Your Best Choice Is Often Open Source
There are three types of software: proprietary, freeware, and open source. Proprietary costs you cash up front. Freeware is frequently accompanied by nagging ads that you can kill with money. But open source is 100% free software maintained by a community. Open source won’t nag you, and it will frequently be updated for security more […]
Get Remote Help!
Do you need remote help from a geek? TeamViewer might be the answer you’re looking for. It allows access to your computer from the internet, which means that your geeky friend in Australia might be able to help you find that lost file, as long as you don’t mind getting up at 4:00 AM. 😉
Don’t Lose Your Photos
Digital photos must be backed up in multiple ways. You don’t want to lose a lifetime of memories because a hard drive fails. Burn CD’s and/or DVD’s. Back up to a flash. Back up offline. I’ve lost two Florida vacations because I didn’t back up enough. Learn from my mistake.
Computers Don’t Work Well Out of the Box
Why hire an IT consultant? It’s an investment that will pay off over time. Let a pro set up your computers so that you have disaster recovery, the fastest speed possible, and ease of use. They don’t come that way out of the box.
Be Prepared for Ransomware
Ransomware is the scariest thing to come along in years. You should have a recovery plan in place in case your computer encrypts itself via infection. If you’re backing up online, then it’s just a matter of resetting your system to new and restoring your files from the cloud. Be ready, it could happen to […]
Save that Charger!
Dead laptop? At the very least, hang on to its power supply. Power supplies don’t change as much as the laptops themselves, the one you have that’s five years old may well fit this year’s model. An extra charger is a fine thing.
Put that Old Mobile Device to Work!
Got an old Android tablet or iPad? Put it to work! It might make a fine e-reader, or perhaps a live picture frame, or maybe a recipe display in the kitchen.
Stay Away from Ink
Don’t be fooled by the crazy low prices for color inkjet printers. You’ll make up for it with expensive ink. Black and white laser is by far the most economical way to print. I’ve been using a workhorse Konica Minolta 1350W I picked up refurbished back in 2006 for around fifty bucks for daily printing. […]
Printer Missing the Paper Grab?
Is your printer having a hard time picking up paper off the stack? The rubber tends to get slick with age. Wet a rag in rubbing alcohol and give the grabbing mechanism a good soaking, that should restore the tackiness and make the printer reliable once again.
Sudden Lousy Battery Life?
Is your battery life suddenly lousy on your Android phone? Good chance you have a runaway process eating it up. A quick reboot should bring things back to normal.