Your computer needs regular maintenance

No matter how new your computer is, there are still routine tasks you need to do to keep it working properly. They don't take long to do and they can make quite a difference to how quickly and smoothly your computer operates. You can even automate these tasks, so once they're set, you can forget about them.
 
Rather than giving you all the details here, I've got a document for each of the Windows operating systems that you can download or print. Just go to the Downloads and Free Stuff page on my blog and you can download the Routine Maintenance instructions for either Windows 7, Vista or XP.

 
If you're wondering about the name in the footer of some of the documents on my blog - Peninsula Computer Training - that's my business. I also use this blog as a place for my students to come to download additional training material or other notes that relate to their courses.

Send an email attachment from the file

Here’s a time saving tip for when you need to attach a file (photo, document etc) to an email. 

Instead of opening your email client, typing the message, and then going through the process of locating and attaching a file, you can bypass a few of these steps by starting the whole process from the file you want to attach to your message.

1. Find the file you want to attach to your email, no matter where it is located on your computer. 
2. Right click on the file’s name or icon
3. Click Send To
4. Click Mail Recipient

A new mail message will be created in your default email client, with the file attached and ready to send.  Your email client doesn't open, just the new message screen.  All you need to do is add the recipient’s email address, change the subject if you like, and add your message.

This tip works in Windows XP, Vista and Windows 7.

Pinterest via RSS Feed

There are some users on Pinterest whose Pins I am always repining.  We just seem to have the same interests and taste in things I love.  I’ve just found a way of viewing just their pins so I don’t miss any – instead of going to Pinterest I can view their pins via their Pinterest RSS feed. 

Everyone with a Pinterest account has a Pinterest RSS feed – http://pinterest.com/username/feed.rss.  For example, my Techie Mum Pinterest account feed is pinterest.com/techiemum/feed.rss. 

Each individual board also has a feed:  pinterest.com/username/board/rss, so my blogging board’s RSS feed address is pinterest.com/techiemum/blogging.rss

Tip:  Just add .rss to the address that appears on the address bar of your browser when you’re visiting the Pinterest board you want.

Once you know the RSS feed address you can add those feeds to whichever RSS reader you use.

I mix mine between Google Reader and Outlook.  For posts that are primarily text I use Outlook and have them delivered by email, and for blogs, and now Pinterest, I use Google Reader.  

Once you’ve subscribed to the RSS feed it will appear in your reader as it would a blog post.  Here’s what it looks like in Google Reader.

I keep my Blog subscriptions organised in a folder, and now I’ve created a folder for Pinterest subscriptions too.

If you click on an image in your feed it will take you to that Pin in Pinterest – so you can then repin it. 

If you love spending hours on Pinterest you may not see any value in also having streams of Pinterest pins in your Reader as well.  Besides making sure you don’t miss any pins by your favourites, there are some other instances when it may come in handy.  Maybe you don’t want everyone knowing that you follow a particular user; or you want to keep track of what your competition is pinning.

Is this something you’d use?

What to do with your old computer or phone

You’ve just bought a lovely new computer or maybe a new printer or smartphone; now what do you do with the old one?  You could give it to a relative or friend, but what if you don’t have anyone to give it to?

Kimbriki Resource Recovery Centre

In 2011 Australians bought 2.4 million new computers.  1.6 million old computers were sent to landfill; and do you know what’s going to happen to them?  As they break down over time, dangerous toxins will leach into the groundwater, contaminating soil, waterways and eventually, our children.

What toxins are we talking about?  An old cathode ray tube (CRT) monitor contains more than two kilograms of lead – and children are particularly susceptible to the effects of lead poisoning. 

A computer contains mercury, phosphor, barium, cadmium, hexavalent chromium, beryllium and bromated flame retardants.  The electronic components within the computer are made up of copper, iron, silicon, nickel and gold.  They are valuable raw materials, which are lost when computers are dumped into landfill.

