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Castellini on Computers Free Weekly
Email Newsletter
February 6, 2008
Hear
(and see) our show LIVE
Every Thursday night at 9:30 PM MST
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In this week's
issue. . .
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*** 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
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Another
week has passed, and we are sure that you have technology questions for
Rick and Adam, so tune in on Thursday night and ask them! Or if you
can't tune in, send an email using the form on the web site or call
their help line at 970-812-0135 any time. We will listen to the
messages and answer as many as possible on the Thursday night show.
If
you didn't get a chance to tune-in on Thursday night, just head over to
HelpMeRick.com ANY time and listen or download the show podcast.
Castellini on Computers with Rick and Adam always make technology simple, convenient, and practical. |
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Email your
questions to us and we will answer them live on the air or on
our daily website updates!
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Custom
Computer Help from Rick and Adam
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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
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Tip of the Week
Use the Task Manager to troubleshoot program problems - Video Tip
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While Windows is far from a perfect operating system, it does provide some tools to help deal with its imperfections.
One
of the tools you can use to shut down a troublesome program without
having to completely restart your system is the Task Manager.
For
instance, if a program happens to freeze or stops responding to your
mouse clicks or keyboard strokes, try this technique before reaching
for the power button:
1. Push Ctrl+Alt+Delete on your keyboard to brink up the Task Manager window (Close Program window in Windows 95, 98, and Me)
* NOTE: Windows Vista users: Ctrl+Alt+Del will bring up a screen where
you have to click the Start Task Manager button before moving to the
next step.
2. Find and click ONE time on the program that is giving you trouble, then click the End Task button
3. The program should close and disappear from the Task Manager list.
4. If not, wait a few seconds and you should see another window pop-up...click the End Task button again or repeat step #2
Using
this technique should allow you to return to Windows and continue on
with your computing...again, without the need for a full reboot of your
system. It doesn't work one hundred percent of the time, but it does
work often enough that you will be rebooting your computer less. Watch
the short video below to view this technique in action and learn a few
other tricks not outlined here:
To view the video (and you SHOULD ALWAYS view the how-to videos) click over to: http://www.helpmerick.com/use_task_manager_troubleshoot_program_problems_video_tip.htm |
Geek
Speek |
If I could impart one aspect of my computer knowledge to everyone who uses a computer, it would be the ability to understand file management.
File management, in the computer world, means how information
(files) are stored and utilized on a computer system. Understanding
file management, means understanding:
- How to locate files (documents, pictures, spreadsheets, music, etc) on your computer.
- How to move those files from one area (directory or folder) to another area on the computer.
- How to delete those files.
- How to backup those files so you never lose them.
- How to send the files to another person via email.
- How to manipulate the file in various programs and understand what programs can manipulate what files.
- How to properly save an email attachment and how to find it any time you need it.
- How to determine how much physical space a file uses and how much space is available on your hard drive, cd, flash drive, etc.
The answers to all these questions give a computer user so much more
confidence and power than a person who doesn't have this knowledge.
With solid file management know-how, many aspects of computing that
used to be a chore become routine. Questions that have been haunting a
computer user for years, suddenly become clear with the knowledge of
file management.
In my day-to-day dealings with computer users of all abilities, the
lack of file management knowledge clearly stands out as being the
largest hurdle for any computer user. Unfortunately, trying to explain
file management in a short troubleshooting session is extremely
difficult.
If you happen to be a computer user who struggles with the
information I described above, I implore you to learn about file
management. I created a video tutorial called THE Secret to Computing
that describes in depth how to gain the knowledge of file management
that will greatly enhance how you work with your computer. For just $25
+ shipping, I will send you the video that will change your computing
life. To order YOUR copy of my video, click here today!
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FILE MANAGEMENT
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Computer
News...and comment
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Microsoft bid to buy Yahoo!
Of
course this is the lead story of the week. No bigger tech story
surfaced this week than Microsoft's "hostile" bid to buy Yahoo!
Microsoft has struggled for years to make their search engine relevant.
But unfortunately, it remains only a distant third or fourth behind
Google and Yahoo. Most pundits believe that Microsoft's bid to buy
Yahoo as direct threat to Google. And of course that isn't a stretch to
imagine.
We will keep you informed on how this story develops and what it could mean to how we all use the Internet.
Apple iPhone is #3 (or #2) In
less than nine months, the Apple iPhone has become the #3 selling
smartphone worldwide just behind number one Nokia and second place
Research in Motion (RIM) Blackberry. In the United States, the iPhone
is the number two selling smartphone behind Blackberry and ahead of
Palm.
