Tip of the day: Move the My Documents folder - an oldie but a goodie

A customer asked how to move her MY DOCUMENTS in Windows XP to an external hard drive. It seems her C: drive was getting rather full, and she had aleady bought a large external drive.

I thought I had blogged on this. It is something I have done. I can't, however, find the blog post, so I am blogging it here today for those of you who may wish to do the same thing. This blogger offering I am using is from Google. Google bought blogger.com some time ago. Would't you think therefore that there'd be a good way to search my (or any other) blog? I guess Google doesn't see the payback in improving the search facility, which is practically useless.

In any case, if you would lie to move your XP MY DOCUMENTS, it's very straightforward. It may take a while if you have a lot of documents because they all have to be moved!

Use this link for the show me instructions: Tip of the day: Move the My Documents folder

A "thank you" and a tip of the hat to Ed Bott for having posted this on his blog.

Securing Your PC - Revisited

Protecting your computer from attack by viruses, rogues, malware or spyware is not rocket science. I promised I would re-post this information in response to several inquiries. On March 9 of this year, I posted all of the components I use to combat the bad guys and to keep my machines running smoothly.

Here is the link to that post:  http://pcdocsblog.blogspot.com/2009/03/securing-your-pc.html


I have been experimenting lately with Microsoft Security Essentials (MSE) as an alternative to AVG Free. I have expressed my disappointment with AVG's marketing techniques in this blog, so I have no problem leaving them behind. If you are using AVG Free and feel the way I do about them, you can try MSE as well. Simply go to microsoft.com and download it there. It is free!

In answer to other questioners, YES, using a HOSTS file is an integral part of a good security package. The one I recommend is considered the best by many people, including me.

All of the software on my March 9 list is free.

My new MacBook Pro 17"

So what I did last night was finally bit the bullet and got myself a Mac. Quite a few of my PC customers have switched, and even I had recommended to several that they consider a Mac. I have heard so much good about them, and I wanted to be in a position where I could begin servicing them. Heretofore I have just responded "sorry" when asked if I could help with a Mac problem.

I bought a new MacBook Pro with a 17" screen. For those of you not familiar with the Apple product line, this is a laptop. Here are its specs:

• 2.8GHz Intel Core 2 Duo
• 4GB 1066MHz DDR3 SDRAM - 2X2GB
• 500GB Serial ATA Drive @ 5400 rpm
• SuperDrive 8x (DVD±R DL/DVD±RW/CD-RW)
• MacBook Pro 17-inch Hi-Resolution Glossy Widescreen Display
• None
• Backlit Keyboard (English) / User's Guide

It is really a slick machine. I played with one at the Apple Store in Natick, MA before making my decision to buy. I always recommend getting hands-on before making your decision.

I still balk at the price. One of my sons replied that you could buy 5 Corollas for the price of a Mercedes! :-) Hmm.... For sometime I will be wondering if I did the right thing.

The Apple Store

Tonight I visited the Apple Store at the Natick (MA) Collection (Mall). Tomorrow, when I am sober (just kidding) I will tell you about my experience and what I did.

Shock

One of my laptops took quite a shock today when I dropped it. It was on a chair and had power cord attached. I lifted it up by the top of the open display with one hand. I inadvertently stepped on the power cord and that caused me to lose my grip on the laptop. I was really concerned. I have seen laptops get destroyed with lesser shocks, but this one survived and seems to be running well.

So thank you Acer. This TravelMate 4220 was my first Acer, and we now have 3. It was a risk when I bought it. It was one of the less expensive machines, and I figured that I, with my PC expertise, would be able to keep it running, and I have. However, I never expected to ever drop it, and I wouldn't have expected it to survive the shock it has apparently absorbed. So Acer, thanks again, and a tip of the hat!

MSE

Microsoft Security Essentials, that is. A while back I said that I had installed it on my Windows 7 machine as an experiment. It was very easy to install and so far seems trouble-free. I have also installed it on a customer's Vista machine, and likewise, a very easy install and seems to run well and SEEMS to do the job. I capitalized the word seems because I don't feel that I have enough experience to recommend it to anyone - yet.