So, dumping that old computer is not such a good idea.  Last year 800,000 old computers were put into storage – to join the 5.3 million already stacked away in garages and spare rooms all over Australia.  What’s going to happen to all those computers?  Most likely they’ll end up in landfill, too.

What are your options if you have an old computer or other hardware that either doesn’t work or you no longer want, and you want to be environmentally responsible? 

In May this year the National Television and Computer Recycling Scheme was launched. It is a computer and TV industry funded scheme working in conjunction with the federal and state governments.  The idea behind the scheme is that any company that makes or imports TVs and computers into Australia will be responsible for the recycling of their products when they have reached the end of their life.  Free collection points for used TVs and computers will be set up around the country over the next five years.  Once collected, the products will be recycled.  It will be the responsibility of the owner of the products to deliver them to the collection points. 

So far, only a few collection points have been established - two in the ACT, one in NSW, four in South Australia and nine in Victoria.  Details are here  

What can you do with your old hardware before this scheme starts?

Most local councils are no longer collecting ewaste in their garbage collections, but they do offer some alternatives.  They may have an e-waste collection event during the year, or, if you live near your local tip or recycling centre you may be able to deliver your old hardware there for recycling.  Check with your local council for what’s available in your area.

Printer cartridges

Use the 'Cartridges 4 Planet Ark' program to recycle printer cartridges. There are collection bins at all Officeworks and JB Hi-Fi stores, and at some Post Offices, Dick Smith, the Good Guys and Harvey Norman stores.  More info here 

Mobile phones

The MobileMuster program is the easy way to recycle old mobile phones, their batteries and accessories. Whenever you buy a new phone you’ll find a MobileMuster bag in the box, or you can collect a bag from any Australia Post shop.  You can also drop your old phone at a MobileMuster collection point – find them here.

Batteries

Old batteries of any type can be taken to Battery World stores, or household batteries to Ikea stores, for recycling.

Computers

There are companies all over Australia who specialise in disassembling old hardware, reclaiming the precious metals and keeping almost all (up to 98%) of the machine out of landfill.  Steel casings are recycled as scrap metal; the precious metals from circuit boards and the copper from cables are recovered; plastics can be remanufactured into fence posts and pallets.  There is usually a charge for their service – for example, around $5 for a computer, .50c for a keyboard, $7 to $12 for an LCD monitor, and $2.20 for a modem. Items can be taken to the company, or they can collect them from you.

Some of these recycling companies also use some parts to refurbish hardware to be used again.  They are then able to resell the refurbished products at drastically reduced prices to the disadvantaged who would normally not be able to afford them.

Some of the companies that will collect your unwanted computers and recycle them:

MRI e-cycle solutions – in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane and Canberra

www.mri.com.au

E waste operate in Sydney, Melbourne, Adelaide, Brisbane, Perth and the Gold Coast http://www.ewaste.com.au/

Recycling Near You can help you find recyclers around Australia http://recyclingnearyou.com.au/computers

If you’d rather see your old computer given a new life GiveNow.com.au lists the companies all over Australia who accept computers as donations for the disadvantaged, disabled and community groups.

For my readers in America, you can find out about recycling services at

The Environment Protection Agency  - ecyclingpartners 

Or     Earth911.com  

Before you get rid of your old computer you must make sure that all data is removed, so that none of your personal information can get into someone elses hands.  I wrote about it here.

The last option is don’t get rid of it – give your old computer or phone a new life as something else….

Clock / Alarm Clock

Your old phone doesn’t need a SIM card, an account, or wi-fi access to be used as a clock. Just plug it in. Change your home screen to a large clock, and then update your display settings to never turn off or sleep. Your phone can easily be used as an alarm too.

E-Reader

Turn your old phone into a dedicated e-reader. There are plenty of places to get free eBooks (the subject of a blog post in the next few weeks). Download a bunch of books, and read away. Or, use an e-reader app to purchase and download books, before you stop using the phone.

