Connection to Internet: Unable to connect to the Internet? (Ie. Connection to the Internet was working ... and now it's not.)
Unplug each device, modem and router, and turn off computer. Power on modem first, be sure lights on the front of the modem are lit. Lights will blink and flash for a few seconds and then settle. Power on router. Lights will blink and flash for a few seconds and then settle. Turn on the computer. Open Internet Explorer. Normally, your home page would load. If not, enter www.google.com in the address bar. If the problem persists, your cable or DSL provider may have an outage, the modem or router may have failed, or there may be an infection within the computer denying you access to the Internet. Software firewalls and virus protection may also cause a problem.
Changing your default printer: If you have more than one printer, and you use one of them more then another, you can set your preferred printer as default. You can set the default by going to your control panel. Select "printer and faxes." Single right click the preferred printer, select "set as default."
Printer Installation: Every printer has drivers that need to be installed. Drivers are simply software that controls a specific hardware device. When you purchase your printer, there will be a CD or floppy disk which contains the drivers specific to your printer. If you are installing a printer and have misplaced the disk, you can go to the printer manufacturer's website and find the downloadable driver for your model. Some printers require you connect the printer to your computer first and then install the drivers. Others require the drivers be installed first and then connect the printer to computer.
Printer Problem: If your printer has been working and has stopped printing, there are a couple of things you can do. (NOTE: The following suggestions do not apply to networked printers.)
Check to make sure a document is not stuck in the queue. To check the queue, go to control panel, select "printers and faxes," double left click the printer. If there is a document listed, highlight the document, right click and select "cancel all documents." This may take a few moments to cancel, depending on the size of the print job.
If there are no documents listed in this window, select "printer" from the menu, top left of this window, and make sure "pause printing" is not checked.
If these steps do not fix the problem, reinstalling the printer drivers would be the next thing to try. (See Printer Installation above.)
If nothing you have tried has resolved the issue, call LeaderChip for service.
“My computer couldn’t possibly have a virus! I have a firewall…my anti-virus program is updated and runs automatically…I didn’t open any e-mail attachments from people I don’t know…I didn’t visit risky websites. I didn’t do it!”
Yet, it happens to people every day. Most of us have experienced a computer infection of some sort. Dealing with the consequences is a huge inconvenience and recovery can be very expensive.
Who creates these horrors? People do. Sometimes it’s the computer geek with programming skills, no life and an axe to grind who writes the code, tests it to be sure it spreads efficiently and then releases it upon an unsuspecting world. The virus might be a silly message flashing on your screen, or worse; the corruption of your operating system and data.
Why do they do it? Is it just because they can? Of course! It’s the same psychological twist that drives vandals and arsonists. It’s the thrill of watching their creation wreak havoc. Why would someone want to break a window, paint graffiti on buildings or burn down a beautiful forest? Some people get a thrill from watching things blow up. Creating a virus is a little like that -- it creates a bomb inside a computer, and the more computers that get infected, the more extensive (and expensive) the damage – the bigger the thrill. But the point is they cause real damage to real people. And there are millions of us who just want to live our lives and do our work…free from such intrusive abuse.
How does a virus work? One great example is the Melissa Virus. She took center stage in 1999. Spread via e-mail faster than any virus before, i t capitalized on a weakness built into Visual Basic for Applications. The useful but dangerous auto-executefeature was used to insert a program into a document which runs immediately whenever the document is opened. It would send e-mails to everyone in your contact file and infected a central file so that any file saved later also contained the virus. It was a mess of legendary proportions.
The I Love You virus appeared on May 4, 2000. It was much simpler…a piece of code as an attachment. If you double-clicked on the attachment, it launched the code and sent copies of itself to everyone in your address book…not content with that, it would then start corrupting files on your machine. This is as simple as a virus can get, but had devastating effect on those of us who “shared the love!”
What’s being done about it? In fact, there’s a whole industry working on these issues. Today, there are many options for virus protection. 100% effectiveness has not been achieved to date, and you can be sure, not all solutions are created equal. For most people, the right anti-virus protection is one with high marks for success, does not slow the computer’s performance, runs scans automatically and updates frequently. Since you can only have one virus protection program on your machine it is important to choose wisely.
Excellent anti-virus software is available. There are a few free solutions that have proven more effective than some popular paid products. A lot of the free software and downloads are infected with viruses. You need to be sure of the source! LeaderChip recommends these free and highly effective products to maintain the health of your computer: Anti-Vir, Spybot Search & Destroy and Malwarebytes. (Links to these free downloads are available at www.LeaderChip.com.)
Going one step beyond – The Router: It is essential that you realize how vulnerable you are to viruses and hackers without a router. If you are connecting through a high-speed connection without a router, you are virtually defenseless!
The e-world we live in today is a lot like the Wild West of yesteryear. Threats to your computer’s health and well-being are legion. The best way to survive is to find a knowledgeable and trustworthy resource. Incorporate some reasonable guidelines. Consider the risk before you click on links (resist that flashy ad). Don’t open email from unknown senders. Don’t click on attachments – not even ones forwarded by your dearest friend. His system could have sent you the e-mail and he didn’t even know.
