TECH TIPS
Tech Tips
INDEX:
Beware of Social Networking Games. There may be hidden charges!
Fix or replace your computer? How do you know?
Windows7 and Peripherals You may need to download new Drivers.
Beware of SCAMS: 'Web Loyalty Programs' and 'Microsoft Technician phone calls'
Learn New Computer Programs Don't be afraid to 'Play'
Save Money Create your own Restore Discs
Online Backup and Storage Local vs Offsite
Microsoft: New Operating System Windows 7 in October 2009.
MS Office 2007 Work around, adapt or move to other programs.
About Searches & Search Engines A few things you may not know....
WSICA offers purchase advice but does not build or sell computers.
The GREEN Factor! Save Energy! Save Money!
Quick General Computer Tips Tips and Tools for easier computing
Digital Photography Tips for organizing your photos!
Saving Money $$$ Just a few quick notes that may help...
Holiday Computer Sales Tips for making a wise choice!
Desktop Computer: $5.00 Battery Computer batteries have a lifespan of about 5 years.
What You Write May Haunt You! The illusion of anonymity in today’s internet age can be dangerous.
Vacuum my Computer? Keeping computer clean will help extend the life of the PC.
Printers and the High Cost of Ink Cartridges Change the quality setting to Draft or Fast Draft.
Customer Service Calls Try the obvious first, then be prepared and patient.
Old Photos Preserve Memories with your PC!
Destroy Old Computer Information Deleting files DOES NOT permanently delete information.
Power Protection for your Computer Surge Protector and UPS or Battery Backup
Beware of Social Networking Games.
There may be hidden charges!
March 2010
Computer users spend a large amount of time in various social Networks such as Facebook. These social networking sites contain many Social Networking Games as well such as Farmville and Mafia Wars. Spending time in these games take up a large amount of people’s time. What you may not realize is the danger of these games. One of the larger companies in this industry is Zynga. However, Zynga has used many “tricks” to make money from these games. Although you can earn some virtual money with in the games, the larger money is obtained by getting others interested in the game or using a credit card to purchase the virtual money. This process can become very expensive.
Other ways to earn virtual money is by filling out a brief survey. At the end of the survey a PIN code is sent to your Cell phone to put into the game. However, once the PIN is entered you may find yourself subscribed to a monthly bill for “buyers advantage” or some other worthless program. In other cases accepting a gift or invitation with in a Zynga game has been known to wipe out your virtual bank account, with no recourse.
If you are going to play these games, leave the personal information and the credit cards in the real world.
To replace your computer or not to replace your computer,
that is the question.
February 2010
I often receive telephone calls from people who are not sure if they should fix their computer or replace it. This decision depends on many factors. Many experts now say a computer is ready to be replaced after 4 years. Yet, many people are using perfectly good computers that are doing everything they need and are 7 or more years old. Like old cars, computers may have no ‘book’ value but are of good value to the user.
The decision for replacing a computer depends on many factors. What are you doing on it or what programs are you running on it? Does it need work now or is it functioning Ok? How old is the computer? How powerful is the computer (CPU, RAM, Hard drive size, etc)? If the computer needs work, is it extensive (translated expensive) or minor (cheap)?
These factors and many more should go into the decision of whether a computer should be fixed or replaced. One example, a severe virus or other operating system corruption causes the computer to require a full reload. You are not comfortable doing it yourself so you need a technician to do it. The computer is 7-8 years old, this usually would be a replacement situation. On the other hand, the computer is 2 years old, this usually means repair it. 3 to 4 year old computers, the repair or replace decision is a little tougher. How powerful is the system comes more into play. Prior to spending money on an older (over 4 years old) computer, keep in mind, regardless of the repair, reload, replace parts, etc, the remaining components are still 4 years old.
In most cases it is not worth “upgrading” a mother board on an older system, regardless of what you are told, it will not be “much better then new”. The remaining parts are still old. Inexpensive upgrades such as memory may be worthwhile, but entire mother boards or a new operating system, rarely are on older systems. Save the repair money on those and put it toward a new system.
Windows7 and Peripherals
You may need to download new Drivers...
January 2010
First let me wish everyone a Happy and Healthy New Year!
With the New Year and the end of the holidays, many people have purchased or received as gifts new computers. These new computers usually are running Microsoft’s newest Operating System, Windows 7. Some of you also received new peripherals with the new computers, such as printers or digital cameras. Since Windows 7 is so new, the peripherals may not contain drivers that are Windows 7 compatible. If the install disc that the equipment comes with does not specifically say, it has Windows 7 drivers, assume it does not! In those cases, before connecting the device to your computer, go to the manufacturer’s web site and download the proper drivers. Just because the device is brand new, does not mean the software in the box contains Windows 7 drivers. When Vista was released, some companies took a year to purge the store stock so that all equipment shipped with Windows Vista Drivers. The same may occur with Windows 7.