MP3 Player

If your old smart phone has a SIM card or other memory card, why not load it up with MP3’s and make it a dedicated MP3 player? You could plug it into the car, or use it while exercising, or cleaning the house.

Touchscreen Remote Control

There are apps that allow you to turn your old smartphone into a remote for your TV, Foxtel, and Telstra T-Box.

Webcam

Use your old phone as a webcam or remote camera. As long as your phone has a camera and can download apps, you can use your phone as a webcam or remote camera - keep an eye on the house while you’re out or see what your dog gets up to while you’re at work.  Check the app store to see what webcam apps are available for your phone.

Digital photo frame

Use your old computer as a second hard drive and store your photos on it.   Set it to run a slide show and you’ve got a larger than usual digital photo frame.

DVD or CD player

Use your old computer as a spare TV for watching DVDs, or to listen to CDs.  If it’s a laptop use it to keep the kids happy if you don’t have DVD screens in the car. 

Or really have some fun with your old computer...

details on these two projects and others, are here 

Have you got any other ideas of what you could do with your old technology?

IMPORTANT: Internet Explorer security problem

If you use Internet Explorer as your browser you need to be aware of a major security issue that was discovered over the weekend.  If you use Internet Explorer 7, 8 or 9 on Windows XP, Vista or 7, your computer is vulnerable to attack by a zero-day exploit known as ‘Poison Ivy’ (zero-day just means that it has managed to go undetected until it actually started attacking).   This particular attack takes advantage of a security hole within Internet Explorer and can result in cybercriminals gaining remote access to your computer.  It is predicted that 32% of internet users worldwide are at risk.

Microsoft are working on a fix for this security hole, but no date has been announced for it yet.  In the meantime they have released a security software tool that you can download to protect your computer from this attack, but it appears that it is not entirely successful, and has run into some incompatibility issues with some internet security products.   Most of the major internet security companies have already updated their products or are in the process of updating, so subscribers should be protected.  The problem with these attacks is that they can mutate and the attackers can find a way around the internet security updates before they can be updated again.

Until Microsoft release a fix for Internet Explorer 7, 8 and 9, your best protection is to switch to Google Chrome or Mozilla Firefox, or download the preview version of Internet Explorer 10 which is not affected.  

How to get the best deal on technology

Apologies to my international readers.  This post mentions some sites and retailers that apply only to Australia and New Zealand.  The tips for buying techie products, however, are still relevant no matter where you live.

While there’s been a lot of publicity lately about how we pay so much more for technology in Australia than in other parts of the world, there’s still a lot you can do to reduce what you pay.  Here are my top tips for getting the best deal on technology.

Plan first

Don’t turn up in a shop to buy a new product without having a clear idea of what you want.  If it’s a new computer – do you want a laptop or desktop?  What are you using it for – emails and internet, or will the kids be using it for playing games?  What you plan to use your computer for will determine the size of the hard drive you need, the amount of RAM, and the size of the screen.  If it’s a new phone – iOS, Android or Windows?  

Shop Around

Make sure you check the price at a number of retailers.  Check the prices in catalogues, visit the stores, but don’t buy – yet.  In Australia we are lucky to have a brilliant website where you can compare the prices at most of the major retailers as well as a lot of online stores.  www.lasoo.com.au

On the Lasoo site you can search for a particular product and you’ll be given the product details and prices at all the retailers featured on Lasoo (both actual shops and online) who offer that type of product.  The search results can be sorted from lowest to highest price or vice versa, and also by the date any specials are expiring.  If you sign up to Lasoo you can also isolate the search to retailers that are close to where you live.  You can also view catalogues on the Lasoo website.  Of the major retailers selling computers and other technology, Dick Smith, Seconds World, Apple Store, Deals Direct, digiDirect, JB Hi-Fi, Myer, Officeworks, The Good Guys, BigW, Harvey Norman, estore.com.au, and DCA Computers are all on Lasoo.  When you find some products you like you can save them to your shopping list.  Lasoo is also available in New Zealand at www.lasoo.co.nz

1.     Compare the prices on Lasoo, in catalogues and even in-store. 

2.     Once you’ve narrowed it down to a few retailers on Lasoo, check the price on the retailer’s own website.  Some retailers even vary their prices between stores – Officeworks and Bing Lee do.

