Windows 7 arrived at PCSS this past week. We followed our own advice and did a clean install of Windows 7 Ultimate version on our Lenovo Laptop. The laptop previously had Vista on it so we didn't want to upgrade that disaster. We also wanted to give Windows 7 a fair shake. And it also means that PCSS has no more PCs with Vista installed! (YEAH!)
Even with a clean install (back up data & drivers, format hard drive). there were a few issues. It was surprising how fast the install went. It certainly installed a bit faster then XP and way faster then Vista. There were several hardware items on the laptop that were not initially recognized. We copied the Lenovo Vista drivers over to the laptop and got all but the finger print reader to work. We are still working on that issue. Everything else seems to work fine. We've also installed AVG, Mozilla Firefox, Google Chrome, Picasa, Adobe Reader 9 and Office 2007 without any issues.
Readers should know that Windows 7 is really Windows Vista faster and lighter. Many Vista "features" have been retained, but many have been chucked out the "Window". The interface (where buttons and utilities are located) is very close to Vista. That means if you haven't used Vista, you will have to get used to having things in different locations. For example if you click on the Start Ball and then Control Panel, you will see the reduced version of Control Panel. You will have to click on the View By: and pick small or large icons.
We will review different features of Windows 7 for the rest of the year. If your PC has Vista and you would like to upgrade to Windows 7 let PCSS know.
Sunday, November 1, 2009
Wednesday, September 16, 2009
#165 - Fighting Back Against Malware
I can't keep up with all my customer having malware issues. If you do get some bad guys you will know you have it because windows will pop up telling you need something to fix an issue. DO NOT GO THERE. The program trying to get you to buy something is the infection. What to do if this happens? Try and download Malware Bytes here: MalwareBytes; Install it and run it. If you can't do that then call PCSS.
A way to prevent getting malware is to use the Mozilla Firefox Internet Browser with a couple of their add in programs. The worst thing to do is nothing and go browsing the Internet. Here is the Mozilla Firefox Download Site: Mozilla.ORG. Firefox will import all you Internet Explorer favorites and home page. After you start Firefox then go to the Tools menu and then Add Ons. Click on the Get Addons button and search for two addons: AdBlock Plus and WOT (Web of Trust). Install these and you will have protected your browsing. AdBlock Plus blocks ads in web sites. Ads have been one of the worst transmitters of malware on the Internet. WOT will let you know when you go to a site (red/yellow/green indicator) whether it is infected.
Keeping your antivirus up to date and having a paid antivirus/antispyware program will also help. We recommend AVG paid ($39 for 2 years from PCSS). We've used the above items and have kept clear of any infections. Confused at any of this? Give PCSS a call.
A way to prevent getting malware is to use the Mozilla Firefox Internet Browser with a couple of their add in programs. The worst thing to do is nothing and go browsing the Internet. Here is the Mozilla Firefox Download Site: Mozilla.ORG. Firefox will import all you Internet Explorer favorites and home page. After you start Firefox then go to the Tools menu and then Add Ons. Click on the Get Addons button and search for two addons: AdBlock Plus and WOT (Web of Trust). Install these and you will have protected your browsing. AdBlock Plus blocks ads in web sites. Ads have been one of the worst transmitters of malware on the Internet. WOT will let you know when you go to a site (red/yellow/green indicator) whether it is infected.
Keeping your antivirus up to date and having a paid antivirus/antispyware program will also help. We recommend AVG paid ($39 for 2 years from PCSS). We've used the above items and have kept clear of any infections. Confused at any of this? Give PCSS a call.
Monday, August 31, 2009
#164 - Exercising your mind
I saw an interesting article in the Roanoke Times on keeping your mind active. There have been many studies that confirm that exercising your mind is at least as important as exercising your body as you age. The Internet has some great sites that can help you to keep the "little gray cells" moving and grooving.
My spousal unit loves Suduku. She prints of pages of Suduku puzzles (evil only!) from the web suduku site. She always prints them on the back of used paper being environmentally friendly.
One of my favorites is to use your opposite hand in doing everyday tasks. Try brushing your teeth or hair with the other hand. Try hitting the space bar on your keyboard with the other thumb. This is harder then it looks. You can even wear your watch on the opposite wrist to get you thinking different.
Reading is fundamental. Read a book every week. Well we try. What I've done lately is try to read an entire series by an author. Pick up a James Patterson series, or Nora Robb, or even Janet Evanovich! The Internet is your friend when looking for a series to read. You can also read books online with the Google Book library.
