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Sometimes the Internet doesn’t tell the whole story

My children were out of school today for the President's Day holiday. We had planned to go skiing with another family at our local ski resort. My son and I woke early and were eating breakfast and decided that we should check the weather on the mountain. We checked the resort's web site and the National Weather Service web site. Both indicated that it could be a 'breezy' day with a chance of snow. We finished eating, packed, and made the forty-five minute trek up the mountain. About half way to the resort, I noticed that the clouds were looking pretty dark (rainy not snowy) and the wind had picked up substantially. As we made the final ascent to the ski area, the wind picked up enough to shake the pine trees on the side of the road quite easily and I could feel the van struggling to keep its bearing. When we pulled into the resort, all the flags were flying straight out and not given any chance to relax. 

Getting the Mail Button back in IE7 – Revised VIDEO TIP

When you upgrade to IE7 you will notice a total change in the interface. One of the big changes is a lack of menu bar and many of the old buttons.

If you are in the habit of clicking on the little envelope in Internet Explorer to get into your email, you will quickly see that the little envelope is gone.

Here's how to get it back:

1. Right-click on the bar where the buttons should be

2. Choose Customize Command Bar

3. Click Add or Remove Commands

4. In the window that comes up, choose Mail on the left side and click the Add button

5. You will see the Mail button move to the right side. Click on it and click the Move Up botton to place it at the top of the list.

Internet Options – Are you paying too much? – February 2007

In today's group, we discussed the plethora of options available to most computer users for Internet access. As part of the discussion, we looked at 'bundled packages' of Internet, phone, and TV from cable and phone companies. If the presentation isn't playing already, click the Read More option at the end of this article.

Web Appliances revisited

I wrote a number of months ago about the need for a new web appliance. A web appliance is a device that only accesses the Internet. Web TV (now MSN TV) is the only device that sort of falls in this category. What I envision (and wish I had the knowledge to build) is a flat screen monitor with built-in speakers and a cordless bluetooth connection to talk to a mouse, keyboard, and a printer. It would also have a card reader to interact with a digital camera and a wireless and/or Ethernet port for high speed Internet access.

It would not have a hard drive or anyway to load applications. All programs and document storage would be online ala Google Docs and Gmail. The vast majority of clients I work with do only three or four things: Internet, email, games, and maybe some word processing and/or digital photography. All of this (and more) can be currently accomplished online thus circumventing the need for anything but an Internet connection. Also, this type of user would benefit greatly by not needing to worry about backup and where their documents are when they need them. It would take away the need for the user to learn and understand file management (which is sorely missing for most computer users).

Delete only one entry from Internet Explorer Address Bar (history)- Video Tip

The address bar in Internet Explorer (or any web browser) allows you to type in known web sites and visit them quickly. Sometimes you might want to clean out individual entries from the address bar or history, but this isn't possible in Internet Explorer unless you edit the registry. Watch the video below to learn how to perform this delicate Windows tweak. The video has a surprise ending to make this process a whole lot easier!

Here are the registry steps for Internet Explorer to delete an individual entry from the address bar:

  1. Close any open windows or programs
  2. Click Start
  3. Click Run
  4. Type: regedit
  5. WARNING: Registry editing is for experienced computer users only.

Solving some sound problems

I helped a client over the phone today who had a sound problem. She could hear the Windows startup and shut down sounds, but could not listen to a CD or any Internet audio/video. After confirming that the Window's sounds did work (by going to the Control Panel, then Sounds, Speeches, and Audio Devices), I had her insert a music CD. A few seconds later, Windows Media Player appeared and she said the picture was moving and the time line was also moving, but no sound. I had her double-click the little speaker by the clock and ensured that all volume levels were up and nothing was muted. 

The only culprit left was the sound adjustment in Media Player itself. Like all media players, Windows Media Player has its own volume adjustment and mute setting. Turns out that Media Player itself was muted. The moral of the story? If system sounds are working through your speakers, but CD's or other audio content does not play; check the volume and mute settings in the plaer.

