Copyright can make working with online images a hassle. When you find an image you want to use, you have to locate the source (difficult), get permission to use it (more difficult), and then properly attribute the source. If you have an image you really want, you can contact the person who created it and ask for permission to use it. (Unless you are a non-profit, it is helpful if you express willing to pay a small amount to use it.) You could also try to claim fair use (a copyright exception for using small amounts of a work for educational purposes), but the laws surrounding fair use are so complex that it can be difficult to ever be certain that your use would qualify if brought into question.
Instead of going to all that work just to use one image, consider using images licensed under the Creative Commons. These are images that the user of the work has granted permission to use under specific circumstances. Some allow for commercial or non-commercial use, and some permit modifications while others do not allow for any changes. You will still need to credit the owner of the work, but you know that you can use them if you stay within the permissions of the license.
One great place to start is the Wikimedia Commons. This site allows you to search for images and easily view the permissions granted by the owner. The license will appear as something like "CC BY-ND". If you are not familiar with the Creative Commons licenses, the types of available licenses are listed at the end of this page. You can also do an image search on Google, Yahoo, or Bing. All three have options to filter with results that you can reuse, but be sure to confirm the image is labelled correctly by going to the site where it was posted.
Friday, January 30, 2015
Thursday, January 29, 2015
Improve the Functionality of Your Taskbar
The taskbar (the small strip at the bottom of your screen that contains the start menu button, clock, and other options) has been around since Windows 95. However, recent versions of Windows have made the taskbar extremely useful. If you have Windows 7, 8, or 8.1, here are some ways you can configure the taskbar to help you.
Pin It - Are there programs that you regularly use? For me, those programs are Chrome, Excel, Access, Quicken, Calculator, and VirtualBox. Instead of searching through the start menu or start screen each time you need to open it, you can pin the icon to the taskbar. Open the program, then right-click the program's icon and select "Pin this program to taskbar". If you change your mind, you can unpin it by right-clicking it at any time and choosing "Unpin this program from taskbar." If you want to reorder the pinned icons, click and hold an icon and then drag it where you want it to go.
Load Pins Quicker - Instead of clicking on your pinned icons in the taskbar, you can load them even quicker with a key combination. Hold down the Windows key and then hit the number that represents the icon's order in the taskbar. (Windows + 1 opens the first program, Windows + 2 opens the second program, etc.) If the program is not running, it will open a new window. If the program is already running, it will load the program's window. If you want to open a new window for that program (like a second browser window), add the Shift key to the combination.
Use Jumplists - If you right-click on a program's icon in the taskbar, you can access its jumplist. The features of a program's jumplist can be customized by the program's developer, so each one will be different, but they usually contain a list of useful features or recent programs. For example, Chrome's jumplist contains your most visited sites, recently closed tabs, and a few common program options. The jumplist for Thunderbird (an email reader) gives the options "Write a new message" or "Open address book". If a program doesn't have a built-in jumplist, you will only see the options to run the program or pin/unpin it.
Don't Combine - Starting with Windows 7, the taskbar began combining multiple windows from the same program under one icon. You can still switch back and forth between them, but you must first hover over the program icon to display a list of the open windows. If you primarily use multiple windows from one program (for example, you usually only have several windows of your browser open), you can tell the taskbar not to combine them. Right-click in open space and select "Properties". Towards the middle of the screen, you will see the "Taskbar buttons" option. Change the menu to "Never combine", and you will get a separate icon for each window.
Move It or Hide It - By default, the taskbar is at the bottom of the screen, but it doesn't have to stay there. If you want to move it to another edge, click on it and drag it to that edge. (If it doesn't move, you may need to right-click in empty space and uncheck "Lock the taskbar".) You can also hide the taskbar to give your screen more space. To do this, right click in empty space, select "Properties", and then check "Auto-hide the taskbar". Now, the taskbar will only appear when you move your cursor to the bottom (or the edge where you moved the taskbar).
Add Toolbars - Usually, the thought of toolbars brings memories of unwanted toolbars installed in your internet browser when you load other software. However, these toolbars are created by Windows and are much more useful. To see the available toolbars, right-click in empty space and then hover over "Toolbars".
My favorite toolbar is the "Address" toolbar, which adds a box to the taskbar for entering internet addresses and performing searches. (Searches and addresses will open in your default browser, and searches will be conducted by the default search provider in Internet Explorer, not your default browser. To change your search provider, open Internet Explorer, click on the gear icon, select "Manage Add-Ons", select "Search Providers", and then select the search provider you want to use or select "Find more search providers..." at the bottom. When you have the provider you want on the screen, select it and choose "Set as Default" at the bottom.)
Other toolbars include a quick access to your bookmarked links, your desktop, and a keyboard. You can also create your own toolbar to quickly access any folder.
Pin It - Are there programs that you regularly use? For me, those programs are Chrome, Excel, Access, Quicken, Calculator, and VirtualBox. Instead of searching through the start menu or start screen each time you need to open it, you can pin the icon to the taskbar. Open the program, then right-click the program's icon and select "Pin this program to taskbar". If you change your mind, you can unpin it by right-clicking it at any time and choosing "Unpin this program from taskbar." If you want to reorder the pinned icons, click and hold an icon and then drag it where you want it to go.
Load Pins Quicker - Instead of clicking on your pinned icons in the taskbar, you can load them even quicker with a key combination. Hold down the Windows key and then hit the number that represents the icon's order in the taskbar. (Windows + 1 opens the first program, Windows + 2 opens the second program, etc.) If the program is not running, it will open a new window. If the program is already running, it will load the program's window. If you want to open a new window for that program (like a second browser window), add the Shift key to the combination.
Use Jumplists - If you right-click on a program's icon in the taskbar, you can access its jumplist. The features of a program's jumplist can be customized by the program's developer, so each one will be different, but they usually contain a list of useful features or recent programs. For example, Chrome's jumplist contains your most visited sites, recently closed tabs, and a few common program options. The jumplist for Thunderbird (an email reader) gives the options "Write a new message" or "Open address book". If a program doesn't have a built-in jumplist, you will only see the options to run the program or pin/unpin it.
Don't Combine - Starting with Windows 7, the taskbar began combining multiple windows from the same program under one icon. You can still switch back and forth between them, but you must first hover over the program icon to display a list of the open windows. If you primarily use multiple windows from one program (for example, you usually only have several windows of your browser open), you can tell the taskbar not to combine them. Right-click in open space and select "Properties". Towards the middle of the screen, you will see the "Taskbar buttons" option. Change the menu to "Never combine", and you will get a separate icon for each window.
Move It or Hide It - By default, the taskbar is at the bottom of the screen, but it doesn't have to stay there. If you want to move it to another edge, click on it and drag it to that edge. (If it doesn't move, you may need to right-click in empty space and uncheck "Lock the taskbar".) You can also hide the taskbar to give your screen more space. To do this, right click in empty space, select "Properties", and then check "Auto-hide the taskbar". Now, the taskbar will only appear when you move your cursor to the bottom (or the edge where you moved the taskbar).
Add Toolbars - Usually, the thought of toolbars brings memories of unwanted toolbars installed in your internet browser when you load other software. However, these toolbars are created by Windows and are much more useful. To see the available toolbars, right-click in empty space and then hover over "Toolbars".
My favorite toolbar is the "Address" toolbar, which adds a box to the taskbar for entering internet addresses and performing searches. (Searches and addresses will open in your default browser, and searches will be conducted by the default search provider in Internet Explorer, not your default browser. To change your search provider, open Internet Explorer, click on the gear icon, select "Manage Add-Ons", select "Search Providers", and then select the search provider you want to use or select "Find more search providers..." at the bottom. When you have the provider you want on the screen, select it and choose "Set as Default" at the bottom.)
Other toolbars include a quick access to your bookmarked links, your desktop, and a keyboard. You can also create your own toolbar to quickly access any folder.
Wednesday, January 28, 2015
Should You Use MAC Address Filtering?
A reader wrote to me last week, saying that someone told him that he could use filtering to block any unauthorized devices from accessing his Wi-Fi. He wanted to know if this was a good security feature.
First, an explanation of what he is talking about. Each device that connects to any type of network (wired, wireless, cellular, etc.) has a unique 12-character code, called a MAC address, to identify it on the network. If you enter your router's settings, you can either block devices with a specific MAC address from accessing your network, or you can create a list of allowed MAC addresses and block any others. On the surface, it sounds like a great idea. Enter the MAC address of every device you own, block all others, and no one else can ever use your Wi-Fi.
Unfortunately, this is not an effective security measure. MAC addresses can easily be spoofed by a computer, and they are broadcast by your router every time it sends a packet of internet data. All an attacker would need to do would be to capture one packet from your router, read the MAC address of the device, and then use a tool to pretend to be that MAC address. Within a minute, someone could be on your network if your only security feature is MAC filtering, and it could take only a few seconds if someone wrote a few lines of code to automate the process.
