Online Office Apps
Posted by admin on Mar 17, 2011
Taken from PC World Magazine, February 2011 Edition
Over the past few years, Web-based office suites have grown from humble roots to become tools that nearly match the flexibility and features of full-blown desktop apps. Google has led the way in this burgeoning category with its popular Docs family of programs, though rival Zoho offers a broader, easier-to-use, and more sophisticated suite. But while most online suites have slightly kludgy interfaces that come with their share of quirks, Microsoft’s introduction of Web Apps with Office 2010 offers the familiar, refined interface you already know, directly integrating a desktop suite that outstrips all online competitors.
Most people rely so heavily on their word processors and spreadsheets that it’s difficult to depend on a solely cloud-based system. Microsoft’s version of a cloud offering – Office Web Apps (free at find.pcworld.com/71083) – provides the best of both worlds. Combined with Office, the apps allow you to work in a robust desktop suite as well as to store, access and edit your documents online.
If you’re a Gmail user and your needs are modest, Google Docs (free at docs.google.com) is a highly serviceable secondary choice. It suffers from quirky formatting and compatibility issues with Microsoft Office files, but its integration with Gmail makes it worth a try.
Set Your Default E-Mail Client to Gmail, Hotmail or Yahoo Mail
Posted by admin on Mar 14, 2011
Taken from PC World Magazine, February 2011 Edition
If you use a web-based e-mail client such as Gmail or Yahoo Mail, you’ve likely encountered this hassle before: You click a ‘mail to’ link on a Web page, and then watch while Windows tries to open Outlook, Windows Live Mail or some other desktop program you don’t use and have not configured. Error messages (and possibly cursing) ensue.
You could jump through various hoops to configure Windows, your browser, or both to direct such e-mail links to the proper destination (to Gmail say), but why bother? I’ve found a small, simply utility – GmailDefaultMaker (find. pcworld.com/71071) – that will do the hoop-jumping on your behalf.
Just run the free program and choose the default e-mail service you want: Gmail, Hotmail or Yahoo. (Yes, the program needs a name change.) Then go about your business. It’s that easy.
Now, whenever you click a ‘mail to’ link, you’ll land in the proper Web client, not in an unwated desktop program.
Dad creates program to limit internet use
Posted by admin on Feb 11, 2011
Taken from Guelph etcetera, February 10, 2011 edition
Software developer James Alexander is no longer public enemy No. 1 in the eyes of his kids. A groundhog is now in their crosshairs. Tired of trying to coax, coerce and kick his kids off the internet, Alexander developed a program that boots them off on his behalf. It took Alexander nearly a year to perfect the program Groundhog, an application that limits internet use.
The application allows parents to limit a child’s internet access to a specified amount of time. Once the child has used their alloted time, the application cuts the connection to the internet. The program also has an optional “blank screen” effect, which renders not just the internet but the entire computer useless.
The program has a “parent mode” which allows the parent to override the program with their own login. Each child receives their own user name and password, allowing each to have their own allotted time of use. Alexander said he’s noticed his two teenage kids using the computer for more practical reasons, such as homework, rather than games and chatting. “Up until now, it was used as an entertainment box. Can you blame a kid for spending time on the computer? They’re fabulous and wonderful boxes,” Alexander said. “All of a sudden it changed.”
Groundhog is a free application, available at www.mediavention.com. The program is only available to PC users.
Free and Paid Antivirus Compared
Posted by admin on Dec 29, 2010
Taken from PC World Magazine, January 2011 Edition
Depending on whom you ask, paying for antivirus software is either a good (even necessary) investment, or a total rip-off. But you can find plenty of reasons to choose a free program or a paid antivirus program.
#1 Paid Anitivirus Program – Norton Antivirus 2011 based on best detection of malware and a very good interface.
Price: $70 per year for 3 PCs or $40 per year for 1 pC
#2 Paid Antivirus Program – BitDefender Antivirus Pro 2011 has a better interface but not as good at detection of malware.
