So if not Vista what can I do?

If you have been following this blog from the beginning you understand my loathing for the Vista operating system. Buy hey it's not just me. Almost every independent (read not in Microsoft's pocket) PC journalist has called it a bloated disaster. My favorite technology pundit John Dvorak called the Vista project a "botch". The king of PC alliteration, Sascha Segan called Vista a "bulging bag of bloatware" Well you know that story. What you may not know is what are your choices in 2008?

Windows XP will be around, at least until June 2008. I question whether Microsoft will pull the plug on XP then, it will almost be like corporate Hari Kari. XP, though superior to Vista in so many ways, is not a real answer. It picks up viruses and spyware like black velvet pants in a pet shop picks up hair. It will run the software you have and it will run the hardware you have. If you never went to the Internet, it would be a fine operating system. Unfortunately we all go to the Internet.

Mac's are all the rage and we have had a Mac Mini for about 3 years. No complaints, no slowdowns, almost no issues. It doesn't run alot of software and it is more expensive then almost any PC on a comparison basis. You can come to the PCSS training center to take a peak or go to the Covington Library and take a spin on their fabulous iMac. They both have Microsoft Office 2004{Word, Excel, Powerpoint} (compatible with all Office versions but Office 2007). It doesn't have Access or Outlook. It won't work with all hardware and I recommend adding Firefox for Mac as your Internet Browser. The Safari browser that comes with Macs is just OK in my opinion. Firefox is a much more robust and feature laden browser. Macs also run iTunes and iPods better.

The last and cheapest alternative is to go to Linix. We will be setting up a PC at our Training Center that will run the free Ubuntu version of Linix. It comes with Office compatible Word Processor, spreadsheet, and presentation programs. It also has Firefox as a browser and several other programs to do calendars, email, music, burning CDs/DVDs and other necessary PC tasks. It doesn't run Quickbooks, iTunes or Peachtree. It may not run your printer. It is different and takes some time to get used to. But if you are a wee bit tight, this is the operating system for you, cuz its free.

It really depends on what you do with your PC. Many home users can changed to Macs or Linix with little problem. Others are stuck at the Microsoft trough and will have to tough it out.

Happy New Year!

#111 - This isn't your fathers Library!

The Covington Library recently received a grant from the Alleghany Foundation to upgrade its adult public access computers. The library working with its IT consultant (you may know him!, he posts here!) decided to provide new computers that would be useful as well as educational.

There are 6 Adult computers running Windows 2000 presently at the C.P. Jones Memorial library. When they were first installed, they were the first public access computers in the Alleghany Highlands. They had the MS Office suite of programs, typing tutor software AND the Internet! They receive extensive use and are certainly one of the main draws for many people that use the library. Shortly after the adult computers were installed, free wireless Internet access was provided by placing 3 wireless access points through out the library. Visitors to the Highlands can stop at the library and get on the Internet with their wireless laptop, PDA or phone!

The new effort will provide new Adult PCS of different flavors to enhance the computing experience. Four of the desktop PCS will be Windows XP models. They will have the complete Microsoft Office 2003 suite of programs (Word, Excel, Powerpoint, Access, Outlook, OneNote and Publisher). They have DVD burners with appropriate DVD burning software. The computer will be using the latest Microsoft public access control software that will protect the PCs from unwanted changes, viruses, malware, spyware and other nasties. The software essentially cleans itself back to the original set up state after every reboot. The 5th computer will be one equipped with MS Vista operating system. It will have the MS Office 2007 suite and will appeal to those who want to see what Vista is like or need to be compatible with the latest from Microsoft. All the Microsoft based PCs will come with new 17" LCD thin screen monitors.

The 6th and last PC will be an Apple iMac. This is will be the library's first Mac PC and will introduce the customers to the Mac world. The iMac chosen is an all in one design with the hardware, DVD burner and screen in one box. Its a gorgeous box with a 20" LCD screen! It will have MS Office 2004 for the MAC on it as well as the normal complement of MAC supplied software (With new versions of iPhoto, iMovie, iDVD, iWeb, and GarageBand included, you can create a photo book, make a movie, build a blog, compose a song, and much more). The iMac also has a built in camera for photos or live video.

All the new computers should be installed this week. So drop by the library and see what's new!

#110 - Microsoft rethinks its Vista

Last week Microsoft announced that they will continue to sell Windows XP through June of 2008. This is good news for most PC customers. The former deadline of January was forcing many to buy PCs with XP early.

Now Microsoft isn't scrapping Vista they just gave their customers more time to deal with Vista. By June the first update release should be out and many corporate customers won't migrate to a new operating system until the first update is out.

So why has there been so much resistance to Vista? The reasons are many but here are some of mine:

1. Vista requires PCs with fast processors and minimum 1GB memory with 2GB more desirable. Even with the best hardware, I've never seen Vista run fast. You have to turn off many of the features to get to move so-so. I don't have the Gadgets on or the User Account Controls, because they just slow down my Vista PC too much. I guess the bottom line on this is Vista is a bloated memory hog that gives you not much in return. Its so bad I strongly suggest that if you have to have Vista buy a new PC with it installed. DO NOT UPGRADE to Vista!

2. Confusion: I'm not sure why Microsoft decided to issue 4 different versions of the operating system. XP had Home and Professional. More must be better. So we get Home Basic, Home Premium, Business and Ultimate. I guess we'll get 8 versions of Vista's successor. The differences between the 4 isn't well thought out. For instance I think every operating system should have a DVD/CD burner software build in. Surprise you only get it in Home Premium and Ultimate. Actually I don't know a reason why anyone would buy Home Basic other then the cheapest PC. There are so few features in that version that it's not worth the difference in cost versus Home Premium.

3. Incompatibility: This is the big reason corporate America hasn't embraced Vista. Vendors have been slow to come up with drivers for older hardware. Software people have just not made their software to run under Vista. Special software just doesn't work on Vista without an upgrade. So not only do you have to spend money on new PCs and Printers, you have pay for a new version of your software (if it is available).

Three strikes and your out. No wonder they can't make enough Macs. Sounds like a formula for disaster? We'll see how it plays out in 2008.

#109 - Thankful Technology

If you have been reading the blog from the beginning you know I have a whiner streak I struggle to control. This Thanksgiving week, I hope to change over to a new leaf and talk about things that make me happy!

Lets start off with a strange one, HP Support. I had a good customer this week send me an email about the good response they had with HP. Their laptop had died after about 4 months of ownership. HP picked up the laptop, replaced the motherboard, hard drive and battery and had it back to them in 4 total days. This is with their STANDARD warranty. Wow, it made me proud to sell the product. Our other laptop that we sell, Lenovo, has also gotten great reviews from customers. We still recommend you get at least a 3 year warranty on Laptop, due to their fragility.

And speaking of HP, My LaserJet 2200 printer just won't die. I would love to get a new color duplexing laser printer, but my frugality says run this sucker into the ground. As long as you keep feeding it toner, it keeps on printing. I also have a DeskJet 6122 duplexing ink jet printer that has been very long lived. Its printed out a lot of class completion certificates over the years.

