Segment 1
Conficker virus starts to be active: http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2345917,00.asp
Last week's poll: http://jdany.freepolls.com/cgi-bin/pollresults/033
Discussion about the price of Macs vs. PCs
This week's poll: are you energy concious: http://jdany.freepolls.com/cgi-bin/pollresults/034
Segment 2
More talk about macs vs PCs, gamers don't use Macs.
Discussion about facebook and twitter.
Segment 3
Caller 1
--talking about how he uses MySpace to promote bands and festivals
Caller 2
Q: calling from Florida, can receive mail but can't send email, he is using Armstrong
A: if you are out of state, you might not be able to send out email because it is only for local customers.
Caller 3
Q: cleaned up my computer from a virus, but explorer.exe is not starting,
A: try making a new profile, see if that new profile works, otherwise is might be a registry problem
Caller 4
Q: computer does not want to start up this morning
A: do some basic troubleshooting, but it sounds like a blown power supply
Caller 5
--you can send mail through Armstrong's web mail service
Caller 6
Q: my laptop cannot connect to the internet unless I place it next to the router
A: it seems that your computer for some reason is trying to connect to another wireless network that happens to be stronger at your location. try removing all wireless profiles and renaming your wireless network
Caller 7
Q: the computer seems to take 15 minutes to get into windows, has a weird "USBd" message
A: you will probably need to bring that in to check it out
Segment 4
Update on the Niles store: AT&T did not show up to hook up service, so we cancelled and went with VOIP from Time-Warner
Will have a boot camp for novices probably first weekend of May at the new store.
Saturday, April 25, 2009
Saturday, April 18, 2009
Youngstown Computer Show Notes for April 18 2009
Segment 1
Last show's poll: http://jdany.freepolls.com/cgi-bin/pollresults/032, it was the biggest response of any poll so far, what won was fines equal to damages.
The fallout of the conficker virus. Paralells between cybercrimes and real-world crimes.
Segment 2
This week's poll: http://jdany.freepolls.com/cgi-bin/pollresults/033, why don't you own a Mac?
Facebook to make money? http://reviews.cnet.com/8301-18438_7-10222191-82.html
Pirate Bay got busted: http://www.dn.se/kultur-noje/musik/fredrik-soderling-the-pirate-bay-sentence-is-surprisingly-harsh-1.846920
Psystar - selling Mac clones: http://www.engadget.com/2009/04/16/psystar-open-3-manages-to-ship-gets-unboxed-by-lucky-customer/
Segment 3
Caller 1
Q: trying to replace hard drive, but it won't recognize the new hard drive
A: try a different cable, or try a different machine, sounds like a bigger problem, so call the office
New office shaping up in Niles: 25 Main st.
Caller 2
Q: my computer is running really slow, I tried to reinstall windows with the restore CD, but it does not seem to "accept it"
A: first, try to see if it really is infected, check the process list to see what is taking up too much CPU. you can also try to hit F12 when you boot up, to choose what device to boot from
Caller 3
Q: on my laptop, I can't get it to power up, the power light flashes 3 times
A: you did all the right steps, it sounds like the video card is shot
What is Ian's last name? Bergmeyer, or Bergie!
Caller 4
Q: can't delete messages on Gmail?? on an iMac?
A: the old web browser on OS9 is probably not supported anymore, there is a slower HTML-only version that might work
Segment 4
We are big fans of Firefox, there is an add-in called IE tabs, that allows you to run IE in a tab for sites that won't work with Firefox. https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/1419
Macs are not immune, there appears to be a Mac botnet: http://www.macworld.co.uk/news/index.cfm?newsid=25756
Still looking for a new tech for the Niles store, please send resumes to joe@youngstowncomputer.com
Last show's poll: http://jdany.freepolls.com/cgi-bin/pollresults/032, it was the biggest response of any poll so far, what won was fines equal to damages.
The fallout of the conficker virus. Paralells between cybercrimes and real-world crimes.
