Are you backing up your files?
Hard drives crash. Sometimes your files can’t be recovered. But backing up your files doesn’t have to be hard- there are many programs that simplify and automate.
One of my favorites, FBackup, is free for both personal and corporate use.
To setup a backup, manually select the folders you want to backup, or choose one of the plug-ins to backup an application, such as Windows Mail. The plug-ins simply tell FBackup what files and folders need to be backed up for a particular application so that it’s easy to backup and restore its data, user preferences, and settings. If you’re wanting to backup a specific program that’s not showing up as an option, there are more plug-ins you can download and install. (Tools-> Plug-ins… -> Get Plugins)
Once you’ve selected what you’re going to backup, chose the backup destination. Flash drives are great for this, but you’ll have to remember to leave it plugged in if you want the backup to run automatically. Finally, set your backup schedule, and let it run!
Optimize Performance by Automatically Defragging on Idle
Hard drive speed is one of the biggest performance bottlenecks for computers today. File fragmentation slows things further if left unchecked.
Until recently, I rarely recommended defragging because the difficulty and time required for running manual scans, but now I recommend Smart Defrag. It’ll automatically defragment your hard drive when it’s idle. And if you’re going to be away from your computer for a few hours, running a ‘Fast Optimize’ will help as well.
So, what is defragging anyway? If you’ve ever read a Choose Your Own Adventure book, you know that at the end of each page you are presented with a couple of choices, and you continue reading by flipping to the page for that choice. Likewise, when files are fragmented, your hard drive has to skip forward and backward to finish reading a file, which slows down performance. Defragging fixes this problem by moving files so that they can be read sequentially. It also optimizes performance by placing the most frequently used files first on the hard drive.
Optimizing performance with CCleaner
CCleaner is a free, nifty program that I frequently use for computer tune-ups. I use it primarily for its registry cleaner, which you can see in the screenshot below.
Cleaning the registry is especially helpful for computers that have had Windows installed a while. As programs are installed and uninstalled, unnecessary junk builds up over time, slowing performance, occasionally causing other problems.
To run the registry cleaner, start CCleaner, click on the registry icon on the left, click on ‘Scan for Issues’, and finally click ‘Fix selected issues’.
Thunderbird: Firefox’s Sidekick For Email
If you like Firefox, and aren’t using Thunderbird, read on.
Mozilla Thunderbird, like Firefox, is community built, free, and has won many awards. It’s an email client that’s fast, secure, and offers add-ons. When I first started using it, the speed difference was pretty noticeable compared with Windows Live Mail, which is Microsoft’s new name for Outlook Express.
Even if you like using webmail, it’s probably worth installing Thunderbird so that your email is backed up on your computer, and accessible even when you’re offline. Thunderbird works well with most webmail providers. Usually you can find simple instructions on how to configure your account with a quick search on Google, such as “thunderbird gmail”.
If you’re like me, and work best with a calendar and/or a task list, there’s an excellent add-on called Lightening. To install it, download it to your desktop, go to Tools -> Add-Ons, click Install… and select it from your desktop. After restarting Thunderbird, Lightening will be installed.
Another excellent add-on, Zindus, helped me add all of my contacts from Gmail.
Enjoy!
What Wireless Router Do You Recommend?
The latest wi-fi standard, 802.11n, has been in draft for the last couple of years, and even with its major bandwidth and range improvements, there have been lingering problems with stability. The 802.11n standard is finally wrapping up for publication, but I’m still seeing mixed reviews on all of the major brands. You can buy a 802.11n router and get one that’s pretty stable, but you could also get an identical model that has stability issues. With the publication of the standard, hopefully it won’t be too much longer before things stabilize.
In the meantime, don’t get discouraged. Most DSL and cable internet connections won’t max out the speed of an 802.11g router, and the range is also usually sufficient if the router is strategically positioned. Try to position your router somewhere near the center of your house, and give the antennas clearance. Instead of putting your router underneath your computer desk, position it behind your monitor, or somewhere up high. The direction of the antennas can also make a difference, but straight up is usually best.
The Linksys WRT54GL is probably the most stable router of all time. On Newegg.com, it’s won 27 customer choice awards, the most reviews, and the best overall rating. If you want to plug in your router, and forget about it, this one is for you. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16833124190
The Short On Windows 7- You’ll Want It.
Windows 7 will be here October 22, 2009, and this time it looks like Microsoft got it right.
The last version of Windows, Vista, was not well received, largely because it was really only about half-way done. But developers have been hard at work: fixing bugs, making performance gains, and adding polish. Their work looks like it’s really paid off.
