Merry Christmas... Now What?
So you’re one of the lucky ones who had a shiny new PC under the tree...congratulations. Before you fire up your new copy of “Call to Glory 2” or “Halo”, you need to do some maintenance.
The first, if you have a Windows PC, is antivirus software. Really. Before you do anything.
I know...you think your PC came with antivirus protection. It may have but your work is not done. If it came with Norton antivirus, you need to double-click on the icon and complete the install process. Then run Live Update to get the latest virus definitions. Then note the date of expiration (most PCs come with 90 days of coverage.) About a week before that date you need to decide if you’re going to keep it or install one of the free solutions out there. (If you decide to keep Norton you may be better off buying a complete version in the store...with rebates they often are much cheaper than renewing.)
If you have McAfee preinstalled on your new PC, I would uninstall it immediately and install a free product. It’s not just a bias...in my computer repair business I have seen dozens of PCs with McAfee installed that are riddled with viri. Something either about McAfee’s online-only product or the configuration just lets viruses pass through.
For a free product I would use AVG (free.grisoft.com). Update it every week or so and you’ll be fine. (There are other free antivirus products available too, including Avast. You can see a selection at File Hippo, (www.filehippo.com) While you’re there, get the excellent CCleaner, a free app that cleans Windows hard drives of junk.
The next step is to uninstall all of the applications you don’t want. (I was hired to set up a new Dell the other day and it took me 30 minutes to remove all of the stuff on the hard drive the customer didn’t want, including a pesky “free” trial version of Quickbooks.
Next? Run Windows update (update.microsoft.com) and install all of the current Windows patches and set your PC up to receive automatic updates.
If your PC came with a trial version of Microsoft Office, your next decision is whether to fork over the dough for a full version. If you have a student in the house you can qualify for a cheaper Academic version but if you can’t make yourself pony up the dough you can consider the Word Perfect suite or Microsoft Works, which offer enough performance for most. If you want to spend nothing, get OpenOffice, a powerful office suite for free (www.openoffice.org)
Next, download Firefox (www.mozilla.com) which is a much better browser for both Windows and Apple computers. (If you own a Mac I would forget internet Explorer completely...not only is it inferior but Microsoft has announced it is stopping development of it for the Mac.)
Now that we have software covered, see if your Windows computer has a digital output (usually labeled DVI. If so, check for a matching socket on your flat panel monitor. If you have both (and you’re using the blue-ended cables instead, get a DVI cable and use that instead of the blue one. (Order it online...the major retailers kill customers on the price of these.)
If you plan to plug your computer into the wall for power (a GREAT idea) then buy a surge strip (not a power strip) to plug into the wall first. Spend about $20 now and you won’t have to hire me later to replace your power supply and motherboard after a power spike from the utility company. Another option is a battery backup unit, which you can get for $50 and up from Sam’s or Costco.
Lastly, if you have kids get Parental Control software. We like Cybersitter 9, which does a good job of filtering out Internet porn and notifying parents of what’s going on online.
WEEKLY WEB WONDER: Check out all of my columns for the year at www.cyberdads.com/blog.html
James Derk is co-owner of CyberDads, a computer repair firm, and computer columnist for Scripps Howard News Service. His e-mail is jim@cyberdads.com
Holiday tips and tricks
We need to tie up some loose ends before the holidays as I finally have time to look at a few products worth a look.
“My Mail List Deluxe” is a high-powered mailing list software that can be used for everything from Christmas card lists to bulk mailing. In fact, this software’s strength is bulk mailing. A small business could save significant postage costs by using this software to correctly format addresses and sort bulk mail.
It also can send emails at a certain schedule or to a certain group.
It actually is two programs; a contact database and mailing list software. (This ZIP+4 sorting component needs to be updated every 12 months, so keep that in mind.)
The software, from Avanquest Publishing, costs $42.99. You can get details on www.avanquest.com
---Second on my list is the Microsoft Optical Mouse 3000, a way-cool mouse for both PCs and Macs. Sure, sure, another mouse. However this one is a near-perfect mouse for laptops.
