My friends, here's a good question from a special category of issues everyone is trying to solve, especially those new users in the emerging Internet countries that just got their hands on this wonderful resource we all know as the World Wide Web! Unfortunately, giving a good answer to those asking "Where can I watch movies absolutely free?" is not such an easy task, because there are a lot of traps on the way to the truth. The first trap a lot of them fall into is to simply type "free movies," "download movies for free," or even "Where can I watch movies absolutely free?" in a certain search engine, and wait for the results to drop in...


Obviously, the results to the questions above will be quickly delivered by the search engine, as long as your Internet connection is not incredibly slow, but you'll usually end up downloading illegal content, if you manage to download something. Absolutely free movies are available on the Web, but they don't show up when you get to search answers for the logical questions, so let's see some "replacements," shall we?

"Free Online TV" may not be that close to "Where can I watch movies absolutely free?" as some may think, but it gets the job done. <-336x280 Large Rectangle - right->Apart from various live streaming sites that you may find(not that easy, anyway, because most of them also provide paid content, and the free user experience may be rather frustrating), there are a bunch of interesting programs, like Joost, Miro(formerly known as Democracy Player), and even paid programs like ChrisTV PVR, but...since the question we started with contains "absolutely free," I guess this one doesn't qualify...

More and even better than live streaming sites, you have the community-driven video sites we all got to know about when YouTube became popular, and now there's an incredible amount of them available, with Metacafe, Vimeo, or Vreel, currently still 2 weeks away from the launch into a new Beta version, just waiting for your visit!

Other than the above, let me give you one idea - try to sneak in your neighbors' backyard and watch their movies through the window, if their TV set is properly seated. If not, cook something nice and go to their door, right when they come home with the last movies they have rented. Well, that's not really "absolutely free," but should get the job done, and increase your charisma in the neighborhood, too!

At last, you could consider borrowing movies from your friends - that's usually free, but leaves you with a debt that needs to be repaid one day...

I know all the above may not be that much, but if you know more than I do, feel free to answer the big question - "Where can I watch movies absolutely free?..."

If you ever tried to burn a DVD, most chances are you run into some problems. If that didn't happen at first try, it surely occurred somewhere along the way. Even more, if you managed to burn your discs successfully, but after one or two years, they started failing when read, that's still a DVD burning problem, as we're going to see today. Nothing is perfect, and even the most notorious manufacturers of optical media can deliver "duds," but when talking about DVD burning problems, there are usually two main causes: the DVD burning tools(software and hardware), and the lack of knowledge of the user behind(usually in front of...) it.


There is no perfect DVD burning recipe, as there are plenty of good burning programs, and if you are using the same settings, there won't be any big difference in burning quality. The following advices are a direct result of my experience as a user, and also what I managed to learn from the experiences of my friends. These being said, no matter if you're a beginner or experienced CD/DVD burner, here's my list of tips and tricks!

1. Use reliable media. The Media section on CDFreaks is one of the best sources of information regarding a certain CD/DVD disc. Don't be fooled by the name on the disc - it's the manufacturer that really matters! I got to know this when I ended up with a bunch of "no-name" CDs, but when I researched for the manufacturer online, I found out they were made by...Taiyo Yuden! Since then, I've been looking for media manufactured by them all the time, and I never looked at the name on the disc again. Anyway, this doesn't mean Taiyo Yuden media is the only good choice, so feel free to use whatever you want, as long as it's not a type of disc that already got bad reviews.

2. Use reliable burning software! I am not talking about crashes here, I am talking about updates. Here's why I say this - while most power users advise others to keep their burning software up to date, I am not doing that. The reason is very simple - when I got Nero 7, I ran into a lot of problems(to be read "broken DVDs"), only to find that Nero 6.6.1.15 is the best version I could ever get. No matter the software you're using, if the version you have works well, and the new version doesn't offer any feature you need, do NOT update!

3. Get to know your burning software's settings! Fine tweaking your burning software can spare you a lot of problems. Label your discs properly, use LightScribe, <-336x280 Large Rectangle - right->if you are burning media supporting it, and be careful with those burning speeds...

