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Rick

Control is Key

I can usually get a 'wow' from many computer users when I show them how to use the Ctrl (Control) key on the keyboard. In combination with other keys it can do fantastic tricks like copy (Ctrl+C), print (Ctrl+P), or save files (Ctrl+S) to name a few. Combine the Ctrl key with a mouse click and you truly get magic. Hold down the Ctrl key while clicking on documents, email, pictures or other multiple to select multiple at a time.

No longer do you have to be relegated to deleting files one at a time or emailing pictures one at time. Use Ctrl+Click to select or highlight multiple options at the same time.

I am sensing a theme here

I am sensing a theme with my work lately. Late last week I had to tell a client that their entire hard drive had crashed and nothing was salvageable.

Today I taught some computer classes for the local Parks and Rec. I enjoy teaching these classes because I get to tell people about the importance of things like backup and broadband Internet.

After that class my first client had just bought a new computer and she needed me to transfer data. She had replaced her old computer because it kept locking up and giving her errors.

As I transferred her important files I discovered what had been causing the problems. Her hard drive was nearly dead and many of her files were gone completely.

No Shade in Grand Junction

When I first started my business about 10 years ago, I drove a truck around that didn't have air conditioning. I'm not looking for sympathy, we had just moved from Seattle and there isn't much of a need for AC up there. The last couple of summers the Western Colorado desert has been HOT!! Thank goodness I now have AC.

One way I try to stay cool is carrying a 3/4 frozen (the other 1/4 is water) 1/2 gallon water bottle with me when I leave the house. I usually drink it all by the end of the day and sometimes have to stop and pick up another quart. When I stop at my customer's home or office, I place my water bottle on the floor in a place where I think it will stay shaded. After more than 10 years of performing this routine, I miss the shade about 7 out of 10 times! I start it in the shade, try to estimate where the sun will be moving and then place it accordingly.

Windows 98 vs. Windows Vista

I've seen a fair amount of Windows 98 machines lately and read many, many articles and reviews about the upcoming (six months?) release of Windows Vista. If a computer user doesn't load a Windows 98 machine with bloated security software (Norton) or too many background programs and utilities, it runs pretty darn well…even fast! Windows Vista, on the other hand, continues to baffle industry experts on exactly what the purpose of the 'upgrade' is. After simplifying the operating system choices and essentially having one version of Windows, there will be at least five versions to choose from next year!

It’s a computer emergency

Lately, I have seen too many real emergencies. Sometimes I get calls that are "emergencies" like the kind where the grandkids have come over and deleted the solitaire icon from the desktop.

But, then I get real emergencies. Lately I had one client whose hard drive motor suddently quit. Today I saw a dentist's office where the server with all of the software kept shutting down suddenly. Then, the worst yet, I am working a little bit with a local financial institution whose server crashed – not a small business either.

In all but one case, the client has complete and current backup, but even having backup doesn't help keep the ship afloat when a major crash happens. Sometimes the entire ship has to be put in drydock for a week or so to get things figured out.

Walking stick and Tripod

Life Span tripod

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A long time of customer of mine had this walking-hiking stick/camera tripod and I thought it was a great idea. I snapped a photo of the flyer with my Treo 650 so that I could remember the what it was and where to find it. This shows just one of the many hundreds of uses a Palm Treo 650 has. For a better photo than my Treo can provide, visit the manufacturer's web site .

Create Control Panel Shortuct on Desktop

Joey called and wanted to know how to create a Control Panel shortcut on his desktop in Windows XP. Here's the steps, and they work for any program:

  1. RIGHT Click on the Control Panel icon in the start menu (or any program icon)
  2. Hold the RIGHT button down and drag to your desktop
  3. Release the button and choose Create Shortcut  

Computer BIOS

bios1

Many times on the show we guide people to the computer BIOS for troubleshooting some problems. BIOS stands for Basic Input Output System. The BIOS, speaking very simply, controls and monitors the hardware on our computers. Keyboards, mice, hard drives, CDROM drives, the date and time (from the CMOS chip), and more all get inventoried and controlled via the BIOS. Think of the BIOS as the parts manager of your computer. The software written to monitor our hardware is stored on a flash memory chip inside the computer. Occasionally, hardware malfunctions or conflicts can be resolved by changing settings in the BIOS. Some hardware upgrades (new memory chips, video cards) may require an upgrade to the BIOS through a process known as flashing the BIOS.

Two of the most common functions why you might access your system's BIOS are changing the boot order to allow a CD or other device to boot before a hard drive or supplying a security password to lock your computer.

Unfortunately, the BIOS and the way we access the BIOS is far from standardized. Any of the following keyboard keys can invoke the BIOS (sometimes referred to as system setup): F1, F2, F10, F12, Del, Esc, or Ins. Once in the BIOS, you must use the keyboard to navigate the menus and change the settings. Again, this isn't standardized either and there are at least a dozen implementations of the BIOS interface. I have included two of the most common BIOS screens in this tip.

Because there are so many different configurations and ways of accessing BIOS, I've included some of the better tutorials regarding the subject on the web. Also, make sure you read your computer's documentation or visit the manufacturers web site for even more specific information.

bios2

 

 

Maybe I should run a backup today

I spent much of my day working with a client who had lost everything on his hard drive. The motor died. We checked with a couple of data recovery services on the web and one said it would cost $1100 to recover, the other said the price would start at $599 (lowest possible estimate).

I have seen clients lose important information before and it is heart breaking, but it was what my client said later that I think is of note.

People often ask us how often they should back up or how they should backup. While the answers to these questions vary, there is one time that you should always backup everything that is important.

Watch the lights

Since many of us are now using high speed connections to the Internet, we run into new problems. A customer of mine called me today and said she couldn't get email any more. When I asked if she was connected to the Internet, she thought she was. Knowing she had DSL, I asked how many lights were on the DSL modem (thingy from the phone company that connects the computer to the Internet with a cable running from phone line to it, and then another cable from it to the computer). She saw three lights on her particular modem, an Actiontec, which should have a minimum of four lights on it.

The solution:  unplug the power from the modem for about fifteen or so seconds, plug it back in and wait for about a minute or so until the four (or five if wirelss is enabled) light up. We waited, she checked her email and presto, it worked.