Almost everyone uses Microsoft's Internet Explorer to surf the Web, or so we thought. Since its release last year by the open-source Mozilla Foundation, the Firefox Web browser has garnered about 80 million converts.

Although Firefox has some innovative usability improvements, such as tabbed browsing, the primary reason to switch to Firefox is security. For better or worse, Microsoft is the major player in desktop software, and has become the primary target of those who write malicious software code such as viruses, worms, spyware, and malware.

Although not entirely immune from these problems, Firefox is more secure than Internet Explorer. If you are terrified of spyware and malware, or if you have teenagers (or employees acting like teenagers) surfing the web who routinely exercise poor judgment and download infected files or visit dangerous sites (free music download sites are notorious as purveyors of spyware), switch them to Firefox and sleep easier. Trust me, I know. My kids now use Firefox. Download Firefox hereYou will also want to download the various Firefox plug-ins and helper applications to make your browsing more useful, such as the Acrobat plugin so you can view PDF files, the Windows Media Player plugin to listen to audio and view video, and the Java plugin to see advanced Web site features. Find these and more here.

From the same folks who brought you Firefox comes the Thunderbird email program. As with Firefox, Thunderbird has some advanced features, but the best reason to use it may be that is more secure than either Outlook or Outlook Express. It was designed to prevent viruses and to stop junk mail. Download Thunderbird here . If you want to use Thunderbird to manage your contacts, get the free Contacts Sidebar extension here. For calendar, download the free Sunbird calendar software here. Be aware that many practice management programs such as Amicus Attorney and PCLaw are designed to integrate only with MS Outlook and will not link with Thunderbird.

Speaking of email, how often have you tried to send someone a Web link (technically called a URL - Uniform Resource Locator) that was so long it wrapped down to a second line in your email program? When the message appears in the recipient's inbox, they click on the link and go nowhere (except to an error page). The solution is a free service called Tiny URL. Simply copy that huge URL to your Windows clipboard (highlight it and hit Control-C), then browse to www.tinyurl.com, paste in the large URL (Control-V) to get a new tiny URL you can use in your email message.

Another common email-related problem is the need to send a large file attachment. Often that file is so large that it is blocked by your email service or the recipient's Internet Service Provider (ISP). Although attachment size limits are getting larger, many ISP's still limit attachments to 1 MB or less in size. There are several free services that let your create an account and send large files to a secure on-line repository where they can be retrieved by your intended recipient by clicking on a link you send them. We have successfully used SendThisFile and DropLoad for this purpose. Another service, YouSendIt, does not even require you to create a free account

If you need a web-based email account for personal use, participation in email discussion groups, or to receive on-line newsletters without cluttering up your law firm account, consider Google's free Gmail email service. Each account comes with 2 GB's of email storage space. You may never need to delete a message again. Plus, you can import your Outlook address book into Gmail.

For fast Web searching, many of us use the Google Toolbar. But there is an equally free alternative that has some advantages. The Yahoo! Toolbar has both antispyware and popup blocking functions. It is available for both Internet Explorer and Firefox.

The best known of these free products is AVG Antivirus 7.0 Free Edition from Grisoft. AVG has been around since 1991 and now offers very impressive protection capabilities. It is relatively small, light on resources, has regular automatic updates and handles email scanning. Download it her e. Equally capable is Avast! antivirus program available for free download here.

As dangerous as viruses can be, we've seen more PC's disabled in recent years by spyware and malware. Fortunately, there are three excellent free antispyware programs. Unlike antivirus programs, where you should only install and run one antivirus program on your PC at any given time, it is possible with some configuration changes to use multiple antispyware programs.

We've had a great deal of success using Microsoft's Windows AntiSpyware program to rid PC's of spyware, adware, and malware. Although it is still in beta release, it is based on the highly-regarded commercial Giant AntiSpyware program. Get it here. Others worth downloading and installing are Spybot Search and Destroy and Ad-Aware SE Personal Edition. If Windows AntiSpyware doesn't find and remove the spyware, there is a good chance a scan with either Spybot or Ad-Aware (or both) will do the job. Often it helps to reboot into Windows Safe Mode before running a scan to prevent dangerous spyware and malware from loading into memory where it can be harder to detect and remove.

The third component of any complete security setup is a firewall. In some cases, the hardware firewall built into your broadband router or firewall appliance is adequate protection. If you don't have a router, or if you want extra protection, there are free software firewalls that do an excellent job of preventing intruders from gaining access to your PC or network.

The major problem with software firewalls is that they are difficult to configure and use. Because of its ease of use, the Kerio Personal Firewall may be the best choice for those without a live-in tech guru. If you are a bit more tolerant of the need to set up and manage your firewall, both the ZoneAlarm and Sygate personal firewalls provide good protection at no cost.