If you are moving old peripherals to a Windows 7 computer, do not try to use your original install discs. Once more, go to the manufacturer’s web site and look for the current Windows 7 drivers to download.
Using old drivers with Windows 7 may cause several problems. These range from intermittent communications to no communications at all with the new equipment. When downloading the drivers, make certain to download the proper drivers. They need to be for the proper Operating System (Windows 7 with a 32 or 64 bit Operating System) and the proper device model number.
Taking these precautions will save many hours of troubleshooting either by yourself or with technical support. Remember if you do need to call the manufacturer’s technical support helpline, make sure you have as much information about the equipment and what you have done to resolve the problem prior to calling make sure you have plenty of time (hold times are longest this time of year) and get comfortable and relaxed before calling (a glass of wine helps).
SCAM Warnings
WARNING: Scam Alert Dec. 1, 2009
Watch out for “Web Loyalty Programs”
With the holiday shopping season upon us the word for online shopping is caution. An ongoing scam that is occurring and getting worse is called “Web Loyalty Programs”. The way this works is as follows: you make a purchase from your favorite online store, at check out a pop up window occurs asking if you want a coupon sent to your email box in the future. Just supply your email address. What occurs is this, the coupon company charges your credit card each month for a Web Loyalty Program. Wait, you did not give them your credit card number only your email address, how could that be? The store supplies the company with your credit card number, they get a cut of the profits, and you, (oops forgot the small print that may or may not be there) get the bill. This scam is making these companies Millions $. The stores make hundreds of thousands a year or more, and the consumer has the mess to cleanup. Do Not Accept these offers. Check your credit card statements monthly.
If you think this is only small companies, you’re wrong. The culprits have taken in over a Billion dollars. Major web sites participate in this. Companies such as Classmates.com ($70 Million in profit) , 1-800-Flowers, FTD, Orbitz, Continental Airlines, VistaPrint, US Airways and many more have made Millions thru these type of programs. The government is investigating, but until changes occur, be careful.
One other ongoing scam is the online game of Farmville. People play this via Facebook. At some point, in order to get more FarmBucks, they ask to send you a text message and will give you more FarmBucks. The result however, is the text message costs $20 not pennies, you get the bill they get the money. I have also had several clients that joined Farmville and ended with computer viruses. I can not pinpoint the connection, only that shortly after enrolling in Farmville the computers were infected. Be careful!
WARNING: Scam Alert Nov. 13, 2009
Beware of a phone call from someone claiming to be a 'Microsoft Technician'.
This happened to one of my customers yesterday (Nov. 12, 09). Fortunately he stopped beofre they accessed his system. I have researched this, it is real, it is happening and people ar loosing time, money and getting computer viruses because of this.
Scam Alert: There is a scam going on in our area. One of my customers called me with this. Fortunately he topped short of doing any harm or giving out any vital information.
A telephone call would be received, a person on the phone claiming to be a “Microsoft technician” would ask if you are online and if so if your computer is performing slowly. They then tell you, if the computer is off to turn it on, otherwise they may claim that your computer is infected. They then instruct you to go to the device manager to view the Event Viewer to verify that if there were more than 5 or 6 Errors in the log, it was a positive infection. This part may vary, but the results usually are the same, they may have you go to a website and type in a work order code and advise you that a Microsoft technician was going to fix and rid you of the virus by remote. They may take control of your system remotely, changing personal settings and disabling protection settings. At this point they will offer other lies to keep control of your system. Once done, they have infected your computer and possibly stolen personal information.
Microsoft will never call you unsolicited to “help”. This scam is becoming more wide spread. They either infect your computer or will steal vital personal information that opens you up to identity theft. If you receive such a telephone call, HANG UP! Give out no personal information. Do not go to there web site even just “to check”. By the time you realize that it is a phony web site, it may be too late.
If you have any questions about this, please call me and I will try to answers them for you.
Contact Jeffrey Blank by phone 973-764-1231 or Email.