There are even websites that specialize in exercising your brain. Here is one that does brain training by playing games MIND 360.
Crossword puzzles are very popular and the New York Times has some of the best. They charge a fee for online access. Here is some free crossword puzzles FREE FREE FREE
Learning more about your computer is always good. You probably have programs on your computer that you have never used. What is this Access thingy? I have all these Accessories, what do they do? Google is your friend here. Look up how to use these programs and try to use them.
Happy Exercising!
Sunday, August 16, 2009
#163 - Flash Memory Card update
Flash memory technology certainly has changed the way we live. It is the basis for digital cameras, digital camcorders, cell phones, MP3 players and of course thumb drives. The ability to store large amounts of information in a small space has changed how we work and play. It also has killed one industry (picture film) while creating many new ones (mentioned above).
Flash memory cards, used in digital cameras, have certainly changed since being introduced. The original flash memory card was the CompactFlash Drive made by SanDisk in 1994. This square drive (1.69 inches x 1.42 inches) had female pin connectors and was very large when compared to today's cards. Nikon used this format for almost 10 years before switching to the now standard SD media card.
The first thin and quite small card was the Smart media card introduced in 1995. This card is the grandfather of SD (Secure Digital) media card that is used by most digital cameras today. It had a gold plated connector that easily inserted into the appropriate device.
Sony and Olympus are still using their proprietary formats Memory Stick and xD respectively. There are some advantages to these formats (Memory sticks are pretty rugged and xD is pretty small), however the majority of new products have moved to SD technology. Most new laptops and netbooks have just an SD card slot in them.
SD has advanced to the new SDHD (High Density) cards that can be as large as 64GB. Unfortunately SDHD cards can NOT be used in older cameras and MP3 players that use SD technology. Be aware of what kind of card your electronic product can use. There are also Micro and Mini versions of the SD card used in Cell Phones and MP3 players.
It is pretty confusing keeping up with these standards. Wikipedia has an excellent page with pictures and information about all the memory cards: MEMORY CARD COMPARISON
Flash memory cards, used in digital cameras, have certainly changed since being introduced. The original flash memory card was the CompactFlash Drive made by SanDisk in 1994. This square drive (1.69 inches x 1.42 inches) had female pin connectors and was very large when compared to today's cards. Nikon used this format for almost 10 years before switching to the now standard SD media card.
The first thin and quite small card was the Smart media card introduced in 1995. This card is the grandfather of SD (Secure Digital) media card that is used by most digital cameras today. It had a gold plated connector that easily inserted into the appropriate device.
Sony and Olympus are still using their proprietary formats Memory Stick and xD respectively. There are some advantages to these formats (Memory sticks are pretty rugged and xD is pretty small), however the majority of new products have moved to SD technology. Most new laptops and netbooks have just an SD card slot in them.
SD has advanced to the new SDHD (High Density) cards that can be as large as 64GB. Unfortunately SDHD cards can NOT be used in older cameras and MP3 players that use SD technology. Be aware of what kind of card your electronic product can use. There are also Micro and Mini versions of the SD card used in Cell Phones and MP3 players.
It is pretty confusing keeping up with these standards. Wikipedia has an excellent page with pictures and information about all the memory cards: MEMORY CARD COMPARISON
Sunday, August 2, 2009
#162 - Traffic Technology
So I asked the wife, "What would be a good topic for the blog?" She says, "You've been traveling by car alot this summer, maybe talk about traffic technology". Ok so here goes.
My parents were amazed this summer when their town put in new traffic lights with detection cameras. We've had those in Virginia for a good 5 years. The detection cameras note when a car comes to stop at an intersection and then instruct a processor to turn the correct traffic light to green. Now they are fortunate that what didn't go up was a traffic enforcement camera. One that catches those that run lights by taking a picture of a car that goes through an intersection when the light is red. These are popular in Northern Virginia.
We've also seen some new surface technology in the small town of Covington. A new bridge over some rail tracks went in with a new composite surface that is supposed to last twice as long as either blacktop or new concrete. Its costs about 30% more, so should pay off in the long run and the costs should come down if more is used.
Another great boon to traveling by car is the GPS. The Global Positioning System box helps us get to our destination by showing turn by turn directions. Now let me be the first to say that there still needs to be some work on this technology. Take my last trip to Ohio with the spouse. She was driving on a West Virginia Interstate when a big traffic jam occured. We were near an exit and she proposed that we go off and let the GPS take us to the next exit. OK, fine. I'm up for an adventure and that's exactly what we had. 10 minutes later we were on a one lane dirt and gravel road winding our way in Deliverance country. 20 minutes later we were on a nice paved highway heading directly back to where we got off the Interstate. Total detour was about 30 minutes and we still had a 15 minute wait in the Traffic Jam. Isn't technology wonderful?