I can't say enough good about my Apple Mini Mac. Its 3 years old and runs just as fast as when I purchased it. I do much of my Internet surfing with it and no viruses, spyware or malware have slowed it down. It automatically defrags the hard drive and updates happen regular, but not every 5 minutes like those other guys.

I couldn't work without a USB flash drive. My latest is a Kingston 4GB model that keeps my documents and utility programs. I just plug it in and start fixing PC's. Much faster then my CDs and less damage to the environment. I used to burn a new Utility CD every month and throw them away. Now Its quarterly and only for those customers still using Windows 98 (you know who you are!). I also couldn't get on without external hard drives. I have 3. a 160GB that I use to help transfer customer files, a 250GB drive to backup my files from my Ultra PC and a 1 Terrabye (1,000 gigabyte) network drive to backup my backup and my Apple (mainly Itunes) and my class PCs.

I'm thankful for lots of technology that makes my life easier and my job more productive. I'm also thankful for my loyal customers. Enjoy the season!

#108 - Updates & Upgrades what to do?

As computer owners, we are constantly bombarded with update warnings. Windows, Office, AOL, Hardware Drivers, Programs, it just never ends. I'm going to try and give some advice on when you should upgrade or update you PC in this blog.

Windows - You really don't have a choice in this one. Update now or Update later. You have to update your version of Windows. Now that doesn't mean you have to UPGRADE (change versions) just keep your current version of Windows up to date. Microsoft posts updates to Windows every Tuesday morning. Now depending on how you have set up your version of Windows Update the update will get to your PC eventually. If you go to Control Panel, Automatic Update you can chose how you have the update happen. I like the option "Notify me but don't automatically download or install them". This lets you pick the time and place of the update. If you don't pick this option Windows decides when it will download the update (lord knows how big it is) and when it will update your PC and usually ask you to reboot your PC (during an important presentation?).

Most of you know my opinion of Windows Vista. You should absolutely not upgrade your PC to Vista. If you have to get Vista (And you'll have no choice after January) then get a new PC designed for Vista.

We only update Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Access) when we are having a problem. Office is generally pretty stable and the need to update or even upgrade is minimal. Customers are still happy with Office 2000. I use Office 2003 and am not thrilled with upgrading to Office 2007. It's a radical change in the interface with minimal new features. Stay the course!

For those still using AOL (we are!) the new version of AOL VR (9.1 I think) isn't a bad upgrade, but if it ain't broke, don't fix it. It pesters you to update, but gives you the option to click on the X or cancel so do what feels right.

The most infuriating update nag for me is the Adobe reader. They seem to have an update every 3 days. I have NEVER seen the use for any Adobe reader update. Its just nag, nag, nag till you succumb. I honestly haven't seen anything bad about the updates other then taking you away from what you are doing.

We'll talk about hardware upgrades next blog!

#107 Maintenance is Essential

If you didn't ever change the oil on your car would you be surprised if the car engine seized? What about if you never painted your house would it be a shock if the wood became rotten? Well if you don't perform some minimum maintenance on your PC, you'll likely have some problems. The first maintenance is basic cleaning and keeping our PC in a place that won't cause problems.

I hate to see PC's sitting on the floor. Several reasons: 1. PCs get abused by kicks, vacuum cleaners and pets. 2. Being on the floor lets spiders and dust bunnies into the PC case. When I've done maintenance on PCs that have been on the floor they are filthy inside. This can lead to overheating and possible electrical short. Get those PCs off the floor!

You should clean your keyboard and mouse monthly. Use one of the air can blasters to blow out the dust from your keyboard. Use a damp cloth to clean your mouse. Use that same damp cloth to clean your monitor screen. Run your Printers cartridge cleaning utility every other month. This is usually found as a program in the All Programs listing.

Windows has a system utility called Disk Cleanup you need to run every month. Click on Start, All Programs, Accessories, System Tools, Disk Cleanup. This will get rid of those files that you don't need. Every 4-6 months you need to run the disk defragmenter so keep your hard drive running smoothly (All Programs, Accessories, System Tools, Disk Defragmenter). Once a year run a hard disk scan and fix any errors - Start, My Computer, right Click on C:, Properties, Tools Tab, Check Now, check Automatically fix errors.

After all that run your virus scanner and anti spyware program. That should complete your Fall maintenance! Happy Computing!

#106 - the leopard lies in wait

I've done a lot of complaining about the new Windows Vista. I'll be taking a closer look at the 4 flavors of Vista and what components they have later this week. Today I want to talk about the new Apple operating system - Leopard, due out October 26.

Apple's Leopard comes out this week and although most of my customer don't have Apples, I thought it might be fun to talk about what Apple thought was important in its new operating system versus what Microsoft was important. Microsoft had security first and foremost in mind when it designed Vista. Yes, they throw in some graphic tid bits (that slow things down nicely!), but by and large the only POSITIVE aspects of Vista are its security features. Just to let you know how that is going, Microsoft has had an update to Vista EVERY Tuesday since its launch to fix security issues...

Leopard on the other hand has over 300 changes that really don't point to any one feature as a major update. It does add the "Time Machine" that lets you recover files or folders that have disappeared. The Desktop has a 3D dock that holds your most used programs. It also adds the "Stack" feature that vertically shows you the files you recently have used in each docked application. The ever popular Finder now looks like iTunes (Finder is the Mac version of My Computer). You can set up "Spaces" that hold applications, folders and files that you are using on a project. Networking is a bit more simple (it wasn't at all hard in the old Tiger OS). There are strong Parental Controls that let you place limits on Internet access for kids. Lastly, if you have one of the new Intel based MACs, the Boot Camp program that allows you to run Windows on a Mac is included in Leopard. You still have to get a Windows CD with key to make it work.
Requirements for Leopard are:

Mac computer with an Intel, PowerPC G5, or PowerPC G4 (867MHz or faster) processor

512MB of memory

DVD drive for installation

9GB of available disk space

It looks like my 2 year old Mac Mini will take the update. I'm not sure that I will get it at this time. I only have a 60GB hard drive and I have 23GB of music on it so this may be a bit much size wise. Actually what I would like to see out of an Operating system is Quick on, Quick off, and fast Internet browsing. I'll check out Leopard and see if it can do those things.

#105 Setting up and Securing your wireless network

Our last blog talked about setting up your home/small office network. If you have that straight and have purchased a wireless router, you need to set that up to protect your files and the speed of your Internet connection. Don't protect your wireless network and don't be surprised if someone starts to "borrow" your Internet and makes an attempt to see your files.

Most wireless routers come with a setup CD that they ask for you to run before turning it on. Some work OK, others leave a lot to be desired as far as security is concerned. If asked in the setup routine, always change the password for the router (password or admin is the default and everyone knows that). If they offer you to set up security take the WPA (WiFi Protected Access) encryption. This option makes anyone trying to get on your network have to know the special Code you set up.

