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...

Using your backups

This weekend, an emailer asked the question of how to use the backups that we describe on our site. An excellent question I’m sure others have had as well. Over the years, I laid out step-by-step methods for backing up your email address book, favorites/bookmarks, and even your email. To use these backups, simply use the “Import” function to bring them back into a new installation of a program or even a...

Incredible deal on a fast computer

I installed a new computer for a customer yesterday that turned out to be the easiest setup I’ve done in quite a few years (with the exception of Apple setups). He bought the computer, ZT Affinity, from OfficeMax’s web site for $399. It comes with 1 GB RAM, 320 GB Hard drive, fast processor (albeit the previous generation Pentium D), Windows XP Professional, built-in memory card reader, keyboard, optical mouse, a...

Backup Your Email Address Book – Video Tip

You can back up your address book very simply to a floppy disk or USB Flash drive and the heartache it has the potential to prevent far outweighs the thirty seconds it takes to complete the task. Follow these steps depending on the program you use: Outlook Express Windows Mail Users Insert USB Flash Drive Start Outlook Express Click the Address Book icon from the toolbar. Click File –> Export –> Other...

Are you still using floppy disks?

I worked with three customers today who all used floppy disks as their main backup. All three users had Windows XP machines, but felt that floppy disks fit their needs the best. The picture I took here was from a consultant’s desk…there must be 20 floppies in that box. I explained to all these folks how simple, efficient and spacious a USB Flash drive could be for them. Whether they ‘bite’ or not...

Backup – Again

I will keep bringing this topic up again and again until every visitor to HelpMeRick.com makes a regular habit of backing up their valuable data. Already this week I have received three calls from computer users who lost valuable data due to a computer crash. In addition to the calls, I received another four or five emails from computer users in the same situation. I know backup is monotonous, but it is also vital to...

The mysterious expanding Outlook Express book!

I received an email this week from someone who had a mysterious address book problem. Their Outlook Express address book had tons of email address for people they didn’t know. Pretty scary. If you are an Outlook Express user, you may want to take a look at your own address book, it is likely happening to you too. There are two possible explanations for this. 1. Address book Gnomes. These weird little bearded men with...

All Q&A Session – July 2007

I don’t do it too often, but this month I decided to hold an all Q&A (2 hours) user group meeting. It truly is amazing how many questions 30 or 40 ravenous computer users can generate. Sometimes one question leads to another, and an entire “topic” can take up a half hour. You have to be at one of the meetings to truly experience the type of knowledge and information that gets shared and explored. Some of...

Check Your Email When Away from Home

When we vacation, checking our snail mail is either left up to a house sitter or a neighbor. However, email is something we don't usually delegate to these fine folks who keep track of our snail mail and newspapers. Did you know that you can check your email from almost anywhere in the world? It's true and this week's tip shows you how to do it. All email is sent not to you, but first to your provider. They...

When to use CDs , DVDs or flash drives

With so many options for backing up today, people often get confused on which method is right for them. Typically there are three methods for backing up: 1. CD or DVD 2. Flash drive 3. External hard drive The method you choose should depend on the type of backup you are doing. CDs hold 700MB (about 300 pictures) while DVDs hold 4,700MB. But the amount of data that they hold is not as important as what you use the disks for....

Backup – What, Where, When, and How – ...

It doesn?t take long to back up your files, but it does take discipline.  Just like getting the oil changed in our cars regularly to maintain its health, it is imperative that a good backup program be put in place for you computer creations. Follow these simple rules for backing up your files and you will be able to face any computer calamity: Save your files in a common folder or directory like My Document or Work Make...

Rick’s 3 Rules of Email

Never Forward Email Never Forward Email IF you must forward email, ALWAYS use Blind Carbon Copy (BCC) and ALWAYS clean up the header information from previous email. Some computer users who encounter my rules of email sometimes pass off my thoughts as being too strict. Unfortunately, I know it isn’t true. Today, for the upteenth time, I worked with a customer who has had her email address for less than a year and...

When to use a CD for backup

Our regular listeners hear us talk about this subject often, but it bears repeating as much as we can talk about it for your data's safety and your sanity. Backing up to CD's is a multi-step process and all the steps need to be followed for it to go right. CD's work great for archiving data that won't change. This includes pictures, music, your finished novel, etc. CD's should only be burned ONE time....

A word for our Dial-up readers (and our high speed...

Lately, I have helped many dial-up computer users get their email unclogged. It became clogged because their friends and family who have high speed Internet sent them messages that were way too big for email. Usually these messages contained either large digital photos or video jokes or messages that bring dial-up users email to screeching halt.  DIAL-UP USERS: You absolutely need to know how to check your email using your...

Palm handhelds still rock

Palm has shifted focus the last few years to smartphones (like the Treo I'm writing on right now), but they still manufacture and sell PDA's (portable digital assistants). I helped a customer setup a new Palm Tungsten E2 today. I set it up so that she could sync (transfer data from computer to PDA and vice versa) between both her Windows desktop and her Mac laptop…very slick. Now she has the option of...