Learn New Computer Programs
Don't be afraid to 'Play'
November 2009
Computers are one of those devices that the best way to learn is to “Play”. There are thousands of books to teach each of the various versions of Windows and Microsoft Office, but in the end, the only way to really learn them is to “Play”. Books are fine to get started and/or answer questions that have you totally stumped, but in the end, trial and error works best. For safety, stay away from Delete or Uninstall for software , but to feel comfortable with programs like Word or Excel, open the program, and start typing. Look thru the menus to see what each function does.
If you really want a book to start out with, I often recommend the For Dummies series. They give a basic understanding with a little humor mixed in. However, just reading the book will never work. You need to do! Hands On! Work with the software to get comfortable. For a little more advanced series of books, you already understand the basics but want some harder answers, I like the Missing Manual series. They give answers to all but the most advanced questions with out spending a lot of time on basics.
These methods hold true for many programs. Whether it’s an advance program or a simple program. The basic methodology is similar. I recommend the same series of books, and a hands on learning approach. In the end, computers are a hands on tool.
SAVE MONEY
Create your own Restore Discs
October 2009
When you get a new computer they often do not come with restore discs. These are discs, usually DVDs, containing a copy of the Operating System, Device Drivers and any preinstalled software that is on the system when purchased. These are used to reload the computer if something goes wrong. Often the store that you purchased the computer in will "as a favor" offer to create these for you "at a nominal" price. This price varies from $30-$90. They then may also tell you that if you do not accept this offer you would have to buy them from the manufacturer for $100 or more. This is a waste of good money and simply untrue.
First, if the system does not include a set of restore disks, and some do even though the store may say it does not, you can create them yourself. The system will include a feature/program usually called "Create Restore Discs". You will need 1-4 Writable DVDs. They cost $1-$2 a piece. You launch the program, and follow the screen instructions. It may take an hour or 2 to create the discs, but you do not need to sit at the computer during the process. This is the other statement the store will use if you tell them that you can create the restore discs yourself, that it will take hours. What they neglect to say is, you just run the program and check on it every now and then to change the disc, you do not need to sit and watch the computer during the process. Just check on it once in a while to change the disc when needed.
This is a money maker for the store. They charge for a simple process that you can easily do yourself. Also the discs are generally available from the computer manufacturer for $30 or so, not $100.
Computers cost enough, why pay extra for something you can easily handle yourself?
Online Backup and Storage
Local vs Offsite
September 2009
File backup is available in many ways.
Locally you can have backup drives, jump drives, CD’s, DVD’s and Tape Drives. Many people prefer offsite backup. This way if disaster strikes, a copy of your files, documents or pictures exist elsewhere. Many companies have popped up recently offering offsite backup for little or no money.
- Dell computers often come with 2 gig of free online storage.
- Norton 360 offers free online storage with there software and many more.
- Pictures are often stored online for free via HP, Flicker, Kodak, Picasa and many more.
HOWEVER... In some cases the free online storage is for 1 year and then the company wants you to pay an annual or monthly fee to continue its use or they will shut down your account. Kodak’s free photo storage sent out a recent email to some of its account holders, threatening to close their accounts if they do not make a purchase soon. In the case of online picture storage, if the account is closed, you may loose some pictures forever. People often store the pictures online with no local copy. Even worse, if the email address that you have on file is no longer valid, you may not have received the account closing notice. For this reason it is very important to keep watch on these accounts. Access them monthly to see that they are still valid and still have your current information. Also, keep a copy locally. This way if the account is closed, you have your own copy.
Be Aware! Online data backup companies have other dangers. Many such companies come and go quickly. Your data is backed up, you have paid for a year or more of storage, but they go out of business. Your backup data is lost. Hopefully, it was just that - backup. You still have the original. However, what happens to that data? Does the company sell the hard drives with your data on them to other companies? If there systems were leased, did the equipment return to the manufacturer (with the data still on it)? In most cases the data was encrypted, so no one can access it.
Make sure if you choose the online backup method, they use encryption and are a reliable company. Also access your account at least once a month to make sure your email address is current and they do not have any notices posted on there web site.
Microsoft: New Operating System - Windows 7
Coming in October 2009
August 2009
Microsoft has a new Operating system coming out “soon”. For all those that did not want to deal with Vista, Windows 7 is due out in October. In the mean time most systems purchased now are eligible for a free upgrade. The key or trick is in the phrases “most” and “eligible”. First the most issue, not all systems are eligible. The system needs to come with Vista Home Premium or above. Even if the system does come with Vista Home Premium, it still may not be eligible. Prior to buying a system, make sure that it is eligible.