Furthermore, the process of administering the list of approved devices will take some time. Any time someone wants to legitimately connect a new device, you will have to go into the control panel and enter it in the list of approved addresses. If you have family or friends over for dinner, they will be unable to connect to the Wi-Fi with their phones, tablets, or laptops until you have entered their MAC address on the approved list, something that is sure to annoy everyone there.
WPA2 encryption is still the best form of Wi-Fi security. Using MAC filtering is like adding a padlock to your automatic garage door. Anyone who can figure out the right code and frequency for your garage door is going to be undeterred by also having to cut a padlock. But, the process of getting out of your car and unlocking the padlock before opening the garage door is going to annoy everyone real quick.
MAC filtering does have legitimate purposes, especially in work environments. For home use, it can be used to block access if someone is using it without your permission or to block your kids from the Wi-Fi as a form of grounding. Yes, it is certainly still possible to break, but your kids or a casual Wi-Fi thief probably aren't going to know how to do it.
First, an explanation of what he is talking about. Each device that connects to any type of network (wired, wireless, cellular, etc.) has a unique 12-character code, called a MAC address, to identify it on the network. If you enter your router's settings, you can either block devices with a specific MAC address from accessing your network, or you can create a list of allowed MAC addresses and block any others. On the surface, it sounds like a great idea. Enter the MAC address of every device you own, block all others, and no one else can ever use your Wi-Fi.
Unfortunately, this is not an effective security measure. MAC addresses can easily be spoofed by a computer, and they are broadcast by your router every time it sends a packet of internet data. All an attacker would need to do would be to capture one packet from your router, read the MAC address of the device, and then use a tool to pretend to be that MAC address. Within a minute, someone could be on your network if your only security feature is MAC filtering, and it could take only a few seconds if someone wrote a few lines of code to automate the process.
Furthermore, the process of administering the list of approved devices will take some time. Any time someone wants to legitimately connect a new device, you will have to go into the control panel and enter it in the list of approved addresses. If you have family or friends over for dinner, they will be unable to connect to the Wi-Fi with their phones, tablets, or laptops until you have entered their MAC address on the approved list, something that is sure to annoy everyone there.
WPA2 encryption is still the best form of Wi-Fi security. Using MAC filtering is like adding a padlock to your automatic garage door. Anyone who can figure out the right code and frequency for your garage door is going to be undeterred by also having to cut a padlock. But, the process of getting out of your car and unlocking the padlock before opening the garage door is going to annoy everyone real quick.
MAC filtering does have legitimate purposes, especially in work environments. For home use, it can be used to block access if someone is using it without your permission or to block your kids from the Wi-Fi as a form of grounding. Yes, it is certainly still possible to break, but your kids or a casual Wi-Fi thief probably aren't going to know how to do it.
Tuesday, January 27, 2015
Protect Your Credit Card Online
Lately, it seems as if we hear about a new data breach almost every week. The biggest threat to individuals in the online security world is no longer the virus or trojan that gets on your computer (not that they don't exist); instead, it is the threat of your personal information being stolen from someone else's systems. Because it can be used to charge purchases worth thousands of dollars before you notice, your credit card number is a hot item to steal. While you can't protect your information once you have handed it over to an online merchant, there are still steps you can take to make sure your credit card number remains secure online.
1) Only Enter Your Information on Secure Sites - Any information your computer sends on the internet can be intercepted and read by another computer. That information includes the credit card number you sent to Amazon and the social security number on the tax return you e-filed. To prevent criminals from obtaining this information, we use encryption to modify the data so that only you and the recipient can read what it actually says. Anyone else only sees a long string of characters that makes no sense to them unless they are able to crack the encryption key.
To know if you are sending information securely, you should always check the first few letters of the internet address. If you are sending personal information, it should always say "https". If it says "http", do not give them your data: the information will not be encrypted. (There are other options that could appear here, but they are rare except in certain circumstances.) There may also be a lock somewhere on the page, depending on the browser you are using, but the "https" will be there in any browser.
2) Don't Save Your Card - Simple statistics would dictate that the fewer places you store your information, the less likely it is to be stolen by someone else. So why store your credit card on a site where a simple password crack can get to it? Yes, it is more convenient to keep your information there so one click can make a purchase, so you must decide whether you want to trade security for convenience. If you do choose convenience, make sure your account is secured with a complex, unique password to prevent access to your account.
3) Check Card Readers - Thieves are becoming more sophisticated in the way they go for your credit card numbers. For a small amount of money, they can get a device to attach to an ATM or gas pump card reader. (Theoretically, they could develop one to work at a grocery store, but they would need to install it without being caught, and it is more likely to be noticed.) Before you swipe your card, give the card reader a firm tug. If something comes off or feels loose, the card reader could have been compromised with a phony reader. Also, check around for anything that could be recording you as you enter your PIN, and use your other hand to cover the keypad as you enter it.
4) Use Masked Card Numbers, PayPal, or a Similar Service - Some credit card companies are offering online card numbers for one-time use. You simply log in to your account, request a number, and then copy and paste it onto the site for payment. Once the company sees your purchase, the number is cancelled, and any future purchases with that number are automatically declined. You can then request a new number for your next purchase. If you use Blur to block sites from tracking you online, you can also get this feature by upgrading to the Premium version.
If you don't have access to masked card numbers, you can use PayPal to pay at a variety of online stores. By using PayPal, stores do not get your credit card number. Yes, it is possible that your card could be stolen from PayPal's site, but using PayPal in multiple places keeps your card number in only one place. Once again, the fewer places that have your credit card number, the less likely you are to have your card compromised.
1) Only Enter Your Information on Secure Sites - Any information your computer sends on the internet can be intercepted and read by another computer. That information includes the credit card number you sent to Amazon and the social security number on the tax return you e-filed. To prevent criminals from obtaining this information, we use encryption to modify the data so that only you and the recipient can read what it actually says. Anyone else only sees a long string of characters that makes no sense to them unless they are able to crack the encryption key.
To know if you are sending information securely, you should always check the first few letters of the internet address. If you are sending personal information, it should always say "https". If it says "http", do not give them your data: the information will not be encrypted. (There are other options that could appear here, but they are rare except in certain circumstances.) There may also be a lock somewhere on the page, depending on the browser you are using, but the "https" will be there in any browser.
2) Don't Save Your Card - Simple statistics would dictate that the fewer places you store your information, the less likely it is to be stolen by someone else. So why store your credit card on a site where a simple password crack can get to it? Yes, it is more convenient to keep your information there so one click can make a purchase, so you must decide whether you want to trade security for convenience. If you do choose convenience, make sure your account is secured with a complex, unique password to prevent access to your account.
3) Check Card Readers - Thieves are becoming more sophisticated in the way they go for your credit card numbers. For a small amount of money, they can get a device to attach to an ATM or gas pump card reader. (Theoretically, they could develop one to work at a grocery store, but they would need to install it without being caught, and it is more likely to be noticed.) Before you swipe your card, give the card reader a firm tug. If something comes off or feels loose, the card reader could have been compromised with a phony reader. Also, check around for anything that could be recording you as you enter your PIN, and use your other hand to cover the keypad as you enter it.
4) Use Masked Card Numbers, PayPal, or a Similar Service - Some credit card companies are offering online card numbers for one-time use. You simply log in to your account, request a number, and then copy and paste it onto the site for payment. Once the company sees your purchase, the number is cancelled, and any future purchases with that number are automatically declined. You can then request a new number for your next purchase. If you use Blur to block sites from tracking you online, you can also get this feature by upgrading to the Premium version.
If you don't have access to masked card numbers, you can use PayPal to pay at a variety of online stores. By using PayPal, stores do not get your credit card number. Yes, it is possible that your card could be stolen from PayPal's site, but using PayPal in multiple places keeps your card number in only one place. Once again, the fewer places that have your credit card number, the less likely you are to have your card compromised.
Monday, January 26, 2015
Free Space on Your Hard Drive
It's a horrible feeling when you realize that you are running out of space on your hard drive. Yes, you can purchase a bigger drive, but if you don't want to spend time and money getting it set up, you might wonder if there is anything else you can do to free up space on your drive. Fortunately, there are a few free utilities that can help you!
1) Uninstall Programs - Windows has a built-in utility that will uninstall programs you no longer need. Go to "Control Panel" on the Start menu (In Windows 8/8.1, the Control Panel can be found on the Charms bar under "Settings".) If you are in Category View, look for "Uninstall a Program" at the bottom of the left column. In Icon View, search for "Programs and Features". You will now see a list of all the programs that have been installed. Look through the list to see if there are any you installed that you no longer need, and uninstall them. Do NOT just uninstall any program you do not recognize! Some programs in this list are important for the operation of your computer.
2) Scan for Junk - Your computer produces a lot of files on a daily basis that you don't need to keep. In most cases, it is programmed to delete these files as soon as it is finished with them. However, occasionally a bug or an improper shutdown will cause these files to remain on your computer after they are no longer needed. Fortunately, CCleaner can help you locate and remove these files. Download and install the free program, select or unselect the items you want it to scan for, and then select "Analyze". CCleaner will scan for these files and display a report. Then, click "Run Cleaner" to delete these files from your computer.
