Surge Suppressors and Uninterruptible Power Supplies

This comes from Kim Komando's web site.

Many people think a $10 power strip is a surge suppressor, until later when they discover their error and it's too late.

Surge Suppressors and Uninterruptible Power Supplies

 

Copyright 2008 WestStar TalkRadio Network. Reprinted with permission. No further republication or redistribution is permitted without the written consent of WestStar TalkRadio Network. Visit Kim Komando and sign up for herfree e-mail newsletters at: www.komando.com

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

How to back up and to restore Outlook Express data

If you use Outlook Express, this is required reading. Microsoft has had this information posted on their web site for years now, and it is still valid and very important for you OE users.

Please, do yourself a favor and back up your OE mail, address book, and account settings by following the directions at this web site. After you've gotten through it once, it'll be easy for you to do the next time, and it's something you can do every 6 months to assure yourself that you'll not lose your e-mail due to some unforeseen problem.

The article not only tells you how to back all this very important information up, but also shows you how to restore it if/when you need to do that. I suggest printing the article and keeping it in a handy place in your desk for retrieval later.

How to back up and to restore Outlook Express data

Looking for a printer?

PC World has an article identifying their picks for the top 5 inkjet printers, and they are all affordable.

Top 5 Inkjet Printers

AVG

Grisoft has forums for us to look at to see what is happening with the new Version 8. Some of you have wondered why I recommend waiting a bit. It's easy to see why if you read the forums, as I do on your behalf each day. Be patient and look back here in a week or two for my final recommendation.

 AVG Free Forum

Windows XP Service Pack 3

XP SP3 is available starting today at Windows Update. It is NOT yet being downloaded through Automatic Updates - fortunately! :-) I went to the Windows Update web site and although they make it very difficult to say "Don't ask me to install these updates again", I managed to do so by starting the download and then NOT agreeing with the End User License Agreement (EULA). When I declined to agree, I got the old window that enabled me to check the box as shown below:

Since this is not being 'forced' on us through Automatic Updates - YET! - I wanted to see if I could block it, and as you can see I did just that. You can do the same or watch this site for further information. You can always block it even after it is downloaded as an Automatic Update.

AVG users

If you use AVG Free Edition Antivirus, as I do, you may have received a pop-up telling you that Version 8 is available now. Do NOT click on download and get into the situation where you have to buy a fee version.

Please read the press release linked to below.

Avg Version 8 also has a FREE version. For those of you who have gotten used to the older version 7 as I have, Version 8 is quite different, but still FREE!! In the next couple of weeks I will document here for all of you the steps you need to take to upgrade to the FREE Version 8. Please be patient and keep looking here for those instructions.

AVG Version 8 FREE Edition

Below is the warning screen you may receive. Just click on UPGRADE LATER.

Get more with Vista’s ‘secret’ features

For you Vista users out there, here is an article from Kim Komando's web site, http://komando.com. I found this on her web site today even though it has a February date.

Get more with Vista’s ‘secret’ features

A very unhappy birthday to spam, age 30

This article from the San Francisco Chronicle documents the history of spam and has some interesting tidbits about the history of the internet as well.

A very unhappy birthday to spam, age 30

Exporting your Outlook Express Address Book and then Importing it into your webmail account

It's funny how these things happen, but twice this week I have had customers ask for help in exporting their Outlook Express Address Book and then importing it into their servicer's webmail system. I have laid out the steps one needs to follow to do this, and hope it will prove helpful to others as well. Not all servicers will look alike when you go to do the import step, but perhaps with the example given (Time Warner) you will be able to figure yours out.

Webmail can be used when you are away from home and using someone else's computer, so it's very nice to have your complete address book available to you when operating in that mode. Webmail is also a backup system should you be experiencing problems with Outlook Express.

Exporting your Outlook Express Address Book and then Importing it into your webmail account

Burning CDs and DVDs

Most computers come with application software you can use to burn CDs and DVDs. You may or may not be a happy user of that software. More often than not I find that my customers are not happy with the software they have and in fact, they struggle with it every time they want to create a CD or DVD. Many have even given up and do not burn CDs or DVDs. This is too bad because these discs make excellent backup media, and backup of your data is very important.

I use and recommend a free CD & DVD burner called CDBurnerXP. In spite of its name, it also works in Vista. Not only is it free, but there are always new versions being introduced with enhanced features. All of this is still free. I just downloaded and installed the latest version today.

I think the program's routines are rather intuitive and easy to use. If you want to try this program, you can download it free at the link below.

 CDBurnerXP

8GB Flash Drive

A while ago I wrote here about my new 4GB Sandisk Micro Cruzer flash drive. I had purchased it at Costco for $28, a price that I thought was just terrific. These devices are getting less expensive, like so many other items in our electronic world as competition and breakthroughs in technology drive the prices down.

A few weeks ago I loaned my 4GB drive to a friend in need. I didn't expect to get it back and, in fact, told her she could keep it.

