Fun–damentals or stuff that must be done!

Sometimes things just have to be done. Punta Gorda regularly sweeps the Gilchrest and Collier bridges free of debris, mows vacant lots, waters the plantings in the medians and orders the removal of derelict structures. Our computers also require occasional but necessary maintenance as well, if we want them to look and act the way we expect. Recently a client asked me what she could do to keep her computer running at peak efficiency. Let’s take a look at some of the normal and routine maintenance that we can do to affect that result.

Here is a list of some of the fundamental maintenance functions each computer owner can perform. Let’s start with Antivirus. I am still amazed at the number of folks that are using the antivirus program that came preinstalled with their computer when it was purchased. Most, if not all of those programs were thirty or sixty day trial programs. Let’s clarify how an antivirus program works. It can only protect us from the viruses it knows about current to the day it was loaded on the computer. That is why all computers come with some antivirus program preloaded. The program is not the valuable piece. Recently a client told me there was antivirus on the computer. When I looked to see if it was current, I noticed that it was the trial program that came with the computer in 1999. The subscription had never been renewed. This poor helpless computer had been vulnerable to over 2100000 new viruses written and released since 1999.

The antivirus program is a piece of software that resides on our computer. It is a static program. This means that at the end of the trial period the program doesn’t stop working but the UPDATES that tell the program what viruses are roaming around the Web and how to stop or remove them are no longer received from the company that owns the antivirus software. Why is this important? There are approximately 250 new viruses released into the world each month. To continue to receive the updates that will protect us from these new viruses the user needs to pay for the subscription that ensures continued downloads of the updates. If we open the control panel for the antivirus program on our computer, somewhere there will be a date showing the last update we received and the last date we can expect to receive updates. If the dates shown are expired then renew the subscription, buy a new antivirus program or if using an Internet Service Provider that provides an anti virus program as part of the subscription, download their security packages included at no additional charge with your Internet service.

Spyware is also a detriment to the normal functioning of our computers. Spyware is different from viruses and has probably become even more insidious with regard to its spread and effect on the functioning of our PCs. Most anti virus programs protect agains spyware or ransomware but if looking for a low cost option, download Microsoft Security Essentials. It is a very effective anti-virus/spyware program and it is FREE from Microsoft. (Martha, he said my magic word!)

Now, there are also some basic functions that we need to perform to make sure our computers run at maximum effectiveness. Let’s start with Defragmentation. As we install and uninstall programs, load files, pictures or delete the same, these files are spread all around the hard drive. This means that when we ask for these files to be displayed the computer has to look for the files all over the hard drive. Defragmentation takes all the pieces of files and moves them to a confined space on the hard drive. That way when we call for the files the computer has only to look in a small area on the hard drive for the file and the retrieval of the file takes less time, or to our perception, the computer is much faster. If using Windows XP, go to START – ALL PROGRAMS- ACCESSORIES – SYSTEM TOOLS- DISK DEFRAGMENTER. When the window opens one of the choices is Analyze. Click on the button and XP will tell you if a defragmentation is necessary. Defragmentation takes a considerable time so it might be prudent to run it when the computer will not be needed for a while. It is not required to be online when performing this function. Those of us that have made the leap to VISTA or Windows 7 will find that VISTA/Windows 7 has a regularly scheduled defrag of the hard drive and no action on our part is required.

Finally, don’t forget to clean up unnecessary files. This can be done in XP, Vista and Windows 7 by going to START – ALL PROGRAMS- ACCESSORIES – SYSTEM TOOLS – DISK CLEANUP. The window will show how much space can be freed up by removing unnecessary files. Go ahead and allow the removal of these files. And what ever you do, make sure to pick up a copy of Grumbles from the Keyboard for a boatload of helpful hints on keeping that beloved computer running top notch.

And I thought spring cleaning was over.

