Networking luncheon tomorrow

Tomorrow I am going to a lucheon hosted by a local networking group, Biznik. If you are a small business owner and want to have lunch with a bunch of other small business owners, come on over!

The luncheon will be at Alligator Soul on Broadway, in Everett, at 11:30. (You can find directions and a map at Biznik.com)

Hope to see you there.

Mac or PC?

Alot of people are asking these days "What about Macs?," "Should I get a Mac?" and similar questions.
The answer is "it depends;" it depends on what you want to do with your computer, how much you want to spend, and are you willing to unlearn and re-learn how to work with your computer.

If you want to play high-end video games (in addition to everyday use), you need a PC. If, however, you are(or plan to be) creative then you may be better off buying a Macintosh.
Be aware however, that Mac are 2-3 times as expensive as an average PC(an average PC that costs $600-700).

The reason Mac's are looking so much more attractive now than they have been is due in large part to the fact that the current Macs are compatible with PC hardware and that you are able to run Windows(Windows XP only) on a Mac at the same time the Mac operating system is running. Like a picture-in-picture TV.
This is called "running a virtual machine" and it means that with the addition of a small program, you can run Windows in a program window on the Mac desktop, and run any Windows program you have as if it were on a PC.
When you are using a virtual Windows, however, Windows XP is just as vulnerable to all the bad stuff it is normally vulnerable to, so you would need to have all the same anti-virus and other security programs installed in your virtual Windows.
The good news about having a "virtual machine" running Windows is that nothing that happens in the virtual machine(or VM, for short) window affects the host computer(the Mac). So if Windows XP should "blue screen," or otherwise crash, you would just close the program window that Windows is in and re-open it... to a fresh un-crashed Windows.

So, if you are wondering whether your next computer should be a Mac, consider:
price: more an investment than a purchase
usability: how hard will it be to use
compatibility: will it run the programs I already have
creativity: does my job, or my artisitic impulses justify having a better machine

Once you have considered all these things, go out and buy that Mac!
(and dont forget your virtual machine program!)

Your PC guy, Peter

For Earth Day

I thought I would talk about what to do with your old computer, or monitor or other electronics.

For computers, you can:
Take them to a reputable electronics recycler(one that doesnt ship them to China and dump them in a landfill),
Give them away; to friends, neighbors, kids or your favorite charity. They dont have to work; charities can use computers for vocational training(by teaching people how to assemble/disassemble them), or
Re-use the parts that can be re-used; this way the next computer is cheaper!

10 Things People Do That Mess Up Their Computers

Tech Republic has an article on the 10 things people do that hurt their computers. By following the link, you can read the full article.

Some of these are obvious, some are not.

#1: Plug into the wall without surge protection.

#2: Surf the Internet without a firewall.

#3: Neglect to run or update antivirus and anti-spyware programs.
#4: Install and uninstall lots of programs, especially betas.

#5: Keep disks full and fragmented.

#6: Open all attachments.

#7: Click on everything.

#8: Share and share alike.

#9: Pick the wrong passwords.

#10: Ignore the need for a backup and recovery plan.

As long as you don't do any of these things, you will be on the road to safer and happier computing.

Common methods of ID Theft

Everyone has heard of identity theft, but most people dont realize that ID theft is (mostly) plain, old-fashioned fraud with a spiffy new name that is scary.

Identity theft is still just theft. But how do these thieves get your identity in the first place?

The Post Office has published the most common ways ID thieves get your information.

Dumpster Diving: Rummaging through your trash. This is why you should shred every piece of mail or other papers that have you name, address, and any identifying information on them(phone numbers, account numbers, billing or credit card information, etc).

Skimming: Stealing your credit/debit card information by running it through a separate card reader while processing your card normally(at the ATM, or a restaurant where the server takes your card and comes back with it later).

Phishing: Fake emails that lure you into going to a scam or virus-laden website where you are convinced to give out your personal information.

Changing Your Address: Diverting your billing statements to another address by giving the Post Office a "change of address" form.

"Old-Fashioned" Stealing: Stealing wallets and purse; mail out of mailboxes; filling out pre-approved credit card offers; intercepting new checks or tax information. Thieves also steal records from their employers, or bribe employees who have access.

And lastly, Buying Customer Records From Credit Bureaus: Thieves will pretend to be legitimate businesses(who buy and sell your information daily as just another way to make money) and then buy your records from your bank or credit reporting agencies, even from government agencies.

Now that you know the most common ways thieves and fraudsters get your identity, you can better protect it.

When to format

It is hard to know, while working on a computer, when to give up and format the hard drive.

I worked on a customer's computer recently and spent several hours without coming to a successful conclusion. Thinking about it now, I realize that it would have been faster, and more satisfactory to the customer, to, once the normal methods of problem-solving had been exhausted, save all of the customer's irreplaceable data and format the hard drive and then re-install Windows.
The problem I faced was that Windows was functioning normally, mostly, and the Internet connection was stable, mostly. Even with the few minor viruses gotten rid of, the problem lingered. With this type of situation, it is easy to think "Well, it must be a virus, or spyware, or this, or that..." and keep looking for something concrete that you can say "This is the problem!" and once you get rid of that thing, all will be right with the computer.
But, the problem with that is you get stuck in a rut and can't think of other solutions to the problem. Which is what happened to me, leading to customer dissatisfaction.

So, now I think that if I have spent two hours or so diagnosing and scanning for the most common resolutions to the problem and have not found a solution, then it is probably time to backup all irreplaceable data (all the stuff you dont want to lose) and consider re-installing Windows(by formatting the hard drive).

Different people, geeks, repairmen, technicians, will all have different ideas about this, but I think this is the most workable answer to the question "Should I keep trying to fix the problem or is it faster to format the hard drive (and re-install Windows)."

After all, they're paying me for the time spent and if it is faster to start over, then that is what I should do, isnt it?

Tulips!

I'm not doing a regular blog post today, because I am going up to see the tulips in the Skagit Valley.

Right now it is the annual Tulip Festival; so I am going while I can.

See you later this week with more computer goodness.

Three weeks later...

...and alot of tomorrows. Things got really busy for a bit, but I'm back and on to Step Three.

OK, you've decided what to buy and you've bought it; Step Two A is... wait. In a few days your parts will arrive. (if you bought them at a store, you already have them.)

Step Three: Arrival. Once you have your parts, inspect them. (If you bought them at a store, you already know what you have.) Make sure that what is on the packing/shipping list is what you bought and is what is actually in the box.

If there is a discrepancy, follow the directions you were given on how to return items or how to contact the reseller.

Make a clean work area that you can spread the parts out on. A large desktop (or workbench) that is clean of papers and other objects is best. A kitchen counter can also work, or you can use the top of a bed as a last resort. If you use a bed, spread a clean light-colored bed sheet across the bed so that you can see all the parts and screws.

Step Four: Pre-Assembly. Once you have your work surface ready, lay out out your parts in the order in you will need them.
Case and the parts that came with it.
Motherboard and its attendant parts.
CPU and fan
RAM
Hard drive(s)
Video and sound card(s)
Optical drive(s) - These are CD and/or DVD drives.
Additional optional hardware such as additional case fans, watercooling, etc.

Unfortunately, I did not have the time to photograph the system I was building so I could demonstrate the process of assembly.

Next time, hopefully I will have more time, and I will revisit the actual steps of the assembly process.

As for Steps 5, 6, and 7, they are Assembly, Installing the OS and Finishing Up.
I will address these in the next posting.