Posts Tagged: uninstall

General Computer Tips — 2 Comments
1
Nov 09

Deleting Programs and Files

Wheelie Bins - Caledonian Lane

photo credit: geoftheref

This tip conjures up some points from older tips, but needs to be reiterated. Follow these rules-of-thumb to keep your system clean and more importantly running smoothly.

Use these rules when deleting individual files:

  1. Never delete files that you did not create.
  2. If you can’t trace the origin of the file, leave it alone.
  3. If the file sports one of the generic looking ‘windows’ icons (see picture), do not delete it (again unless you created it).
  4. Do not delete files that exist in the Windows directory, unless you created it.
  5. Instead of willy nilly deleting files, use the CCleaner tool

Use these rules when deleting programs or applications:

  1. Always start with Continue reading →
Computer User Group / Hardware Tips / Riding Shotgun with Rick — 10 Comments
25
Sep 08

Setting up a new computer

new computer boxPrevention is the best medicine when it comes to avoiding illness in ourselves. Prevention in the computer world is no different. And like a newborn baby, a newly purchased computer is subject to many terrible diseases and problems if not properly cared from the moment it is taken from its cardboard box. I follow these steps when setting up a new computer system for my clients, and recommend this methodology for all new computer setups:

  1. Before setting up the new computer, back up all of your data to CD’s, DVD’s, external hard drives, or flash drives for transfer to the new computer  Make sure you get not only your obvious data like documents, pictures, and financial data, but also your address book, email settings, favorites, etc. Remember, you can backup data, but not programs.
  2. Make note of your email settings and configuration (if you didn’t back them up).
  3. Download a copy of a AVG Antivirus and have them on a CD or flash drive at the ready.
  4. When setting up the new PC, DO NOT connect printers, scanners, cameras, and especially the Internet until later.
  5. Once at the new desktop, the first place to head is the Control Panel and Add/Remove programs (Programs and Features in Vista). Remove all trial software that you don’t plan on purchasing (Quicken, Quickbooks, Office suites, etc). Also remove any <!–break–>Internet provider software that you will not use like AOL, Earthlink, NetZero, etc.
  6. Now go back to Add/Remove programs and uninstall any trial security software that came with the machine.
  7. If you uninstalled the pre-installed security software (recommended), install the AVG antivirus program you have at the ready.
  8. Now, you can hook up your Internet connection. Once you have a connection established, update your anti-virus software immediately.
  9. Setup your email program and accounts.
  10. Install your peripherals (scanners, printers, etc) per your manufacturers instructions.
  11. Install any programs that you want on the new system
  12. Transfer your data from their backup locations.
  13. Strongly consider downloading and using Mozilla Firefox as your primary browser.

  14. Create your Recovery CD set found in your manufacturer’s options or utilities folder (if required).

    Enjoy your properly setup and safe, new computer!

Internet Tips / Riding Shotgun with Rick — 2 Comments
10
Jul 08

Solution for computer users who can’t print from Internet Explorer 7 (IE 7)

Since I use Firefox exclusively for my browsing, I haven’t seen this problem yet, but today I ran into a computer that could print from anywhere but Internet Explorer 7 (IE7). Turns out that, in her case, the upgrade to AVG 8.0 caused the problem. A standard installation of AVG 8 installs a security toolbar in Firefox, if you use it, or Internet Explorer 7. The toolbar is meant to help users from clicking on potentially harmful web links. However, the toolbar, like most toolbars, slows down browsing speeds and in the case of Internet Explorer 7 with Windows Vista, it also disables the ability to print!

The solution to get Internet Explorer (IE7) working again is to uninstall AVG 8.0 and reinstall it using the following instructions. Incidentally, these instructions were posted by an alert and astute visitor to the web site within a week of my original AVG 8.0 post. I use this method exclusively when installing AVG 8.0 on client’s computers:

How to install AVG without LinkScanner

  1. Download the AVG 8.0 Free Edition installation package by clicking here
  2. Save the file to your C: drive (not the desktop or any folder)
  3. Change the file name to avg (or avg.exe if you can see the three letter extensions)
  4. Click Start
  5. Click Run
  6. Type:   C:\avg.exe /REMOVE_FEATURE fea_AVG_SafeSurf /REMOVE_FEATURE fea_AVG_SafeSearch
    • You might want to copy and paste the above text into the run box so you don’t mistype something
  7. Click OK and follow on-screen instructions to complete installation.

For Vista and XP users who can’t print with Internet Explorer 7 after installing AVG, this solution will get you printing again.

If, however, AVG 8 is not your problem, then your best bet is to reset Internet Explorer 7 by:

  1. Closing all Internet Explorer windows
  2. Click Start –> Control Panel
  3. Click Internet Options in Windows XP  (Click Network and Internet, then Internet Options in Windows Vista)
  4. Click the Advanced tab
  5. Click Reset
  6. Click Reset
Riding Shotgun with Rick — 1 Comment
8
Jul 08

Internet Speed does not determine computer speed

I’m always surprised at how many computer users equate the speed of their computer with the speed of their Internet. If you have a brand new computer, it will not make your dial-up connection faster. Likewise, if you have an older computer, a fast cable or DSL connection will not make the computer faster.

