NOT a Guru!
Keeping it simple, without the hype. PC tips and Internet advice for mom and pop businesses.

Windows 7 is supposed to be faster and better than all of Microsoft’s previous operating system versions … and it is not supposed to create a lot of trouble like the Vista platform created.  Many of us did not bother switching to Vista because of the hardware conflicts it created. Vista was also notorious for software conflicts that it had with programs such as Quickbooks.

Upgrading a Vista system to Windows 7 is supposed to be easy, but XP users are going to have trouble.  Applications will have to be backed up and uninstalled before Windows 7 can be loaded, which will probably be too much aggravation for most of us.

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Microsoft Logo

Sajid Saif Forums has one of the most extensive lists of Microsoft shortcut keys I’ve ever seen.  Included are command prompts (such as disk copy, logon and task kill), run commands, Windows XP shortcuts and Internet Explorer shortcuts.  You’ll also find keyboard shortcut keys for the software applications within Microsoft Office, such as Word, Excel and so on.

If you like shortcuts, definitely print out the tutorial.

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Did you know that according to PC Magazine, the most common username and password is:

• Username:  Password
• Password:  123456

If your Windows password isn’t quite that simple and you forgot what it is, there’s good news:  You can recover it.  As shown in the video below, one of the easiest ways to get in is to log in as Administrator and leave the password blank.  There are easy and advanced steps, depending on your system setup.  You might need your operating system CD and/or a USB drive to proceed.

The video may take a few seconds to load, but is well worth the wait…especially if you’re borrowing someone’s computer, quietly sitting in a panic and wondering how you can access your own PC!

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ZDnet pointed out earlier this week that the version of Adobe Reader that is available for download from Adobe’s official website is an older version that is full of security holes.  I checked and as of this morning, this is still true.

The insecure Adobe Reader 9.1.0 is the version that visitors receive on the download page rather than version 9.1.2, which fixed the flaws.

The security holes in the 9.1 version will not be fixed by anti-virus software programs.  People who download Reader are advised to immediately download and install Adobe’s security patches.  There should be automatic download alerts, but if not, click the “Help” link and then check for software updates.

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With school starting in a month or so, parents or college-bound students might find that they need to buy a computer.  Whether it is for school or home/business use, knowing what to look for is essential when buying office equipment.  A computer shop owner in Albuquerque, New Mexico, described what he called the five steps in picking the right personal computer on a local television interview.

1. What will you use your computer for?  High end gaming?  Watching movies?  Basic word processing and emailing?
2. Are you ever going to want to move your computer around?  Because they are designed to be portable, laptops tend to be more expensive than desktops.
3. If you decide on a laptop, make sure that it meets your requirements in terms of RAM, hard drive memory and so on.  Get a laptop that is upgradeable so that it will last 5-10 years instead of just 18 months.
4. Desktop computers are upgradeable for many years.  The parts tend to be ten cents on the dollar after a year passes. For instance, a $300 video card today may cost $30 next year.
5. Consider where you will buy your PC:  The Internet, a retail chain, or a mom and pop computer specialist business.

Although this video is a bit of an advertising plug, the bit about the services offered by mom and pop businesses tends to be quite true.  These smaller business really want you to be their customer, and they will bend over backwards to make sure that you are happy.  They will spend time learning exactly what you will use your computer for and will then tailor a unit to meet your needs.

The video will load in a few seconds.

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If your computer is running slow, the problem could be that you do not have enough RAM.  If the booster that we talked about yesterday does not work, you might want to consider adding more hardware.

The first thing that you need to do is to figure out what kind of RAM you need, and whether your computer has enough open slots to hold it. The new RAM should match the existing RAM’s specifications and configuration.  There are a number of different RAM types:

• FPM RAM can be found in most 486 and Pentium based systems from 1995 and earlier use.
• EDO RAM came out in 1995 for Pentium based systems.  Most of our early Pentium systems have this type of RAM.
• SDRAM made its debut in 1996 and was supported by most Intel based chipsets.  It was a popular choice for new systems in 2001; but if you bought your computer in 1999, chances are, it has SDRAM.  SDRAM is three times faster than FPM RAM and about two times faster than EDO RAM.
• DDR RAM became popular in 2001, when motherboards started supporting it.  The main difference between it and SDRAM has to do with the clock processing frequency.

The easiest way to find out what type of RAM your computer has, and whether there is an expansion slot available, is to check the computer specs provided with your system’s purchase documentation.  If you have an older system and can’t find your paperwork, head over to 4AllMemory.com and use their system check.  The system check is a software download (that according to my tests is virus free).

After running the system check software, your computer specs will be displayed online, together with recommended RAM hardware.  As you can see, I checked out my specs for a very old laptop computer which definitely can use an upgrade!  The results are very easy to understand.

Once you have purchased your RAM, it is pretty easy to install it.  Just make sure that you have turned your computer off, unplugged the peripherals and have a static-free environment before adding your RAM upgrade.  These videos show you how to do it on a PC and on a laptop.

How to Install RAM — powered by eHow.com

How to Replace Laptop RAM — powered by eHow.com

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If your programs are running slow because of not enough RAM, you could try boosting your existing RAM without having to install hardware.

A free software program that I use on an older laptop (a 1995 that’s still running strong!)  is called FreeRAM XP Pro.  This freeware is highly recommended by the editors at CNet and Tucows.  FreeRAM XP Pro’s AutoFree feature intelligently scales how much RAM is freed with your current system status, thus optimizing RAM without slowing down your computer.  Here is a look at the interface on my older laptop.  As you can see, I have it set to automatically free up and optimize the RAM.