Speaking of eligible, the reason that I emphasize this phrase, is that even if your system is eligible for the free Windows 7 upgrade, you must apply for it. It is not automatic. The application involves either going to a special web site or sending in a form. Like rebates, if you do not follow the rules in a “reasonable” time frame you lose eligibility. In other words, don’t wait to apply or you may lose out. The manufacturers do not remind you, you need to remember to apply for the free upgrade when you get the system. Once you apply for the free upgrade, the manufacturer is supposed to contact you sometime down the road again, probably by email, to possibly charge you shipping or handling for the free upgrade, these facts are as yet uncertain. What this means is, make sure to read emails from your computer manufacturer for further details as time moves on.
The final question, is why is this upgrade important. Microsoft basically fixed in Windows 7 what they broke in Vista. The Operating system is less resource intensive. It makes better use of the CPU and Memory in your system. Although the reviews say it is not much faster then Vista, my tests with the beta version of Windows 7 disagree. I installed the Beta version on an under powered system (it could barely run WindowsXP, forget about Vista) and I found that it handled Windows 7 very well.
Ideally, you could wait until October to purchase a system preloaded with Windows 7. Keep in mind, Microsoft rarely meet’s their own schedule releases. October could easily become November, December or later.
MS Office 2007
Work around , adapt or move to other programs. ....
July 2009
Microsoft’s latest offering of Office is MS Office 2007. Two years ago, Microsoft “upgraded” Office to the 2007 version. The Menu Bar that users had become comfortable with was gone. Replaced with “The Ribbon”. The familiar .doc and .xls extensions were replaced with .docx and .xlsx. The reason is that the files are now based on XML. This allowed them more flexibility for more advanced functions and features. However, the reality is, 95% of the users will never use these features, could care less about them and just want the menu bar that they have known and loved brought back. Unfortunately, Microsoft has ignored the users requests for this and done little or nothing to help.
So, users must work around this, adapt or move to other programs. Since the majority of users still use Word for their documents, for compatibility, adapt tends to be the way to go. Those who have used Office 2007, will notice a mini menu bar (referred to as the Quick Access Bar) on the top left of there screen. To the Right of that bar, is a small down arrow. If you press that, you can add features to the Quick Access Bar to increase options and make features more convenient.
The compatibility issue, .docx rather then .doc, can be handled by saving as a Word 97-2003 document. The software warns that you may lose some formatting if you do this, this only refers to advanced formatting, you know the things that only 5% of the users have used. Another option is, people who have Office 2003, may download and install a compatibility plug in from Microsoft for free that will allow it to open, read and save in .docx (or .xlsx, etc) formats.
Once you use the office 2007 for a while, most people will get comfortable with the basic features fairly quickly. Advanced features, may take awhile longer or may require you to use the help (?) feature.
Finally, if you do not wish to deal with any of this, a free program, OpenOffice can be downloaded and installed for free with many of MS Office ‘s features at no cost.
One last side note, if you use Outlook and wish to purchase MS Office 2007, be careful which version you buy. Microsoft has left Outlook out of the cheapest version of Office 2007, so read carefully before purchasing.
About Searches & Search Engines
A few things you may not know....
May 2009
Besides the major internet search engines such as Google.com, Yahoo.com or MSN.com there are many smaller or specialty search engines available such as Dogpile.com, AltaVista.com and Ask.com. All search engines are not created equal. If you search the same topic on each search engine, you will get different results. This fact is handy to know if you are having a problem finding a particular answer. If you can not find an answer by searching one search engine, then try one or more of the others.
More important is the wording that you put into the search parameters. Changing the order of the words or slightly changing a phrase can bring you completely different results. For example, ‘computer repair in northern, nj”, “computer repair in northern new jersey” and “northern new jersey computer repair” can all bring you slightly different results for the same services. In many cases the differences can be much larger. Searching for any one or more phrases in different search engines will also bring you different results.
The same is true when searching within a particular web site. If you are searching for a product on Amazon.com, and you put in a description, slight variations of the wording may bring up different results. This can be helpful to try. In the case of Amazon.com (or similar shopping web sites) by searching for variations of a name or description, you may find the same product with different prices. A few minutes of extra searching may save you money.
If you search with in a search engine for “Specialty Search Engines”, you will bring up lists of sites that list search engines. The World Wide Web is truly an Intertwined Web.
WSICA offers purchase advice
but does not build or sell computers.
April 2009
One of the questions I am asked is do I sell computers? Can I build a custom system for someone?
