Early thoughts on Windows 7

Although I’ve been testing, using and writing about Windows 7 since last year, it has only been on the market 2 weeks. In those two weeks, I have setup 8 or 10 new machines already. The setup is much faster than Vista, but I’m already getting that same ‘ol, same ‘ol feeling about it as I did with Windows Vista and Office 2007. I don’t doubt that Microsoft went back to the drawing board and...

Should I backup?

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...

Deleting Programs and Files

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: Never delete files that you did not create. If you can’t trace the origin of the file, leave it alone. If the file sports one of the generic looking ‘windows’ icons (see picture), do not...

Share YOUR Favorite Keyboard Shortcuts

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: Alt + TAB Switch between Open...

A quicker way to Rename folders and files in Windo...

Windows XP, Vista and the upcoming version 7 continue to help us accomplish certain computer tasks more quickly. One of my favorite features involves the renaming of files. You can still use the techniques I outlined in a previous tip, but renaming files can be even faster with the right steps. If you have the need to rename a group of files (for example a group of freshly downloaded pictures from your digital camera), you...

Print Preview

Sometimes the most helpful computer utilities elude us and stay hidden for years. One such utility that I find very helpful (and have taken for granted) is the Print Preview function found in almost any program that allows printing. Because Windows and Macintosh made the WYSIWYG (What You See Is What You Get) environment available to the masses, what we see on our screens is pretty close to what we see on our print outs....

How to Use the “Extra” Keys on Your Ke...

There are roughly 50 keys on your keyboard that you use on a regular basis, but there are at least 104 total keys on your keyboard. So, what are those other keys for? Here is a list of the keys you may not be using that can make your computing life a lot easier – in no particular order. F1 – The F1 key is located above your number and letter keypad. In almost any program anywhere in Windows, pressing F1 will bring...

Backup Outlook Express Email – Video Tip

This week’s tip also applies to Windows Vista users who use Windows Mail…which is basically Outlook Express with a new name. I still recommend that emailers save their important pictures and documents sent to them via email to a folder on their computer for easier backup (see my video tip on how to do this by clicking here), but many people also save a great deal of email and don’t want to lose it. Outlook...

System Engineer fed up with Windows vulnerabilitie...

Interesting article from a ZDNet author, Christopher Dawson,  who also works full-time as a school district computer engineer. Despite locking down Windows computers with security software, tweaking firewalls, and making sure all Windows updates are up to snuff, threats still sneak into their computers. I understand the frustration he exhibits in the article regarding the time and effort spent fighting these...

Cleaning and removing Antivirus 2009, PAV and othe...

Preventing your computer from becoming infected is infinitely easier and less stressful than cleaning up after an infection. Search my site for tons of information on setting up your computer for security and techniques to avoid scams. However, if you are already bit by one of the most recent nasty forms of software, Antivirus 2008, Antivirus 2009, Personal Antivirus, Internet Security 2009 among others (software I call...

Rick Answers his Email Videocast – 053

The summer has kept me busy and I let a few too many question stack up (remember that you can make a small donation when asking your question to get priority). I answered all the questions you asked the last 2 weeks in these two videos. The first video contains questions from Doris, Henry, Andrew, Jean, John, Rae Ann, Craig, Janet, Maurice, Leo, Ryan, Shirley, Jason, Donna, Jeannie, Dave, and Scott. They asked questions about...

Email of the Week – 013

QUESTION Name:  Beth From:   Missouri OS:      Windows Vista ———————- Dear Rick, I have a new laptop using Vista Home Premium 64-bit. Advice on how to set it up? email, browser, virus/ad/spy programs, etc?  I am sure there are many people out there who want to know how to set up a new computer. Usage – I will be setting up a network with my desktop (windows XP).  I...

The Castellini Approach to Internet Security

This past week I saw way too many people who are not taking advantage of the free information we give out on the show and the web site. Their computers were suffocating from a preventable disease…viruses and spyware. Yes, preventable, almost 100%. And fighting the war on our home computer security front does not have to be costly or time consuming. We talk about this subject quite a bit on the program and the web site...

Adding RAM to increase computer speed – Vide...

Since Service Pack 3 for Windows XP (security update) was released late last year, many of my XP clients started experiencing slower performance. This upgrade put an additional strain on systems with less than 512mb of RAM. Upgrading the RAM will make a big difference in speeding up the system again. RAM is the temporary memory that the computer uses to give us the feeling of programs opening and running with some pep....

Senior uses Ubuntu system 14 months trouble free

Computers started making their way into homes, en masse, 15 years ago. After 15 years, computer users should not be afraid of using their computer. This case study tells the story about a customer of mine, Wanda, who happens to be in her 70s. Like most computer users she used a Windows based computer. In her case, it was a system put together by her grandson in 2002 or 2003 and has a 1.8ghz processor, 256mb of RAM and the XP...