Days of an I.T. Guy

That’s what has been predicted anyway. It seems that the incidents of malware and viruses increases about 3 days before the Thanksgiving holiday according to statistics. This year they are predicting the same and it has been said that tomorrow might be the worst day of the year for it viruses and malware. Spammers like using holidays as an excuse to get you to click on the attachments of their e-mails.

But please, as always be aware. Do not open attachments from anyone you do not know. Also, please be sure your computers are update with the latest software patches and your virus software is current and up to date. No one knows for sure if tomorrow will bring an increase or not. But better safe than sorry in my opinion.

Here’s a great PC vs. Mac commercial that has been altered slightly.  It gave me a good chuckle.

Read more…

As I sit here this week enjoying a much needed break from work I have noticed something. I am never truly off. I believe this goes for all I.T. guys out there. I have received calls and e-mails all week not only from work but also from others about their personal computers. There is always a problem somewhere to be fixed.

Don’t get me wrong, it’s good to be needed. But, like everyone else, we I.T. guys need a break too. Day in and day out we are constantly bombarded with questions and problems not only in the workplace but at home as well from friends and relatives. So my question is when do we get a break? Must we run and hide from the world to get a little time to ourselves?

Believe it or not, we do have other interests other than sitting in front of a computer screen trying to figure out the latest problem. Please everyone, be mindful of that and understanding if your I.T. guy doesn’t want to look at your personal laptop over his vacation. He might actually have things to do or just need a break from the endless problems and questions.

Just remember, even your I.T. guy needs a break. Yes, he likes computers. But, that doesn’t mean that that is all he likes to do. And even if it is, he still may want a break from it now and then. So, give your I.T. guys a break once in awhile. I know they will appreciate it.

For today’s Friday Video Feature I give you the Wrath of the Lich King trailer in honor of the latest expansion released yesterday for Blizzard Entertainment’s World of Warcraft.  Enjoy!

Read more…

So you have had your new Vista computer for a little while now and you like some of the bells and whistles in Vista but you have noticed something. It seems at times it runs slower than your 4 year old XP machine that is now sitting in the corner of the room holding down the rug. One of the most likely culprits is the System Restore function built into Vista. Now this is a nice feature - in theory. But in practice it seems all it does is slow your machine down and take up valuable hard disk space.

The System Restore Service will create a snapshot of your computer anytime you install a new program and periodically create updated snapshots of your system as you make changes to it. This is to give you back up points that you can restore later if you have a problem with your system. Sounds nice huh. Well think again. These restore points not only slow down your machine while they are being made but also take valuable hard disk space. Space you might need later once you have uploaded all two thousand pictures of your dog to your computer. In my experience, it’s much easier and faster in the long run to just reformat your computer and start over in the event of a major software or OS malfunction. But, if you do choose to disable this I recommend you have an external hard disk to back up your important files or at least burn back ups to CD or DVD from time to time to ensure you don’t lose anything in the event of a system crash. Also you must be sure you have all your system disks as well so keep them in a safe place.

To disable the System Restore service just follow these easy steps:

Read more…

For this week’s Friday video feature I give you part two of the Animator VS. Animation. Enjoy.

Read more…

UAC otherwise known as User Account Control is a feature implemented in Vista that was designed to help prevent unauthorized access to the computer.  It’s a great feature in theory but in practice it is for the most part just really annoying.  Honestly, I don’t know one person that actually likes dealing with this feature.  Fortunately, it is easy to disable.  Please remember if you do disable this feature you do open your computer up to attacks from unauthorized software just like you have to deal with in XP.  But, in my opinion even with this danger, you will be happier in the long run if you do turn it off.  To disable it, just follow these easy steps. Read more…

Crapware has been an issue on computers for many years now. Now while in more recent time many users are becoming wiser to this and pc manufactures are beginning to change what they load onto a computer, the problem of crapware still exists and I’m sure it will be with us in some form or fashion for quite a long time.

What Is Crapware?

I’m sure many of you have heard that term and I know that all you I.T. guys out there know what it means. But, for those of you that don’t, let me explain. Crapware is software installed at the factory by the PC manufacturer way before you even swipe that credit card to purchase the machine. This software can range from virus software such as Norten Antivirus or even extra internet toolbars such as the Yahoo Toolbar attached to Internet Explorer. Most of the time all this software is good at doing is slowing down your brand new system and taking up valuable space on your hard drive.

Why Do They Do It?

