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Broadband Bliss

During the holidays, I helped a friend buy and setup a new computer. After looking at his current bills, we determined that his family would save money going with our local cable company for their TV, telephone, and Internet setup. They dumped MSN (dial-up), AT&T long distance, and Qwest in the process. Now they have a better TV plan, unlimited long distance telephone calls, nice phone package, and of course the high speed Internet. Once we finalized the setup, I introduced them to some of the things they could do with broadband. They were amazed at the speed of the new machine and connection speed, but also very pleased that their phone would no longer be busy when they used the Internet.

What else has that actress been in?

We have talked about IMDB as a part of our favorite information sites in the past, but I think it deserves its own article and review.

IMDB is the Internet Movie Database and it is one of the best sites on the web for answering the nagging questions we have so often such as, "What else has that guy been in?" or "What was that movie with Christopher Walken and Andy Garcia?"

IMDB can be used to resolve arguments like which movies had Samuel L. Jackson which ones had Laurence Fishburne.

A Confession: I don’t understand computers

I know how to fix computers, but I will freely admit that I don't understand them.

Today I saw two clients with very strange problems. One person had a problem that prevented their CD burner from writing and their computer from recognizing the sound card. However, the sound card and CD writer had just been replaced because of the same problem.

What was really strange was that the system sounds worked and the CD would record files just fine as long as you didn't use Nero.

After they had the CD drive and sound card replaced, everything had worked fine for about two weeks.

Are you missing the Menu bar in Internet Explorer 7?

IE 7 Menu BarActually, Microsoft designed the new browser that way so that there is more room for browsing. However, if you want the menu bar (the one with File, Edit, View, Favorites, etc) back, follow these steps:

 

  1. Start Internet Explorer
  2. Press and release the Alt key on your keyboard
  3. The menu bar will be visible, Click the View menu option
  4. Click Toolbars
  5. Click Menu Bar

That will do it. You can't move the menu bar above the new address bar, but at least it will be visible and usable from now forward. For those of you who just want quick access to the menu bar, but don't mind that it is missing, remember the Alt key trick to get the menu bar to appear when you need it.

HP Director won’t open

Yesterday, I ran across a customer with an HP All-in-one printer that would not pull up the HP Director software that controls the copy, scan and fax processes. Turns out that the problem occurred shortly after his system updated to the new Internet Explorer 7. Because so much software uses Internet Explorer in some fashion, the update causes problems for some of them and this was the case with HP Director. HP has come out with a fix, but you have to be able to HP Director up and running in order to click on it's update feature.

Here's how to get HP Director up and running:

  1. Double-click the HP Director icon. Do not click anything else on your screen until Step 2 is completed.
  2. Press the Alt key and the Space bar together on your keyboard and Click Minimize from the menu that displays in the upper left corner of the window. If necessary, click it again until HP Director minimizes.
    The HP Director software should now appear as an item on the Task Bar.
  3. Click HP Director on the Task Bar. The software opens and displays normally.
  4. Repeat the steps above each time the HP Director software is used.

This is a workaround posted on HP's web site. Once you do get the HP Director running, click the "Check for updates" icon on it and download the available updates. It will take a few moments and then ask you to restart your computer, but when it does, all will be well again with HP Director.

 

I think my settings are messed up

First, let me explain that this is not a complaint. I am trying very hard not to use HelpMeRick to vent my frustrations.

I hope that readers see this more as a humorous observation on what it is like to be a computer guy than a computer guy complaining about non-computer guys. As much as I work on computers, I prefer to think of myself as a guy who helps people rather than a guy who fixes computers.

Sometimes computer guys need a little help in figuring out a problem. Rick and I often talk off-mic about how people for some reason think that their computer should be easy to figure out. We can't figure out where this perception came from.

When do I right click?

Wow, I get that question so many times that I decided we should put up an explanation on the site. All computer mice have at least two buttons. The primary button is usually the left one and does the vast majority of the work. Follow these rules when thinking about your mouse buttons:

Left Mouse Button

  • It is your primary work horse AND the only button used for double-clicking.Left Mouse button
  • Double-clicking is NEVER required…it is always an option.
  • The only places you need to double-click (and I'll show you how to avoid it altogether at the end of this tip) are the Desktop and any Windows Explorer window where you want to open a file.
  • When clicking links and menu options on the Internet, Click just ONE TIME with the left mouse button
  • If you are moving Solitaire cards from one stack to another or files from one folder to another, you click ONE time with the Left mouse button and hold it down while moving the object. When you let go of the button, the item will stay where you put it.
  • This is the only button you will use to make selections from menus.

Right Mouse Button

Make a deep Favorite or Bookmark

This tip arose earlier today when I told a customer that he could make a favorite or bookmark to any part of a web site. He frequently needed to access one portion of a web site, but always started at the home page and then clicked two to four pages deep to get to his destination. He and many more like him never realized that a bookmark could be set at any point in the browsing process…not just the home page. He was amazed and delighted that he could save all this time for many of his sites. Browse to the portion of the site that you need to access, and then set your bookmark or favorite.

I realize many people already understand this concept, but unfortunately many do not. Share this information with them and their friends so that everyone can save a little time on the Internet. 

Setup ZoneAlarm Firewall to not interfere with your home network

We had a call a couple of weeks ago about configuring ZoneAlarm , a software firewall, to allow for a home network to be setup. Often times, after setting up ZoneAlarm, network communication like sharing printers and files is blocked unless ZoneAlarm is shutdown…defeating the purpose of the firewall. Here's how to add your home network to the "Trusted Zone" in ZoneAlarm so that file and printer sharing will work with ZoneAlarm enabled:

  1. Double-click the ZoneAlarm icon by the clock in the system tray
  2. Click the Firewall optionZone Alarm Settings (see #1 in the illustration)
  3. Click the Zones tab (see #2 in the illustration)
  4. Click Add (see #3 in the illustration)
  5. Click IP Range
  6. Make sure the Zone says "Trusted"
  7. Type in the lowest IP address on your network (like 192.168.0.100). You can find this out by RIGHT Clicking on your Wireless or LAN connection in the Network Connections found in the Control Panel)
  8. Type in the highest IP address on your network. Make this number about 15-20 points higher than the fourth digit of the previous number. If our example as above, then use 192.168.0.120 for this number.
  9. Type "Home Network" or something similar in the Description box
  10. Click OK
  11. Click Apply on the Zones screen
  12. Close ZoneAlarm

Know how much you are paying for high tech

I was going to write about a tremendously awful transaction with a local big box and one of my customers, but I decided I will save it for another day…unless you the web visitors demand the story. It's a doozey, but unfortunately not unique.

Instead, I want to write about the financial consulting side of my business. I know very little about stock trading, CD's, bonds, gold, and mutual funds, but I do know what technology and telecommunication services cost and how to save money on monthly bills. I still get surprised to find out how many people don't really know how much money they spend a month on phone and Internet service. Often times, I can save people almost $30 per month (that's nearly a new computer a year) and get them better services. At the very least, I can usually keep expenses about the same, but still increase services. Let me illustrate how to approach your tech bills and see if you can benefit from a change.