Category: computer tips

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computer tips tech culture

Data value

Did you ever think of how much the data on your computer is worth?

  • how much are your family photos worth?
  • how much is your records worth?
  • how much is the information needed to run your business worth?
    • For certain things you can put a price on, for data some things a price can be estimated, some things are priceless.
      Unless you have nothing unique stored on your computer, hard drive, server or device the data is almost always worth much more than the device itself.

What would happen if you lost it?

  • If you have it backed up some place, and can easily access the back up and recover the data, that is what you would do.
  • If you have some of the information stored online such as in a web based email service, you would recover that from there.
  • You may be able to get some receipts, and statements directly from the business, banks and other organizations you deal with.
  • you may be able to recover some items from paper copies (it will be a lot of work and they won’t be as good of quality) or things saved on disks IF you don’t have a disaster.
  • You may be able to get some things from friends, and family you have shared with.
  • If you have a second computer, device, or your own web site that is still working you may be able to recover some things from there.
  • You may be able to recover some items from original media such as camera, SD card, or camera phone.
  • If you have iTunes, and purchased directly from them you now may be able to recover those items from iTunes as long as you can remember the information you need to access your account. (this was not the case, until November of 2011)
  • You may be able to recover certain things from a hard drive if it hasn’t been written over enough or severely damaged, with special hardware or software or sending it to a recovery specialist.

Of course I would recommend backing up everything, both locally and off site.
Full Disclosure: I do offer online backup which I may benefit financially from.
What to do about not letting people access your computer.
First require an operating password, finger print, facial recognition or some other method to access the computer.
If you save passwords on your computer, use an easy to remember, yet hard for others to know, master password that protects all of them.
For even deeper protection, limit the information you share online, that is not secure in both in encrypted transfer and secure on the other end. Have backup transferred over a secure, encrypted connection and also securely stored (and backed even elsewhere). You can set a system password for your computer and you can also encrypt the data on your computer.
You can have your computer physically locked down.
You can require a secure entry system. Building security. Firewalls (networking hardware), Firewalls (software), and Firewalls (actual building firewall)
Remember sometimes you have to balance the right amount of security, with ease of use, and costs.
The online backup that I offer does have the encrypted transfer, as well as securely stored on the server at more than one location and is accessible from most computers and Internet connected devices.
Striving to make your technology experience better,
Nathan Steffenson
Nate’s Computer Services

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computer tips Going Green My Site updates tech culture

Why Nate's Computer Services doesn't do repair

 
Why doesn’t Nate’s Computer Services do repair?

  1. It is extremely time consuming, even when working on more than one system at a time and even when using Frequently Replaced Units (FRU)
  2. If it is on-site that adds additional time, driving expense, logistics, and safety hazards for the technician and/or company doing repair.
  3. with cut rate computer prices, the pricing for computer repair is hard to judge,  the main good reason would be to save the data(which our organization does help with), or to cut on waste (which our organization advocates), cost is not a good reason.
  4. Broken down computer typically are problems caused by the end user’s misuse, abuse, neglect, or lack of knowledge, whether its primary user or a second user(including kids) that also uses the computer.  Also the environment in which the computer is in may cause damage-such as but not limited to smoke, pet dander, and bugs.  In any of these cases it is typical policy of most companies these days to deny warranties or deny working on the computer.  With the exception, of lack of knowledge, it is our policy as well. (Do not bring your bug or smoke filled computers here! 🙂
  5. Sometimes equipment is heavy and can be hard on my back.  I worked 3 summers moving things in a school (non computer work) and never hurt my back.  I hurt my back doing contract work for 3 different companies. That is the primary reason I don’t do contract work anymore, unless dealing directly with small businesses. (That is why we do not allow customers to bring in CRT monitors or laser printers to our business, if you want to get rid of it we will refer you to someone that recycles them)
  6. I have never liked computer repair.
  7. Computer repair, outside of warranty periods, typically is not necessary since the computer (or device) needs to be upgraded anyway.
  8. With a click of a couple buttons and a confirmation the computer can be easily wiped out and started fresh.  It is expected that you have all your data(information) backed up or use a server for data storage. Sometimes if the computer has been preconfigured, a technician can do this remotely.
  9. For non-hardware problems, many times it is not necessary for the technician to come on-site or for users to bring in or ship their computers. It can all be done remotely, via networks or Internet.
  10. Sometimes it just isn’t necessary anymore for non-warranty repair. If you take good care of a well built system, chances are it won’t break or if it is, it’s covered under warranty. Or if it isn’t built well, but it’s cheap, you just get a new one and recycle the old. One long lasting computer hardware theory, is more apparent than ever today, and that is avoid moveable parts. You can definitely see that with tablets and smartphones, very evident in the company Apple‘s design.
  11. Any contract work with some of the major IT repair and installation companies are very hard to deal with and are on an ethically slippery slope.
  12. The provider -customer relationship typically is not good.
  13. It is looked down upon in the general technology industry
  14. It isn’t my specialty. Although I have a worthless, as far as obtaining a good job for me, grandfathered in A+ Certified Professional certification from CompTIA, which deals somewhat with repair (Although, notice neither computer or repair is in the title of it anywhere). Although, a class requirement of 2 of them,  of my 5 college degrees none of my majors have the word repair in them. 4 majors do have the word computer.
  15. It is not profitable for our business. (It may be for other businesses)
  16. We do other things better.