3.     Check the price through an online store.  There are some online stores featured on Lasoo, but you’ll find 262 online Australian retailers at www.staticice.com.au. A tip:  you need to be specific on this site.  You’ll need to state the brand and model name you’re searching for, eg. laptop computer won’t get you very far – try Acer Aspire.   ‘Apple computer’ won’t get you any results, but ‘macbook pro’ will.  The results are shown in price order, which means you’ll see page after page of accessories for the computer you specify before you get to the actual computer prices.  It’s not the easiest site to navigate, but if you can specify the exact brand and model of the product you’re after you’ll have more success.

Don’t be in a hurry to buy

Beware of sale prices.  There’s been a few reports in the media about retailers advertising discounted prices on products, but those prices are actually more expensive than their normal prices.  Everyone just assumes that the prices are lower when they are ‘on sale’.  If you’ve been researching your purchase you’ll know what’s a good price and what’s not.

Don’t pay the first price

Once you’ve narrowed down your options and you’re up to the buying stage, don’t pay the price you see on Lasoo, or the price on the product in store.  Visit at least two retailers before you buy and …..

·       Ask “can you do a better price”.  Most retailers are not going to say ‘no’ if you look like you’re ready to spend some money.  That doesn’t mean you go and buy as soon as they quote you a reduced price.  You can go to a few retailers and ask the same question.  Just make sure you take note of the salesperson’s name with the quote so you can go back to them if they turn out to have the best price.

·       Buy at the end of the month.  Most of the salespeople at the big retailers work on a monthly bonus system.  An extra sale at the end of the month could be just what they need, and they may be willing to give you an even better price to secure that sale.

·       Use the information you’ve gathered at these retailers so you can go to Shop A and tell them “Shop B has quoted me this price – can you beat it?“   That also applies to different stores of the same retailer.

When you’re ready to hand over the money

If you’re happy with the price and ready to pay – hold on.  There’s another question to ask….

What else can you include for that price?

 

Here’s what I’ve been given in the last 18 months, just by asking what else they can include, and that’s after I’d negotiated the discounted price on each product:

·       1 year Norton Internet Security subscription (not a trial version) – value $79

·       In-car phone charger – value $20

·       Surge protector powerboard – value $20

·       Additional two–year warranty – after I’d refused to pay for it – value $60

Each of those products was at a major retailer – Dick Smith, JB Hi-Fi and Bing Lee.

If you haven’t tried asking for a discount at one of the major retailers before – give it a go - you’ve got nothing to lose and your money to save.

Missing in Action

Sorry there's been no new posts this week.  I've been a bit swamped with a combination of business and my boys' school activities. 

I'll be back on track next week, and I'll have some great tips and hints for you on...

Online or Cloud-based backup

and

How to get the best deal when buying technology

and

What to do with your old/unwanted technology


Enjoy your weekend - I've got a garage sale on and it's Council Cleanup time.  That means I get to have a big cleanout, so I can go looking for some more 'junk' to replace it!

Margaret

How to back up your computer

What is backing up?

Backing up means taking a copy of the files on your computer so that if something happens to the original files your data is safe, and can be restored to your computer.

Why should you backup?

What do you have stored on your computer?  Your family’s photos, videos, documents for your business, the book you’ve been writing for the last year?  What would happen if your computer crashed; it was affected by a virus or other malicious attack?  What if you had a fire and your computer was destroyed, or it was stolen?   

If you have a backup copy of what’s on your computer you can easily restore it to your existing computer, or to a new computer.  If you don’t have a backup copy – everything may be lost.

What should you backup?

The obvious is your photos, videos and documents, but you can also backup your internet bookmarks (favourites), emails, music, and saved games. 

