Helping You With Your Desktop

Are you one of those people that is piled with icons on your desktop? How many of those icons do you use? How many of those icons seem to get in the way of you finding what you are really looking for? In order to spend less time searching for what you want and more time engaging in what you are looking for you must maintain an organized personal computer. For the most part here we are talking about Windows based users.So here are some tips to organize your desktop

The desktop is the screen that appears when you start up your computer. it may have a picture or design on it, but it almost always has a start menu in the lower left corner and a variety of icons on it. For an organized desktop there is probably ten to twenty icons on the desktop. All of these icons will lead to a program or folder that the user uses on a daily or weekly basis. If there are items that you use less than that on your desktop they don’t belong there.

Another way to determine if a icon belongs on the desktop or not is to keep only shortcuts on the desktop. If the file is the actual file and is not on the desktop in transition to its place in the directory, then it should be moved. It’s that simple. A clean desktop will allow you to find what program or file folder you are looking for quickly and with little to no frustration. Your time looking at your photos or whatever should be fun, not an exercise that ends with you not finding what you are looking for in the first place.

Filed Under: Common Solutions, Software Tagged With: , ,

Maintaining an Organized Directory

In order to maintain a productive work space it is important to maintain an organized directory on your computer. There are a number of ways that a computer slowly gets bogged down both in speed of the processor and in the speed at which you can find what you are looking for. It is up to the computer user to maintain a clean and organized workspace on their computer just as much as it is important to maintain a clean an organized office.

Follow a few simple guidelines and you will maintain a more useable personal computer:

  1. Maintain a clean and clear desktop. It is best to put things into your computer in an organized manner. Only keep those items you are currently working on on your desktop and even then it is best to already have them saved in a particular space. The desktop should be reserved for shortcut to those items you use everyday and will not stop using when you move on to some other work.
  2. If you no longer use a program delete it. A hard drive with tons of programs does not function at optimal speed. If you can try to maintain half of your hard drive empty. If you are using more space than this you may consider archiving some photos, videos or music on an external storage device.
  3. Run utilities regularly. Make sure to run disk defragmenter, scan disc and anti virus software regularly. All of these utilities will aid in making sure the drive is clean and free of malware or possible issues that will cause problems for the computers operation.

Follow these simple organizational guidelines and your computer should continue to run at an optimal performance and you will also be able to find the files you are looking for at any given time.

Filed Under: Security, Software Tagged With: , ,

Help My Computer is Loaded With Photos

Digital photos are great. People can take hundreds of photos at an occasion, being sure to capture all the moments of the day. When you go to a great viewpoint, it is wonderful to take fifty shots of the same angle making sure that when you get it home you got the shot in focus with the best possible lighting. When you get home, what do you do? Now I have thousands of photos but they need to be organized. It is important, if you ever want to see those great shots again to find a system for organizing photos that works for you.

First, it is important to make sure you are not just copying photos to your desktop. The terminology when speaking about computers is a bit like the real world. You wouldn’t leave every photo you ever took laying on the surface of your desk and you shouldn’t leave them all on the desktop. You must have a directory in your documents folder that will hold the photos and photos specifically.

Next, the delete button is your friend and should be used regularly. If you want to keep a set of photos in raw original form then buy an external hard drive and keep them there, but it is important to reduce the quantity of photos if you are ever going to find anything. In addition to deleting you must also name your photos. A line of numbers means nothing to most of us.

Once you have deleted and named you should use a system for categorizing photos. Possibly by date and event. If you want greater access you may choose to have a special folder where you keep the best images of the year. You also have the option of using software that may help you organize your photos.

Filed Under: Anti-Virus, Hardware Tagged With: , ,

Malware and Spyware

A couple of common terms when you are looking at computer security is these two types of “ware” called Spyware and Malware. These two types of programs can cause some problems on your computer system, but more likely the problem will be in the frustration you receive from their activity. Here we will discuss the definition of these programs and possible solutions for the computer user if any.

Malware is a type of program, the long name is malicious software. This type of program that gets onto a persons computer usually without the users consent or at least with out the persons informed consent often does some activity that the user does not intend. It may pop up adds over and over again. It may make searching the internet or getting online unenjoyable. malware can include computer viruses and other types of programs that do more than annoy but actually cause damage to the personal computer.

One type of malware is spyware. This type of program often operates without the knowledge of the user. Spyware records and sends out personal information about what you are doing with your computer to another party. There are some uses of such programs, such as use within a business, that may be considered legitimate. In this example the employer may want to keep tabs on what the employees are doing with their time and therefore records the keystrokes of the employee. One can quickly see why such a program in the wrong hands can be used for criminal activity. That is what makes it malware.