Grumbles From The Keyboard: How I Learned To Stop Worrying And Love My Computer: Courtland Nederveld: 9781467985895: Books ISBN: 1467985899 ISBN-13: 9781467985895

Epicuria: An Adventure That Really Cooks!: Court Nederveld: 9781456561734: Books ISBN: 1456561731 ISBN-13: 9781456561734

Occam’s Razor

“You make it seem so simple.” How often have we told a repairman that as we watch a malfunctioning device come back to life? Our car mechanic looks under the hood and immediately determines why the car won’t start. Even our lowly computer techs listen to us as we describe how our binary friend refuses to start and before our portrayal of the problem is complete the computer comes to life under their magical administrations.

How do they do that? Surely there are schools and training that come into play. In my case, I once worked for a major company that over ten years spent close to $40,000 to make sure that I could keep their computers, servers and employees operating at peak efficiency. There is the multitude of Tech forums and online magazines (e-zines) that give insight to common and obscure problems.

There is a principle attributed to the 14th-century English logician and Franciscan friar William of Ockham called Occam’s Razor. This is often paraphrased as "All other things being equal, the simplest solution is the best." How does this apply to what techs do when they miraculously resurrect our malfunctioning PC servants? Let’s follow along as a tech makes a house call. The problems are real; the names are changed to protect the innocent. (Martha, he’s talking about you.)

“Help, I can’t get my email and when I go to my home page it says the page cannot be displayed.” “I restarted my computer and it still won’t let me get my mail.” The tech walks into the room, eyes moving purposely over the computer, screen, wires, outlets, printers and other hardware. As his eyes scan the modem, he notices that the DSL light isn’t on (if using Embarq) or the Online or Cable light isn’t on the Comcast modem. He reaches down, pulls the power cable out of the modem, counts to ten and plugs it back in. In a few moments ALL the lights come on and he opens Outlook Express and the client is astounded as email comes pouring in. He opens Internet Explorer and the home page pops up ready to serve up our Internet requests. Occam’s Razor.

“I don’t know what is wrong. My laptop is frozen and I can’t shut it down. I pulled the power cord out, the screen goes black but as soon as I plug it back in, the screen takes me back to where I was. Does this mean I need a new computer?” The tech reaches around and pulls out the power cord. But he knows that on a laptop, the battery immediately takes over and keeps the computer running. He turns over the laptop, pops out the battery, waits a moment or two, reinstalls the battery, turns the laptop back over, plugs in the power cord and presses the on button. The laptop fires up and goes through the normal startup procedure waiting for the user’s commands. Occam’s Razor.

“The computer is dead. The monitor is on, the printer works, the lights on the modem are blinking but the computer won’t start.” Our fearless tech notices that the components are all plugged into a surge protector. First he verifies that the plug is firmly seated in the back of the PC. Next he pulls the plug out of the surge protector and plugs it into a different socket. Press the power button on the tower and the computer fires up, just a bad socket on the surge protector. Check for power. Occam’s Razor.

“My computer takes for ever to start and then runs so slow I can make a cup of coffee and come back before the computer is ready for me. I switched to high speed Internet and it didn’t make any difference. Do I need a new computer?” The tech knows that the high speed Internet connection only affects the speed from the Internet TO the computer. It has absolutely no effect on the speed of the computer. After explaining the relationship between the computer and the Internet connection, he then begins to take out the trash. The tech uninstalls every program on the computer that is not being used. It is amazing how many programs put themselves in the computer’s start up even if we don’t use them. Kodak Easyshare and MS Messenger just to name a couple. If you don’t use it, get rid of it. Now the computer won’t take forever to start up because it won’t have as many programs to start.

Occam’s Razor.

Grumbles From The Keyboard: How I Learned To Stop Worrying And Love My Computer: Courtland Nederveld: 9781467985895: Books ISBN: 1467985899 ISBN-13: 9781467985895

Epicuria: An Adventure That Really Cooks!: Court Nederveld: 9781456561734: Books ISBN: 1456561731 ISBN-13: 9781456561734

Spam and eggs

Like most folks I have several email addresses that I use for a variety of reasons. The one at the bottom of the column is for business and I have another that is for friends and family. There is another that is used for communicating with other Ford Mustangs folks and clubs and so on.

