Rick
True Vista capable machines are just now being announced
If you bought a brand new computer with Windows Vista on it, you can probably expect your next computer to also have Vista on it too.
The first generation of Vista powered computers has mostly been under powered. Even with dual core processors and a gigabyte of RAM most computers with Vista perform at an acceptable speed at best.
This week Intel and AMD each announced new processors that will run at speeds double that of systems currently on the shelves. Why do we need that much speed? Vista.
AMD and Intel each made mention that the new processors will have the power that Vista demands. In other words each company essentially said that current processors are under powered when it comes to the demands of Vista.
Is it not ok anymore to be content with what we have?
I have had Windows Vista and Microsoft Office 2007 sitting on my desk for more than three weeks now. I spent nearly $300 buying the stupid products so that I can install them on my machine, but I haven't. It's not because I haven't had time…I just have no burning desire to go through with the change yet. My Windows XP machine is running awesome, I like the configuration of my system and just don't want to upset the apple cart yet. I still occasionally turn on my backup machine that is running a beta version of Windows Vista, but I have only used it about ten times since I installed the beta version last September.
Would you rather have your TV or your computer?
Lately I have had a lot of clients call me in a panic because they are having a computer emergency. These calls are getting more frequent every year.
Is there a such thing as a computer emergency? Yes. In fact, I would be willing to wager that most people I work for, if given the choice, would choose to live 24 hours without running water or a fridge than they would without their computer.
Having a good computer guy is as important to most people as having a good mechanic or doctor. Computers are more complex than any other device in most people's homes (there are still a few people with old fashioned pinball machines).
Today I found a print screen utility that I had forgotten about….
A long, long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away computer users used to be able to push a single button on their keyboards and get a printout of whatever was displayed on the screen. When Windows took over computers, this function was lost. Pushing the Print Screen key on keyboards did nothing…seemingly. It actually does something, but I wrote a tip about what it does many years ago (click here to read it again…maybe for the first time) .
Today, I want to share with you a discovery I made while helping a customer. I had helped her setup her new computer a few years ago and she wanted a print screen utility…that was free. After some searching and experimenting, I came across a neat little utility called PrintDesktop (click here to download) . After I installed it for her, I completely forgot about the little gem…until today.
Internet Neutrality
We have not spent enough time here on the site or on the show discussing "Net Neutrality". Up to now and including today, the Internet has been a "free" space. We all have the ability to access anything we want at any time we want and at the speeds we choose to pay for through an Internet provider. Large telco companies in the United States want to impose certain restrictions on what, when, and how fast we see things on the Internet unless we agree to payer higher fees. Congress has been debating a "Net Neutrality Act" for a few years, but nothing has come of it as of yet.
Can’t read forwarded message attachments in Outlook
One of our callers today, Jeff, couldn't get forwarded emails to open if they were attachments. We believe this method may work to rectify the situation:
Use the following steps to use the Clear Cache button in Outlook:
1. On the Tools menu, click Options, and then click the Other tab.
2. Click Advanced Options.
3. In the Advanced Options box, click Custom Forms.
4. In the Custom Forms box, click Manage Forms.
5. In the Forms Manager box, click Clear Cache.
Copy Shortcut for a program to other Windows’ Users
Caller, Marvin, needed to have a program he installed in his user account be available to his wife and daughter. Here's the solution:
1. Make sure that when installing a program if the program gives you the option to install to just you or all users, choose All Users.
2. IF, that doesn't bring up the icon to the other users, RIGHT click and choose Copy on the program's icon, then Click My Computer, double-click "Shared Documents", Click Edit –> Paste. Now you can log into each of the other users, and copy that shortcut to the desktops of the other users who need access to the program.
Turn off file sharing when connecting to wireless while travelling
Disable unprotected File Sharing on Windows XP Home
If you use Windows XP Home Edition, then you should avoid sharing files over the campus network and make sure that file sharing is disabled on your computer. NOTE: File sharing is enabled by default when Windows XP Home is installed onto your computer. Since Windows XP Home does not support password-protected file sharing, any person or virus will be able to access your computer without your knowledge if file sharing is enabled. Follow the instructions below to disable unprotected file sharing.
Sorting the Mail – Video Tip
Wouldn't it be nice if you could sort your email by the date it was received or by the name of the sender?
If you use Microsoft Outlook Express (or Outlook), Mozilla Thurnderbird, or most other email systems), you can quickly sort all of your mail. AOL finally added this feature for its members just last year. As an added bonus, this tip will work with any computer or operating system.
To sort the mail:
- Click ONE time on the desired heading of your email list. For example, to sort your messages chronologically, click once on the date heading to sort from oldest to newest.
- Click again to sort from newest to oldest.
- To sort your mail by the sender, simply click on the "From" heading at the top of the email list.
- To sort by the subject of the email, click one time on the "Subject" heading at the top of the email list.
- As in Step 1, if you click a second time on a column heading, the sort direction will reverse.
- You can even click on the "paper clip " at the top of the email list to quickly find messages that have attachments.
That's it! Simple, clean and useful…give it a try!! Watch the video below to see this tip in action.