The Java Runtime Environment has become one of the most exploited components of any operating system. Even the US Department of Homeland Security warns users to disable java unless they have a really good reason to use it.  For most of us the days of Web sites requiring you to run Java applets has long passed.  However, there still are a good number of desktop applications written in Java so simply uninstalling it is not practical. Instead, a good way to minimize your risk is to disable the Java browser plugins.  That is the primary attack vector, meaning how Java is exploited, in most cases and closing that door will significantly improve the security of your device. 

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If you have a valid Windows 8 product key from a giveaway, online purchase or other source but need the official media this article is for you. Don't risk downloading the ISO file from a torrent, there is a chance you will be installing a copy of Windows 8 infested with malware.  Instead, Microsoft offers a free download that is much safer. 

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Tabs in our Web browsers have become a critical feature so much that I can't imagine using a browser without tabs.  They have made browsing the web easier and more productive, yet for some reason we don't have tabs in the second most used browser, Windows Explorer. 

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Hitting the F8 key at the right moment while your PC is starting up is much more difficult on fast modern hardware. With boot times as low as a few seconds, the window hit the F8 key and bring up the safe boot menu is very small.  Practically impossible for most users unless you have the reflexes of a ninja.  

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Like most operating systems, iOS and the apps that run on the iPhone and the iPad creates temporary files during normal operation. There is nothing wrong with this behavior as it helps the performance of the operating system and the apps.  However, over time these files can add up taking up a significant portion of your storage.  iOS does not have an effective mechanism to clean up these files which result is lost space.  On mobile devise that typically have a limited amount of storage already, every MB of space is important. 

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Windows 8 includes a very useful feature for laptop users that lets you see the charging history and capacity of your battery.  Over time batteries hold less and less of a change so this report is very helpful to identify if it is time to buy a replacement. 

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