Segment 2
This week's poll: http://jdany.freepolls.com/cgi-bin/pollresults/033, why don't you own a Mac?
Facebook to make money? http://reviews.cnet.com/8301-18438_7-10222191-82.html
Pirate Bay got busted: http://www.dn.se/kultur-noje/musik/fredrik-soderling-the-pirate-bay-sentence-is-surprisingly-harsh-1.846920
Psystar - selling Mac clones: http://www.engadget.com/2009/04/16/psystar-open-3-manages-to-ship-gets-unboxed-by-lucky-customer/
Segment 3
Caller 1
Q: trying to replace hard drive, but it won't recognize the new hard drive
A: try a different cable, or try a different machine, sounds like a bigger problem, so call the office
New office shaping up in Niles: 25 Main st.
Caller 2
Q: my computer is running really slow, I tried to reinstall windows with the restore CD, but it does not seem to "accept it"
A: first, try to see if it really is infected, check the process list to see what is taking up too much CPU. you can also try to hit F12 when you boot up, to choose what device to boot from
Caller 3
Q: on my laptop, I can't get it to power up, the power light flashes 3 times
A: you did all the right steps, it sounds like the video card is shot
What is Ian's last name? Bergmeyer, or Bergie!
Caller 4
Q: can't delete messages on Gmail?? on an iMac?
A: the old web browser on OS9 is probably not supported anymore, there is a slower HTML-only version that might work
Segment 4
We are big fans of Firefox, there is an add-in called IE tabs, that allows you to run IE in a tab for sites that won't work with Firefox. https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/1419
Macs are not immune, there appears to be a Mac botnet: http://www.macworld.co.uk/news/index.cfm?newsid=25756
Still looking for a new tech for the Niles store, please send resumes to joe@youngstowncomputer.com
Friday, April 10, 2009
25 Golden Rules of E-mail
Before there was the web, there was e-mail. Some people still haven't figured it out. Here's a list of 25 things that you should know about e-mail.
http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2344692,00.asp
http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2344692,00.asp
Saturday, April 04, 2009
Youngstown Computer Show Notes for April 4 2009
Segment 1
Last week's poll: http://jdany.freepolls.com/cgi-bin/pollresults/031
This week's poll: http://jdany.freepolls.com/cgi-bin/pollresults/032 What should be done with virus authors?
Chat room today! See link on website http://www.youngstowncomputer.com/chat.htm
The conficker virus did not do any damage on April 1st, despite the hype.
Caller 1
Q: computer tech that came to fix my computer, removed mcaffee and put on avast. is this a problem?
A: avast is not bad, if you control your behavior, you will be ok. norton 2009 seems to be the best right now.
Segment 2
Talking about different anti-virus products to use in different situations
Caller 2
Q: his friend has DSL but cannot connect. what can they do?
A: you have to run the setup CD first to activate the modem, so check that first. then check to see if the filters are correctly installed
Caller 3
Q: has a dial-up connection, got SP2 from her daughter, how can I do SP3?
A: SP3 is going to be larger, so you should have someone else download it for you
Q: any news about more broadband to rural areas?
A: the costs are higher, maybe when they start rolling out 4G networks, the president also has broadband plans
Caller 4
Q: got a flash drive full, so I moved off the pictures, but the system still says it is full, yet there are no files appearing
A: there might be some hidden files, the quickest way is to just format the drive
Segment 3
Status report on new niles office, looking for a new computer tech
Caller 5
Q: should I leave a computer off after a few hours of use, then turn it on later on in the day?
A: it is just a matter of personal perference, recommend to let the computer go into sleep mode during periods of no use
Q: any notes about IE8? it seems to take a long time to load, of course I have an older P4 1.5Ghz
A: Ian seems to like it ok, it seems faster than IE7
adam asks should we download IE8 now? Ian kind of likes it, it is more standards compliant.
Caller 6
Q: some software is not running unless I take off the "spyware"?
