The Desert Computer Tutor

Category: Computers

  • Important Reminders From “The Trenches” This Week

    If anyone calls you and says they are from Microsoft and you have a problem on your computer, hang up.  It’s a scam!  Microsoft does not have the time or staff to monitor your computer.  Never let someone access your computer remotely unless you know them.  One of my clients was victimized this week so I wanted to remind you again.

     External hard drives are not the best solution for your back ups!  Hard drives can fail and, if your house were to burn down or be burglarized, you could lose your back up along with your computer.  It’s so sad when people lose valuable docs and precious photos.  There are many cloud-based back-up options available.  Many of them offer free storage.  Please be sure you have back-up systems in place. 

    It is really dangerous to continue to use Windows XP!  Recently a local business was held hostage by a hacker who kidnapped their files and demanded a ransom of $500 within 30 minutes or $1000 if it took more than 30 minutes.  You must have an operating system that is supported by frequent updates and always allow the updates to install.  

  • Summer Special

    Indoors for the SummerSummer’s here and everyone is spending more time indoors and online. Want your internet faster? Want to get rid of those annoying ads? Who doesn’t? I’ve learned some tricks I can pass along to you in my Summer Special (one hour @ $40).  If you aren’t in The Desert, we can do it online.

    I’ll get rid of those ads and speed up your internet browsing experience without you having to call Time Warner or Verizon and pay more for your Internet. Let me come over and make a few adjustments and before you know it, you’ll be amazed at how much faster (and safer) your web pages are loading. Call today for an appointment!

  • Having A Computer is Like Having A Car

    _MG_2157 copyThis Wednesday was my turn to present my business at the Desert Networking Professionals  (DNP) weekly breakfast meeting.  My topic was “Having a Computer Is Like Having a Car.”

    I believe one of the reasons my clients are frustrated by their computers and gadgets is due to unrealistic expectations.  If you consider that having a computer is like having a car, you will have a different perspective.  First, you don’t even have to have a computer or car if you don’t want to.  Really…some people don’t have one.  However, you might think it’s a necessity for your lifestyle or your business.   If you choose to get one, there will be some training involved in learning to drive it.  There are rules you need to follow, or you’ll get into trouble.  You have to have insurance (back ups and anti virus protection), and, from time to time, it will need tune-ups, and repairs.  You can pay a professional to teach you to drive it and to do the repairs, or you can get a book or do research online and learn how to do it yourself.  It’s a choice.  If you choose to do it yourself, there is going to be a learning curve, some mistakes, and it’s going to take longer.  That’s just the way it is.  And you have choices.

    I hope that this analogy will help everyone to have more realistic expectations and make peace with the ups and downs of the technology world.  I hope that everyone will have the insurance of backups and anti-virus protection.  I hope that everyone will choose to learn how to use the gadgets and gizmos and be able to function with ease and joy.  And, I recommend that you call a professional when there are problem or questions.  After all, having peace and joy in our lives is all about expectations.  Let’s be realistic, do the few things that need to be done, and focus on enjoying the many benefits of computer technology.

    If you need help with any of these things, please let me know.  I promise I will make it as easy, fun, painless  and affordable as possible.

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  • Dr. Seuss On Computers

    Dr. SeussThis email joke is especially funny to me because it was sent to me by one of my Senior, tutoring clients. She is a very active and involved lady and knows how to use her computer very well, but she gets really frustrated when things don’t work right. She’s always a good sport about it though, and obviously has a great sense of humor. Thanks Florence! You made my day!

    Why Computers Sometimes Crash! by Dr. Seuss

    If a packet hits a pocket on a socket on a port,
    and the bus is interrupted at a very last resort,
    and the access of the memory makes your floppy disk abort
    then the socket packet pocket has an error to report.

    If your cursor finds a menu item followed by a dash,
    and the double-clicking icon puts your window in the trash,
    and your data is corrupted cause the index doesn’t hash,
    then your situation’s hopeless and your system’s gonna crash!

    If the label on the cable on the table at your house,
    says the network is connected to the button on your mouse,
    but your packets want to tunnel to another protocol,
    that’s repeatedly rejected by the printer down the hall.

    And your screen is all distorted by the side effects of gauss,
    so your icons in the window are as wavy as a souse;
    then you may as well reboot and go out with a bang,
    ‘cuz sure as I’m a poet, the sucker’s gonna hang.

    When the copy on your floppy’s getting sloppy in the disk,
    and the macro code instructions is causing unnecessary risk,
    then you’ll have to flash the memory and you’ll want to RAM your ROM,
    and then quickly turn off the computer and be sure to tell your Mum!

    Well, that certainly clears things up for me.

    How about you?