3) Scan for Duplicates - Do you have duplicate copies of photos, music, videos, or other files on your hard drive? With all the files on your hard drive, how would you even know if you did? Duplicate Cleaner takes the guesswork out of locating duplicate files. It will scan your drive and locate duplicates for you. While this program will locate duplicates, do not simply trust Duplicate Cleaner's judgment on duplicate files. When I scanned my drive, it flagged a couple sets of files that were not actually duplicates. Look through the list and make sure before you start deleting files.
4) Locate Large Files - Do you know what file is taking up the most space on your drive? WinDirStat can show you. This program will analyze your drive and then show you which folders are taking up the most space. If there are subfolders, you can expand them to locate where the big files are. You can also click where it says "Size" to sort the folders and subfolders by size.
1) Uninstall Programs - Windows has a built-in utility that will uninstall programs you no longer need. Go to "Control Panel" on the Start menu (In Windows 8/8.1, the Control Panel can be found on the Charms bar under "Settings".) If you are in Category View, look for "Uninstall a Program" at the bottom of the left column. In Icon View, search for "Programs and Features". You will now see a list of all the programs that have been installed. Look through the list to see if there are any you installed that you no longer need, and uninstall them. Do NOT just uninstall any program you do not recognize! Some programs in this list are important for the operation of your computer.
2) Scan for Junk - Your computer produces a lot of files on a daily basis that you don't need to keep. In most cases, it is programmed to delete these files as soon as it is finished with them. However, occasionally a bug or an improper shutdown will cause these files to remain on your computer after they are no longer needed. Fortunately, CCleaner can help you locate and remove these files. Download and install the free program, select or unselect the items you want it to scan for, and then select "Analyze". CCleaner will scan for these files and display a report. Then, click "Run Cleaner" to delete these files from your computer.
3) Scan for Duplicates - Do you have duplicate copies of photos, music, videos, or other files on your hard drive? With all the files on your hard drive, how would you even know if you did? Duplicate Cleaner takes the guesswork out of locating duplicate files. It will scan your drive and locate duplicates for you. While this program will locate duplicates, do not simply trust Duplicate Cleaner's judgment on duplicate files. When I scanned my drive, it flagged a couple sets of files that were not actually duplicates. Look through the list and make sure before you start deleting files.
4) Locate Large Files - Do you know what file is taking up the most space on your drive? WinDirStat can show you. This program will analyze your drive and then show you which folders are taking up the most space. If there are subfolders, you can expand them to locate where the big files are. You can also click where it says "Size" to sort the folders and subfolders by size.
Friday, January 23, 2015
What Is a Security Certificate?
When you send information over the Internet (or another computer sends information to you), it travels through multiple computers and other devices before it reaches its destination. While each device should only pass the data along to its destination, it is possible for a compromised or rogue device to capture and store everything that it passes along. Normally, you wouldn't care if a device captured data: it is available on the internet anyway. However, if you just entered your credit card information, you probably don't want that being picked up by a computer anywhere along the way.
Fortunately, we have encryption methods available so that someone who captures the data we send can't read the actual data. A security certificate is part of the process for securely transmitting data across the internet. The certificate proves that you are connecting to a legitimate site. For example, when you attempt to connect securely to Amazon.com, Amazon presents its certificate to prove that it is the real Amazon site and not a fake site that could be trying to steal your data.
The security certificate process usually occurs in the background without our knowledge. Certificates are issued to sites by certificate authorities (who issue certificates among themselves to verify their own identities), and then when you attempt to securely connect to a site, the site shows its certificate. When everything is working fine, you never know what is taking place behind the scenes.
However, if there is a problem with a security certificate, you will see a warning message. There are many reasons why you might see this message. The site may have configured its certificate incorrectly. The certificate could have expired and not been renewed by the website (this might happen to smaller sites, but is highly unlikely for a large company). Or, someone along the way could be pretending to be a legitimate site. The site may present a security certificate, but it may not be from a legitimate, recognized certificate authority. Instead, the certificate may be from a shady "authority" or even issued by itself.
Unless you are a webmaster or IT person, you really don't need to understand the details of how security certificates work. Just remember: if you see a warning saying that a site's certificate is not trusted, do not go to the site. If you do choose to proceed, then be very careful about the information you give the site. There is no order you need to place that can't wait until a site gets its security in order!
One final note: I have encountered several situations where a certificate warning is issued because the computer's date is set wrong. The computer reads the certificate's issue and expiration dates and sees a problem because it thinks the certificate is too old or was issued on a date that hasn't happened yet. If you are getting certificate error messages all the time, check your date and time settings.
Fortunately, we have encryption methods available so that someone who captures the data we send can't read the actual data. A security certificate is part of the process for securely transmitting data across the internet. The certificate proves that you are connecting to a legitimate site. For example, when you attempt to connect securely to Amazon.com, Amazon presents its certificate to prove that it is the real Amazon site and not a fake site that could be trying to steal your data.
The security certificate process usually occurs in the background without our knowledge. Certificates are issued to sites by certificate authorities (who issue certificates among themselves to verify their own identities), and then when you attempt to securely connect to a site, the site shows its certificate. When everything is working fine, you never know what is taking place behind the scenes.
However, if there is a problem with a security certificate, you will see a warning message. There are many reasons why you might see this message. The site may have configured its certificate incorrectly. The certificate could have expired and not been renewed by the website (this might happen to smaller sites, but is highly unlikely for a large company). Or, someone along the way could be pretending to be a legitimate site. The site may present a security certificate, but it may not be from a legitimate, recognized certificate authority. Instead, the certificate may be from a shady "authority" or even issued by itself.
Unless you are a webmaster or IT person, you really don't need to understand the details of how security certificates work. Just remember: if you see a warning saying that a site's certificate is not trusted, do not go to the site. If you do choose to proceed, then be very careful about the information you give the site. There is no order you need to place that can't wait until a site gets its security in order!
One final note: I have encountered several situations where a certificate warning is issued because the computer's date is set wrong. The computer reads the certificate's issue and expiration dates and sees a problem because it thinks the certificate is too old or was issued on a date that hasn't happened yet. If you are getting certificate error messages all the time, check your date and time settings.
Thursday, January 22, 2015
More Links: Windows 10 and Obama's SOTU
Since there has been a lot of talk on the tech blogs about Windows 10 and the tech proposals in Obama's State of the Union, I thought I would put together a list of links to some information on each of them. Since it happened first, we'll start with the State of the Union:
5 things to know about Obama's cybersecurity proposals
Where Obama goes wrong on cybersecurity
Obama's cybersecurity proposal threatens the good hackers
Obama's push for net neutrality
Obama pledges a 'free and open internet'
What the SOTU means for the tech industry
And now on to Microsoft's Windows 10 announcement:
The 9 biggest announcements about Windows 10
You can offer free Windows, but you can't make people use it
Windows 10's new features
XBox for Windows 10
How Continuum will work
Why free Windows 10 could be deadly
Windows 10 actually looks ... good
Windows 10 will run two built-in browsers: Internet Explorer and 'Spartan'
Microsoft will release Office 2016 this year
5 things to know about Obama's cybersecurity proposals
Where Obama goes wrong on cybersecurity
Obama's cybersecurity proposal threatens the good hackers
Obama's push for net neutrality
Obama pledges a 'free and open internet'
What the SOTU means for the tech industry
And now on to Microsoft's Windows 10 announcement:
The 9 biggest announcements about Windows 10
You can offer free Windows, but you can't make people use it
Windows 10's new features
XBox for Windows 10
How Continuum will work
Why free Windows 10 could be deadly
Windows 10 actually looks ... good
Windows 10 will run two built-in browsers: Internet Explorer and 'Spartan'
Microsoft will release Office 2016 this year
Tweak Your Facebook News Feed
Everyone can probably name the one or two friends on Facebook who are constantly filling their news feed with game notices, survey results, and other unimportant items. Most of us have probably just learned to scroll past their posts, but if you want to take action, here are a few ways to stop them from filling your news feed:
Unfollow Them - Facebook announced the ability to "follow" people who are not your friends (you can still only see their public posts), but at the same time they also added the ability to "unfollow" people who are your friends. This will keep you on their friends list, but you won't see any of their posts. To unfollow someone, go to their profile page. At the bottom of the cover photo will be a box that says "Following". Click that box to unfollow the person.
Make Them an Acquaintance - Facebook has a built-in acquaintance list that you can use to add people who you don't want to receive updates from very often. If you don't want to completely unfollow someone (so that you can still see their occasional important post), you can try adding that person to the acquaintance list.
Block Pages - Perhaps your problem isn't with a specific person, but with a specific page or Facebook app. If you keep seeing the same page's posts in your feed, you can block that page. Click on the arrow in the upper-right corner of the post, and then select "Unfollow [Page Name]". This will stop that page's posts from appearing in your feed, no matter who decided to share it.