I do not do this and let me explain why. A custom system would be made of various components purchased on the internet or locally. The problem with this method is, “Driver conflicts”. Drivers are the software that Windows requires to know how to use a given component. When you install a given piece of hardware, often you are required to install software that is usually supplied on a CD (or floppy for older systems). This software contains the Windows driver and sometimes some other software to utilize the device. In theory the drivers should all get along and work flawlessly together with other drivers under Windows. In practice the driver may conflict with other drivers from other hardware that were previously installed on your system.
Systems that are prebuilt from companies such as Dell and HP have gone thru testing for these conflicts. If you add equipment to these systems, you should be adding it one item at a time. If there is a problem, you remove that piece of hardware and uninstall the software and/or perform a system restore to a point prior to that installation. In most cases this will correct any problems that were caused by the software or hardware.
When you custom build a system, many pieces of software and hardware are brought together at once, troubleshooting a conflict becomes much harder.
One other problem is cost. A full retail version of Windows Vista Home Premium can cost over $200, while a prebuilt computer can be purchased for $500. The reason for this is, companies such as Dell and HP get large volume discounts from Microsoft, discounts for system builders (which even for a single copy can lower the price to $100) and due to volumes of systems they sell, the research for problem drivers or software conflicts is spread out by the shear volume of sales.
All of these reasons add up to, I prefer to consult and advise about what computer to purchase. It is advantageous to you also, let the other person struggle with the unknown problems that may occur.
April 2009
The GREEN Factor!
People who buy a new computer sometimes ask, couldn't I keep my old monitor? In addition to the quality of the picture there is a Green Factor.
A typical 19" CRT uses 110W to run. A 19" LCD uses 50W to run. So 60W savings x365 days a year x 8 hours a day = 175,200 Wh = 175,2 kWh a year saved.
Add to this the fact that the CRT puts out more heat, so in the summer thats more AC to cool and you have additional savings. Older CRT's can be even less efficient, plus the new LCD's use less power then the CRT's even if both are in sleep mode.
Upgrading to an LCD is GREENER. BTW the same can be said for the older Television upgrading to a new Plasma TV.
Quick General Computer Tips
Tips and Tools for easier computing...
March 2009
Most Windows Programs that have a list of items, the items can be multi selected. If you press on the 1st item in the list that you wish to select. You then can either press and hold the [ctrl] key and while holding the [ctrl] key press the other items 1 at a time that you want to select. The alternative is, once you select the 1st item in the list, go to the last item in the list that you wish to select, press and hold the [shift] key and select the last item. The result is that the 1st , last and all items in between will be selected.
If you are not sure how to do something in a computer program (copy, paste, insert, etc.) highlight the necessary word or phrase and [Right] click the mouse, a mini menu will pop up that may have your solution.
Within Internet Explorer, press and hold the [ctrl] key and press the [+] key to enlarge the web page. Press the [–] key to shrink the page. Closing and reopening the page will bring the page back to its default.
Pressing the Space bar on a web page will scroll the screen one page at a time.
Double click on a word in Microsoft Word, and the entire word will be selected, rather then dragging the mouse across the word. Triple click on the word and the entire sentence will be selected.
Google has many hidden tools. It has a foreign language translator, measurement conversion tool, English dictionary as well as a spelling dictionary. Just type into Google’s search bar what you are looking for either and item or a function of some type (Translate from English to French) and Google will help.
These are just a few quick tips. To some people they may seem obvious, to others they may be a reminder and to others they may be something they never knew.
Digital Photography
Tips for organizing your photos!
February 2009
Every year people take millions of pictures. One thing that digital photography has accomplished is to make it cheap enough to take lots of photos at no cost. Plus, the rapidly dropping cost of electronic storage space, has meant that many of us have the digital equivalent of 100's of shoeboxes of photos lying around.
A 500 gigabyte hard drive, or a nice, neat stack of CD's may seem a lot more organized than those old dog-eared pieces of paper just because they take up less physical space. Often, nothing could be further from the truth. A few years down the road, we still wind up going crazy trying to find that cute picture of the baby curled up with his or her favorite blanket, or the one of the dog catching the Frisbee in mid-air. The difference is that instead of flipping through dozens of photos or dozens of photo albums, we wind up peering at a computer screen for hours.
The good news is that it doesn't have to be this way. Digital photos have a few built-in advantages when it comes to organizing. With just a little work, that "fantastic" picture you took at the beach in the summer of '05, could be easy to find with just a few mouse clicks, rather then having to do hours of searching.