  • Pre-purchase Consultation Questions

    One of my services is consulting with people to help them choose the best computer or gadget for their individual needs.  So much frustration can be avoided by buying the right product in the first place, and I have already test-driven quite a few of them in order to pave the way for others to have a more pleasant experience.  See my previous posts for the gruesome details.  LOL

    Here are the questions I use for my consultations.  Please forward this to your friends and relatives so they will have it when they are considering a computer or gadget purchase.   They will thank you for it.

    1. What is your budget?

    2. What is the size of the notebook that you are considering?

    3. What screen resolution do you want?

    4. Do you need a portable or desktop replacement laptop?

    5. How much battery life do you need?

    6. Do you want to play games with your laptop? If so then please list the games that you want to with the settings that you want for these games. (Low, Medium or High)?

    7. What other tasks do you want to do with your laptop? (Photo/Video editing, etc.)

    8. How much storage (Hard Drive capacity) do you need?

    9. If you are considering specific sites to buy from, please post their links.

    10. How long do you want to keep your laptop?

    11. What kind of Optical drive do you need? DVD ROM/Writer, Blue Ray ROM/Writer, etc ?

    12. Please tell me about the brands that you prefer and the brands that you don’t like and explain the reasons.

    13. What country do you live in?

    14. Please tell me any additional information if needed.

    Additionally… you should consider available support options in your area. If you buy something abroad, will you be able to have it fixed near where you live? Does the warranty apply? How quickly do local accredited technicians fix laptops?

  • Presentations for Service Groups and Clubs

    I love to share about my work, so I’ve started doing speaking engagements for groups.  I will be speaking at two Rotary Club luncheons in May.

    If you are a member of a group that would like me to do a presentation, please let me know.  Some topics that might be of interest:  “An overview of the latest computers or Gadgets,” “What is The Cloud and Why Should I Care?”,  “Do I Really Want or Need a Tablet?”

    Tell me your suggestions for topics in the comments below.

    Thanks,

    Mardi

  • New Play Shops/Gadget Clinics Soon

    Last year’s Play Shops were very fun and people asked for more of them.  Please let me know the times, days and topics that appeal to you.  We can do almost any topic that is of interest to a group of 12 to 20 people.  I do home parties too!

    You can post your suggestions and comments here.

    Thanks!

    Mardi

  • Strike Three and They’re Out

    I am without a new computer!  After trying out three machines, I gave up! (For the time-being at least…if you know me, you know it probably won’t last long.  LOL)

    I dumped some applications on my trusty, very old, souped up, bionic Dell Inspiron E1505 and it’s stopped whining about it’s memory.  My world is peaceful once again.

    The Yog2 Pro 2 was unwieldy.  Darn, double darn!….I wanted to like it so much, but I was just tense all the time, struggling with teeny tiny tabs on the web browser,  my fingers missing the keys on the chicklet keyboard, and the touch screen not working with various programs.  I took it back to Best Buy and they were very gracious.

    I took home a Lenovo Idea pad and after much tweaking, customizing, disabling of features and dealing with it dropping my WiFi connection repeatedly….I called it quits.  I took it back and decided to just lay low, let the dust settle and wait for the manufacturers and developers to get their sh**t together.

    No one should have to go through all this to get comfortable with a new machine.  And it’s not just me…in my research to find solutions, I discovered that other consumers are having the same issues.  I won’t bore you with all the gory details here, but suffice it to say that “the boys” are going to have to get on the same page and play together nice before I jump into the game again.  If it’s this frustrating for me (the lover of almost all things techie), imagine what it’s like for the average person!

    On the positive side, most people are not trying to do all the things I do on the computer, so if you absolutely must get a new machine, talk to me first and let me advice you about the best solution for your particular needs.  I do consultations and shopping trips and I can tweak and disable things to make the transition more comfortable for you.

    It’s been a hectic three weeks, but I’ve learned a lot that I can share and that makes me a happy girl.  I took the hits so you don’t have to and it’s my greatest pleasure to be able to help.

    In Joy…no matter what,

    Mardi

     

  • My New Computer

    My old computer was running out of memory and my web browser was crashing.  I needed “bigger, faster, stronger” badly.  After much research on line and some field trips to Best Buy, I ordered a Dell Inspiron 15″ 7000 Series that was similar to my very, very old Inspiron 1500e.  It was a lot of power for the money ($649 on special) but it turned out to be too big and bulky.  Many companies are making the laptop screens wide for movies and adding number key pads to the keyboard, which I don’t need or want.  It was a little bit lighter than my old one, but it felt heavier because of the size.

