The Computer Consumer

Save Your Installation Disks!

2007-03-30T02:25:00.000-04:00

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!

2007-02-14T00:51:00.000-05:00

[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

2007-02-08T01:09:00.000-05:00

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

2007-02-06T21:20:00.000-05:00

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

2007-02-06T13:34:00.000-05:00

[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

2007-01-27T02:07:00.000-05:00

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)

2007-01-17T02:06:00.000-05:00

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!

2007-01-14T02:29:00.000-05:00

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?

Web Site Owners: Never Let Your Domain Expire

2007-01-10T00:11:00.000-05:00

There is probably no better way to bring down your website for several days than to allow your domain name to expire. It may seem trivial, but it happens more than you think; most domain name providers are just flat out terrible at informing you that the deadline is approaching. Expiration notices usually come in the form of one or more e-mail warnings, but with today's spam epidemic, there is always the chance these warnings will slip through the cracks of busy eyes or never reach them in the first place. To make matters worse, an expired domain name also will cause all the e-mail being sent to that domain to be bounced back to the sender as if the e-mail address never existed in the first place. This can be catastrophic, especially for any business that relies on e-mail to communicate with its customers.

If you find yourself in this precarious position, get on the phone with your domain registrar immediately because it can take anywhere from 24-48 hours for an expired domain to "propagate" throughout the Internet after it is renewed. During this period, the web site and e-mail may be accessible to some people, but not to others. You should utilize this time to contact your web hosting company to make sure that they have not changed their settings and that your website and e-mail will automatically be ready when the domain is ready. You should also double check the same thing with your domain registrar. It is especially important to mention that you still want the domain to point to your current website. Or in technical terms, you want to tell your registrar that the "name servers" should still point to where they were pointing to before the domain expired.

Like many things, the best cure for this mess is prevention! Keep clear records of your web hosting and domain registration deadlines. Don't depend on e-mails, letters, automatic billing, or your IT guy to remind you (unless he is the one selling you the domain or hosting services). By simply being aware of your deadlines and taking quick action in the event of a slip-up, you can minimize or prevent downtime--and save your business a real headache.

Why Microsoft Doesn't Make Cars

2006-12-19T23:18:00.000-05:00

I didn't write this joke, but I've seen it a few times and anyone who has used a Windows PC is sure to get a kick out of it...

For all of us who feel only the deepest love and affection for the way computers have enhanced our lives, read on.

At a recent computer expo (COMDEX), Bill Gates reportedly compared the computer industry with the auto industry and stated, "If GM had kept up with technology like the computer industry has, we would all be driving $25.00 cars that got 1,000 miles to the gallon."

~~~~~~~~~~~
In response to Bill's comments, General Motors issued a press release stating: If GM had developed technology like Microsoft, we would all be driving cars with the following characteristics:

1. For no reason whatsoever, your car would crash twice a day.

2. Every time they repainted the lines on the road, you would have to buy a new car.

3. Occasionally your car would die on the freeway for no reason. You would have to pull over to the side of the road, close all of the windows, shut the car, restart it, and reopen the windows before you could continue. For some reason, you would simply accept this.

4. Occasionally, executing a maneuver such as a left turn would cause your car to shut down and refuse to restart, in which case you would have to reinstall the engine.

5. Macintosh would make a car that was powered by the sun, reliable, five times as fast, and twice as easy to drive - but would run on only five percent of the roads.

6. The oil, water temperature, and alternator warning lights would all be replaced by a single "This Car Has Performed An Illegal Operation" warning light.

7. The airbag system would ask "Are you sure?" before deploying.

8. Occasionally, for no reason whatsoever, your car would lock you out and refuse to let you in until you simultaneously lifted the door handle, turned the key, and grabbed hold of the radio antenna.

9. Every time a new car was introduced, car buyers would have to learn how to drive all over again because none of the controls would operate in the same manner as the old car.

10. You'd have to press the "Start" button to turn the engine off.

Please share this with your friends who love, but sometimes hate, their computer!

Help, My Icons or Screen Items Disappeared!

2006-12-19T23:00:00.000-05:00

I am often asked how to locate items or icons on the screen that seemingly have disappeared into thin air. Today was no exception, as a client of mine accidentally deleted his e-mails while trying to figure out why his screen wasn't showing any e-mails more recent than from last month.

The best way to avoid that dicey situation is to use the often forgotten "View" button in the top left corner of your screen. In a few easy steps, you can bring back missing items from the screens of most popular Windows programs, including Microsoft Outlook, Internet Explorer, and Microsoft Word. One item that has a higher tendency of getting misplaced is the address bar in Internet Explorer. It, too, can be restored in most cases using this general method:

1.) Click "View"
2.) Go down to "Toolbars"
3.) Make sure all of the relevant items have check marks near them. If not, click on each one. The items that are checked off will show on your screen, and the ones that aren't won't.

Restart Your Computer!

2006-12-18T23:02:00.000-05:00

In the world of computers, axioms are few and far between. There are often countless ways to accomplish the same tasks or solve the same problems. And if you ask several computer enthusiasts which way is best, you are likely get a different answer every single time. This is because everyone's computing ability level is different, and a method that seems efficient or simple to one person might be a nightmare for another.

On that note, I'd like devote this, my first post, by stressing the importance of a phrase you may have heard before: Restart your computer!

Restarting your computer is the closest thing to a magic pill for your computer that you will probably ever find. In my years of consulting, nothing has prevented more on-site service calls than reciting that simple phrase. Internet problems, slowness, strange error messages--you name it, and I've had an experience where restarting the computer has solved it.

In fact, just earlier today, a client of mine with an excellent reliable small business network was experiencing a rare problem. She called me explaining that her screen was flickering in strange black and white colors, and her machine appeared to be frozen. Nothing like this had ever happened to her before, and as a result she was frantic. She said she tried doing several things on the machine and none of them worked. What she didn't do was restart the computer. After the restart, her machine was as good as new, with no signs of any of the strange behavior it had exhibited before.

I won't bore you with the technical details about why restarting helps, but in simple terms you can think of it as your computer needing to take a break from hard work. Like a person, a computer (and especially a Windows computer) gets less and less efficient the more hours it has been turned on without having a chance to reset itself. And, like a person, if it makes an error, it is more likely to correct that error on its own when it has a clear "head."

Don't get me wrong--restarting will not solve every problem you will ever encounter. Sometimes computers act up because there is a legitimate underlying cause, and they will continue to act up until the specific cause is eliminated. However, restarting rules out the possibility that your problem is just a freak accident and can save you countless dollars and hours on the phone with technical support. So remember, when you need a fresh start, restart.