79"B]7"BBBBBB)B)B)B)B) B3 B=B=B=B=B= B]B]B]B]The 5 Simple Steps You Can Do To Keep Your Computer Happy Compiled by a In Business 4 Good Enterprises Based on more than 30 Years of Computer Help Desk Experience As Realized on the New Ask Your Computer Guy Call In Support Program www.kauaikeepsakes.com/askyourcomputerguy/ Sponsored in Part by KauaiKeepsakes.com Well, ladies, here I am, still marooned on this paradise island, working with women around the world, and assisting them with Help Desk Support, designed from almost 30 years of working with the people most effected by computer technology, the women of our world. So, courtesy of my work, here are the 5 steps you can take to Tame the Beast of computing technology, and get more utility from the computer you have(instead of paying a load of money to upgrade to technology thats more confusing, less supportive, and usually frustrating. With these simple steps, and perhaps an hour or two of my supportive assistance via phone, you can have the computer you always intended. So with that, lets get down to some basics: A. Most of what well be discussing here is for the PC crowd. Not that Apple Girlz are not worthy of the support. Its just that Apple, since the days of Lisa (one of the very first Apple Computers was named after a woman. You gotta love it, no?), most of the Apple configurations are more thoroughly integrated and tested BEFORE they come to market. On the other hand, Microsoft, from my years of working in, around, and in some cases, against the flow of the technology, is SOMETIMES known to be final tested in the marketplace. I wont get into that ugly scenario, but suffice it to say, that IF you have a Computer with PC, you are more likely to have the issues associated with viruses, security breakdowns, etc. We have a special section, called The Apple of Eves Eye, where we discuss some of the more Apple specific issues you need to know about. Yet, allow me this space to say that Im Bi-Lingual in PC and Mac, yet more fluent in PC. B. What I will be sharing with you is the same information that comes through when Im working one on one with a woman whose computer is behaving badly. Sometimes, my humorous interpretations of how computers behave oddly (a lot like men), are based on being male; having worked with computers(men) for over 30 years in the business; and understanding that a computer designed from a womans perspective, would be enormously more intuitive, nicer in appearance, and significantly easier to communicate with. At core levels, your computer is you, and any behaviors that the machine exhibits, are consistent with how YOU use the technology. Special Note: We are updating this in October 2007, to include the Vista operating system being shipped with new PCs. Please stay tuned, and in the meantime, share this with anyone you know thats technologically challenged. The 5 Steps to Keeping Your Computer Happy Step #1: Take Out the Trash Every Week This may seem really simple, yet this is an area where there is so much impact on how your computer works, and lately, with loads of Internet action, and more sophisticated programs(read that more complex), there is a ton of trash sitting on your PC. This WILL significantly slow down your machine, and is the very 1st item that I check in my 2 hour PC Tune Ups that I provide in person or via phone support session. So, heres how you find it. a. Since Windows 98, this Disk Clean Up utility has been accessible. Not Available, but accessible. Now, heres how you find it. b. On the lower left side of your screen, you will find a green button (might be blue in older versions) that says start. Left click your mouse on that button, and a menu will appear on your screen. You are looking for the item that says All Programs or Programs. Left Click on that item. c. Another, more extensive menu will appear, and you will want to locate an item that is called Accessories. Left click on that item. Another menu will appear. You will be looking for an item called System Tools. Left click on that item. d. You will see around 4 to 12 items on the resulting menu. Look for the one that says Disk Cleanup. Left click on that item. Now, you may see something on your screen, which will ask you to choose a drive(default is C, unless one of your technically adroit male friends, or female, has made your computer fancy, with more than one logical drive. If thats the case, I recommend you connect with me through our online service, or on phone, as well walk you through it as part of our usual services.) e. Now, you may have the computer automatically starting to read your trash barrel (not to be confused with your trash bin on the desktop, which is included in the Disk Cleanup. This may take some time, depending