What you don’t need to backup

You don’t need to backup your operating system.   You also don’t need to backup any program files.  If your computer has failed you’re going to have to reinstall your programs, so there’s no need to back them up.  If you have downloaded programs over the internet you are usually able to download them again as long as you have the original product key (you would probably have received it on an email – so make sure you’ve got a copy of that email).

What should you store your backup on?

Second internal hard drive

This is a separate hard drive to the main drive all your computer data is stored on.  If something happens to your main hard drive the second one is not affected and can be removed and installed in another computer.  The problem with this option is that you need to install the second drive on your computer if it doesn't already have one, and you need to know how to remove it and install it on a new computer if you need to.  The other problem is that you don’t have the option of storing your backup in a separate secure location away from your computer.  So, a second internal hard drive would be fine if you needed to restore your files because of a computer failure, but no good if your computer was stolen or damaged by fire.

External hard drive

External hard drives are easily attached to your computer via a USB cable, and have a large capacity – I’d recommend you buy one with at least the same capacity as your computer’s hard drive – double if you can afford it (you can store more copies of your files).

Officeworks has a large range, from $99 for a 750GB Seagate hard drive, to $289 for a 2TB Western Digital hard drive.

An external hard drive can be stored away from your computer to protect your backup.

The only downside is that the external hard drive needs to be connected to your computer when the backup is scheduled to occur.  If you store it elsewhere to protect your backup you need to remember to connect it to your computer before the backup starts (something to remember when you choose how frequently you backup and the time at which you backup).

Some external hard drives have their own in-built backup software, which will automatically backup as you make any changes to your files.  With this type of backup you wouldn’t be able to store your external drive away from your computer because it is continuously in use while you are working on your computer.

CDs and DVDs

They’re cheap and easy to buy, and you can store them securely away from your computer.  But, you can’t use CDs or DVDs for scheduled backups or continuous backups.  Depending on how much data you need to backup, you may need several CDs or DVDs and you’d need to keep track of their order, and need to change them while backing up.  Also, CDs and DVDs can become corrupted over time.  CDs and DVDs are better if you want to copy some important files and store them separately.

USB Flash Drive

Cheap and available just about everywhere; you can store a USB drive in a secure place away from your computer (you can even keep it with you).  You’ll need a high capacity USB drive (from $8 for 16GB to $192 for 64GB). 

Which option would I choose?  An external hard drive or a USB.  It depending on how much you have on your computer.  I use both.  I don’t find it a hassle to connect the external hard drive to my computer each night.  I also copy and paste my important documents to a USB drive and keep it in my handbag.   This USB drive doesn't need to be updated until I make a change to one of the documents on the drive.

There’s one more option – backing up online….to the cloud.  The benefit of this method is that the backup is stored away from your computer, no matter what happens to your computer, your backup is safe and can be restored to your existing computer or another computer. 

Today I’ll go through the steps of backing up your computer to an attached device.  My next post will be on online backup services and Cloud backup.

How often should you backup?

If you are editing and creating documents every day you’ll need to backup every day.  If you only use your computer occasionally you may only need to backup once a week.  When choosing how often you backup - think about how often you are making changes or adding to your computer – what could get lost between backups?

How to backup - what are your options:

1    USB Drive – Copy and paste

The most basic form of backup is to copy and paste your important files to a USB drive as often as you need.  As long as the file names stay the same, any changed documents would overwrite the previously copied files on the USB drive.  There’s no automation to this backup process – it’s up to you to remember to do it.

2    Use your Operating System to manage the backup process 

Free - you only have to pay for the device you're going to use to store your backup

Windows Vista & Windows 7 - Use Windows Backup and Restore

To set up a new backup

Connect the device you’re going to use for backing up - an external hard drive or USB drive.

Access Backup and Restore by clicking the Start button, click Control Panel, then

• If you use category view – select System and Security, then Backup and Restore.
  

