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A piece of software designed to run with one of Energizers’s battery-charger products contains a nasty Trojan according to Technewsworld. If you bought Energizer’s Duo USB battery charger and then downloaded the unit’s companion PC software, you should take steps to remove the Trojan immediately.
Ed Rudel …
HOW TO – Recover data from your computer when Windows has crashed
Your computer has crashed and all of your data is still on the hard drive – Photos, Documents, music, and even your Taxes and Resume.
If your computer powers up but Windows will not start then a LIVE CD can be used to save your data to a Flash drive or an external disk drive.
A Live CD loads an independent operating system directly from the CD/DVD drive, instead of Windows from your hard drive. This is especially useful when your computer is no longer bootable (Blue Screen of Death, Corrupted Registry, Virus, or even a minor disk error). Just because your computer can no longer load Windows does not mean that your data is gone. This just means that a Windows file is damaged, rendering it inoperable, but the location where your data files are located may still be accessible.
One of my favorite Live CD’s is Puppy Linux. Yes, the name is cute. But the term puppy also implies “Small”. Puppy Linux is only about 100mb and can be easily downloaded and burned to a CD. There are many Live CD’s available but you must …
The newest entrant in the field of social web connections is also the scariest. If Chatroulette.com sounds a bit like digital Russian Roulette, you get the idea. The interface is extremely easy to use and anyone anywhere in the world can join in as long as they promise that they are 16 or older. The apparent lack of any kind of filters and the combination of video and chat make this both very appealing to curious teens and predators alike. Antidote? Check it out yourself and then have a heart-to-heart with your young family members about the serious risks involved. One thing more: keep your computers in a public place where anyone passing by can check out what you are watching/doing. It’s a good practice for everyone in the house, adults and children alike, to be accountable for their viewing habits. …
When I built eBaylady in 2003, I used their HTML builder. They kept offering more sophisticated editing software but I was never able to import my data. Finally, they discontinued that old editing program and now I can’t change content on my site! Since I hardly ever teach anymore, this is not an issue.
BUT, I wanted to have some tech help for listeners. So I created a page in my eBay store. It is loaded with the free information that I give out on the few library seminars that I do now. It’s full of eBay-specific links for self-teaching.
So listeners can:
1) Go to www.softersilk.com. That forwards over to my eBay store home page.
2) Look to the left in the pink column for “Store Pages”. There is an entire page that is called “Teach Yourself The Site For Free”.
With those links, listeners will be right inside eBay, working with free educational links and absolutely ACCURATE information. There’s nothing that will try to sell them something. I added a bit of my own guidance to help them, with a caution about buying “success” scams.
Donna Klein …
A recent article in Crain’s Chicago Business underlines the growing interest in online business and the success that many are finding. Click here for the full article but be aware that the sound will start right away. So if you are watching this someplace where the sound would be inappropriate (like at work or in the same room someone is sleeping) turn down the volume or plug in a headset! …
Take control of Windows Startup programs with the Startup Delayer utility.
This free utility works with most versions of Windows, Including Windows 7, Vista, and XP. What makes Startup Delayer special is that it allows you to delay or postpone some or all of these startup programs from running and allowing your Windows Desktop display much quicker.
As you install software onto your computer some of the software will start slowing down the startup time and even the performance of your Personal Computer. The more programs you install, the slower your system may become. Many software programs force Windows to load (run) parts (or even then entire program) at startup. I read a great analogy of this some time ago – Imagine cars trying to merge into a single traffic lane, all at once – each car (or program) trying to be the first in line.
Startup Delayer provides a simple interface and list all of the programs that are configured to run when Windows starts. On the bottom of the screen is a time line bar. By default, all of the listed items will attempt to startup at timeline position 0:00:00. Simply drag and drop startup items from the …
Network Problems and Wireless Networks
Everyone is going wireless or has a home network. Are you considering it? Learn more by accessing some of the sites listed below.
Home Networking – Here is a site that provides loads of Home Networking “How-to’s”.
How Stuff Works – Great site to find out how stuff works. Great for kids. Check out the Computer Stuff and Home Networking sections.
WindowsNetworking is a wonderful site one of our listeners turned us on to. Great tutorials, articles, and how-to’s with excellent descriptions and graphics.
TechTutorials provides in-depth articles on all your Windows XP networking questions (even those you have not thought to ask). Excellent resource. …
Microsoft Office Flash Tutorials
If you have made the switch to Microsoft’s Office 2007 suite then you have already discovered the new ribbon interface. Instead of having the 20 year old “File drop down menu “ interface Microsoft is betting that new “Ribbon” interface will improve the application usage.
http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/training/HA102295841033.aspx
The Office 2007 ribbon user interface presents commands organized into a set of tabs. The tabs within the ribbon will change, depending on the actions you are performing.
I am not a heavy Excel or Power point user but I do use some Microsoft Word. Once you get use to the ribbon, I am told, you will come to appreciate the intuitive use. Unfortunately, like many of you, I have become accustomed to the old fashion drop down menus and find myself hunting for the function (I gave up in frustration trying to find the Undo command when I accidently deleted an entire paragraph).
Thank goodness Microsoft provides tools to ease our transition to the new Ribbon.
Simply launch the appropriate link, Word, Excel, or Power Point. Your Web browser will load a Flash representation of the old fashion File-Drop down menu. Simply use the menu to perform the command, …
Securing Wireless Networks
There have been a lot of changes in the home Internet access market. In the early days, we had dial-up modems that would allow home computers to access the Internet. The advances in the modem speeds were slow and it was years between any increase in speed.
Now, there are many high speed Internet access choices are available: cable, DSL, satellite, and even using the electrical grid.
The problem is no longer how to get access to the Internet, but “how to get all of the computers in the home access to the Internet”. The answer: a wireless router.
Home wireless Internet access seems to be all the rage. Why, because setting up and getting the darn things working is so easy. Like magic, you can have all of those home computer surfing the Internet faster than it takes to burn dinner. Most Wireless Access Points (WAP) provide not only the rabbit-ear antennae for wireless devices (PCs, notebooks, PDA), but four or more real network ports for existing wired computers.
Wireless Access Points (WAP or just AP) are inexpensive, you have many choices, and they are easy to setup. They are practically Plug and Play – actually …
Wireless Router Home Install Notes
Most people purchase a wireless router because they have an existing home PC connected to a high speed ISP (Internet Service Provider – cable or DSL) and want to connect addition computers. Common manufactures of wireless access routers include Linksys, D-Link, Belkins, Netgear and Microsoft. Purchase a router with at least four “real” network ports (very little difference in price).
The wireless router is connected between the DSL/cable modem and the original home PC. It will be connected to the cable/DSL modem and all other computer will connect to the router (wired or wirelessly). This usually entails unplugging the network cable from you existing home computer and connecting the cable to the wireless router’s WAN (Wide Area Network) or Internet port. Then, your home computer will connect to one of the available network ports.
The following are some comments, notes, and “lessons learned” that I have accumulated over the last couple of years concerning the installing and configuration of Home Wireless Networks. This is by no means intended to be an all-encompassing document.
Check the bottom of this article for link to how to secure your Wireless Router.
Cable/DSL Modems and the Wireless Router – …