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:
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.
Why is Google's stock always so high? How can a company be worth so much if all they do is help people find web sites? Where do they make their money?
Before you dismiss Google as just a search engine or over-priced stock, take a look at the hidden features they offer.
Google offers so many services for free that many experts have theorized that Google may one day replace libraries, phone companies, operating systems, Internet browsers, phone books, calendars and reminders, email, television and even paper.
Internet Explorer 7 finally became final last week and is starting to be deployed as a Windows Update. While I believe that IE 7 is a huge step in the right direction, the changes in the look and feel of the browser will throw many for a loop. Even after working with IE 7 for the past five or so months as it made its way through the beta stages of development, I don't think it holds a candle next to the Firefox browser . If you aren't afraid to learn the new nuances of IE 7 and don't want to change to Firefox, I say go for the upgrade. However, if you are perfectly comfortable where you are right now with Internet Explorer 6, then you might want to download and install this tool , made available through Microsoft, that prevents the automatic installation of the new Internet Explorer 7.
HelpMeRick.com has a wealth of information for computer users of all experiences, but beginner or novice computer users find the information found here the most helpful. We have put together a short video explaining how our site is organized and how you can find information about computer topics that you are most interested in learning. No other web site is built on information quite like ours. We strive to make computers and technology understandable by all and a tool that will benefit everyone.
To replay this 6 minute narrated video tour of how to best utilize HelpMeRick.com, push F5 on your keyboard or click the Refresh/Reload button on your browser.
Before I moved here to Colorado in 1995, I visited a large circus tent in a Seattle suburb parking lot. The tent said, "Start" in large letters at the entrance. Once inside, I was greeted by extremely cheerful, almost giddy, representatives from Microsoft. I estimated about 30-35 computers were setup with twice that many Microsoft reps showing curious visitors to the tent what Windows 95 was and how it would change the world of computing. One enthusiastic rep gleefully showed me some shortcuts with the Windows key that did impress me and stuck with me from that day until I purchased my first Windows 95 machine nearly a year later.
REALLY! The health of your computer, your friend's computer, your neighbor's computer, the government computers, my computer are all at stake. Heck, economies world wide depend on the information I am about to repeat to you and you HAVE to forward it every computer user you know! REALLY!
I cleaned up a laptop today that belonged to a sophomore in college. She readily admitted that she knew very little about her computer and knew nothing about Internet security. After cleaning off some horrific spyware and a couple of viruses, I explained to her how to maintain the standard products I add to all my customer's computer:
We have talked and written volumes on this subject, so I'm listing for you links to the articles and tips we have written so you can brush up and educate and inform all the computer users you know.
I noticed in the news that AOL has officially made all of its services free. They have also lowered their rates to $9.95 for dial-up service.
Their pitch is that all of their content including email is now free. They are really trying to get people to sign up for their free email.
So, I figured, what the heck. I will sign up for it if it's free. Just so I can review what a free AOL service is like.
If you haven't heard us say it before, AOL is not an Internet provider. Perhaps they were at one time, but today their specialty is advertising. They charge subscribers for a service that's primary purpose is to show those subscribers advertising. Every link in the AOL software is advertising based. Whether you click on shopping, weather, Internet security or news, every link in the AOL program is put their because someone paid for it to be there.
We love the Mozilla Firefox web browser because of its safety, speed, and customizability. One of my favorite customizations is the ability to add sites to the built in search engine that let me quickly search web sites I visit most often…weather, recipes, downloads, movies, etc. Occasionally, it is nice to be able to remove one that I'm not using any further or maybe isn't working at all. Here's how to do that:
A client’s adult daughter had a problem where the ONLY site that she couldn’t pull up on the Internet was her bank. After thoroughly checking her computer for viruses and spyware, making sure firewalls were set properly, checking Internet settings and trying the site with multiple browsers, I couldn’t figure out what was wrong. She is a cable Internet user and was sharing the connection via a Linksys wireless router. Nothing I could think of made a difference.
Today, she called me and was gleeful about her computer…she could get to her bank’s web site, log in normally. Turns out that after she unplugged the router and connected straight to her computer, the site became available. I have never heard of a router blocking just a single site (routers do act as firewalls as well). I told her how to reset the router to its factory settings in case someone may have ‘tweaked’ the router to block the banking site. If the factory reset didn’t work, she would have to get another router in order to share the Internet again.