Don’t confuse Updates with Scans

Many of our Castellini on Computers listeners are well versed (we hope) in the dangers of an unprotected computer. We preach constantly about the importance of keeping updated anti-virus software, anti-spyware and even firewalls on your computer. However, those not savvy to the show yet, find themselves kneed deep in computer problems often times because of one small mistake; thinking that a weekly virus scan is equivalent to computer security.

Some computer users know enough to check their anti-virus programs for a scan date (which is often very current), but overlook the date of the "last update" in their program. ALL anti-virus software must be updated via the Internet at least weekly, and preferably more often. The updates teach the software what to hunt for the next time it scans. If the software does not know what new threats exist, the subsequent scans are almost worthless.

7 ways to save money

  1. Do not use AOL.
  2. IF you use AOL, make sure you are paying the lowest price you can. Currently that is $9.95 for dial-up service and ZERO if you use AOL with a high speed connection. If you aren't getting these rates, call 1-888-265-8008 to get the rate. 
  3. Do not use Norton AntiVirus or McAfee products. Instead use the security software packages you can find by searching our site for "security". You will thank me later for this.
  4. Do not pay for two phone lines. It will be cheaper to get a high speed connection than pay for two phone lines and an Internet provider. For rural folks, look into Wild Blue satellite Internet or a local microwave wireless provider.
  5. Do not let your kids fix your computer…it will cost you MUCH more later.
  6. Get a second computer for the kids and keep it in plain view (like a living room or kitchen).
  7. Visit HelpMeRick.com daily to get the latest news and tips about computers that applies to the average computer user.

 

Downloading programs is like buying a program package at the store

My analogies are usually pretty bad and often more confusing than the original idea that I'm trying to explain. However, I think that I have come up with an analogy for downloading and installing files that might make a few light bulbs go off above computer users' heads. Let me know if this makes sense to you:

Install from CD
Install from Internet
(download)
Buy computer program package
from retail outlet.
 Download installation file from Internet
to a known location on your computer
Insert CD from package into your
computer
 Double-click the file you downloaded
from the Internet
Follow on-screen instructions to
install your program
 Follow on-screen instructions to
install your program
Take CD out of computer and
store in case you need to reinstall.
The disk is no longer needed to use
the program.
 		Once the program installs, you can either
copy original download to a CD or delete it.
The program is now ready to use.

 

Is the iPhone another Newton?

iphoneFor those of you who don't remember the Newton, it was Apple's first and last foray into the handheld computing market back in 1993. Although it was ground breaking and unique, it was a little ahead of its time and definitely too expensive. The Newton was a little too big to be called a true handheld computer and only worked with a heavy, built-in rechargeable battery. Just three short years later, a small company just down the street from Apple called Palm, introduced the Palm Pilot. It was less than one-half the size of a Newton, ran on a single AAA battery, had an ingeniously accurate handwriting recognition system, AND could synchronize data easily with a PC or Macintosh computer.

Fast forward to this week. Steve Jobs gave his usually raucous key note address at the annual Apple convention known as Macworld Expo. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a device slightly smaller than the Newton, but bigger than a Palm Pilot, and he pronounced it as the iPhone (already in legal trouble with Cisco who claims they own the rights to the name). Apple has been on a tear for about six years now the introduction of the iMac all-in-one computers, the iPod, and iTunes. Trying to capitalize on their recent successes, they decided to enter the "smart phone" market.

A smart phone is defined as a cellular phone that can also be used to synchronize contact, calendar, to do lists, and documents with a computer. They also have a full QWERTY keyboard built into them. These types of phones are extremely popular amongst the geek sector and the 'wanna be' geek sector. Blackberry handheld email devices made email mobile, then Palm introduced the revolutionary Treo smart phone and remains the top vote getter in this market. One problem plagues the smart phone market; there aren't that many geeks. Despite seeing how incredibly useful and versatile a Treo phone can be, most people scoff at it's size and say, "It's too big! I could never carry that thing." Treo's tip the scales at just over 5 ounces and measures: 4.44" H x 2.3" W x 0.8" D. One other factor hinders large scale smart phone sales; many computer users barely understand their computers let alone try and use a smart phone.

Back to the iPhone. Let's start with its dimensions. It weighs about