Basic Internet Tech Support

Learning about your computer and Microsoft Office.

2011-03-27T22:33:00.000-07:00

One of the problems that new users face is how to use Microsoft Office or how to navigate in Windows itself. I am often asked, "How do I create a PowerPoint Presentation?', "How do I create a chart in Excel?", or "How do I get around on this computer?"

The answer is easy. The information you need to get started is at GCFLearnfree.org

There is plenty to learn here so take a look and enjoy. Their tutorials are comprehensive and easy to follow. I've recommended them time and time again. their ease of use and table of content format makes it easy to find out how to do things.

Go ahead and visit GCFLearnfree.org

How to Remove Internet Explorer 9

2011-03-21T23:57:00.000-07:00

So you upgraded to Internet Explorer 9 and things are not working as they should. You question is should I remove IE 9 and revert back to Version 8? Below I will provide a link for the instructions to remove Internet Explorer 9. Perhaps there are other possible solutions instead of just removing it.

After upgrading, Internet Explorer 9 does not remove all of the temporary files and cookies. That does not help in the upgrade process. With that in mind, clear your cache and cookies.

Click on the link: How to clear cache and cookies.

Once Internet Explorer is closed completely go back in a try again.

If Internet Explorer still does not work, make sure that history or favorites are not being used to access the website. Use the original url (address) of any web page that is visited. For example: Yahoo's mail page is http://mail.yahoo.com. Go to www.yahoo.com instead as this url is likely the most recently refreshed address. Using the drop down list as you type the url will not help either. Just type it all in and press enter. This can sometimes help. It is called bypassing favorites and history.

Another reason might be extra toolbars and add-ons. While many have handy features, the cost in performance is not always worth it. Here is an article for Checking and Removing Add-ons in Internet Explorer.

If Internet Explorer is continuing to display incorrectly, revert back to IE 8 until the web page meets the new IE 9 standard. The instructions on this page show you how to install and how to remove IE 9. Make sure you follow the removal steps only.

Keep in mind that Microsoft is the creator of IE 9 and the removal instructions page so the information should be complete and correct.

Good luck with Internet Explorer.

How to remove Internet Explorer 9

What are Cache and Cookies? Why do we clear them?

2011-03-20T00:37:00.000-07:00

What is a Cookie?

A cookie is a small piece of text information that is sent to your browser. The browser you use stores this information in a file called a cookie. These files contain information like your last visit to the webpage, your personal preferences and your language. In the case of logging into your email cookies will keep track of the user preferences (color, theme, date and time of login, the last folder you viewed and whether you want to go to a personalized page or your inbox). Cookies are mostly harmless.

You will hear about tracking cookies from time to time and those are used by partner websites. Let’s say I visited www.whateverstore.com to purchase a notebook. While I was on the website I looked at Compaq and Dell notebooks. A tracking cookie might be pulled up that another website uses. For example, I go to www.thenextstoreonmylist.com which requests a cookie from my browser. It finds that tracking cookie and I immediately see ads related to Dell and Compaq notebooks. Magically they seem to know what I’m looking for but in actuality your internet surfing was tracked on this cookie. A tracking cookie can also include the site you visited while you were there. Some are used as referrer cookies. One website gets a reference fee for having someone click-through to a sponsor website. Meaning you clicked on an ad that took you to the other website so those 'sponsors' want to get paid. This is how they track some of the traffic. With the release of analytical software like Google Analytics, these referrer cookies are becoming a thing of the past.

What is the Cache (Temporary Internet Files)?

The cache: aka. Temporary internet files are made up of common objects on a web page. For example, I go to www.thelaststoreonmylist.com and see a commercial video, several ads, and the company logo at the top. The video, the company logo and some of the static, or non-changing ads are stored in IE. They are stored this way so when you go back to the website the information is pulled directly from the hard drive by your browser. This seems to load the page faster since it is not reloading these objects from the internet but rather, from the hard drive itself.

Why should I clear cache and cookies?
Older files and cookies can become corrupt information and can be caused by upgrades to websites, cookies, tracking, and temporary file (static) objects.. They get the browser confused when several ads change on one website. Or maybe your mail website upgraded the cookie to store your zip code or other personal information. The file would normally be good if the website were needing the old file but it’s needing a new one. So we need to clear cache and cookies. Scenarios like this are common with all internet browsers so don't be surprised if you call the Technical Assistance Center and we have you clear cache and cookies.