Here are some of the features of FreeRAM XP Pro:

• Automatic memory monitoring and optimization;
• Advanced tray support;
• Fast, threaded freeing with a stop option;
• Memory reporting and diagnostic logging; and
• Real-time memory information.

FreeRAM XP Pro’s AutoFree feature intelligently scales how much RAM is freed with your current system status, thus optimizing RAM without slowing down your computer. Additionally, FreeRAM XP Pro’s unique Global Memory Compression technology frees memory instantly in a way that is completely unlike other memory managers.

FreeRAM Pro is very easy to use.  When you right click on the icon in the system tray, you can access a number of useful features.

FreeRAM XP Pro is free, so try it out to see if it will speed up your computer.  It works with Windows 2000, XP and Vista.  You can get it virus-free at CNet’s downloads.

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With your Windows computer, it is easy to find out how much RAM you have.  Here is the easiest possible way to find out.

STEP ONE - Access Help andSupport.  To do this, click START that is in the lower left of your screen and then click Help and Support.

STEP TWO – In Help and Support, search for RAM.

STEP THREE – In the “Pick a Task” topic that appears, click “Get information about your computer.”

STEP FOUR – Get your computer specs by clicking either the “View general system information about this computer” or “Find information about the hardware installed on this computer.”  For purposes of “keeping it simple,” we’ll click the first option in this example.

STEP FIVE – Here’s your answer!  When clicking the “View general system information …” option, some basic computer specs appear.  As you can see, this particular computer has 1 GB RAM.

In the next couple of posts, we’ll look at how to install more RAM and some other alternatives to enhancing your RAM.

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Let’s say you just downloaded a new graphics editor software.  You have 100 gigabytes of memory on your hard drive …

… but …

… when you try to use the software, your system says there is not enough memory.

The issue here is that you probably do not have enough “Random Access Memory,” which is called RAM for short.

This is very different from your “regular” memory that is on your hard drive (or “C” drive).  Your hard drive memory looks kind of like a record player.  Data is stored on a plate-like device that spins.  When you turn off your computer, your data remains on the hard drive.

Without getting complicated, RAM is a short term type of memory that “remembers” things like keystrokes, mouse clicks and other commands that allow you to interact with the processors on your computer.  Your computer’s processor then interacts with the commands within your operating system and software programs.  When you turn off your computer, nothing is stored in your RAM.

When helping people fix their computers, I’ve observed that many people do not know that there are these two types of memories:  the RAM and the hard disk memory.  Sometimes, a sluggish computer means that there is not enough RAM.

Tomorrow, we’ll take a look at how you can find out how much RAM your Windows computer has.

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A friend of mine is a young photographer who has been transferring a ton of digital images onto her year-old laptop.  Now, the laptop is so full that she cannot defrag or store anything else.  She has a Microsoft operating system.

In such a situation, this is what I would suggest:

Step One.

Empty the recycle bin.  Delete anything else on the hard drive that is not necessary, or transfer it to an external storage device (her laptop is so full that this might not be possible).

Step Two.

Compress the hard drive.  To do this:

• Click “MY COMPUTER.”
• Right click on DRIVE C and SELECT PROPERTIES.
• Click the COMPRESS DRIVE TO SAVE SPACE option on the bottom of the screen and click okay.

Screen shots that give you pictures showing you how to compress your hard drive can be found in here (the link will open in a new window so you can easily return to this page).  The compression instructions are in the 2nd half of the article.

Step Three.

Clean up your disk.  You can do this from the properties menu you just accessed in Step 2 above, or from your system tools (accessible by clicking your start button).  Screen shots illustrating how this is done are shown in the first part of the same article as the compression instructions (new window will open here).

Step Four.

After the compression and cleanup, if you are still short on hard drive space, delete or transfer to an external storage device any files you do not need.  If you do not have enough external storage devices to save files that you do not want to delete, consider transferring them to an online storage area.

I think MediaFire is probably the best place to start off with if you are looking for free online storage.  Here is a screen shot that lists MediaFire’s features for a free account:

Step Five.

Defrag your hard drive.  To do this:

Click the “start” button on the lower left side of your screen.

• A menu comes up — click “Programs.”
• When you click “programs,” you’ll see a menu for “Accessories.” Click that.
• You’ll see a menu for “System Tools.” Click it.
• In the “System Tools,” you’ll see “Disk Defragmenter.” Click it and follow the prompts.

Other Things to Consider.

Regularly maintain your computer by defragging and using your system’s cleanup utility.

If you store a lot of graphics or other media, consider getting an external hard drive that you can plug into your USB port. Just plug the hard drive into your port and you’re ready to go … there is no special set up procedure.  I use these all of the time and they are a life saver!  The cost is economical, particularly considering how much time and aggravation you are saving.  You can plug your external hard drive into any computer and be able to access your files.  This may be more reliable than depending on an online storage service, and you do not need Internet access to retrieve your files. Take a look at the external hard drives featured below — I spent some time trying to find some of the cheapest options. If you have storage challenges, these are wroth checking out.

This Seagate external drive has 750 GB of space and is $79.95. 750 GB will store a lot of stuff! Click the image for more details.

If you’re willing to spend a bit more money for some peace of mind, Office Depot is currently running a special where you can get a 1TB storage drive for just $119 (it’s normally around $140). With free shipping, this is one heck of a deal. Click the image for details.

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