If you don't get those security options then you'll have to tough it out and do it manually (or call Nick!). The setup program for your router is located in the routers memory and can be accessed by typing the IP address of the router into Internet Explorer or Firefox address bar. Most routers default to 192.168.0.1 or 192.168.1.1. How do you know which one? For Windows XP Click on Control Panel, Network Connections and then double click on Local Area Connection or Wireless Connection - Which ever you are using. Then click on the Support Tab. Viola! You will see your PCs IP address and the Gateway (ROUTER!) IP Address. Type the Gateway address into your browser address line.

You will be prompted for a User Name and Password. This information should be in your Routers documentation. Its usually generic admin or password. When you get in the Router Setup program you need to change the wireless security to WPA and change the password to something you will remember unique. Be careful when you are changing items in the Router setup program. You can completely disable the Router. Good news is that most routers have a hard reset button. Questions? Email or Call Nick!

#104 - Setting up your Home Network

If you have more then one PC at home or if you have a laptop a home network makes sense. its nice to be able to move around the house (and outside your house) and still get your email and be on the Internet. Setting up a home network doesn't take a lot of work, but keeping it secure and troubleshooting that network isn't as easy.

In this blog lets talk about setting up a network to share files and printers. In the next blog we'll discuss securing the network - especially a wireless network. The router takes your Internet and spreads it out over the network. The switch allows for more then one PC to be on the network and assigns an IP (Internet Protocol) address to each PC so that they can be seen by the other PCs. We like Linksys, Belkin or Netgear router/switches. Simple to set up and generally reliable. They all have 4 ports for PCs, which is plenty for most homes. The router/switch can support just wired connections or wired AND wireless connections (a wireless router)

After getting your router/switch, follow the directions to set it up. Usually this is a matter of putting in a CD and following the directions. Now you have to connect your PC's to the router via Ethernet cable or by having a wireless adapter (most new laptops have this internally). Once you are connected to the network you have to setup a workgroup and then share something on your PC (folder or printer) so that you can work with other PCs. Note these instructions are for Windows XP only.

You set up a workgroup by right clicking My Computer, then Properties. Then Click on Computer Name and Change. Now pick a name for this PC and then choose a workgroup name. Note the workgroup name MUST be the same on all PCs, but the PC name should of course be different for each PC. After clicking OK you have to reboot the PC. To share a folder or printer you need to go to that printer via My Computer, My Documents or in the case of a Printer - Control Panel, Printers and Faxes. You then right click on the item and then Sharing and security. From here you may have to tell the system you want to share Items (just share!) Eventually you'll get to a box that says share this Folder/Printer. Give it a name and you are ready to Network. This procedure has to be done on all Networked PCs.

Now you can double click on My Computer, My Network Places and View Network Computer. Viola!

Next up Wireless security.

#102 The Blog is Back!

After a month off, I've decided to take a new tact with the blog. I'm no longer putting PC info in my newsletter to shorten its length. I'm going to direct people to the Blog and change the content here to be more helpful and less opinionated, though with me that probably isn't a goal, more of a wish! (grin)

If there is a topic you would like for me to tackle, leave me an email at pcss4u@aol.com or if you can click on the Comment word below and leave one. I hope this will drive a bit more viewers to the blog and make it a bit easier to write, since the topics will be more factual and in my case, less creativity required. We don't want to tax my right brained head!

Thanks for your support!

THE BLOG STOPS HERE!

After 100 blogs I took a look at the effort to put the blogs out versus how often they are read. The equation doesn't look good. So for the time being I will stop posting the State of Technology blog. I will leave all the items up if you want to peruse them at your leisure. Thanks for your support in this endeavor. Most blogs go down in less then two months. We made it 5 months so WOO HOO! Cheers!

Nick

#100 - Making money on the web

Its our 100th blog! Whoopee! Well for the few of you that read this, thanks for coming along. I'll take some time this week to decide whether its fun or not. We only had 10 visitors last week so it must not be but so much fun to you all!

I was listening to NPR on the way back from Ohio yesterday. They had an interesting segment on the first web comic strip. Cartoonist Pete Abrams started a comic strip web site 10 years ago called Sluggy Freelance. Now I've been to the site several times and I'll be upfront and say, I don't get that type of comic. However over 100,000 people differ with that opinion every day. I'm more a Peanuts and Dagwood type of guy. But Mr. Adams has made a living through his web comic.

He tried using advertising, but it took too much of his time and never made enough to be worth the effort. He tried charging for site access, but then ended up with almost no viewers. He finally hit upon a combination of commercial products and site extras to make his living. You can by Sluggy Freelance dolls, T shirts, buttons, pins and books from the site. If you want to see more then the basic comic strip you can subscribe to full access of ad free browsing [Defenders of the Nifty Subscription], exclusive content and of course the Sluggy Freelance blog (as an aside, maybe I should charge for my blog?). This combination makes Abrams financially secure enough to raise a family and live comfortably.

Just another way to make a buck on the Web. Interesting.

#99 - PC Guru has PC blues

I came home today and started to work on my Desktop PC (the PC not the Mac Mini). It had been a bit sluggish lately and had locked up several times when trying to burn a DVD. Today it ran for 45 minutes then locked up. I never could get it to completely restart. I got into Safe Mode (hit that F8 key when you start up) and tried restoring to Monday's setup. It did the restore OK then locked up. I realized at this time that my last back up was August 17. So I pulled the hard drive from the PC and took it to my Bench PC and installed the Hard Drive. I made DVD backups and attached my external Hard Drive and made backups. I found my Outlook info and backed it up also. I then put the Hard Drive back in and it wouldn't start up at all. Lastly I took out the last memory chip I had installed (I had 640MB memory so I dropped back to 512MB). The PC immediately started up and here I am typing away.

I copied all my backups to my laptop so now I'm backed up everywhere (whew relief). I tell you all this faithful reader so that you will make sure your data is backed up today. If you have Outlook data do the File, Import/Export to a backup device of your entire Personal Folder. I'm just going to have to backup every other day instead of once a week.

My mom turned 80 today, so we are off to Ohio Friday to belatedly celebrate with my folks. See you next week!

#98 - Blu-Ray vs HD DVD Will the winner please stand up?

Ah another technology standard battle. First there was the Beta vs VCR battle. Then CDs vs cassettes. Then DVDs, but look at how many types of DVDs there are: +R, -R, RAM, Video, -RW, +RW. None of them "won" out so DVD drives have to be able to read and write all of these. Now along comes Blu-Ray and HD DVD. We are just about half way through the first round of battle. So I thought it might be a good time to review what they are and what they can do.

Blu-Ray as the name suggests uses a Blue-Violet laser that can focus more precisely then the red lasers used by DVD and CD players. This better precision allows for a tighter packing of data so that a disc encoded by Blu-Ray can hold 25GB of information versus 4.7GB of a traditional DVD. In the Blu-Ray corner are: Apple, Dell, Hitachi, HP, JVC, LG, Mitsubishi, Panasonic, Pioneer, Philips, Samsung, Sharp, Sony, TDK and Thomson.

