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The Windows Secrets Newsletter brings you essential tricks of running Microsoft Windows XP, Vista, Internet Explorer, Firefox, Windows Update, and more — weekly, free.

In our current newsletter...

When Windows XP was released, wireless routers were rare, few cell phones supported e-mail, and YouTube was just a gleam in some PayPal employees' eyes. But like a fabled perpetual motion machine, XP keeps on going and going — and if you follow some simple guidelines, the OS will keep running in top condition until Vista's successor is ready in 2010. Read more »

Topics in the free newsletter:

• All readers are eligible for our bonus download

• Steal our links — no, really, we mean it

• Windows rocks! The OS plays a Who classic

Topics in the paid newsletter:

• One online notetaker outshines the competition

• More vulnerabilities found in Internet Explorer

• XP Service Pack 3 crashes HP's AMD-based PCs

Recent headlines from past newsletters

Make your PC difficult to steal, easy to recover

For little or no money, you can lower the chances that your computer will be targeted by thieves. Take a few simple steps now to make your notebook and desktop PCs easier to recover should they ever be lost. May 8, 2008

Thwart malware attacks by locking out bad sites

Bolster your antivirus, firewall, and antispyware protection by customizing the IP address manager built into Windows. Redirect ad servers and other undesirable addresses in Windows' Hosts file and update your unwanted-address list automatically for free with the HostsMan utility. May 1, 2008

Nine must-have freeware apps rise to the top

The "best freeware" lists published by Web sites and magazines frequently trumpet dozens of programs, but the results reflect the subjective opinions of just one or two testers. To find the best of the best, I compared roundups of "great" freeware conducted recently by several reputable publications to find the programs that were top-rated by at least three of the reviews. April 24, 2008

About the editors

Brian Livingston, editorial director of WindowsSecrets.com, is co-author of "Windows Vista Secrets", "Windows Me Secrets", and nine other books in the Windows Secrets series. He was named Entrepreneur of the Year at the 6th annual Internet Content Summit in New York City on May 8, 2006.

Scott Dunn is associate editor. He has been a contributing editor of PC World since 1992 and currently writes for the magazine's Here's How section. He is the co-author of 101 Windows Tips & Tricks (Peachpit) with Jesse Berst and Charles Bermant.

Dennis O'Reilly is technical editor. He edited PC World from early 2000 through December 2007, ending with the title of senior associate editor. Prior to PC World, Dennis (no relation to Tim O'Reilly, the founder of O'Reilly Media) was a senior editor of Ziff Davis's Computer Select subscription service from 1985 to early 2000.