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Questions to Ask Before Leaving Your Computer for Repair or Service

Posted by admin in Company & Product Profiles, Computer Repair, Computer Service, Email, File and Data Sharing, Free Stuff, Security, Simplicity, Technology & Gadgets, Tricks & Hacks, home, how to, productivity, tips on August 4, 2010

Leaving your computer and its data with a service or repair center can be a little nerve-racking. Your data – email, pictures, music, documents, spreadsheets, presentations – are all contained on this computer and you don’t want it to be vulnerable.

Some service centers will wipe a hard drive clean without thinking twice. When your computer returns to you, it has returned completely to factory settings. A side note – there are some good services available for home and office data backup. They do cost on the front end, but save a ton of time, trouble, and possibly money in the event you need your data restored.

In other cases, the customer may arrive to pickup the computer, only to find exorbitant fees are due for the service. It would have been better to replace the laptop than pay the fees for repair.

To prevent situations like this, there are some key questions you should ask before leaving your computer for repair.

Will you backup my data before doing work that could compromise it?
What is the fee for doing a backup for me?
Will I receive a copy of my data if you wipe the hard drive clean?
What are the estimated charges for this repair? Can I get that in writing?
If the charges are significantly more than you estimate, will you let me know before doing the work?

This set of questions is a good place to start when getting service on a laptop or desktop computer. Depending on your service request, you may want to ask more questions.

For good data backup solutions, look at Dropbox, Cobian Backup, ElephantDrive, JungleDisk, Carbonite, and Mozy.

For good computer repair and service, look no further than Allyte Technology Solutions.

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iOS4 How To and Guided Tour

Posted by admin in Company & Product Profiles, Downloads, Email, File and Data Sharing, Free Stuff, Instruction, Internet, Security, Simplicity, Technology & Gadgets, Timesavers, Tools, Tricks & Hacks, Web, blogs, home, how to, news, productivity, tips on June 21, 2010

Today the new iOS4 is released for Apples iPhone and iPad. This is a free upgrade. I love free stuff. There are some great new features you should know about in this update.

Here are just a few:

Multitasking
Folders
Improved Email
iBooks

If you’re ready to update to iOS4, be sure to use iTunes to backup your iPhone/iPod/iPad first. Then check for updates. When the update is available, iTunes will let you know and walk you through the process. I was able to upgrade a little early, thanks to these instructions from Jason Powell.

An excellent walkthrough of the features of iOS4 is in the video below.

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How to Secure Your Windows PC – Part 3

Posted by admin in Company & Product Profiles, Downloads, Email, File and Data Sharing, Free Stuff, Instruction, Internet, Security, Spam, Technology & Gadgets, Tools, Tricks & Hacks, Web, home, how to, productivity, tips on June 3, 2010

In “How to Secure Your Windows PC – Part 1“, we established that Windows PCs are often targeted because of their large market share and that the brand of your computer makes no difference because viruses, spyware and malware occur at the software level.

In “How to Secure Your Windows PC – Part 2“, we considered browsing and clicking habits that can be harmful for your computer and your privacy.

Let’s look at two different types of software that can help protect your computer.

Internet Security Suite

There are some tools available that can help secure your Windows PC as well. A question that is often asked of me is, “Which antivirus software is the best?“. My answer is always, “I can recommend a certain product, but you need to know that no security software is bulletproof. They will all let some things get through.”

It’s important to understand that antivirus software offers only a certain type of protection. So if you go to download one of the free anti-virus software packages (AVG, Avast!, and Avira are all popular), they will offer anti-virus only protection. In order to get a quality level of comprehensive protection from a single piece of software, you’ll need to pay for it.

PC Magazine has a good run-down of the best software for 2010 here. They rate Norton and McAfee above the rest of the suites in this particular review. On more than one occasion, however, I have had major software issues with both McAfee and Norton, so I typically recommend another software package.

In my experience, Kaspersky Internet Security 2010 offers the best value, features and pricing. I use this software with many of my clients and have had good results without inhibiting the computer’s performance. It’s around $80, which covers three computers for a full year. Contact me to get this software installed on your computer.

Consistent Environment Software

Wouldn’t it be great if your computer was exactly the same every time you turned it on? One software package makes that happen.

Windows Steady State, developed by Microsoft allows a computer’s administrator to configure other users for a consistent environment on every login. It’s free and compatible with Windows XP and Vista (sorry, Windows 7 users!).

Basically, here’s how it works: a user can login, browse the internet, download files and even adjust settings just like usual. Then when they log out, all the settings revert back to the way they were before the person logged in. This software is very useful on a computer that a family with children may use, or in my case, a computer lab with multiple users.

Other helpful features of this software are timed logouts, software restrictions, and user permissions. If these sounds fancy, I assure you that Windows Steady State makes it very easy to understand and adjust these settings.

With a little common sense and the right software, your Windows PC should operate smoothly without much effort on the part of the user. It may not be bulletproof, but the overall experience will be better than if no protection or safeguards were put in place.

