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A Big Geek's BlogBig Geek Daddy's effort to save you Time, Money, and Grief from Computers and the Internet. January 29 A Big Geek's Blog is Moving to BloggerAfter using both this Blog and Blogger for several months I've come to favor Blogger and so will just be posting on that site now.
You can read my Blog Here:
January 18 Gateway Notebooks on SaleIf you're in the market for a Notebook, Gateway is having a Blowout Sale Jan 18-24th. Detail of Gateway Notebook Deals: $200 instant on CX210 Series $100 instant and $100 coupon on NX260X Coupon Code - NX260X100 $200 instant on NX570X $200 instant on NX860X $250 instant on NX860XL Spyware Infected PC Could Lead to Legal ChargesThere's been a couple of cases reported in the media recently where people have been accused of having Porn on their computers and faced legal issues as a result. You can read more about these cases in this Bits from Bill post. So what's more dangerous than a computer hooked into the Internet...one with a Teenager using it. In the case of the 16 year old kid that was charged a computer investigator found over 200 infected files, many being Backdoor Trojans. Basically these types of infections would allow someone to take control of your computer and do with it as they please...without you being aware. Bottom Line: The only way someone gets 200 infected files on their computer is if they aren't using a proper layered defense for their computer protection. So if you think you're computer protection might be lacking I encourage you to review the Free Protection Programs in Big Geek Daddy's Security Toolbox and go through each of the 5 Steps to increase your level of protection. If you think you might be infected then scroll down that same protection page and make use of the Free Virus and Removal Tools. Don't Surf Naked...Always Use Proper Protection!!! Real-Time Quotes for FREE!If you trade stocks then then is really good news: Google is planning on introducing Free Real-Time Quotes! You can read more about it on the Google Blog. For those that don't understand the significance of this it's pretty big as usually the only way to get a real-time instead of a 15 minute delayed stock quote is through a premium pay service offered by a brokerage company. So, if you haven't bookmarked Google Finance now might be a good time to start getting familiar with it. Resize Pictures for EmailMicrosoft PowerToys are Free Programs to enhance the Windows experience. One Big Geek Daddy uses on a regular basis is Image Resizer. It's great if you send photos via email or want to have a photo as your desktop wallpaper as it can reduce a 2 MB file down to less than 100 KB. To use, simply download the program and double click on it to install. It will appear as if nothing has been installed. Choose a picture file on your computer and right click on it to see that Resize Pictures option is there. Click that and the rest is easy. It won't change your original file as it just creates a smaller version in the same folder. Try it, you'll like it. An alternative method of sending pictures via email is shown here. January 09 Microsoft Security UpdatesToday is the second Tuesday of the month or for Computer Geeks "Patch Tuesday" from Microsoft as they release their latest round of Security Updates for Windows XP. You can get these necessary updates for your computer two ways. 1. Wait for them to download and install automatically if you have Automatic Updates turned on and set to install automatically. If you see a little yellow symbol symbol in the lower right corner of your monitor screen that says "updates ready to install" go ahead and click on it to install the updates. 2. You can manually go to Microsoft Update and run a scan to check if there's updates for you computer. Buying a New Home Computer - A Big Geek's AdviceAs computer technology has advanced the more complicated the buying decision has become for the average computer user in deciding which new PC to buy. I'll attempt to help you learn how to buy a PC and get the most computer for your dollar. First, you need to decide whether you want a Desktop Computer or a Laptop. As a general rule you get more performance dollar for dollar from a desktop than a laptop. Since the majority of home users go with a desktop that's what I'm going to focus on. 1. What are you going to use the computer for? If it's for Internet access, checking email, word processing, and playing basic video games then you can probably meet your needs with a system from a retail store priced anywhere from $400 and higher that has integrated graphics. If your intent is PC Gaming with graphics intense games then you'll need a more expense system with a separate Graphics Card and you're looking at $800 and higher for a decent system. 2. How do you tell which CPU is better? This is probably the most confusing aspect for anyone buying a computer thanks to Intel and AMD using different nomenclature to describe their respective CPU's. An example would be an AMD Athlon 64 3800+ X2 with a Processor Speed of 2.0 GHz Vs. an Intel Pentium D 820 with a processor speed of 2.8 GHz. It would appear that the Pentium D is a faster CPU than the Athlon 64 because it's 2.8 GHz vs. 2.0 GHz. In reality, the Athlon 64 clocked at 2.0 GHz is the faster CPU. A great place to compare various CPU's is Tom's Hardware CPU Charts. 3. Compare the computer's other features. Memory (RAM) - As a general rule more is better. 1 GB is pretty standard and sufficient for most users. It will pretty much be the bare minimum for a PC running the upcoming Windows Vista Operating System. Hard Drive - Again, bigger is usually better if all costs are the same. CD/DVD Drive - I wouldn't buy anything that couldn't burn both CD's and DVD's. LightScribe is becoming more common and is a nice feature to have as well. 4. Where are you going to buy the computer? Let's assume it's a major retailer like Best Buy, Circuit City, or Office Depot. You need to consider if the advertised price involves mail-in rebates or are they instant rebates. Instant rebates are more favorable because there's no paperwork to file and you should pay taxes on a lower total price. If you do choose to buy one with rebates please make sure you read the rebate carefully before filing and make a copy of everything you submit. Then set a reminder date for yourself to follow-up on the rebate to see if it was ever received and if it's being processed. You can usually find the contact info in the small print at the bottom of the rebate form. 5. How about buying extra software and an extended warranty. Only if you really like to give your money away for no good reason. There are FREE alternatives available as shown on my Free Software page and my Free Computer Protection page. The retail stores are actually hoping you buy software and extended warranties from them because that's where they are making most of the profits on the sale of a new PC. The reason you don't need an extended warranty is because of how fast the price drops on new PC's. They have basically become a disposable item when they break unless of course you get some Geek to salvage the parts and build you a new computer with them. Please dispose of old PC's in a Responsible Manner. Hopefully this post will help you to make a more informed buying decision. If you need more help consult your local neighborhood Geek. January 05 Free Backup Program for PC Games and FilesGenie Games Backup is a simple yet powerful FREE Backup Solution tailored mainly, but not solely to computer game enthusiasts. A database of unlimited FREE plugins created for the best selling games allows you to easily backup and restore game settings, progress (saves), and goodies with a click of a button, regardless of where your game is installed. Genie Games Backup is not only a games backup solution, its a comprehensive backup software that allows you to perform regular backup tasks to also safeguard your files, folders and documents, to a wide variety of storage devices, including internal and external hard disks, networked devices, removable media devices, and memory sticks. January 04 Upgrade To Adobe Reader 8Now is a really good time to upgrade your Adobe Reader to the latest version for two reasons: 1. Previous versions are susceptible to a Security Flaw. 2. Adobe Reader 8 is faster and less of a resource hog than previous versions. Click Here to Upgrade - It's Free! Big Geek Daddy recommends that you uninstall previous versions before installing the new one. You can do this by going to Start (lower left corner of screen) - Settings - Control Panel - Add and Remove Programs. January 02 Upgrade to Internet Explorer 7If you want a much improved browser both from a features standpoint as well as a security standpoint then Big Geek Daddy recommends that you upgrade to Internet Explorer 7. If you're already using IE7 then make sure you apply this Patch that was released in December for the built-in Phishing Filter. This update resolves a performance issue with the Phishing Filter. When visiting certain web pages, the Phishing Filter may increase CPU usage while evaluating the page contents and the system may become slow to respond. This problem occurs on pages that contain multiple frames or when multiple frame navigations occur quickly. After you install this item, you may have to restart your computer. |
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