Last week, Opera added a VPN to the dev version of its browser, which was certainly good news. The bad news is that unlike the more robust VPNs it tries to replace, it leaks data that should be encrypted all over the place, namely your private IP address. Here's how to fix it.

At its most basic, network attached storage, or NAS, is a great way to share files on your local network. But it's also a perfect solution for backing up your computers, streaming media across your home network, or even torrenting files to a central server. If you have an ageing computer lying around, you can turn it into a NAS for for free with the open-source FreeNAS operating system. Here's how.

Checking your computer's IP address every time you need it can get tedious. Here's how to set up DHCP reservations on your router so that each computer in your house has the same IP address all the time.

In preparation for World IPv6 Day, Google has set up a simple test page to allow users to check whether or not their current browsers, systems and networks are set up to handle the impending changeover.

Dear Lifehacker, I've heard that we're running out of IP addresses and we need to switch to a new system called IPv6, but I don't understand any of it. What does this all mean for the internet and for me? Signed, Infinitely Perplexed

Restore the trusty Run command to your Windows Vista Start menu with the simple step-by-step instructions at weblog IntelliAdmin. Just right-click your Start menu and click Properties. Then go to the Start menu tab, click Customize, and tick the checkbox next to Run command. Your reliable Run command will return to your Start menu where you've come to know and expect it. Then again, you can always get to the Run prompt with the ever-useful Windows-R keyboard shortcut.

The ExtremeTech blog has a walkthrough for removing a liquid CPU cooler from your PC. The article also links to a roundup the author did of three liquid cooler systems. He promises that his walkthrough will get that liquid cooler out of your PC without spilling a drop of coolant. Sadly my PC is not overclocked, liquid cooled or in any other way pimped, so I'll have to take his word for it.

How To: Remove an Internal/External Liquid CPU Cooler

A few extensions, hacks and a little elbow grease can turn your vanilla installation of Thunderbird into a powerful productivity app. Mark Shuttleworth recently professed to us that he uses Thunderbird for email and Evolution for calendar management. While Mark's confession was enough to push me away from Gmail's web interface and onto Thunderbird full-time, having separate apps for email and calendar management makes no sense. The Ubuntu Forums has a detailed thread that shows how you can get the most out of Thunderbird by using the Lightning extension and Google Calendar.

AU - Aussie readers will have already seen our reader submitted tip on using lighting to view calendar events in Thunderbird.