Sunday morning coffee – Happy New Year 2010

January 3rd, 2010

Tips to starting out the new year right.  Questions to ponder and tips for being prepared in the new year.

1.  If your computer were to fail today are you ready?

Your computer may have come with “recovery disc’s” or you were required to make your own.  Can you put your hands on those cd’s to rebuild your computer?  Did you make the recovery discs?

If not make them today.

The software you have installed on your computer, do you have the discs for those? MS Office, Quicken etc.  If you downloaded the install file from the internet did you burn the install files to a disc for backup?

2.  Do you have a notebook for your user names and passwords in a safe spot?  Sometimes we have a user name and password for a product registration and may only need to access it if we upgrade or re-install, keep them in handy.

3.  What about your files (Word documents, spreadsheets, quicken files) and pictures?   When was the last time you backed up those items?  Are the current Christmas pictures in a safe place?  Both Office Depot and Staples have CD-R’s and DVD-R disc’s on sale this week.  Buy a stack of 100 and back up those files.  Or better yet go to www.carbonite.com and set up an online back up system.

4.  Take an inventory of your computer, print and file away for just in case.  Go to www.belarc.com and download their free computer inventory program (free for personal use, not business).  The inventory will include the type of video card, network card, hard drives, printers, license key numbers and other valuable information a computer tech will need to rebuild your system in case of a crash.

Be prepared in case of a crash.  Our lives have become tied to our computers, don’t get caught off guard.

Make it a Great Year!!!

Mark

mark@usacomputersolutions.com

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Sunday Morning Coffee – Understanding Backup/External Hard Drives

December 21st, 2009

Good morning,

This week in the ads I see external hard drives abound.  A conversation with a customer this week I want to share some information and understanding about “Backup” or what we in the industry call “Disaster Recovery”.

What is a backup?  A backup is having 2 or more copies of a file on 2 or more devices. These devices can be an external hard drive, making a copy on a CD or DVD, by burning it, or using a service like www.carbonite.com.  Understand one thing the hard drive in your computer and the external hard drive you buy WILL fail at some point.  It could be years off, months off or days off, but at some point it will fail.  The question is when it does, did you make a copy of it somewhere, not on the failed device?

If you purchase an external hard drive for more room to store files, understand if that is your only copy then you will lose it when the drive fails.

Not everyone is a IT person, but with our lives tied to the digital lifeline we have to be conscious of it so it does not ruin memories.

Merry Christmas to All.

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Sunday morning coffee – December 13, 2009

December 13th, 2009

Good morning, today’s sales theme are about the same as other weeks, digital cameras and computers, so let me help with some confusion.

On digital cameras check out CNET’s Digital Camera Buying guide, just published this month.  The ads contain many options.

A unique gift: How about a personal GPS device to get you back to your car?  Look at the Bushnell Back Track Personal Location Finder GPS. Best Buy is advertising this for $44.99.  How does it work?  Let’s say you go to the mall, when you park your car you set the way point of your location.  After an hour of walking the mall and getting confused inside, you need to remember where you parked.  When you walk outside, you select your way point and it directs you to the location.  Hikers or campers, when you leave your campsite or car set the way point.  You will always know which direction to go to get back to the car or campsite.

If you have questions about a technical product you are considering send them to mark@usacomputersolutions.com.

Make it a great Sunday, only 10 days til Christmas.

http://www.noradsanta.org/

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Backing Up a Windows Mobile Smart Phone

December 9th, 2009

This week is I found a Microsoft utility for my HTC Touch Pro Sprint phone.  The phone runs Windows Mobile 6.0, there was a software update that needed to be done.  However, the upgrade would have wiped out all of my contacts and text messages and other information.  Since I am not using the Outlook feature on the phone Active Sync would not work.  I found this website Http://myphone.microsoft.com.  A quick download, install and SYNC and all of my contacts and text messages were saved on line.  You do need a hotmail, live or msn account, which is free.

Other features I like are the sync can be immediate or scheduled, I have scheduled my for an evening sync.  It also has the ability to erase your contacts and such if you lose your phone or if it is stolen.  It will also give you a GPS location of where your phone last sync’d if you turn that feature on.

After my sync, I checked the website and saw my information.  I upgraded my phone and then did a restore sync for my contacts. Back in business.  I did lose the logs of previous calls, but the contacts were more important at the time.