There is one option still to consider when using a PC. We’ll take a look at that in Part 4.

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Handbrake Rips and Converts Your Video Files

Posted by admin in Compression, Downloads, Free Stuff, Instruction, Internet, Technology & Gadgets, Timesavers, Tools, Tricks & Hacks, home, how to, productivity, tips on February 17, 2010

Handbrake is a piece of software I use nearly every week. It’s a free program designed to efficiently rip DVDs to editable video files on your computer. Handbrake will also convert files of one format to another.

Download the Handbrake installer here [~5MB exe]. Run the installer with all the default settings and you’re ready to start ripping DVDs.

1) Choose the source using the “Source” button at the top left corner of the Handbrake window. There are options to choose a file or DVD.

2) Choose the destination for the out put in the main frame of the Handbrake window. I normally use the Desktop or the Videos folder in My Documents.

3) Choose your output settings using either a preset (right side frame) or customize using the tabs in the main section of the Handbrake window.

4) Click “Start” on the toolbar. You’ll see a DOS-looking window open with progress information. Wait until it’s done, then look at the destination folder for your new file.

Note: I offer this tip and software as a resource for professional and personal use. This software should not be used for illegal purposes, such as pirating movies.

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The Grass Is Always Greener: 16 Home Greenifying Tips

Posted by Delana in Tricks & Hacks, home on January 10, 2010

[ By Delana in Energy & Fuel, Home & Garden, Tricks & Hacks. ]

If your new year’s resolution had something to do with reducing your ecological footprint, cutting down on energy costs, or just making your home a more comfortable place to live, you’re in luck. Here are 16 resources for making your home a cleaner, greener place to live.

What’s an Eco-Footprint?

Your ecological footprint basically refers to how much of the planet’s resources you use. That includes the impact caused by driving your car, heating your home, eating your meals, buying your belongings, and everything else you do. The first step to reducing your ecological footprint is figuring out just what it is. Treehugger’s Green Basics article on Defining, Calculating and Reducing Your Environmental Footprint is a good place to start.

Go Green and Save Money

One of the benefits of going greener around the home is that you’ll often significantly cut down on utility costs. From heating and cooling tips to reducing electricity and water costs, these 10 Cost-Saving Green Tips For the Home will please both the environmentally-conscious and the wallet-conscious. Of course, one of the simplest and most readily available solutions for adding a bit of green to your house is the venerable CFL bulb. Find out everything you need to know here with Treehugger’s guide to CFL bulbs.

Reduce Heating and Cooling Costs

Heating and cooling a home is expensive – and unless you’re lucky enough to live in a very temperate location, you’ll have to do at least one of those at some point in the year. Aside from insulating your home (which is in itself a fantastic way to minimize heating costs), here are projects to make every room in your home more energy-efficient. Whether you decide to DIY or BUY, your energy bills will be a lot less painful. And, although summer is only a distant dream for the northern hemisphere at the moment, here are 10 low-tech ways to cut down on cooling costs in the warmer months. But for the simplest of the simple tips, just replacing your HVAC filters can save you money on heating and cooling your home.

Monitor Your Energy Usage

There are a ton of dandy little gadgets that will tell you just how much energy your home is consuming. The Home Joule does that, plus it tells you when your energy bill will spike based on weather and time-of-day costs. Keeping an eye on the device’s face helps you determine when you should try to cut back on discretionary energy consumption: green means electricity costs are low, yellow means mid-range, and red means they’re high.

Put Your Garbage to Good Use

Besides recycling, which pretty much everyone agrees we should all be doing, there’s another way to make the most of your waste: composting. According to the EPA, yard trimmings and organic household waste make up 26% of America’s solid waste. Learn how to compost your household organic waste and you’ll not only be keeping a significant amount of waste out of the system; you’ll also be giving yourself a great foundation for growing your own food. A garden provides natural exercise and cuts down on your grocery bills; what more could you ask for? Take it a step further and add worms, and there you have vermicomposting and some incredibly rich gardening material.

Build Some Green In

When you’re remodeling or building a new home, it’s the perfect chance to build some green features right into the house. Most of us won’t be able to afford GE’s new “green gizmo” home, but when you’re remodeling or just improving your home, you can almost certainly fit in some green materials.

Produce Your Own Power

There are no two ways about it: coal-powered power plants are dirty and harmful. But taking a home entirely off-grid simply isn’t an option for most of us. If you want to start powering your home with greener electricity, here are five great ways to get started. For the DIY crowd, here’s how to build cheap solar panels with damaged solar cells found on eBay. Or, if you’d prefer not to hunt around for deals, here’s an inexpensive DIY solar kit: for $600 you could power some, but not all, of the appliances in your home. These solar curtains may not be commercially available yet, but they give us hope for what could be a fashionable energy-producing alternative in the future. And finally, if solar just doesn’t cut it for you, you could always spring for the hallmark of the modern alt-energy home: the wind turbine.