Learning to make Windows work for you instead of you working for it can yield many more happy and productive hours using your computer. One highly under utilized feature of Windows is the shortcut icon. Learning to use and manage shortcuts will give you a huge advantage with your computer.
I setup my first Quad Core processor computer today. It wasn’t for me, unfortunately, but I was impressed with the machine. My client ordered a Dell XPS Intel Quad Core machine with 4 GB of RAM and Windows XP. It was easily the fastest computer I have seen to date. With all that RAM, a 256mb video card, and the new Intel Quad Core processor everthing literally flew on this machine. One example is Adobe Photoshop Elements version 5. On most computers with 512 to 1 GB of Ram, Elements takes between 30-60 seconds to fully load. On this mahine today, it loaded in less than 10 seconds. I was floored.
Adam and I first mentioned this nasty little virus earlier this spring on our radio show. The email that spreads it poses as an electronic greeting card from your friend or relative. Because the email is so poorly constructed, is never from a known address, and the link it displays in the body of the message is a number (NEVER, EVER Click a link that is constructed of a number, ex: http://91.188.176.15/) we didn’t put much credence in how much damage it could do.
I helped setup an iPhone for the first time today. Here is a quick summary of my findings:
Pros
Cons
I have spent more than 10 years helping computer users get the most out of their computers. Without hesitation, I can say that the biggest obstacle any computer user encounters is change (which is precisely why I can’t figure out what Microsoft was thinking with Vista and Office
2007).
I have seen a lot of power supply failures lately. This seems to happen every summer but I don't keep detailed enough statistics to prove it. I am not sure why it happens either. It could be that people turn off their computers for summer vacation and it is the first time the computer has really been turned off in a long time. This might give things a chance to cool down and become brittle. Maybe it is just a coincidence.
In addition to the power supply failures, I have seen a variety of other problems lately that are typically rare such as hard drive failures, power button failures, and dead printers.
Google offers hundreds of features and most of them go unused by the average computer user.
Google Images is one of the coolest features that the monster search site has to offer. Google Images allows you to search the web for graphics or pictures related to any search topic.
It's so easy to use:
1. Visit Images.Google.com
2. Type in a word or phrase that you want to search for
3. Hit ENTER key on your keyboard
4. The website where the image is found will load but you can get directly to the image itself by clicking on the thumbnail at the top of the page.
Is Microsoft producing software for the 10-19 year olds? I helped a client setup a new Vista computer today, and she mentioned that her daughter thought it was really cool and nice…looking. I asked the mom what she thought. Her response was typical of most business computer users, "It's alright, but the messages asking me to confirm everything get annoying real fast. And it doesn't seem any faster than my five year old computer."
BINGO! I've been describing this sentiment since September of last year the moment I laid eyes on my first copy of Vista! It's slower that XP, more annoying than XP, not much safer than XP, and just about everything you knew how to find in XP has changed places, but it is prettier. My only conclusion as to the thought process of Redmond, Washington is they could give a rip about the every day computer user and the business computer users currently pounding away at keyboards. Microsoft must be looking to the future and since a vast majority of today's 'youngins' only care about looks and fluff, then Vista delivers.
Well, it was bold for me anyway. I stated (and Adam should have the audio up soon for the exact quote) that computer users who have not learned how to Copy and Paste should unplug their computers are put them on the curb for someone else to pickup.
The statement seems a little extreme and at the time, it was meant for a giggle in the context of the show. However, the more I thought about it, the more it made sense. The ability to Cut, Copy, and Paste is an extremely useful and easy to learn tool. Tutorials can be found everywhere regarding the subject (including right here on this site). I think it is an absolutely essential tool because it can be used in almost every aspect of computing except Solitaire.
I ran into a strange problem today with a client using Windows XP and Outlook Express. They had to install a new copy of Office 2007 because they lost their certificate of authenticity for their old copy (don't lose those folks). Subsequently, their spell checker in Outlook Express now only uses the French dictionary. Thanks Microsoft!! Once again, fabulous upgrade to the "new" Office 2007.
After some investigation it turns out that the only viable option for Windows XP users using Outlook Express and Office 2007 is to download a free spell checker for Outlook Express. We have been recommending this one for years . Click here to download and install the spell checker and your Outlook Express spell checking errors will be history…unless you are French.