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Riding Shotgun with Rick

Routers gone bad

Over the past month, I have encountered at least six bad routers. A router is a device that can be used to share high speed computer access to multiple computers either through Ethernet cabling or wirelessly. I'm not exactly sure what is happening, but I almost feel as if there is a correlation to the recent rash of router failures. I just don't know what that correlation is. It also doesn't seem to be related to a particular brand of routers. I have seen failed Linksys, Belkin, D-Link, and other brands or routers as well.

If you are using a high speed connection and you lose Internet connectivity, first follow my tip on troubleshooting high speed connections .

Look for the mute button…

I probably get two to four calls a month from computer users who tell me their sound is no longer working on their computer. Very close to 100% of these calls end up being one of three things:

  1. Power is unplugged from powered speakers
  2. Speaker jack is unplugged from the back of the computer (it goes into the green jack on the back of the computer)
  3. The mute button has been enabled on the sound settings.

The first two are easy to check and rectify, but finding the mute button in the sound settings isn't as apparent. The easiest way to find it is double-clicking on the little speaker icon by your clock.

Keep all your disks and documentation

I worked on a computer today which needed reformatting because of massive failure from viruses and spyware. They handn't followed the "Castellini on Computers Approach to Security" so the computer needed my help. When I need to perform a reformat, I need to have all the original software or restore CD's to get everything up and running again. If my customer doesn't have the disks, then I have to search the Internet for their particular system.

The most important disks contain the information that tells Windows how to interact with your attached hardware (drivers). Usually, they are contained on either a restore CD or a CD marked Drivers and Utilities. Keep in mind that you can save time and money by putting all the original documentation and any disks that came with your new system (except for the AOL disk) in a manilla envelope or big zip lock bag. This is all important and vital information to your computer.

FAX from your computer…

I wrote this Windows 98 fax tip many years ago, but I realized this week that some people still do need to use a fax. Here is some updated information for faxing with Windows XP:

Setup the FAX

If your computer has a modem, you should have the Microsoft Fax already setup. To see if it is ready to go, click Start –> Control Panel and double-click the Printers and Faxes option. If you see the Fax in the installed printers you are ready to go. If you don't see it next to your other printers, then Click the "Setup faxing" option from the task lists on the left and follow the instructions.

Sending a FAX

  1. Any image (including scanned images) or document you can view on the screen, can be faxed following this method:
  2. Open the document in it program (Word, Excel, etc)
  3. Click File –> Print from the menus
  4. Choose the Fax from the printer options
  5. Click Print
  6. The Fax wizard will start where you can type the name of your recepient and their phone number (if it is long distance, DO NOT enter the area code, instead type: 1-area code-phone number).

Receiving a FAX

  1. Call the party who needs to send you a fax and give them your phone number.
  2. Click Start –> All Programs –> Accessories –> Communications –> Fax, and then click Fax Console to open the Fax Console.
  3. On the toolbar, click the Receive Now button when you hear your phone ring.

 

AOL is NUMBER ONE!!!

I finally got around to reading my newest PC World magazine today. Their cover story is the Top 100 Products of the year. As I read the story, I came across a side bar:  The 25 Worst Tech Products of ALL TIME.

Guess who was the #1 worst tech product of ALL time? If you guessed AOL, you were right. Needless to say a smile broke across my face when I saw that. Pick up a copy of PC World to read the article for yourself or read it online by clicking here.

We've been trying to tell you that we weren't the only ones who despise the over priced product that AOL puts out. 

Don’t be afraid to read directions

There is no shame in reading directions step-by-step until you master a computer skill. When I teach my clients how to perform a function or skill on the computer, I walk them through the steps as I write each one down complete with the locations of the buttons to push or fields to fill out. Many books and web sites (like ours) offer the same step-by-step instructions to help you master the computer.

The problem begins when a computer user feels embarassed or maybe is just a little too lazy to read the instructions. Instead, some users try to guess their way through the process and then curse the computer or say to themselves that they will never learn.

Laser Printers

Many more of my clients are opting for laser printers as their primary printer. And why not! Laser printer costs have dropped dramatically over the past two years and consumables are as much as 60% less than ink jet printers. Their prints won’t smudge, their ink (toner) NEVER dries out, and they are generally much faster than ink jets.

Monochrome  laser printers can be found for less than $100 and perform admirably for email, word processing and Internet prints. For about $250 you can look at color laser printers. Color laser printers won’t give you the photo quality that ink jets provide, but they’re not bad for the occasional print and are awesome for greeting cards, flyers, and brochures. I still think that computer users are better off printing out pictures with services such as Shutterfly or Club Photo or using local services like drug stores and grocery stores. It’s cheaper, they look better and last longer than prints made at home.

New Computer Specs

Computer prices continue to drop and get more powerful. I answer the question, "What should I buy?", many times every week. The answer seems to change about every six months. Today, I’m going to list my advice that should hold for at least six months:

Primary use is Internet, email, small games, and word processing:

  • Any processor 512MB of RAM
  • Any size hard drive
  • Mimimum CDRW Drive

Primary use is as above + digital photography:

  • Pentium IV (NOT Celeron) or AMD equivalant
  • 1 GB of RAM Built-in card reader 100 GB Hard Drive DVD burner
  • Separate video card (not built-in) or ability to add one

Uses are as above + video editing and/or high end games or other processor intensive program:

Dell Onsite Support?

I’m curious how other folks are getting along with Dell support lately. Many of my clients are becoming increasingly disillusioned with Dell’s support. Not only do they not like trying to communicate with the nice, but difficult to understand phone tech support, but they also are not impressed with the onsite service.

Today, one of my long time customers had to have a hard drive replaced. The tech who showed up was in his house less than 15 minutes. He screwed in the new drive, started the machine and said good luck. This doesn’t seem like good service to me. Do you have any stories about tech support from Dell or any other manufacturer?

Google News Alerts

We talk frequently of the new and useful tools that Google offers. One of the best is the Google News service. Google uses their powerful search technology to bring you news stories from many angles. If you really are a news junkie, you can use Google Alerts and RSS to get those news stories routed to your email or customized portal page like My Yahoo or even Google’s cutomizable home page.

To use the Google Alerts or RSS feeds, simply search for a topic at Google News, then click on the "News Alert" link on the left side of the page or the the RSS feed button. Take some time to really look around Google News…you won’t be disappointed.