HD-DVD is an evolutionary technology based on red laser technology. It can store 15GB of information on a DVD. HD-DVD is backwardly compatible with DVD and CD technologies, meaning an HD-DVD player can play CD, DVD & HD-DVD formats. In the HD-DVD corner are Toshiba, NEC and Microsoft. Also of note is that Panasonic has been wishy washy and had been on both sides of the fence.

So what does this mean to you? Well if you are in the market to buy a new video player it means confusion. Movies are now coming out in both HD-DVD and Blu-Ray formats. The pictures are spectacular and go nicely on that new 42" HD TV you recently purchased. I can't tell you today who is going to win, but I can tell you that the Blu-Ray is probably the better technology, but so was Beta. I guess you pays your money and you takes your chances. I hope its all sorted out by the time I buy a big LCD TV!

#97 - To Train or not to Train

Many of you read in my August Newsletter that this will be the last year of my doing training in the PCSS Training Center. The reason being the move to Vista outdating all my training center PCs. I thought I might elaborate here on my thought process and the technology that drove the decision.

I have 5 PCs of various ages that I use in my classes. Some of the PCs were upgraded from Windows 98 without much issue. Some were purchased new for the Training Center, but only about 1 per year. By acquiring the computers over time I was able to put together a nice training center that met the needs of my customers. They all have Windows XP Pro and the complete set of Office 2003 programs. They are tied in by Ethernet to my network so they have Internet access. I also have an HP printer/scanner/copier that I use in most in the classes.

So that's where I am. The introduction of Windows Vista and Office 2007 raises the bar on what equipment I have to have to teach. To run Vista properly you must have 1GB of memory (2GB is much better), high end graphics and a fairly big hard drive. None of the 5 PCs meet that criteria or can even be upgraded to that very easily. Then comes the issue of what flavor of Windows Vista would I put on the PCs. I get licencing for 10 copies of Windows Vista Business version (also Office 2007)as part of my Microsoft Partnership. There are 3 other versions of Vista flying around out there. Then I thought about would my existing printer/scanner/copier work with Vista? As of today the answer is no. Still waiting on HP to come up with a Vista Driver for it.

By my own estimates (and remember I get the dealer discount!) I would have to invest well over $4000.00 to be where I need to be to have the Center up to new standards. I would also have to invest a lot of time and sweat in setting the systems up. Now when you consider I charge $74 per class and there are about $20 per class in materials, you can see it would take several years to pay for this investment. Logic indicates this wouldn't be most prudent. So here I am willing to train at your site come the fall of 2008. If you are interested in the last series of classes please let me know.

#96 - Clothing Technology

I watched with great interest the PGA golf tournament this past weekend. It was in tortuous Tulsa, Oklahoma. The temperature was in the low 100s all weekend and the players were certainly earning their keep by walking around that steamer of a golf course. Tiger Woods won wearing his traditional red final round shirt. I noticed that it didn't seem to get as soaked through as it would have say 5 years ago. Golf shirts have certainly taken a high tech bent lately.

The LIFA Stay-Dry technology allows you to wear a shirt in great humidity and high temperature and never look like you've been a sauna. The fabric wicks moisture away from the skin and promotes evaporation so that you don't retain the moisture in the cloth. Huge difference from 100% cotton shirts. The wife bought me a Stay Dry golf shirt from Nike last year and it has been wonderful on those few hot humid days on the golf course. Outfitter Helly Hanson uses LIFA in much of its outdoor wear. It seems that the clothing technology works equally well in cold weather. Better living through Better technology!

#95 - Why is backing up your Outlook so tough?

Its always been a mystery to me why Outlook and Outlook Express have no easy way to backup the important data you have. In both programs you have to go to File, Import/Export and go through eight or nine clicks to backup the data. Its not easy and its not intuitive. Why would Microsoft make it so hard to save your data? You have important contacts, calendar items and emails that you would hate to lose. In fact I would say that some users have no more valuable data on their PC then their Outlook information. Every other program (not from Microsoft) have great backup features. Intuit programs (Quicken, QuickBooks) do a great job of reminding you when to back up and giving you control of where to backup. I've never got an answer that makes sense from Microsoft.

A couple of weeks ago I discovered an add in program from Microsoft that actually puts a Backup button on your Outlook File menu bar. (Sorry no such luck for Outlook Express users) Now it isn't the easiest program to add in so if you use Outlook and want a better way to backup your data click here: Outlook Backup Follow the directions and 2 downloads to make it work. Then pick your destination directory (we made a new Outlook Backup folder in our My Documents folder). Now why this isn't standard in Office and not a download is beyond me. Let me know how it goes!

#94 - Does your password really protect?

The average American office worker has to memorize 4 passwords to do their work. Many companies have instituted policies that require the change of password every month. Every site you try to buy something from or even just visit preferred content requires you to have a user name and password. So what does that password really protect? In the case on online purchases, it protects your credit card or Paypal account. It could protect your banking information or other personal information such as address, email and phone number. So passwords protect a lot. So why do you use a simple word password like your pets name to protect all that information? Knowledgeable computer advisers recommend you use what they call a STRONG PASSWORD.

Here is an excellent Microsoft site that takes you through the process of selecting a password: STRONG PASSWORDS. Essentially you need to use a password (or phrase) that you will remember and have characters, numbers and symbols (!~@#$%^&_+) in them. This makes the password thief's job a lot harder. I like to use a common word or phrase interspersed with numbers/symbols. Like C0u1N2t3i$n%g^. In this password I have used capitals and small letters, numbers and symbols in a somewhat random matter. It does make a pattern that I can remember. The longer the password the better. I also like passwords where I can vary a letter or number if I have to change it often. So come on and be creative with your passwords! Also don't leave them the same forever or use the same password for every site. I change all my main passwords on my birthday. You can also create a spreadsheet or log book with the particular site and the password you use for that site.

#93 - Flash Memory Drives

I reported in an early blog post that I foresaw computers with less moving parts. Flash memory, like those used in geek sticks, stores information faster. Unfortunately there is a limit to the number of times you can write to flash memory. Using a technology called load leveling, flash memory makers are designing hard drive replacements that have no moving parts. Here is a picture of a TDK designed 32GB drive. This drive has a standard IDE interface (just like older hard drives!) and can be hooked up in almost any PC. They are expensive right now ($500), but I see prices coming down as more are made. Notebook computers look to be the first place you'll see them. No moving parts for better reliability, better speed, less heat and very light weight will make this technology a winner!

Geek sticks (USB Flash memory drives) are also getting bigger. Standard size now is 2GB with 4GB and 8 GB drive available. The larger sized drives aren't as cost competitive as the 2GB price point, but they too will get reasonable as production ramps up.

#92 - Back from Vacation!

