The Mobile Classroom HD

Are you staring at a Windows desktop that looks just like every other Windows desktop? There are a number of powerful and free tools that you can use to improve the look of your system and increase the efficiency of your digital workspace. In this episode, we'll perform a desktop makeover that gets rid of your Start menu, changes your backgrounds automatically, launches your applications without a mouse, and much more!

Have you ever deleted that important file by mistake? In an instant, your family vacation videos vanish from your computer and you're left with memories instead of pictures. Fortunately, your irreplaceable files are recoverable, if you have the right tools and follow the proper steps. In this week's podcast, you'll learn exactly which free tools can restore your lost files and we'll build a boot CD that will allow us to restore files to our computer without damaging what's already there. You'll also learn important best-practices that will give you the greatest chance of recovering those lost documents.

I love my browser, and I love customizing the interface so it works exactly the way that I do. In this episode, we'll tweak, customize, and learn how to extend the capabilities of our browser experience. We'll examine some built-in browser tweaks and install and use some useful add-ons and extensions. Whether you.re using Internet Explorer, Firefox, or Chrome, you'll find some useful browser customizations in this week's podcast!

How does your computer sound? If your computer audio is full of clicks and squeals, then you might want to consider an upgrade. In this episode, we'll examine audio upgrade options that can give you clean digital audio output from your USB or Firewire ports. If you're ready to take your audio configuration to the next level, you'll also learn how to setup an audio mixer and integrate your computer with external devices and studio microphones.

OpenOffice.org is one of the most functional office suites available on any platform, and one of the most remarkable parts about this software is that it's absolutely free for anyone download and use. In this podcast preview, we'll show you how easy it is to install, use, and extend the capabilities of the world's most popular free office suite.

It's the season for new and upgraded computers! If you're unwrapping a shiny new system, then you're now faced with getting your new system up and productive as soon as possible. What's the best way to protect, equip, and maintain your new computer? In this episode, we'll show you what you need to protect you from the Internet Badguys, how to install every must-have program with a single click, and what our viewers think are the best accessories for your new personal computer.

Backing up your computer is one of the most important ways to protect your important documents, your critical system configurations, and your irreplaceable family memories. In this episode, we'll show you how to create an automated backup process for restoring individual files or rebuilding your entire system from scratch. You'll learn how to use Windows' built-in disk imaging, automated file synchronization, backing up to off-site .cloud. facilities, and much more!

Is your Windows system running as fast as it should? If not, it might be time for some preventive maintenance. In this podcast preview, we'll describe how you can keep your system in peak condition through OS updates, disk scanning, defragmentation, and much more!

Microsoft Security Essentials is a free anti-virus and anti-malware utility for anyone who uses Windows XP, Windows Vista, or Windows 7. In this episode, we'll install Microsoft Security Essentials and step through the options for real-time scanning, on-demand scanning, and scheduled virus and malware scanning.

Ubuntu 9.10 is the latest edition of the world's most popular desktop and laptop Linux distribution. In this episode, we'll install the latest version of Ubuntu from scratch and examine a few of the latest features. Bonus content: We'll use VirtualBox to install Ubuntu into a new virtual machine on our Windows 7 desktop.

Windows Live Photo Gallery provides an easy-to-use interface for managing all of your important digital pictures. In this episode, we'll import pictures, edit photos, and upload them to online photo sharing services.

Microsoft's latest version of Movie Maker has a new name, a new interface, and many new capabilities. In this episode, we'll show you how easy it is to import videos and pictures, add titles and music, and share your video on YouTube.

Windows 7 is now on the street, and there are quite a few changes inside of this new Windows operating system. In this premiere episode of The Mobile Classroom, we'll look at the many Windows 7 user interface changes, examine the improvements to media streaming, and learn about the free Windows Live Essentials additions.