It’s small, optical and has built in magnification and sideways scrolling built in to the tilt wheel.
All you do is insert the USB cable into the PC or Mac and the mouse springs to life. That’s it. Is it perfect? No. I would adore this mouse if it were wireless, which, alas, it is not.
(Why can I never find a mouse that offers me everything?)
The other Microsoft mice for notebooks are wireless, with a way cool sending unit that fits into the bottom of the mouse.
Anyway, this one is about $29 in most stores. If you can handle a cord (and need 1000 dpi reliability (perfect for gaming) then this one is for you. See it at www.microsoft.com
---The final section would be Jim’s top 10 tech gifts of 2005.
---Best laptop for the money: Dell B120. Cheap performance. Get 512MB or RAM.
---Best laptop, period: Apple Powerbook or iBook. Take your pick and roll the dice. I prefer the looks of the cool plastic iBook but any way you go with the Apple you’ll be in love.
---Best MP3 player: Apple Nano. I know, you can’t find one either but you can get a regular iPod too, especially if you want to watch TV on a very small screen. Either way you go, the iPod rocks. (Why did they discontinue the Mini?)
---Best gadget for audiophiles: The Bose QuietComfort 2 headphones. I called them a “religious experience” when I reviewed them and I haven’t lost any enthusiasm for them since. They are too expensve at $300 but if money’s no object then go for it.
---Best Notebook mouse: Microsoft Notebook Optical Mouse 4000. Wireless, long battery life and quality construction. Doesn’t get much better.
---Best Desktop Mouse: Microsoft Wireless Laser Mouse 6000. If you’re still using a roller mouse (with the ball on the bottom) this upgrade will make your head snap back like whiplash.
---Best computer retailer: I find myself using NewEgg (www.newegg.com) more and more. No frills but cheap shipping. I order, it comes. Cheap too.
---Best Internet company: Google. They are doing it right, firing on all cylinders and I didn’t buy the stock at $50. (Shucks)
---Best game: Call of Duty 2. Wow. Very realistic World War II action, incredible graphics and classic gameplay. Hook up with people from all over the world and battle the bad guys together. If you’ve got the PC for it, make it happen
WEEKLY WEB WONDER: In this ridiculous “Happy Holidays” culture, score one for Santa at www.northpole.com. Bring the kids.
James Derk is co-owner of CyberDads, a computer repair company, and computer columnist for Scripps Howard News Service. His email address is jim@cyberdads.com
iBall is pretty cool Ipod accessory
Frequent readers of this space will remember that I am a big fan of the Ipod, the great music player from Apple. (In fact, I liked my Ipod so much I bought my first Apple laptop because of it.)
I have purchased a variety of products for my Ipod, mostly for use in my travel. The best of these travel-related products has to be my Bose QuietComfort 2 headphones. (At the time of my review I mentioned that an Ipod and the Bose headphones were a “religious experience”.)
I have had less luck with FM Modulators, devices that connect to the Ipod and wirelessly transmit what’s playing to the nearest FM radio. Such things make it easy to listen to the Ipod while driving.
However I have tried about three or four of these things and have not had good results with any of them. (I either get poor reception or poor sound, or both.)
I’ll keep looking.
Meanwhile, I took a look at a new product called the “iBall”, which was both impressive and fun.
This $249 device ($225 at Amazon) includes an Ipod dock, which includes both USB and Firewire connections, and a large, round speaker unit that can be located up to 100 feet away. This is perfect for homes like mine where you want music in the kitchen but locating the computer and Ipod there is not practical or possible.
The white plastic ball with a three-speaker array matches (close enough) the aesthetic design of the Ipod and has pretty nice sound. (It improved a lot when I upped the bass and treble from the default.)
The best part of this device, which I have not seen in some other remote solutions, is you can adjust the Ipod from the remote speaker. So you can skip songs, which is a plus. (Why I have rotten songs on my own Ipod is the subject of yet another column… I seem never to get around to deleting the rotten stuff.)