• If you use icon view – select Backup and Restore

Click Set up backup, and then follow the steps in the wizard.   You’ll be guided through choosing the device you want your backup stored on, which files to backup (you can let Windows choose, or you can select them individually), and then set a backup schedule.  Once all those settings are done the first backup will be created.

After you create your first backup, Windows Backup will add new or changed information to your subsequent backups.

Windows users have another option:  use your computer manufacturer’s backup utility

Most computer manufacturers include a backup utility with their computers.  You’ll find it in your All Programs list.  If you are setting up a new computer you'll probably be asked if you want to set up this backup during the sestup process.

The setup is usually very similar to the Windows set up.  Personally I prefer to use Windows backup.  If something happens to your computer and your new computer is a different brand, it’s going to be a lot easier to restore your data if you have used Windows backup than one that is designed to work with a different brand of computer.

Apple Mac - use Time Machine

Apple’s backup utility is Time Machine.  Time Machine automatically backs up your system files, applications, accounts, music, photos, videos and documents. Once set up, it backs up your data every hour.  Time Machine is a bit different to most other backup utilities – Time Machine keeps multiple copies of your data, which allows you to go back to view a file as it looked at a previous backup.  

Setup Time Machine

Connect an external hard drive.  The first time you connect a new external hard drive Time Machine asks if you want to use it as a Backup Disk.  Click Use as Backup Disk and your preferences will open and your external hard drive will be selected for your backup.

Mac users have another backup option to consider – instead of an external hard drive you can buy Time Capsule.  Time Capsule is a wireless 2TB or 3TB hard drive that works with Time Machine to automatically back up everything.   It costs a bit more - $319, but its real benefit is where you have more than one Mac – Time Capsule can backup all your Mac computers.  Because it's wireless there's no hard drive attached to your computer, which means it can be hidden in a safe place and still backup your iMac and MacBook.

3   Buy an external hard drive with its own backup software

These external hard drives have one extra feature – built in backup software.  The setup is similar to Windows Backup, except that you have a choice of scheduled backup or continuous backup.  Continuous backup means that as long as the hard drive is connected to your computer, it works automatically and continuously backing up your data.  If you add or change a file it’s instantly backed up.  You can install all the features or just the components you need – some allow you to download and save photos you’ve posted on Facebook and Flickr.  Of course, the more extra features the more they cost. 

Seagate Backup Plus 500GB $109, 1TB $189

Western Digital 500GB My Passport Essential $119 

To set up:  Connect the hard drive via USB cable to your Windows PC, if automatic setup doesn’t start, double click the icon on your desktop. 

As an example - on the Seagate dashboard you just click on Protect Now to start your initial backup and set it to continuously backup your PC.  To schedule backups you click on New Backup Plan.   

If your computer is used for playing games it’s best to choose scheduled backup, rather than continuous, otherwise your computer is going to slow down quite a bit trying to monitor for changes to what it’s meant to backup.

4   External hard drive and separate backup software

The last option is a combination of buying an external hard drive and also buying specialised backup software.  There are too many backup software products for me to review here.  All have many more features than just backing up your data.  Prices range from $20 to $80, plus the cost of the external hard drive.  I may post about this software in the future, but from my experience an external hard drive with its own backup software (option 3 above) is much easier to set up and use.

__________________________________________________________________

No matter what method you use for backing up your computer, the first backup will take a while.  To minimise disruption set your first backup when you’ve finished working on your computer for the day and leave it to run overnight.  Future backups will only take a few minutes as they are only adding what has changed or been added to your computer.

Don't worry if  your computer is turned off when a backup is scheduled - it will start when you switch your computer on (you'll be prompted so you don't have to remember).  The same will happen if your external hard drive is not connected when the backup is due to start.

Now that you’ve backed up your files what are you going to do with the USB, CD/DVDs, or harddrive?  Ideally you’ll be storing them somewhere safe, away from your computer.  The best would be a fireproof box at a separate location.  

I’d love to hear about what you’re using and any tips you’ve got about backing up.  So please leave me a comment.