There are several software applications that will deal with these types of programs that find some way into your computer system. Some of these programs cost money and some of them are free. Do your research, especially with free software. You may end up adding something else you don’t want, don’t use or doesn’t do enough to solve your problems.

Filed Under: Anti-Virus Tagged With: ,

How to Safely Play Online Casino Games

Most online casinos are legitimate places where people can have fun and possibly win some money. With a small amount of prevention before you begin playing, you won’t have to worry about compromising your personal information or contracting a computer virus. It is very easy to safely play online casino games if you follow these suggestions.

Virus Protection

Your computer probably came with basic anti-virus software already installed. This is typically not enough for complete computer protection. You also want to have anti-malware software on your computer. There are many free programs available online, such as Avast, AVG, and Malwarebytes’ Anti-Malware. Many computer users have three or more different virus protection programs on their computer because a virus may be missed by one program, yet picked up by another. This software must be run at least weekly to keep your computer virus free.

Choose Your Game Wisely

Not all online casino sites are equal. There are some out there that have malicious intentions. On the other hand, there are many respectable casino sites where you’ll never have to be fearful of catching a virus or hackers stealing your identity. Before you sign up for an account, make sure the site is licensed. This information is often found on the Terms and Conditions page. Also check to see if an independent auditor or other similar type of company tested or rated this online casino. Casino websites like to prominently post this information to encourage players to sign up with them instead of another site that may not have the same quality assurances.

Create an Online Identity

When you create an account, choose a screen name that is different from your real name. Do not give out your real name, address, phone number, or any other personal information. When you don’t give out all your personal information, you’re better protected from computer hackers.

Filed Under: Downloads, Security Tagged With: , , , , , , ,

The Reason Your PC Inevitably Dies Before You Want It To Go

Many PC owners are the reason that his or her personal computer inevitably goes slower and slower and ends up non-functioning after a couple years. Nobody wants to hear that they are the reason for the end to his or her PC. Some still don’t really care, technology changes quickly and they want a new computer anyway. There is still that question even if you plan to replace your computer every couple years, how can I keep up the performance of my computer while I own it. For others who will not be able to replace the PC due to lack of funds or other reasons, these individuals need their PC to last. There is no reason your computer should not last a number of years longer than 2. Even if some components such as the power supply fail the computer should still be repairable and useful for many years.

The reason  for your failing PC may be out of date software. The solution to to your longer lasting PC is update, update and more updates. With ever computer there is software. Not only the software that we use such as word processors and internet browsers, but drivers for all the hardware of your computer. The first and most important updates that most people overlook is maintaining updated drivers. Nothing else will put an end to your PC faster than having a hardware component without a functioning driver. So, check, and update the drivers when the opportunity arises.

In addition to these updates it is important to keep your software programs updated. If a new version is out, update it, especially if it is free to upgrade. But here we are talking about updates, not necessarily an upgrade that may cost you money. The most important update you can make on your PC is to update the anti virus software. New viruses pop up regularly and in order to be protected it is important to stay updated. Only twenty minutes a week is all you will usually need to make sure you are updated.

Filed Under: Anti-Virus, Hardware Tagged With: ,

Wireless Network Connections

All over the United States, and the rest of the world, we often find ourselves with the option to connect our computer to a wireless connection. Some of these connections are secure and some of them are not secure. It is important to understand how to connect to these networks as well as what you are doing.

A wireless network in the home should be secured. If your network allows anyone to connect you may find that you are actually giving access to your entire network to anyone who drives by your house and decides to try and get in. This can be bad for you and your family. With increased use of home networks for banking and other financial transactions it is important to be protected. So, set up your network with a password and choose to have it secure.

When you are out on the town, it is great to bring along your laptop and connect into a network at a coffee shop or other location. When you are out it is important to know what network you are connecting to with your computer. It is easy to be in a coffee shop look at the list of possible connections and just click one. This is not a good idea. Be sure to ask at the country what the name of the network is and connect only to the network being provided by the establishment you are visiting. Often there are personal networks available and this opens you up to a possibility of a security issue.

If you don’t even know how to connect to a wireless network the basic method with a PC is to look for the wireless icon in the lower right corner of your monitor. If you don’t see it there, then you can get to network connections through the start menu. right click on the icon and select “view available wireless networks”. From here you can select the appropriate network to which you would like to connect.