Internet speed only makes your Internet experience faster or slower. If you have a high speed connection and your computer slows down or the Internet speed seems slow, the problem is due to the computer not your Internet connection…most of the time. Calling your Internet provider for computer speed problems is like calling the Department of Transportation because you ran out of gas on the highway.

Today, I ran into a fairly new computer that had a DSL connection yet the computer itself was unbearably slow. I quickly noted that it had Microsoft’s security product called OneCare installed. OneCare is almost as bad, if not worse, than Norton for slowing down computers. As soon as I uninstalled it and installed AVG, the computer and Internet sped up again.

Moral of the story: Don’t blame the Internet provider for a slow computer…the problem usually lies within the computer and needs to be diagnosed and fixed.

Riding Shotgun with Rick — 10 Comments
2
Jul 08

Adobe Reader 9 update – DON’T DO IT!

Adobe released version 9 of their PDF (Portable Document Format) Reader program. Once the king and almost sole PDF reader on the market, it, like so many other mainstream programs, has become bloated beyond recognition. This software bloat slows down the performance of even the fastest computers, and for this reason, I firmly stand against software bloat.

I added Adobe Reader to my do not use list almost two years ago. Instead, I recommend the svelte and fast FoxIt Reader which does everything that Adobe Reader does, faster and better. The download for Adobe Reader 9 is almost 35 megabytes compared to under 3 megabytes for FoxIt Reader. Also, if you aren’t careful, you will add 12 megabytes to the Adobe download and end up with eBay Desktop, whatever that is. Do not upgrade to the Adobe Reader 9, and better yet uninstall all versions of Adobe Reader you may have and use the FoxIt Reader instead. Like Adobe Reader, FoxIt is free and a link can be found in the Links and Resources section of the site.

For those interested, my do not use list  and their superior equivalents now looks like this:

 

 DO NOT USE

  USE INSTEAD
AOL  Any other Internet provider
Any Norton security or Utility product
 AVG or Avast security
 McAffee
 AVG or Avast
 Internet Explorer
  Firefox or Opera
Windows Vista
 Windows XP, Mac OS X or Ubuntu Linux
Microsoft Office 2007
 Any previous version of Microsoft Office or OpenOffice.org or Zoho.com’s online productivity suite
Application Tips / Riding Shotgun with Rick — 1 Comment
2
May 08

Remove .NET Framework and solve Quickbooks startup problem

Microsoft Framework .NET consists of a set of tools that allow programmers to tap into some web related technologies for creating rich, interactive applications for our computers and web sites. Unfortunately, it sometimes causes problems as well. This week alone, I helped 3 Quickbooks users overcome problems with their programs hanging or failing to start by uninstalling and reinstalling the .NET Framework.

Unfortunately, uninstalling .NET via the add/remove programs doesn’t work in these situations. As is almost always the case, an extremely smart and industrious individual came up with a solution. I found this tool on a blog while searching for a solution. It is a clever removal tool for all aspects of the .NET Framework. It is recommended that you try using the Add/Remove programs method for uninstalling it first, but if it doesn’t work, use the tool.

Once you remove the .NET software, however, you need to install it again. To do so, download a copy of the .NET installer software by clicking here.

Again, this tip is for very specific instances of .NET Framework problems. It can also be used in situations where you have a Windows update for .NET that never installs properly.

Hardware Tips — No Comments
1
May 08

Troubleshoot Hardware Problems Using the Device Manager – Video Tip

Starting with Windows 95 all the way through today’s Windows Vista, Microsoft supplied computer users with a great tool listing the different hardware devices attached to and residing in our computers. This tool is called the Device Manager.

Today’s tip focuses on how to use the Device Manager to troubleshoot a video card, sound card or other internal hardware problem. If you suddenly lose sound or your monitor’s picture lacks the quality it had before, or you can’t connect your high speed modem to your computer, this tip will solve the problem a high percentage of the time.

1. RIGHT Click on My Computer from your desktop or Start menu (XP & Vista)

2. Click Properties (or use the Windows key + Pause/Break key to replace these two steps)

3. Click Device Manager (Windows 95-Me, Vista). or in WindowsVista Click the Hardware tab –> then click Device Manager (XP)

4. Click the “+” sign next to the device having the problem

5. RIGHT Click the device itself

6. Click Remove (Windows 95-Me) or Uninstall (XP & Vista)

7. Close any open screens and shut down your computer (don’t just restart, shut it all the way off)

8. When Windows restarts, it should re-recognize your hardware and function properly again.

 If these steps don’t work, then you get some extra computer help.

Watch the short (2 minutes) video below to see these steps in action!

