You know the saying “your body is a temple.” Most of us are familiar with it and we at least “try” to eat things that are good for us and exercise with some regularity. Hey, our intentions are good and we are really going to get serious about this starting on Monday. That saying can really be applied to our computers as well. Pay close attention to what you put in (programs, data, hardware) and maintain your PC regularly (defrags, malware and spyware checks,etc.) and your PC will last longer and perform better.
Did you know that there are forces working against you and your goal to take care of your computer? Of course we are all familiar with the fact that viruses, malware and spyware exist, but there are other dangers stalking us from the shadows. I’m going to call them “tagalongs.” Tagalongs are programs that get installed on your computer with/without your permission. I used “with/without” because these applications get on your PC by tricking you. That’s right, it has probably happened to you before and you didn’t even know it.
If you have ever managed your own digital music collection, you know what a time-consuming, frustrating process it ends up being. It seems simple enough. You put the music in and the program applies the right titles, album covers, etc. HA! That is where the dream ends and reality begins. Anyone who has been down this yellow brick road knows that something is lurking behind the curtain and you are in for a serious wake up call.
iTunes has become the mother of all music managers, thanks to the success of the iPod and iPhone, yet there has always been something lacking about the way it handles the music that you import into your library. Purchase your music from the iTunes store and it comes complete with song titles, artist names, genre, album covers, etc. Import your own tunes from CDs or files and you’ll find yourself using Google to fill in those attributes yourself. At least, that was until someone introduced you to TuneUp.
A trip to the mailbox this weekend reminded me of a very important topic. Long story short, we received a letter from the police department. They were investigating a case of credit card fraud and our card number had been used. We had resolved the situation with our bank, months ago, but the shear thought of it all sent my pulse into the double digits and made me wonder if I am protected. Is there anything more I can do? How can I protect myself? What if this happens again?
Identity theft and fraud are very real and, given the current economic climate, are on the rise. There are many precautions you can take to protect yourself from identity theft and all of them focus on protecting your personal data. Protection means securing your information behind something, whether it is a wall, a guard or some sort of digital security, like a password. Due to the nature of our business, we are going to focus on an area we can help you with, passwords.
It takes a special type of person to be truly excited about the release of a new/updated operating system, but that doesn’t mean that the rest of us you should be sitting idly by while Windows 7 hits the streets. The folks over at Microsoft have been working extremely hard to bring you a product that will make up for its last effort (Vista) and they have already begun “persuading” some of us to make a very easy decision (see our blog post Windows 7 for $30 or FREE – do you qualify?). If you haven’t spent some time contemplating an upgrade to Windows 7, it’s time to put your thinking caps on.
October 22nd is the official release date of Windows 7, but you might get your hands or eyes on a copy any day now. Not only have promotional “test” copies already made their way into the hands of IT professionals and students, but a recent article on Engadget.com suggests that some custom PC makers will be shipping out new units, running Windows 7, the week of October 13th. Should you be interested? Here are some reasons that we think you might find important:
It’s Thursday night and the new TV season is upon us. If you haven’t done so already, you might want to break out the remote control and get your DVR (Digital Video Recorder) prepped and ready. Oh wait, it seems as if some of your favorite shows are on at the same time. What now? Your DVR can handle 2 shows at once, but there is a 3rd. What is with these networks? Don’t they know that there are more days of the week than just Thursday?
I might be a minority here, but something tells me there are a few TV fans out there and that this scenario might have already reared its ugly head. What do you do when your DVR just can’t keep up? Well, you have several choices, but since we focus on getting the most out of your PC, let’s look there. There are several FREE, legal resources available on the internet and they have improved vastly over the last few years. Here is a rundown of some of the top choices:
All of us have done it at one time or another. We headed out to the nearest big box store and purchased a shiny, new computer. Excitement was in the air. You rushed home, set it up and pushed the power button for the first time. This one was going to be faster you thought. “I’m going to keep this PC clean and take good care of it.” Little did you know, your plans had already been thrown off course, long before you even had a chance to swipe your credit card at the store. You see, your computer was already infected with craplets!