Tell Facebook - On the same menu where you can block pages is another option: "I don't want to see this". While you cannot control what appears in your newsfeed, at least you can tell Facebook the types of posts you don't want there. Click this button enough times and Facebook will start to get an idea of what you don't want to see.
Unfollow Them - Facebook announced the ability to "follow" people who are not your friends (you can still only see their public posts), but at the same time they also added the ability to "unfollow" people who are your friends. This will keep you on their friends list, but you won't see any of their posts. To unfollow someone, go to their profile page. At the bottom of the cover photo will be a box that says "Following". Click that box to unfollow the person.
Make Them an Acquaintance - Facebook has a built-in acquaintance list that you can use to add people who you don't want to receive updates from very often. If you don't want to completely unfollow someone (so that you can still see their occasional important post), you can try adding that person to the acquaintance list.
Block Pages - Perhaps your problem isn't with a specific person, but with a specific page or Facebook app. If you keep seeing the same page's posts in your feed, you can block that page. Click on the arrow in the upper-right corner of the post, and then select "Unfollow [Page Name]". This will stop that page's posts from appearing in your feed, no matter who decided to share it.
Tell Facebook - On the same menu where you can block pages is another option: "I don't want to see this". While you cannot control what appears in your newsfeed, at least you can tell Facebook the types of posts you don't want there. Click this button enough times and Facebook will start to get an idea of what you don't want to see.
Wednesday, January 21, 2015
Put Tabs to Sleep
Tabbed internet browsing is probably one of the greatest software innovations. It is not uncommon for me to have anywhere from five to ten tabs open at a particular time. The process of writing my daily email causes me to use six different tabs (not counting the ones I open to get links for the tech news section.)
If you are an avid tab user like me, you may have had a time when you wished you could disable a tab for a period of time. Yes, you could bookmark it, but then you have to go find the bookmark and remember to delete it when you are finished.
If you use Chrome or Firefox, there are extensions available that provide this function. In Chrome, TabSnooze will add a small moon icon. Click on the icon to display the available options for reactivating your tab. You can choose from: Later Today, This Evening, Tomorrow, This Weekend, Next Week, In a Month, Someday, Mail Myself, or Pick a Date.
In Firefox, TabAlarm provides a similar function. Right click anywhere on the page to set up an alarm. Then, choose the date and time you want the tab to reappear. You can even set a tab to appear on a regular schedule (weekly, monthly, etc.)
If you are an avid tab user like me, you may have had a time when you wished you could disable a tab for a period of time. Yes, you could bookmark it, but then you have to go find the bookmark and remember to delete it when you are finished.
If you use Chrome or Firefox, there are extensions available that provide this function. In Chrome, TabSnooze will add a small moon icon. Click on the icon to display the available options for reactivating your tab. You can choose from: Later Today, This Evening, Tomorrow, This Weekend, Next Week, In a Month, Someday, Mail Myself, or Pick a Date.
In Firefox, TabAlarm provides a similar function. Right click anywhere on the page to set up an alarm. Then, choose the date and time you want the tab to reappear. You can even set a tab to appear on a regular schedule (weekly, monthly, etc.)
Tuesday, January 20, 2015
Ten Ways to Be More Productive in Microsoft Word
Everyone has probably used Microsoft Word. Microsoft's basic word processor has undergone many revisions during its life, but it remains the primary choice for most individuals and businesses. Word comes with an amazing number of features, and many people don't know about most of them. Here are ten features that you might find useful:
Reorganize Your Outline - Word offers an outline view that allows you to control headers and their associated body text. To go to Outline View, click on the "View" ribbon and select Outline. From here, you can use the arrow buttons to create an outline of your file. If you need to move an entire point somewhere else, outline view is a great way to see what text falls under that point.
Graph Your Table - Most people know that you can create graphs of data in an Excel spreadsheet. However, Word offers the same functionality with data in tables. To create a graph, select the table data. Go to the Insert ribbon and choose "Chart", then follow the wizard to create the perfect chart or graph for your data.
See Where You've Been - If you work with large documents, you might find yourself jumping all over to edit parts of the file or correct mistakes others notice. If you've made a change, moved on, and then want to find that change again, you can use Shift + F5 to move your cursor back through each change. Keep hitting it until you reach the place you wanted to find.
Hide the Ribbon - If you want to keep your environment clutter-free, you can eliminate the ribbons and only see their titles. To do this, simply click on the up arrow in the upper right-hand corner or hit Shift + F1. (Do it again to restore the ribbon to its normal position.) If you need to access anything on the ribbon, click on the titles to temporarily see that ribbon.
Fill Space - If you need to fill some space for later use, Word makes it easy with a random text generator (it uses text from Office documentation). Simply enter: =rand(p,s) , where "p" is the number or paragraphs and "s" is the number of sentences per paragraph. (If you are wanting a specific number of lines, the number of lines on a full-page document are roughly equal to the number of sentences.) After you have your numbers, hit enter to see the text generated.
Copy Now, Paste Later - Cut, Copy, and Paste are among the most useful Windows features. However, Word gives you the ability to expand its use. By clicking the arrow in the bottom-right corner of the clipboard section (on the Home ribbon), you can see the last 24 items you copied to your clipboard. Select one to paste it into your document, or click "Paste All" to insert them all.
Update the Date - Do you have a letter that you send frequently with only a few changes? If the current date is one of those changes, you can automate it. Click on the Insert tab and select "Date & Time". Choose the date and/or time format that you want and insert it. You'll never forget to change the date on your letter again!
Hide Text - Are you printing a document for someone but have confidential text you need to keep but don't want that person to see? Select the text, right-click it, select "Font" from the menu, and then choose "Hidden" in the new window. Print the document, and no one will ever know that the information is missing. Then, to restore the hidden text, select the area where the text was and follow the process again to get your text back. (This is not an effective way to hide data if you are sending someone the actual file. If someone follows this process they can unhide the text just as easily as you can.)
Grade Your Work - Word can provide statistics on your writing. You can see a count of words, characters, paragraphs, and sentences, along with some averages. Plus, you can also see the Flesch Reading Ease score (0-100, with a higher score being easier to read) and the Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level (0-12, with a lower score being easier to read). To enable these, click on "File", "Options", "Proofing", and check the "Show readability statistics" button near the bottom. Then, run the Spell Check (available on the "Review" ribbon) and you will see your scores at the end of the Spell Check.
Inspect Your Document - If you work with confidential or sensitive information and you are preparing to share your file, Word can check it to see if personal information is being shared. Word will scan for a variety of information and give you the option to remove it before you send the file. To run this scan, click on "File", and then select "Check for Issues" followed by "Inspect Document" from the center of the window.
Reorganize Your Outline - Word offers an outline view that allows you to control headers and their associated body text. To go to Outline View, click on the "View" ribbon and select Outline. From here, you can use the arrow buttons to create an outline of your file. If you need to move an entire point somewhere else, outline view is a great way to see what text falls under that point.
Graph Your Table - Most people know that you can create graphs of data in an Excel spreadsheet. However, Word offers the same functionality with data in tables. To create a graph, select the table data. Go to the Insert ribbon and choose "Chart", then follow the wizard to create the perfect chart or graph for your data.
See Where You've Been - If you work with large documents, you might find yourself jumping all over to edit parts of the file or correct mistakes others notice. If you've made a change, moved on, and then want to find that change again, you can use Shift + F5 to move your cursor back through each change. Keep hitting it until you reach the place you wanted to find.
Hide the Ribbon - If you want to keep your environment clutter-free, you can eliminate the ribbons and only see their titles. To do this, simply click on the up arrow in the upper right-hand corner or hit Shift + F1. (Do it again to restore the ribbon to its normal position.) If you need to access anything on the ribbon, click on the titles to temporarily see that ribbon.
Fill Space - If you need to fill some space for later use, Word makes it easy with a random text generator (it uses text from Office documentation). Simply enter: =rand(p,s) , where "p" is the number or paragraphs and "s" is the number of sentences per paragraph. (If you are wanting a specific number of lines, the number of lines on a full-page document are roughly equal to the number of sentences.) After you have your numbers, hit enter to see the text generated.
Copy Now, Paste Later - Cut, Copy, and Paste are among the most useful Windows features. However, Word gives you the ability to expand its use. By clicking the arrow in the bottom-right corner of the clipboard section (on the Home ribbon), you can see the last 24 items you copied to your clipboard. Select one to paste it into your document, or click "Paste All" to insert them all.
Update the Date - Do you have a letter that you send frequently with only a few changes? If the current date is one of those changes, you can automate it. Click on the Insert tab and select "Date & Time". Choose the date and/or time format that you want and insert it. You'll never forget to change the date on your letter again!
Hide Text - Are you printing a document for someone but have confidential text you need to keep but don't want that person to see? Select the text, right-click it, select "Font" from the menu, and then choose "Hidden" in the new window. Print the document, and no one will ever know that the information is missing. Then, to restore the hidden text, select the area where the text was and follow the process again to get your text back. (This is not an effective way to hide data if you are sending someone the actual file. If someone follows this process they can unhide the text just as easily as you can.)