4. Use that knowledge! The main part about using the knowledge you got about your program is to always use "advanced mode" and set all the options for burning manually. I never trust a computer! Some discs support very high burn speeds, but the resulting discs are not as reliable as those created at lower speeds. This is not something noticeable at first sight, but you may get to this conclusion in time. After all, what's 5 minutes, what's 10 minutes? Patience is a virtue, my friends!

5. If you're not burning discs for your enemies, be sure to make a quality check after burning each disc! While most burning programs allow you to test the burning quality, I recommend Nero CD-DVD Speed or VSO Inspector, both available free of any charge. Usually, discs that are read very slow right after being taken "out of the toaster" are very likely to fail in time faster than others.

6. Don't forget to choose your hardware wisely, and not based on your favorite brand or price! If a certain hardware manufacturer comes up with great motherboards, amazing video cards, and best monitors on the market, that doesn't necessarily mean its optical drives are also great. Try not to buy hardware that just arrived on the market, but at least a few months old, so you can check user feedback, and remember that burning quality is more important than noise levels, looks, or reading speed. As long as it supports LightScribe(if you intend to use that feature, of course) and it is compatible with a wide array of media, go get it!

7. If your computer is powerful enough, you can even play games while burning discs, but I don't recommended it at all! I am not saying to close all other applications, because we're in 2008, and most people have at least 1GB of memory(I was burning discs without any problem while surfing the Web on my old computer, with only 512MB of memory), but be sure not to open/close big applications, like Photoshop, while burning the disc. Even more, if you're browsing the files on your computer, be careful not to access the optical drive - it will result in a broken disc!

8. Be careful when labeling discs! Most of the time, I choose to catalog them using WhereIsIt, and since I usually buy bulk discs, I place them into envelopes, writing the number on the envelope, and nothing on the disc. As long as you can keep things in order, everything is great with this strategy.

9. Handle your discs with care! Try to avoid placing your fingers on any side of the disc - I guess I don't have to explain how to avoid that... Also, be sure to keep them in a cool, dry place, and NEVER move them from a very hot room to a cold one, or the other way around. Do that a few times, and you can buy a coffin for your beloved collection afterward!

10. Don't allow dust to get inside your DVD burner! If you're cleaning the house, better keep the computer aside until you are done(I am not talking about a weekly sweep, I am talking about tearing down the walls, changing the stairs, stuff like that), and no matter how clean your computer room is, NEVER leave the DVD drive tray open! Open, insert the disc, close, that's all you have to remember...

This is it for now, if I remember anything else, I'll get back to the topic, you can be sure of that! What else can I say now than.... Good luck, and may all DVD burning problems stay away from you and your discs!

There are plenty of things true about computer safety tips, but the most obvious is that you can't get enough of them. Why? Obviously, because computer security issues are the same as car accidents - they happen because someone ignored obvious facts. Since you have to repeat thinks as often as possible, I suggest you to go and read my 10 Computer Security Tips article before moving on with today's round of computer safety tips. These being said, let's move on and seek for...

...Help!!! That's what everyone does when the computer starts having problems, but I can't stop repeating - use Google, first of all! If your favorite search engine is not Google, use your favorite, and be sure to find a proper phrasing for your problem. For example, don't look for "I can't change my screen resolution," but try "LG 1919S resolution" instead - or whatever is the brand and model of your monitor. When there could be more sources of a problem, think a little about it, and then take them down one by one. General questions won't ever provide good answers, remember that!<-120x240 Vertical Banner - right->

When talking about computer safety tips in a house with children, I think parental controls should always be enabled, and - no matter if you can afford buying 20 computers or not, be sure your kids are using a computer that's not located in their room, or at least use some monitoring software. I can't say I understand "online predators," but they do exist, so kids and teenagers can be easy prey for them, unless their parents are watching carefully(try not to suffocate them, anyway - just keep an eye on the whole matter, talk things with them, don't just start saying "you can't visit THAT site, it's evil").

Regarding viruses and other potential threats, I told you last time, but now I want to repeat only one thing - think! Before complaining about things you can't do with your computer, THINK! Sometimes, too often for a lot of people crying out for other's help, the answer is just a few steps away. After all, this is one of the greatest computer safety tips I have ever thought about - don't forget that computers are just as smart as their users make them!

SafetyWeb provides additional resources to improve computer safety to protect children from threats such as cyber bullying.