Dial-up users: Are you tired of waiting for email ...

I have been utilizing this tip much more lately as dial-up users get pummeled with email containing pictures that haven't been resized and an endless parade of forward spam with large attachments from friends and family with high speed connections. For every one megabyte of space an attachment contains, it takes 5-8 minutes for a dial-up user to download it. Many joke emails, slide shows or movies being passed around...

Send large files through email

Some email providers limit the size or type of files that you can attach to email. YouSendIt is a good service we found with good reviews that lets you get around this problem.

Remember to feed your mouse

Interestingly, I received two phone calls and another email today all regarding the same subject. Upon starting their computers, these users could not move their cursor around the screen…despite repeated attempts. It turns out that in all three cases, they were using cordless mice. Cordless mice talk to the computer via radio waves to a receiver attached to the computer. Since they are cordless, they can't get power...

Opening WordPerfect documents

WordPerfect used to dominate the computer word processors. However, it is not as popular today, but occasionally you may receive an attachment in WordPerfect format and need to open it. To do so, you need a WordPerfect viewer program. Here are two: Microsoft's Word and WordPerfect document viewer (free) Quick View Plus (30 day trial)   The other option is to have the sender save the document as a RTF (Rich Text...

A sure fire way to learn your computer this year!

When I am doing private tutoring on a computer I typically write step-by-step notes while the learner sits in the driver's seat. I think that people learn more by doing than by hearing. However, my method is really only about 60 percent as effective as it could be. The best way to learn is by learning. In other words, having someone sit next to you and walk you through the steps will stick in your memory as well as if you...

How to send an email attachment

We have a few program specific tips on our website about how to send email attachments. Each step is broken down step-by-step.  I am writing this more as a general guide for emailing attachments. I have seen a few mistakes lately that have caused problems for first-time attachment senders. Here are a few tips to help you avoid problems. 1. If you are emailing photos and you use Outlook, Outlook Express or gmail, download...

Don’t apologize for being “stupid̶...

Three of my clients today were digital beginners. Each of these three clients apologized for being "stupid." They explained that computers are new to them and they aren't smart enough to learn. As a teacher and computer guy, I kind of get tired of hearing this. Keep in mind that this comes from a guy who had, "potential for higher achievement," on almost every report card he ever received. It...

We need a new Internet Appliance

At one of the first, now defunct, Comdex computer shows that I attended in the late 90's, I attended a round table discussion on Internet Appliances. This was a huge buzz word at the time, but unfortunately it was ahead of its time. An Internet Appliance did only two things…browse the Internet and email. The picture I'm showing in this story was known as the Netpliance from a company called I-Opener. The idea...

I have an AOL Screen Name

For those of you who have followed this web site and the show for awhile are probably wondering what an anti-AOLer like me is doing with a Screen Name. Actually, it is a result of a corporate buy out. Years ago I signed up for some free online storage space from X-Drive . Like many other tech companies, AOL purchased X-Drive since I had signed up for it. When I first signed up, I used the account to upload large files that...

Log out rather than reboot

This tip isn't for every situation, but it helps when you are short on time or to recover from a small crash (yes there is a such thing). Rather than completely reboot your computer, instead go to Start -> Turn Off Computer. Instead of Turn Off or Restart, choose Log Off. This will close all of your running programs and stop anything attached to your account. To get back in, just click on the user name and Windows will...

How to open strange email attachments

One of the most common email questions we get is along the lines of how to open email attachments. An email attachment is a file that is sent along with a regular email message. The file or files can be photos, PowerPoint presentations, documents or just about anything else. Here are a few tips for opening strange email attachments. 1. Don’t do it unless you know it’s safe. There are still a few viruses out there...

A friendly reminder about Snopes

It seems that late summer is one of the busiest seasons for email forwarding. People forward jokes, photos, inspirational stories, and political content to their friends. Before you send that forward on to a friend or family member make sure to check it out at www.Snopes.com . Snopes is a database of all email that gets forwarded around the world. The folks and Snopes work extra hard to research the truth (or untruth) behind...

Photo Blogging

How to Create and Use a Photo Blog What is a Blog? A blog is an online journal. What you type in, email, or send via cell phone to your blog page automatically gets posted onto the web. Sounds scary. Why would I want to do that? Have you ever gone on a vacation and wanted to keep the folks at home posted on what you have been up...

How to Email Your Digital Photos

Emailing Your Digital Photos A few things to remember: Always save a copy of the ORIGINAL photo You can always go down on resolution, but you can never go up. 72 dpi for email and web – 300 dpi for printing Never email more than 150k of attachments Black & White takes up less space How to do it:   Outlook Express Create a new email message. Click ...

Solving email problems

When you are having trouble receiving or sending email, here are a few tips to help keep the mail flowing. Never assume the problem is on your end. If you were sending email perfectly a few hours earlier or even yesterday, DO NOT CHANGE ANY SETTINGS on your computer. Instead, shut the computer off and try again. If nothing still, shut off the computer and wait until the next day. When you have tried these two steps and still...