Ged Rid Of Those Unwanted Electronics
Posted by admin on Apr 11, 2011
Spring is approaching, and it’s time to whisk away those dull, dark days of winter and celebrate the new season with a spotless home or office. So, go ahead, open the doors and windows and let the fresh air guide your rhythm, but be mindful that you’re not just cleaning up, you’re freeing up space too. Don’t simply dust over those old or unused items that have been sitting idle in your basement, storage room or garange. Chances are that if you haven’t used them all winter, it’s time for them to go. And let’s face it, that old television of DVD player isn’t going to fix itselft. Use it, or lose it.
Unwanted electronics can take up unnecessary space in your home or office and research shows that four out of fice Ontario households have at least one item they want to get rid of. If you can’t give them away, do the right thing for the environment and recycle them.
Electronics can contain hazardous materials such as batteries, mercury, lead, inks and toners, which must be properly handled and kept from needlessly contaminating landfills in Canada or overseas. Electronics also contain valuable materials, such as copper, aluminum and precious metals that can be recycled and used to manufacture new electronic products.
Ontario Electronic Stewardship (OES) is the not-for-profit organization responsible for implementing an electronic waste recycling program in Ontario. You can find an OES-approved drop-off location or event near you a www.recycleyourelectronics.ca, along with a full list of acceptable items. You can be confident that these once-treasured gadgets are being safely and responsibly handled, but more importantly you can reclaim all that space in your home or office as well.
This spring you can rid your space of unnecessary clutter, breathe easier and do the world a favour: recycle your electronics.
Six Tips for Banking Online More Securely
Posted by admin on Apr 6, 2011
Taken from PC World Magazine, March 2011 Edition
No guarantee exists that hackers won’t gain access to your accounts. But following these six precautions will significantly lower the risk.
1 – Install effective security softwarwe and keep it up-to-date.
2 – Be careful of the email. Someone may be phishing. Always go to the bank’s website, and log in… never click a link in an email.
3 – Don’t log on if the page isn’t secure. The URL should begin with https: rather than the more common http:.
4 – Use a strong password, using random strings of numbers and letters. Avoid words or names, and don’t let your browser save the password.
5 – Avoid public networks. Do not visit your online bank, a credit card company, or a retailer from any public WiFi network.
6 – Protect sensitive data using encryption.
Why Can’t I Open .DOCX Files?
Posted by admin on Mar 30, 2011
Taken from PC World Magazine, March 2011 Edition
With the introduction of Office 2007, Microsoft abandoned the age-old .doc format in favour of the newer .docx format. If you’re still using Word 2003 or an earlier version of the program (and many people are), you won’t be able to open .docx files without a little assistance. Likewise, the venerable .xls spreadsheet format gave way to .xlsx and PowerPoint .ppt files became .pptx files. Anyone using Office 2007 or 2010 is generating these kinds of files, which older versions of the Office applications can’t read.
What you need is the Microsoft Office Compatibility Pack for Word, Excel, and PowerPoint 2007 File Formats, available at find.pcworld.com/71116. (Not there’s a name that leaves no room for confusion).
Designed for use with Office 2000, XP and 2003, the downloadable add-on allows you to open, edit and save the newer file formats, seamlessly converting the files on the fly and in the background. Just make sure that your copy of Office is equipped with all of the latest updates from Microsoft before you install the Compatibility Pack.
Master Your E-Mail (Before it Masters You)
Posted by admin on Mar 28, 2011
Taken from PC World Magazine, March 2011 Edition
I field hundreds of incoming e-mail messages each day. Processing them – from opening the inbox to deciding which items to act on, which to file for reference, which to delete, and which to mark as spam – takes more than just time and energy. It takes planning. Here are some useful basic tactics to add to your e-mail strategy so you can tame your inbox and work more productively.
Rules to Put Digital Disasters in Perspective
Posted by admin on Mar 23, 2011
Taken from PC World Magazine, March 2011 Edition
Most of us love a good mystery, as long as we eventually find out who dunnit or, in the case of high-tech, how it’s done. Ultimately, we’re looking for a resolution – something that ties up the loose ends so that we don’t have to waste time noodling over the unknown.
Some mysteries, though, have no neat answer. Although verified by personal experience, these enigmas can’t be explained by physics, psychology, or even logic. When faced with such digital brain-twisters, we can toss them off with a shrug – or better yet, we can codify these conundrums into a set of rules, along the lines of Murphy’s Law.
Here, Nine Regrettable Rules of High-Tech Happenstance. Read ’em and weep.
Clean Your Laptop or Desktop LCD Properly
Posted by admin on Jan 11, 2011
Taken from PC World Magazine, January 2012 Edition
When it comes to cleaning an LCD screen, there’s a right way and a wrong way. Let’s focus on the right way. For starters, turn your monitor off. In fact, to eliminate any risk of shock or electrical damage, unplug it. (Better safe than sorry). This cleaning will involve some moisture, and the last thing you want is for liquid to contact anything powered. Dampen a clean, soft cloth (a paper towel will do, but it isn’t the best choice) with water. Don’t soak it – just moisten it. And don’t use anything other than water. Ammonia- and alcohol-based cleaners can ruin an LCD. If plain water doesn’t do the job, make a 50/50 solution of distilled water and white vinegar. If you decide to use a spray bottle, don’t spray directly on the screen. Instead, spray the water or solution onto the cloth, and then wipe the screen. Use a circular motion, which is best for eliminating streaks, and apply only light pressure. Finally, let the screen air dry for a few minutes, or gently wipe it dry with a fresh cloth. Only when you’re absolutely certain it’s 100% dry, plug it back in and turn it on.