I do like the electronic signs on the interstates that let you know about traffic congesting and give you the opportunity, ahead of time to make alternate plans. That works great in Virginia where I have a fair knowledge of most of the major routes and potential back road detours. You can also go to most state DOT sites and get very current reports of construction delays and alternate routes.
Internet in your car is now here. Verizon and other sell an mini hub you can put in your car and use wireless technology to have Internet on the run. It is a steep cost now, but I'm sure the price will come down with more competition.
My parents were amazed this summer when their town put in new traffic lights with detection cameras. We've had those in Virginia for a good 5 years. The detection cameras note when a car comes to stop at an intersection and then instruct a processor to turn the correct traffic light to green. Now they are fortunate that what didn't go up was a traffic enforcement camera. One that catches those that run lights by taking a picture of a car that goes through an intersection when the light is red. These are popular in Northern Virginia.
We've also seen some new surface technology in the small town of Covington. A new bridge over some rail tracks went in with a new composite surface that is supposed to last twice as long as either blacktop or new concrete. Its costs about 30% more, so should pay off in the long run and the costs should come down if more is used.
Another great boon to traveling by car is the GPS. The Global Positioning System box helps us get to our destination by showing turn by turn directions. Now let me be the first to say that there still needs to be some work on this technology. Take my last trip to Ohio with the spouse. She was driving on a West Virginia Interstate when a big traffic jam occured. We were near an exit and she proposed that we go off and let the GPS take us to the next exit. OK, fine. I'm up for an adventure and that's exactly what we had. 10 minutes later we were on a one lane dirt and gravel road winding our way in Deliverance country. 20 minutes later we were on a nice paved highway heading directly back to where we got off the Interstate. Total detour was about 30 minutes and we still had a 15 minute wait in the Traffic Jam. Isn't technology wonderful?
I do like the electronic signs on the interstates that let you know about traffic congesting and give you the opportunity, ahead of time to make alternate plans. That works great in Virginia where I have a fair knowledge of most of the major routes and potential back road detours. You can also go to most state DOT sites and get very current reports of construction delays and alternate routes.
Internet in your car is now here. Verizon and other sell an mini hub you can put in your car and use wireless technology to have Internet on the run. It is a steep cost now, but I'm sure the price will come down with more competition.
Wednesday, July 29, 2009
#161 - Protecting your Electronics
I would say that 90% of every computer I see has at least a surge protector handling its power. The lightning in the Highlands makes it a necessity. If you use a surge suppressor strip, did you know it is only good for one surge? Its essentially a fuse with outlets. Once the fuse blows you have no protection. Thats why the light goes out or flickers. Take a look at your surge protector , NOW! It may need replaced.
Many have got the word and use an UPS (Uninterruptible Power Supply) to provide not only surge protection, but brown out protection. Brown out means low power. Our friends, Virginia Power, consistantly provides less then 120 volts AC to the Highlands. A UPS can make sure that your PC sees exactly 120 volts of pure AC power. Prices start about $50.00 and can protect your computer investment. Many UPS have network and phone line protection that is necessary in the mountains. I've seen way too many modems and routers get fried by surges in their systems.
What I don't see is people using UPS with their expensive electronics. Stereos, HDTVs, CD/VCR players, and Satellite dish electronics should all be protected by a UPS. They are even more sensitive to surges and power fluctuations. Check out your situation and let us know if we can help.
Many have got the word and use an UPS (Uninterruptible Power Supply) to provide not only surge protection, but brown out protection. Brown out means low power. Our friends, Virginia Power, consistantly provides less then 120 volts AC to the Highlands. A UPS can make sure that your PC sees exactly 120 volts of pure AC power. Prices start about $50.00 and can protect your computer investment. Many UPS have network and phone line protection that is necessary in the mountains. I've seen way too many modems and routers get fried by surges in their systems.
What I don't see is people using UPS with their expensive electronics. Stereos, HDTVs, CD/VCR players, and Satellite dish electronics should all be protected by a UPS. They are even more sensitive to surges and power fluctuations. Check out your situation and let us know if we can help.