Price: $40 per year for 3 PCs
#3 Paid Antivirus Program – Avast Pro Antivirus 5 finds most malware but does not have a great interface.
Price: $40 per year for 1 PC
#1 Free Antivirus Program – Avast Free Antivirus based on its speed and interface.
#2 Free Antivirus Program – Avira Antivir Personal has a better detection rate, but needs a makover of the interface.
#3 Free Antivirus Program – Microsoft Security Essentials is fast and has a nice interface, but sometimes needs help blocking all infections.
Essentially, all antivirus programs are only as good as their updates. Keep your operating system, antivirus program, and all other applications up-to-date all the time… and run a full scan at least once a week. There is always a “window of opportunity” from the time when a new malware is identified and the software is patched to detect and remove it. No software is better at protecting your system than smart surfing – don’t go to websites or open email attachments that you do no trust.
Browser Blow Out
Posted by admin on Oct 10, 2010
Taken from PC World Magazine, September 2010 Edition
Of all the software on your PC, the Web browser may be the most important tool you use each day – but you may not give it much thought. The difference between a merely good browser and a great one, however, can be vast. The best browsers are thost that stay out of your way: When you’re in the right browser, you feel as though you’re alone with your favourite site. The browser loads pages quickly, without crashing, and it can deftly handle any Web page you visit without prompting you to do anything extra.
Editor’s note… this is just a summary of the findings, please visit the PC World site for the full article.
Best Interface: Chrome
Best Security: Chrome
Best Extensions: Firefox
Best Javascript Handling: Chrome
Best Page Loading: Chrome
All five of the Web browsers we looked at for this roundup are free, so it never hurts to experiment with a different one. But jumping from browser to browser has one hidden cost: your time. It can take a while to set up a browser to appear and behave just the way you like it. With that in mind, if we had to select only one browser, Chrome would be our top recommendation. We like Chrome for its clean and friendly interface, good performance, and strong security. It covers all the basics for most users, and it offers plenty of customization for power users.
There’s no Better Time to Migrate to Windows 7 and Server 2008
Posted by admin on Oct 6, 2010
Taken from CRN Canada, September 2010 Edition
In the last few months, Windows XP SP2, Windows Vista RTM, Windows 2000 Professional and Windows Server 2000 all reached the end of their support lifecycles – this means there will be no further security updates, patches, or hotfixes for these releases.
Microsoft strongly recommends that customers still running these legacy operating systems migrate to the latest versions or a supported service pack. in order to continue receiving security and hotfix updates and product support. Not doing so leaves PCs and servers at risk.
For most organizations, a desktop OS migration can impact and-users, the applications and hardware they rely on to be productive, and the back-end IT infrastructure supporting operations. This is an important decision for Canadian organizations that need to maintain secure environments, and it is a process in which partners can play a key role.
Organizations have a number of options, and it’s vital that they understand that not choosing to migrate to a supported OS could lead to problems down the road. Businesses that continue to use older, unsupported operating systems may incur unforseen costs related to mounting technical support issues. To avoid this, and ensure their PCs remain secure and operate a peak performance, they need to take action.
Research Says Crooks Target Users, Not OSs
Posted by admin on Sep 29, 2010
Taken from PCWorld Magazine, August 2010
Who has the safest operating system? Apple? Google? Microsoft? According to one security expert, what really matters is who’s using the OS.
“Microsoft doesn’t have a monopoly on all the technical vulnerabilities that are out there,” says Zulfikar Ramzan, technical director of Symantec Security Response. Today’s online criminals are far more likely to target user behaviour. “You don’t need as many technical skills to find one person who might be willing, in a moment of weakness, to open up an attachment that contains malicious content,” says Ramzan.
Currently, only about 3 percent of the malware that Symantec encounters exploits a technical flaw. The other 97 percent is either “piggybacking on that 3 percent” or more likely trying to trick a user through some type of social engineering scheme, according to Ramzan.