Even a guru needs a break. So off we went last week. Heading to the Northeast. Our ultimate goal was our nephews new home in Essex Junction, Vermont. We stopped at Poughkeepsie, New York to visit a friend on the way up. Over 1,500 miles round trip made this our longest road trip in several years. We saw lots of road construction on the way up to New York. A normally 8 hour trip soon lengthened to well over 9 hours. Fortunately we had smoother sailing up to Vermont.

We learned alot about Vermont. There are lots of cute towns in Vermont. Everyone has a village green and a gazebo. Speed limit is 50 MPH on country roads and there are lots of dirt roads with much slower speeds. Agriculture is king. Dairy farms dot the landscape supporting Ben & Jerry's and the large Cheese industry. We stopped at the Vermont Wild Flower Farm and saw an interesting cottage industry grown into a nice business. From Sugar Maple to wool clothing to outdoor sports equipment, there were lots of small businesses that have grown into nice income producing business. And they had better earn some money, because Vermont is the #1 worst state for tax burden (Virginia is a respectable 34th).

Its a beautiful state with mountains and streams everywhere. Lots of out door activities and very Tech savvy. All the businesses had accessible web sites and ways to purchase your items on line.

Well we are back to the grind and hope you are having a very nice summer!

#91 - Why does ending take so long?

As I was waiting and waiting and waiting for my laptop to shut down yesterday, I thought I might delve into why PCs take so long to shut down. When you get that shiny new PC with no programs on it you can get into Windows in under 30 seconds and shutting down takes that much time or less.

Now I understand why starting up takes longer after you load a bunch of programs. They all want to load at start up and take up valuable resources. What I don't understand is why it takes SO LONG to shut down your PC. My Apple mini Mac after 2 years of ownership, constant upgrades, loading/unloading programs, and surfing everywhere on the Internet shuts down in 16 seconds, EVERY SINGLE TIME!. So what is going on with our PCs?

Turns out that Microsoft gave our very loose specifications on memory usage under Windows (and for what its worth Vista is no faster in shutting down). Many programs don't close out properly and don't clean up the mess they make when they run. Windows tries to shut down, but wants to clean up the mess (es). That doesn't happen and Windows literally hangs until it times out and finally shuts down.

Here is a link to some instructions on speeding up your shut downs. I've found it works and it cuts the shut down time by 30%. Memory Clean Up

I mean why be nice? If you have taken the trouble to click on Start, Turn off Computer AND Turn Off (that's three clicks for goodness sake) why not instantly turn off windows? Sigh another mystery that Microsoft will never tell us about.

#90 - Fed Ex Technology Noose

I have a niece -in-law that used to work for UPS. Upon hearing that someone in the family (who will remain nameless) used Fed Ex for moving something, her outspoken response was "Don't use Fed Ex, they screw ya". Well we all laughed and she has since moved on to a different employer. I however got the Fed Ex screwing the past week. The evidence:

I had a big order of PCs last week. I found my best deal and it was from a distributor that has a large warehouse in Pennsylvania. This is usually a couple of day transport after the order is placed. Now my distributor lets me go on line and see where the order is in his system and has links to track the packages with the carrier of their choice (they pick up the freight for large orders). This year its Fed Ex ground. So I track the packages and all but one (out of 10) show up on my doorstep on time). But wait one is missing where is it? Tracking shows it went from PA to Charlotte (right past Covington), to some unknown town in Texas. So I call Fed Ex and ask what my package is doing in Texas. Their response was oops sorry it went to the wrong place. Ok I say, everyone makes mistakes. When will I see the package. In 3 days is their response. I said WAIT you are Fed Ex. You screwed up, why can't I get it tomorrow? Well this is Fed Ex Ground we can't get it to you overnight. They said they would look into it and see what they could do. Bottom line is I didn't see the package for 3 days. Lip service, customer service even when they screw up.

This week as I am looking for some critical customer supplies I see another problem. Four boxes shipped from PA last Wednesday. I still don't have the packages, so where are they? Checking the distributors site I see good old Fed Ex has them. According to Fed Ex tracking they were in Salem, VA on Friday and should have been delivered then. Didn't happen. Monday they were in Salem, VA and should have been delivered yesterday. Didn't happen. I call wonderful Fed Ex customer support. Where are my packages? Well they are on the truck for delivery. Well that didn't happen. They claim they don't know why they weren't delivered. I have some sinking feeling that they have overloaded their driver and for 2 days (Friday and Monday) he didn't have time to deliver to me since I'm on the end of route.

So as my niece said don't use Fed Ex, they Screw Ya....

#89 - More on the Vista Trail

I'm working a laptop for a college student. The university requested Vista, so that's what we got. The university also specified 2GB of RAM (memory). I couldn't find a laptop that met the other specifications and came with 2GB of memory, so I purchased one with 1GB and was going to upgrade it to 2GB. Here is where the fun starts. When I got the laptop there is a bold sheet(8.5'x11") of paper from the manufacturer saying they recommend 2GB of memory for use with Vista. OK, then why did they just sell a computer with only 1GB? Well, that was nice, what is better is the way the manufacturer put the 1GB in the PC. The laptop has 2 memory slots. Logic would say they would put in a 1GB memory module in the first slot and leave the second slot free for the upgrade to 2 GB that they recommended (but didn't even have in the catalog). Of course, what the manufacturer did is populate both slots with 512MB chips so that in order to get to the 2GB that THEY recommend you have to take out BOTH chips and add 2 1GB chips. What a waste. And wait there is more. The first slot is easy to get to on the back of the laptop. The second slot requires you to REMOVE the keyboard from the laptop and mess around on the mother board. Jeez Louise!!!! Could they have screwed up this any more? I think not.

Another customer was given a nice shiny new Dell PC by a relative. It came in with Vista AND 512MB memory. Talk about slow PCs and it is brand NEW! Now Vista will run with just 512 MB memory, but you CAN NOT run any other programs (even IE) with that little memory. I can't believe anyone sells a PC and Vista with that little memory.

So that's just this weeks issues. More to come I'm sure. Just be forewarned if you order VISTA order enough memory.

#88 - Vista ramblings

A customer bought a wireless mouse and keyboard to work with their new Vista Laptop. I decided to sell them the Microsoft brand, figuring it would not have Vista issues. Well you could see this coming, of course the driver in the box DID NOT WORK with Vista and I had to download one from the Microsoft site. The Microsoft site was not very clear in what was required to make this system work and it took two downloads and I had to run two driver programs (1 for the keyboard and 1 for the mouse) even though this was a system sold in 1 box. Sheesh.

On the other hand, I have been impressed with the Network Utilities found in Vista. It is easier and clearer to set up a home/small business network with Vista. Now having said that, it really wasn't that much harder to set up a network in XP, just a couple more steps.

Well Vista will be our only choice come February. Enjoy

#87 - Apple with lots of new products on the horizon

The much anticipated release of the Apple iPhone kept the media in a tizzy all weekend. The media seems to love seeing people in lines waiting for products. Now don't get me wrong, I think the iPhone is a nice piece of technology innovation. Unfortunately Apple decided to put its apples in the AT&T (Cingular) basket. AT&T has horrible coverage in the Highlands (just ask our Lumberjack baseball players). So its not really a viable option for the Mogas.