Tuesday, July 14, 2009
#160 - Windows 7 is coming
Happy Bastille Day! Today we'll take a first look at Microsoft's new operating system, catchily named Windows 7. This replacement for the disaster named Vista is due out October 22. Even now you can buy a PC from HP and get a free upgrade to Windows 7 when it comes out. Not sure I would jump on that wagon quite yet. So lets see what improvements Windows 7 has besides having a different name. All our comments are based on the "beta" (that means trial) version of Windows 7 available today.
The best news is that Windows 7 is that it is faster and requires less resources then Vista. All the trial test show speed comparable to XP with slightly faster start ups and shut downs. The downside is that many of the Vista bells and whistles are still around - Aero, the graphics interface being one that not many will use, but take up huge amounts of Windows 7 resources. Windows 7 does have an "XP Mode" that will allow anything that ran on XP to run on Windows 7. This is a major big deal for business. Now whether the "XP Mode" runs as fast as original XP is what users will have to test out with their software.
The improvement's that Microsoft thinks we need are as follows: The taskbar has been given more functionality (hmmm sounds like Apple's OS X). You can pin documents and programs there and there are jump lists that open your most frequently used items. Thumbnail previews have been added in the system so you no longer have to guess at what is in a document when you hover over it with your arrow. Of course you may need bifocals or a magnifying glass to use this feature. For sharing files Microsoft has added something called Homegroups that makes it easier to share files in your group or at home between users. Microsoft calls Windows 7 their most "stable" operating system ever and that is what users want. The bugs and quirks of Vista have made many scared (and rightfully so) of new operating systems. An unstable release of Windows 7 might be a fatal disaster for Microsoft.
The best news is that Windows 7 is that it is faster and requires less resources then Vista. All the trial test show speed comparable to XP with slightly faster start ups and shut downs. The downside is that many of the Vista bells and whistles are still around - Aero, the graphics interface being one that not many will use, but take up huge amounts of Windows 7 resources. Windows 7 does have an "XP Mode" that will allow anything that ran on XP to run on Windows 7. This is a major big deal for business. Now whether the "XP Mode" runs as fast as original XP is what users will have to test out with their software.
The improvement's that Microsoft thinks we need are as follows: The taskbar has been given more functionality (hmmm sounds like Apple's OS X). You can pin documents and programs there and there are jump lists that open your most frequently used items. Thumbnail previews have been added in the system so you no longer have to guess at what is in a document when you hover over it with your arrow. Of course you may need bifocals or a magnifying glass to use this feature. For sharing files Microsoft has added something called Homegroups that makes it easier to share files in your group or at home between users. Microsoft calls Windows 7 their most "stable" operating system ever and that is what users want. The bugs and quirks of Vista have made many scared (and rightfully so) of new operating systems. An unstable release of Windows 7 might be a fatal disaster for Microsoft.
Saturday, July 4, 2009
#159 - Keeping the planet green with Technology
I've recently seen some interesting new gadgets that try to help us be more green. Lets take a look at some.
The Eco-Kettle tackles the problem of wasting energy by boiling too much water. The Eco-Kettle lets you select the exact amount of boiled water you need and then does the job. The kettle uses 30% less energy in boiling water to boot! Here is more information on the Ec0-Kettle:
The pressure sensitive bath mat takes a simple concept and works to save you money and water. Position the mat in your shower near the shower head. When you are on the mat you get that lovely hot shower. Move off the mat and the water stops while you scrub. Now why didn't I think of that? Samsung Design
We have often thought that getting a new cell phone every other year has to be a huge waste in for the environment. Nokia agrees and has begun making a cell phone made out of recycled materials. I hope Apple and Motorola follow Nokia's lead. Nokia Ink 01
There are several new composting machines on the market that you can put in your kitchen or garage to produce great soil for your home and garden plants. Here is a site with lots of information: Composting in the home!
Wednesday, June 10, 2009
#158 - Survivors of the Technology Boom
So who is left? From the PC wars we have HP, Apple and Dell. I'm glad PCSS is a long time HP reseller we have see the company get better and better at making PCs and Printers. Dell's business model of direct sales is good for some people, but thankfully not for all. IBM, AST, Compaq, and hundreds of other PC brands never made it to 2009. Apple has been around since the beginning listening to a different drummer.
In the printer wars Lexmark (old IBM), HP, Canon and Epson are still making printers. HP has the lion's share of the market and gets very good quality ratings. Lexmark is low end, Canon and Epson make decent high end printers.
Monitors are made by just a few companies in China and Korea. They then put a label on them that you recognize (Viewsonic, LG, Samsung, Sony etc). The quality is so good that almost all monitors come with a little used 3 year warranty. Great Wall Computer, Hong Kong THFT Co., Daewoo, Ma Labs are some of the bigger manufactures. A very detailed look at your monitors documentation will let you know who makes it.