What do we do?
We offer web design, web hosting domains & online storage,  email, and digital photography and Digital Computer Help (often times called support as a general generic industry term).
In September of 2007 or possibly before we quit doing computer repair. We started doing On-Site Computer Help. It was done both to avoid confusion with another provider in the area, as well as to really do something different.
Sometimes both the term and the actual doing of computer repair has crept back to haunt the business.  Sometimes it has been because of advertising companies, with incorrect information, they all had errors with the exception of the printed business advertising section (called “Yellow Advantage” at the time) of the Brainerd Dispatch, which quickly updated the advertising correctly. Most advertising companies sold my info to other advertisers. It was hard to find a correct category in the phone directory.  It could be called computer training, but it isn’t necessarily that, it can be a little more urgent.  We could just put it under computers, but then people will call us asking for computers or computer parts. So sometimes, I have been stuck.
Also when money is tight I didn’t always wait for the right customer and I would do just about anything (legitamate), for any customer, to make money. As you may know, that does not work well in about anyway. I lost good customers because of it.
Digital Computer Help has the ability to allow the individual user or small business to really get at the root of the problem and come up with solutions that can sometimes be long lasting.
Not only can it solve problems, but we can find new uses of technology and ways of doing things to improve the computer users’ or businesses’ experience. For businesses and even individuals,  we have sometimes even found ways for them to generate more revenue and decrease costs – not necessarily typically, but on occasion.
Why don’t your customers use the free or low cost support they already get with their computer, internet service provider, or other technology product/service?
Sometimes they do and it works for them.
Sometimes they do not know it is available, and I help them with that.
Sometimes it inadequate for their problem or not covered by what they do because the intermingling of systems or it is beyond what is necessary for them to support.
Sometimes users cannot understand a person with an accent. (although with my disability sometimes my own speech can be at times hard to understand)
Sometimes they cannot understand the technical terms, also called technical (computer) lingo, geek speak, or techno jargon.
At times we may assist them with talking to a company.
How is it working out doing Digital Computer Help?
We have had to discontinue the on-site portion of computer help for home customers, and limit it for businesses. We still offer In Business Help.  Most that have used remote Digital Computer Help  enjoyed it as well (after figuring out how to get it set up).
The future is looking good.
Companies, other than Nate’s Computer Services, mentioned are of their respecful owners, are linked for your convenience, and are not affilated with us, besides us being a customer of theirs.

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computer tips

been trying out Opera Mobile Web Browser for Android

Just recently I downloaded and started using the Opera Mobile Web Browser for Android. I have a little bit older android model phone, so Firefox won’t work and I am not fully satisfied with the built in browser.
I have had it less than a day. But my first impressions are it is Great.
It has a better look and feel. More recent technologies. and seems to work better with forms.
It may be because I’m getting over a cold, but I’m feeling really good.
Update: facebook functionality is limited with Opera Mobile. However, for the functionality it does have its much faster. I had to work around to link this post from the facebook page.
 
Update2 5/25/2012: After working with it for a while I switched to Opera Mini. Got rid of Opera mobile. Have the built in android browser set as the default browser, but primarily use opera mini on android now since it works faster on my 3g phone.