Also recently release is Apple TV. This is a box that can wirelessly stream content from your iTunes library or play content direct from its hard drive. This means you can enjoy almost anything on your PC, Movies, Photos, Music, podcasts and Videos on your TV. Setting this box up is a breeze and running your files is simple. The bad issue is that you have to have an EDTV or HDTV to see the results. Also the files must be iPod compatible. Some video camera formats aren't. Cost is $299 for you uber geeks!

The biggest anticipated product is the new version of the Apple OS, code named Leopard. It was scheduled to appear in the spring, but was pushed back to the fall so that the iPhone could come out on time. Leopard promisses a new approach for backing up your data. Called Time Machine, this syncing program is supposedly the best backup built in to an OS ever. The Time Machine name refers to a feature that allows you to go back in time and find old files and system settings. Another new feature is Spaces. This one lets you operate several desktop area's simultaneouley. For example you can run your media type programs (iPhoto & iTunes) in one Space and your office applications (Word & Excel) in another. You can instantly switch and not have any issues. We'll let you know how this one looks in the fall.

#86 - Happy 4th of July

I wonder how many people take time on the 4th of July to check out a blog? What do you do with your spare time? Surf the Internet, Garden, Golf, Run, Hike, Watch TV, Read? I'll bet alot more of you surf the Internet then you did say 5 years ago. High Speed (Broadband Internet) has made all the difference. Content is another. If you can't find it on the Internet does it exist??? I went looking for a part for an Anderson door I have. No problem. I found a pdf with all the part numbers and literally 100s of dealers who want to sell me that part. Wow!

Have a safe 4th of July and remember how lucky you are to live in a country were freedom is valued.

#85 - One Laptop per child an Update

I wrote about the One Laptop per Child (OLPC) program several months ago in this Blog (Look in the archives!). I thought I would give an update on this important and ground breaking project.

OLPC isn't really about laptops, its about learning. The goal is to provide many of the disenfranchised children of the world a different way to learn. Laptops happen to be the media that was chosen. There are 1.2BILLION children in 3rd world countries, so there is no shortage of customers! Before we get too far along here is a link to their webpage: http://www.laptop.org/

The OLPC laptop has started to be distributed. Cost, right now, is about $150 per unit. Units have now been distributed in several countries. Feedback from the children has been marvelous. The units seem to be hardy enough and are having very few issues in the field.

The laptop has no moving parts, is water proof and dust proof, requires very little electricity and is self contained (other then a power cable). All the software on the laptop is open source (free) and most is modifiable (by the children!). Every laptop immediately recognizes other laptops and instantly form a network (the "mesh"). You can play games, browse the Internet together, collaborate and work on projects TOGETHER. Thus pushing the concept of Peer to Peer learning. You learn from each other and kids become the experts imparting knowledge that they have acquired by curiosity.

OLPC is gearing up for the massive distribution of the laptop. Over 80 countries have signed on to buy the laptops and distribute them in their countries. This will happen with the feedback the company is getting from the test distributions. The laptop has a unique browser that can save Internet sessions to use when you go home (and likely don't have Internet access).

We'll periodically keep you up to date on the status of this wonderful application of technology.

#84 The Google Empire Post 2

Google has lately ventured into moving more products on to the web. Google Docs & Spreadsheets lets you do you word processing and calculating on line. It takes a bit getting used to but it means you don't need that laptop everywhere you go. Google Docs & Spreadsheet

Another application Google is promoting is their online calendar. This is a wonderful way to share information with a group on what is going on. Google Calendar If your family is really technically savvy you can set up the family schedule online!

Google Books is a Nick favorite. You can search the full text in the books or for topics. A great search engine BEFORE you go to the library! Google Book Search

Need a quick look at what happened in financial Markets? Check out Google Finance!

We use the iGoogle for our home page under Internet Explorer. You can customize it to have the information you want not that your ISP wants! iGoogle

Google has recently added Google Notebook to their list of web utilities. You can clip useful information from most web pages. You can add clippings of text, images and links from web pages to your Google Notebook without ever leaving your browser window. Organize your notes.You can create multiple notebooks, divide them into sections, and drag-and-drop your notes to stay organized. Get access from anywhere.You can access your Google Notebooks from any computer by using your Google Accounts login. Publish your notebook.You can share your Google Notebook with the world by making it public.

Lastly Google recently purchase YouTube, the online home video phenomenon.

Here is the home of all the Google products: GOOGLEMANIA

#83 - The Google Empire Post 1

Google is one of those few companies I knew was good from the get go. I first saw the Google search engine in 1998. It was developed by Larry Page and Sergey Brin, Stanford University students. It just worked better and is still the best search engine. They have moved on from search and here is a brief list of Google products.

This blog is hosted on Blogger a Google application. We know it is very cool.

Google Desktop was a natural extension of the Google search engine to the PC. It searches and indexes everything on your PC. It is 3 times as fast as the search built into Windows.

Google Earth. Everyone loves this application when they see it. It is essentially a composite of all the satellite photos that are taken every day. You can zoom in on your house, place of work or next vacation destination from outer space. Very cool. I saw an article recently where the rescuers of Hurricane Katrina victims used it to search New Orleans when there were no recognizable landmarks.

Gmail. There probably are better email services (we like AOL), but this one has it all at a great price (free).

Google Hello is a web based photo sharing site. Again there are lots of competitors, but this one is a bit better.

Picasa is a very good desktop picture management software. You can organize, edit, rename and even display your digital pictures. We highly recommend this product.

Google Talk is an Instant Messenger host. You can only talk with other Gmail customers, but there are lots of features that make it fun to use.

#82 - Who needs to fold a Map?

My father loved maps. He would plot out our annual summer vacation with great delight. His sisters belonged to AAA so he would get a 'Trip-Tik" made and we would all follow the sights and scenery according to the Trip-Tik. Lovely info like: 'I-95...traversing primarily rolling woodlands, with pleasing scenery. Good grade and alignment.' Wow who knew that was I-95?

I still belong to the AAA (Mainly for that great battery charge and tire change service for the Mrs.). We go on a car trip about once a decade, but when we do I call the dutiful AAA agents and ask for the Trip-Tik. AAA last year went digital and now you can generate your own Trip-Tik online or just ask for one online. I've found the online information more accurate and, well duh!, easier to change. For example we are going up north this year so when I put the request in I said "Please keep us away from congestion and New York City." That fell on deaf ears and the Trip-Tik came in with tons of I-95 through Washington, Baltimore, Philadelphia and Newark. Oh they did avoid NYC. On line it was simple to see that there is a route to the west that avoids all those cities (I-81).

This will also be our first big trip with our GPS. I haven't programmed the route yet, but Garmin lets you plot out your route with waypoints and stops. Any changes you make on route are automatically recalculated and off you go! So is this our last Trip-Tik? I'll let you know after the July trip! Bon Voyage!

#81 - The Internet Highway?