ICS Note: We sell a bottle of pre-moistened cloths that are perfect for cleaning all your electronics – at only $10 per bottle!
Five Things You Didn’t Know About Computer Viruses
Posted by admin on Sep 15, 2010
Taken from Exchange Magazine, September 2010
One of the main reasons that computer viruses continue to spread across the internet is because the average comptuer user doesn’t know what to look for or how to avoid them. Some of the most common misconceptions are based on out-dated knowledge or simple misinformation. Here are a few things you should know:
Viruses don’t want to kill your computer. ~ The days of insidious viruses trying to render your computer nothing more than a glorified paper weight have come and gone. The primary objective now is to separate you from your hard earned money. To accomplish this, typically it’s in their best interest to leave your computer operational so they can go about their duty collecting your personal information or infecting other computers.
That email you got about “The Worst Virus Ever!!!” is a hoax. ~ It may even cite big corporations, news organizations and other trustworthy sources in in effort to convince you to forward the message on to everyone you know. But if it really was the worst virus ever, you probably would have heard about it directly from one of those sources, and not an email from your sister’s co-worker’s long lost high-school friend. While these are not typically the work of viruses or spammers, they can weaken spam filters and confuse the people who forward the message onward. (ICS Note: If you are unsure of the validity of any email, visit www.snopes.com and type in the email subject in their search engine.)
Fix Print Jobs with Stalled Printer Repair
Posted by admin on Aug 25, 2010
Taken from PC World Magazine, July, 2010
We had one laptop that suffered from a seriously annoying problem: Some times print jobs get stuck in the queue. I’m not sure if this is the result of a driver issue or if it happens because it was using a Wi-Fi connection to the printer – could be both. Even more vexing, Windows won’t let them delete the stuck print job, which blocks subsequent items from printing. (Talk about something that should have been fixed back in the XP days, Microsoft). Usually the only solutions is to reboot, and no one should have to endure that kind of hassle just to print a document.
Salvation! Stalled Printer Repair (find.pcworld.com/70059) is a free tool that detects and repairs stuck print jobs. Actually, it purges any stuck jobs it finds, meaning that you should be able to resume printing right away.
What I especially like about the utility is that it has nothing to install (if you download the .zip-file version that is): Just run the app, click Purge Print Jobs and you’re done. If you’ve been plagued by stick print jobs, I definitely recommend giving Stalled Printer Repair a try.
True or False: It’s Best To Leave Your PC Running 24/7
Posted by admin on Jul 17, 2008
Taken from PCWorld Magazine, August 2008 Edition
For a couple of decades now, various people – inlcuding a few otherwise-brilliant IT pros – have been telling people that it’s better to leave your PC running around the clock than to shut it off at night and boot it back up in the morning. If you never shut down your computer, the reasoning goes, you wills save wear and tear on your components and extend the life of your machine. Top tech types at HP, Seagate and other major companies do not know how this rumor was born. But they all agree on one thing: It’s bogus.
“If you don’t care at all about energy consumption, or your carbon footprint, then there’s no great downside to leaving your PC running”, says Ken Bosley, a 12-year veteran of HP’s Personal Systems Group who has spent years researching hard-drive reliability. “But you shouldn’t waste energy to extend the life of a computer by a very small amount.”
Bosley discounts the notion that shutting down and starting up a computers puts undue stress on the components, noting that most systems are retired because of obselescence, not because of hardware failure.
Always-on proponents cite hard-drive longevity in particular as a major reason never to shut down. But Seagate staff engineer Billy Ruddock says, “Turning off the system is usually best to prolong hard-drive life.” Unless you’re talking about servers, most computers’ hard disks are simply not designed for continuous operation.
Besides, Ruddock notes, “Windows operating systems execute various important housekeeping tasks during shutdown and startup – another very good reason for turning off a system.”
ICS Note: We suggest for business systems, that you leave the systems on, and turn off the monitor. That way, you can schedule maintenance tasks to run at night (ie. virus scan, defrag, etc.) For home systems, we recommend that you turn your systems off when you are not using them.
Why Is My E-mail Landing in Friend’s Spam Boxes?
Posted by admin on Mar 11, 2008
Taken from PC World Magazine, March 2008 edition
Some spelling checkers get suspicious when they see “cute” spellings or unusual characters inserted into words, so it’s best to avoid these. When possible, use your domain’s outgoing mail server. An outgoing server whose name doesn’t match your domain name raises a red flag, unless it’s a well-known one, like Gmail or Yahoo. Also, avoid links to graphics on the Web.
