Al Lustie's Tips and Tricks

We gave Best Buy and HP a month and 2 days, and they finally returned our computer (purchased in June, 2011).  It works, but my wife did not have the use of it for 33 days by the time we got it back up at home.  Best buy replaced 2 mother boards, a CPU, shipped it back east (and back) and said they also put in a new power supply.  So far, for two days, it continues to work.
The Black Tie agreement for which I paid says we get a new comparable computer of a store credit after three tries fail.  What it does not mention is that you have to get the computer back after each try for it to "count" as a try.  This 32 day "try" only counted as ONE attempt to fix it.
  Pretty crummy.  Their business model sucks as well.  They spent well over the amount a store credit would have cost them while making their computer unavailable to the customer.  When I checked it in they estimated having it back in four days.

Meanwhile, we purchased an iMac, VMWare Fusion and Windows 7.  No, we did not purchase from Best Buy, but from a nearby Apple store.  We purchased quality hardware, quality service, and a tested, quality service agreement!

Will we purchase anything from Best Buy again?  Maybe, but probably not.  With the business model they are using, they probably won't be around much longer anyway.

Until recently I have had had a couple years of good experiences with HP computers (in contrast to 4-8 years ago when they were SOOOO bad).  That is all changing.  HP plans to get out of the PC business, and maybe it is about time.  I bought one for my wife in late June.  By mid August the motherboard was shot.  We are on our third motherboard -- still doesn't work -- and it has been sent to another state for further repair.

Oh, we bought the Black Tie protection plan from Best Buy with the computer.  She has been without for about two weeks now.  Best Buy has, in their greed oriented wisdom, decided we still don't qualify for a refund, even if we buy another computer at their store.  So, I am not recommending Best Buy, either.  If you can find the computer you want at Office Depot, and it is not HP or Compaq, our experience and my client's experience with Office Depot has been very good over the years. 

I learned a lot today.  When you get a new HP computer chances are good that you will have problems using the Windows Backup utility to Create Recovery Disks.  You will keep getting messages that the media is bad, and when you contact tech support (as I did) you will be told to purchase a "better" grade of DVDs.  And, of course, you cannot use rewritable DVDs or CDs.

But...!

HP has its own Recovery program.  Click the Start sphere, scroll down to Recovery Manager, and create your backup Windows 7 disks there.  It works like a charm. 

Of course, you can only make one copy, so keep them safe where you can find them if your hard disk decides to die. 

Shortcut Keys in the new Firefox 4 for the Mac       

Beginner

Zoom In, Zoom Out

                    Zoom In                    

Try These Tab Tricks

                    Open a new empty tab                    

Sorry.  The number of Web sites that spread malware has doubled in the past year.  If you have been hit by one of the variants of malware that I have been hired to remove, you know that it is a MAJOR pain in the computer.  And the pocket book and the schedule.

Sadly, there is no total protection against it.  None of the antivirus programs protect against all the variants attacking computers.  There is even one that attacks Mac users unless they have good antivirus protection and keep it updated.  It is spawned by a Windows server.

So . . . be cautious about surfing the web.  I strongly recommend using ONLY Firefox with the NoScript add on or the Chrome browser.  Both are currently (March 14, 2011) the most secure.  Use the LASTEST versions, or Internet Explorer 9 if you can. 

According to Woody Leonard (Windows Secrets) the most vulnerable folks are running Windows XP.  He reminds us, "Use any tricks you can find to avoid entering user names and passwords: LastPass (site) or RoboForm (site) will do the job, entering usernames and passwords with clicks so you don't have to type them. In other words, use all the usual malware-busting techniques that have been drummed into your head incessantly over the past few years."

I just discovered a useful new site for Windows Users.  As you know I have recommended that each Windows user be a paid subscriber (you can get information for free, of course) to Windows Secrets.  I followed a link to another useful site  called InfoSecrets.  Take a look.  I think they have some good information there.  Currently they are noting that the new Internet Explorer 9 is nearly ready for release, and it will apparently have ways you can blacklist sites and prevent them from setting cookies.  That will be GOOD.

On an Apple note, rumor has it that the next iteration of the iPad will be released or announced next week.  Watch for it if, like me, you think this might be the one to get.

In Monday's Denver Post, Feb. 21, 2011, in the Business section an article about new dangers for internet users pointed out how easy it is for someone to hijack your computer use over a public WiFi connection.  Only two browsers seem to be able to protect you at this time -- Firefox (see getfirefox.com)   and Chrome (from Google).  The Safari browser for either Mac or Windows or iPad does not offer any protection at this time.

For more information see this TechRepublic page or TechCrunch or Mashable.  Search in Google for "Protect my computer from Firesheep" to find other methods of protection.  Or See Walyou or eSecurity Planet. 

You may be saying, "Why doesn't Al tell us the steps to take?"

Answer:  the steps are outlined very well already.  Go to one or more of the above sites by clicking, read, and act.  If you need help, and live in the south Denver area, call me to come and do it for you. 

For sure, make sure your home WiFi network (your router, usually) is protected with strong encryption and a strong passphrase.  Change the name of the router/network.

If you can, do nothing important at the coffee shop.  Don't check your bank, log into  your email, or do anything that someone reading over your shoulder could hijack.  The speed at which this hacking tool can grab your password(s) is amazing.

Use Firefox or Chrome wisely.  Do not use Safari and do not use Internet Explorer.  Mac users -- if you must use Safari invest in COOKIE (found in the Apple App Store for mac computers) and do the work setting it up to protect your personal and business data.

You can stay safe, but it's up to you.  Over 105,000 people have downloaded this hacking tool.  At least one of them may be near you in any public place.

I liken it to avoiding certain streets anytime, and other streets during certain hours of the day or night.  It's just smart.  But on the street you can take people with you.  On the internet you are pretty much on your own.  Be safe.

As I continue to expand my use of technology, I find myself using many of the tools Google makes available at no charge.  Google Docs, Google Calendar (synchronizing with my iPAD and computers), Google Presentations, and so forth.  Blogspot, a Google blogging possibility, has been a major part of my experience for several years.

Start here:  get a Google account.  Go to Google.com and click on Gmail or More (drop down menu) and choose a tool.  You will be given the opportunity to create an account if you don't have one.  It's easy and fairly fast.

Then I recommend you explore a bit.  To get an idea of what your options are go to the Google Options page.  WOW! 

To learn more, go to their Help page.  Check out the products listed, watch some videos, and generally get a feel for the possibilities. 

I have not even begun to check it all out, but I'm on the way.  Oh, you can use this whether you are working from a PC or a Mac.  I even use my iPAD.  Probably a Samsung tablet or other such device would work as well.

Enjoy!