Technology is moving to have the Internet make an appearance in your car. In fact if you have a Verizon or Cingular (AT&T) broadband wireless card you can be on the Internet via your laptop. Ford is heading in a different direction. They see that the technology of those who want to be always connected is more then just the Internet.

Ford Motor Company announced the launch of a new factory-installed, in-car communications and entertainment system that is designed to change the way consumers use digital media portable music players and mobile phones in their vehicles. The Ford-exclusive technology based on Microsoft Auto software, called Sync, provides consumers the convenience and flexibility to bring into their vehicle nearly any mobile phone or digital media player and operate it using voice commands or the vehicle’s steering wheel or radio controls. This sounds very cool. Ford says the system will eventually include getting updates and content (ie connecting to the Internet).

Autonet Mobile, meanwhile, wants to turn your car into a rolling hotspot. Autonet's book-size router plugs into your cigarette lighter and connects to the same kind of high-speed cell networks used by wireless PC Cards, while broadcasting a secure 802.11g network in your car (and a little beyond). Autonet has two big advantages over wireless cards: It is better at managing handoffs when you move from fast networks to slower ones, allowing for seamless data streaming. And everyone can share one connection, so Mom can watch YouTube on her laptop while Sis IMs her posse and Junior plays multiplayer games on his Mini Play station.

Gee and I thought the purpose of the car was transportation. Turns out it is Entertainment!

#80 - Marketing in the 21st Century

Well I must be doing something wrong. I was visiting a long standing client the other day and noticed a big box of supplies (toner & ink) in the office. I asked where they got them from and Quill was the answer. After shaking my head I handed out my price list that shows PCSS has much better pricing then Quill on Toner and Ink cartridges. The reply I knew was coming came "I didn't know you sold printer supplies!" Where have I gone wrong?

Modern marketing lore says you have to show a customer your message at least 8 times before it sinks in. In our media crazy age we are bombarded with advertisements so much that we tend to ignore all but most outrageous. Quick name ONE of the hyped super bowl commercials from 2006! No? Well what about one from 2007? Remember these advertisers paid Mega Million $$$ for these ads. Having said that I guess I don't feel so bad. The PCSS advertising budget is much less, in fact it almost doesn't exist.

PCSS tries to promote our offerings through our email newsletter, web site and seasonal hand outs. On every one of these items there is a listing or link to the products we sell and services we provide. So even if you read all three, we still don't have your complete attention. We try to target our pitches to existing customers and our target audience - Small Business Owners. I'd be thankful for any suggestions that you may have for improving our marketing. PCSS does not target the entire world as customers so that limits where we advertise and how we get our message out. Maybe we should consider subliminal ads. BUY PCSS, BUY PCSS, BUY PCSS...

#79 - Wireless limits

There are several technologies working out there that call them selves wireless. The one we are most familiar with is the IEEE802.11g protocol that we use in our houses. This technology uses the 2.4GHz frequency to send Internet throughout your home or business at up to 54Mbps(mega bits per second). In comparison, if you are wired you connect at 100Mbps. Another technology is the cellular Internet sold by Verizon and Cingular (AT&T). In this technology you plug in a PC card in your laptop and get up to 144Mbps if there is cellular Internet service available. But just like Cell phone service "Can you here me know" is the cry when you go out of cellular Internet range.

A new protocol IEEE802.11n will increase the wireless speed in your home or business to 108Mbps. It will also add MIMO (multiple input/multiple output) for increased bandwidth and strength of signal. The new protocol will not be approved until 2008 at the earliest. Many manufacturers are building wireless routers and access points that are called PRE-N standard. Unfortunately not many of the PRE-N devices are standard. That means if you have a Belkin PRE-N device it may not work with a Linksys or Apple PRE-N device. That's why they call it a standard and its not done yet!

So how fast can we stream the Internet wirelessly? Some say the new 802.11n protocol will be the limit in the 2.4.Ghz frequency. If we change to microwave or TV frequencies there are new technologies that theoretically get us to 3000Mbps wireless. Wow now that would be fast. As we try to stream more videos and movies that would be helpful. There are several Internet services selling movies on the web that you download or view in real time.

#78 - Why can't I have the latest toys?

A good customer just purchased a new digital camera from PCSS. Its the latest model of the camera the wife and I dearly enjoy. To say the least, I'm highly jealous of the new camera. It has twice the megapixels (not a biggie), a longer zoom (that is nice), quicker response (also nice) and image stabilization (huge feature!). The camera is the Canon SD800IS. It costs about the same as my camera did and is the same size.

As I have said before on this site, megapixels aren't a big deal. The best my printer can do is a bit over 3 megapixels. Anything more then that can only be used for blowing up pictures and my printer is limited to 8.5"x11" size. Longer zoom is always good as long as you don't lose any focus or speed. Quicker response is great. It means you can take your next picture more quickly. Image stabilization allows you or your subject to move and you won't get a blurry pictures. Great for sports, kids, pets and windy days. This is a big item when you are indoors and trying to take a picture without flash. This is the key important feature and worth the slight premium Canon charges in their digital cameras with this feature.

My XP laptop is great but I'm selling better models to most customers today. Bigger screen, faster processor, more USB ports. Oh well, since I just purchased the Vista laptop, I'm probably out of the laptop market for a while. My Ultra desktop PC just keeps on trucking. Its old, noisy and big. It's had the motherboard, hard drive and power supply replaced so its probably good for another year. Now my monitor is a beautiful 19" LCD. They make them bigger, but not better. Besides my desktop is full and there is absolutely no more room there.

My latest two toys are a 1 tetrabyte (1000 gigabyte) network external hard drive. I can access this drive from any PC in the house and store pictures, music, video and other backups. My Mini Mac even talks fluently with this wonderful backup system. My other new toy is a 4GB USB flash drive. I backup MY Documents to that drive and keep it with me all the time.

So don't feel sorry for me. I may envy your new purchase, but I have too many toys to try and keep up!

#77 - Microsoft's Table top PC

Microsoft unveiled a coffee table shaped "surface computer" Wednesday. The "Surface PC" promotes Bill Gates's view of a future where the mouse and Keyboard are replaced by more natural interaction using voice, pen and touch.

The Surface, which has a 30-inch interactive display under a hard plastic tabletop, allows people to touch and move objects on screen for everything from digital finger painting and jigsaw puzzles to ordering off a virtual menu in a restaurant (with pictures like in oriental restaurants!).

It also recognizes and interacts with devices placed on its surface, so cell phone users can easily buy ringtones or change payment plans by placing their handsets on in-store displays, or a group of people gathered round the table can check out the photos on a digital camera placed on top.

Microsoft said it will manufacture the machine itself and sell it initially to corporate customers, deploying the first units in November in Sheraton hotels, Harrah's casinos, T-Mobile stores, and restaurants. The company is selling the Surface for between $5,000 and $10,000 each, but aims to bring prices down to consumer levels in three to five years and introduce various shapes and forms.

