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Differential Diagnosis

That’s a term I learned while in Physical Therapy skill. It means asking a lot of questions and doing a lot of tests to come up with the most likely cause for a problem. That skill alone helps me work with computer problems every day. Asking the proper questions and getting the sequence of events in proper order make me hone in on the problem quicker.

Yesterday, I worked on a computer for a customer who wasn’t home and it quickly reinforced my need for getting a thorough history of the problem from the computer’s owner. Without it, I’m probing blind and looking for the most obvious problems, but it makes the process much longer.

R-E-S-P-E-C-T

I could write volumes about today. It started out extremely weird, but ended up great.
 
I roll up to my first client’s apartment today…she was a new customer, first visit. I ring the doorbell about 10 minutes prior to our appointment. A little dog starts barking directly behind the door, and I hear its owner say something to it and it scurries away.  Approximately two minutes go by and I figure that she is putting the dog in a kennel or something. Nothing is said to me.
 
I wait about another minute then ring the bell again.

Make a list for your computer guy

Whether I am teaching someone how to use their computer or I am fixing a computer, I have found that I am best at helping someone out when they make a list of everything that needs done.

Today I had two great clients that had nice neat lists made up of everything that needed done. One particular client had a long list of 15 or 20 things, but because she had taken the time to write them all down, I was able to get through the entire list in about an hour and 15 minutes.

I compare this to my clients who don’t have a list made up. I arrive and they try to think of all of the things they would either like me to teach them or fix. Inevitably within a day or two of leaving their house, I get a call about something that they meant to tell me about. Typically this happens after a spouse or child gets home later and reminds them about a problem (often the most important problem) that they originally called me for.

Digital Camera Basics

Digital Camera Basics

 

The first place I will refer you to is the link below entitled "The article to end all articles on Digital Photography." 

Or better yet click here.

There are a few differences between 35mm cameras and digital cameras. The following are a few that we discussed.

Shutter delay: There are two types of delay to expect in a digital camera. The first is the delay that the camera needs to auto focus.  The second is the delay that the camera needs to analyze the image and store it on a disk. When you take a picture with a digital camera wait a second or so before you move the camera.

Our Top Internet Information Sites 2005

We started publishing this list about three years ago. I fully admit that I am an information junkie and enjoy finding the answers to questions as soon as they come up. I tend to use a core group of sites to find my information. In this list you will see some perennial favorites and some new ones that I started using over the past year.

In no particular order, my favorite information gathering web sites are:

  • Google – Hands down the best place to start when you are searching the Internet

Making the most of a dialup connection

This tip has the dual function of teaching you how to not only get around the Internet faster, but also understand how Windows can allow you to do more than one task at a time.

First, when you use a search engine, it returns many different answers for you to sift through.  The common way to sift through these is to click on one of the answers, examine it and then hit the back button on the browser to return to the list.

A quicker way to find what you are looking for is to:

  1. Right Click on a link from the answer list
  2. Click on the open link in a new window option

This starts a brand new window for you to load the page.  So, instead of waiting for it download, immediately push Alt+tab on your keyboard OR click on the alternate browser button on your taskbar to return to the list of answers.

Repeat this process as much as five times to open up web pages simultaneously. 

Learn about Your Favorite Hobby or Share your Experiences

With over a half billion people online worldwide and growing by more than one hundred million annually, the Internet is a great place to congregate and discuss hobbies, politics, sports and more. Are you interested in Model A Ford restoration, raising cockatoos, RV traveling, cross breeding tulips, or programming Access? These and thousands of other topics are freely available for discussion on the Internet.

In the beginning, there were newsgroups. Now, email discussion groups are more popular and easier to participate and benefit from. Email discussion groups bring together people of like interests for discussion, information sharing and Internet camaraderie. 

All Search Results are NOT Created Equally

When you click on a link provided by a search engine for a medication you are taking
or maybe a popular TV show, there is a good chance that you may end up at a site
packed with spyware and/or viruses ready to pounce on your computer.

In this week’s tip, I don’t want to rant about viruses and spyware or even the nuances
of searching. All of these topics are thoroughly covered here at the web site. Instead,
I want to point out some general tips and ideas and to keep in mind when searching the
web…regardless of which search engine you choose.

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Spelling is paramount. The degenerates who spread filth make a living on taking

About Rick, Adam & the Show

The Castellini on Computers radio talk show hit the air in April 1999. Our idea was to create a talk show where anyone would feel comfortable asking questions about technology. While there are a number of computer and technology related talk shows on the radio, Castellini on Computers is the only show that centers around callers’ questions. We strive to keep the show focused on the everyday questions, concerns and quandaries. We hope that listeners to Castellini on Computers will hear a program with practical questions and answers that apply to all classes of computer users.

All Rights Reserved © 2024 Rick Castellini
All Rights Reserved © 2024 Rick Castellini