Imagine my surprise this week when what should appear in not one, not two, but three of my email accounts, but an email with my very own invitation to sign up for Congressman Tim Mahoney's e-Newsletter. I do appreciate that Tim sought me out from among all the folks that he could have sent it to. He wants my input (Martha, you and the computer guy must be important.) and I will do my best to offer what ever advice Tim doesn’t want to hear.

Tim’s email did get me to thinking however. How did he get three of my email addressees? Tim also wrote in the email invitation “But I need your permission first!” I assume this means permission to send me email. Confusion sets in when I think about the fact that apparently he doesn’t need my permission to send me email if it is asking for permission to send me ….. never mind! Tim, I do appreciate the invite, I will accept because it will probably be a great source of column material in the future.

But how do folks like Tim find out our email addresses. Let’s look at some places our email addresses are available. Think about the FREE greeting cards we like to send for birthdays, anniversaries etc. To send them we must provide our own email address and the email address of the recipient. Now the company has two valid email addresses to include on an email list that can be sold to bulk email companies. Another place to get email addresses is to send out hundreds of computer generated emails about Viagra or hot stocks and the emails that do not get kicked back as having a bad email address go on the list and sold to the next bulk emailer. Don’t forget, even signing up for Amazon or any online store that requires an email address puts us in a position for the address to be sold or used by an “affiliate partner.”

How much spam is there? Statistics, extrapolations and counting by Radicati Group from April 2010 estimate the number of emails sent per day (in 2010) to be around 294 billion. 294 billion messages per day means more than 2.8 million emails are sent every second and some 90 trillion emails are sent per year. Around 90% of these trillions of emails are spam and viruses.

What can we do? There are a few things that will slow it down but I don’t think it can be stopped. Here are some steps that might mitigate the onslaught of junk email. (Congressman Mahoney, yours are definitely not junk.) Try using a web based email such as Yahoo or MSN or Gmail. They all offer free email accounts and the spam filters they use are very effective. I use Yahoo and it catches about 95% of all spam.

Windows Live Mail is a client based program (resides on our computer) that includes a junk e-mail filter. The junk e-mail filter is a list of potential spammers, and other algorithms used to identify spam. This list is updated via Windows Updates so is constantly being populated with the latest anti spam tools. Bare in mind that spammers are working desperately to get around these filters and occasionally do. Those users out there still running Outlook Express may want to consider upgrading to Windows Live Mail just for the spam filters. WLM is part of a suite of products called Windows Live Essentials which is FREE from Microsoft and can be downloaded from http://windows.microsoft.com/en-US/windows-live/essentials-other-programs. There are several other products in the suite and we may choose one, some or all of the products to download but for our discussion today we concentrate on Windows Live Mail. As a side note, if using Outlook Express now, the installation of Windows Live Mail will automatically move our address book, and old emails into the new program so set up is fairly easy.

Other programs such as MS Outlook have built in junk filters that install updates from Microsoft to identify suspect email and move it to the Junk folders for later review. There are also third party software packages like Norton AntiSpam, Mailwasher Pro and McAfee Spamkiller that integrate with client based email programs and try to filter out spam before it gets to the mail program.

But some email like Congressman Mahoney’s we want to receive. So don’t be too restrictive when making up the rules for spam email. Send the congressman an email asking that the Can-Spam Act of 2003 be strengthened because it doesn’t seem to have accomplished much in the way of cutting down spam email. Wikipedia reports that according to Steve Ballmer, Microsoft founder Bill Gates receives four million emails per year, most of them spam. At the same time Jef Poskanzer, owner of the domain name acme.com, was receiving over one million spam emails per day.

Send me an email, I won’t block you!

More interesting tidbits like this can be found in my book, Grumbles from the Keyboard. I think the book may also resolve constipation based on comments from folks that have my book and report they keep it in the throne room and read it every day.  Get your copy today!

Grumbles From The Keyboard: How I Learned To Stop Worrying And Love My Computer (9781467985895): Courtland Nederveld: Books ISBN: 1467985899 ISBN-13: 9781467985895

And if you are a reader of different genres, why not order my cookbook as well. What you say? “A technogeek writing a cookbook, this I have to see. “ Well here it is!