So if you have been waiting for my comments on this product, I'd ask you to wait for a more definitive recommendation down the road a piece. If on the other hand you are anxious to try it out and ready to do so, I would not discourage you. As a security package, it has these things going for it: it is easy to install, it does in fact keep itself up-to-date, it seems to have less overhead than say Norton or McAfee, and it is free!

FBI: Rogue antivirus scammers have made $150M

Quite a few of you know what that subject is all about. I have spent many hours in 2009 working on your PCs that had become infected with one of the so-called "rogue programs", and I thank you for your business. I have developed a formula for ridding systems of these rogues, and so far the routine I use has worked 100%. Here is a surprise for you: all I use are the programs listed in my recommended security suite. Tomorrow I will repeat that list of programs that I recommend in another blog post.

In the meantime, I highly recommend this Computerworld.com article. Please take a few minutes to read it. Between this article and tomorrow's post, you have the opportunity to avoid these rogues and save yourself an emergency call to your PCDoc.

http://www.computerworld.com/s/article/9142160/FBI_Rogue_antivirus_scammers_have_made_150M

Backing up your data

I have been preaching data backup forever, it seems. Still,  I have customers who do not back up their data and risk losing some or all of it.

Yesterday a customer asked me about a subscription service which, for a modest annual fee, will automaticaly back up all of your data on an ongoing basis. When you start with them, they will take a day or week or longer, whatever it takes, to backup all of your data over your high speed internet connection. They will do it gradually if you permit them, so that your system will not be down or extra slow while they do this backup. Thereafter they will do incremental backups, meaning they will back up your data that has been updated or added since the last backup. They will store your data in an encrypted format at some remote location of theirs. As far as I am concerned, this is all goodness. Having your data backed up and stored elsewhere at a reasonable cost is a good thing.

If you elect to go this route, you must also take the responsibility to make sure that all of your data is backed up. The emphasis there is on the word ALL. I had one customer who subscribed to a service like this, thought all of their data was being backed up, and when the you know what hit the fan, they found out that all of their 2008 business financial data had not been backed up. They were able to manually recreate the files by entering all of the data from paper back into the computer. They were lucky. At least they could recreate the data. You may not be so lucky, so be sure if you go this route that you are completely covered.

I do not recommend one of these backup services over another because I have no experience with any of them. Conceptually this sounds like a good deal.

My preference is to be in control and not spend money if I don't have to. You can read more about how I manage my backups at this earlier blog post: http://pcdocsblog.blogspot.com/2009/06/backing-up-your-data.html

Microsoft's Malicious Software Removal Tool (MSRT)

I am a member of AAA. I believe it is inexpensive smart insurance for my wife and me. In October I had a flat tire on my truck and it took a cell phone call and a 45 minute wait to get my flat tire removed and my spare tire installed and I was ready to go. That one call was financial justification enough for me to renew my membership.

When it comes to our computers, I feel the same way. I don't like paying for software, and rarely do I need to do that. A case in point of affordable insurance is Microsoft's MSRT. The price is right. It's free! Microsoft updates this program every month in an effort to keep its customers' PCs running trouble-free. It is distributed with your Automatic Updates. So why do I write about it here?

The answer is this. I just downloaded all of this Tuesday's updates and noticed that the December version of MSRT was included. However, I do not believe that the MSRT, when downloaded thru Automatic Updates does a full scan. I say this because every month I also download MSRT manually and run a Full Scan, and it takes several hours to run! So I suspect, but am really not sure, that the automatic download and install of MSRT  runs only a Quick Scan.

I like to download the tool monthly and let it run a Full Scan. I start this when I can let it run the full scan, maybe at bedtime or when I am headed out the door for a few hours. To me this is high quality and cheap insurance, and it makes sense to me to do this.

You can click on that image above to enlarge it.

The MSRT can be downloaded at http://www.microsoft.com/security/malwareremove/default.aspx. Go to this site and click on "Skip the details and download the tool". 

Apple customer collates 27-in. iMac display problems

Hmmmm.......  On second thought.........

Flickering, shattered screens lead iMac gripes, says data culled from Apple support forum

From Computerworld.com: 

http://www.computerworld.com/s/article/9141894/Apple_customer_collates_27_in._iMac_display_problems

Mixed Bag

I am sitting here working on 3 different laptops, two of them mine! One is running good old Windows XP, a second is running Windows Vista (a customer machine), and the third is running Windows 7.

