15 Things you should know

    While doing some research, I stumbled upon this article at PCWorld.com.   Its titled "15 Things Every PC User Should Know."  Being a tech geek, number 3 held particular interest to me as this is one of the most useful pieces of advice I always give.  I can't begin to tell you the headaches avoided and time saved when people follow this rule.

3. Record the exact error message. When your PC crashes, it'll usually try to tell you why it is doing so--albeit with a string of numbers and letters that you won't understand. Write the message down in its entirety (or take a screenshot, if possible) so you can later plug it into Google or give it to your tech support agent. If your PC didn't provide an error message, go to Action Center (in the Control Panel) and see if it shows up under 'View archived messages' or 'View problems to report'.

    The rest of the article has some great tips and it is definitely worth a read.

Tech G33k

Removing Spyware

    Yesterday, I listed some anti-virus tools that are free for the home user.  The catch is that spyware (or software like spyware) sometimes gets through/past the antivirus software on your computer.  So the question becomes how to remove the spyware.

     I have found that Malwarebytes is an excellent tool to remove spyware and its free for home use.  Depending on the severity of the infection, you might have to install Malwarebytes while in safe mode.  I would choose Safe Mode with Networking in case you needed to download download the software or if the software needs to be updated.  Once the software is updated and running, just have it perform a full system scan.

     There is no guarantee that Malwarebytes will remove all the infections or that the computer will be returned completely back to normal (as sometimes, infections have some lingering effects).  I do find that Malwarebytes does an excellent job though and recommend it frequently. 

Tech G33k

Free AntiVirus Software (Home Use)

In my previous post, I spoke about options for free online virus scans.  In this post, I have listed some free options for anti-virus software that you can load on your computer.  

I have listed below some options you have for free anti-virus software (for home/personal use).

1. Microsoft Security Essentials

2. Free AVG

3. Avast

4. Panda

As good as any of these are, they don't necessarily stop all spyware.  Stay tuned for my next post on tools you can use to scan for and remove spyware.

Tech G33k

Online Anti-Virus Scan

Good afternoon:
  It has been a while (quite a while) since I did an update.  Recently there have been reports where some people might lose their internet access due to the FBI turning off a few servers.  So a few questions have been tossed my way about how to check to see if a computer is infected.  My first recommendation is to use a free online scanner like:

1. F-secure

2. Trendmicro

3. Bitdefender

These are some good sites to start with.  They should not be used in place of installed anti-virus software.  My next post will have some suggestions for free home use anti-virus software.  C-ya soon.

Tech G33k

Interesting Tech Stuff

In my daily tech travels, I visit a handful of websites for tips, tricks and information. One of my favorites is:

http://www.makeuseof.com/

This website has tricks for just about anything from promoting your blog and website to getting free stuff.

It's a great website with "Cool Websites and Tools" that is posted each day. You can even get updates from them on Twitter.

James

Automated Answering Services....

Most people I speak with absolutely hate getting "the machine" instead of a real person when they call a 800 phone number. Someone got annoyed enough to create a website dedicated to help people get around those systems. Gethuman.com is a site that has most major companies listed and the best way to beat the phone system so you can talk to a real person.

James

Ah how times flies....

It's been quite a while since my last post, so I figure that this one better be good. If you are like me, you have been very skeptical about Microsoft Vista. As a matter of fact, I only started using Vista on my main computer at work a couple of months ago. I wasn't overly impressed with Vista, seemed slow and for the most part, it really didn't add any value to my daily activities.

Microsoft has seemed to admit that Vista hasn't gone well for them. So much so that Microsoft is busy developing it's new operation system (Windows 7) to replace Vista. Rumors are that Windows 7 will be out before the end of the year.

If you want to get an early look at Windows 7, you can download and install the "Release Candidate (RC)." The Windows 7 RC is a unpolished, FREE, download that you can install on your own computer and begin using. There are some considerations though. The RC is not a finished product and issues/problems are likely to pop up. Not a lot of software or hardware manufacturers have gotten their products up to speed with Windows 7 RC either (though that is changing quickly). Also in June 2010, Windows 7 RC will expire and you will have to buy the full version to continue using it on your computer.

I went ahead and grabbed the RC and installed it on the work computer and I must say that it does run better than Vista (that computer seems faster for the most part). The install was easy. I have run into some issues with my video card and the RC but I'm working through those. At this point, I can say that I'm looking forward to Windows 7 once it is released commercially.

James