Save Your Installation Disks!

When your computer has a very serious software problem, you will often be told that the best solution is to "reinstall windows." Although many people might see this advice as a cop-out by a lazy computer technician, there are many cases where it makes sense. For example, an extremely serious virus infection might be curable with hours upon hours of meticulous labor, but is definitely curable in just a few hours with an important file backup and then full re-installation. Since time is money, it's easy to see why going with the sure thing is often the wisest option.

There is, however, a huge exception to this rule. And that is for those people who throw away, burn, or play Frisbee with the disks that are shipped with their computer. Nothing will save you more time in a disaster than having those disks ready when your computer is on the fritz. The main reason for this is that they have essential software on them known as "device drivers." Device drivers are software programs that explain to your computer how to communicate with its physical components. Without them, you often have yourself a computer with no sound, misaligned video, and no Internet access. Not too exciting. The disks that came with your PC include these drivers, saving you hours of searching your PC manufacturer's website (or worse yet, paying your technician to do that). And if you have a custom-built PC, than your work is really cut out for you as you probably won't even know which manufacturer website to visit.

The bottom line is, save the disks that came with your computer! They may look worthless, but it's a safe bet you will be putting them to good use at some point before your computer's life is over.

Remember the Y2K Bug? Now There's the Daylight Savings Bug!

[Flickr - servus]

Beginning this year in the continental US and Canada, daylight savings time will be observed on different dates than in years past. We will now move our clocks ahead on the second Sunday in March (instead of the first Sunday in April), and then move them back on the first Sunday in November (instead of the last Sunday in October).

This translates into potentially huge headaches for anyone who owns software or electronic devices that automatically adjust their clocks. One such program is Windows XP; so if you are like most computer users, there is a pretty darn good chance this issue will affect you. Beginning Tuesday, Microsoft will be offering a software download to correct the "daylight savings bug," but only to customers who have the most up-to-date version of Windows XP (a.k.a. "Windows XP Service Pack 2 Edition"). Those of you who are lucky enough to have Windows Vista already need not download any updates.

For other software programs--especially business-crucial ones--it is advised that you contact or visit the manufacturer's website to see if this issue might affect you. If the software is relatively new, (e.g. made after 2005, the year the DST change was approved) there is a good chance it will either have a free update available or will not be affected at all. If it is an older program, you may be out of luck.

This situation is highly reminiscent of the "Y2K" bug, in which people scrambled to update their aging technology and software to handle dates after the year 2000.

The easiest way to avoid any headaches is to personally check your computer(s) this March 11 to make sure the time is correct. Most software programs determine the correct time from the operating system. So if the time showing on the bottom right corner of your screen is wrong, there's a good chance the time in your e-mails and calendar will be wrong as well!

For more about this story, see a comprehensive report here

Music Industry: Apple to Blame for IPod Song Limitations

The music industry's primary trade group responded today to Apple's pointed finger by pointing the finger right back at them. The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) suggested that the incompatibility of IPod songs with other music players is caused mainly by Apple utilizing its own proprietary copy protection system, rather the copy protection itself. Speaking about the IPod becoming more compatible, RIAA's chairman and CEO said there is "no doubt that a technology company as sophisticated and smart as Apple could work with the music community to make that happen."

Read the full article here...

Well.. I have to say that for once the organization also known as PICA (Pain in the Consumer's Ass) is right. They responded by saying what I've been saying all along; there is no reason for IPod's incompatibility issues other than Apple's secret intentions to conquer the world. Actually, I know of no such intentions, but they certainly have been using a lot of anti-competitive tactics lately, and this issue is no exception. Rock on, RIAA! ahem, that is, until you become PICA again.

Apple Seeks to Make IPod Songs More Accessible

In my post on 1/27/07, I lamented over the IPod's strict copy protection, which essentially makes all music purchased for an IPod useless on any other portable music player.

