I come across quite a few programs, applications and features almost every day in the course of normal work-a-day research trying to find the right tools to use in the Computer Consulting Business.

As a result, I often find some little known Free Downloadable or Online Features that could be of use to almost anyone to make their computing experience a little bit better and more productive.

This is just such a find…

LiberKey is a completely Free and great way to organize your portable applications on a convienent menu with folders for various types of applications using a USB stick (device). Just be sure to activate “associations” so your browser knows what to do.

There are 305 apps to choose from, or you can add your own. The Basic(12) or Standard(90) comes with applications pre-installed and you can add additional apps from there.

Personally, I use it to trouble-shoot computers for my clients, but there are games, educational and CD-DVD burning apps just to name a few ways this interface is useful.

You can download LiberKey from the original site here.

I hope you find this tool to be something useful in your daily computing experience.

If you find something you think should be included, please use the comments below or use my Contact Form to let me know and I will be sure to check it out for inclusion in a future article.

It’s important to take care of your computer before you start having problems that cause crashes or worse yet, someone else taking over control of your computer for their own purposes. To that end, I’d like to share four tips that will help you optimize your computers security and keep it running longer and faster:

1. Get a Firewall. A firewall acts as a barrier between the online world and your home (or business) computer, that filters information to keep your system safe.  Everyone needs a firewall to protect the information and functionality of your computer.  Some newer computers come with a firewall built into the system, others don’t. Quite a few anti-virus software products have firewalls built in. If you want to make sure your firewall is set properly, contact me.
2. Block and Remove Spyware and Viruses. Spyware will track your activity online and off to gather information about your computer and you.  Viruses can take over the functionality of your computer and use your system for their purposes and they are always bad. The more spyware you have on your system, the slower your computer will be, and put your personal information at risk. Hackers can see and possibly use your personal information once they’ve attached themselves to your system. contact me to make sure your system is safe, or to download anti-spyware/virus software.
3. Keep your computer updated.  Almost every type of software comes with some updating function, usually automatically. These updates can be annoying, but they are very important to the health of your computer  These updates are actually patches created by your software and computer manufacturer to keep your system updated and protected. The best thing you can do to keep your computer running smoothly and safely is to pay attention to these updates or to set up auto-updates on your system.
4. Secure your wireless connection. When setting up a home wireless network, be sure to use the security codes provided by your wireless internet carrier. Many people think using public WiFi spots at coffee shops, airports etc. are safe. Not always true. Whether you pay for the WiFi or the location offers it free, you are vulnerable to hackers as the public WEP key provided is used by everyone in that location. To protect yourself, make sure the wireless connection is encrypted. Ask the service desk, if the location is not sure, don’t use their WiFi.  Remember, hackers can see your data as it is going to and from your computer in these environments so protect yourself when in a public setting.

Following these four basic rules is only the beginning for keeping your computer protected and optimized for longevity. For more information on protecting your computer, contact me.

T.G.I.F.

The end of another week has finally arrived and it’s time to take a break from all the headaches and problems of the past 7 days.

Old Computer Terms

BIT: A word used to describe computers, as in “Our son’s computer cost quite a bit.”

BOOT: What your friends give you because you spend too much time bragging about your computer skills.

BUG: What your eyes do after you stare at the big mean computer screen for more than 15 minutes. Also: what computer magazine companies do to you after they get your name on their mailing list.

CHIPS: The fattening, non-nutritional food computer users eat to avoid having to leave their keyboards for meals.

COPY: What you have to do during school tests because you spend too much time at the computer and not enough time studying.

CURSOR: What you turn into when you can’t get your computer to perform, as in “You $#% computer!”

DISK: What goes out in your back after bending over a computer keyboard for seventeen hours at a clip.

DUMP: The place all your former hobbies wind up soon after you install your computer.

ERROR: What you made the first time you walked into a computer showroom to “just look.”

EXPANSION UNIT: The new room you have to build on to your home to house your computer and all its peripherals.

FLOPPY: The condition of a constant computer user’s stomach due to lack of exercise and a steady diet of junk food (see Chips”).

HARDWARE: Tools, such as lawn mowers, rakes and other heavy equipment you haven’t laid a finger on since getting your computer.

IBM: The kind of missile your family members and friends would like to drop on your computer so you’ll pay attention to them again.

MENU: What you’ll never see again after buying a computer because you’ll be too poor to eat in a restaurant.

MONITOR: Often thought to be a word associated with computers, this word actually refers to those obnoxious kids who always want to see your hall pass at school.

PROGRAMS: Those things you used to look at on your television before you hooked your computer up to it.

RETURN: What a lot of people do with their computers after only a week and a half.

TERMINAL: A place where you can find buses, trains and really good deals on hot computers.