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beware of scams computer tips tech culture

Email Addresses Not to Trust

Sometimes, you can trust major free email providers addresses, if they are personal friends.  However, receiving business offers, or conducting business with these addresses should be avoided. Major free email providers include, but are not limited to – Yahoo.com, Hotmail.com, Msn.com, Aol.com, and Gmail.com.
You should avoid doing any business with business people with these addresses, and business people shouldn’t use them.  They are sometimes OK for a personal account.
Another downfall with these addresses is that the are stolen quite often, especially Yahoo, Hotmail, and MSN.
You should also avoid contacting people who send emails from one address and want you to send it to a different one.
Internet service provider (ISP) addresses are a little more reliable, and own domain addresses are even more reliable.  However addresses can be spoofed, and businesses with a domain are not necessarily trustworthy.
You may also want to avoid businesses that only have social media pages and not a regular web site. Especially if you don’t know them and the business doesn’t have an actual location.
As far as offers (email, phone, mail, magazine, newspaper) go, you may want to avoid them entirely.  There are legitimate offers of course, that may help you.  Be careful.
Update: There may be some people that use free email addresses that are legitimate emailing. However if they are soliciting you, it is still probably best to ignore. There have been complaints to agencies that have been legitimate, using free email addresses, and that is somewhat different than the point I’m trying to make in this post.

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computer tips

One of the reasons I like Macintosh Hardware

Although computer repair is not the primary focus of my business, I still get many calls in for it.
One problem that occurs frequently on computer notebooks that are not later Macintosh is that the power chord and power jack on the computer quit fitting together. Often times it is from misuse such as dropping or pulling the power chord too fast or shoving it in to hard. Sometimes it is not an easy fix. With Macintosh however it uses the Mag-safe connector which uses a magnet to latch on the power chord so it can easily separate if pulled and it stays in place if not pulled, so the problem rarely occurs.
I think it is a great advantage that doesn’t always get mentioned when people think about Apple Macintosh vs another notebook computer. Many times people just think of the software or the appearance of the hardware.
Another advantage for keeping stable is the metal enclosure along with the built in battery on most Macintosh now.
This also keeps the computer more stable when the computer is being moved around.
Even though it is more stable on Macintosh, with any computer, I strongly recommend avoiding dropping it. Keep it on a stable surface. Keep it away from young children and pets. Keep it out of dust including smoke. Supervise children when with computers.

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computer tips

Cleaning Computer / Monitor


Sometimes computers and monitors need to be cleaned.
Always have equipment off when cleaning.  Unplug if opening computer case.
For TVs and monitors, window cleaner or cleaners containing alcohol or ammonia CANNOT be used because it can remove the protective coding that protects your eyes.  They can also damage the inner electronics if it seeps in.
It is best to use a microfiber cloth and a non-alcohol cleaner made for screens.  Try using just the microfiber cloth first and if that doesn’t work spray some of the cleaner on the cloth.
For cleaning the computer surfaces (plastic or medal- not the actual electronic boards) I use some antistatic alcohol-free cleaning wipes. Sometimes  cotton tips can be used to clean places hard get at.
For getting out dust several different methods can be used or  a combination of them.
First Prevention:  Keep your computer away from pets, out of dusty areas,  do not smoke by the computer.  Have the computer as high above the floor as possible.
Second Air duster can:   Advatages: blows most of the dust away, portable
Disadvantages: Can be messy,  can be expensive buying the cans a lot, breathing in is dangerous.
Third Vacuum: Advantages: cleans neater, less fumes, reusable
Disadvantages: not compact( unless you have a special mini vacuum), noisy, may not get rid of as much dust sometimes, may cause extra static if not used correctly.
Fourth Air compressor:  Blows out all the dust, reusable
Disadvantages: peices may get blown into circuit boards, may be noisy, messy, may cause more dust to get in air making breathing dangerous
 
 
 
 
 

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computer tips photo tech culture

I get by with one computer and no TV, no watch (Kind of)

