Take a look back at what topics were trending in 2016.
Top 10 List
For the curious, I’ve compiled a list of the most-viewed articles published by Dave’s Computer Tips in the year 2016. I’ll start with number 11, and work my way up (down?) to number 1. Oops! Did you here me say 11 and not 10? That’s because the Daily Giveaway is number two in the slot and that does not count as a published article. You folks must really like free stuff! Nothing wrong with that… I do, too.
Fans of the classic Windows 7 games were pretty miffed when Microsoft chose to consign the games to oblivion with the release of Windows 8. The original FreeCell, Minesweeper, Hearts, Solitaire, etc. gained a pretty large following during the Windows 7 years and have been sorely missed in the newer operating systems. While alternatives are now available as Modern Apps or Universal Apps, many users still prefer the classic versions… ~ Jim Hillier
You should never have a naked desktop. I thought that would get your attention. Your computer desktop should reflect your personality and show your style. I say personalize your computer desktop and have fun doing it. Saying that, I decided to do all the keyboard work for you and give you my top 5 wallpaper websites that will give you some of the best wallpapers for free. This was not an easy task since you would be surprised how many wallpaper websites are out there… ~ Jason Shuffield
The terrific DVD ripper/backup freeware DVDShrink has been around for ages. I’ve been using it now through 4 versions of Windows and it has worked flawlessly on all operating systems right through to and including Windows 7. That alone, considering it has not been actively developed for years, is a glowing testament to the brilliance of the original software. The fact that DVDShrink also continues to perform its core tasks very well has made it one of the most desirable and widely used freeware products around… ~ Jim Hillier
Here we go again with Tech sites scare-mongering and spreading misinformation. This time it’s all about Windows 10, UEFI, and Secure Boot. Some tech sites have been suggesting that Windows 10 will not work on UEFI systems unless Secure Boot is enabled, which is a complete misinterpretation of the facts. Based on what little information is available, here’s what’s really happening – and even this is not yet set in concrete… ~ Jim Hillier
There are plenty of bittorrent clients available and uTorrent has arguably been the most popular of them all. I’ve been using uTorrent for years and have watched as it has gradually yet inexorably deteriorated – certainly not in terms of speed and efficacy but definitely as far as integrated bundling and advertising is concerned. ~ Jim Hillier
SmallPDF.com is a site which offers a range of free and useful online PDF tools. There are currently 4 tools available; Compress PDF, Image to PDF, PDF to Image, and Merge PDF. And, because they are browser-based tools, they will work across all platforms… Mac, Windows, and Linux. Here, we are going to take a look at the Compress PDF tool… ~ Jim Hillier
With Windows 7 and 8 you may have noticed that the files are locked in auto-arrange mode, that is to say you cannot drag them around within their folders and place them in the order you want, you can only do this within the folders with XP and Vista… ~ Jim Hillier
Here’s the scenario; you have a hard copy of a typed document you want to edit but there is no digital or editable copy available. Your scanning software does not include OCR (Optical Character Recognition) and only saves scanned documents in non-editable image format. Your only courses of action appear to be… a) download and install OCR software or… b) completely retype the document from scratch… ~ Jim Hillier
Saying the Daily Giveaway doesn’t count is not completely true. Every single visit we get counts and the Daily Giveaway link in the DCT Menu Bar at the top of the page provides us with many important visits each day. I love if you come to DCT to learn how to do something, but if you’re interested in finding a quality program for the price of Free, I’m right behind you.
A bottleneck, when talking about computer hardware, and not your favorite rustic libation, refers to the slowest device in the system. That one piece of hardware that is bogging down everything else.
Your hard drive is a typical example. It is almost always the slowest turtle in the race. In fact, nothing much happens until it can deliver the bits of information the CPU needs to actually begin doing something. You have probably noticed that some of your big applications take a long time before anything happens– you can most likely blame that on a slow hard drive. Not always, though… ~ Richard Pedersen
Some Thoughts
The above list shows us what you have found interesting and useful throughout the year. Some of the articles are dated, stretching back to 2013, but that doesn’t seem to matter. Sometimes, they don’t outlive their usefulness.
We’ve received many helpful comments and insightful questions over the past 12 months. Hopefully, we’ve been able to help you. You have most certainly helped us by letting us know how we can improve. We look forward to another great year of information passed among us. Knowledge is power! Bring it on, 2017!
Richard received his first computer, a C-64, in 1982 as a gift and began dabbling in BASIC. He was hooked! His love for computing has led him from the old “XT” boxes to the more modern fare and from clunky 10MB hard drives to smooth and fast modern day SSD drives. He has run BBS services, Fido mail, and even operated his own computer repair business.
4 thoughts on “Top 10 DCT Articles Viewed In 2016”
Ralph C
Thanks for this, and all that is done at DCT for those of us who are somewhat tech illiterate.
HNY Richard. Extremely interesting list, thought I find it hard to believe people were reading about DVD Shrink this year. Jim’s article is from 2011, and DVD’s were replaced by Blu-Ray some time ago. Just curious how this article made the 2016 list, Mindblower!
Thanks for this, and all that is done at DCT for those of us who are somewhat tech illiterate.
You are welcome, Ralph C!
Have a great upcoming year!
DCT
HNY Richard. Extremely interesting list, thought I find it hard to believe people were reading about DVD Shrink this year. Jim’s article is from 2011, and DVD’s were replaced by Blu-Ray some time ago. Just curious how this article made the 2016 list, Mindblower!
Hi Mindblower,
The only criteria was number of views. When it was written didn’t enter the picture.
Happy New Year,
Richard