The first thing you have to do is make sure to set the date and time on your camera. Unlike film cameras, which use to print the date right in the middle of your image, digital cameras record the date unobtrusively in the file information. It only appears when you look for it…not superimposed over your otherwise perfect "sunset over the Grand Canyon". Although hovering your mouse over a filename will make this information appear, that is only a fraction of the power of this digital information. Software, such as Picasa (available FREE from Google), can automatically sort all of your picture folders by the date the picture was taken. This can make it far easier to find the one you are looking for. It can also search by name.
Using descriptive titles for your picture folders, allows you to search for a picture either by date or subject. If you want to really get organized, you can rename the picture files themselves, either individually or as a group. This way, instead of having a bunch of pictures named DSCF_0099 through DSCF_0140, you wind up with picnic-01 to picnic-42. Search for the word "picnic", and all of these pictures show right up. Picasa can also "tag" photos with descriptive words. A single photo could have many tags or labels. That way a photo could be indexed several different ways. You could reference the same picture by person, place, season, etc.
Digital photography has a lot in common with our old way of taking pictures. Memories are still as precious as ever. Only now, with a little effort, we can enjoy them whenever we want to. Sure beats searching through old shoeboxes.
PS. Always remember to backup the photos just in case.
$$$ Saving Money $$$
Just a few quick notes that may help...
January 2009
- There are many web sites with discount codes for online ordering companies. When you are getting ready to make an online purchase a few minutes of web searching may bring up a usable code to save a few dollars or get free shipping on a product.
- One of my favorite discount sites is http://www.techbargains.com/ . They post various sales and discounts that come up. One of there recent posts was a one day special at Staples for Quick Books Pro, $159.00 with a $159.00 Rebate. I monitor this site daily for just such sales.
- Magazine renewals is another area to save money. I recently received mail for 3 magazine renewals. One of them still had over a year on the subscription, this is common, check the subscription expiration dates before renewing. In the case of the other 2, both mailings claimed to be "The best price available". A quick visit to there own web sites showed cheaper prices posted there for renewals then the mailings from the magazines. Although there are many magazine subscription scams, this one seems to be perpetrated by the magazines them selves. Do not assume the renewals they send you are there best offers, do your research. By renewing at there web sites rather then thru the mailings, I was able to save money.
- One of my previous tips mentioned saving money on printing. Just a reminder, if you print a lot of documents, a good Black and White laser printer can be purchased for under $100, with the high price of inkjet refills, this could save you a lot of money. The other part of that tip, mentions lowering the default print quality for your ink jet printing, saving ink. When good quality prints are needed simply change the properties for that print only.
- BACKUP, BACKUP, BACKUP! An inexpensive and simple backup solution is an external hard drive. It works like a giant floppy. Just copy your documents to it. If you are not sure if you need a backup solution ask yourself, "If I lost everything on my computer today, would I be upset" ? If the answer is yes, you need to backup your data.
Holiday Computer Sales
Tips for making a wise choice!
December 2008
With the holidays upon us, there are many sales being advertised. Computers are no exception. However, a sale is only a good deal if first it is something you need and want and second if the item is worth what they are asking for it.
Many of the computers being offered for very low prices are not worth the price even if it is cheap. The reason I say this is if the computer is under powered you may find in a short amount of time it becomes slower then the 5 year old computer you are replacing.
Windows Vista requires a powerful computer to run properly. You should look for a system that comes with Windows Vista Home Premium or better. It should have at least 2 gig of RAM and preferably 3 gig or more. The video should be a dedicated video card with at least 128Meg of RAM and preferably 256Meg or more of RAM. The hard drive should be a minimum of 320 gig , and preferably 500 gig or more. The CPU should be a Core 2 Duo or Core 2 Quad.
Do not even consider a Celeron processor; they are too under powered to run Vista properly. Your old programs and peripherals (printers, scanners, etc) may not work with Vista at all.
On the bright side a quality All in One printer with built in scanner can be purchased for $100 - $200.
Transferring of files from your old system to your new system can be easy if the old computer is running Windows ME or newer. I would suggest you purchase an external USB Hard drive, copy your files from your old system to the Hard drive. Now connect the Hard Drive to the new computer and copy the files into the new computer. Then keep the external drive as a backup to be used with new computer. No special software is needed, just treat the hard drive as a giant floppy. This will only work for files such as documents, pictures and music. You can not reliably transfer software or programs, in addition older programs may not be Vista compatible!
Happy Holidays from all of us at WSI Computer Assistance!
Desktop Computer: $5.00 Battery
November 2008
Computers have batteries. People know that laptops have a battery that is charged and allows you to use it while not plugged into the wall.
Notebook and Desktop computers have another battery called a Bios Battery. In most computers it is a "Button" battery.