Grade Your Work - Word can provide statistics on your writing. You can see a count of words, characters, paragraphs, and sentences, along with some averages. Plus, you can also see the Flesch Reading Ease score (0-100, with a higher score being easier to read) and the Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level (0-12, with a lower score being easier to read). To enable these, click on "File", "Options", "Proofing", and check the "Show readability statistics" button near the bottom. Then, run the Spell Check (available on the "Review" ribbon) and you will see your scores at the end of the Spell Check.
Inspect Your Document - If you work with confidential or sensitive information and you are preparing to share your file, Word can check it to see if personal information is being shared. Word will scan for a variety of information and give you the option to remove it before you send the file. To run this scan, click on "File", and then select "Check for Issues" followed by "Inspect Document" from the center of the window.
Monday, January 19, 2015
Website Nostalgia
Have you ever wished you could go back in time and see what a website looked like last year or even last decade? Most of us probably don't think about that on a regular basis, but there have been two times when I wanted to rewind the clock and see an older site.
The first time was when I switched hosting providers for my business webpage. I cancelled my service with one provider before I set up my site with the other. I planned to design a new page with my new provider, but I later wished I could recover the text from the front page of my site.
The second incident involved a dispute over terms of service. I purchased something from a company, and they later tried to claim that I had agreed to terms I had not agreed to. Since I had not saved a copy of the terms of service from the time of purchase (and they had changed since), it seemed that I had no way to prove that their terms had changed.
Fortunately, there is a way to rewind the clock on websites, and it worked perfectly in both of the situations above. The Internet Archive's Wayback Machine contains a database of 435 billion pages throughout the internet's history. I was able to easily recover the text off of my home page (and see the pages of other companies that had occupied my domain name), and I was able to show that the terms of service that were in effect both before and after the date of my purchase did not contain the disputed sentence (thus, qualifying me for a refund).
If you need to view a past version of a website or you are just feeling nostalgic, head on over to the Wayback Machine and see what you can find.
The first time was when I switched hosting providers for my business webpage. I cancelled my service with one provider before I set up my site with the other. I planned to design a new page with my new provider, but I later wished I could recover the text from the front page of my site.
The second incident involved a dispute over terms of service. I purchased something from a company, and they later tried to claim that I had agreed to terms I had not agreed to. Since I had not saved a copy of the terms of service from the time of purchase (and they had changed since), it seemed that I had no way to prove that their terms had changed.
Fortunately, there is a way to rewind the clock on websites, and it worked perfectly in both of the situations above. The Internet Archive's Wayback Machine contains a database of 435 billion pages throughout the internet's history. I was able to easily recover the text off of my home page (and see the pages of other companies that had occupied my domain name), and I was able to show that the terms of service that were in effect both before and after the date of my purchase did not contain the disputed sentence (thus, qualifying me for a refund).
If you need to view a past version of a website or you are just feeling nostalgic, head on over to the Wayback Machine and see what you can find.
Friday, January 16, 2015
Performing Effective Backups
One of the most common things I am asked to do is to recover files from a computer that has failed. Fortunately, many things happen to a computer that do not destroy your files, but occasionally, I encounter a failed hard drive. When this happens, it will be costly to recover your data.
If you perform effective backups of your important files, then you will rarely have to worry about losing them. If your hard drive crashes or your computer is melted in a fire, a backup will keep your files safe. Here are some thoughts to consider when planning how you will backup your data:
1) Importance vs. Cost - How much time and money you want to invest in backing up your files should be proportional to the importance of those files. If the only files on your computer are a few letters that you probably won't need, then backing them up is of little importance. If your computer has the only copy of your wedding photos, then backing them up should be a little higher priority. If recreating lost files could cost your business days or weeks of lost productivity, then backups need to be one of your top priorities.
2) What Can Happen? - Planning your backup needs to take into account everything that could happen to your computer. A hard drive crash is the most common problem, but it is certainly not the only thing that can destroy your data. A natural disaster--such as a fire or tornado--could also destroy your computer. And if your only backup is on an external hard drive or flash drive sitting next to the computer, your backup will probably not survive either. For this reason, some of your backups should be stored elsewhere: either online, in a bank's safety deposit box, or at another location. It could even be to occasionally trade backups with a friend who lives on the other side of town. (Obviously, you would not want to trade any sensitive data.)
3) Automate It - No one usually thinks about performing a backup until it is too late. Therefore, the best idea is to set up your computer automatic backups. This can be programmed through Windows or using third-party software.
4) Consider the Cloud - Storing your backups online has become the latest trend in data security. This keeps your files safe from just about any disaster, and it can be easily automated. There are many options when backing up files to the cloud. To start, I would recommend using Google Drive or Dropbox. Both of these services offer a generous amount of space free, and you have the option to purchase more at a reasonable price. Furthermore, both have programs you can download to your computer. Simply place a file in the Google Drive or Dropbox folder, and the program automatically syncs it with the server. Then, your "backup" happens every time a file is changed, not just when you schedule it. There are also paid options available that will perform more comprehensive backups of your computer. If you are considering this option, I would start with Carbonite.
5) Test, Test, Test - I was recently called to the site of a business that had suffered a server hard drive failure. I asked if they had a backup, and they informed me that someone had installed a second hard drive to store backups and had set the server to backup automatically. I began to work on recovering the backups, and I discovered that the second hard drive had become corrupted, and no backups were being performed. If you have extremely valuable data (such as business data), then you need to schedule times for testing your backups! If you do not test your backups, you have no idea if you are actually backing up your data properly.
For personal files, testing may be as simple as opening a few files off of the DVD to ensure they were copied correctly. For businesses, testing may mean restoring a backup to an older machine to make sure everything works correctly. As I mentioned in the first point, the amount of testing you do will be related to the importance of the files.
If you perform effective backups of your important files, then you will rarely have to worry about losing them. If your hard drive crashes or your computer is melted in a fire, a backup will keep your files safe. Here are some thoughts to consider when planning how you will backup your data:
1) Importance vs. Cost - How much time and money you want to invest in backing up your files should be proportional to the importance of those files. If the only files on your computer are a few letters that you probably won't need, then backing them up is of little importance. If your computer has the only copy of your wedding photos, then backing them up should be a little higher priority. If recreating lost files could cost your business days or weeks of lost productivity, then backups need to be one of your top priorities.
2) What Can Happen? - Planning your backup needs to take into account everything that could happen to your computer. A hard drive crash is the most common problem, but it is certainly not the only thing that can destroy your data. A natural disaster--such as a fire or tornado--could also destroy your computer. And if your only backup is on an external hard drive or flash drive sitting next to the computer, your backup will probably not survive either. For this reason, some of your backups should be stored elsewhere: either online, in a bank's safety deposit box, or at another location. It could even be to occasionally trade backups with a friend who lives on the other side of town. (Obviously, you would not want to trade any sensitive data.)
3) Automate It - No one usually thinks about performing a backup until it is too late. Therefore, the best idea is to set up your computer automatic backups. This can be programmed through Windows or using third-party software.
4) Consider the Cloud - Storing your backups online has become the latest trend in data security. This keeps your files safe from just about any disaster, and it can be easily automated. There are many options when backing up files to the cloud. To start, I would recommend using Google Drive or Dropbox. Both of these services offer a generous amount of space free, and you have the option to purchase more at a reasonable price. Furthermore, both have programs you can download to your computer. Simply place a file in the Google Drive or Dropbox folder, and the program automatically syncs it with the server. Then, your "backup" happens every time a file is changed, not just when you schedule it. There are also paid options available that will perform more comprehensive backups of your computer. If you are considering this option, I would start with Carbonite.
5) Test, Test, Test - I was recently called to the site of a business that had suffered a server hard drive failure. I asked if they had a backup, and they informed me that someone had installed a second hard drive to store backups and had set the server to backup automatically. I began to work on recovering the backups, and I discovered that the second hard drive had become corrupted, and no backups were being performed. If you have extremely valuable data (such as business data), then you need to schedule times for testing your backups! If you do not test your backups, you have no idea if you are actually backing up your data properly.
For personal files, testing may be as simple as opening a few files off of the DVD to ensure they were copied correctly. For businesses, testing may mean restoring a backup to an older machine to make sure everything works correctly. As I mentioned in the first point, the amount of testing you do will be related to the importance of the files.
Thursday, January 15, 2015
When Are My Files Actually Gone?
Many of the repairs a computer technician is asked to perform are unique, varying depending on the software and hardware being used. However, I can think of three tasks that I am regularly called on to perform. One of those tasks is data recovery. Data recovery is one of my favorite tasks to perform, but one of my least favorite tasks is when I have to call someone and say that I cannot recover their data. Today, I want to go over what expectations you should have when you ask for data recovery.
Many people think that any computer problem renders their data unretrievable. The truth is that your data can be easily recovered in most circumstances. In fact, with the right equipment, anyone could attempt a simple recovery. Simply unscrew the hard drive from the computer and connect it to another using an adapter (an adapter usually costs $10-$15). Unless the problem is a mechanical failure of the hard drive or a corruption of the file system, you will most likely be able to get your data off of the drive.
