Used laptops needed

Over the past few months I became aware of a need at the Ronald McDonald House (RMH). Some of the people staying there had a need for laptop computers. These people were from out of state, had come here not knowing how long they would be here, but did not plan or pack for a long stay. They had brought their school-aged children with them. They had a need for laptop computing so that they could update family and friends at home, and they needed to do this both at the RMH and also at the hospital. Also, their kids needed to keep up with the classes they were missing and could get homework assignments and turn in their work via a computer. In one case, a student connected via a camera and Skype to her own classroom back home. They needed to have wireless capability so they could login wherever they might be within the RMH or the hospital. The net is that I loaned them 2 of my laptops.

I got to thinking that there are probably others in the area with similar needs who could make good use of a wireless capable laptop PC, and not just the people at the RMH. So I have started a campaign asking people who may have their last laptop sitting around the house gathering dust to consider donating it to this cause. I will try to put together a few working computers that I could lend to people in need through non-profit organizations like the RMH.

It'd be great to get one or two or three Windows XP capable machines, but so far I have only gotten older machines from which I can gather usable parts for another PC. If you have such a laptop that you no longer need, even if it has a bad part or two (remember, I can get parts from other machines), please consider donating it to the cause.

I will offer my services to get the machines up and running, and to keep them running smoothly and efficiently by cleaning them up between users.

Please get in touch with me via the Contact the PC Doc link over on the right side of this display. Thank you.

Sandisk Flash Drive Annoyance

I recently bought a Sandisk Flash Drive and was disappointed to find that Sandisk had decided to load some proprietary software on it to make it easier to use! Well, I did not find their U3 Launchpad user-friendly. I was rather annoyed that it could not be gotten rid of easily, but a Google search led me to the Sandisk web site where they have, lo and behold, a U3 Removal Tool! If you experience this U3 software on one of the Sandisk products, you can download this simple and fast tool to get rid of it at this web site.

Sandisk U3 Removal Tool

Windows XP SP3

Service Pack 3 for Windows XP is expected to be available at the end of this month. As usual, my recommendation on an update as important as this one is to wait a while before installing it on your machines. I have read that it will not be considered a high priority update, initially at least, and therefore not an Automatic Update. This is good news. The date for that will likely be in June or later, depending on the level of noise generated by those who choose to download it as an option before then.

I will install SP3 on my machine in mid-May and will report back here on my experience, so stay tuned. Also, I will alert readers about the exact date SP3 will become an automatic update. You should know that just because an update is Automatic this does not mean you must get it. There are ways you can indicate that you don't want certain updates. More in a later post on this.

Web Cams

It's fun to look at some of the many web cams available today, but one of my favorites is the Dartmouth Baker Tower Web Cam. I am glad to say that all of the snow has finally melted away and the grass is now getting greener by the day.

Dartmouth Baker Tower Web Cam