To learn how to clear your cache and cookies, please visit my blog post Clear Cache and Cookies in your browser.

How do I know if I have Microsoft Office?

2010-12-21T08:50:00.000-08:00

Let's face it! The business world runs on Microsoft Office. It can't open your Open Office files or your Microsoft Works Word Processor files. So How you you know if you have Microsoft office?

Well let's find out if you have Microsoft Office and which version it is:

For Windows Vista and Windows 7

Click the Windows Start Button:
Click Default Programs
Click Programs and Features
Search the list and find the section starting with Microsoft Office.
You may see items like:
     Microsoft Office Home and Student 2007
     Microsoft Office Ultimate Edition 2007
     Microsoft Office Academic Edition 2010
     Microsoft Office Professional 2010 etc.

For Windows XP:

Click the Windows Start Button:

Click Default Programs

Click Programs and Features

Search the list and find the section starting with Microsoft Office.

You may see items like:

Microsoft Office Home and Student 2007

Microsoft Office Ultimate Edition 2007

Microsoft Office Academic Edition 2010

Microsoft Office Professional 2010 etc.

If you need to uninstall a previous version make sure you know which one to uninstall. If you remove the wrong one, you may have to download and install it again, install it from disk, or heaven forbid...purchase again!!

Virus, Trojan, and Adware.

2010-11-12T09:10:00.000-08:00

Antivirus programs are a dime a dozen. All of them promise to protect your system. When the day is done they do not protect the computer from their user. This is the most common avenue that most spyware and virus ware is allowed through

Imagine visiting a YouTube site and viewing videos. There is an existing police chase video that you notice and decide to click on. When you click the video you get an error. "Error! You must have the following video codec in order to view this video! Click here to download."

No harm no foul right? Well you install the codec and all of the sudden popups appear on the screen warning about virus or malware on the computer. It seems to be running a virus or spyware scan but when its done it says, "Click here to purchase our software to remove this Trojan" If you pay for the "Service" with your credit card information, you should contact the card issuer bank to cancel that card. You just gave permission for malware to install on your computer. You also just gave away your credit card information. Many types of Malware exists like this but only you can protect yourself. They offer free things or tools. A Myspace or Facebook page creator could have malware with it. Don't be fooled though. This can happen on far more than just MySpace and Facebook.

Panda Cloud antivirus http://www.cloudantivirus.com/en/ is one of the most intuitive Antivirus programs and is able to catch most virus and spyware . AVG Free Edition is Free http://free.avg.com/us-en/homepage and works well. Norton and McAfee both work well however my experience shows that they can slow the system down after being installed longer than 6 months. This is often repairable by removing and reinstalling after a reboot.

Malwarebytes will remove most items it finds. http://www.malwarebytes.org/ The problem is you often can't download while your computer is under attack. For that reason I keep in installed on my desktop so I do have access to it while the computer is under attack. Keep it updated and it will likely be prepared to remove anything you find on any scans. Sometimes it comes under attack by the same malware that is already installed. When this happens, not much else can help. You will need professional help at that point.

Gathering Screenshots

2010-09-26T09:41:00.000-07:00

One common issue that Online students face is , "How do i turn in my quiz results?" or, "How do I turn in the results of my simulation?"

On a desktop computer you can follow the directions for Microsoft Windows depending on what you need.

If on a laptop computer, please notice you will need to hold down the Fn key while pressing the combination you need for the screenshot.

On a Macintosh computer? Please click here for your screenshot options: Mac Screenshots.

To capture a screen shot, perform the following:

Microsoft Windows

Capturing Only the Active Window

Press and hold the ALT key

Press the Print Screen key

Select the document into which you wish to paste the screen shot

Click CTRL+V on your keyboard to paste.

Capturing the Entire Screen as it Appears on the Monitor

Press the Print Screen key

Select the document into which you wish to paste the screen shot

Click CTRL+V on your keyboard to paste

Capturing a Screen Shot on a Windows-based Laptop

Press and hold the Function key (Hold ALT too for just the current window)

Press the Print Screen key

Select the document into which you wish to paste the screen shot

Press CTRL+V on your keyboard to paste.

If Print Screen option is not working, you may have a version of Windows that includes a tool called, Windows Snipping Tool. While handy and easy to use, you will need to use it to obtain your screenshots.