If you deleted a file you need, recovery is still possible. The process of deleting a file does not actually clear the data immediately; it simply marks the areas where the file was stored as available. If you empty the recycle bin and then quickly notice that you needed a file, stop using the computer right away! Then, use an adapter and recovery software to see if the file can be recovered. Many times the file can be recovered with software if you catch it right away.
If you cannot recover the file yourself (or a computer technician cannot recover it for you), all is still not lost. If you really need the file and you are willing to spend a substantial amount of money, you can send the drive to a data recovery company. In some cases, they can correct the failure or read the corrupted drive and get you your data back. However, you need to be prepared for a sizable bill (sometimes running as much as $1000). If you go this route, make sure to get an estimate and know if you will be billed even if they cannot recover data.
There is one simple way to make sure that you never have to be concerned about recovering your data: back up your files! In tomorrow's tip, I will cover some of the principles and ideas for backups.
Many people think that any computer problem renders their data unretrievable. The truth is that your data can be easily recovered in most circumstances. In fact, with the right equipment, anyone could attempt a simple recovery. Simply unscrew the hard drive from the computer and connect it to another using an adapter (an adapter usually costs $10-$15). Unless the problem is a mechanical failure of the hard drive or a corruption of the file system, you will most likely be able to get your data off of the drive.
If you deleted a file you need, recovery is still possible. The process of deleting a file does not actually clear the data immediately; it simply marks the areas where the file was stored as available. If you empty the recycle bin and then quickly notice that you needed a file, stop using the computer right away! Then, use an adapter and recovery software to see if the file can be recovered. Many times the file can be recovered with software if you catch it right away.
If you cannot recover the file yourself (or a computer technician cannot recover it for you), all is still not lost. If you really need the file and you are willing to spend a substantial amount of money, you can send the drive to a data recovery company. In some cases, they can correct the failure or read the corrupted drive and get you your data back. However, you need to be prepared for a sizable bill (sometimes running as much as $1000). If you go this route, make sure to get an estimate and know if you will be billed even if they cannot recover data.
There is one simple way to make sure that you never have to be concerned about recovering your data: back up your files! In tomorrow's tip, I will cover some of the principles and ideas for backups.
Wednesday, January 14, 2015
Two Updates
As I mentioned yesterday, I wanted to provide two updates to two recent posts.
Last week, I discussed running older DOS programs in more recent versions of Windows. I mentioned that some of these programs might run in DosBox. However, the person who wrote to me specifically asked about running games. On Saturday, I came across an article that mentioned a huge source of old games. The Internet Archive has a library of over 2,300 DOS games that can be run in your browser. If you are looking for a specific game, it might be worth checking to see if it is on this site. While there may be some glitches in the DOS emulation process, it will probably be much easier than trying to set it up in DosBox yourself.
Monday, I discussed three great apps to have when you travel. After the email went out, I found another site that looks like it would be a great addition to the other three. Freeairpump.com gives you a map of places that have free air for your tires. This actually would have helped me on my trip to Chicago just after Christmas: I started getting a low tire pressure light because of the cold weather. Yes, you can go to just about any service station and pay for air, but why pay for something that is available for free nearby. Like the free Wi-Fi finder, this relies on people's input, so there may be free stations not listed and there may be stations listed that are not actually free or are out of service.
Last week, I discussed running older DOS programs in more recent versions of Windows. I mentioned that some of these programs might run in DosBox. However, the person who wrote to me specifically asked about running games. On Saturday, I came across an article that mentioned a huge source of old games. The Internet Archive has a library of over 2,300 DOS games that can be run in your browser. If you are looking for a specific game, it might be worth checking to see if it is on this site. While there may be some glitches in the DOS emulation process, it will probably be much easier than trying to set it up in DosBox yourself.
Monday, I discussed three great apps to have when you travel. After the email went out, I found another site that looks like it would be a great addition to the other three. Freeairpump.com gives you a map of places that have free air for your tires. This actually would have helped me on my trip to Chicago just after Christmas: I started getting a low tire pressure light because of the cold weather. Yes, you can go to just about any service station and pay for air, but why pay for something that is available for free nearby. Like the free Wi-Fi finder, this relies on people's input, so there may be free stations not listed and there may be stations listed that are not actually free or are out of service.
Tuesday, January 13, 2015
What Happens to Windows 7 Today?
Today marks the end of mainstream support for Windows 7. With all the attention given to the end of support for Windows XP last year, it is probably easy to get confused about what exactly happens today. As far as basic users are concerned, the end of mainstream support means very little. The end of extended support (which is what occurred with XP last year) is much more important to note.
Mainstream support primarily involves non-security updates and the ability to request new features and changes. So, if you haven't asked Microsoft to add a new feature to Windows 7, it's too late! Microsoft may add a few more non-security updates, but the majority of these updates will cease after tomorrow.
With mainstream support ending, Windows 7 now enters extended support. During extended support, Microsoft will continue to send out security updates and offer paid support. When extended support ended for Windows XP last year, security updates stopped (unless you paid Microsoft a very hefty sum of money to continue support). This is why I--along with many other experts--recommended that you no longer use an XP computer, or at least not use one for sensitive data.
You will not notice any changes with your Windows 7 computer today. Your computer will continue to function as normal, and it will still be as secure as it was yesterday. The date for the end of extended support for Windows 7 is still a few years away: January 14, 2020.
Mainstream support primarily involves non-security updates and the ability to request new features and changes. So, if you haven't asked Microsoft to add a new feature to Windows 7, it's too late! Microsoft may add a few more non-security updates, but the majority of these updates will cease after tomorrow.
With mainstream support ending, Windows 7 now enters extended support. During extended support, Microsoft will continue to send out security updates and offer paid support. When extended support ended for Windows XP last year, security updates stopped (unless you paid Microsoft a very hefty sum of money to continue support). This is why I--along with many other experts--recommended that you no longer use an XP computer, or at least not use one for sensitive data.
You will not notice any changes with your Windows 7 computer today. Your computer will continue to function as normal, and it will still be as secure as it was yesterday. The date for the end of extended support for Windows 7 is still a few years away: January 14, 2020.
Monday, January 12, 2015
Best Apps to Improve Your Travel
I've done some travelling recently. I spent a few days in Chicago in between the Christmas and New Year holidays, and I made a day trip to Lexington this weekend. I vaguely remember my parents planning trips when the best way to plan a vacation was to consult with a travel agent. Now, the internet is the travel agent of choice for most people.
When planning a trip, here are three apps you might find helpful:
TripAdvisor - TripAdvisor is a great site to obtain travel information and reviews. Like any review site, you must be willing to sort through the good and bad reviews to get the ones that seem the most reasonable. Glowing reviews could have been posted by the location itself or by a company paid to manage their reputation. Poor reviews could be by a competitor or by someone who would never be satisfied.
If you are willing to look for reviews that seem reasonable--not overly glowing but not extremely negative--you can find out a lot about potential destinations. I have unearthed some great places to visit near me simply by using TripAdvisor.
However, TripAdvisor also has some free apps. Not only do these apps give you easy access to all of TripAdvisor's content, but they also can provide offline access to some content in major cities. To see what TripAdvisor apps are available, visit the TripAdvisor App Page.
Wi-Fi Finder - Sometimes, finding a place to connect to Wi-Fi can be difficult. Yes, you can always look for a McDonalds or a Starbucks, since most have Wi-Fi available. However, if you don't have one of these nearby, you might have to drive around for a while to find a hotspot.
Wi-Fi Finder is a database of Wi-Fi hotspots. You can use it to locate a hotspot and then provide directions to it. One caveat: since hotspots change frequently, you may find that a hotspot that once worked is no longer available. However, when you don't know where to go for Wi-Fi, this app can help you find the right direction. You can download the app for iOS here, and the Android version here.
GasBuddy - Gas prices have come down lately, but they are still higher than when I started driving. (I remember filling up for 89 cents per gallon once!) If you want to save money on gas, GasBuddy can give you the cheapest prices along your current route.
Now, GasBuddy has an app! Use it to find the cheapest gas along your route. You can find the appropriate app for your mobile device here.
When planning a trip, here are three apps you might find helpful:
TripAdvisor - TripAdvisor is a great site to obtain travel information and reviews. Like any review site, you must be willing to sort through the good and bad reviews to get the ones that seem the most reasonable. Glowing reviews could have been posted by the location itself or by a company paid to manage their reputation. Poor reviews could be by a competitor or by someone who would never be satisfied.
If you are willing to look for reviews that seem reasonable--not overly glowing but not extremely negative--you can find out a lot about potential destinations. I have unearthed some great places to visit near me simply by using TripAdvisor.
However, TripAdvisor also has some free apps. Not only do these apps give you easy access to all of TripAdvisor's content, but they also can provide offline access to some content in major cities. To see what TripAdvisor apps are available, visit the TripAdvisor App Page.