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Sunday Morning Coffee Nov 29, 2009

November 29th, 2009

Good morning, this Sunday morning my choice for discussion is the Staples advertisement in the paper.  4 Items are worth looking at if you are in the market for them.

Desktop PC – 2 of them

1. Staples has a system with a 21.5 in monitor for 599.98 after rebates.  It is a HP  with 6 GB RAM 640 GB hard drive Windows 7 64-bit

2. They also have a HP with out the monitor, but with a bigger hard drive 750GB and more RAM 8GB, with windows 7 64 bit for 599.98 (no rebate) regularly 699.98.  Comparing this to other stores in the ads, this one had a faster processor then the others advertised for 40-50 dollars less.

3rd item – For today and tomorrow only Staples has Microsoft office 2007 Home and Student version on sale for $69.99 ($80 off retail).  This has MS Excel, MS Word, and MS Powerpoint.

and finally for those who need to upgrade their virus protection and you don’t want to try AVG free version, they have Norton Antivirus for $9.99 today and tomorrow only.

Have a great Sunday, just 25 days til Christmas.

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Are your family pictures safe? Back Up Your Files

November 24th, 2009

When I was growing up, I remember large 12” x 12” photo albums sitting on the top shelf. They weighed a ton. When you took them down, you handled them with care. They were kept up high because they were in the basement and our basement had flooded one time. If they had been lower, they might have been destroyed. And a fire or other act of nature would also ruined them. Today most people have only a few albums. With the digital camera, folks can take hundreds of useless pictures just to capture the ONE picture, they might want to print. The “useless” pictures though are just as valuable, because they record a precious moment or event we might want to share later.

Are you ready for a disaster?

Have you backed up your irreplaceable pictures, your important documents, or your 6 years of emails?

If your computer “crashed” right now, will you panic or just be frustrated? 3 ways to back your items up:

1. CD or DVD burnable discs – Burning files to a disc is one option. However, if you have several Gigabytes of information, this is a long and cumbersome process.

2. External hard drive – External hard drives have dropped dramatically in price. You can purchase 1-TB for about $120 – this is enough for pictures, videos, and documents.

3. Online service – I highly recommend this no-brainer approach. Go to: www.carbonite.com and sign up for unlimited online backup for only $55 per year. Every night, the system will back up all of your daily activities. Should your computer crash, be stolen, or damaged, your files will be just a restore process away. ( I don’t benefit from this purchase.)*** Note: By default Video files are not backed up to carbonite, you will need to select those files individually.

4. And, even if none of the above occurs, think of the ease of information transfer when you buy a new machine.

CHOOSE YOUR METHOD AND — DO IT NOW!! One thing is certain, your COMPUTER WILL CRASH or NEED TO BE REPLACED. The question is when? Are you ready for it?

PLEASE NOTE: A USB Thumb Drive IS NOT A BACKUP DEVICE!!

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Sunday morning coffee -Netbook-SLR Digital Camera

November 22nd, 2009

The purpose of “Sunday morning coffee” is to write about products I see in my Detroit News/Free Press advertisements.  I will not be writing about all of the products, but something that may catch my eye.

The product this morning is from Radio Shack, they have a Gateway 10.1″ Netbook, windows xp home, 1GB ram, 160Gb hard drive for $229.  They say it is a “Pre-Thanksgiving Sale”

Office Depot is advertising a Canon EOS Rebel XS SLP digital camera with a 75-300mm lens for 669.98 in a bundled package.  Looks like SLR’s are coming down in price final.  What’s a SLR digital camera?  The SLR’s are the digital version of the 35mm camera’s 10 years ago with interchangeable lens .  They have been around a long time in a digital form, but they have been expensive.  Many opted for the smaller digital camera’s, but now the price for these are coming down.

Make it a great week and happy thanksgiving.

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What’s a Netbook? Is It Right For You ? Thinking About Getting One ?

November 21st, 2009

NETBOOK is a new product that hit the market this year.  It is, simply, a small laptop computer – OR – an oversized PDA, depending on how you look at its use.  Companies like Acer, Dell, and HP have versions of this new device.  Verizon Wireless advertises Netbooks for $199, with a contract agreement and the purchase of their web service, which allows internet connection from just about anywhere in the Country.

The purpose of this device is to give the consumer or “road warrior” a compact laptop internet option, while on the move.   It is lightweight, starts fast, and is wireless.  You can check your web- based email (yahoo, gmail, or company webmail), update social network sites, shop, get maps, or read the news.  It is also meant to write letters and do what a full-size laptop or desktop can do, but without the bulk.  The Netbook is NOT designed to store files – its purpose is to access the web.