In order to use the Windows Snipping Tool, you will need to click on the Windows (Start) button, point to All Programs, point to accessories and click on Snipping Tool.

Click the Drop down arrow next to the "New" button and select Windows snip. Now just click on the Window you need (even if the tool is graying it out and you have your screenshot.

For more information on the Windows Snipping Tool click the following link: Windows Snipping Tool

Defragment your Hard Disk.

2010-08-31T14:46:00.000-07:00

After having windows running on a PC for any length of time it is possible that file fragmentation can slow down your computer as it tries to access the Hard drive.

The reason this is so important in Windows is because the slowest part of your computer is the Hard Drive. When your hard drive has to find a file it may have to search one location to find only part of the file and then it has to search for the next part of the file. After searching multiple locations, we've had a lot of disk accesses for one file. This takes time a lot of time.

Wouldn't it be nice if we could take those file fragments and put them in one long file? This is the function of the disk defragmenter in windows. It scans the hard drive and places the file fragments from each file in one continuous file. So when I open a file, the hard drive gets searched once and not multiple times like before defragging.

Please select the correct operating system below to learn how to defrag your hard drive.

Windows XP

Windows Vista

Windows 7

If you are unsure of what version of windows you might have please read my blog entry: What version of Windows am I using?

What version of Windows do I have on my computer?

2010-08-31T14:40:00.000-07:00

Many times users will not know what version of Windows they have available. This is important information to know when you are purchasing hardware, installing software or just troubleshooting problems.

Please see the Windows Operating system steps below to see how to find your version.

Windows 7
Click the Start menu

In the Start Search field type the command winver

Windows Vista
Click the Vista Start menu

In the Start Search field type the command winver to see the version of Vista on your computer. It will be one of the following:
Vista Enterprise

Vista Business

Vista Home Premium

Vista Home Basic

Windows XP
Click on the Start button.
Click on Run... and type winver into the Open field. Click OK. The version of Windows you are running will be notated below in the version history window.

Uninstall programs in Windows

2010-08-15T09:35:00.000-07:00

To remove programs please follow the related eHow Articles.

Windows XP

Windows Vista

Windows 7

Toolbars and Internet Explorer

2010-08-15T09:12:00.000-07:00

Let's face it! Internet Explorer has been consistently under attack. It's not the fault of developers or the design teams. Security holes exist everywhere.

For example:
If I purchase an alarm system for my home and it covers all the doors and windows great! I'm protected!

Three days later my home is burglarized and I'm thinking, "Man! How did they get in?" Then I notice the attic vent in the back of the house was removed. So i'm left with an insurance claim and the knowledge that I need to include the attic vent in my alarm coverage.

Internet Explorer has evolved in just such a way. It's not possible to know every exploit before the product is released. They can often test with all known exploits and security holes however that level of testing cannot cover the unknown. While many talented people test these programs, there is no way to know it all ahead of time. If so, I'd be rich and you'd be reading someone else's blog.

So in interest of keeping IE clean I have created this article to assist you.

There are a variety of toolbars available and many are useful tools for their particular pages and formats. There are some that have trouble or will redirect the user to search results even though a valid URL (internet address) is used. This makes the web surfing experience harder and consequently causes problem on pages where you normally get redirected.

To combat this problem and keep IE trimmed to fewer security problems, you can follow the steps below to clean up and remove extra toolbars and spyware.

Step one Prepare IE and find the possible problems.
Close all Internet Explorer Windows.
Open Intneret Explorer:.
Click Tools then select ;Manage Add-Ons.
In the Add-Ons Window there should be a list of items that are currently loaded in Internet Explorer.
Any toolbar you do not use with regularity should be disabled. To disable an addon Highlight the toolbar or addon and select Disable near the bottom of the window. Highlight the next toolbar you want to remove and repeat, click on Disable.

Other items can be disabled but be careful. Some are helpful. Keep the following if they are there.

Adobe Systems, Inc, Shockwave Flash Object
Adobe Systems Adobe PDF link helper.
Diagnose Connection Problems
Groove GFS Browser Helper object
Java(tm) Plug-in 2 SSV Helper class
JQSIEStartDetectorimplied class
Research
Send to OneNote
Sun Java Console.
Also any Security related programs you might have installed.

