge -another great resource.

http://www.fonefinder.net/index.php  Look up phone numbers

Parts, supplies, reviews, etcetera.

http://www.time.gov/timezone.cgi?Pacific/d/-8/java  from the U. S. Naval Observatory and the National Institute of Standards and Technology
http://www.computerstop.com  Online Superstore
http://www.bzboyz.com/  '"Parts" is our specialty'
http://www.tweak3d.net/  Tweak3D is a different type of hardware site.
http://www.overclockerz.com/  OCZ - "When the best still isn't enough!"
http://www.cnet.com/  Reviews & price comparisons.

http://www.crucial.com/search/index.asp  Memory upgrades from Crucial.com
http://www.thetechzone.com/  The Very Latest in Computer and Hardware News
https://www.techrepublic.com  the leading destination site for IT Professionals. (sign up required)

http://www.wififreespot.com   The Wi-Fi-FreeSpot™ Directory

*  http://www.pcworld.com/downloads/file_description/0,fid,5144,00.asp - A great freeware program that allows you to capture everything on your screen and print it or save as a btm. file.  Google "printkey"

*  http://www.thinkman.com/dimension4/ Install a better & more accurate clock!  Google "D4"

*  http://www.answers.com/  Install an amazing resource that will give definitions, etc.

*  http://local.live.com/  Windows Live Local Bird's Eye View

Recycling Computers ++   Go to http://takeitbacknetwork.org/

www.pcrecycle.net  PC-Recycle - where you can take & get parts for old PCs

HELP! - Click here for the top ten help sites from TechTV

About this page

This page is a collection of links for resources that we might find useful as Tech Support Personnel.  The descriptions are usually pasted from the linked site.  This page started simply as a handy place to find links for drivers.  I added the references because I found I was using some of them regularly.  Then I found the sites for parts and thought they best fit in here too...  Plus I keep adding more as I find them.  The latest addition is the section at the top about hoaxes because I get them all the time and wanted a handy place to find the links to verify or refute.  If you have a link for tech support or reference that you use a lot and would like to share/add it to this collection, please send an email to me at: kiter6@nwlink.com.  "All contributions are gratefully accepted!"  As always, I am not responsible (does that mean I'm irresponsible?) for the sites linked here.  They are merely for (my/our) research and convenience.  

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Page updated January 16, 2010