I still am not a Vista fan, and again I encourage those of you who run Vista to download and run the Microsoft Windows 7 Upgrade Advisor. It's a free utility, and you can get it here: http://www.microsoft.com/windows/windows-7/get/upgrade-advisor.aspx. See how compatible your computer would be with Windows 7. If you pass the test, then I strongly urge you to watch for sales on Windows 7 Home Premium Upgrade. My experience in doing that upgrade is that I shall not look back, and I really like Windows 7 a lot. Oh, and if possible, add 2GB of RAM to your machine first, although mine is running very well (better than it did when it was Vista) in just 2GB of RAM total.

I am not quite ready to upgrade my Windows XP machines, as I did my Vista laptop. I have a lot invested in my XP machines, in terms of applications installed and XP performance. In short, I see no need to upgrade my XP machines, although someday I probably will.

If you have questions about any of this, please comment on this post (click on Comments below) or write me.

Another chance to recycle used computers for Vermonters

Free computer drop-off at new Goodwill store in South Burlington

Cleaning out your closets? Got an old, dusty computer to get rid of? Bring it all down to the new Goodwill store opening Friday, December 11, at 1080 Shelburne Road (on the site of the former Tuscan Kitchen). They'll take it all for free--including the computers! Regular hours are Monday-Saturday 9-9, Sunday 9-7.

The building itself is constructed partially from reused materials salvaged from the former Tuscan Kitchen building, embodying Goodwill's own mission for keeping usable goods in use. It is on track for Energy Star certification with energy efficient heating, air-conditioning, and insulation features. Best of all, their drive-through donation zone makes it a breeze to drop off your lava lamp, broken-in jeans, and that faithful, old Commodore computer!

The new store is in addition to the existing Goodwill location at 329 Harvest Lane in Williston, which also accepts computer equipment for free.

Refurbished and Clearance Apple Items

I think I have posted more than once that I would love to get into and learn the Apple family of, I'm not even sure what term to use, Macs. I am not sure if the term Macs includes all of their "PCs", but that is what I mean for it to indicate. Apple does have a web site where they sell refurbished machines, and there doesn't seem to be a lack of good machines available here:

http://store.apple.com/us/browse/home/specialdeals

There are also a lot of refurbished iPods at this site.

Hackers quick to exploit Tiger Woods crash

Interesting. Be wary of such sites. This comes from cbronline.com:

Cyber criminals are already exploiting the car crash involving golf superstar Tiger Woods by directing news-hungry surfers to malware-infested websites.

Both Symantec and Sophos have warned users to be on their guard when searching for news relating to the crash, which happened in the early hours of Friday morning at his home near Orlando, Florida.

Sophos has claimed that by early Saturday morning hackers had created webpages claiming to contain video footage related to the incident. Users visiting the infected sites are likely to see their PCs infected by a Trojan horse, which enablers hackers to use the PC to spread spam.

More on Windows 7

Windows 7 continues to impress. A real unexpected bonus is improved performance on this Acer laptop of mine. Even though I had dressed Vista down, using tips to make it more like XP, it was still quite slow. It now has new life, thanks to Windows 7, and is performing much better. I did not expect this at all, and have been pleasantly surprised.

If you are thinking of getting a new PC for Christmas, don't hesitate because of Windows 7. I am quite sure you will not be disappointed.

Like any new PC, it will need some customization, but this is not the fault of Windows 7 as much as it is the manufacturer's desire to generate a little more income by loading up your new PC with trialware and unnecessary programs.

Happy Thanksgiving!

I hope you and yours have a very happy day. Thank you for reading my blog.

Christmas Dreaming

I have to say, after only 2 days, that I still like Windows 7 a lot. Microsoft has done some good things with this new product. I just hope it's stable and I hope that its Security Essentials is high quality and keeps the Windows 7 machines well-protected. It would be nice to have a stable Windows environment, pretty much free of worry about being attacked by the bad guys out there. It does get a little tiring having to worry about installing and maintaining a plethora of programs just to keep my Windows XP machines clean and running smoothly. What say you, Microsoft? More on this as I gain experience with Windows 7.

