Castellini on Computers - Computer help for beginners » Internet

Holiday Computer Madness

Rick — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 22:23:36 +0000

Every year for the last 6-7 years, I bring up a version of this tip to help save you time and money during the Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Years visiting season. Please follow the advice. I can guarantee that it will save you and your computer lots of grief.

With all the traveling done during the holidays, your computer is bound to be taken hostage by friends and family wanting to check their email or play a game or two. Unlike the TV, a computer can be victimized, unintentionally, by all this attention. When everyone returns home, you may not recognize your computer or have problems with the way it runs.

5 Simple Rules to avoid SCD (Slow Computer Disease)

Rick — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 02:48:43 +0000

I've written about this before, but it bears repeating on occasion with new visitors to our site and long time visitors who haven't learned yet. The advice is simple: DO NOT DOWNLOAD FREE SCREENSAVERS, EMAIL PROGRAMS (Incredimail, etc), GAMES from the Internet. Unless you are WELL versed in the origin of these items, they can easily destroy your computer's ability to compute. The most common computer ailment (for Windows users) searched on the Internet is "slow computers". Sadly, "slow computer disease", SCD*, does not have to be the pandemic it is because it is 100% preventable. Here are my 5 simple rules to prevent SCD: 1. Install and keep Internet security software current. Recommendations: AVG Anti-virus, a software or hardware firewall and a good anti-spwyare program or two. Check our Links & Resources section for recommendations. 2. DO NOT DOWNLOAD FREE CRAP FROM THE INTERNET UNLESS YOU KNOW ITS ORIGIN AND SAFETY. 3. Use Mozilla Firefox or Opera as your primary Internet browser instead of Internet Explorer, MSN, or AOL. This tip alone can save your computer. 4. If you have teenagers or young adults who use your computer, forbid the downloading of free music through services like Limewire or any other shady site (refer to #2) 5. If you do suspect SCD, get it looked at immediately. Waiting for it to cure itself will only make SCD worse. BONUS TIP: If your computer suffers from SCD, Defrag will NOT help it. No matter how many times you Defrag your computer, it will NOT help SCD. © *SCD is a copyrighted term of Castellini on Computers, HelpMeRick.com and Rick Castellini. Use of the term SCD is strictly prohibited without the express written consent of Rick Castellini or administrators of HelpMeRick.com

7 Google services you have never tried

Rick — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 05:36:08 +0000

Google started as a college project 12 years ago, then as a startup search engine just 10 years ago. Today, Google owns more than 60% of all web search traffic and employs close to 22,000 employees worldwide. You probably interact with Google via their search engine primarily. However, you are missing out on some truly great services that Google also provides in addition to their fast and accurate search engine. Today, I will tell you about 7 of the many other services Google provides.

Google News

When you arrive at google.com, click the link that says News at the top of the page or you can directly visit news.google.com. Google News is an auto-generated news page that refreshes automatically every 5-10 minutes and displays headlines from more than 4500 news sources around the world. To me, it is the ultimate newspaper?unbiased and unfiltered. And even more helpful, starting a search at Google News instead of

Troubleshooting Your High Speed Internet Connection

Rick — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 15:26:48 +0000

This tip needs to come back to the front page again. I've helped many more people the last few weeks with this issue. Please print it and hang it by your computer...and send it your friends as well.

I posted this tip many moons ago, but wanted to bring it back to the front page because we have so many new high speed Internet users. Click the Printer Friendly option at the bottom of this tip, print it out and post it next to your computer...you will be glad you did.

Routers take high speed Internet signals and then distribute the signal (route) to multiple computers. Sometimes, however, the signal gets lost and an Internet connection cannot be made. This can be due to multiple reasons, but most can be rectified the same way. Before you reach for the phone or grumble under your breath, follow this simple and highly effective procedure to get your system(s) up and running again.

Shut off all computers.
Unplug the power from the high speed modem.
Unplug the power from

Changing email addresses – It’s not that difficult

Rick — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 15:19:45 +0000

AOL made billions of dollars for years because computer users are afraid to change their email addresses. All week long, I hear, "Oh, it's too hard to change email addresses now." Or, "It will take forever to change my email address with everyone."

Come on folks...were using computers! You don't have to fill out a change of address form and march it down to the postal office. You don't have to send out a post card to every person you know. You don't have to fill out a change of address for all your bills and utilities.

Changing email addresses is actually pretty painless and can be cathartic as well. In fact, think of it as going into the digital identity protection program. Here's how to make it a smooth transition:

Should I backup?

Rick — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 13:14:03 +0000

Should you carry health insurance? Should you carry car insurance? Should you save for retirement? Should you eat every day? Does a bear.... Well, hopefully you get the picture. The answer is a resounding YES!!

You should backup, and depending on your computer needs and usage your backups should occur frequently (sometimes daily). Many computer users equate backing up their computers with their mother's giving them castor oil. It's no fun, but a necessary evil. What is castor oil any way?

Things you should backup on your computer include:

Share YOUR Favorite Keyboard Shortcuts

Rick — Sun, 01 Nov 2009 20:04:57 +0000

I'm always amazed at how surprised computer users become when they learn about a keyboard shortcut. A keyboard shortcut is a combination of keys that you press on your keyboard to perform a particular function. If you learn them and practice them, they can shave hours off of the tedious maneuvering of the mouse.

These are my favorite and most used computer keyboard shortcuts:

How to adjust toolbars in Internet Explorer – Video Tip

Rick — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 02:03:09 +0000

I ran across a question today that could not be explained verbally or in writing. It is so visual, that a video was warranted. The question was how to adjust or restore the default toolbars in Internet Explorer. Here’s a 49 second video demonstrating the skills you need to get this done. Take a look! Related [...]

Learn to stay safe with your email

Rick — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 22:47:16 +0000

Adam brought to my attention this email that came to his inbox with a virus attached. It looks official at first glance, but read my comments on how to dissect an email for authenticity.

Like any medium, we all need to keep a discerning eye on the information we read on the Internet and in email. You don't believe everything you read in the newspaper or see on TV do you? The Internet is no different and tends to breed more fiction because its tools are so readily available.

First and foremost, keep an anti-virus software running on your computer at all times and make sure it is updated at least weekly. Remember, keeping a virus program updated is completely different than the program doing a weekly scan of your computer files. I favor AVG Antivirus on mine and my client's computers, but whatever you use, keep it updated.

Net neutrality – It isn’t a political issue

Rick — Wed, 23 Sep 2009 20:55:09 +0000

The issue of net neutrality is rearing its head again lately. In a nutshell, net neutrality means that anyone who pays for access to the Internet should get full, unfettered access to the Internet. Opponents want to allow Internet providers to charge for priority access to the Internet. In other words, if you forward an [...]