Wi-Fi Finder - Sometimes, finding a place to connect to Wi-Fi can be difficult. Yes, you can always look for a McDonalds or a Starbucks, since most have Wi-Fi available. However, if you don't have one of these nearby, you might have to drive around for a while to find a hotspot.
Wi-Fi Finder is a database of Wi-Fi hotspots. You can use it to locate a hotspot and then provide directions to it. One caveat: since hotspots change frequently, you may find that a hotspot that once worked is no longer available. However, when you don't know where to go for Wi-Fi, this app can help you find the right direction. You can download the app for iOS here, and the Android version here.
GasBuddy - Gas prices have come down lately, but they are still higher than when I started driving. (I remember filling up for 89 cents per gallon once!) If you want to save money on gas, GasBuddy can give you the cheapest prices along your current route.
Now, GasBuddy has an app! Use it to find the cheapest gas along your route. You can find the appropriate app for your mobile device here.
Friday, January 9, 2015
The Biggest Digital Camera Myth
If you've ever shopped for a camera (or a device that has a camera--like a phone or tablet), you've probably heard of the term "Megapixels". Today, our cell phones produce pictures with more megapixels than the cameras of just a few years ago. However, most people only have a limited idea of what a megapixel is, and many will fall for a simple marketing trick involving megapixels.
A "pixel" is the smallest physical point in a digital image. It can refer to the display on your monitor or TV (anything your see is simply a combination of pixels that change rapidly) or it can refer to a point in a still image. If you take a digital picture and attempt to enlarge it over and over, you will find that the image becomes unclear, eventually looking like a series of boxes more than an image. This happens because you have enlarged the image so much that you are starting to see the individual pixels.
A pixel consists of three instructions denoting the strength of red, blue, and green (the primary colors of light). All the colors you see on your screen are a compilation of varying strengths of these three colors.
A "megapixel" is something that is comprised of one million individual pixels. So, a three megapixel camera will produce a image comprised of three million pixels. Monitors and TVs are usually expressed in their resolution--the number of pixels horizontally by the number of pixels vertically--instead of megapixels. Therefore, a monitor with a maximum resolution of 2560 x 1600 would be a four megapixel monitor (2560 x 1600 = 4,096,000 pixels).
For a camera, you would think that the greater the number of megapixels, the greater the quality of the image produced. However, this is not the case! A camera may actually take a picture at a lower resolution and then duplicate the pixels to produce a higher resolution image. This is especially true for lower-end smartphones and tablets. Yes, it may say it takes 8 megapixel images, but the quality may not be nearly as good as 8 megapixel images from more expensive devices.
If you are concerned about the actual quality of the images, then you need to look for another piece of information: the sensor size. This will allow you to compare the quality of the images cameras will produce. It may not be nearly as well-publicized, but it is available in the technical documentation for every camera.
More megapixels does not mean better quality images, it simply means bigger images. For most people, the actual quality of an image will be of little concern. However, if you are considering entering the field of high-level photography, don't be fooled by a typical sales myth that treats the quality of an image the same as the well-publicized number of megapixels.
A "pixel" is the smallest physical point in a digital image. It can refer to the display on your monitor or TV (anything your see is simply a combination of pixels that change rapidly) or it can refer to a point in a still image. If you take a digital picture and attempt to enlarge it over and over, you will find that the image becomes unclear, eventually looking like a series of boxes more than an image. This happens because you have enlarged the image so much that you are starting to see the individual pixels.
A pixel consists of three instructions denoting the strength of red, blue, and green (the primary colors of light). All the colors you see on your screen are a compilation of varying strengths of these three colors.
A "megapixel" is something that is comprised of one million individual pixels. So, a three megapixel camera will produce a image comprised of three million pixels. Monitors and TVs are usually expressed in their resolution--the number of pixels horizontally by the number of pixels vertically--instead of megapixels. Therefore, a monitor with a maximum resolution of 2560 x 1600 would be a four megapixel monitor (2560 x 1600 = 4,096,000 pixels).
For a camera, you would think that the greater the number of megapixels, the greater the quality of the image produced. However, this is not the case! A camera may actually take a picture at a lower resolution and then duplicate the pixels to produce a higher resolution image. This is especially true for lower-end smartphones and tablets. Yes, it may say it takes 8 megapixel images, but the quality may not be nearly as good as 8 megapixel images from more expensive devices.
If you are concerned about the actual quality of the images, then you need to look for another piece of information: the sensor size. This will allow you to compare the quality of the images cameras will produce. It may not be nearly as well-publicized, but it is available in the technical documentation for every camera.
More megapixels does not mean better quality images, it simply means bigger images. For most people, the actual quality of an image will be of little concern. However, if you are considering entering the field of high-level photography, don't be fooled by a typical sales myth that treats the quality of an image the same as the well-publicized number of megapixels.
Thursday, January 8, 2015
Scan for PUPs
PUP stands for Potentially Unwanted Program. While they are not necessarily malware, they are software programs that most people do not want on their system. PUPs can add toolbars and extensions to your browser window, install other programs, change your home page and search settings, tell you that you have malware on your computer and need to pay money to have it removed, and even track everything you do to sell you targeted ads.
Most antivirus programs include the ability to scan for PUPs, but for many of them, this feature is disabled by default. Here is a rundown of how to enable scanning for PUPs in some of the most common antivirus suites:
AVG - PUP scanning is enabled by default in AVG, but it is always a good idea to check and make sure it is on. To check, click on "Options" from the AVG menu (upper-left corner) and select "Advanced Settings". Then open the menu for "Computer Protection" and select "AntiVirus". On the right side, you will see a box for "Report potentially unwanted programs and spyware threats" and one for "Report enhanced set of potentially unwanted program". Ensure both are checked.
Avast - Avast has PUP scanning turned off by default. To turn it on, go to "Settings" and select "Active Protection". There are three categories of protection: File System Shield, Mail Shield, and Web Shield. For each one, click the "Settings" button (or the button that looks like a gear), choose the "Sensitivity" tab, and check the "Scan for potentially unwanted programs (PUPs)". Click OK, and then go back and follow the same instructions for the other two shields.
Kaspersky - Kaspersky has PUP scanning turned off by default. To turn it on, click the "Settings" link at the bottom left corner, select the "Additional" tab, and click on "Threats and Exclusions". Check the "Detect other software that can by used by criminals to damage your computer or personal data" box.
McAfee - McAfee has PUP scanning turned on by default, but again, it is good to double-check. Click on the "Schedule and Run Scans" link, then select "Real Time Scanning", and finally, select "Settings". Under "Scan for These Threats", check the "Spyware and other potentially unwanted programs" box.
Norton - Norton's antivirus suite does not include the ability to scan for PUPs.
Most antivirus programs include the ability to scan for PUPs, but for many of them, this feature is disabled by default. Here is a rundown of how to enable scanning for PUPs in some of the most common antivirus suites:
AVG - PUP scanning is enabled by default in AVG, but it is always a good idea to check and make sure it is on. To check, click on "Options" from the AVG menu (upper-left corner) and select "Advanced Settings". Then open the menu for "Computer Protection" and select "AntiVirus". On the right side, you will see a box for "Report potentially unwanted programs and spyware threats" and one for "Report enhanced set of potentially unwanted program". Ensure both are checked.
Avast - Avast has PUP scanning turned off by default. To turn it on, go to "Settings" and select "Active Protection". There are three categories of protection: File System Shield, Mail Shield, and Web Shield. For each one, click the "Settings" button (or the button that looks like a gear), choose the "Sensitivity" tab, and check the "Scan for potentially unwanted programs (PUPs)". Click OK, and then go back and follow the same instructions for the other two shields.
Kaspersky - Kaspersky has PUP scanning turned off by default. To turn it on, click the "Settings" link at the bottom left corner, select the "Additional" tab, and click on "Threats and Exclusions". Check the "Detect other software that can by used by criminals to damage your computer or personal data" box.
McAfee - McAfee has PUP scanning turned on by default, but again, it is good to double-check. Click on the "Schedule and Run Scans" link, then select "Real Time Scanning", and finally, select "Settings". Under "Scan for These Threats", check the "Spyware and other potentially unwanted programs" box.
Norton - Norton's antivirus suite does not include the ability to scan for PUPs.
Wednesday, January 7, 2015
WiFi or Ethernet
Laptops with WiFi are wonderful. We can sit anywhere in the house (at least, anywhere in the house that has a decent signal) and connect to the internet. However, there are some people (myself included) who still prefer to use a traditional desktop. For me, I prefer the additional power and the ability to set up multiple monitors.
Since desktops have to be plugged into the wall, it was common for them to only have an Ethernet port for a wired internet connection. However, it is now becoming more common to see them have both a port for a wired connection and the ability to connect over WiFi. This raises an important question: if a computer has both options, which should you use?