You may be asking yourself, why do the manufacturers do it? Well one big reason is advertising. Ever notice on the ads for the computers they sometimes list all this great software you get if you buy from them? Heck sometimes they list that instead of the specs of the machine. The other even bigger reason is money. You see most of the crapware that comes on new systems is trial software. So, if you god forbid decide you like a piece of software and purchase it, the software company gives a cut of that sale to the pc manufacturer.

What Can You Do?

Now I know after reading this you are saying to yourself, “I don’t want that on my system.” And if you aren’t saying that yet, you should be. So what do you do? Let’s see…

1. You don’t buy from the manufactures. Instead you pay your favorite I.T. guy buddy or relative (and I know you all have one) to build you a new system. Most I.T. guys will work for money, a free meal, beer, and if you are a woman having a computer built - a smile and a peck on the cheek and I can almost guarantee you they will do it. There are pros and cons to going this route. You will have a custom built system using some of the best parts out there and you will get it at the same cost or sometimes even cheaper than you can from a manufacturer. But, you will be subject to just the manufacturer’s warranties on each part so if something breaks it will be more difficult to fix. Also your only tech support will be the wonderful I.T. guy you got to build it for you in the first place. Again see above for what it might cost you.
2. Purchase from a manufacturer to receive the coveted warranty but before you begin using your computer reformat your hard drive with a nice fresh install of your operating system. When you do this all that will be left on your computer is what YOU decide to put on. You might need an I.T. guy friend or relative to do this if you do not know how. Please again see above for payment requirements.
3. Now I know many of you have no idea how to go about reformatting your hard drive and you might not want to pay an I.T. guy. So for those of you who are cheap you need to learn where your Control Panel is and how to use Add/Remove Programs in Windows XP or Programs and Features if you are using Windows Vista. From there, you can uninstall all those useless programs that you do not want. This is not necessarily the best solution but I promise it’s better than just leaving the crapware on your computer.
4. Some pc manufactures have begun to realize how much people hate crapware. Slow enough aren’t they; people named it crapware for goodness sake. A lot of them will remove it for you before you receive the machine but like many things in this world there is a fee to do this. For those of you that want the least amount of hassle and don’t mind giving them the extra money they would make by leaving it on your system this is the route to go.

Conclusion

Crapware is one of those evils that for the time being we just have to live with. I don’t see it completely going away anytime soon. I hope now you all have a little more knowledge about crapware and how to deal with this problem. If you take the steps above, I guarantee you will have a much more enjoyable experience with your new system. And yes, I think crapware stinks! Someone light a match!

Have a Happy Halloween everyone!

Read more…

In our present day computer market we are currently experiencing laptop mania.  Everybody that’s anybody that’s buying a new computer these days just has to have a laptop.  I’m even writing this article from my brand new laptop.  Many people don’t even think about purchasing a desktop computer anymore these days.  The fact is that many of these people probably would be fine purchasing a desktop.

If you are one that lends a touch more scrutiny to your purchases especially your computer purchases then let’s take a look at the pro’s and the con’s of both types of computers.

Your first major benefit of laptops is of course portability.  That is one of the big reasons I bought my laptop.  But of course on the flip side of this is because they are so portable they are also very easy to steal.  So many laptops are stolen these days - and when they are stolen you not only lose your laptop but the very valuable and sometimes very personal data that is stored on them.

Another benefit of the laptop is it’s footprint.  Because they are so portable they are of course very small.  You usually have less cables associated with them and your computer and monitor are together all in one.  This can be very advantageous if you only have a small area in your home or office to put one.  The desktop tends to have the tower and the monitor along with a full size keyboard and mouse.  So needless to say you have cables everywhere and you need much more room to operate one.  The flip side of this is of course because of the all in one design of the laptop if your computer or monitor go bad you have essentially lost both.  Laptops are also proprietary so you won’t find many people other than the manufacturer to work on them.  They tend to in my opinion overcharge for repair and take too long in many instances.

One of the biggest differences between laptops and desktops is cost.  You can get a much more powerful machine for the same money if you buy a desktop.  The premium you are paying for the laptop is simply for the portability - and sometimes for the sleek looking case of the laptop.  If gaming is one of your joys you might want to stick to a desktop as you can get much more powerful video cards and sound cards for the desktop machines.  Their memory expansion tends to be higher as well for those of you that really like to max out what you have.

If you weigh the pro’s and con’s from above I am sure you can make an informed decision between a laptop and a desktop.  Ultimately, buy what you want and what will accomplish what you need it to accomplish.  Now I know many of you will want the coolest new toy (I know I am one of them) and that’s fine.  I just hope those of you that do understand what you will gain and lose based on your decision.  Happy computing.