Have you heard of “Cloud Computing” –  that is what these little laptops do — access your information via web sites.

What You Need To Know About Netbooks?

  • They come in 8 to 10 inch sizes.  They do not come with a cd-rom drive.  Think of your “hand-size” when determining which one to buy.  The keyboard is small and comfort should be a consideration.  I recommend that you make an in-person visit to a retailer and see how the NETBOOK actually feels in your hand.
  • They come with (up to) a 16GB Solid State Drive or 160GB Hard Drive.  Obviously, the solid state drive has limited storage;  if you plan  to just access the web, then it is a good option with plenty of space.  If you are “road warrior” and you need space for some files, presentations, or music, then you may need more.
  • Operating system options include Linux, Windows XP, or now Windows 7 Starter.  If you are looking for a Netbook for this holiday season, I suggest the Windows XP version, with 1GB of RAM since little is known about Windows 7 Starter and its need for resources.  Why not Linux?  Because you probably have no experience using it.  You will be able to surf the web, but the rest of the functions will be new to you.    You already know Windows – stick with what is familiar.

IMPOTANT:   Any files you have saved on the Netbook should be copied onto another PC – a Netbook should not be considered a replacement for a home, office, or larger laptop computer.

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Windows 7 has arrived . . .

November 21st, 2009

Christmas is here and sales will soon begin.  Microsoft Windows 7 has been released.  Do you need to do anything?  ANSWER:  Only if you are purchasing a new PC this Holiday Season.

Some quick tips !!

FIRST, let’s look at history:  How did Windows Vista earn such a bad reputation?  It is  my opinion that this operating system was doomed, causing many consumer frustrations, because of the lack of resources on the computers which were running Vista.

In the memory or RAM department, when Vista was launched, Microsoft claimed it would run fine on 512 MB of RAM and up.  However in the “Real World” that was a gross underestimation.  My experience has been that Vista 32-Bit version will not run well unless the computer has at least 3-4 GB of Ram (memory).  Vista 64-bit should have at least 6 GB of RAM (memory) to run efficiently.

Why did Microsoft do this?  When they release a new operating system, the goal is to push it out to the consumer as fast and as inexpensively as possible.  Regarding price, something always has to give and  a decision was made to short hardware resources to reach the desired price point.  A quick review of a local computer superstore shows Windows 7 is also without the proper hardware resources which will likely cause bad consumer experiences when the system does not operate as smoothly as advertised.

What do you need to know when shopping for a new computer or laptop?   In short, RAM and  the version of Windows.

What’s the difference in 32-Bit and 64-Bit Windows?  The amount of RAM (memory) the computer is capable of handling and using.  64-Bit is capable of using 8GB of RAM maximum and 32-Bit is 4GB.

  1. The version of Windows 7 –  Is  it 32-bit or 64-bit? How will you know? If it is 64-bit, the ad you read will tell you; if there is no mention of the bit, then it is 32.
  2. For Windows 7, 32-bit systems — RAM should be at least 4GB.  Do not compromise on this resource but, do not let the ad scare you away from the deal.  If the ad says 2GB or 3GB and the price of the system is good. then how much it will cost to install more RAM.  The price for extra RAM will range from $25 to $125, depending on how much you need to get to 4GB.  You do not need a larger system, you simply need to add more RAM.  If you are told the system you are buying is not “expandable” to 4GB of RAM –  FIND ANOTHER SYSTEM.
  3. For Windows 7, 64-Bit systems — RAM should be no less than 6GB. Again, if the ad does not show enough RAM, ask the cost of installing more.  I saw one ad  presenting a Windows 7, 64-Bit system on a laptop, with 2GB of RAM (expandable up to 4GB).  Look at another system. The system cannot grow over time with 64-bit.  Go for a 32-Bit system instead.

Will sales people attempt to persuade you with different information?  Probably!   Remember, their motivation is to close the sale.

My motivation is to give you the benefit of lots of first-hand experience in the market place.  Requirements listed on the products are often too low.  The software will work.  But How Well Is the question !!

Don’t be frustrated with your new computer – BUY RIGHT THE FIRST TIME.

** This information does not apply to “netbooks”.  Please see the next article.

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IT ITERATIONS

November 21st, 2009

November 2009 Newsletter

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Posted in Mailings, Netbooks, Windows 7 | Comments Off