Epicuria: An Adventure That Really Cooks! (9781456561734): Court Nederveld: Books ISBN: 1456561731 ISBN-13: 9781456561734

What’s Your Story!

Have you looked around the area lately? Forget about the construction, traffic, political issues etc. Just look around and what do you see? Next door is neighbor Joe, cutting his lawn. Across the street the new folks are adding a coat of paint to the front of the house. Around the corner, the Smiths, or Jones are enjoying a cool beverage on the deck by the pool. Drive around and look at all the quiet neighborhoods with people simply going about their business and concentrating on the tasks at hand. Some still head off in the morning to work, or school but many have paid their time in the harness and now are simply enjoying the weather, sun and camaraderie of their fellows.

As I travel around the area addressing folk’s computer problems, I enjoy the opportunity to talk to the folks I meet. Somehow the conversations always get around to something they did or do and I am always amazed as the stories unfold, at the rich tapestry of life experiences we have here in Charlotte County. I talked with a former CIA agent, a couple that spent years living and traveling on a boat and even someone that actually panned for gold out west. The stories they told of their experiences would equal any commercial novel and in fact some of them have actually written the stories down. Several have even had them published.

In years past, if I decided to write the great American novel, I would have typed it on an old typewriter with lots of correction tape and a great big dictionary beside me on the desk. Should I make a mistake such as transposing a line or decide that a paragraph didn’t really fit like I thought it would, I would spend hours retyping at least a page if not the entire manuscript. Finally, I would send it off to some publishers and if accepted by one of them they would invariably demand it be retyped again with a multitude of changes. Just the physical construction of the manuscript was time consuming, not to mention the placing of idea to words.

Today our computer can offer numerous advantages to our budding literary endeavors. Probably one of the most common software programs used by writers is Microsoft Word. This program not only allows you to set the format of the page, fonts etc. to the publishers requirements, but also offers a built in dictionary, grammar and spelling checker and if the computer is connected to the Internet, a thesaurus and reference materials right at the click of a mouse. Add to that the ability to cut and paste, move entire paragraphs with out retyping and software that will autocorrect common spelling errors.

The only drawback to MS Word is its price. It can be expensive. There are other word processing programs out there with prices all over the board. One drawback to them is that some cannot open documents created in MS Word and some create documents that cannot be opened in MS Word. There is even a FREE version of a word processor program (it also has a spreadsheet, database and other office programs) call Open Office.org that can be downloaded from www.openoffice.org. It can be configured to create documents that will open in MS Word and it will open MS Word documents that you might receive.

With the proper tools in place, we can sit down and begin to tell our stories. Write your memoirs, tell us how you bit a mouse back after it bit you. Tell us about the years spent on a nuclear submarine or how the business you sold a few years back for lots of money started on the kitchen table with $200 borrowed from the high school shop teacher. From my perspective, I find these stories much more interesting than endless coverage of political prevarications.

Sounds like a good idea but you just don’t know how to start? Remember, here in Charlotte County we have the Peace River Centers for Writers. This is a group of several hundred folks interested in putting pen to paper. Some are already published, some are hoping to be and some are just writing down their memories for the grandkids. The Writers Center is located at Edison College in Punta Gorda.  The membership dues are reasonable. They hold many workshops about different aspects of writing such as “Write Your Memories,” “The Art of Interviewing” and How to Sculpt a Story. Give them a call. Hundreds of writer guilds and groups exist in every corner of the country. Use the Internet to find the one near you. Here is a starting point for groups in Florida, www.floridawriters.net/Our_Writers_Groups.html

See you on Amazon.com!

Grumbles From The Keyboard: How I Learned To Stop Worrying And Love My Computer (9781467985895): Courtland Nederveld: Books ISBN: 1467985899 ISBN-13: 9781467985895

Epicuria: An Adventure That Really Cooks! (9781456561734): Court Nederveld: Books ISBN: 1456561731 ISBN-13: 9781456561734