Firefox 3 is available, stable, and pretty doggone cool. Also, you don't need to pay for a program to "unzip" your files in XP or Vista.

Firefox 3 Zooms

If you use Firefox 2, get ready to switch to Firefox 3. There will be no more updates for Version 2 after the end of the year. If you haven't even tried Firefox yet, I encourage you to try Firefox 3.

Firefox is an internet browser, an alternative to Microsoft's Internet Explorer. An internet browser is the program you use to look at web pages. You can download Firefox 3 here:

Firefox 3

The current version is 3.0.1. If you have version 2 installed, Firefox will prompt you to upgrade. You can do it right then, or you can elect to wait. You might want to take a look at this brief overview of the upgrade process:

Firefox overview

Whether you are comfortable with Firefox 2 or new to Firefox, I suggest checking out the Tips & Tricks page of the Firefox website, here:

Firefox tips and tricks

I'm still discovering interesting features, but a couple of things jumped right out at me. First, the "Smart Location Bar." Here's how the Firefox people describe the new Location Bar:

"A quick way to get to the sites you love—even the ones with addresses you only vaguely remember. The new Firefox 3 location bar learns as you use it—it’s so highly evolved that we like to call it the “Awesome Bar”. Over time, it adapts to your preferences and offers better fitting matches. Type in a term and the autocomplete function includes possible matching sites from your browsing history, as well as sites you’ve bookmarked and tagged in a drop down. For example, you could enter the tag: “investments” to find “www.fool.com”. Matched terms are highlighted, making the list of results easy to scan."

The ability to zoom in on a page or a portion of a page will come in handy for many. To zoom in, increasing the page size, press and hold Ctrl while pressing +. To zoom out, decreasing the page size, press and hold Ctrl while pressing -. To reset page size back to normal, press and hold Ctrl while pressing 0. If your mouse has a scroll wheel, press and hold Ctrl while scrolling up to zoom in and down to zoom out.

I am also very excited about the things you can do with Bookmarks in Firefox 3. I'm still learning you'll certainly see some Bookmarks tips and tricks right here in future columns!

Zip and Unzip files

Last week's column (http://rlis.com/columns/column160.htm) mentioned a free version of SyncBack and provided a link to download it. A reader emailed me to say that he downloaded the program, but needed to buy WinZip, so the program isn't free.

To be clear, the free version of SyncBack is, in fact, free. The confusion was that a trial version of a program called WinZip had previously been installed on the computer, and when the trial period ends, WinZip (http://www.winzip.com/index.htm) puts up a nag screen, encouraging people to pay for the program. I often see this nag screen when I help people with their computers. Here's the thing: You don't need WinZip or any other program to unzip files and folders in Windows XP or Windows Vista. Both XP and Vista come with that ability already built in. The steps in XP and Vista are the same to unzip files:

Double-click on the zipped file

Click on Extract All

A wizard opens

Follow the prompts unzip the files to the location of your choice

Check the box for Show extracted files

Click Finish

If you need more features, or you would like that to be a little easier, that's what WinZip offers. But there are plenty of good, free alternatives to WinZip. I use IZarc (available here: http://www.izarc.org/). Another popular program is 7-Zip (available here: http://www.7-zip.org/). (PS: You can even keep using WinZip without paying for it, but you have to wait for the nag screen every time.)

Do you need help with your computer? Do you have a Firefox 3 tip? Something else interesting to ask or tell? I'm here to help you and your computer get along! To ask a question, make a comment or suggestion, or schedule a visit, email cate@rlis.com. You can also read all the previous columns here:

Cate's archives

If you would like an email reminder every time the column comes out, visit this link:

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Have a safe, enjoyable long weekend, and please drive carefully!