Here are three factors to consider:
Speed - Generally, WiFi has been much slower than Ethernet. Most Ethernet cards today can transfer at speeds of up to 1 Gigabit per second (Gbps), which is about 1000 Megabits per second (Mbps). This number refers to the amount of data that can be transmitted during a one second interval. Higher numbers mean that more data can be sent each second. Until 2008, the most common standards for wireless connections worked at a mere 54 Mbps. Even when 2008's standard (802.11n) came out, it was still limited to 600 Mbps if you had the right equipment. For most equipment using the 802.11n standard, 300 Mbps was the fastest you could get.
Early last year, the newest wireless standard was released: 802.11ac. This has a theoretical speed reaching up to 7000 Mbps, which is faster than the most Ethernet connections, but it requires that you purchase the right equipment for both your devices and your router. (There is also an Ethernet connection that is faster--reaching as much as 10,000 Mbps--but it is only common in workplaces that transfer high amounts of data.)
In equipment that is most commonly found today, you will get a faster speed using Ethernet.
Signal Strength - Have you ever been somewhere and kept losing your WiFi signal? That can get very annoying. Wireless connections require you to be within range of an access point. The further away from the access point you go, the weaker the signal, leading to temporary losses in service and slower speeds. There is also the possibility of interference from other devices. Cordless phones and microwaves work in the same frequency that some of your WiFi signals use.
With an Ethernet connection, you don't have to worry about losing signal. If the cable reaches, you will have signal. There is still the possibility of interference, especially if the cable runs close to items that can generate a magnetic field. However, you can use shielded cables to reduce the interference. I know someone who works for a company where the servers are in one room, and the Ethernet cable passes over the boiler room on its way to the cubicle farm where most of the employees work. Their internet service was very slow because the equipment in the boiler room kept interfering with the cables until they replaced them with shielded ones.
Overall, you are most likely to have a better quality signal if you use the wired Ethernet connection.
Security - With a wired connection, your router will usually only send data down a cable if the data needs to go to your computer. (There are some exceptions to this.) This makes it difficult for anyone else to read what is being sent. For someone to read the data as it comes into or out of your computer, they would need access to the cable or to the router. While there are ways to do this over WiFi (if you have it enabled), it is somewhat difficult to do.
With WiFi, the data being transmitted is broadcast through the air, and anyone can pick it up. This is one reason why it is important to secure your WiFi network with encryption. If you download your bank statement over an open WiFi network, anyone else connected could use their computer to capture everything that is sent and reconstruct that statement to get your account number. Encryption makes the job much more difficult, but it is not foolproof.
For security, Ethernet is the clear choice.
As you can see, there is a common pattern among these three areas. Yes, WiFi is convenient, and it works great if the computer is in an area of the house where it is difficult to get a cable. However, if your computer is already tied to the wall for power, Ethernet is a clear winner if it is available.
Tuesday, January 6, 2015
Run Older Programs with DosBox
A subscriber emailed me over the Christmas holiday asking if there was a way to run older programs from the Windows 95/98 era on computers today. While you cannot run them on Windows itself, there is a way to make them work inside of Windows.
Prior to Windows XP, the major versions of Windows used a graphical interface over top of a separate operating system called DOS. At a basic level, Windows served as a means to transfer what you did in Windows into commands that DOS could use. Beginning with Windows XP, Windows served as a totally separate operating system that no longer required DOS.
I have had some success getting a couple DOS programs to run in XP, since it contains support for DOS-based programs. However, if you want to run a DOS-based program on Windows Vista or later, you must use an emulator like DosBox.
With any emulator, there will be some programs that will work perfectly, others that may function well but be somewhat unstable, and some will be completely unusable. Sometimes, tweaks inside of DosBox may help a program become more stable. If you are having trouble getting a program to work, you can try searching for instructions on how to make that program work inside of DosBox.
Prior to Windows XP, the major versions of Windows used a graphical interface over top of a separate operating system called DOS. At a basic level, Windows served as a means to transfer what you did in Windows into commands that DOS could use. Beginning with Windows XP, Windows served as a totally separate operating system that no longer required DOS.
I have had some success getting a couple DOS programs to run in XP, since it contains support for DOS-based programs. However, if you want to run a DOS-based program on Windows Vista or later, you must use an emulator like DosBox.
With any emulator, there will be some programs that will work perfectly, others that may function well but be somewhat unstable, and some will be completely unusable. Sometimes, tweaks inside of DosBox may help a program become more stable. If you are having trouble getting a program to work, you can try searching for instructions on how to make that program work inside of DosBox.
Monday, January 5, 2015
What's Slowing Your Computer
It is frustrating when your computer is running slow. What's worse is the fact that there are so many things that can cause your computer to slow down. It could be hardware (physical components) or software (programs). In the hardware area, the problem could be the processor, the memory, or your network connection. In software, it could be Windows or another program you installed. It might even be a program you forgot you had on your computer that loads in the background every time you start it up! Fortunately, Windows has a built-in tool that can help you identify the problem.
The Windows Task Manager is a great tool for identifying why a computer is slow! To access the task manager, simply hit Ctrl+Alt+Del and then select "Start Task Manager". (Remember, Ctrl+Alt+Del means you press and hold down the Ctrl key, press and hold down the Alt key, and then press the Del key.) You can also go to the start menu search box (in Windows Vista/7) or the search window (in Windows 8) and search for "Task Manager".
Once there, you will find a variety of tabs in the Task Manager window. I like to start at the performance tab. The Performance tab will give you a graph of the CPU and memory use. Ideally, you want these to both be under 75% of the total. If either one is high, then it is time to check out what is using your resources.
Go to the Processes tab. Under that tab, you will see a long list of items. Each item in the list is something on your computer that is using the computer's resources. Once again, you have a CPU column and a Memory column, but in this case, it is broken down by the amount of resources each item is requesting. If you click on the title, you can sort the list by the CPU percent or memory amount. Check to see if one item is unnecessarily taking up a large amount of resources. If you don't know what a particular file is, do a search for the file name and check it out. It could be a legitimate Windows file, or it could be a type of malware!
If you find that your memory is being used up by your programs, then you might want to consider adding more memory. Adding memory is a relatively simple task on most computers (even many laptops). However, all computers have a limit on the amount of memory they can handle, so make sure to find out how much memory your computer can take before you purchase more.
While running out of memory is a fairly common problem (although it is becoming less common due to cheaper memory), running out of processing power is much less common. Most processors (even on older computers) are more than capable of handling today's programs. I am writing this on a laptop that is almost ten years old, and I have more than enough processing power to write on my blog and play a Youtube video at the same time. I also have an Excel spreadsheet open in the background, and I am still only using 13% of my processing power. If you find that your processor is constantly running at 90-100% and you aren't doing anything that complex, it might be time to scan your computer for malware with one or two different programs.
To put it simply, you don't have to deal with a slow computer! There are ways to speed them up, and if that doesn't work, you can always wipe it and put a fresh copy of Windows on it. I have been able to take computers that are ten or more years old and get them running nicely again. Yes, they don't run as fast as a brand new computer, but they will work fine for the majority of tasks we use them for.
The Windows Task Manager is a great tool for identifying why a computer is slow! To access the task manager, simply hit Ctrl+Alt+Del and then select "Start Task Manager". (Remember, Ctrl+Alt+Del means you press and hold down the Ctrl key, press and hold down the Alt key, and then press the Del key.) You can also go to the start menu search box (in Windows Vista/7) or the search window (in Windows 8) and search for "Task Manager".
Once there, you will find a variety of tabs in the Task Manager window. I like to start at the performance tab. The Performance tab will give you a graph of the CPU and memory use. Ideally, you want these to both be under 75% of the total. If either one is high, then it is time to check out what is using your resources.
Go to the Processes tab. Under that tab, you will see a long list of items. Each item in the list is something on your computer that is using the computer's resources. Once again, you have a CPU column and a Memory column, but in this case, it is broken down by the amount of resources each item is requesting. If you click on the title, you can sort the list by the CPU percent or memory amount. Check to see if one item is unnecessarily taking up a large amount of resources. If you don't know what a particular file is, do a search for the file name and check it out. It could be a legitimate Windows file, or it could be a type of malware!
If you find that your memory is being used up by your programs, then you might want to consider adding more memory. Adding memory is a relatively simple task on most computers (even many laptops). However, all computers have a limit on the amount of memory they can handle, so make sure to find out how much memory your computer can take before you purchase more.
While running out of memory is a fairly common problem (although it is becoming less common due to cheaper memory), running out of processing power is much less common. Most processors (even on older computers) are more than capable of handling today's programs. I am writing this on a laptop that is almost ten years old, and I have more than enough processing power to write on my blog and play a Youtube video at the same time. I also have an Excel spreadsheet open in the background, and I am still only using 13% of my processing power. If you find that your processor is constantly running at 90-100% and you aren't doing anything that complex, it might be time to scan your computer for malware with one or two different programs.
To put it simply, you don't have to deal with a slow computer! There are ways to speed them up, and if that doesn't work, you can always wipe it and put a fresh copy of Windows on it. I have been able to take computers that are ten or more years old and get them running nicely again. Yes, they don't run as fast as a brand new computer, but they will work fine for the majority of tasks we use them for.
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