HelpMeRick.com - Computer help for beginners - Castellini on Computers » Internet Tips

FBI warning of possible Internet problem in July

Rick — Mon, 23 Apr 2012 04:11:10 +0000

This weekend, my local newspaper ran a story similar to this one at PC Magazine. It outlined (in usual newspaper sensationalism fashion) that “thousands of computer users could lose Internet in July”. I call it sensational because the headline alone (which I’m suspecting is all many people read) has two words that should calm people down a [...]

How to create a photo book using Shutterfly.com – Video Tip

Rick — Wed, 11 Apr 2012 15:55:47 +0000

Digital photography allows us to take thousands of photos, but they don’t do much good if they stay on your computer and you never get to share or enjoy them. For sharing, nothing beats printing. And I highly suggest you do NOT print your own photos at home unless you have two things: 1) an [...]

Listen to music online customized for your tastes…for FREE.

Rick — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 14:53:43 +0000

This past week I learned about an incredibly convenient and useful web site that allows you to listen to unlimited online music for free. The site is Pandora Radio. Sure there are other web sites and radio stations that let you do the same thing, but this one also customizes your station based on your musical tastes...for free...and without commercials.

5 Steps to Using Online Financial Sites Safely

Rick — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 20:48:29 +0000

Every year computer users using the Internet to check account balances, transactions, and even paying bills grows by nearly 30%. According to one Pew study, more than 50 million Americans use online banking services. 50 million sounds like a large number, but that still reflects less than 50% of online American adults. Bank web sites continue to evolve by becoming easier to use, more secure, and more helpful than ever before. In fact, many banks rather that their customers check their web site for answers rather than call or visit a branch. However, many people shy away from online banking because of security fears. I?m going to outline, for you, five simple steps that you can take to keep yourself and your finances safe on the Internet.

Web surfing 101…again

Rick — Sat, 17 Dec 2011 22:08:00 +0000

Catching up on my reading, I ran across yet another article outlining how easily unsuspecting web users can be duped into infecting their machines and voluntarily giving up their own hard earned money. You MUST read this article, IF you want to keep yourself, your wallet, and your computer safe. Wired published the article I [...]

How to correct Send Later issue in Thunderbird – Notes

Rick — Sat, 10 Dec 2011 17:03:56 +0000

A client recently emailed me that he had a problem with his Thunderbird showing the Send Later icon vs. Send icon when composing mail. This is due to Thunderbird being accidentally set to Offline mode. Here’s how to correct it: On the main opening screen of Thunderbird, Click File from the menus Click Offline UNCHECK [...]

How to print stuff from the web the way YOU want it – Notes

Rick — Thu, 17 Nov 2011 20:15:43 +0000

I created these notes for a client today who visits many sites with text that prints small. She knows how to make the screen text larger, and I referred to the tips (below) about printing from the web, but sometimes good ol’ copy and paste is necessary to truly get the look you want on [...]

Notes from a session with a MacBook user

Rick — Thu, 10 Nov 2011 14:08:24 +0000

These notes were created while sitting with a customer who uses a MacBook and was learning how to use his Gmail account. You can find all of these tips in my other Gmail tips, but here’s what I left for him. Here is a PDF Version of Gmail Notes pictured. Related posts: Printing from Gmail – [...]

5 Reasons why YOU should be moving to the cloud

Rick — Wed, 09 Nov 2011 16:38:56 +0000

Over the past two or there years, I have written many articles about Web 2.0 or cloud computing. Cloud computing means that you work with programs and/or data that are not installed or saved on your computer. Instead, the programs and/or data live on an Internet connected computer (server) somewhere else in the world. These computers provide security via the password and user name that you choose. Five reason come immediately to mind on why you should start moving your data and computing power to the cloud.

1. Although more powerful than ever before, computers have become more unreliable than ever.

In particular, Windows computers require more expertise to keep them safe, updated, and problem free than at any time in the short history of home computers. Macintosh and Linux operating systems certainly require less technical expertise from the security standpoint, but still rely on desktop applications to create, save and edit data. Web based (cloud) applications provide plenty of power and flexibility for the vast majority of computer users while also presenting a simpler interface.

2. You already spend 90% of your time in the cloud already.

Non-business computer users spend the majority of their computer time

Four pages of notes for a Yahoo Mail User – Notes

Rick — Sat, 29 Oct 2011 01:43:01 +0000

One of my client’s today runs a home business and has a need to send links via her Yahoo email account. I set up a Links folder on her Internet Explorer toolbar, then showed her how to use tabs and copy and paste the links. Here’s the notes. [...]