on how much trash you have. At the end, either way, you will see a panel, with around 10 or so items. Some will be pre-checked in the boxes to the left of the item, and others wont be. Our recommendation is to check all the boxes. As you do this, the total amount of trash will add up, and in some cases, Ive seen that in the 10 Gigabyte range. Now, thats a ton of trash for a small drive. f. At any rate, what happens next is that you will click on the button that says Empty the Trash, and then the computer, in a gesture of self protection, will ask if youre sure? Id recommend you dont blow a fuse, but just go along for the ride. This will commence a clean up operation, which at the end; will make your disk nice and tidy. If at any time, you are hesitant to do this, just connect with us, through our link (at top of page) and well walk you through this part. Step #2 Clean up the files on your disk (folders) Now that youve emptied all the trash, youll need to sort out the fragments on your drive. This is equivalent to what happens when you are sitting in front of your desk, after a long week of work, and you realize that you cant find anything, until you re-file your folders. This is the computer equivalent of that. Now, heres how we do it. a. Follow the steps above, all the way up to the System Tools. Right under the Disk Cleanup should be a Disk Defragmenter item. Left click on that item. b. The resulting page will be, depending on the version of Windows, provide you with an option for analyzing a disk from the list at the top, or simply starts the de-fragmentation process. We recommend you simply de-fragment the drive. If you wish to watch its progress, thats fine, but after around 5 minutes, the appeal of this lessens. We recommend you do this over lunch, overnight, or sometime when you dont need the computer for anything else. c. This will require almost all the computers resources, so make certain that all other applications are fully shut down, and then proceed with this. At the end, of using these two steps, you will find your computer to be happier, more content, and less demanding. Step #3 The Really Big Files Management Game Well, you may or may not be among the down loaders of the world, but Ill bet if you use digital cameras, any kind of music service, or more importantly, look at too many websites with cookies(wondered where those crumbs went, eh?), your hard drive(wondered what it would be like if it were called a Soft or even Firm Drive, eh?) will be populated with loads of files that are really big, and as such, command more disk space than you might want to manage. There are some issues around managing this, but the simplest way to figure out if this is an issue, is to go along this path, and then send me an email, with the information requested, and Ill advise what you may need to do. a. Close all the applications on your desktop, until the only thing you can see are all the icons on top of whatever nice background photo you are using for a desktop image. b. On the desktop, or perhaps in the Start button choices, will be an item called My Computer. Right click on the one on the desktop, and look for Properties, then a panel will appear, with a disk and a circle. That circle will be in two colors, with some being the Free Space, and the other the Used Space. The balance of those would be best for your computer when the Free Space is not less than 20 % of the total, meaning that the Used Space would be less than 80% of the total. If you are under 20% Free Space, send me an email with the actual figures, and well see what we can do to help you. My email is inbusiness4good@yahoo.com Step #4 Where Did That Nasty Virus Come From? With the onset of downloads, the virus issues are more complex than you can imagine. Heres our recommends on this: a. Only have one virus software program, and we suggest you at least get the free version of Norton from www.google.com (use the word Pack in the first search box, and that will take you to a page, where you can select just that one). This will ensure that your electronic door has at least one good lock on it. Heres the issue. Most of the trouble we find with this, is when there are too many locks on the door, with adaware, spyware, anyware protections, that are totally not compatible with each other, much less the Windows Operating System, which recently(on XP and newer) computers, has its own virus management approach. Want to hear something totally unsurprising here? The boyz in charge of the various software locks, REFUSE to talk to each other about this (and you thought you were the only one that got that treatment, eh?). So, in classic Guy style, the locks dont even resemble each other, and moreso, totally conflict with