 

Riding Shotgun with Adam — 2 Comments
31
Mar 08

Worst excuse for keeping Norton: I have already paid for it

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 had the latest version of Norton 360 installed. I told them that the system would at least double in speed if they uninstalled Norton. “I know you don’t like it, but we already paid for it.”

Agreed but took the system home intending to reformat it and add RAM over the weekend.

However, when I got it home, I uninstalled Norton since I was going to erase the hard drive anyway. The system instantly jumped in speed. I timed the bootup time and it was just shy of 9 minutes. That’s a 66 percent improvement.

I turned off a few chat programs and other goodies that were running in the background. I didn’t even to a reformat on the system as it now booted up in under 5 minutes – that’s better than Vista on a gig of RAM and dual core processor.

I was happy with the performance and took the computer back explaining that all I had done for the most part was uninstall Norton.

They agreed that I should leave it off and they were happy to go with AVG.

I have already heard from them twice in the last 24 hours, each time to thank me for the work I did on improving the speed of their computer.

I didn’t add any RAM. They are still running XP on 256MB, but it is such an improvement that they don’t even know how much faster it could run and they don’t care.

Norton is bad software. I have said it many times, but I must say it again.

Viruses cause computers to run slow, crash and lockup. What good is an antivirus if it causes the very problems it should be protecting you from?

General Computer Tips / Riding Shotgun with Rick — No Comments
17
Oct 07

Troubleshooting 101

By now many of you have figured out that computers are unruly beasts. They seem to be fine one day and schizophrenic the next. As a person who troubleshoots computers for a living, I’m going to let you in on a little trade secret.

When something on your computer seems to be a little left of center, stop and ask yourself three questions:

  1. Have I installed or deleted any software (computer program) in the last day or so?
  2. Have I installed or uninstalled any hardware (mouse, scanner, printer, camera, etc) in the last day or so?
  3. Have I shut down and restarted my computer in the last day or so?

If you answer ‘no’ to all three questions, then shut down your computer for a minute or so and then restart it. An overwhelmingly large percentage of the time, this action alone will correct the flaw.

If you answered ‘yes’ to question one or two, then retrace your steps and make sure that everything installed as planned, or try uninstalling (or reinstalling) the most recent item and see how your computer reacts. If it works fine, then one of the new items added (or items taken away) has caused the problem..

If problems are still occurring and you use Windows XP, try using System Restore which I describe here.

And finally, ALWAYS check your computer cables. Cables can be jostled loose through moving a computer or animals wagging their tails or becoming entangled in the mess of wires. Making sure they are securely plugged in cures many a compute ailment. Just remember to shut the computer off before checking the plugs.

Computer User Group / Internet Tips — 2 Comments
8
Aug 07

Firefox Extensions – August 2007

Extensions are small add-on programs that either enhance your Internet browsing experience or give you new tools that give you quicker access to information you already search for using the Internet. Mozilla Firefox gives you the most options at customizing your browsing your experience. In addition to being, what I believe, is the smartest and safest web browser around, Firefox extensions make Firefox a browser that is second to none.

To find Firefox extensions, Click Tools –> Add Ons –> Get Extensions from your Firefox menu.

Once you arrive at the Firefox extension page, you can search through what is available, and install the ones you feel might be helpful. Like almost everything in life, too much of a good thing can be bad, however, so install extensions judiciously so you don’t end up with a browser that has SO many extras that it takes a long time to load and slows down your entire experience.

Once you find an extension you want to try:

  1. Click the large, green “Install Now” button
  2. Click “Install Now” again on the next screen
  3. Restart Firefox if necessary (many extensions do require a restart).

My favorite extension is extending the capabilities of the built-in search box in Firefox. On installation, Firefox automatically gives you a search box that has Google, eBay, Amazon, Wikipedia, and a few other search engines. If you click the little arrow next to the search box and then “Manage Search Engines” and finally “Get more Search Engines”, you can add as many search engines that are relevant to your needs.

To remove an extension that you may not like or use, follow these steps:

 To find Firefox extensions, Click Tools –> Add Ons –> Get Extensions from your Firefox menu.  Click the extension you want to remvoe, then click the “Uninstall” button.

Here is my list of favorite Firefox extensions (other than customizing the search box):

Forecastfox  – Great weather add-on including radar button

Google Browser Sync  – If you have more than one computer, this tool keeps your history, bookmarks and passwords the same on all your computers. GREAT!

PDF Download - Firefox supports reading PDF (Adobe Acrobat) files in the browser quite well, but this tool gives you more options as to what to do with PDF files.

Firefox Showcase - See all your open tabs in a single screen

IE Tab – Most sites look and act great in Firefox, but occasionally a site requires Internet Explorer. This tool allows you to open that site within Firefox by putting IE in a special tab.

There are hundreds of other Firefox extensions, and you can find them as I described above, but again, don’t over do it!  I have provided a video tip of today’s topic as well that you can see below.

 

 

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