With efiling now a reality in federal court and coming soon to state courts, the ability to produce PDF (Adobe Acrobat) files from any Windows application (word processor, spreadsheet, etc.) is very important. But you may not want to spend $250 or more for a copy of Adobe Acrobat on every PC in your office or home. While you should have at least one full copy of Acrobat available so you can utilize its advanced features when needed, if all you need to do is create a simple PDF copy of a document, turn to one of these two freebies. We have long recommended PDF995 because it does a nice job of creating simple PDF files, and if you don't mind seeing a web-based ad each time you use it, it is free. Otherwise, pay $9.95 and skip the ad. But if you want free PDF creation capability without the ads, download CutePDF.

Those of you who are more tech-oriented may have many applications installed and running at one time on your PC's. As you open more applications, your Task Bar (the area at the bottom of your screen) real estate shrinks. At some point the rectangles representing open applications become so small that they are unreadable and useless. Tray It! allows you to save precious Taskbar space for minimized windows. For each open application, TrayIt! creates a small icon in the System Tray. When application's window is minimized this icon represents the application on the Taskbar instead of the regular "minimized rectangle".

We are by now used to and somewhat dependent upon free Internet mapping services like MapQuest and MSN Maps. Unless I know exactly where I am going, I never leave home without directions and a map from one of these services. But what is often missing is a real-world view of your destination, complete with surrounding buildings and topography. Two new satellite-based mapping services solve that problem. The first one released to the public was Google Earth. It is a free software download that, to run properly, requires a fairly new PC with 3D graphics and a broadband Internet connection. But if you can run it, it is nothing short of amazing. Warning - Google Earth is so realistic that if you suffer from motion sickness (as I do), you may begin to feel ill (as I did) swooping in from outer space to your destination, then moving and tilting the image. Unlike Google Earth, Microsoft's MSN Virtual Earth is a Web site that does not require a separate software download/installation. One great feature of MSN Virtual Earth is the ability to toggle between a road map and a satellite photograph of your destination. There is an optional software component that will show your current location on a map using clues provided by your IP address or your wireless network connection.

Don't turn your back on your audience: Set up your computer so that it is facing you. This way you can be facing your audience and you don't have to look at or read from the screen. The last thing the audience wants to see is the back of your head. What you are seeing on your computer screen is the same image that is projected on the screen behind you. Keep eye contact with your audience to engage them in your presentation.

Know when enough is enough: Research has shown that audiences will remember your presentation best if they are allowed an opportunity to digest a new slide for a few seconds before you start speaking - especially if the visuals are complex. But leaving a slide on screen too long will tend to monopolize the audience's attention and diminish their ability to focus on what you are saying. A slide should be on the screen only as long as you are talking about related material - somewhere between 30 seconds and two minutes. After that, blank out your screen until it is time for the next slide. To blank out a screen, just press the "B" key to turn the screen black or press the "W" to turn the screen white. This only works when you are viewing a show. To illuminate the screen, press the "B" or "W" again.

Write on!: For those of you who like the "John Madden approach", you can press Ctrl "P" while presenting and a pen will come on the screen. Hold the left mouse key down while moving your pen around the screen, and you too can analyze the "play." To customize your pen, right click and select "Pointer Options." Then choose pen, marker, or highlighter and pick and select an ink color. Choose an ink color that contrasts and compliments the background color of your slide. As with the blank screen tip above, this only works when you are viewing the show. When you are done and exit from the show, you will be given the option to save or discard your pen markings.

Don't overdo animations: Images and icons flying around your screen or funny sound effects may seem like a good idea when you are preparing your show, but they can easily be overdone and often distract from your message. If your audience will have a printed copy of your show to follow along as your speak, fancy transitions and effects are not necessary. However, if they will not have their own printed copy, the judicious use of tasteful transitions and animations may help keep their attention focused on your presentation.

Balance the lighting: The impact and effectiveness of your presentation will be affected by the lighting conditions in the room. Try to have the most light possible without diluting the impact of the color of your slides. Other than in a movie theater, a darkened room will put people to sleep, and hopefully this is not one of your objectives. If possible, pay an advance visit to the room in which you will be presenting. First, try to make sure that all lights that directly hit the projection screen are turned off. This may mean having someone (perhaps even you) climb up on a ladder to unscrew some bulbs). Light text on a dark background looks best in a dark or slightly darkened room. In a lighted room, a dark background may look so faded that your light text won't show up well. For this kind of situation, it doesn't hurt to try dark text on a lighter background.

Perhaps you heeded our advice and are finally replacing those old Windows 98 dinosaurs that were costing you so much money in lost productivity (not to mention the added aggravation suffered by your staff).

Now you have a pile of old computers taking up valuable space in your file room, many containing confidential client, personal, or law firm information. Disposing of them in the local dump or donating them to charity is just not a wise option.

Utilities (small computer programs) are available that will wipe the hard disk of a computer completely clean, destroying all of the data on the disk.

Give us a call 513 312-8381, we can provide you with these utilities or assist you in in cleaning them before you get rid of the equipment.