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Laptops are perfectly adequate computers

One of my customers today just purchased a laptop to compliment her desktop computer. She wasn’t thrilled about the idea of having two computers, but didn’t realize that her new laptop was every bit as capable as her older desktop computer.

She isn’t alone. Many computer users think size equals power. When they look at a svelte laptop and compare it to a large black or beige box, they think it must be missing something. In specific instances (designing the next Golden Gate Bridge or editing the next Oscar winning movie or playing the latest FPS game) laptops will not perform as well as a souped up desktop computer. However for most general computing purposes (Internet, word processing, email, digital photography, etc), laptop computers are perfectly capable.

Good ol’ AOL

Amazingly, I have not railed against AOL yet in any of my ‘Shotguns’. No matter how hard I try, somehow the topic comes up. Just today, I helped a customer hook up her new DSL Internet and cancel her AOL account. By switching to DSL, she is saving about $2 a month locally and gaining so much more service. In some areas, you can save $10 or more by switching to DSL.

What else is gained by switching to DSL service from AOL?

Never be embarrassed

One of my stops today led me to a nice woman who said that she was somewhat embarrassed that she didn’t use her computer for more "important" purposes. She described that her computer usage primarily revolved around email, browsing the Internet and an occasional word processing document. When I explained to her that she wasn’t alone and that many people I see use their computers for exactly the same purposes, she was quite surprised.

One of my philosophies about computers is that you should never do something just because someone else is or someone else told you so. I think it is good advice for life too. If you are happy with how your computer works and with the types of activities you can perform, then great, no worries. Using a computer is a very individual undertaking and there is no reason that we all have to be performing the exact same functions with them.

Why we recommend the stuff we do

Our listeners and subsribers have probably heard me say, "Don't let your kids fix your computer, no matter how old they are or who they work for."

I say this because many of my appointments come as a result of a full grown son or daughter who "works for Microsoft" or  "Is a computer tech for ___________ University" coming home and "fixing" the computer.

I have no doubts that said son or daughter is great at what they do while they are at their work, but there is a big difference between working in a controlled environment like a business or school and working on dozens of computers a week in completely unassociated environments.

The nuts and bolts of setting up a computer

It seems that we are in a computer buying season. I have several appointments this week to setup new computers. While we have a number of tips on the site about how to setup a new computer for safety, we don’t have much written about the physical setup of the system. Here are a few tips to get things setup quickly and efficiently.

1. Start with the big parts – Don’t take every cable and disk out of the box, just remove the big pieces and set them in their place. The trick to getting large pieces out of the box is to open the box then turn it over. You can then pull the box off the top leaving a neat pile of components.

Choose local Internet providers for DSL

No one likes to sit on hold waiting for ‘customer support’. DSL high speed Internet is growing rapidly because of increased availability from the phone companies and it is inexpensive. However, many computer users choose to get the service through the phone company (which in turn is provided by big guys like MSN or AOL) or they choose to upgrade their dial-up service with their existing large national Internet provider.

DSL offers the opportunity to cut the ties with the large national chains and get your Internet provided by your local Internet company. Part of DSL monies still go to the phone company, but technical support is handled by your local provider. Local DSL providers offer some distinct advantages:

Dude, where’s my shotgun?

Rick pointed out to me tonight that I haven’t put up any shotgun articles for a few days. It was at that exact moment that I realized that I hadn’t written any shotgun articles for a few days.

I have some catching up to do so consider this article one of the most important articles I have written for several days.

When I fix a computer I try to always approach the computer and the situation as if it were my own. I work hard at using techniques that allow me to get the best job done in the least amount of time. I ask myself three questions to determine the approach that I want to take.

Go west young man

I visited a couple of customers today who live in a remote part of Western Colorado. Although their homes were less than 20 miles away from Grand Junction, they had no option for high speed Internet other than satellite. Unlike the Eastern United States, broadband Internet is slow to roll out in smaller communities out West.
 
Satellite Internet is an OK option for some people who can’t get DSL, cable or wireless high speed, but the cost is prohibitive for many. Installation can cost nearly $500 and monthly charges start at $50. Two major satellite providers are

There really is a first time for everything!

I showed up at the wrong client’s house today. Let me lay out the situation so that I don’t look like a total buffoon. I do take total responsibility for the error, but my reasoning is just…at least in my own mind.

Yesterday, I received a panic call from one of my clients on my voice mail. When I returned the call, the husband answered so I asked for his wife (who had called originally). She picked up the extension line in their home and now both were on the phone talking to each other and I could barely hear either one of them. In the garbled conversation, I determined that they desperately needed help and I informed them that I could squeeze them between two of my already scheduled appointments that were near by their home.

Reboot, wait, and don’t panic about email problems

I started out with a full morning of appointments two of them were email problems. They had called me early in the week reporting that they could not get into their email.

By 9am this morning both appointments had cancelled because the problem had cured itself. If you search through this site you will find no less than five tips and articles about how internet problems of all types are generally not your fault if you haven’t made any changes.

As it turns out both Internet services that my two clients were using had email problems this week. Simply by waiting the problem out the ISPs got the problems fixed and email was back up on its own.