The button battery gets its name from its shape and size. It is a small round battery about the size of a large button or a thick quarter. In most cases the battery is either a CR2032 or CR2525. This battery is responsible for letting your computer remember the bios settings. The bios, which stands for Basic Input/Output System or Built In Operating System, keeps track of the time, date, power on settings, basic device settings and many other items that most computer users do not need to change on a regular basis.
The batteries have a lifespan of about 5 years. Once the voltage output of the battery falls too low, the system will give a warning when booting. The warning may vary from saying the battery has failed to just resetting the clock to some erroneous date and time. The operator will usually have to press a key such as F1 to finish booting and you will notice that the clock shows 12:00 or their about and a date many years old. In a worse case scenario the computer will not boot because it does not know something about a critical component such as the hard drive, until you tell it or change a bios setting.
In the case of a desktop computer the battery is mounted in a simple holder on the computer mother board and can be changed quickly, the bios settings reset and the system is up and running. In the case of a Notebook computer the situation is often more complicated. First the battery is often not easily reached. Secondly, even once reached the battery it may have wires attached to it rather then being in a holder. This makes the battery a specialty battery and harder to find. Remember the computer is usually 5 years old or older, so the company that manufactured it may be out of business or just unable to supply the battery. Fortunately the batteries are still usually either CR2032 or CR2525. There are suppliers around with those batteries with wires on them and even if the connector is different, wires from the old battery can be spliced into the wires of the new battery.
This said, keep in mind it is said that the useful life of a computer is 4-5 years due to advancement of computing power, memory requirements of software, advancement of Operating Systems and changes of other software. It may pay to just replace the computer if it is a notebook system. However, in a desktop system, the battery is easy to replace and generally available for under $5.00.
What you write
may come back to HAUNT you!
October 2008
The illusion of anonymity in today’s computer and internet age can be dangerous. People create logins to forums, bogs and newsgroups often using what they believe to be are anonymous pseudo names.
What they do not realize is there real identity can be found or figured out often thru less then obvious means. One way is they forget that when they created the original login they had to give there real email address which can often be traced back to them. If they didn’t give that information to one site, they may have used the same pseudo name on another site that they did use there real email address on. People can connect the two if they go on both sites. Hackers can find ways into sites unsecured lists. Homeland security can find things out thru their own means.
If you believe you are anonymous you may be apt to say things you would not have otherwise posted. These statements can comeback to haunt you. Internet postings have a very very long lifespan. Google keeps files for years. Postings on social networking sites such as Facebook or Youtube can haunt you later in life. Companies are now researching potential employee’s files on social networking sites to find out information about them. Anonymous or otherwise. There are cases everyday when postings made while in High School or College have cost people jobs because they service by “mistake”.
This problem will get worse as the computer generation matures and moves into the work force.
Vacuum my Computer?
SEPTEMBER 2008
Anyone who has looked inside of a computer that has been used for any length of time will realize how dusty and dirty they can get. A computer with all of its cooling fans and blowers acts as a vacuum cleaner without a filter. No matter how clean you keep your house or office, computers still get dirty inside. If you have pets or use a wood stove or fireplace, its even worse.
The reason the computer has all of these fans and blowers is obviously heat. Whatever the temperature is outside of the computer, it's much hotter inside. The power supply, cpu and video board all put out tremendous heat. In fact, keeping the inside of the computer cool is actually one of the main limiting factors to why today's computers are not smaller and faster. A notebook computer has intake vents for cool air, if used on a soft surface (pillow or lap) the fabric tends to block the intake vents and can cause permanent damage to the laptop.
One simple maintenance tip is to vacuum the outside of any computer system once or twice a year. A laptop should be vacuumed and "blown out" this often as well. A can of compressed air can be purchased from an office supply store and would do the trick. Turn off the laptop, unplug it and remove the battery. Then use the canned air, being careful to keep the can upright at all times. Using a household air compressor instead of canned air could be a problem. Air compressors have condensation and you can be putting water into the computer if you do not use a proper dryer on the air line.
A desktop system should have the outside vacuumed. If you are comfortable with it, you can remove the cover and "Gently" vacuum it out as well as blow it out. MAKE CERTAIN IT IS UNPLUGGED WHEN DOING THIS! Also be careful about atatic electricity, that can do permanent damage to the computer.
Keeping the computer systems clean for proper airflow will help extend the life of the computer and their components by many years.