The remote ball can run on batteries or AC adaptor (which is included, a plus.) The unit is compatible with all versions of the Ipod (there are so many revisions of the Ipod that “Saturday Night Live” made fun of it) except the Ipod Shuffle. If you have a Shuffle there is an adaptor available.
You can get complete information at Oregon Scientific’s Web site at www.oregonscientific.com or, better yet, just Google “Iball.”
At least Itunes is working better now…after release 6 it was pretty hairy there for a while but the latest service release seems to have solved some problems.
One more comment on Itunes… if you have spent a fortune buying music or spent hours ripping your CDs, make sure you back up your hard drive to an external drive or to DVD. One hard drive crash and you’ll lose your entire investment in music.
WEEKLY WEB WONDER: The Huffington Post is becoming a must-read for many folks and a prime example of blogging as news. Give it a look at www.huffingtonpost.com
James Derk is co-owner of CyberDads, a computer repair firm, and computer columnist for Scripps Howard News Service. His email address is jim@cyberdads.com
Holiday questions fill the bag
I am usually inundated with holiday-gift related questions this time of year and this holiday season is no exception. I’ll do my best to polish off a few.
Q. When is the next version of Windows coming out? I am trying to decide if I ought to buy a new computer now or wait for it to come out.
A. Windows Vista should be out late in 2006. Microsoft isn’t all that adept at hitting launch dates so you never know for sure. It’s probably not worth waiting for if you need a computer now. Just make sure you get enough RAM (memory). At least 512 should do, 1 gig is better. It also is important to get a decent video card, perhaps one with 128 MB of video RAM. Hard drive space is less important but shoot for 80 GB or more.
Q. When is the Intel version of the Apple Ibook coming out? I am worried if I buy one now I will regret it when the new one comes out.
A. Well, that one is more of a secret. Apple never talks about its launch dates and is notorious for releasing the next great thing about a week after you’ve bought one. (Its release plan for the Apple Ipod was recently parodied on Saturday Night Live on NBC…because any time you buy one Apple releases a better one right after it.
As for the Apple/Intel partnership it will mean (probably) slightly faster computers and clearly will be the way of the future. I would guess (and this is purely a guess) that the laptops will come out early next year and the desktops will follow in the spring. I would doubt you will see any price drops. (However, you may see price reductions on the remaining non-Intel machines but they don’t last long.)
Q. Are Apple laptops compatible with Windows networks? I have a router on my cable modem and my Windows machines are using that now. If I get an Apple laptop for my daughter can she connect to it?
A. Absolutely. You don’t have a “Windows network” but rather you simply have an Internet connection shared by a router. Your router doesn’t care what brand of PCs you have. The Apple will connect immediately to the router, via a wire or wireless.
Q. I heard you can use your Windows XP as a Tivo to record your television programs and no charge. I am considering buying a Tivo (I know you’re a big fan of those) but I wonder about using my PC instead.
A. Well, sorta. You can buy a PC with Windows XP Media Center Edition and, if you have the right connectors, you can use your PC to record television programs. You need to use a service to obtain the listings (some are free but they are not as good as Tivo’s.) The reason I don’t use a PC for television time-shifting is that Tivo was designed from the ground up for that task alone. The Windows PC wasn’t set up for that task and does not do it so elegantly. In my case I don’t want the PC in the living room, either.
Q. Is it true what you write that I don’t need an anti-virus program for my Apple Powerbook? I see several for sale.
A. In my opinion you do not need an anti-virus product for the Apple platform. There are no viri in the wild for Apples and the odds of one being developed are low.
Q. You mentioned you like the Firefox browser. I keep seeing new versions released and lots of patches. Is it still your recommendation?
A. You’re seeing lots of patches because the program really is under development. A new stable version, 1.5, is now out at www.mozilla.com. I would download this version immediately.
WEEKLY WEB WONDER: The WayBack machine (www.archive.org) will let you look back in time at how Web sites looked years ago.
James Derk is co-owner of CyberDads, a computer repair firm, and computer columnist for Scripps Howard News Service. His email address is jim@cyberdads.com
