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The PC Magazine Buying Guide: Do-It-Yourself Projects

July 17 2008

Welcome to the PC Mag Buying Guide newsletter.

This week: All our best do-it-yourself projects!

How to Refresh Your Mac
The $125 Upgrade
Build the Ultimate USB Key
Turn Your Records and Tapes Digital
Bargain Hunt: LCD Monitors

How to Refresh Your Mac
Some say the two-year mark activates a Mac's built-in obsolescence programming, and secret code goes to work ravaging the organized infrastructure that constitutes the operating system. But there is hope beyond running out and dropping a bunch of money on a brand-new system. Here's how you can bring your older Mac back to factory fresh.

Plus: Create an XP SP3 Recovery Disc
Think you can use your original Windows XP disc to restore your PC? Think again.

The $125 Upgrade
Sure, your old PC takes 10 minutes to start up, but ditching your reliable system is difficult when it’s served you so well. And who wants to contemplate how much they’d have to shell out for a new system? You can hang on to your old system and still have the speed and capabilities you crave with our step-by-step upgrade guide. Find out how on PCMag.com.

Build the Ultimate USB Key
A USB key can be more than a high-capacity floppy: It can secure data, store your passwords, and even carry a portable OS. Can you really fit your entire computing environment on a 2GB key? Well, no. But we created one that may make you think twice about toting your laptop.

Turn Your Records and Tapes Digital
If you're anything like me, you’ve probably held on to a ton of analog recordings over the years and now have piles of vinyl records, cassette tapes, and VHS videos sitting around the house collecting dust. Now you can resurrect those old recordings and convert them into digital audio and video in a few quick steps. Here's how.

Bargain Hunt: LCD Monitors
So we've told you all about ways to upgrade your digital life through easy DIY projects that improve hardware and software with a little bit of cash, a dash of elbow grease, and a smidgen of know-how. What's the capper to all these projects, you ask? How does a whopping (and inexpensive) LCD monitor sound? These four 20-plus-inchers will have you parked in front of your newly renovated PC for hours.

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PC Magazine is America’s #1 technology magazine, delivering authoritative, lab-based comparative reviews of technology products and services to more than 6.6 million professionals every issue.

More DIYs:

Build Your Own Home Server
Building a home server to back up, share, or remotely access your data isn't an impossible dream. We show you how to do it in nine easy steps.

Recycle Your PC the Right Way
Don't just toss out your old machine when you bring home a new one. Here's the eco-friendly way to get rid of old hardware.

For more expert help, solutions, and DIYs, visit our Solutions center.

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How to Refresh Your Mac; Upgrade Your PC for $125; Build the Ultimate USB Key; and More!