As a follow up to that post, an article on MSNBC today describes Apple acknowledging that the copy protection is a hassle to consumers. However, it blamed the protection on the music industry. In an essay entitled "Thoughts on Music," Apple CEO Steve Jobs claims his hands are tied by the "DRM" or "Digital Rights Management" protections that the music industry requires, and that they are the primary reason for the IPod's incompatibility with other music players.

To see the full article on my favorite news site, click here

This still doesn't explain why every music player except the IPod allows you to buy DRM protected music that will play on other players...

Keep Your Data Safe - Facts You Must Know About Hard Drives

[Rev Dan Catt - Flickr]

Although there are many annoying things that can go wrong with a computer that cost you time and money, only one can cost you your entire livelihood; the loss of your precious data. Documents, pictures, business records, and tax returns are just a few examples of the important files that reside on that little device inside your computer known as the hard drive. As a result, the failure of that device can be catastrophic; especially if you do not routinely back up your data to something else (and from my experience, the majority do not).


The best way to avoid this is to remember three simple rules about hard drives:
1.) Every hard drive will inevitably crash.
2.) Some will crash faster than others.
3.) Some brands make drives that tend to crash much faster than others.

There is usually no specific cause for this other than that the hard drive has many moving parts inside of it that tend to grow weaker over time. And like any other mechanical machine, some are built better than others. The key is to find the reliable manufacturers.

Having worked with all different makes and models of hard drives over the years, I can confidently say that the brand I have seen fail the most over the years is Maxtor. I remember several years back having at least two clients who purchased brand new Dell Dimension PCs, only to have their Maxtor hard drives fail on them within months. Another client once had two IBM Thinkpad laptop hard drives fail on him at almost the same time. When I removed them, they were made by--you guessed it--Maxtor. IBM then shipped out two replacement hard drives that were not made by Maxtor. Coincidence? I doubt it. And the new ones have already outlived the original Maxtors by a wide margin.

Now that it's clear what brand not to buy, we can get down and dirty with the good brands. I know this is extremely unscientific, but I have decided to rank the most popular brands in order of the ones I have seen fail the least to the ones I have seen fail the most. Here they are (drumroll...),
1.) Seagate - Invented the PC hard drive as we know it, and they are still damn good at it
2.) Western Digital - Wildly popular, and wildly reliable
3.) Hitachi - Still suffering from the IBM "Deathstar" reputation, but has proven to be among the more reliable brands
4.) IBM - Manufactured by Hitachi as of 2003, but are notoriously unreliable when bearing the IBM nameplate - see this article
5.) Maxtor - My sentiments on this sorry excuse for a brand are quite clear by now

So if you are buying a new hard drive, keep your files safe and invest in the best brand you can afford. If it's a new PC you are buying, find out what brand of hard drive your PC will come with. If it's a mediocre brand, see if you can upgrade to a better one. And check user opinion sites such as Epinions or the review sections of Computers.com to see what other consumers have experienced with a particular make and model. A hard drive may live and die, but your data should live forever.

The Apple Myth - Why the IPod Is All Style and No Substance

Since the advent of the IPod, the popularity and brand recognition of Apple Corporation has exploded into the mainstream. The style and ubiquity of that little portable music player has made even the most bona fide PC enthusiasts aware that Apple is no longer a fringe brand for non-conformists. Instead, it is a force to be reckoned with.

Unfortunately, it is a force for all the wrong reasons. I'll admit; I started out as a PC-only consultant, so I am naturally going to be a bit biased in favor of my roots. But after several years of increasing experiences and service calls for IPod-related issues, I can fairly conclude that the IPod is all about style and not substance. Everyone wants one and nobody seems to know why.

Let's break it down. It is expensive, it forces you to use its mediocre software, ITunes, and it has copy protection and compatibility issues that reward you for being a music pirate.

The main problem with ITunes is that that you cannot connect your IPod to another computer without erasing all the songs on it. I have had numerous calls and complaints from clients who lost up to $400 worth of music because they bought a new computer and did not realize that you could not transfer songs from an IPod to a computer using ITunes. To make matters worse, until recently, the warning message that came up before the songs were erased was unclear and inadequate. The only way to transfer songs from an IPod to a computer is to avoid ITunes and use a third-party software program, such as Pod Manager for Mac users, or iCanExport for PC users. Unfortunately, most people are unaware of this until it is too late.