I can't get my mind, however, off of that 27 inch iMac! While it wouldn't quite fit into a Christmas stocking, it sure would look nice under the tree! But, as indicated earlier, the way I configured "mine", it came in at $3200, so I guess it will remain a dream!

Windows 7 - at last!

I finally have Windows 7 installed. Instead of building up an old desktop to use for this, I sacrificed my Vista laptop. I ran out of patience, and using the Vista laptop was the easiest way to get the job done. Besides, I don't foresee a need to have a working Vista system anymore. I have worked on enough Vista systems to know that I can handle Vista problems without having my own system.

So, on to Windows 7. I never was able to use the first DVD that Amazon sent me, and they sent me a replacement set. Windows 7 comes with a 32 bit version DVD and a 64 bit version DVD. My laptop had the 32 bit version of Vista installed, and everything I have read told me that the 64 bit version is unnecessary at this time because there are so few programs that will take advantage of the technology. The 32 bit version is recommended.

So I tried, but failed. The installation did not at all go the way it was supposed to go. I could not get the 32 bit version installed, and mind you, all I wanted was a CLEAN install, meaning all I wanted to do was lay the new system down on the drive overwriting my old system and destroying all of the data. I did not want tp upgrade my Vista to Windows 7. This latter install is the toughest, I have read, and a CLEAN install is recommended whenever possible.

I then decided to try the 64 bit DVD, and, to my surprise, I was able to get through the install, although not terribly smoothly. There were problems along the way, but I somehow managed to get through it.

Then, and this comes as no surprise, I had to sit through hours of Windows Updates. The DVD set was dated, as I recall, July 2009. Microsoft has been very busy patching Windows 7 since then, and there were tens, maybe even a hundred, updates to apply. Then I had to install Microsoft Office 2007, and it too had many, many updates, some quite time-consuming.

This is the Microsoft way, isn't it? It always has been and probably always will be.

Eventually I had all of the fixes applied, and thought I would try the new Microsoft Security Essentials. I had promised in an earlier blog post that I would give it a try. Supposedly, this one free package will do it all, anti-virus and spyware. The download and install of this package went very smoothly and quickly. Can it be that Microsoft has done this one thing right? I sure hope so.

So there you have it. I have to admit that I LIKE Windows 7. This may surprise some of you after what I have written above. I can and will recommend Windows 7. Microsoft has done a very good job at improving what they had in Vista. They may even have listened to users!

I can recommend Windows 7 to you now mostly because I know you will most likely be buying a new computer that already has Windows 7 installed on it. It is a very nice and user-friendlier interface. I simply can't recommend the upgrade from Vista to Windows 7. I am glad I have gone through it, but I had so many problems that it was painful, and to be honest, I don't even know if the 64 bit version I had to install will run well with the software I want to run. Time will tell.

Bottom line: Windows 7 is a very good product. Make sure your next computer has it. I think you will like it a lot, especially when compared to Vista.

Micro Center

Have you ever heard of the Micro Center? Living a sheltered life as we do in Northern New England, we don't get much exposure to places like this. Micro Center is a chain of 22 stores, and the nearest one to us is in Cambridge, MA. Spending some time in the Boston area as I have lately, one of my sons put me on to this store.

If you are into PCs or Macs (they sell both, and supplies and accessories for both), you may love this store. It is really amazing. Limited as we are up here to Staples and Best Buy plus some other outlets like Radio Shack and maybe BJs or Costco or Sam's Club, this was like entering candyland for me!

I recommend you check it out online and if in the Cambridge area, stop in to see it. It's right on Memorial Drive along the Charles.

http://www.microcenter.com/at_the_stores/cambridge.html

Google rides Chrome OS onto Microsoft turf

In case you haven't heard, Google is planning an operating system, in diect competition with Microsoft. Some of you have tried Google's Chrome web browser, but this takes it further into a full-blown operating system, browser-based. So while we all struggle with having to learn Windows 7, or how to keep our good old Windows XP machines running, or with the Apple vs. PC makers, Google is plodding along with development of their own operating system. It is expected that general availability of the new Chrome OS will be a year from now (in time for Christmas 2010?). In the meantime, we will all be reading about early versions of the Chrome OS. Here is one, for those of you who may be interested, from Computerworld.com.

Google's Chrome OS