Posted by Mark on September 7, 2011 under Computers | 
One handy and simple tool I find myself using often is the “Site” operator in a Google search. Often I find myself needing some info and knowing what site it is on. In those cases I can use Google to help me pinpoint exactly what I want.
Example: Lets say I am doing some product research for a new set of headphones. I know that I really like the reviews at engadget (www.engadget.com). So instead of just Googling “Headphones”, I enter the following in the search bar:
headphones site:engadget.com
This tells Google to only return results from Engadget. Now if you try the above example, you will see that there are a lot of results about headphones supposedly designed by Dr Dre. If I don’t want to wade through those, I simply do this:
headphones site:engadget.com -dre
This effectively tells Google “show me results from Engadget regarding headphones, but remove anything that has “Dre” in it (no offence to the good doctor). We can also stack commands, such as:
headphones site:engadget.com -dre -sony
Or we can add positive operators, such as:
headphones site:engadget.com -dre -sony +noise cancelling
The possibilities are endless. I hope you will find this function as useful as I do. Thanks for stopping by, see you soon.
Posted by Mark on August 8, 2011 under Computers |
In the course of business I am faced with that question quite often. Is it worth it to repair or upgrade the computer or should I just get a new one. The answer is, it depends.
There really is no simple answer and it will be different for everyone, but you may want to consider the following:
-How much is the repair or upgrade going to cost? Surely that is one of the most, if not the most important question. And the consultant or store you are dealing with should be able to give you a pretty solid ballpark on that.
-What are the current prices like for a reasonable replacement system? That of course is the other side of the equation. You may be surprised to find that since your last purchase the cost of computers have come down significantly. For instance a few years ago you would be hard pressed to find a laptop for under $1000. Now you can pick up many different models starting at $399
If you can figure out these numbers, then the decision on what to do will become much clearer, and will most likely be based on your available budget as well as your long term growth needs.
Many times I see computers that are in need of some type of hardware replacement such as a hard drive, which in itself is only a $50 part. But when you factor in the time to replace the part, reinstall Windows or Mac, recover and restore all your data, and get the computer back to where you want it, it can easily be $400. Let’s say the cost for a new computer is $600, then you need to compare spending $400 to get an old computer back with no warranty, versus spending $600 to get a modern computer with a 1-3 year warranty.
In the end there is no right or wrong answer. Getting all the facts is the first step.
Posted by Mark on January 23, 2011 under Computers |
I wanted to let you all know about a great news entry into the PC anti-virus world: Microsoft Security Essentials (http://www.microsoft.com/security_essentials/). I have been using this program on home based computers for the last few months and I find it has all of the characteristics I look for in an Anti-virus program: simple interface, doesn’t chew up resources, and basically stays out of my way.
One of the biggest problems I see out there in the AV world is the propensity for a company who has a decent product to go overboard and create a bloated program that scans every move I make on the pc to the point where the computer is so slow it is almost unuseable (Hello Norton!).
If you follow the general tips in my post “Keeping Your Computer Secure” and have a simple Anti-virus program, you should be fine.
The best news about Microsoft Security Essentials? It’s FREE!!
Safe computing everyone!
Posted by Mark on November 19, 2010 under Computers |
Thank you for coming to check out our blog. We hope that this will be a site you visit often for tips and tutorials on some of the issues that face us these days with rapidly changing technology. Please feel free to ask questions, suggest topics, and give us feedback on how we are doing.
Here’s hoping you come back often and benefit from the information provided here.
Thank You
Posted by Mark on under Computers |
Thanks everyone for coming to check out our first official blog post. I would like to start by writing about one of the most important topics these days: keeping your computers secure.
We all know the rule of thumb around emails: don’t open them unless you know the source. Unfortunately today that is not enough. There are many different types of people out there trying to infiltrate your computer. We need to stack the odds in your favour by following a few simple, not too expensive suggestions.
1) Make sure you have a router. It used to be that people would only have a router because they wanted to have multiple computers attached to their internet connection. While that is still a great benefit to having a router, especially a wireless router now that we all have laptops and Ipads, I recommend that even people with 1 computer get a router.
Why? Because it is probably the single most effective way to keep your self secure, and it is the first line of defence. A router acts as a traffic cop on your network. It allows only the data that you request from the internet to flow into your network, and rejects any “unsolicited traffic”. It’s as if you have a security guard standing outside your house that only lets in people with an invitation. This prevents random attacks and malware that gets into your computer while you surf.
2) Antivirus Software – Make sure you have it and make sure it is current. I can’t tell you how many times I have gotten a call from someone that they think they have a virus. When I get on the computer the first thing I check is the expiry date on the Antivirus program. Sure enough it is last April! Just renew it online. All programs have an online renewal option it will take 5 minutes. Having no Antivirus on the internet is like driving without a seatbelt. Eventually it’s gonna cost you.
3) Keep your Windows up to date – On every version of Windows there is a quick and painless way to make sure you have the most up to date security patches from Microsoft. These are necessary because the bad guys are continuously finding new ways to make life miserable for the rest of us. Fortunately Microsoft takes security seriously and is constantly trying to stay one step ahead of the bad guys. They release patches or fixes for the holes and vulnerabilities that are discovered all the time.
All you have to do is this: On Windows XP, go to Start Menu>All Programs, then all the way at the top of the menu you will see either “Windows Update” or “Microsoft Update”. Click on that then when the page loads, click “Express”. On Windows Vista or 7 it is even easier. Go into the Control Panel and lick on “Windows Update”
4) Check periodically for Spyware - Even though you diligently follow numbers 1,2, and 3 you are going to get a few nasty critters on your computer from time to time. It is unavoidable these days and happens to the best of us. That is why you need to use a program that focuses on spyware and malware (these are both interchangeable general terms).
Lucky for you the best Anti-malware program out there right now just happens to be free! It is called Malwarebytes Anti-Malware (say that 5 times fast), and can be downloaded from http://www.malwarebytes.org/. Once you have downloaded it just install the program using the default options. The program will automatically check for the latest malware definitions and offer to run a scan. I always use “Quick Scan”. Once it sows you the list of items it has found, just click on “Remove Selected” and the program will do the rest. I recommend that you run this program monthly. Every month you need to check for updates, run a Quick Scan, and remove whatever it finds.
If you follow these tips, along with a few common sense ideas such as not opening unsolicited mail and being careful what you download and install from the internet, you should be good to go. I hope you find this information helpful.