Windows 7, Tips, Tricks, Tweaks and Apps.

Posted on December 13, 2011 by PJ

There are some awesome things about Windows 7, but there is also some not so awesome things about it.  Here are some cool tips and tricks that I have used to spice up Windows 7.

Getting rid of that crapware

SlimCleaner – This is easiest way to get rid of those WildTangent games or all those included utilities you’ll probably never use. For those who are unfamiliar with what to remove, SlimCleaner includes reviews of preloaded programs and descriptions of what they do. [Download]

The good old-fashioned control panel – For those a bit more familiar with what needs to go, the Control Panel is the way to go. Select the app you hate, hit uninstall, and wait while it leaves your hard drive.

Reinstall Windows 7 - Use the sledgehammer method, the best way to get a completely clean version of Windows 7 is to actually buy a fresh copy and install it. It is also the priciest way to accomplish this; Windows Home Premium starts at $119.99. You can also find a Win 7 install disc and use the registration key that comes with your computer. [Buy Windows]

Cleaning up the desktop

Replace the wallpaper – Most Windows laptops come with some ugly preloaded wallpaper; replace it with something cool.

Rainmeter – This is for the generic desktop haters. I equated it to Launcher Pro for Windows 7: you can create widgets, customize sidebars, and make the desktop whatever you want it to be. [Download Rainmeter]

Fences – The name says it all. Create “fences” for your desktop icons and organize them however you’d like. [Download Fences]

Must-have apps

MetroTwit - This is the Twitter app for you. Seriously, it’s one of the best looking ones out there. [Download MetroTwit]

Pokki – Pokki may be in beta, but it allows you to add small applets to the Windows TaskBar, including ones for Gmail, Facebook, and Twitter. They pop up right from the bar and don’t require you to launch your browser window. [Download Pokki]

PostBox – It may cost $30, but PostBox is a killer Outlook alternative. It also brings in your Gmail labels,  has QuickReply functions, and, as demoed in the segment, has animated GIF support! [Download PostBox]

Prism – If none of those email solutions work for you, you can use Prism to make a Gmail web app on your desktop. Or you can just use the program to create a standalone Verge shortcut. [Download Prism]

Posted in Cool Gadgets, Support | Tagged , , , |

Offsite data backup. Are you sleeping well?

Posted on December 6, 2011 by PJ

I am sure people get tired of me talking about Offsite data backup at my networking functions or business events that I go to, but really what do I get out of it?  Do you think I enjoy going up to a client and telling them that all of their pictures of their only son are gone. No birth pictures, no first step videos or the pictures from their wedding gone. What about the small business owner that doesn’t back up her data and then accidentally deletes it from her hard drive or the business owner that has all of their data on their laptop and they accidentally leave there laptop in their car and the car gets broken into and the laptop gets stolen.  How do you get that data back?  How does that effect their business?

For me it is by far one of the easiest things you can do.  Why would you not do it?  What are the drawbacks?  Do you feel that your data is just “out there” in the cloud somewhere for others to access?  I get the “I have an external hard drive that I back my data up to.” That is great that you have an external hard drive, but do you have a copy of the data on that hard drive on another external hard drive?  Do you have a copy of that hard drive stored in a safety deposit box. Do you have your backup program that is set to run every day? Every week? Every month?  Is making a backup on the top of your to do list?  Do you forget? Do you put it off? Is it the 1st thing you do before you have a cup of coffee. Probably not.  Why not take the human element out of it.  Think of Offsite data storage as your safety deposit box for your data, without the right “key” no one will get in.  I remember when I had 21 tape backups each were marked by day and week.  We would rotate them in and out.  One stored here, one stored there.  What a pain that was.

So don’t you want to sleep well at night?  If you do, start the backup process today. Here is a hopefully link to get you started.

https://apps.facebook.com/payvment/product/view/1g2wp?ctref=

PJ

Posted in Online Backup, Support | Tagged , , , , , |

WOT – Web of Trust……revisited

Posted on December 3, 2011 by PJ

I wrote back in May about a great add on to your (at the time) Mozilla Firefox browsers, well I am here for a follow up.  It is now out of its Beta form.  You can now download the add on to your Chrome, Internet Explorer, Firefox, Safari, and Opera browsers.