WINDOW: What you heave the computer out of after you accidentally erase a program that took you three days to set up.

Just a little something to help brighten your weekend and maybe put a little smile on your face to boot!

Smile! It’s Friday!

T.G.I.F.

The end of another week has finally arrived and it’s time to take a break from all the headaches and problems of the past 7 days.

This is a really Cool Printer!

Some guy built a printer out of nothing but Legos and a felt tipped pen.

I’m not too sure how useful this printer is, but it sure is a Cool diversion from doing real work!

For those reading this in the RSS feed or through an e-mail subscription, Please Click Here to View the Video.

Just a little something to help brighten your weekend and maybe put a little smile on your face to boot!

Smile! It’s Friday!

T.G.I.F.

The end of another week has finally arrived and it’s time to take a break from all the headaches and problems of the past 7 days.

Need and all-in-one solution for icon creation, extraction or editing? IcoFX is just the thing. With over 40 features that are readily available, you can do what you want with your Icons. If you can use Paint in Windows, you can use this.

My favorite feature was that as an .ico file, I can create a Favicon for my Blogs with no more than a few easy steps.

Click the pic to get to the download page.

This is a Two-fer, Useful AND Fun.

Just a little something to help brighten your weekend and maybe put a little smile on your face to boot!

Smile! It’s Friday!

I come across quite a few programs, applications and features almost every day in the course of normal work-a-day research trying to find the right tools to use in the Computer Consulting Business.

As a result, I often find some little known Free Downloadable or Online Features that could be of use to almost anyone to make their computing experience a little bit better and more productive.

This is just such a find…

Windows Vista has had it’s Service Pack 2 released for quite a while and is stable at this point (at least from my POV). So, it is time to make it permanent to free up about a half a gig of disk space. This can be accomplished in only 3 pain-free steps.

First: Open the Run Window, either by going to the Start-Accessories-Run or by using the Shortcut keys Window +R at the same time. You get this window.

Second: Type in compcln.exe and click OK. That will bring you to the Command Prompt with the Operation ready to go.

Third: Type Y and hit Enter and you are done. You just recovered somewhere around 500,000MB of space on your Hard Drive.

Be aware: This is a permanent deletion of the backup of your SP2 file and makes your current SP2 configuration permanent and can’t be undone. Make sure you really want to do this before you hit Yes!

I hope you find this tool to be something useful in your daily computing experience.

If you find something you think should be included, please use the comments below or use my Contact Form to let me know and I will be sure to check it out for inclusion in a future article.

T.G.I.F.

The end of another week has finally arrived and it’s time to take a break from all the headaches and problems of the past 7 days.

If you want to extend the range of your home Wi-Fi connection, it’s really simple. Just watch the video and you will have more range than you do now.

Simple Wi-Fi Extender

I used a little different approach, I used Cardboard for a backing and a little spar to hold the ends in place, but it still works to increase your home Wi-Fi connection.

(click the image to view the video)

Just a little something to help brighten your weekend and maybe put a little smile on your face to boot!

Smile! It’s Friday!

I come across quite a few programs, applications and features almost every day in the course of normal work-a-day research trying to find the right tools to use in the Computer Consulting Business.

As a result, I often find some little known Free Downloadable or Online Features that could be of use to almost anyone to make their computing experience a little bit better and more productive.

This is just such a find…

 inSSIDer is a FREE Wi-Fi network scanner to help in locating the best Wi-Fi location in your area. It shows tons more information than the built in Wi-Fi scanner on your laptop.

Screenshot

Sorry, this is for Windows XP or Vista only.

Click the image or click here to get the download.

I hope you find this tool to be something useful in your daily computing experience.

If you find something you think should be included, please use the comments below or use my Contact Form to let me know and I will be sure to check it out for inclusion in a future article.

T.G.I.F.

The end of another week has finally arrived and it’s time to take a break from all the headaches and problems of the past 7 days.

Analog Tetris???

Tetris analógico // Analogical Tetris from Esferobite-DSK on Vimeo.

Just a little something to help brighten your weekend and maybe put a little smile on your face to boot!

Smile! It’s Friday!

T.G.I.F.

The end of another week has finally arrived and it’s time to take a break from all the headaches and problems of the past 7 days.

Soup Toys is a collection of more than 100 different toys for your Windows desktop and the latest version is completely free. Designed with players aged 5 to 12 in mind, but enjoyed globally by everyone, this physics sandbox game replicates a child’s wooden toy box full of toys, including basketballs, robots, wooden blocks, snowmen, cannons, flying bees and a pirate ship. With its open-ended design, the possibilities are endless and players are limited only by their imagination.

Great for your kids and grandkids, but you may just want to play some of these yourself when they aren’t around.

Just a little something to help brighten your weekend and maybe put a little smile on your face to boot!

Smile! It’s Friday!