Printers... and the High Cost of Ink Cartridges
AUGUST 2008
The myth of the paperless office. Years ago everyone was led to believe that computers would create a paperless office. We have since learned that this never occurred. In fact we seem to be printing more then ever. Computers seem to have caused more paper rather then less.
In a previous tip, I gave instructions about creating PDF's. This helps reduce the need to print somewhat, but we still print more then ever. Those of us who have gone shopping for inks for the common inkjet printer, realize just how expensive this process really is.
There are several ways, besides using PDFs, that we can save on ink. If you select Printer and Faxes in the Control Panel, then select the properties for your printer, for ink jet printers, you will see the default print quality listed. Most manufacturers set this to Good or Normal quality, yet the majority of what we print is only for ourselves or to show someone in our family for a quick read and then file it or toss it out. Change the quality setting to Draft or Fast Draft. In most cases, particularly with newer printers, this quality, although a little light, will be sufficient for our use. If you need a better quality document, when you go to print it, go into properties within the application you are using and change the quality to Normal. It will print that document only in Normal mode. Other documents will print in the Draft or Fast Draft mode. Doing this will save about 1/3 to ½ the ink. Financially that adds up and it saves time printing as well.
Another option is if you print a lot of documents, a Black & White laser printer can be purchased for about $100, less if you catch a good sale. Buy one and make that your default printer. Save the ink jet for when you need color prints. Per page, a laser printer is much cheaper then an inkjet printer.
That said, keep the following in mind, very cheap inkjet printers, $30-$40, that you often see at Wal-Mart and such, often cost more in the long run then a $100 inkjet printer. Those cheap inkjet printers use a lot more ink per page then the slightly more expensive ones. In addition, for $100 to $150 you can get an all in one inkjet printer which can be used as a copier as well. This may come in handy having around the house.
Customer Service Calls
JULY 2008
Most of us have had to call customer service for a device at one time or another. We generally get someone with a heavy accent that seems to ask us basic questions, usually after being on hold for some extended length of time.
Let me give you some hints to make the call easier (or at least more bearable).
First, get comfortable! Chances are you will be on hold for a while before you get someone on the line.
Try to avoid calling on Mondays or Fridays. The worst time to call is a Monday morning, that's when they are busiest. If a call center is open 24 hours, and many are, I like to call late in the day. Late night actually works well, because they seem to be less busy – this may not always work, but it's worth a try.
Make certain that the item you are calling about is on if possible and you can get to it easily. This way when they ask you to do something you can easily try it. If the company has an online chat help system, this is easier sometimes, since you do not have to worry about a heavy accent. Of course if the computer is down this method will not work, but for some peripherals you can use this method.
Try the obvious before calling. Is the plug in, did you reseat the cable and so on. When you do get a person either on the telephone or on chat, tell them what the problem is and what you have already done. Saying, "I tried everything already" tells them nothing and forces them to start with the basics, usually aggravating you further and wasting your time. By telling them upfront what you have done, although due to their script they may ask the same thing again, they will tend to "believe you" when you say you did it already. If you wait until they ask you to try something before telling them it was already tried, the customer service person often will not believe you and you wind up having to do the same items again.
If you do have trouble understanding the person on the telephone, ask for someone else or just call back.
Most importantly – be patient! Yelling and screaming often gets you no where and just raises your blood pressure. Save the yelling for the 2nd or 3rd call, give the person a chance. It may take a while, but they often really do help fix things. Be prepared – you will be on the telephone for a while, relax, get comfortable, get a drink, whatever it takes.
Preserve Memories with your PC!
JUNE 2008
Many of us have old photos and old slides. You may have tons of slide trays, photo albums or just boxes of loose photos or slides. Over time these memories deteriorate. In other cases they are buried in attics and basements, never to be seen.
First and foremost, these pictures can be scanned into your computer in seconds at very little expense. Before these irreplaceable memories deteriorate beyond recognition, you should scan them into your computer. If they are printed pictures, any All in One printer that comes with a built in flat bed scanner can scan them. If they have started to deteriorate, often simple retouching - a lot of it automated - can restore the photos to their original or near original beauty. In some cases they may look better then the original. Now they are safely stored on your system.
In the case of slides or negatives, there are many flat bed scanners (even some All in One Printers) that can scan these. Once more, they can be retouched if repair is needed.
These photos can even be placed on DVDs so that you can watch them as a slide show on your television from your DVD player. Do not forget to back these pictures up now that you have gone thru the trouble of scanning them, either to a DVD or an external hard drive. For added security, you may want to make extra copies and send them to a relative. This way you not only share the memories but are also maintaining an offsite backup in case of a disaster.
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