Search Offline
As any genealogist knows, not everything is on the internet. However, it is not always easy to know what archives/libraries are available in a given area. We have three resources to help you with that. The website Directory of Genealogy Libraries in the US is pretty much as it sounds. It provides a complete list of genealogy libraries organized by state. For international archives/libraries, you can use the LibraryTechnology.org website that provides a directory of libraries throughout the world that can be searched by city or county. And if that doesn’t work, WorldCat has a tool called ArchiveGrid that can find all the archives in the WorldCat domain. [Directory of Genealogy Libraries in the US][LibraryTechnology.org] [ArchiveGrid]
Clean Your Computer
If you are like most people, your computer is a couple of years old. Older computers tend to accumulate temporary files, extraneous registry files, core dumps, large internet history files and unnecessary cookies. Over time, these things tie up your hard drive space and slow down the speed of your computer.
Perhaps it is time to give your computer a spring cleaning. This is where CCleaner comes in. It is not a website, but a small free utility program. In fact, it is the number one free tool on the internet for cleaning your Windows PC. There is also a version for the Mac. CCleaner has been around for several years and it has been downloaded and used on hundreds of millions of computers.
Basically, CCleaner declutters and gets rid of the junk that has accumulated on your computer over time. It will also help to secure your privacy by erasing all evidence of your internet surfing habits from your computer. If you run CCleaner, you will be amazed at how much hard drive space it is able to recover and how much faster your computer will run.
CCleaner is a great little program to install and run on a regular basis. We run the program about once a month to keep our computers tuned up. [CCleaner]
Recover Lost Files
The same firm that produces CCleaner (Piriform) also has a free utility that will help you recover files that have been accidently deleted from your Windows PC, digital camera card or MP3 player. The utility is called Recuva. It works! [Recuva]
Check Website Availability
Sometimes websites are not available for a variety of reasons. Even major websites like Ancestry.com or FamilySearch.org can go offline for a period of time. Sitting at home, however, it is not always clear whether it is actually the website that is down or whether your internet connection is acting up. This is where the website Is It Down Right Now can help. Simply go to this website and then type in the address of the website that you are trying to reach. Is It Down Right Now will ping the website. It will then tell you if there are any issues. [Is It Down Right Now]