This weekend I went to Costco to replace it, but was disappointed to find that the product was no longer being carried by Costco, at least not in my local store. Much to my surprise, however, they had on display an 8GB Sandisk Micro Cruzer. The price: $48!

I have no real need for an 8GB capacity, but if I thought the 4GB drive was affordable, then this was even better, and I bought it. This is truly an amazing capacity at a great price, and I have no doubts that the capacity/price ratio for these devices will continue to improve.

I got home, went to the Sandisk web site and downloaded the U3 Removal Tool (see my April 17 post), and in less than a minute I had a full 8GB of flash memory available for my use.

I must read up on the new feature in Windows Vista that will use an empty flash drive as an extension of RAM. Lord knows that Vista can use all the help it can get in that regard, and it will be interesting to see if I observe any boost in speed.

Microsoft starts Vista SP1 auto delivery

Be forewarned. The promised rollout is apparently beginning. Microsoft has apparently worked out the kinks, but I am not impressed, nor am I sold on the value in SP1. I am going to pass.

You too can pass if you choose to do so. Check out the second half of my April 22 post on clues as to how to do this. What I wrote there was XP-oriented so the details will be different, but the high-level approach is the same: just tell Microsoft you don't want it now.

Microsoft starts Vista SP1 auto delivery

The 10 Best Compact Cameras

PC World lists their choices for the 10 best compact cameras in this article posted online today. Most people I know have lots of digital photos on their PCs, and some of us may be looking for a better camera. This article is probably best for the novice digital photographer, but also has some cameras that might be a good choice for the user with an older camera (like me) wanting to move up a notch.

The 10 Best Compact Cameras

Microsoft Internet Explorer Version 7

IE 7 as it is known is an integral part of Windows Vista. But if you are a Windows XP user and have Automatuic Updates enabled, as you should, you probably also have IE 7 installed on your system.

It was probably downloaded and installed in the last several months. I have seen several customers of mine experiencing problems since this happened, and backing out IE 7 and returning to IE 6 seems to have eliminated the problems.

This is an opinion of mine: IE 7 caused so many problems in Windows XP after it was downloaded through Automatic Updates, that Microsoft responded by making it easy to remove. Nice of them.

If you do have IE 7 and have experienced some strange problems since you got it, it may be time for you to get rid of it. I have personally uninstalled it on about 10 to 15 customer machines. You can tell you have it if the small blue 'e' icon, for Internet Explorer, has a gold band around it.

To uninstall it, use the Add or Remove Programs icon on the Control Panel (START/CONTROL PANEL). Look for Windows Internet Explorer 7 way down near the botton of the list and click on it once (highlight or select it) and then select Remove over on the right. You will be asked only one scary question when a window pops up and lists programs and you are informed that if these programs depend on IE 7 they may not work if you remove IE 7. Just click YES indicating you want to continue.

The rest of the uninstall is easy and fast, and when you are done you will have IE 6. Note that there is no longer a gold band around the 'e' icon.

IE 6 is nimbler than IE 7. It has less overhead and will appear to be faster. It is.

There is a bad news side to this story. Microsoft will try to install IE 7 again through Automatic Updates. So you have to take one more step.

Go to Windows Update (START/ALL PROGRAMS and look up on top of the list for Microsoft Update or Windows Update and click on it). If you have kept things up to date on your machine, you will then see an EXPRESS button and a CUSTOM button. Click on Custom and wait, and wait, and wait while Microsoft churns and churns and eventually brings up a list of the latest updates.

IE 7 will be included in the list of High Priority Updates. List the high priority updates (there may be none other than IE 7), click on the box with the checkmark in it (thus removing the checkmark)to the left of IE 7, and then as it expands, you will see a box you can check that indicates "Don't Show this update again". Click on that box thus inserting a checkmark in it. Then close IE 6.

That's it. You will not be bothered again about IE 7. The next thing to worry about is IE 8, coming down the pike pretty soon. Let's hope they don't make it an Automatic Update!

If you do have IE 7 and have been experiencing problems since it was installed, and would rather not go through the above procedure, give me a call. I can take care of this for you in about one hour.

Removing hard drive data — the YouTube way

Computerworld presents a humorous look at the popular question of what to do with the hard drive from your old computer. Click on the links provided under each photo and then view Computerworld's own technique at the bottom of the article.

Removing hard drive data -- the YouTube way

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

Running Spybot Search & Destroy

Spybot is one of those free tools that I use regularly (once a week) on my PC. I covered this tool in my Best Offense is a Good Defense white paper. For those of you who already have Spybot S&D Version 1.5 or later installed on your machines, I have documented the steps to take to run it in today's link. If you have an older version (like 1.4), these steps are different than what you may be used to.

I run Spybot and then always delete everything it finds. I have never been hurt doing this. I hope you will find this documentation helpful.

How to run Spybot Version 1.5 and later