Back in 2008 & 2009  I sold 3 computers to get the one computer I have now.
The computer I use both at home and my business.  It is mostly used for business, but some personal use as well.  It’s a notebook (Apple Macbook pro 17 inch)
I have an external 24″ monitor (Apple LED Display) I use along with the built in display at home.  I use a 19″ widescreen display at my business (Asus LED). both have built in audio.  The 24″ display also has a  charger, usb hub, microphone, and camera built in.  So I use the charger that came with the computer at my business. I also have an external optical mouse both places because I am sometimes more comfortable with that than the track pad.
For TV if I really want to watch it, I hook up a USB tv tuner(Elgato Eye TV Hybrid).
Even though I have one main computer, I do have other computing devices.  I have an iPod Touch which can browse the web, take photo/video, and run apps among other things.  I also have an Android phone which can besides doing phone calls, browse the web, run apps, gps, take photo/video and more. I also use either my computer, phone or iPod instead of a watch.
I also have an stand alone gps navigation system, and fm radios in the car, home.  And 3 dedicated cameras that can do both video and still – besides the other devices that have cameras.
For viewing photos – It can be done with my computer and monitor, my iPod, on the camera itself, with another person’s  TV connected with a cable to my camera, my printer has a viewing screen, or on my phone. I also have a key chain photo viewer which I rarely use since my phone can perform that function better.  So a digital photo frame is not necessary for me.
I use external hard drive for video storage and local backup.
In addition I use outsourced providers for doing online backup and web hosting.
So maybe I have one computer, maybe more depending how its counted.
2015 Update: I took a couple of computers of my customers hands, just in case they wouldn’t dispose of them properly since they no longer wanted the computers. I will be keeping one of them (iMac) and I also have a laptop now a macbook air. So I’ll have 2 PC(Macintosh computers) and plus a smartphone(my iPhone which is now also my iPod).  I no longer have the iPod, dedicated gps, android phone, mouse, keychain photo viewer, car. Only 1 combination fm/radio/weather radio.

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computer tips

Common Mistake Address bar vs. search bar

One of the most common mistakes people have with web browsers is typing a web address in the search bar.  When I first was using web browsers it was the opposite problem that was more common: people typing in search terms as web addresses.
Either way people sometimes end up with the wrong web page.
The problem is made even more complicated by, most peoples home pages have a search engine, and also all the tool bars that end up on peoples browsers.
To deal with this problem some web browsers have address bar to the left and search bar to the right. Others have integrated search engine with the address bar.
Many people know the difference between search bar and address bar, however many do not.image of a browsers address and search bars

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computer tips

Turning off computer

Usually when discussed about turning off computer all that is discussed is power.
Here I discuss why you may want to turn off your computer.

  • At night to get to sleep I have my computer scheduled to turn off so I’m less likely to use it at that time and so it doesn’t make noise nor be bothersome with light.  That’s also a good reason to have computer or TV in a room other than the bedroom.
  • Another reason to turn off  a notebook / laptop / netbook (portable) is so you don’t damage parts like hard drive or overheat when transporting.
  • To repair, maintain, or upgrade internal components on a computer (it should also be unplugged and if portable the battery may need to be removed)
  • It can make the log in password appear at start up.
  •   if you have malware /trojen it may stop your computer from doing further damage.
  • Of course it will save power too (if you don’t turn it back on again all the time).

 
On the other hand…

  • If your computer doesn’t bother your sleep it may not be necessary to have it shut down.
  • It can sometimes be hard on hardware the more you shut off and turn back on.
  • Sometimes just putting laptops to sleep may be OK for transporting. Solid State Disk drives or flash memory can greatly reduce hard drive problems with moving (but can be expensive)
  • You should probably have your computer go to a login screen automatically after a period of time or just log out.
  • There other power reducing options.

I usually have my computer turned off after a while at night, so now you know what I do.
–Nate
see also http://www.natesservices.com/2010/05/08/power-saving-tips/
 

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computer tips

Virus removal troubleshooting

Here are some options I take for removing viruses, spyware, and malware from a Windows computer system.

  1.  Run the antivirus, anti spyware, or removal tool
    Tip: Sometimes running the removal in Safe Mode works better (especially if your computer acts up otherwise). You can access Safe Mode by pressing the F8 key after your computer turns on and goes through POST, before starting windows – a menu will pop with Safe Mode option. (I keep tapping on F8 when the computer starts until the menu shows up)
    2nd Tip: Be careful that your virus removal is a trusted source. There are some fakes.
  2. Run System Restore – an option in the Start/Windows menu under Program- Accessories- System Tools. Also available when starting safe mode and under the F8 menu at startup under Fix My Computer sometimes.
  3. Backup necessary data files if possible (you should be doing this all along) and wipe out starting fresh with a clean install of Windows Operating System (OS) /System Recovery. This may require discs or running the recovery from a partition on the hard drive, or in some cases booting and installing it from the network or Internet.

These are just some tips. They may not work in all cases, but any these may work in certain cases.

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