No computer or operating system is 100 percent secure, of course. “People have tried to attack Microsoft’s products because of the [huge] market share,” Ramzan says. But if Google’s upcoming Chrome OS takes off in the business and consumer markets, it will have a big target on its back too.
Microsoft’s Web Apps
Posted by admin on Sep 8, 2010
Taken from PC World Magazine, July 2010
It should come as no great surprise that the initial foray by Microsoft into Web-based Office applications has produced skeptical shadows of the company’s desktop offerings. Even if you have great bandwidth, the best apps available on the Web can’t really match the rich functionality and speed of Office’s robust and mature desktop programs.
You can, at least, create new Word, Excel, PowerPoint and OneNote documents online, via the Office menu item that appears on your Windows Live home page when the apps launch. And saving items to SkyDrive, the repository in Windows Live, is a straightforward, one-click affair in the Backstage viewof the 2010 apps.
The new version of Hotmail provides Web-app support, as well: Users will be able to open and view Office-format attachments in the browser (avoiding the download step previsouly required to open the files in a desktop app). You can edit Office XML documents in the browser too; Hotmail offers to convert non-XML docs if you try to edit them. Of course, you’ll still have the desktop option if you want more functionality.
The other benefit of Microsoft’s Web apps is that they don’t break Office formatting. Whataver changes you make to a file on the Web, you’re unlikely to be surprised by the results when you bring th file to your desktop. Given the formatting issues that often arise with Office docs in rival Web apps, this is no small achievement.
We at ICS predict that the largest users of Microsoft Office Web Apps is home users who really don’t need all the features in the desktop versions, and do not require the programs enough to purchase them. We are proud of Microsoft for offering a free version of their previously expensive Office suite.
XP Mode in Windows 7
Posted by admin on Dec 15, 2009
First of all, you should know that XP Mode is only part of Windows 7 Professoinal or Ultimate. If you have the Home Premium version, you will have to look at other virtualized XP options (see the end of the article)
There are pros and cons to using XP Mode, but if you do your homework properly, it can be a real life saver. You may have a program that only works in XP, and there is no update for it yet. We have found that many industry-specific programs have not make the leap to Vista or Windows 7 yet.
XP Mode Advantages…
– It allows you to run XP apps on Windows 7
– It allows you to run multiple versions of incompatible software
– It is integrated and launches seamlessly
– It provides a way to run 32-bit apps on a 64-bit operating system
– You can easily delete it and reinstall it (in case of a virus infection)
– Windows XP License is automatically included
XP Mode Limitations…
– It is resource intensive (uses lots of CPU and RAM)
– It needs a CPU with virtualization technology
– It is slow… up to a minute or two to launch the first time
XP Mode Alternatives…
– Virtual PC 2007 from Microsoft
– xVM Virtual Box from Sun
– VMWare
To use any of the above alternatives, you will require an XP License and installation CD to get it up and running. One benefit is that these programs will allow for multiple installations of XP (or older Windows versions) and even Linux.
Of course, if this project seems a bit out of your technical realm, please feel free to bring in your system and we can do it for you. We can even help you decide what solutions is the best for you.
Speed up the Internet with OpenDNS
Posted by admin on Jul 9, 2009
OpenDNS is a replacement DNS server for your computer or router. In a nutshell, DNS is the phone book for the Internet. It translates an internet address (www.icscomputers.ca) into a routable IP address, which your computer then uses to navigate the Internet. Each time you visit a new website, a DNS query is issued in the background, and you’re none the wiser. Internet service providers supply DNS to all their customers, but these servers tend to be overpopulated. Generally, the OpenDNS server is faster and more stable than the one provided by your ISP.
Change your current DNS settings to…
Primary: 208.67.222.222
Secondary: 208.67.220.220
Each operating system and router is different, so it is difficult to put how-to instructions in the post. Sorry.
