A2Z Computer Help 732-237-9704

Often while working with my clients I find myself repeating this phrase "Working with files and folders" and continuing to say,  "is somewhat confusing". But, if you try to see how Microsoft has tried to arrange things for you, you will eventually (with some practice), see the whole picture and become more familiar with where your documents, pictures, music and other files and folders are located and how to access them with ease.

I am copying and sharing a link with you, direct from Microsoft.  Of course, if you have questions and wish to speak to a live person, feel free to contact me anytime and if I do not answer immediately, I will get back to you in a timely manner. 

Thank you, Lisa Gambino, A2Z Computer Help. The information above (and in the downloadable .pdf file) was obtained direct from Microsoft.

It is very important that you use the manufacturer's authentic and supplied power cord for your laptop. These power cords work in conjunction with your battery. The power cord for your laptop contains the AC adapter power unit that is necessary for charging your battery and you cannot use just any power cord and get the same results.

The power flow is dictated by the power cord and the AC adapter power unit (or the big "power brick"). Not using the correct power cord can damage the battery and it's ability to hold a charge. Also, you may experience power surges with your computer circuitry along with data corruption too. If you find that you lost your power cord or it is damaged or your battery is not holding its charge - it is important that you replace these with the correct models for your computer.  

I find it is common for people to confuse the domain name registrar with web hosting. In an effort to end your confusion, I have come up with the following facts:

A domain name is like your physical home address or even telephone number and web hosting is the space
in your home where you place your things.

When you register a domain name with a domain name registrar, you are the sole owner of this address and no one else in the market will have access to this name besides you.

A web host is also known as the service that provides the web server (where you store information (ie...files,
photos, etc...) along with its network connection, configuration and where it is maintained. Without a good, reliable web host, you will find that your website may be down and will not always function properly. You want a web host that provides very little server down time and fast and friendly customer support.

Costs vary very widely between the domain registrars and the web hosting services. The cost is also totally separate from the cost to have someone design and maintain your website. Be sure to do some research first and/or call and speak with the company first. (It is usually a very good sign when there is a phone number and you can get in touch with a live person.) Be sure to ask many questions and of course if you need additional help or assistance do not hesitate to contact me. 

This month I would like to talk about email addresses and the companies that offer free email services.  To clarify, we all must pay an internet service provider.  Our internet service provider (also known as "ISP")  is the company that we pay that allows us to have online service in our homes (wired with an ethernet cable or wireless with a router connected the ISP's modem or some provide and all in one modem/router).  These ISP's offer us many benefits from email addresses to websites to free wifi service outside our homes and in other states, etc...  You may remember a while back, before we had broadband cable or DSL internet service, we were using dial-up service.  Many people paid AOL  for their service.  You do not have to pay anyone for an email service, unless you want the added benefits that they may offer.  You only need to pay for your ISP.  Additionally, it is a good idea to have an email account with a service that you can always keep.  For example, if you have yahoo.com or gmail.com, you will never need to change that address due to changing your ISP.  Some ISP's will take back their email account from you, if you leave or change services.  Email is important to most people for many different reasons and no one likes to change.  My advice is to get an email address from a free email service.

Online Safety is a number one priority for most people today:
The way we browse the internet is by launching a browser.  Here are some of the most popular browsers used today:  Microsoft Internet Explorer (7, 8 and 9), Apple Safari, Mozilla Firefox and Google Chrome.  
It is a good idea to clear your browser's cache and your browser's cookies - as routine maintenance on your pc. Clearing your cache, occasionally, can help make some websites run smoother and free up space on your computer's hard drive - which can sometimes render it running slow. 
The cache (also known as browsing history and temporary internet files) stores information, images, and web pages on your computer  for quick and easy access.  Hackers can obtain crippling financial information from your cache if you are not careful.
Cookies contain information that websites have gathered about you and stored on your computer as small text 
files.  Most of these  files are harmless, but some may store where you went, what you did, and any personal information you may have given.  Websites  may also allow other websites (ie...advertisers) to put cookies, known as third-party cookies, on your computer.    

Click here to see how to delete webpage history from Microsoft for Internet Explorer in Windows 7.

There are instructions that can be found at each of the other browsers' websites to delete cache and cookies.

This can help your pc tech troubleshoot or solve a problem you may be having on your personal computer:

On your keyboard, locate the "Pring Screen" key (it may be labeled "Prt Sc", "Prnt Scrn" or similar. It is usually found in the upper right hand corner of the top row of keys, to the right of the F12 key.
 
To take the screenshot of the entire screen, with all windows, press the "Print Screen" key alone.  To take a screenshot of the currently selected windo, hold down the "Alt" key and press "Print Screen".
 
Now open the Microsoft "Paint" program:  go to Start, All Programs, Accessories and click on "Paint".
 
Once in the "Paint" program you just have to "Paste" the contents onto the canvas.  There are always more ways than just one (to confuse us) to do things - I think that the easiest way to do this is to just hold your "Ctrl" key with one finger and press the "V" key with another, on your keyboard, and the window that you took a screenshot of will now be visible in the "Paint" program.
 
You can now save the file and email it your pc tech for help.