The good guys continue to defend, and the bad guys continue to attack. Technology is evolving every day, and there is always something new to learn. What a world!
Published February 2009 - Venice Magazine www.VeniceMagazineOnline.com
Buying a new computer? This can be an overwhelming experience for the unprepared. You are bombarded with tons of letters and numbers describing this or that component. And you’re quite sure this information means something to someone…just not you! After all, you are a computer-user, not an IT professional.
The biggest challenge facing the non-geek who wants to understand computer hardware seems to be staying awake during the process. All that jargon makes our brain hurt! But a “nodding acquaintance” with computer hardware is not as hard to achieve as you might think. A little knowledge builds confidence and saves you money!
First order of business is to determine what you want a computer to do for you. If you’re like most people, you need Internet access. You send and receive e-mail, you bank and pay your bills, you shop, book airline tickets and hotel stays, and so on. You create text documents, spreadsheets, slide presentations, brochures and business cards for your home-based business. You view your digital pictures and videos, and need to be able to create DVDs/CDs. Well, there is good news…today’s computers are designed to meet these basic requirements! Don’t fall prey to industry hype aimed at getting you to part with more of your hard-earned money for something you don’t need. Of course, there are the growing numbers of devoted online “gamers” and those who use programs/games (such as flight simulation) which rely heavily on graphics. These folks have high expectations of their computer. They have serious processing and video requirements…and they need a serious budget.
Speaking of budgets…once you know what you expect from your computer, you need to establish how much you want to spend. This can be tricky. Remember the saying – “You get what you pay for!” Ah, the good old days. As consumers, we know that’s not always the case. In all things electronic, this is still largely true. The length of the warranty is a good indication of the manufacturer’s confidence in product life expectancy. As a rule of thumb, a three-year or lifetime warranty would indicate a good value. Ninety days or one year is, well…ninety days or one year. An extended warranty might not be a bad idea.
Your best bet is to buy a decent computer that does what you want it to do. If those needs don’t change, you won’t be shopping again next year…and you won’t be suffering from planned obsolescence nor bemoaning the repair and parts replacement costs. Beware of those computers that are very small. These computers are great to look at but the design is so special replacement parts are hard to find and can be very expensive to repair. PC computers of standard size can be repaired in almost any repair shop. Laptops are considered proprietary and parts will be expensive once your manufacturers warranty runs out.
And finally, where do you buy your PC? Many people ask who has the best computers. “Dell, Gateway or HP”?
To their credit, they have managed to build a computer that’s affordable for just about everyone! The problem arises after the sale. The “low-end” components are cheap and they often fail. Then you’re faced with their customer service departments – not always a satisfying experience. Another thing to bear in mind is the myriad “free” or “trial” software packages that come pre-loaded on your system. These little tag-alongs impact the performance of your brand new PC, right from the beginning.
How about a Macintosh? Great operating system…great machine. Unfortunately, it’s just plain difficult, if not impossible, to get local support. Software issues or training is not the biggest problem for the Mac owner. There are a few local techies who can help. The biggest challenge is finding a resource authorized to carry the replacement parts you may need.
How about your local super centers that sell computers?
After the sale service is again the biggest problem. You take your computer to the store, badly infected or in need of a new motherboard or hard drive. More often than not, they ship it to the repair facility. It can take as long as two to three weeks to get it back!
How about a locally owned and operated computer store? A couple of caveats here! Call the local Chamber of Commerce for a referral. Talk to your friends. Find a place that will create a system to meet your specifications, one that does repair work onsite and most important, one that has a reputation for excellent customer service.
Published March 2009 - Venice Magazine www.VeniceMagazineOnline.com
Lightning & Power Surges: One of the challenges we face living in Florida is damage to computer equipment by lightning. Even brief power surges can cause equipment failure. Household appliances such as air conditioners, washing machines, dryers, refrigerators, fluorescent lighting, copiers and even laser printers can be the source of these power surges within a home or office.
No matter what a manufacturer may claim, no surge suppressor can survive a direct lightning strike. After every rainstorm, people find their computers have been zapped by lightning. Power supplies fail, modems are zapped through the phone line or, in the worst case scenario, the surge runs through the equipment to damage the most critical devices in the computer with resulting data loss.
Be sure to protect all electronics with a good surge suppressor. An inexpensive suppressor will not protect as well as a high-end UPS (Uninterruptible Power Supply), but it's better than no protection at all.
What to look for when shopping for a surge suppressor? Joule rating is the answer! The higher the Joule rating, the better. The Joule rating indicates the suppressor's ability to absorb surges. However, surge suppressors do not last forever. Unfortunately, there is no way to predict exactly how long the protection will last.
It is recommended power strips be replaced every two months in the rainy season and again at the end of summer. This final summer replacement should last through the winter. (NOTE: A high-end UPS has a significantly longer life span as well as "Save and Shut Down" capability for unattended computers.)
The absolutely best protection is to unplug all connections from back of the computer and accessories. This includes power cable, phone line, printer, broadband connection (Cable/DSL) and monitors.
Published April 2009 - Venice Magazine www.VeniceMagazineOnline.com
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