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Computer Tips

Setup ZoneAlarm Firewall to not interfere with your home network

We had a call a couple of weeks ago about configuring ZoneAlarm , a software firewall, to allow for a home network to be setup. Often times, after setting up ZoneAlarm, network communication like sharing printers and files is blocked unless ZoneAlarm is shutdown…defeating the purpose of the firewall. Here's how to add your home network to the "Trusted Zone" in ZoneAlarm so that file and printer sharing will work with ZoneAlarm enabled:

  1. Double-click the ZoneAlarm icon by the clock in the system tray
  2. Click the Firewall optionZone Alarm Settings (see #1 in the illustration)
  3. Click the Zones tab (see #2 in the illustration)
  4. Click Add (see #3 in the illustration)
  5. Click IP Range
  6. Make sure the Zone says "Trusted"
  7. Type in the lowest IP address on your network (like 192.168.0.100). You can find this out by RIGHT Clicking on your Wireless or LAN connection in the Network Connections found in the Control Panel)
  8. Type in the highest IP address on your network. Make this number about 15-20 points higher than the fourth digit of the previous number. If our example as above, then use 192.168.0.120 for this number.
  9. Type "Home Network" or something similar in the Description box
  10. Click OK
  11. Click Apply on the Zones screen
  12. Close ZoneAlarm

GoDaddy.com email snafu

Ran across a strange situation today that I hadn't seen before. The customer has domain (your own personal name) email hosted through the popular godaddy.com service. Often times they can't receive emails from each other or from customers because the emails were getting returned to the sender saying "this user does not accept non-Western character sets or encoding". 

A character set in computing contains letters, numerals, and symbols that make up a font. Every character has a corresponding number that the computer tracks it with. This is a simplistic explanation of how character sets work in the computer world, but the best I can do for this article. 

A word for our Dial-up readers (and our high speed Internet emailers)

Lately, I have helped many dial-up computer users get their email unclogged. It became clogged because their friends and family who have high speed Internet sent them messages that were way too big for email. Usually these messages contained either large digital photos or video jokes or messages that bring dial-up users email to screeching halt. 

DIAL-UP USERS:

  • You absolutely need to know how to check your email using your web browser (this tip explains how ).
  • When email stops coming in or you see messages repeating themselves, it is time to check your email as above and then delete any messages that are larger than 500 kilobytes (kb). This will allow your email to flow again into your email program
  • Inform the offending parties that send these overly large messages that your system can't handle the volume and to please remove you from their forward lists.

HIGH SPEED USERS:

Never assume it’s your problem

I think we have talked about this before, but it bears repeating. When your Internet connection stops working suddenly or seems to be acting strange, don't immediately assume it is a problem on your end. Often times it is not a problem with your system at all. If this happens to you, follow these steps instead:

  1. Turn off your computer (and high speed modems and routers if you have a high speed connection)
  2. Wait about two or three minutes then plug everything back in and try your connection again.
  3. Do not fiddle with any settings if you didn't change anything before the problem. 
  4. If you still don't have Internet access, wait about an hour or two then try again.
  5. If you still don't have a connection, then it is time to call your provider and report the problem. IF you haven't changed any settings on your end, don't let the tech support people talk you into changing anything. Remember, your connection was perfect a little earlier. 

For high speed Internet connections, read our tip for troubleshooting your connection for more information.  

You don’t HAVE to log into AOL or MSN

Many AOL and MSN users have converted to either cable or DSL high speed connections over the last few years. This tip is for all you AOL and MSN broadband users.

IE7 LogoWhen I work with a high speed AOL or MSN user, habit guides their mice to the AOL or MSN icon. With a high speed connection, you do NOT need to log in to the service's browser if you just want to look up something on the web. Instead, decrease the time and steps it takes to get to the web by more than half by simply double-clicking on the Internet Explorer icon (pictured) from your desktop or Start menu. This will transport you instantly to the web. You only have to sign in to the AOL or MSN software if you want to check your email. Heck even that is optional, but that's a tip for another day.

Digital Camera Burst or Continuous modes

Burst ModeIt's fun for me to share my limited knowledge with people to help them get just a little more out of technology. I had the opportunity today to help a basketball mom learn how to use the continuous mode (burst mode) with her new digital camera. One of the great complaints about digital cameras is their slow shutter response. Fortunately, most digital cameras have improved that feature. One feature that many digital cameras have that can help you get the perfect shot is the continuous shooting mode or burst mode. This mode allows you to hold down the shutter of your camera and have it take a rapid fire of photos. This is known as burst or continuous shooting and it allows you to take 2-3 pictures each second!

Quick access to your favorite web sites

No matter what web browser you use, you can create quick access to your favorite web sites by creating a desktop icon. Here's how:

  1. Open your web browser
  2. Navigate to the web site you want to access quickly (like this site)
  3. Click the little icon next to the address in the address bar and drag it to your desktop 

That's it! Now you can double-click on the icon you just made to reach your the web sites you visit the most faster.

Internet Explorer 7 Keyboard shortcuts

General shortcuts
table with 2 columns and 9 rows
Turn Full Screen Mode on or off 
F11 

Cycle through the Address Bar, Refresh button, Search Box, and
items on a web page  

TAB  

Find a word or phrase on a page 

CTRL+F 

Open the current webpage in a new window  

CTRL+N  

Print the page  

CTRL+P  

Select all items on the page  

CTRL+A  

Zoom in  

CTRL+PLUS  

Zoom out  

CTRL+MINUS  

Open Office 2.0 — FREE Alternative to Microsoft Office

In today's meetings, we downloaded, installed, and worked with Open Office. The FREE altnernative to Microsoft Office. To read why the software is free, read this information from their web site .

OpenOffice programs are completely compatible with Microsoft Office programs and allows you to read, edit, and create Office documents without owning the Microsoft Office suite. Here is a list of the programs and their functions in Open Office:

Open Office icons