    The tracking pad was very squirrely and frustrating too.  I have since learned that track pads have been re-designed to allow finger gestures like the motions one uses on touch screens.  So this is partly a Windows 8 issue.  Maybe one can get used to it, but I’ve observed that most of my clients use a mouse.  Now I understand why I have so much trouble with my clients laptop track pads!  So….I’m sending the Dell back…too big, too heavy, disappointing web browsing speed, and a miserable squirrely touch pad.

    A part of me wanted a Lenovo Yoga Pro 2.  It converts to a tablet, is small and lightweight, and has all the power (and price, $899 ) of a higher-end laptop.  It also can be put in stand mode or tent mode.  Here is a link if you want to see it.   http://vimeo.com/73485706    I wasn’t sure if I could live with a 13″ inch screen so I went to Best Buy to look at it again (third time’s a charm) and I decided to try it.  I think I can get used to the 13 inch screen…if not, I can get a 20 TV with DVD player for $189 or internet TV for $199 and use it as a monitor.

    The touch pad doesn’t have all the gesture features and feels more like my old computer’s but it’s a little sensitive and I keep making mistakes.  Apparently this is partly a function of applications not being re-designed properly for touch screen use.  That will be changing in the near future.  Thanks again Microsoft for rocking our world with Windows 8. I’m telling the “honest to gosh” truth when I tell frantic clients, “I’ve been there and I feel your pain.”  My life has been upside down this past week with all the research, set up, customizing, downloading, and getting used to all the changes.  Playing with new gadgets makes me a happy girl…except when I’m in a hurry and need to get some work done.

    So far, I like it…very fast, only 3 lbs., and small enough to fit in a large purse. I plan to take it everywhere, so you’ll be able to see it next time we get together.   “Stay tuned folks, we’ll have film at 11:00” LOL

    I”m praying for the patience and strength to get through the return process with Dell.  May it be better than the ordering process which was a freaking nightmare.  I do not recommend doing business with Dell.  Their call centers  have no integration of departments and apparently there are no customer files for reps to access.   I feel sorry for the customer service reps who try their best to please, but are handicapped by the primitive call center infrastructure.  Be kind, it’s not their fault and I’ll bet they take a lot of abuse from irate customers.  If you ever want a Dell computer, buy it from Best Buy in Palm Desert.  I always get great service there.

    Don’t assume that you have to spend this much money on a computer or tablet.  As I always say, it depends on what you plan to do with it.  I do a lot of research and web based work and need considerable power .  There are many less expensive gadgets available for the less intense user.  You might want to make an appointment with me for a consultation and/or field trip to Best Buy.  I can usually help people save a lot of money.

    If you still use Windows XP you will need to upgrade before May.  Microsoft will not be doing anymore updates after that and your computer will be a big security risk.  So start planning and budgeting for a new machine now.

    Your computing life will be much more enjoyable when you have up-to-date equipment that can handle the demands of modern applications.  So go for it.  You’re worth it!

  • What to Do With Your Outdated Gadgets?

    Our gadgets get outdated faster every year!  But don’t just let them collect and clutter your home or office.  You might be able to get some money for them; and if not, you can recycle them and get them out of your way.

    In any case, be sure to erase your data first.  Even if you’re giving away an old phone to a close friend or relative, you still don’t want them snooping around in your contacts, text messages, photos and email.

    Fortunately, erasing an iPhone or Android phone isn’t difficult at all. You just have to know where to look.

    Before erasing, make sure you backup the old phone. For an iPhone, connect it to a Mac or PC and launch iTunes. Follow the onscreen instructions to perform a backup of your apps, settings and other data.

    For an Android, backup important files to your PC or an external drive. Sync your contacts with Google cloud or your Gmail account.

    To erase an iPhone 3GS or 4, go to Settings>>General>>Reset. Tap Erase All Content and Settings, then press the big red button that says Erase iPhone. The phone will give you an estimate of how long it will take.

    You erase the iPad and the iPod touch the same way. Make sure your gadget is fully charged or plugged in before starting. Sometimes the process can take a while.

    If you want to double check, you can check the mail, phone, calendar and message apps to verify that everything is gone. If you sync the device to the computer again, it should show up as a new gadget.

    For an Android gadget, press Menu and tap Settings. Select SD & Phone Storage and then tap Factory data reset. Tap Reset Phone. All your information, apps and the SD card will be gone.

    Some manufacturers modify how Android works on their gadgets. If you don’t see the above options, check your phone’s manual or contact the manufacturer’s support website for specific instructions.

    If you have a newer older gadget, you can make back some of your money by selling it.  I recommend CashForLaptops.com  I sold my mom’s old laptop and got $60 for it.  It was so easy.  I applied online, they mailed me the packaging and label, kept me updated by email and paid promptly.  They didn’t want my old Blackberry but, hey, it was worth a try.

    If you can’t sell it, then please recycle it.  The easiest way is to drop things off at Best buy in Palm Desert.