Vitamin CH (Chocolate) » Windows 7

Free Advice!

CallKathy — Wed, 13 Oct 2010 22:59:24 +0000

Have I got your attention? Good! Because this advice is simple, straightforward and easy to take:

Get your Windows 7 and Office 2010 questions answered!

Join the Microsoft MVPs as they answer your questions, Thursday, Oct 14th between 10:00 – 11:00 AM PDT (or 1-2pm EST). This is a public chat. The experts are real. The cost? FREE!

How often do you get the chance to get your questions answered by 32 different recognized experts who know how to share information? Office experts will be there to answer your questions on:

Access
Excel
The overall Office System
Outlook
PowerPoint
Project
Visio

Windows experts will be there as well, answering your questions on both consumer and enterprise systems and security.

Check it out!

Details and registration on the Microsoft Communities site: http://www.microsoft.com/communities/chats/default.mspx

Or on the Facebook Event page for the chat.

(PS: I won’t be there, as I will be getting off a plane in Vegas for #BWE. Have fun and let me know how it goes!)

Making sure your new computer is safe: Run Updates

CallKathy — Thu, 05 Aug 2010 23:53:25 +0000

I spend a bunch of time over on the Microsoft Answers site answering questions on OneNote and PowerPoint. You would not believe the number of times the solution to the problems being reported is simple: Install your updates. Regularly, the original poster comes back with, “But it is a brand new machine.” As Bruce Jacobs tells us in the article clipped below, being a new machine doesn’t mean you are up to date on patches. Read the full article for more on how to get fully updated so you can actually start using your new machine.

Amplify’d from smalldoctorsoffice.com

New Computer Installation: Windows Updates

So you have just installed a new computer. Answered all the initial questions and agreed to let the system do automatic updates. You have also hopefully made sure antivirus software is installed. You should be safe for the internet, right? Not really, you will generally not be up to date on your security patches.

If you browse the web with the computer before the computer is completely up to date you have a good chance of getting infected.

I will use Microsoft as an example here, but the general principles apply to Macintosh computers as well. I also assume you are installing your computer yourself. If you have a tech set it up for you ask them if they updated the system and antivirus before they leave.

About Updates

When Microsoft finds out about a security issue in Windows, they write a fix for the problem. They test the fix and issue a patch. The patch is in two parts. The first part is the fix for the problem. The second part is the system that puts that fix in place. They have to test these fixes and the system that puts them in place. If they mess up the update process, thousands or even millions of people will not be able to use their computers the next morning.

The problem

Your new computer was likely shipped from a major computer maker several months out of date on its patches. It may sat in a warehouse for several months.

The solutions

Force the updates. When I set up a computer for someone, I make sure the computer is up to date. I do this manually by running Windows Update over and over again until the machine is caught up. This can take some time, so it is best to set the machine up on a bench somewhere before the delivery of the computer. This allows me to do other things rather than sit at the keyboard and watch the progress bars. I just check on it every few minutes and click on all the buttons. Your tech can do this for you if you are not in an urgent need to get the computer. A tech can download patches to a burned CD. This saves the time taken to download the patches. Ideally the tech will do this for you before leaving.

Read more at smalldoctorsoffice.com

See this Amp at http://bit.ly/9usAEW

I don’t expect this to work…

CallKathy — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 17:19:12 +0000

In just under two weeks, APCUG will be holding a regional conference and our annual meeting in Tempe AZ. I am hoping that this blog post can entice you into attending.

Logistics:

When: February 20 and 21
Where: UAT in Tempe AZ (same place we hold PodCampAZ every year)
Cost: $55 if you pre-register online. $85 at the door

It’s going to be an awesome conference!

Great speakers. Great volunteers organizing and running it. Great location. (Who can resist the Valley of the Sun in late February?)

So, what’s not to work? The conference itself. That’s because we don’t have very many people coming. Less than 100 at this point. I am hoping you will help me to change that.

We’ve got content for almost everyone. Mac people, PC people, new users, IT Pros, security geeks, user group leaders, digital photographers, genealogy geeks, social media geeks.

Speakers? Yeah, we have some good ones there too. Jay Ferron will be speaking on Windows 7 as our opening keynote. Carey Holzman will be talking about free software. Karen Hart will be talking about security. Bruce Jacobs will be talking about disaster recovery.

Sponsors are doing their share too. AiSquared will be there, as will LifeLock. Serving Online Seniors will be talking, as will SoftQue. We have talks by committee members and board members on FireTrust and Roxio. We even have Darin Travis of Microsoft coming to talk about Windows Mobile.

We’ve got some prizes (though we won’t turn down more prize donations), including copies of Camtasia and SnagIt. We’ve got food. We’ve even got a couple of build events – one Saturday to learn how to install Linux on your existing machine and one Friday night to build your own PC.

Did that one get your attention? It isn’t too late to sign up for the Friday night event. Bruce will be stepping the build event participants through building their own machine. Cost for that is an extra $510, but that gets you a great machine, a copy of Windows 7 for the machine, and an understanding of what goes into building one.

The price is more than reasonable too: Register online before the conference starts and it will only cost you $55! That price includes lunches both days, by the way…

So, tell me… why haven’t more people registered? You tell me! This being a volunteer driven event, we can still add more content…. What else should we do to get people to come?

Disclosure: I have a very vested interest in this conference working out. I am the VP of APCUG and one of the original drivers of the conference.

Update: I forgot the link for the conference information http://phoenix.apcug.org/

Aero Shake

CallKathy — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 02:05:06 +0000

Do you use Windows 7 on your PC? If you do, I’ve got a feature for you to check out: Aero Shake. Shake lets you clear your open windows down to the task bar with a simple shake of your mouse.
Check out this screencast to see it in action.

See the full screencast on Screencast.com!

I love doing screencasts. They are a great way to share tips and ideas. This one was made with TechSmith‘s Jing. I’m willing to make more of them, so if you want to see something specific, let me know!