The other alarming trait of the IPod is the copy protection. Unlike every other personal media player on the market, the IPod forces you to use ITunes to purchase content because it is the only service that has Apple's unique protection method. The end result is that if you download your songs through ITunes, you are married to an IPod forever. No other music player will play these copy protected songs. To get around this problem, many IPod owners wind up copying their music from CDs rather than downloading them. On the other hand, almost every other music player on the planet gives you several music download services to choose from.

Finally, like every Apple product I have worked with, the IPod is just a disaster to repair. There is no way to open the case without slicing through plastic. This conveniently means that if there is a hardware failure (and they do happen often to IPods, especially to the hard drives), you have no choice but to either buy a new one or pay an obscene amount to Apple to repair your current one. Like the deleted song issue, it seems that Apple has no conscience when it comes to risking your hard earned dollars on re-purchasing what is already rightfully yours.

The IPod craze is just that; a craze. When you get down to it, the IPod is not a better quality product than its alternatives. Sophisticated, stylish, and technologically advanced? Yes. But deserving of becoming the most popular personal music player since the "Walkman"? Not a chance.

A Computer Repair Kit That Works Every Time (or your money back)

In my continuing efforts to work humor into the sometimes (nah, who am I kidding, often) mundane world of computers, I'd like to share with you something I came across tonight by accident. I was searching for a multi-tool to carry with me to my appointments, something like this:

Instead, I found this:

http://www.thecomputerrepairkit.nl/.

Check it out, you will not be disappointed...

Hey Norton!

One of these days I am going to hand out awards for the most overrated products in the computer industry. That day is not today. But while I wait for my future awards show (or blog post, hint hint!) to come to fruition, here's a teaser for what will be the likely finalists: Norton Antivirus or Norton Internet Security or Norton anything!

Not since the Honeymooners has the word "Norton" been uttered in so many households across the country. However, in this case it is usually uttered with confusion or frustration. The reason for this is that Norton Internet Security (which is the artist formerly known as Norton Antivirus) is a terrible excuse for a software program, and nearly all computer makers force its wrath upon us by bundling it with every new machine. Then, to make matters worse, we discover that after 90 days, we actually have to pay for it.

So what exactly is this Norton stuff? Well, its supposed to make your life easier. It is a set security software designed to protect you from viruses, spyware, and many other nasty Internet privacy threats you hear about regularly in the news. However, in practice, it makes most people's lives harder.

Here are the reasons why:
1.) It slows your computer down terribly. Few other security software programs hog your computer's resources the way this one does.
2.) It constantly harasses you with pop up messages asking you if you want to do this, that or the other. The irony here is, if you can decipher the meaning of those messages, you probably don't need Norton software in the first place.
3.) It is sometimes successful at blocking dangerous websites, but it is almost always successful at blocking non-threatening websites. I've gotten one too many phone calls from people who couldn't access a legitimate website, and the cause turned out to be that their Norton "security" software was locking them out.
4.) It's not worth the money! Last I checked, it cost about $50 a year to purchase a 1-year subscription of Norton protection. That means if you got Norton with a new computer, you will have to pay that fee to continue using it beyond the trial period. There are countless other security programs that are better at that price, and even many of the free ones protect your computer better and with fewer headaches than Norton.

My favorite paid alternative to Norton is Trend Micro PC 'Cillin Internet Security. Not only is the security protection fantastic, the program runs faster, more efficiently, and with fewer nagging messages than Norton protection. All in all, PC 'Cillin is far better at distinguishing a true threat from a false alarm.

As for the free alternatives, I would go with AVG Antivirus, Free Edition. It is also low maintenance, fast and offers protection as good or better than Norton and other many costly antivirus programs.

Hey Norton! Did you hear that?