Castellini on Computers Free Weekly Email Newsletter
October 17, 2007

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In this week's issue. . .

*** Tip of the Week

*** Geek Speek of the Week - (Simple definition of common computer terms)

*** Computer News...and comment

*** Last week's Poll results

*** Adam's Comments - Stuff from the digital world that is rolling around in Adam's head.

*** Email of the week

Has it been a week already? We had a fantastic show last week with more people joining us for the live chat and webcam than ever before. We think that is may be traffic from our newly developed MySpace page.

Help make us the most popular broadcast on our webcam network by joining us every Thursday night. Soon the world will discover the wonder that is Castellini on Computers and HelpMeRick.com.

Please remember that if you can't join us live on Thursday nights, we post the entire hour as a podcast immediately after the show. You can now listen to the shows ANY time you want by visiting: http://www.helpmerick.com/podcasts

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Email your questions to us and we will answer them live on the air or on our daily website updates!

Custom Computer Help from Rick and Adam

We have been posting a new how-to video every week since November and the feedback has been tremendous. Now YOU have the opportunity to get your own customized video tutorial about a topic that you are having trouble with or just want to learn.

To learn more, visit: www.HelpMeRick.com/videohelp

Tip of the Week
You can change your Internet Home Page - Video Tip

View the Video Here

When you buy a new computer, the Internet browser comes pre-configured with a home page (first web site you see when you start your web browser). For PC's, it is usually MSN. For Mac's it is Apple.com. If you download Firefox (which everyone should be using), its default home page is a Firefox branded Google page. Sometimes your Internet provider's web site takes over as your home page if you run one of their setup disks.

Through all of this, you had no say so as to what your home page is. Fortunately, it is a simple procedure to change the home page to anything you want. Here's how to change it no matter what web browser you use (except Internet Explorer 7):

1. Pull up the web site you want to see first when you start Internet sessions
2. Click and drag the little icon next to the address of that site to the Home icon (looks like little house)
3. Click Yes on the confirmation dialog box asking if you really want to change your home page

That's it. Now if you are one of the many unfortunate souls who is using Windows Vista, watch how "elegant, quick and streamlined" Microsoft has made this process with Internet Explorer 7:

1. Pull up the web site you want to see first
2. Click the drop down arrow next to the Home icon...no not the one at the end of the toolbar, the one right next to the Home icon
3. Click Add or Change Home Page
4. Read and decide whether you want to "use this page as your only home page" or "Add this web page to your home page tabs" (a question which will befuddle many computer users)
5. Click the option of the answer you chose
6. Click Yes

See, that's double the intuitive steps that we have used for more than 10 years and all other browsers use! That's Microsoft progress! That's Vista! But Vista sure is purdy.

Geek Speek

PDF stands for Portable Document Format. It is a file format that printers and other publishing folks use to save information so that the layout doesn't lose its formatting from one computer to another.

A manual is a handbook that comes with a device of some sort to tell the user how to ...um, use said device.

Many devices today don't come with a manual, at least not one made of paper.

Digital cameras, computers, cell phones, etc., now come with manuals that are on a CD-ROM disk. These manuals are in PDF format and they work exactly like a paper manual except you have to navigate them on the computer. This is annoying.

TIP: If you have a manual that is only on CD, you can often take the CD to a print or copy place and have paper versions of the manual printed out for not too much money.

If you have lost the manual for your VCR or Cell phone you can go to the manufacturer's website and download the PDF Manual for free. Typically this is under the support or download section of the website.

PDF Manual

Computer News...and comment

Tax News

Congress extended the moratorium on the ban of Internet access taxes this week. Internet access will remain tax free for two more years. It seems that neither party wanted to be responsible initiating a tax that would affect 90 percent of all Americans.

One party worked to make the moratorium permanent, but they were out numbered.

Mac OSX News

Mac will release the latest version of its OS X operating system on October 26th. To find out what's new and why you should be using a Mac click on this link here!

iTunes News

Two weeks ago, Amazon began selling DRM free music that can be played on iPods and about every other brand of media player. It was so successful that iTunes has announced that they are lowering the price of their DRM free music from $1.29 to $.99 per song.

iTunes songs, however, can only be synchronized with an iPod while the Amazon collection works well with almost any media management program.

Ubuntu News

Ubuntu 7.10 comes out this week. The new update has much improved hardware support. It also features an improved look designed to take on Mac OS X in appearance and function. Ubuntu is no longer pretending to be an alternative operating system, they intend to be a serious alternative to all other operating systems.

We will report as we try it all out later this week. Keep an eye on HelpMeRick.com.

Poll Results

How many remote controls are in your home?

Next week's poll:
What was the first Operating System you used?

Zero 0%

1-2 9%

3-4 30%

5-6 24%

7 or More 37%

Adam's Comments

I have had to fight back tears of joy as I put the newsletter together. At times I could barely read what was on my screen. The anticipation for changes in my life has probably lead to many misspellings and errors, but you may not notice as those errors probably still fall within our guaranteed 78 percent accuracy range.

I have looked forward to this day for almost a year - and it finally has come.

Early this year, Microsoft released Windows Vista. I knew that it wouldn't be great, but as a computer guy, I felt compelled to use it so that I would understand how too work on it.

I didn't want to commit my desktop to it just in case there were problems. So, I put it on my Averatec laptop with 1 gig of RAM, a dual core AMD Turion X64 and 100 gig hard drive. It seemed powerful enough.

Many Averatecs didn't come with recovery CDs, but I didn't see a problem with erasing Windows XP to make room for Vista.

It only took a few moments of using Windows Vista to realize how much slower my computer had become. The bootup time had more than doubled and I would get all shake y as I waited for it to shut down.

Programs opened slowly. I was sometimes able to connect to a wireless connection, yet I was not able to actually browse the web on networks that I knew were open because the XP systems right beside me were working fine.

Then two weeks ago Rick showed me something that would change my life. Averatec had posted Windows XP recovery disks for my laptop. I wasted no time and for $20, I ordered the disks.

Today, my disks arrived in the mail. I haven't installed them yet because I can't bring myself to stop hugging and kissing them. I should get to bed early tonight, but I feel like a kid on Christmas. I don't know if I can wait any longer. I must install XP back on my laptop and make it feel loved again.

Thank you Averatec. Thank you for giving me back my Windows XP.

Email of the week

Hello Rick,

I no longer have a Lexmark printer on my computer and have changed the default printer to the HP I now have, but I cannot remove the Lexmark printer, the computer tells me that the printer has a job and I must wait till it's finished, and I do not know what to do.

----------------

Hello Liz,

Great question and it requires a three part answer to solve the dilemma.

1. RIGHT Click on the Lexmark printer and choose "Cancel all documents". Then shut your computer OFF and restart it.

2. After the computer restarts, go to the Control Panel and remove the Lexmark printer and software using the Add/Remove Programs. When finished, shut down and restart the computer again.

3. When the computer restarts, go back to the Control Panel and then your Printers section, and check to make sure the Lexmark printer is gone.

That should do it. Thanks for writing!

Rick

Castellini on Computers & HelpMeRick.com ©2007
Rick Castellini and Adam Cochran