The iPhone currently out sells ALL the Windows Mobile
smartphones combined! No doubt, Apple hit a home run with the iPhone
and their momentum seems to be continuing with strong sales
internationally.
Did American or International Spies cut Internet lines? One
story that didn't get too much coverage this week is the massive
Internet outage suffered late last week in much of the Middle East and
Asia. Three large fiber optic cables were cut in the Mediterranean sea
last week. Reports were that a boat anchor was responsible, but no firm
answers have been revealed yet.
Some on the Internet believe the lines may have been cut intentionally. Click here for an interesting viewpoint on this story.
Also,
to see the approximate locations of where under-sea cables can be found
that carry commerce and communication around the globe, click here.
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Poll
Results
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Are you male or female?
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Next
week's poll:
Do you read political blogs or news online?
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Female - 30%
Male - 70% |
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Adam's Comments
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Election
season is in full swing and nothing irritates me more than thinking
about all of the voters who go to the polls armed only with the claims
of their favorite candidate. I believe that we should be anxious to
research all sides of every issue and never let one candidate's claims
dictate how we feel about the other candidates or themselves.
While
I tend to lean ever so slightly right in my political views, I still
read news and information from both sides of the aisle. Here are a few
websites that will help. Some are essentially neutral while others are
very slanted. No matter where you stand, I would encourage everyone who
votes to vote informed and armed with the truth no matter who is
telling it.
Mostly neutral sites -
FactCheck.org - this is a
great site for looking up the facts and figures used by candidates to
show both their own strengths and their opponents weaknesses.
FactCheckEd.org - Sister site of the above but designed more for teachers.
Politifact.com
- a similar fact checking site, but Politifact has a cool feature
called the Truth-o-meter that measures candidates claims on a scale
from True to False.
Politico.com - does a reasonable job at trying
to stay balanced although its left-slanting writers and polls are more
often cited.
Left slanted news (mainstream news agencies have been omitted for space) -
DailyKos.com
- A site that doesn't even pretend to be balanced or unbiased. Their
site description in Google is "Daily weblog with political analysis on
US current events from a liberal perspective."
TalkLeft.com - Describes itself as "The Online Magazine with Liberal coverage of crime-related political and injustice news"
ThinkProgress.org
- Pictures of the president and supporters always taken mid-blink while
liberals are shown pointing fingers or in publicity shots.
networks.feedburner.com/LiberalBlogNetwork
- Perhaps the only liberal news site you need to know as it is a feed
of all of the other liberal news sites and blogs.
MediaMatters.org - Organization that monitors right wing news and blogs.
Right slanted news (talk radio sites omitted for obvious reasons) -
Humanevents.com
- website of the official conservative newspaper - Ann Coulter, Newt
Gingrich and Phyllis Schlafly all contribute.
WorldNetDaily.com - poorly designed site, but one of the more cited sources for conservatives.
NewsBusters.org - Comparable to WorldNet in content, but much better design and more multimedia content.
Hotair.com - my personal favorite, lots of great stuff and a fun read with a good sense of humor.
NewsMax.com - written like a mainstream news site, but uses obvious right slant.
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Email of the week
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Hello
Rick,
I
burn my designs through the program with Windows on CD-Rs.I check the
CD, the designs are there so I delete them from my computer. Sometime
later when I go to use the designs from the CD, they are no longer
there. What am I doing wrong. I purchase these designs and it is
costing me since I would have to purchase the designs again.
Help please.
Bonnie
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Hi Bonnie,
Burning
CD's and DVD's can be a frustrating experience. Once you get the
techniques down, however, you should have more success. For basic CD
Burning, visit our tip at: http://www.helpmerick.com/how_burn_cd_with_windows_xp.htm If
you are using a program like Roxio, Sonic, or Nero, make sure that you
find and check the option that says "Close CD" or "I only need to use
this disk one time." Although it is possible to use CD's more than one
time with some of these packages, I recommend burning CD's or DVD's
only ONE time to insure their integrity. Also, use CD-R's or DVD+R's
ONLY...don't use any any media with a "W" in the title. Rewritable
disks will only get you into trouble...eventually. Lastly,
for your designs backup, I would suggest using USB flash drives instead
of CD's for your backup. They are smaller, more durable, reusable,
easier to work with, and perfect for backing up this type of data.
Good luck and thanks for writing!
Rick
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Castellini
on Computers & HelpMeRick.com ©2008
Rick Castellini and Adam Cochran
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