PC Bloated with Craplets
Craplets, or crapware to some, are the “extra” software programs that are added to your computer before it even ships to the retail store or your house. I use the term “extra” because they are not necessary and, from what I can tell, are only added in order to entice you to buy an additional program, upgrade or service. These craplets are provided to the manufacturer by third party game-makers, software companies, etc. and don’t do anything except slow your PC down, cause instability and eat up valuable screen real-estate.
Which browser is better? An ongoing debate in the computer world and one that you and your friends or co-workers may have already had. Internet Explorer was the only game in town for a long time, but other choices have emerged to give the end user both a choice and a reason for debate. The list of browsers goes on and on, but the most widely used are Internet Explorer (IE), Firefox, Google Chrome, Safari (for Macs) and Opera.
I initially set out to research and then provide you with some cold, hard facts about why one browser is better than the other, but that proved to be rather difficult. It seems that most of the online information I could find was strictly personal preference. Since that is the case, I am going to provide you with my own preference and experiences. That said, I am married to Firefox, with a Google Chrome mistress. Let me explain further.
Boys and girls, it is official. JumpstartMyPC.com is on the map and open for business. We planned. We strategized. We worked and worked. Now it is here. Our official launch day is today.
Every day since our BETA launch, we have taken the time to share a new blog post about getting the most out of your PC, and we will continue those posts indefinitely. Today, we just wanted to take a moment to say thank you to those of you who have already visited our site and welcome all of our new visitors.
Windows 7 is coming, like it or not. Many are turning their nose up at the next “amazing, cutting edge, fix all your problems” version of Windows. They like their Windows XP and that’s that… or is it. Recent blog posts and interviews with Microsoft officials make it sound as if you may not have a choice. Windows XP is still available to purchase, but once they pull the plug they might not continue to support it with patches and security updates. This could leave you stuck.
So what are your options? We’ll explain how many of you can get the newest version of Windows for $29.99 or FREE, when it is released on October 22nd, 2009. Even if you don’t plan on updating, you might want to read on and get the details, for a friend or family member.
Our blog posts so far have really covered a wide range, from “Defragging Your Computer” to “Facebook mentions.” If you have read more than one of them and know that our goal at JumpstartMyPC.com is to help PC users get the most out of their PC, you might be wondering how all these topics fit. Yesterday, I saw it all come together in a few seconds.
A friend of mine posted a YouTube video to Facebook. I clicked on the link to find it was a commercial from Norton Antivirus, and it was pretty funny. The content, writing and filming were all great but I was laughing for a different reason. The makers of Norton Antivirus were hyping their Norton Internet Security software, with no mention of purchase price or subscriptions. They were using this free advertising stream (Facebook) and the comedy of a quick, short video hosted on YouTube (also free) to market a product that will cost you, the user….
If you have ever managed your own digital music collection, you know what a time-consuming, frustrating process it ends up being. It seems simple enough. You put the music in and the program applies the right titles, album covers, etc. HA! That is where the dream ends and reality begins. Anyone who has been down this yellow brick road knows that something is lurking behind the curtain and you are in for a serious wake up call.
A trip to the mailbox this weekend reminded me of a very important topic. Long story short, we received a letter from the police department. They were investigating a case of credit card fraud and our card number had been used. We had resolved the situation with our bank, months ago, but the shear thought of it all sent my pulse into the double digits and made me wonder if I am protected. Is there anything more I can do? How can I protect myself? What if this happens again?
It’s Thursday night and the new TV season is upon us. If you haven’t done so already, you might want to break out the remote control and get your DVR (Digital Video Recorder) prepped and ready. Oh wait, it seems as if some of your favorite shows are on at the same time. What now? Your DVR can handle 2 shows at once, but there is a 3rd. What is with these networks? Don’t they know that there are more days of the week than just Thursday?
