The Desert Computer Tutor

Category: Tips & Tricks

  • Change Your Web Browser

    Please Change Your Web Browser ASAP!internet explorer

    So many of my appointments involve problems with Microsoft Internet Explorer!  Internet Explorer is frequently hacked and hijacked and it’s very disconcerting to have your home page suddenly switched to something you never authorized and you cant find your familiar Google search box.     firefox-os_logo-wordmark_RGB-vertical-300dpi

    Please use the Google Chrome or Firefox internet browser instead. I prefer Google Chrome because I use a myriad of awesome free Google products. Ask me about them next time we get together.

     

     

     

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    According to a report by the cybersecurity firm Bromium, the latest version of Internet Explorer is still the number one target for hackers.

    For the first half of 2014, the report found that Google Chrome has actually had no publicly known security flaws, making it safe from malware attacks.

    Other important facts in the report:

    1. Microsoft Internet Explorer set a record high for reported vulnerabilities in the first half of 2014.
    2. Internet Explorer also leads in publicly reported exploits.
    3. Web browser release cycles are becoming more frequent – as are initial security patches.
    4. Adobe Flash is the primary browser plugin being targeted by attacks this year.

    Microsoft quickly schedules updates that Internet Explorer uses to patch its holes but it’s still one of the most commonly-attacked browsers by far, and I know that many of my clients ignore the updates. It’s a huge problem!

     

    Keeping your Adobe Flash player up to date is also very important. Always update your Flash player to avoid security flaws like this. Apple won’t even let you play a video if you don’t have the latest version of Flash.

    I hope these Techie Tips will ensure that you are protected and enable you to take advantages of all great things technology can do for you.

    As always, if you, and your friends and relatives, need help with any of these things, just call me to set up an appointment.

    In Joy,

    Mardi Boettcher

    “Helping you make peace with the ups and downs of technology.”

  • Back Up Your Smart Phone and Tablets

     

    Please Check This Now!

    Is your smart phone or tablet doing backups?
    Did you even know that it’s supposed to?
    Do you realize that if your phone or tablet breaks or is stolen, you might lose your photos, music, address book and notes?
    Apparently none of the people who sell phones are setting it up or explaining it to their customers because most of the phones I examine are not doing back ups.  This issue has come up so many times in the past two weeks that I decided I’d better give you a heads up.

    Please check your gadget’s settings and make sure backups are set up and operating. (It will show you the last date a backup occurred.)
    This is especially important if you are going to be traveling on vacation this month!

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    Also, it’s important for you to know that there are really neat apps that enable you to locate your gadget if it is lost or stolen.  They even enable you to delete your data and lock the gadget so it will be useless to a thief.  (Even if you don’t get it back, you will have the satisfaction of knowing the thief didn’t get your stuff and couldn’t use it.)

    If you have an iPhone or iPad you may have noticed the “Find My Phone” or “Find My iPad” icon and assumed that it would help you in an emergency. It won’t unless it is enabled in settings. I’m amazed how many iPhones and iPads I see that don’t have this feature activated!

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    A related issue that comes up frequently is people want to know if they can see their phone or tablet photos on their computers.  Yes you can!  It’s just a matter of getting things set up properly.

    I hope these Techie Tips will ensure that you are protected and enable you to take advantages of these neat things that technology can do for you.

    As always, if you, and your friends and relatives, need help with any of these things, just call me to set up an appointment.

    In Joy,

    Mardi Boettcher

    “Helping you make peace with the ups and downs of technology.”

  • What To Do With Those Old Gadgets?

     

    gadgetsBecause I teach people how to use their new gadgets, I’m often asked what I recommend they do with their old ones.

    Depending on how old it is and what condition, I recommend that you try and sell it, recycle it, or give it to charity.

    Several years ago, I sold my mom’s really old laptop on cash for laptops for $70 and it was really easy working with them.  They sent a shipping box and everything.  Now, Best Buy has a webpage where you can submit information about your gadget.  They will tell you the value, give you a gift certificate or recycle it for you if it has no value.

    In any case, you must wipe out your personal information.  You might have passwords, tax documents, contacts, personal photos, home videos or other sensitive data that  you don’t want falling into the wrong hands.

    The most Important thing for you to know is that deleted files are not really gone – they’re just hidden.  Anyone who knows what they’re doing can find them.

    To keep your information safe, you need to permanently wipe it out.  I won’t go into all details here because it’s pretty technical and not of interest to most people.

    However, if you want to know all the details, I’ll be happy to teach you. Or, if you don’t want to know, I’ll be happy to do it for you.

    I’m sure you’ll have questions about your new device that I can answer as well.

  • 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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  • Video Calling Is Such Fun!

    skypeHave you ever done video calling? It’s really fun and I’m finding that many of my clients use it to stay in touch with their children and grandchildren.

    You can get loved ones together on the same group video call — in just a few clicks. You can even show your screen. It’s great for making travel plans, group decisions or sharing your holiday photos with everyone on the call. Whether you’re planning a party or just want to catch up with friends and family, group video calling lets you get together with everyone all at once — no matter where they are.

    Last Christmas, I was visiting my daughter and her fiancé in Colorado and we opened gifts with his family in Texas via the Skype app on their big screen TV. It was so much fun…almost as good as being together in person. What a great way to bring families together! I highly recommend it.

    The Skype app is free and can be downloaded to your computer and all your gadgets. The people you want to video call, have to have the app too and have to accept your invitation.  To see how it works on Skype Click here

    If you use Apple products you can use Face Time. The people you call, must be Apple product users also so they can use the Face Time app. See how to do it

    If you, and the people you want to video call, have gmail accounts, you can do video calls right from gmail, or you can use the free Google Hangouts app. See the instructions here

    If you, or someone you know would like personal tutoring to learn how to do this, or if you want to invite a group of friends and learn together in a “Play Shop,” just let me know. Thanks!

  • 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