Before you upgrade, check your computers to see if they’ll be compatible with Microsoft’s Upgrade Advisor tool.
One of my biggest disappointments is that there’s no supported upgrade option for those who are using Windows XP. But a fresh install is always an option, or if you’re willing to buy a commercial tool, for $40, PCMover allows you to upgrade Windows XP computers.
Netbooks in the spotlight
As rapid innovation produces faster and smaller computers, a new sub-category of the notebook class–the netbook–has entered the spotlight. Netbooks are optimized for portability, accessing the internet, and running basic applications. They typically have a screen size of 13 inches or less, weigh two or three pounds, and cost less than $500.
Most netbooks use Intel’s dime-sized Atom processor– the Atom N270 processor’s performance is roughly equivalent to a Pentium 4 2.4Ghz.
Some of the leading netbooks of today would include Dell’s Mini Netbook, Acer’s Aspire One, and Asus’ Eee Pc. Out of these, Asus’ Eee Pc was first to the field, and I think they still have an edge over the competition. I’ve been using an Eee Pc for about a year, and I love it.
My favorite netbook at the moment is the Eee Pc 1005HA with 10.5 hours of battery life! I doubt that the battery would actually perform quite that well outside of the lab, but that’s still quite impressive! When I got my earlier generation Eee Pc a year ago, they were advertising a 7 hour battery life, and I got about 5 hours of juice.
The various Eee PC models have a lot of variety– with different screen sizes, processor speeds, storage types, and battery life. Amazon.com carries a lot of the varieties and older models, so it’s a great website for comparisons of features and prices.
One thing that disappoints me is that netbooks typically only come with 1GB of memory, which is definitely a performance bottleneck. The good news is that it’s easy to upgrade to 2GB, and it only costs about $25. Changing the memory is as simple, and here are directions.
Another thing to keep in mind is that netbooks can be hard on your eyes if you use them a lot. If you’re going to want to use a netbook as your primary computer, you may want to consider getting a LCD monitor that you can plug into when you’re home.
Quick photo resizing
Download and install this open source Image Resizer to resize photos “on the fly” in Windows (XP, Vista, and 7). Once installed, simply right-click on a photo, and click resize from the dropdown menu. A new window will open where you can chose the dimensions you want and click ok. The new file’s name includes the original file name and the resized dimensions at the end. Enjoy!
How to buy online with confidence
E-retailing has comprehensively changed the landscape for the consumer. Shipping time and costs can still be disadvantages, but if you’re a price conscious consumer, online deals can be extraordinarily good–especially when you’re not under time pressure.
Some of you have probably had bad experiences buying online from disreputable companies. Others of you might be wary going for that “great deal” unless you’ve bought from the seller before. As the internet develops, more resources are being built to equip the consumer with accurate information so that they can buy with confidence. I’ve found the website, Reseller Ratings, to be incredibly helpful for scoping out E-retailers.
Once I know what I’m wanting to buy, I check Price Grabber, Froogle, and Google to find deals. If I find a low price from a website I’ve never heard of before, that’s where Reseller Ratings comes in. On the Reseller Ratings website, I can enter the store’s website address, and it returns helpful info about the company. The store is given a rating on a scale of 1 to 10, and usually there are also reviews from previous customers.
Another option for “hard to find” items is Ebay. However, I usually try to stick with Power Sellers, unless I’m willing to take some additional risk.
What’s the scoop on Firefox, Chrome, and Safari?
The internet has grown dramatically in the last ten years. More likely than not, you weren’t even online in 1999, in the days of Netscape Navigator 4, and Internet Exploder Explorer 5.
As the Internet has grown in significance to our daily lives, the battle for the dominant browser has intensified greatly, and rightly so.
The three most notable browsers that I believe will continue to be on the front lines are: Mozilla Firefox, Google Chrome, and Apple’s Safari.
Firefox provides the most add-on functionality at the expense of being slightly slower. The benefit of the add-ons makes this my browser choice for my desktop. Some of my favorite add-ons for Firefox include: Adblock Plus, IE Tab, TwitterFox, WOT (Web Of Trust), and NoScript.
Chrome 2 was just released yesterday, increasing the speed and stability of an already lightweight and fast browser. I use Chrome on my Netbook because of it’s performance, and its minimalistic approach to layout allows me to see more web content on my small 10″ screen.
Safari is extremely fast, has superior out-of-the-box functionality, follows web standards well, and is arguably the best looking, especially if you ask an Apple fan. =D
Having a good browser and knowing how to use it increases your security and efficiency online, and is becoming an increasingly important skill set for everyone.