A: some anti-virus software does block some internet access software like web cams, so you might have to disable your anti-spryware to have the webcam work
In Europe, the people blocked the Google street view. You can have pictures removed from streetview if you submit a complaint, so it is easy enough to protect your privacy. http://www.engadget.com/2009/04/03/angry-british-villagers-block-google-street-view-car-incident-c/
Segment 4
when you run a conficker removal tool on vista, you need to run as admin
Caller 7
Q: I tried this removal tool, but it seemed to be running too long
A: it might run about 45 minutes
Q: on AOL dial-up, for some reason, it says we are always not protected, we have to always click "to fix"
A: you probably should upgrade to a better product like norton 2009
Caller 8
Q: got a umbuntu dual boot system, the initial install was ok, but it is not stable, can I change the default boot to XP instead?
A: in the system, administration, there should be a option for the boot manager, then you can tell which partition to be the default.
Last week's poll: http://jdany.freepolls.com/cgi-bin/pollresults/031
This week's poll: http://jdany.freepolls.com/cgi-bin/pollresults/032 What should be done with virus authors?
Chat room today! See link on website http://www.youngstowncomputer.com/chat.htm
The conficker virus did not do any damage on April 1st, despite the hype.
Caller 1
Q: computer tech that came to fix my computer, removed mcaffee and put on avast. is this a problem?
A: avast is not bad, if you control your behavior, you will be ok. norton 2009 seems to be the best right now.
Segment 2
Talking about different anti-virus products to use in different situations
Caller 2
Q: his friend has DSL but cannot connect. what can they do?
A: you have to run the setup CD first to activate the modem, so check that first. then check to see if the filters are correctly installed
Caller 3
Q: has a dial-up connection, got SP2 from her daughter, how can I do SP3?
A: SP3 is going to be larger, so you should have someone else download it for you
Q: any news about more broadband to rural areas?
A: the costs are higher, maybe when they start rolling out 4G networks, the president also has broadband plans
Caller 4
Q: got a flash drive full, so I moved off the pictures, but the system still says it is full, yet there are no files appearing
A: there might be some hidden files, the quickest way is to just format the drive
Segment 3
Status report on new niles office, looking for a new computer tech
Caller 5
Q: should I leave a computer off after a few hours of use, then turn it on later on in the day?
A: it is just a matter of personal perference, recommend to let the computer go into sleep mode during periods of no use
Q: any notes about IE8? it seems to take a long time to load, of course I have an older P4 1.5Ghz
A: Ian seems to like it ok, it seems faster than IE7
adam asks should we download IE8 now? Ian kind of likes it, it is more standards compliant.
Caller 6
Q: some software is not running unless I take off the "spyware"?
A: some anti-virus software does block some internet access software like web cams, so you might have to disable your anti-spryware to have the webcam work
In Europe, the people blocked the Google street view. You can have pictures removed from streetview if you submit a complaint, so it is easy enough to protect your privacy. http://www.engadget.com/2009/04/03/angry-british-villagers-block-google-street-view-car-incident-c/
Segment 4
when you run a conficker removal tool on vista, you need to run as admin
Caller 7
Q: I tried this removal tool, but it seemed to be running too long
A: it might run about 45 minutes
Q: on AOL dial-up, for some reason, it says we are always not protected, we have to always click "to fix"
A: you probably should upgrade to a better product like norton 2009
Caller 8
Q: got a umbuntu dual boot system, the initial install was ok, but it is not stable, can I change the default boot to XP instead?
A: in the system, administration, there should be a option for the boot manager, then you can tell which partition to be the default.
Youngstown Computer Show Notes for Mar 28, 2009
Segment 1
Last week's poll: http://jdany.freepolls.com/cgi-bin/pollresults/030
This week's poll: How much do you rely on email? http://jdany.freepolls.com/cgi-bin/pollresults/031
Caller 1
Q: can't get the start menu, or start page, when I click on "owner" to log in, nothing happens
A: hold down F5 to go into safe mode, then see if things work, it can get complicated if things are really messed up, then you should go to get the computer serviced.