Filed Under: Common Solutions, Hardware Tagged With: ,

Help, My computer is going slow

Are you having issues with slow computer speed? When you bought the new computer it seemed to run like a dream. You remember it’s the first day of the new computer and when you opened Microsoft Word, it seemed to take no more than a second before it popped open. Remember when you opened your web browser, Mozilla Firefox, Internet Explorer, or Google Chrome, and it seemed like you could click a link and you were instantly transported to whatever you wanted. Now today, you wait almost a minute for Microsoft Word to open, and your browser allows you time to make coffee between websites. What happened is the question in your head, but more importantly is there anything I can do to get back to when my computer worked how I wanted it to work?

Well, there are several possible reasons why your computer has slowed down and most of them can be dealt with. Here we will discuss how to minimize the number of programs that are running at any given time. First of all, you may be an active internet user and any program that comes along that is required to view some type of media, you download it. It is important to realize that as you download programs from the internet, many of them are set to open when your computer starts up. Anything from Quicktime to many other programs are set to be accessible immediately if you need them. These programs are using some of your processor and slowing down how fast other programs can open and function.

One easy way to see what is running is to check the Windows Task Manager. In order to open the task manager simultaneously push CTRL + Alt + Del. Next, click on the “Processes” tab. Now don’t go shutting down operations just because you don’t know what they are. Use this list to research what is running. If it is a program that you know is not necessary all the time, change the options of the program not to open on start up. This may help.

Filed Under: Anti-Virus, Software Tagged With: ,

Protecting Your Data 101

With all the ease and convenience that technology brings us, it can also be a double-edged sword. With the digitization of information comes a greater need to protect our data. There are many ways we can be vulnerable “hackers can get into our computer, jealous colleagues can snoop into our office and rifle through our files, we might get tricked into thinking we are logging into an official FileZilla Server to do FTP when it is a fake one or accidents can cause us to stare with horror at a crashing computer screen.

There are a few simple steps that you can take right now, to create a warm and happy sense of protection in your mind – and your thousands of files of data.

1. A Strong Password

To start with, make sure you have a good log in password on your computer. Don’t go for anything obvious like a name that is related to your life, but create something truly obscure.

2. Install Firewall and Anti-Virus Software

Make sure you have installed the latest firewall and anti-virus software onto your computer. It’s a simple step but keeps everything protected. While you’re doing this, also update your operating system” technology changes at the speed of light these days, and systems are constantly being updated to overcome new threats.

3. File Encryption

If you have particularly sensitive files that you don’t want other people to see, you might want to think about encrypting these documents as well as using a secure software like FileZilla to transfer them.  At a mere press of a button, you could be creating a wall that prevents most amateur snoopers from going any further.

4. Back-Up Your Files

Hackers and nasty work colleagues aside, sometimes our data is lost due to the fact that life is full of surprises – and computers can be destroyed by everything from a spilled glass of water to a flood.  Even if you are using something like File Zilla to transfer files to a secure location always back up your data by keeping a copy in an external form, and make sure you do this regularly.

You never know when disaster will strike, so aim to be the one who’s smiling when it does.

Filed Under: Common Problems, Common Solutions Tagged With:

Holding off the Hackers

Just as we would not walk through a mean city’s streets and flaunt our jewelry and the contents of our wallet “surfing the Internet these days requires us to move with a measure of restraint. Hackers are in our midst, and it’s those of us who leave our guard down that will feel their bite.

There are a few simple tricks we can do to create a series of obstacles for hackers “that will normally provide enough trouble for them to not bother trying any further.

1. Get Protected

Your first port of call is to install anti-virus software. These programs will detect and remove malicious forms such as viruses, Trojans and bugs through a variety of signature-based and Heuristic-based detection methods.

2. Don’t Underestimate the Power of Updates

Make sure you install updates to your operating system and web browser. New innovations are created all the time: make good use of this new knowledge at the mere click of the mouse.

2. Build a Wall

Installing a firewall is a must in today’s virus-saturated online world “these barriers protect your computer from unwanted conversations in networks. Windows XP now includes a firewall, but there are also a whole slew of companies who sell strong firewall software, such as Symantec and Zone Alarm.

4. Block out the Spies

It’s not only criminals out there waiting to hack into your computer, in today’s business world companies will go to great lengths to bolster their consumer profiles by installing programs that are able to go into computers and extract information. Put a stop to this invasive behavior by installing anti-spy and ad ware.

5. Remain Aware

Now that you’ve done these vital steps, don’t let your guard down completely. When online it’s best to remain aware of your surroundings: don’t open attachments that look suspicious, and keep high standards and make sure that everything you open is from a trusted source.

Filed Under: Common Problems, Security, Software Tagged With:
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