Long Live Your Laptop Battery!

Laptop batteries are like people--eventually and inevitably, they die. And like people, they don't obey Moore's Law--You can't expect next year's batteries to last twice as long as this year's. Battery technology may improve a bit over time (after all, there's plenty of financial incentive for better batteries), but, while interesting possibilities may pop up, don't expect major battery breakthroughs in the near future.

Although your battery will eventually die, proper care can put off the inevitable. Here's how to keep your laptop battery working for as long as possible. With luck, it could last until you need to replace that aging notebook (perhaps with a laptop having a longer battery life).

I've also included a few tips on keeping the battery going longer between charges, so you can work longer without AC power.

Read the full article here




By friendlycomputers

Bit Defender Causes Problems with 64bit Windows

A buggy update to BitDefender security software for 64-bit Windows systems went horribly awry Friday morning, 3/20. Numerous Windows and BitDefender program files are detected as "Trojan.FakeAlert.5" and quarantined. After this happens Windows and many programs don't work and the system may not even boot.


Update: BitDefender tells us "only a few hundred" customers were hit really hard and they're working with them. They expect to have all their customers back on their feet by tomorrow. They ask customers to continue to monitor the support articles linked to in this entry as they are being updated with new solutions as they develop. Incidentally, the one user who reported severe problems to us is back up and running with the help of BitDefender support and speaks highly of them.

Read the full article here



By friendlycomputers

Friendly Computers Webster found an article about online photo sharing

Image hosting is the kind of service many people use for sharing their images. There are several great options that cost money—like SmugMug, for instance—but unless you're a major shutterbug, a free service might fit your modest needs and usage pattern better. Here we round up three of the top options for free image hosting around the Web—Flickr, Picasa, and Photobucket.

READ MORE HERE


By friendlycomputers

Extend the Life of Your Computer by Friendly Computers Webster Texas

Make it Better and Faster

by Marlene Jones
Friendly Computers
Webster, TX

In today’s world, many misconceptions develop for no good reason. One that is shared by many is that everyone needs a new computer every two or three years. If you are running calculation-intense applications like engineering simulations, replacing equipment frequently can make economic sense. Most of us use computers for comparatively simple things like running Microsoft Office applications, using email and accessing the Internet. In those cases, frequent replacement can be a waste of money. Life expectancy of well-maintained computers is typically between four and five years froma hardware perspective. The key phrase is, “well-maintained.”

SIMPLE SOLUTIONS

Simple things can extend the life of your equipment like leaving it running all the time rather than turning it on and off as it is used. The main circuit board of the computer (motherboard) expands and contracts each time the computer is power cycled. This continuous power cycling of the equipment can cause circuits to fail.

Overheating can cause serious damage to computers. Fans are installed to pull air into and out of the computer casing to remove heat. Over time, dust and dirt accumulates inside the computer clogging the components designed to facilitate heat removal. At least once a year, systems should be cleaned. This simple “tune up” can significantly extend the life of your computer and is far less expensive than a new machine.

Many computers are needlessly replaced with new ones because they are perceived as being too slow. The decrease in speed occurs over time so the user forgets how its current performance compares to the way it ran when it was new. As we visit websites, various components like toolbars are added to the computer and many times the additional items aren’t even used by the computer user. Temporary files are created on the computer consuming disk space and serving no good purpose. Spyware and Adware also accumulate over time decreasing computer performance. Components of programs installed by the owner are placed in the startup group causing the computer to take a long time to boot. All software suppliers want you to be happy with their product so they cause part of their programs to start when your computer boots. This makes the program appear to start quickly when needed. Removing these items from the startup group can make applications start slower, but depending on how often the program is used, it may not matter. All of these items make the computer run slow. A general software “tune up” can significantly enhance the computer’s performance.

The memory or RAM (Random Access Memory) that computers use when running programs was very expensive until recently so most new computers were equipped with a the minimum required for reasonable performance. RAM is inexpensive now and adding memory does more to increase computer performance than anything available from a dollars spent perspective.

In summary, there are several things that can be done to increase the life expectancy and performance of your current computer that are relatively inexpensive. Depending on your situation, one or all of the following could be helpful and save money in the long run:

• Clean the inside of the computer
• Software Housecleaning
• Run anti-spyware and anti-virus programs to remove threats
• Add additional memory (RAM) to your system


By Friendly Computers at 2010-01-28

Friendly Computers Data Security and Back Up Clear Lake TX League City

By Marlene Jones - Friendly Computers

Take a moment to think about the value of the data stored on your computer systems in your home or office. How much is your customer database work to you? How about those family photos? Can you put a price on this data?

There are several ways to ensure data security. Two main ways to ensure that your data is secure is to have adequate virus protection and to have a back up plan in place for all critical data. This becomes exceptionally important if you have your data stored on only one computer in your home or office. Hard drive failures are common. Just like anything with moving parts, hard drives begin to fail over time from routine use.

With virus protection, it is not enough o just have it on your system. It must be installed and configured properly; it must be updated regularly; and it has to run routinely to determine if there are threats on your computer. At Friendly Computers in Webster, TX, we recommend AVG for virus protection.

Multiple options exist for backing up the data stored on your computer system. Some systems come with two hard drives and the user can set up options to back up data from one hard drive to the other. Using an external hard drive is another options. These drives are easy to attach to our systems, easy to configure, and portable. Jump drives, sometimes known as flash drives or thumb drives, are another option. These compact hard drives plug into your USB port and allow you to not only back up data, but also allow you to quickly and easily move data from one system to another. If your system has a CD or DVD burner installed, data can be stored on this medium as well. And finally, there are many options for online/remote back up services like Carbonite (http://www.carbonite.com/). If you currently have back up options in place, it is important to check it periodically to ensure that it is configured properly and actually backing up the data regularly.

When you are thinking about data security, remember wireless security. The majority of wireless connections are unsecured. With a simple configuration setting, wireless connections can be password protected. Without this protection, others can connect to your wireless service. A typical installation of a wireless network does not necessarily include securing that connection and it is possible to access sensitive information on your computer systems through a wireless connection.

Living in an area like South Houston, close to the Gulf Coast, we experience hurricanes, flooding, and widespread power outages. It is important to put a back up plan in place to ensure that you do not lose those precious family photos or that priceless customer database. many of the options for data security and back up are inexpensive and easy to use. Put a plan in place today.

Have questions about your back up plan? Give Friendly Computers a call. We would be happy to evaluate your plan, ensure that you have adequate virus protection, and check the security of your wireless connections. 281-554-5500.



By friendlycomputers at 2010-01-28