Phone poll: when you call in, we will ask you if you are exclusively cell phone, or voip, or land-line
Segment 2
article from John C. Dvorak: email is dead? http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2343209,00.asp
1. ever-changing address
2. spam
3. empty box?
4. email tourist
5. useless filter
Computer pranks for April fools
- try hitting Ctrl-alt-down to flip the screen upside down
Caller 2
Q: have anti-virus for his apple, but it has run out. anything to get?
A: we will check with Ian to see what he reccommends
Q: to clean, use disk utility, repairing permissions, is there a way to get rid of temp files
A: try just going and clearing the cache in the internet browser
Caller 3
Q: when I plugged in the magic jack, MacAffe it said I was not protected, it said the "register" is open?
A: you do have to open your firewall to let magic jack work
Segment 3
virus to execute on April 1? conficker
To protect yourself:
1. turn off autoplay, that will stop the virus from spreading
2. make sure you have the latest patches from windows update
3. get an anti-virus software
4. and make sure it has the updated definitions
another prank
- mess up the auto-correct settings in Word or other word processor on your co-worker's machine
Caller 4
Q: I got a message from verizon breifcase, it is going away, what does this mean?
A: it sounds like you have some sort of on-line backup, run a restore to a local drive to get your files off of there, then you can cancel it.
Segment 4
Caller 5
Q: the battery for my laptop doesn't hold a charge, it that a problem with the battery
A: it seems a little soon for the battery to go, but that is what happens eventually
Caller 6
Q: talking about techonolgies
Paul Pantone - fuel technology
Rex research
Tesla Tech
A: we will look into those
http://kineticresume.com/: try out to make your resume to network yourself
another prank:
- download clippy prank program, make your own text file with questions to have clippy ask
http://www.youngstowncomputer.com/files/clippy.zip
Last week's poll: http://jdany.freepolls.com/cgi-bin/pollresults/030
This week's poll: How much do you rely on email? http://jdany.freepolls.com/cgi-bin/pollresults/031
Caller 1
Q: can't get the start menu, or start page, when I click on "owner" to log in, nothing happens
A: hold down F5 to go into safe mode, then see if things work, it can get complicated if things are really messed up, then you should go to get the computer serviced.
Phone poll: when you call in, we will ask you if you are exclusively cell phone, or voip, or land-line
Segment 2
article from John C. Dvorak: email is dead? http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2343209,00.asp
1. ever-changing address
2. spam
3. empty box?
4. email tourist
5. useless filter
Computer pranks for April fools
- try hitting Ctrl-alt-down to flip the screen upside down
Caller 2
Q: have anti-virus for his apple, but it has run out. anything to get?
A: we will check with Ian to see what he reccommends
Q: to clean, use disk utility, repairing permissions, is there a way to get rid of temp files
A: try just going and clearing the cache in the internet browser
Caller 3
Q: when I plugged in the magic jack, MacAffe it said I was not protected, it said the "register" is open?
A: you do have to open your firewall to let magic jack work
Segment 3
virus to execute on April 1? conficker
To protect yourself:
1. turn off autoplay, that will stop the virus from spreading
2. make sure you have the latest patches from windows update
3. get an anti-virus software
4. and make sure it has the updated definitions
another prank
- mess up the auto-correct settings in Word or other word processor on your co-worker's machine
Caller 4
Q: I got a message from verizon breifcase, it is going away, what does this mean?
A: it sounds like you have some sort of on-line backup, run a restore to a local drive to get your files off of there, then you can cancel it.
Segment 4
Caller 5
Q: the battery for my laptop doesn't hold a charge, it that a problem with the battery
A: it seems a little soon for the battery to go, but that is what happens eventually
Caller 6
Q: talking about techonolgies
Paul Pantone - fuel technology
Rex research
Tesla Tech
A: we will look into those
http://kineticresume.com/: try out to make your resume to network yourself
another prank:
- download clippy prank program, make your own text file with questions to have clippy ask
http://www.youngstowncomputer.com/files/clippy.zip
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