Network equipment is dominated by Cisco/Linksys, Netgear, Dlink and Belkin also hold major positions in consumer products. Cisco, 3Com, Nortel and Juniper are big in business applications. Wireless networks haven't changed the players, they just started to make wireless gear.
Is there room for new computer equipment manufacturer? Well they start up all the time in Asia, they just don't market here under there names. We tend to like nice western names for our computer equipment manufacturers.
In the printer wars Lexmark (old IBM), HP, Canon and Epson are still making printers. HP has the lion's share of the market and gets very good quality ratings. Lexmark is low end, Canon and Epson make decent high end printers.
Monitors are made by just a few companies in China and Korea. They then put a label on them that you recognize (Viewsonic, LG, Samsung, Sony etc). The quality is so good that almost all monitors come with a little used 3 year warranty. Great Wall Computer, Hong Kong THFT Co., Daewoo, Ma Labs are some of the bigger manufactures. A very detailed look at your monitors documentation will let you know who makes it.
Network equipment is dominated by Cisco/Linksys, Netgear, Dlink and Belkin also hold major positions in consumer products. Cisco, 3Com, Nortel and Juniper are big in business applications. Wireless networks haven't changed the players, they just started to make wireless gear.
Is there room for new computer equipment manufacturer? Well they start up all the time in Asia, they just don't market here under there names. We tend to like nice western names for our computer equipment manufacturers.
Saturday, May 30, 2009
#157 - Freeware - The truely free lunch
We've all heard there is no such thing as a free lunch. If its free your really can't afford it. We've found those sayings generally true. There are some free things for PCs that we use every day. There are also items that are supposedly free that are really spyware.. Buyer beware so to speak. All of the programs mentioned here can be downloaded safely at www.download.com Here are some of our favorites:
For handling pictures we use Picasa from Google. It does a very nice job of photo organization and basic editing. For more advanced editing we use the Paint program built into windows (Start, All Programs, Accessories, Paint) or the great photo editing program GIMP. GIMP is more complex to use then Photoshop, but hey the price is right!
Managing music is more problematic. We use iTunes (free from Apple) to handle our music (we do confess that this is on our Apple Mini, but it works the same on a PC). We love how it displays and sorts our music. We aren't so thrilled about how it organizes the music on a hard disk (it doesn't and that can be a problem). Microsoft's Windows Media Player has so many issues that being free isn't a plus.
The best program to find out information about your PC is the Belarc Advisor. It does a thorough job of letting you know what hardware and software is in your system. Belarc will give you a nice print out that you should keep around. No shortage of good information here.
Browsers are free and there are no shortage of them out there. Our favorites are Mozilla Firefox and Google Chrome. They both are quick and have extra protection features for searching the Internet. Speaking of protection, You know we use AVG antivirus in both its free and paid versions. The paid version just has better real time protection. For removing spyware/malware on an infected system Malware bytes is the leader by far.
And last for this blog, but certainly not least is Open Office. This Microsoft Office Clone has programs that read and write Word/Excel/PowerPoint files and lots more. Beware that this is a huge download (not for dialup users).
For handling pictures we use Picasa from Google. It does a very nice job of photo organization and basic editing. For more advanced editing we use the Paint program built into windows (Start, All Programs, Accessories, Paint) or the great photo editing program GIMP. GIMP is more complex to use then Photoshop, but hey the price is right!
Managing music is more problematic. We use iTunes (free from Apple) to handle our music (we do confess that this is on our Apple Mini, but it works the same on a PC). We love how it displays and sorts our music. We aren't so thrilled about how it organizes the music on a hard disk (it doesn't and that can be a problem). Microsoft's Windows Media Player has so many issues that being free isn't a plus.
The best program to find out information about your PC is the Belarc Advisor. It does a thorough job of letting you know what hardware and software is in your system. Belarc will give you a nice print out that you should keep around. No shortage of good information here.
Browsers are free and there are no shortage of them out there. Our favorites are Mozilla Firefox and Google Chrome. They both are quick and have extra protection features for searching the Internet. Speaking of protection, You know we use AVG antivirus in both its free and paid versions. The paid version just has better real time protection. For removing spyware/malware on an infected system Malware bytes is the leader by far.
And last for this blog, but certainly not least is Open Office. This Microsoft Office Clone has programs that read and write Word/Excel/PowerPoint files and lots more. Beware that this is a huge download (not for dialup users).
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
