Good news for Vista users

We love Cloudmark Desktop. It is the best spam filter on the planet and that has been proved by very complicated scientific tests. The only problem with Cloudmark Desktop is that it only works in Outlook, Outlook Express or Thunderbird. Until now, Vista users who wanted to benefit from the powerful filtering of Cloudmark had to switch their email application over to Thunderbird or Outlook. It would not work in the free...

Think twice before your blame your computer’...

“What brand of computer do you recommend?” is one of the most common questions I get asked. My answer is usually, “It really doesn’t matter as long as it is a name brand and has the specs that you need.” I often hear comments like, “Our first computer was a Dell and we constantly had problems with viruses and spam,” or “I’m never going to get another HP, this one just...

How to get music off of your iPod

The iPod has set the standard for media players. It’s ease of use and intuitive interface make it a device that media lovers of all ages and expertise can easily pickup and use. However, the iPod has one disadvantage when compared with almost every other media player on the market. Once your music is stored on the system, there is no simple way of getting it back off again. If you switch computers or simply want to...

Right-click: Properties – VIDEO TIP

People always ask about the difference between right-click and left-click. The primary difference is that the right-click always brings up a menu called the context menu. The items on the context menu change depending on where on the screen you click the mouse. The video explains the importance of the Properties option on the context menu. ...

STOP PAYING FOR AOL!

I know I have written about this not a few times but this week I have helped four people convert their AOL accounts to FREE or $9.95. Two years ago, AOL changed their business model. If you are using dial-up you should only be paying $9.95 per month. If you are on broadband you should be paying NOTHING. AOL lets broadband users use all of their services and software for FREE. To change plans you don’t even have to argue...

Avery website offers great way to make labels easi...

There are certain tasks that you would expect to be done simply on a computer. At the top of this list is making labels. In my opinion the number of label making programs on the market should rival the number of digital photography or antivirus programs on the market. For some mysterious reason, there are hardly any good label programs out there. They are either too simple and limited in features or they are too complex and...

Microsoft Table PC not that revolutionary

People keep sending me video of the Microsoft table PC. It’s a computer that looks like a table. The demonstrations in the video show it doing amazing things like pulling pictures from a digital camera simply by placing the camera on the coffee table. While the demonstration is impressive, the purpose for such a device is not clear. It would be great for an entertainment device but the dazzle would wear off...

Worst excuse for keeping Norton: I have already pa...

If you search for the word “Norton” using the search engine in the upper right corner of our website, you will discover that our advice to dump Norton branded software is echoed by dozens of other visitors to the site. This week I saw a computer that took 27 minutes to completely boot up. It was an older system with 256MB of RAM and a 1.6ghz processor. Even at that, 27 minutes was a long time. I noticed that they...

Tips for better people pictures

Tips for taking better people pictures Here is a list of links that will help you with your pictures of people whether they be candid, portrait or group shots. 10 Tips for better portraits  5 tips for photographing couples 6 tips for perfect portrait composition 11 tips for better candid photos  Personally, I think that getting great people shots has more to do with the approach you take to getting the shots...

Why good computer guys get grumpy sometimes

Arrogant computer guys really bother me. I try very hard not to be a computer guy who thinks he knows everything. The problem with this is that I am sometimes competing with computer guys who convince people that they do know everything. When I try to straighten out the situation, I get the line, “but the guy at Best Buy said that Norton is the best.” or “But my son who has worked at HP for 20 years says...

Where to buy a book manual for your computer

“Why didn’t my computer come with a manual?” One of the most common complaints we hear is about how new computers don’t come with manuals. I am here to explain why this is the case. The sad answer is that if the computer company came with a manual, it would weigh more than the computer. “But my old computers used to come with manuals…,” Is the next comment. Back in the old days...

Cloudmark, Zonbu, Hostgator OH MY!!

You may have noticed that HelpMeRick.com has something new. We have added ads, but not just any ads. The ads you see on HelpMeRick.com are only for companies that we recommend strongly. So far, we have ads for Hostgator – our favorite web hosting service. Zonbu, an excellent laptop for those who want a laptop in a standard size package but alternative operating system. If you can’t afford Mac and the Eee PC is...

Home is where the Wii is

Tonight we had our weekly family night and as the activity part of the evening we made the kids guess what we were doing. We gave clues like “We (wii) think you will have a lot of fun tonight,” or “We (wii) bet you can’t guess what we are doing,” and “We have already given you the answer in the clues.” They went crazy trying to guess until my daughter said sarcastically, “Oh,...

Password Tips

Creating a Better Password: Mix it up – use number and letters in both upper and lower case Spell words that you are familiar with such as p455w0rD (see how it kind of spells “password”) Never use the word “password” as your password. Creating that Secret Question: Many services ask you to create a secret question incase you forget your password. This allows them to ask you for the answer to...

Have an old computer? Check your RAM

I saw two clients today with slow computer problems. Actually the problems weren’t slow, the computers were and that was the problem. But, I digress. Both computers were Dells of the same age. As it turns out each machine only had 256MB of RAM – too little for XP to run at its full potential. I added 512MB to each machine and suddenly the systems came alive and ran faster than most brand new machines I...