It’s great on Facebook too, it will tell you if a video or link is okay to click on before you click.  This add on is a must for all who just click on everything……you know who you are!! You can download it here and just pick your popular browser and that’s it.  Easy as that. You now will be browsing the web safer once you download this great add on.

PJ

Posted in Support, Tech News | Tagged , , , , |

Thumbtack.com Ranking

Posted on June 5, 2011 by PJ

Well I was quite surprised when I received an email yesterday from Thumbtack.com and it read that we were now ranked #1 in 3 cities on there computer repair and service section. We are so happy. It is nice to see hard work and dedication pay off.  Thank you everyone.
Computer Repair Services, Lakewood, Tacoma & Puyallup, WA

Posted in Tech News |

Links, to click or not to click?

Posted on May 24, 2011 by PJ

Have you ever wanted to know whether the link you are about to click is a good link or a bad link?  Tired of being unsure what link is a good link to click on Facebook or Twitter?  What about those shortened URLs, are they safe?

Well we have found a solution for you.

It’s called Web of Trust.  I love Web of Trust (WOT).  It’s one of those ah-ha tools that just makes my life easier.  WOT is a browser plug-in that places a reputation icon next to website links to indicate their safety.  These icons show up in search results from engines like Google and Bing as well as next to links embedded in Hotmail, Yahoo and Gmail emails.  It can be installed on most major browsers – including IE, Firefox and Chrome.  Dangerous sites get a red icon, questionable ones a yellow and safe sites a green icon.  It can boil safe browsing instructions down to “Green is your friend, Red is bad!”

The only shortfall of WOT, in my opinion, is that it has been not compatible with Facebook, Twitter or shortened links like those from bit.ty or t.co.  Let’s be honest, Facebook is a black-hole of malicious links.  I see infected posts from my friends at least 3-4 times a week.  I know they are infected because I’m trained to look for them.  But what about those without that training?  How can we tell that the enticing video or link is really a trip down a dark alley?  Well WOT has the solution.  They’re going social!

WOT recently announced a beta plug-in for Firefox that will bring WOT reputation icons to links on Facebook, Twitter and for shortened URLs by most popular services.  They hope to release the updated version soon.  I’ve been using the beta since the release and I can’t say enough about it.  It makes safe browsing easier.  You can download the beta plug-in for Firefox by going here.  If you don’t use Firefox the regular download will still help with safe web surfing.  Updates for Internet Explorer and Chrome will be out shortly, but we highly recommend you download it for your browser!

PJ

Posted in Support |

Somebody’s Watching Me?

Posted on May 5, 2011 by PJ

You leased a computer, didn’t pay your bill and we are coming to repossess it. Oh, and by the way, we’ve been photographing you via the internal webcam and capturing every keystroke you’ve made. WOW!

Aaron’s, Inc. you should be ashamed of yourselves. Yes, there are some points to be made here by Aaron’s, 1. They are trying to protect their asset. 2. They have every right, in our opinion, to put a device in the computer to track its GPS location (think IT low-jack). But installing spyware to takes photos of the unknowing user and a keystroke logger to record their every electronic movement? Really, that’s necessary to protect your asset? We say hardly.

A couple in Wyoming thought they’d paid off their computer lease a month early but two months after the final payment the store manager arrived at their house to repossess the machine. Turns out, Aaron’s installs a “PC Rental Agent” software designed to prevent lessees from running off with leased equipment. If a lessee doesn’t fulfill their lease obligation, Aaron’s can disable the machine using this software. Makes sense, right? Here’s where it gets tricky though. In addition to disabling the machine this “PC Rental Agent” software can also snap a picture using the computer’s internal webcam whenever it deems necessary. So, when you’re working <snap>, when you’re sleeping <snap>, when you’re walking by the monitor after you just got out of the shower <snap>……you can only imagine the images it might encounter.