Other items you should disable are:

Ask toolbar (Sometimes it just breaks Internet Explorer)
MyWebSearch Toolbars (this is billed as spyware in their user license agreement)
Gamevance toolbars
Any games toolbars or Social networking toolbars such as Zynga, Facebook, MySpace, YouTube, etc.
Limewire toolbars or bearshare toolbars/
Items that appear like the following {0ACB0922-09388271ac}

Once you have disabled everything you feel you need to disable we have to remove the programs we're no longer using. Please select the correct operating system below to find out how to remove programs.

Windows XP

Windows Vista

Windows 7

After the programs are removed, our next step is to reset Internet Explorer.
To reset Internet Explorer,

Click Tools> Internet Options.
The Internet Options dialog box appears.
Advanced tab.
Under Reset Internet Explorer settings, click Reset. Then click Reset again.
When Internet Explorer finishes resetting the settings, click Close in the Reset Internet Explorer Settings dialog box.
Close out of ALL internet windows.

Now you should be able to go back to Internet Explorer and surf almost spyware/adware free.

What version of Windows is the best for me to use?

2010-06-15T13:59:00.000-07:00

I am often asked by my customers, "What Operating System is the best? Windows XP, Windows Vista or Windows 7?"

The answer as always is, It depends on what you need.

Windows XP is by far the most tweaked and quite probably more stable for it. You can use it for practically anything and it will run. The major problem there is you need to install drivers for everything yourself. Most programs have an automatic driver installation however some do not.

Windows Vista/Mohave is just a stepping stone to Windows 7. I view it as the most unstable of the three Operating systems. If you have hardware incompatiblities you can lose all of windows in one fell swoop. Once I had only an arrow on a black screen when Windows Explorer would not load. This occurred three times when I owned Vista. There were a couple of other things that occurred but most of it was due to hardware problems. The black screen was my hard drive giving an error when the computer started up where Vista loaded before the driver finished loading. This caused the bootup to skip running windows explorer. An interesting timing issue there! Another problem seems be the User Account Control Interface which always pops up asking for permission to do this or that or whatever item you clicked on.

Now I have Windows 7. I find the network capabilities and sharing in Windows 7 the best of the three. Overall Windows 7 wins hands down for Organization and usability. It has some other nice features such as the library feature. I find it a huge improvement in Windows. I love the Shake feature where if you have several windows open, you can click the title bar and shake the window around so it will minimize all other windows. Snap is another feature to use for viewing documents side by side. One drawback for Windows 7 is if you use lower screen resolutions you will be missing dialog box buttons in many cases. It also causes the same problem on notebooks with limited resolution such as 1024x600. Always make sure the display supports 1024x768.

For my money Windows 7 is the top pick for usability with XP running a close 2nd because of all the software that is compatible with the OS.

Why not use Open Office?

2010-04-20T16:33:00.000-07:00

I have students and staff members ask often "Why don't you recommend using Open Office from http://www.openoffice.org/?

The answer is not that easy but let me attempt an explanation.

Open Office is a great suite of programs and they are awesome for personal use. Often you cannot send Open Office documents in an email and expect the recipient to be able to access it if they themselves do not have Open Office.

You do have the option of saving files in a different format. While this works a lot of the time I have seen students lose their top grade of an A and end up with a C because their paper wasn't formatted correctly. However when the student opens the original document on their computer the formatting is retained. Just remember not to share the documents if you do use Open Office.

If you decide to ignore this warning. Always make sure you can open the file from the website (not from your computer) and see if the formatting is saved.

We in Technical Support do not usually support Open Office and will only do so on a limited (experience only) basis.

How to run Disk Cleanup

2010-04-12T13:52:00.000-07:00

One of the simplest maintenance steps I teach people how to use all the time is Disk Cleanup. Disk Cleanup should be completed every two weeks or so depending on how much information you access and how many web pages. On the outside, this should be done every month.

Disk Cleanup is easy to do and usually only takes a few minutes. You may find it speeds up your computer when you are on-line.

Over time your computer stores information that it needs on the Hard Drive. The information stored is in the form of Temporary Internet Files. Windows has to deal with these files whether it uses them or not and often get cluttered to the point that Windows and Internet Explorer read information incorrectly.

Windows XP: Click Start then click My Computer.
Right Click on your Hard Drive (Local Disk C:)
Left Click on Properties
Click on the Disk Cleanup button.
The Default settings are usually OK. Please make sure that Windows Temporary Files are included.
Click OK.
When Disk Cleanup is completed, restart your PC.