Make a password that contains numbers, characters, special symbols etc. Do
not use your name or your partner's name as your password and do not choose a security question that can be easily guessed by anyone. Do not use your pet's name and do not give your password to anyone (unless you are with (physically) your "trusted" computer technician). 

Be aware of "phishing" emails: these are emails that are fishing for  information from you, i.e., they tell you they are the administrator of your  mailing account and they need your password.  Basically, you create your  password, you enter it into the proper area where you sign into your email
account, i.e., user name and password at Google: 
https://www.google.com/accounts/ServiceLogin?service=mail&passive=true&rm=false&continue=http%3A%2F%2Fmail.google.com%2Fmail%2F%3Fhl%3Den%26tab%3Dwm%26ui%3Dhtml%26zy%3Dl&bsv=llya694le36z&scc=1<mpl=default<mplcache=2&hl=en&from=login 
(this is a link to the secure (notice the https://) login page for Google's Gmail)
 
To continue on "phishing" emails - any email asking you for information,  i.e., name, address, tel #, password, security question - is simply not a legitimate request - no one will ask you for this information, you provide it when signing up for an account etc...).   Just delete or better yet report it to spam and do not think about it.  People are falling for these emails that say they have won something, etc. ... just delete them - you will not win the lottery through your email account (at least not yet).

Additionally, your computer may be infected with "Spyware." Spyware is hidden software that secretly runs on your computer and records all of your keystrokes and takes screen shots. So, whenever you type your password, it would be saved by the spyware and read by the one who installed it. Therefore, you must have good anti-spyware to detect the presence of any spyware and remove it from your system. Be sure that you always work on your own personal system and everyone doesn't have access to it. Working on public computers, i.e., in cyber cafes, ships, hotels, etc. ... (contact me and I will instruct you further). Use your mouse to enter the password - start in reverse and click before, etc...

Finally, it is recommended, by Microsoft, that you keep your personal computer up to date, i.e., all Windows/Microsoft updates are up to date and that your anti-virus and anti-spyware software (usually it is combined, for example
Microsoft Security Essentials (http://www.microsoft.com/en-us/security_essentials/default.aspx), are up to date - it is the only way to help stay on top of the latest viruses, spyware and hackers.

Did you know that you can use a passive extension cable (cables without an active repeater chip in them) to extend the distance from your computer to a USB device such as a printer, digital camera, media reader, flash drive, etc... USB specifications state that you can use extension cables for distances up to 16 feet.
Beyond 16 feet, you will need a cable that will boost the signal in order to avoid losing data or damaging USB equipment.  The maximum distance that you can reach by chaining "Active" USB extension cables together is 80 feet.  By using 16 foot cables, you can safely chain up to 4 of these cables together without risking data loss or damage to your device (in addition to the 4 "active"extension cables, you will use a regular device cable at the end that can be up to 16 feet; this is how you achieve the maximum distance of 80 feet).

You may need to install and use another web browser.  Most people, using personal computers, use Microsoft's "Internet Explorer" - because it comes preinstalled on your personal computer and it is your first connection to the Internet (the icon is the "e" with the swoop around it.  You may see this on your desktop as a shortcut or in your "programs" listed as Internet Explorer or on your taskbar.  It is not the only browser that you are allowed to use, it is just what is offered.

Firefox is a serious competitor to Microsoft's Internet Explorer.  It features a faster start up and shut down and it loads many web pages more quickly.  You can download it here for free:  Mozilla Firefox

Or, if you feel more comfortable having me come to you and showing you additional tricks and teaching you about the different browsers, never hesitate to contact me to set up an appointment.  I would be happy to help you!

There are sites that target vulnerable people and these threats can come from potentially safe sources like social networking sites and game sites:

Popular games like Farmville and Mafia Wars carry colorful advertisements that entice 
people with things such as a "Free chance to win by completing a survey!"  What is the goal of the survey?  For the user to provide personal information, including a cell phone number and codes, which would be used to charge cell phone bills.  The more surveys, the more charges, until the bill comes to your home at the end of the month.  Even safe sites have been reported to have lurking fraudsters planting phishing emails, which send you to third-party websites.  That "click" can send malware into your computer, grabbing information, including online banking user names and passwords.

In addition to keeping your PC up to date and running daily anti virus scans, do not be tempted with these fraudulent scams.  It is unfortunate that we have to deal with these things, but it is also reality, so DON'T BE FOOLED!  Be safe and enjoy yourself online.

you can read all about news, tips & scam alerts at www.sitejabber.com

Be aware that it is not always the right thing to do when you call back a telephone number on your cell phone or land line phone - caller id.  Someone may be calling you from anywhere and that may not be the number that you would need to reach the person back at.
Therefore, unless the person leaves you the number or advises you 
further, think twice about just randomly calling a number on your caller id.  Basically, you are wasting your own time and possibly the time of others.

If you have to leave your computer - either at work or at home and you want to leave all of your programs open - lock it up!  This will ensure the safety of your work or personal data.

There are two ways to lock your pc:
1.   Hit Ctrl + Alt + Delete - when the windows security box pops up, hit Lock Computer.
2.   Hit the "Windows Logo" key on your keyboard + the "L" key.

When you return and are ready to sign back in, Hit Ctrl + Alt + Delete and you will be prompted for the same password that you use to log in to your computer.

All tips are written by Lisa Gambino or noted and linked to the resource.