The possibilities with this new PC are almost endless. If we can finally get rid of the mouse and keyboard interface, it brings the PC to almost everyone. Also moving the PC to the coffee table gets us out of these uncomfortable office chairs and back into couches and comfortable side chairs! It will put a strain on your neck to look down. I look for Holographic PC projections next so we can really lounge in our massaging lounge chairs!

#76 - How old is that in dog years?

My parents used to buy a new car every 4 years. It was like clockwork. I have a friend that gets a new car every 10 years(note its always a VERY nice new car!). Another friend never buys a car new and claims to not know what depreciation is! Frequent questions I get, "My computer is X years old, is that too old? Do I need to replace it?"

My answer depends on lots of factors. I have customers, that due to the programs they run, are doing fine with Windows 98 (now 9 year old). The computers are older, but they don't go on the Internet much and keep then on a good maintenance system. The software they have is customized and probably won't run under Windows XP, let alone Windows Vista. Another customer's business is totally based on computers. They require a high degree of uptime and can't stand to be bogged down on their PCs. They may need to have the latest and greatest PCs.

For the typical user a PC should last 4 to 5 years or through 1 operating system change. I don't recommend upgrading operating systems. Nothing good comes in that process and you end up spending more time then the value you receive. Monitors sometimes last longer and my wife is still using a HP LaserJet 4 (circa 1989). I will tell you that if you are using one of the old CRT type monitors, run don't walk it out to recycle and get a flat screen LCD monitor. There are so many bad things about CRT monitors that we'll just assume everyone has done so! If you are in the corporate world, you need to depreciate your PCs over no more then 3 years. Bad things happen when you try to stretch a PC through the depreciation period.

I got thinking about this after reading an editorial in PC Magazine on reviving dead gadgets. The point was why do we throw away perfectly good cell phones after 2 years? Shouldn't they last longer? Yes they should. But we want the latest gadget and the cellular phone companies don't seem to be able to say NO to consumers on new cellular phones. They consistently sell them for great discounts when you subscribe to their service. Just don't lose one or break it before the subscription period ends. Also if you think its broken, why not take the time to experiment with the supposedly "dead" phone and see if you can revive it.

Many of my customers are asking should I upgrade to Vista? My clear answer is NO, not on the PCs you have now. If you would like to move to Vista and are sure all your software and hardware will work with it, then buy a NEW PC that is designed to run Vista (2 GB memory, 120GB hard Drive, High end Graphics).

#75 - What ever happened to Voice Recognition?

I really thought we would have thrown away our keyboards by now and would be talking to our computers. But alas, that hasn't happened. Voice Recognition (VR)Technology has been one of lots of talk, but not much action. I first saw a VR system in the late 80s. It came free with WordPerfect 8 and was worth what I paid for it. I tried to set it up for my mother, who dislikes typing. After 5 hours of installing, testing, trying and having my mother record her voice over and over, we were no where. The VR software recognized about 50% of her words. Now my mom has a very Midwestern clear voice. We were both chagrined.

Fast forward 12 years and I tried it again with a Covington customer. Said customer had a deep southern accent, so I knew this would be a true test. Many days later after installation, testing, and him recording test tracts 5 times, it was a no go. Way too many errors. Sigh.

Today some companies are using VR in their phone support. I'm sure you've run into the 'Say Yes if this is the option you want' over the phone. Most computer companies use a modified VR system that lets you talk in one word answers. No complicated sentences with words like Reed, Read or Write, Rite.

I still think VR will happen, just not in my lifetime. If you ask the pros, what is holding up VR is processing speed. We have plenty of memory to store all the words and phrases in the English language. We just don't have computers that are fast enough to search through those words and phrases to recognize your voice and put it in context of a sentence. On the other hand. My Garmin GPS does a remarkable job in saying street names (even though it keeps thinking DR. is Doctor instead of Drive). So once we get the VR working the response will come quickly and sound good. I guess we'll give it some more time.

#73 - The long slow end of tape

Backing up your data has always been a problematic issue. I'd estimate that every two weeks I deal with a customer that has lost data that hasn't been backed up. I had another one today to ask me to try and find a data file that disappeared. The bad issue is that they were backing up their My Documents folder to a CD. They weren't backing up the data of a particular program that does not save its info into My Documents. After 20 minutes of search I couldn't find the file and the bad news was in. Fortunately there were paper backups so the data could be restored but at a terrible cost in time.

What does backup have to do with tape? The first storage units for PC's were cassette tapes. The first dedicated backup up devices for hard drives were tape units. Its the early 80s and the Robert Palmer is Simply Irresistible! Its 20 years later and people are still using tape backup. Tape is my least favorite method of backup for several reasons. First tape is sequential. You have to start someplace and then move the tape. If you want to restore files that are on the other end of the tape you have to rewind or wind the tape to get to it. A slow and tedious process. Secondly, tape wears out fairly soon. The process of wind and rewind take a toll on the tape. It stretches after so many uses and then the data is poof, gone. So much for backup.

There are many alternatives to tape so I'm confused why people still use it. There are optical drives (CD/DVD), Flash Drives, External hard Drives and even hard drive cartridges (my favorite!). Costs are actually less for most of these technologies. Lets all say a fond farewell to tape backup and good riddance.

#72 - Open Source

Why pay for something when you can get it for "free". This is the American bargain hunters mantra. Find "free" stuff and abuse it! I think we all were taught as children the following quaint cliches: 'You pay for what you get', 'There is no free lunch', 'Pay me now or pay me later'

Each gets the point across of Caveat Emptor - Let the buyer beware. So having said that lets talk about free software. Two items: Operating systems and Office software are what using a computer is all about. Both are dominated by Microsoft with their Windows and MS Office products.(Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Access, Outlook) Both are expensive in the sense that they generally cost more then what we think is fair. PCSS makes a bit of money selling Microsoft products, but to be honest, not enough to make us completely loyal to the Bill Gate Money Machine.

There are alternatives to Microsoft products and, gasp!, they don't cost a penny. In the case of Operating Systems, the Linux open source product has been around almost as long as Windows. Many companies have tried to make some money off of Linux, but Microsoft has just plowed them under. If you are an experimenter in nature you might want to take that old Pentium III PC you have thought about throwing away and install Linux on for a try. Our favorite flavor of Linux is Ubunto http://www.ubuntu.com/. Ubunto contains a windows like version of Linux, a web browser, games and Open Office (we'll talk about it below). The only cost you have is your time and plan on a fair bit of that (couple of hours) to get your old PC up and running.

In the case of productivity suites (defined here as MS Office), there is the Sun Microsystems product called Open Office. Open Office has many of the MS Office products and is mostly compatible with them. Their equivalents are Writer=Word, Calc=Excel, Impress=PowerPoint, Data=Access. Open Office also contains Math and Draw components. The programs can open and write MS Office compatible files. They are different programs and don't have all the features and the features they do have in common aren't arranged in the same menu structure. Still the price is right ($0). Open Office is available for Windows, Linux and Mac! Here is there site: http://www.openoffice.org/.

So check out this "free" software and let us know what you think.