Windows Vista:
Click on Start>Programs>Accessories>System Tools>Disk Cleanup
When it is done looking for files make sure that Recycle Bin, Temporary Files and Temporary Internet Files are all Checked.
Click OK.
When Disk Cleanup is done restart your PC

Windows 7:
Click the Windows Start button:
In the search field type, "Disk Cleanup"
Click on Disk Cleanup above.
Select your hard drive usually Windows (C:) or Local Disk C:
Check all items and click OK.
When Disk Cleanup is complete, restart your PC

For more detailed information on Windows Maintenance see 5 Ways to Speed up your PC

After Disk Cleanup is run, you should always restart your PC. After the restart Windows may behave a little faster and Windows may handle the switching of windows much better.

Come back for more Maintenance tips from time to time. I will publish what I can when time permits.

Spyware? Clean it now.

2008-01-24T13:12:00.000-08:00

Spyware and Malware comes in many types. Most of it is from installable programs for free components such as screen savers or games that you can install. When faced with a choice, you should always use a search engine such as Google or Yahoo! to find out about it. Search for the name of the product with the word Spyware after it. Another method of infection is videos on sites like YOUTUBE or others. When you click a video and it gives an error but says, "Click here to download the following codec" then this file is one you need to scan for malware.

Trojans in particular are attached to all kinds of free stuff on the internet. ALWAYS save any files to desktop and right click them then click on Scan with...(your antivirus here) This will complete an antivirus scan of the file and will give immediate results.

It is always a good idea to scan your system for Spyware. Two programs are Ad-aware Free edition and Spybot Search & Destroy. I recommend these because they are free and easy to use and not necessarily because they are better. This is not a complete list of usable tools. Please use your own preferences when considering downloads and do not do so based solely on my recommendation. There are others that you can use from Windows Defender, Trend-Micro, McAfee, Norton, and others.

If you already suspect you have an infection you can try Malwarebytes. It is free but asking for donations. The reason I recommend this is not because it is better than others but having it on your desktop can save plenty of hassle. If you cannot download it, you may have to save the installation file on another computer and move it with a thumb drive. Here's the download url: MalwareBytes.

Obtaining Microsoft Office

2008-01-24T11:58:00.000-08:00

Many people do not know what software they have on their computers. After years of support work many of my customers have the same issue of understanding what version of Windows or Microsoft Office they have and most can't tell me without some prompting.

I ask if they have Microsoft Word and they say yes. We find out later they have Microsoft Works Word Processor instead of Microsoft Office Word. Once in a while I find Open Office. I like it for personal use but not professional.

Worse yet are those who try to use Open Office. It may be billed as compatible but it's not entirely compatible as it does not always maintain formatting when saving in Office Word format. Office Word format is usually preferred globally for business and personal use.

Your best bet is to visit Microsoft Office 2010 Trial Page by Microsoft (2010), to download the free trial.

Another option is, Student Exclusive Discount-Office Professional Academic 2010- Full upgrade version at a special student only price: $99.95 from the Microsoft Store! which is the cheapest version of Office we can find for $79.95. I always recommend purchasing the companion Backup DVD. It's always good to have it on hand in case you need to reinstall Besides, I hear the download was only available for 60 days.
Regardless of your choices always be aware there are other file types for other programs which may not be compatible with your best friend's or your bosses' software.

References

Microsoft, Inc.. (2010). Try Microsoft Office 2010. Retrieved from http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/try/try-office-2010-FX101868838.aspx?WT.mc_id=MSCOM_bnr_enus_try
Microsoft, Inc.. (2010). Microsoft Office Professional Adademic 2010. Retrieved from http://www.microsoft.com/student/office/en-us/default.aspx

Clear cache and cookies in your browser

2008-01-24T11:54:00.000-08:00

Clearing cache and cookies for your browser

There are several ways to clear temp files in internet browsers.Just click on one to access the instructions.
AOL
Internet Explorer
Firefox
Opera
Safari

Open Safari.
Click on Safari in the upper toolbar and Select Empty Cache.
Click Empty on the Are you sure message box.
Exit and re-launch the browser.

One of my Favorite programs for clearing cookies and temp files is cleanup. Just create a new restore point before you run it. Let it scan all users and remove everything it finds. If it has a problem go back to the restore point you created. It usually works without a problem so don't be shy but do create the restore point. You can find out how by clicking START>HELP and SUPPORT.

Cleanup