each other when in use. Now, thats a totally new idea, right? So, select one you respect, and stick with it. Now, heres the deal. Set up the automatic updates, that installs on their own, and let the lock do its job. Step #5 Let the Microsoft Engine update itself You, most like folks, are probably getting those annoying little update notices in the lower right panel(called the tray, by the way), at least once a week or two. And like most folks, you most likely dont let the update roll. Know why? Cause the screen asks questions that only a true Geek (and you thought I wasnt one, eh?) would know the answers to, and even then, the old your system is not compatible error code can jump at you. And voila, before you know it, usually around 2 to 3 months, your computer starts to hiccup on applications or on the web. Its like not having your car tuned up for months, and it starts to run roughly, and idle oddly. Well, your computer will do almost the same thing, if you let it go without the tune ups from MSoft. Besides, when you hear about those stories about yet another glitch or hole in the MSoft system, Id recommend you NOT turn the channel or page, and figure that the chances of you being personally affected are near to 80%. Those of us that have been working in the MSoft environment long enough, semi-affectionately call it Swiss Cheese Software cause its usually filled with loads of holes in every slice (read that version). Now, we come to that section, called The Apple of Eves Eye. For those of you fortunate enough to have an Apple, except for the very most recent, Windows friendly editions(where its only 25% probable that you may contract a virus, but thats still vastly more than the less than 5% chance before, there are only two areas you need to be savvy to: A. The Mac, since its more media friendly than PCs and the I Tunes application is so seamless(like good sheer stockings, eh?), its almost predictive that you will have a load of music and video files. Especially if you have children or grandchildren, who use Moms computer, since she almost always says Yes and Dads is usually off limits, right? So, there is that situation where you will need to archive (called digital storage, like packing a closet) with the extra files you have. This also applies to photos, which is definitely a Woman thing, and will eat more space on your drive than music files, by nearly a factor of 10 to 1 in space needs. B. Stay with Apple software, unless you have someone that knows a lot about this, cause the PC versus Mac wars are heating up again, and this is mostly due to the music and video download markets driving computer sales and technology. We firmly advocate only working with machines that have legally purchased software. C. Most of this is due to the fact that its better Karma, and also the interoperability (thats male Geekspeak for lets all work together, shall we?), is usually more certain when a higher percentage of the software has licenses. So, ladies, you now have the 5 Steps to Taming the Beast of Your Computer Technology. We hope this has been helpful, and that youll be able to share this with your other friends, that are technically challenged, yet are willing to ask for help. We may come out with more of these in the future, and youll be able to get your complementary copy at this location online. We also have a two hour gift certificate, for the woman that wants it all, including her very own Computer Guy 4 Her Business. Aloha from Paradise, Patrick Michaels Host and Developer of the InBusiness4Good Good Cause Support Centers http://www.cafepress.com/sliceofparadise/ Version 1.03 25 August 2007 You Can Gift a Session to Someone Whos Computer Challenged (Even If that someone is You !) Id Like to Gift My Friend Service Level 1 Ask Your Computer Guy Support..(One Phone Call per month for 60 minutes to tune up your computer and tutoring on how to maintain your computer). My Friends Name is ____________________________________ My Friends Email is ____________________________________ My Name is ____________________________________________ My Email is ____________________________________________ Send the payment for 48.00 to: Patrick M. DAcre(legal Name) P.O. Box 2091 Kapaa, HI 96746 Checks, Cash, Money Orders, Negotiable Securities, Gold Bars are all welcome. You can also order online here. http://www.kauaikeepsakes.com/askyourcomputerguy/ Version 2.00 15 September 2007 h;-?A > kMbe|Mer0G!!## $/$=55556u6889", ,,,  ,,$':;h@A F G * + , - . / 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 : ; < = > ? j k P?"#$%WXhhhhhh 0hhhh 880hhh7IEF #!#"#P#Q##&o&p(T(U((-,---.-/-0-1-n-o..1"2b2c2d3L3M4C4D445A5V5g555555Ÿh 0hh 0hh 0hh 0hh 0hh 0h4555555686X6Y6Z777R7S7777888 8!8?8M8^8_889999" 7"9"9"9"=/B