This is by far the worst invasion of privacy I have ever heard of. I can’t believe that Aaron’s would even think this is okay. I am sure that this couple in Wyoming aren’t the only ones affected by this invasion. If you are going to lease a computer please ask what type of tracking software is installed and make sure you read the fine print.

PJ

Posted in Tech News |

Do I Really Have to Choose Just One?

Posted on April 26, 2011 by PJ

During the recent iPad 2 release Steve Jobs got right down to the business at hand, ripping the competition.  Jobs took several shots at Android, belittling the Samsung Galaxy Tab and the apps, or lack thereof, available for Honeycomb (Android 3.0).  So, I’m curious…was this just Apple doing their thing or are Android tablets really that inferior?

Let’s break it down…

Apps, Apps and more Apps –  Currently the App Store has about 65,000 apps for the iPad, which is slightly more than the 100 or so for Android 3.0.  That said, if history is any indicator, we’ll see rapid development of the Android Marketplace in the very near future.

The Ever Important “Look” – The new iPad 2 is thinner, lighter, and faster than the old one, and it has cameras. That’s pretty much it sums it up.  Pitted up against the Motorola Xoom — the first and thus far only Android Honeycomb tablet on the market — Apple’s new iPad 2 comes out ahead in terms of thickness and weight.

The Real Power – The iPad 2 is either equal to or somewhat behind the Xoom when it comes to raw processing power.  Both units have dual-core 1GHz processors.   The Xoom has 1GB of RAM; rumors and more rumors suggest the iPad 2 has 512MB.  Since Apple has not officially divulged that detail for the device, it’s hard to say anything definitively.  Very strange to me, everything but the RAM?

Here is a comparison list for iPad 2 vs Androids Top 3 tablets:

I fully expect the tech-oriented person to strongly consider one of the Android 3.0 tablets while the average consumer will probably look to Apple based on its marketing power.  While Motorola ads spit out specs, 90% of which mean very little to average consumers, Apple focuses on real-world uses. Android tablet makers need to focus on the areas in which it may be able to outpace the iPad – 4G/LTE support, unique form factors, etc. – and maybe, just maybe, they’ll have a shot.

PJ

Posted in Cool Gadgets |

Back That Thing Up!

Posted on April 13, 2011 by PJ


As I sit down to write this blog I feel compelled to start with, in my opinion, the single most important safeguard you can create for yourself…a reliable offsite backup system for your data.

Be honest, how many of you regularly back up your data?  We’re hoping most of you.  How many of you back it up to an external hard drive? Probably, some of you.  How many of you back up your data and take it off site?  Probably, very few of you.

Consider these scenarios.  Your hard drive completely fails, as they commonly do, and even a computer guru (hmmm, hmmm, hmmm) cannot recover the data.  A water line ruptures in your home and trashes your electronics. A natural disaster strikes and your computer no longer exists.  Your precious family photos, important docs (think resume, taxes, etc), even the music you spent big bucks to download could all be gone in an instant. Think photos of your wedding and children’s births here and you’ll begin to get the idea of how important it is to back that thing up.

In previous generations families had miles of bookshelves lined with photo albums that could be grabbed in an instant if necessary.  Today our photos, with the exception of that treasured shot of Fido currently taped to the fridge, are likely all stored in that little black box on your desk.  How much is keeping those memories safe worth to you?  My wife, and likely yours, would say there is no cost too great.  You might be surprised though at how economical the options really are.

Here are a few of our tried-and-true favorites for online, safe, secure backup.

  • Mozy.com  – Prices start from $3.95 depending on the amount of Gigabytes you have.
  • Carbonite.com – $55 a year (or $4.58 a month) for unlimited storage.
  • Sugarsync.com – $24.95 for about 250GB of space.
  • Amazons Cloud Drive – 5GB FREE, $20 for 20GB, $50 for 50GB, etc.

If you’ve already got a good backup system in place, kudos to you.  If you don’t and you’d like a little assistance in figuring out where to start, let us know.  Please, please just take a few minutes to think about it and make sure your data is safe.

PJ

 

Posted in Online Backup |