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Password security, don’t take it 4Gr@nted

June 11, 2007 Posted by Jeff in : Tips , add a comment

Passwords are the first line of defense in keeping the unwanted out of your computer, your bank account, and any other personal or business stuff. Yet we tend to take them for granted and even view them as a nuisance.

Lately, we hear that identity theft is growing exponentially as more and more people buy computers and hop on the internet, but we put off setting up a password cycling plan or even changing our old password we’ve used since the 20th century, until tomorrow. And you know how that goes. And yes, there are ways to secure a system without using passwords - I do it for one of my customers using electronic certificates which are unique to each workstation - but that can become a support nightmare. For the average person, it’s best (and easiest) just to pick a few secure passwords that you can use and cycle through as necessary. (more…)

Treo or Blackberry: Which one’s right for you?

June 4, 2007 Posted by Jeff in : PDAs/Smartphones, Reviews, Tips , 10 comments

Lately I’ve been getting this question a lot… “What’s better? Treo or Blackberry?” The answer isn’t so simple. It’s really a matter of personal preference and technical prowess. Even as someone who has owned both, it’s a tough choice.

I come from a Palm® background. I’ve used Palm® devices for about 10 years now, and in many different flavors. I will tell you up front that I am a little biased, only because of the 3rd party applications I’ve purchased over the years - that I can’t seem to live without - which I’ve transferred from one device to another. The reason I decided to combine the functionality of the Palm® and phone was purely self preservation. I was driving one day, talking on my cell, and I had to look up a number on my Palm®. I almost drove off the road.
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What Kind of Antivirus to Use

May 31, 2007 Posted by Liz in : Tips , 4 comments

This is not a suggestion, nor is it a tutorial.  It is not to be discussed or disputed.  Just do this, and don’t talk back to me (I wish I could say this to my customers).

Norton Antivirus will not protect you. 

MacAfee Security Suite will not protect you. 

Antivirus programs that come free with your internet service provider will not protect you.

You do need antivirus, I don’t care what you do online, you still need it. 

You need Spyware protection, Virus Protection and a Firewall, you cannot get by with just one. 

That said, here’s my review of the various programs I use to disinfect the people’s computers who did not understand the message above.

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Microsoft Windows Automatic Updates Broke My Computer

May 16, 2007 Posted by Tara in : Microsoft, Tips , 4 comments

Windows Automatic Updates broke my computer.

Well, not really. What it did do was cause my machine to hang and prompt a system error that garbled all of the text on my screen. I called my friendly tech support team and they came to the rescue, but I decided to delve a bit deeper into the problem to see what others people’s experiences were.

It turns out that 5 other people at my company had that exact problem, and that was just at my company alone. Think of all of the hundreds of thousands of users out there having the exact same problem. If you are like me, when the Microsoft pop-up prompts me to “run automatic updates,” I just comply, fearing that if I don’t my computer will be vulnerable to all of the nastiness that can affect one’s machine. (more…)

Is it broken? Tips to try before you take it back, iPod Edition

May 1, 2007 Posted by Liz in : Apple, DIY, Tips , add a comment

nano_red_fronttif.jpgIf you’re having problems with your iPod, here are some troubleshooting tips to try before taking your iPod back to the store. Some of these tips are available elsewhere, but since I see these problems at our tech support desk all the time, it’s worth reprinting. 

1. Check to make sure the iPod is not on hold
I know this is a simple fix, but with laptops and mp3 players alike I have seen it many times, and it’s the first check. The hold switch is on top of the unit - make sure there is no red showing.

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Is it broken? Tips to try before you take it back, Laptop Edition

April 26, 2007 Posted by Liz in : DIY, Tips , 1 comment so far

Editor’s note: Liz is a tech support person and all-around electro-guru. She’s got all kinds of random fix-it tips running around in her brain, some of which occasionally make it to paper (or pixels in this case). Here are her tips for what to check with your laptop before spending the time and money to bring it to, well, her.

1. Remove the battery and plug it in with an AC adapter. If your laptop works fine with just the AC adapter, it means your battery is bad and you need a new one. I can’t tell you how many of these I see a day. You can order a new battery from your retailer or manufacturer.

2. Non-Destructive Restore- to do this, restart your computer and press the F11 key during the bootup process. Select “Non-Destructive System Restore” as the option. If there is no option to do this (such as on Toshiba or Dell notebooks), do not restore the laptop unless you are prepared to lose all your data. It’s always a good idea to back up your important files before doing any kind of restore.

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How-to: Not get viruses and not slow your PC to a crawl

April 25, 2007 Posted by Liz in : How-to, Humor, Tips , 1 comment so far

novirus.jpgEditor’s note: In a popular article “How-to: Get viruses and slow your PC to a crawl,” Jeff explained exactly what to do in order to catch viruses and otherwise debilitate your machine. We recognize that there are some of you out there who just won’t listen. Maybe your desire for those little animated icons is too great or you’ve got to have the latest Nickelback song but you just can’t bring yourself to pay for it (we don’t blame you for the latter).

Here, Liz suggests a few ways to have your cake and eat it too. For the record, we don’t recommend putting your computer at risk. As Jeff’s article shows, one wrong click could land your computer in some pretty dire straits.

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Setting up Microsoft Word your way

April 22, 2007 Posted by Jeff in : DIY, How-to, Microsoft, Tips , add a comment

word2003.jpgWhen you open Microsoft Word, do you find yourself repeating the same ritual? Changing margin sizes, changing to Print view, adding tab settings, setting a default font, etc.? Isn’t it annoying? Well, you can set it so don’t have to do this every time - just change your normal.dot file. What the heck is that? It’s the default document that Word uses when you start it up. You can customize it any way you want. Here’s what you do:
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Can’t print in Microsoft Works?

April 20, 2007 Posted by Liz in : How-to, Microsoft, Tips , add a comment

Microsoft is aware of a problem printing spreadsheets and databases in Microsoft Works 8 on a computer running Windows Vista. Until the problem is fixed, here is a workaround:
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Plug n’ Play realities - Think twice before you buy components

Posted by Jeff in : Opinion, Tips , add a comment

Not all plug n’ play devices are created equally. When choosing cards and components for your PC, make sure the drivers are easily installed or better yet, native to your Windows OS.

Case in point: I had to install a network card for one of my customers at their site. They had this off-brand card, brand new in box. I followed the instructions telling me to install the driver first, then turn off the PC, install the card and boot back up. Of course that didn’t work. I tried reinstalling the driver while the board was in; that almost worked but the card would not enable. It just stayed disabled. I am now thinking, this is bull honky - it was supposed to be a 5 minute stop-in.

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