You have a virus, it is called Norton

I had one client today who had setup an appointment for me to get rid of a virus. Every time they turned on their computer and/or logged into their email, an error would pop up. The error in their email was so bad that they couldn’t even read their messages. I noticed that all of the errors were related to Symantec – the company that makes Norton. I removed Norton and installed AVG. All of a sudden the...

I’m not perfect….

I have never claimed to be the most knowledgeable computer tech on the planet…and I never will. However, what I will promise is that I give my customers the best advice that I can for the topics that I know about and will refer them to the best possible resources for topics outside my scope. Today, I saw a client who traded some services with another computer tech here in Grand Junction, CO. The other tech reformatted...

Be careful using multiple accounts

Windows XP has a unique ability to act like multiple computers on a single machine. This feature was created so that the computer could be used in a business environment allowing each user to have his or her own programs, desktop, passwords and My Documents. Although setting up multiple user accounts allows for a lot of customization, it has some pretty screwy side effects. If you have more than one user account set up in...

Blood relation does not equal computer expertise

A few years ago, I added two items to my list of common advice that I give. 1. Don’t let your kids fix your computer, no matter how old they are or who they work for. 2. Blood relation does not equal computer expertise. I know that this makes me sound arrogant at times, but my first appointment this morning was a case in point. It was a simple enough job, I was to setup a laptop and get it online. My client didn’t...

Don’t be embarrassed by simple problems

  Yesterday I visited one of my favorite clients. She was having problems with her wireless keyboard. When I typed on the keyboard, nothing happened, unless we were typing in an area asking for a password. This was very similar to a problem someone called the show about last Saturday. Her keyboard was wireless, as it turns out the little button that synchronizes the keyboard was stuck down. I pried it loose and –...

Things aren’t always the same

A client of mine made a great observation today about computers. She put into words something that I have tried to articulate for years. I’m paraphrasing, but it went something like this: "The trouble I have with computers is that they don’t always react the same way twice." "Wow", I thought….great statement. Unlike cars or toasters, computers have many more complex instructions...

Windows Installer Problems

Mike called us with problems in his security software. Here are the links to possible solutions: http://support.microsoft.com/?scid=kb;en-us;295823  He was using a security a package from his Internet provider, it might be better to uninstall their package and use the security software we recommend on our site.

Sometimes it’s easier to just start over

I saw three problems today that, in one form or another, the best solution was to just start over. My first client was having trouble printing one specific Excel file. All of his other Excel files worked fine, but this one particular file would not print. He could open it and view it and even change it, but it would only print blank sheets of paper. Rather than try to figure out where the culprit formula or cell was, I...

Typical Day Kickoff!!

Today was one of the best examples ever of a typical day. In fact, today was so typical that it was atypically typical. I began my day by giving the office manager at a local doctor’s office a lesson in Microsoft PowerPoint. Immediately after that I headed to Sam’s Club to purchase a video card for my next client. I barely had enough time to buy the card before I had to be at their house to install it. I have had...

Nothing more important in computing than backup...

Destiny played its hand today in choosing my topic for my first installment of "Riding Shotgun". Riding Shotgun is the brain-child of Adam and I. We wanted to create a daily snippet of the things we see, learn, fix, and experience in our daily travels from office-to-office and home-to-home fixing computers and helping people learn about the computers. Backup, or the lack of a backup, played a big part in my day...

Picasa 2

What can you do with Picasa 2? Picasa 2 is a free program made by Google that allows you to organize your photos without any effort on your part. Besides organizing photos it also has some great creativity tools including gift CDs, slide shows, and blogging tools. HOW TO GET PICASA: 1. Either click on this button, or go to www.picasa.com and click on the Free Download button. 2. After downloading, install the program by...

Photoshop Elements Part II

Adobe Photoshop Elements Part II Tools: Toolbox This box contains all of the primary manipulation tools used in Photoshop Elements. Download this zipped (530k) file for a demonstration program that describes each tool and what it does. If you are not running Windows XP and have not installed a zip opener – here is a free one that you can download and install. Zip Central Little Black Triangle The little black...

Removing Outlook Profiles

Remove an Outlook e-mail profile   Open the Mail Setup dialog box. In Microsoft Windows XP   In Control Panel, double-click User Accounts, and then click Mail. Note:  If you are using Control Panel classic view, double-click Mail.   In Microsoft Windows 2000 In Control Panel, double-click Mail. Note:  The Mail module won’t appear unless you have Outlook installed and have run Outlook for...

What should I back up?

Recently, you have heard me talk a great deal about flash memory drives and there usefulness for backup. One of our listeners/newsletter readers, recently asked what files are important to backup. So, tip number one in backup is to backup only those files that you create. These include but are not limited to: Financial program data (Quicken, Money, etc)  Email and other address books  Saved email messages Important...

Re-installing a problematic program

Sometimes a program that is giving you trouble will work better after reinstalling it. Here are some tips to help make that process a little easier and more successful. Uninstall the problematic program by using the Add/Remove programs applet in the Control Panel in Windows Restart your computer via Start–>Shutdown and restart; even if the computer doesn’t ask you to do so. After Windows reloads, shut...