Tip Toe through the ToolTips with me!

The beginning of July and one of my New Year resolutions is still unbroken. At the beginning of the year I resolved to expand my office. While it may be a bit easier to get permitting and financing now to build a new office, it is still easier to take advantage of the existing space available. So I decided to expand my office to all of Charlotte County. Imagine a multiple hundred square mile office. All I need is an Internet connection to the World Wide Web, some good victuals and something to quench my thirst. So this week I decided to plop down in a corner of my new office that offered good food, and a beverage to match. Beef o Bradys in Punta Gorda, FL fit the requirements. They not only provide the provisions, but the wireless connection to the Internet as well.

Choosing a lunch item from the menu was the toughest part of the day. Lot’s of choices but think how difficult it would have been with out the menus. Walk into a restaurant and play twenty questions with the server. Do you have sandwiches? Do you have chicken sandwiches? What beverages do you serve? It might take all day to figure out what the restaurant served before we could even order. Think of the menu as a food tip.

Sometimes our computers can seem equally overwhelming when trying to figure out what button on the screen does what. Time and experience can make selection of the correct button fast and easy. When I am working on a PC a client will comment that I click buttons and open and close windows faster than they can figure out what each one was. That is experience. But for the novice there is a very simple tool built into the Windows operating system to help us navigate around. That same tool is an industry standard and is used by nearly every software company when they write new software such as a word processor or even a game. This tool is called a ToolTip.

The ToolTip is a common GUI (graphical user interface) element. It activates when hovering the mouse pointer over a button on a tool bar or over a link or picture on a web page. When activated, a small box appears displaying supplementary information regarding the item being hovered over. Let’s try it out. Hold the mouse pointer over the time in the system tray. See the box that pops up with the day, date and year? That is a tooltip. Open Internet Explorer move the mouse over one of the icons in the toolbar. After a moment or so, a little box appears telling us what that button does. For example: I move the cursor over the icon of the envelope and a box pops up that tells me that if I click on this button I will read mail. Now move the mouse over the START button and let it hover there for a moment. See the box that pops up and tells you “Click here to begin?” That is a ToolTip. Now open your favorite word processor program and move the mouse pointer over one of the many icons on the toolbars. After a moment a box pops up and tells you what it does. Check Spelling, Copy or Paste are just a few of the ToolTips that I can find in MS Word.

Another valuable tool that many people don’t utilize is the ability to open multiple windows and programs at the same time. Right now I have MS Word open as I write this column; I have Internet Explorer open as I research different topics. I have Windows Live Mail open so I can read and send mail and I also have Notepad open for a place to hold partial thoughts and sentences that I don’t like but am not ready to delete. But how can I see the windows that are open behind the one I am working in?

Look at the three boxes in the upper right-hand corner of the window's title bar. Click on the first square, marked with a line on the bottom, to minimize the window. The window then disappears from your screen, but its icon is visible on your taskbar. Now hold the mouse pointer over the icon on the taskbar and a ToolTip appears telling us what program the button represents. To open the window again, click on the taskbar icon. Remember that minimizing the window doesn’t close the program. The program is still running, using system resources and available for immediate use if we need it.

With apologies to Tiny Tim, let’s Tip Toe through the ToolTips.

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

What a Character!

Special characters. We all know people that we call “characters” and we use the term because it signifies something special, out of the ordinary, or outside the expected. We apply the same term to things. We say it has character. Some good examples might be the new Sunloft and Thomas Ryan buildings in downtown Punta Gorda. We can’t specifically define “character” but we know it when we see it.

There are many characters we use when communicating via the written word as well. Things like copyright symbols, registered symbols, and even cents signs. Many of us know that inserting these symbols into a document is possible, but quite time consuming when hunting and pecking for the symbol from the computer’s character map. Did you know that you can make typing a document that uses special characters much easier?

There are probably one or two special characters that you regularly use. (for example, ® and ©). It can be a real chore to open the Character Map to insert one of these symbols every time you need one. So don't! Open the Character Map by clicking Start, clicking All Programs, and then clicking Accessories. Click System Tools, and then click Character Map. Click the © symbol. Notice that the bottom-right corner of the Character Map shows the keyboard shortcut used to insert the special character. On my PC and probably on yours, pressing and holding the ALT key plus typing 0169 and then releasing the ALT key gives you ©. Write it down for later use. When you want to insert that character, here's the trick: Position the cursor where you want to insert the special character, then with NUM LOCK key on, hold down the ALT key and use the number pad keys to type the character value. (ALT + 0177 give us ± for example) These short cuts can be real time savers.

Speaking of time savers, there is another area where we can pick up some time. Many folks use the default Windows setting that requires a double click on an icon with the left mouse button to start a program. This can also pose a problem for folks with arthritis or other problems that reduce the flexibility of their fingers. But with a few adjustments we can do in one click what used to take two. If you want to change your two clicks to one, click Start, click My Computer. If still using XP look under the Tools menu, click Folder Options. Now click the General tab in the dialog box, click Single-click to open an item (point to select), and then click OK. This makes everything in Windows exactly one click faster. The same thing is accomplished in Vista and Windows 7 by clicking on Organize then Folder and Search Options.

Finally, just as Hurricane Charlie removed the background of Punta Gorda and allow buildings with “character” to grace the new downtown, we can give our computers some flashy new tweaks. Let’s add a little character to our personal computers. How boring is it to have that little arrow cursor pointing here and pointing there? Nothing wrong with the defaults from Windows, but then again there isn’t anything wrong with carrots either. But who cares about carrots?

If you want to change your pointer scheme, click Start, and then click Control Panel. If using XP and the Category View (vs. Classic View) click on Printers and Other Hardware, and then click on Mouse. Click the Pointers tab and browse the available themes. Select the one that suits you best, and then click OK. Vista and Windows 7 choose Personalization. I think the conductor scheme is right for me. Little drums, metronomes and keyboards just seem to fit my mood right now.

While you’re in the pointer changing window don’t overlook the chance to change the set up of your mouse. For example: if you are a lefty, under the heading of Buttons the primary and secondary buttons on the mouse can be switched. Under the Pointer Options tab the speed with which the curser moves across the screen can be slowed down or speeded up, depending on your comfort level. There is also a check box to give the pointer a trail as it moves. This makes it much easier to find the pointer when it blends into the background of one of our projects.

Those Charlotte County folks, what a bunch of characters!

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

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

Just the Facts Ma’am

This week I heard two stories that made me stop and shake my head. My brother moved to Port Charlotte from Michigan this week and one of the first orders of business was to set up his internet connection. He has a wireless router and network installed and wanted the router to be hidden in a closet near the kitchen. His office PC and his laptop could then be placed anywhere in the house without running any wires. He called the local cable company and an installer was promptly sent out.

The installer hooked up the cable TV and connected the router to a cable connection in the garage. My brother asked him to install it in the closet and was told that the only place the router would work was in the garage. Now my brother knows everything about home construction but nothing about the mysteries of the internet, so he accepted this statement as an absolute.

Later on, he was relating to me how his wireless router was in the garage and he was concerned that he might not get enough signals to connect his computers to the router. I asked him to tell me exactly what the installer said because the cable based internet comes into the home over the TV cables. Consequently any connection in the house that is tied into the cable system can connect to a router and the internet will be available. He insisted that the installer told him that only the garage connection had incoming internet so only there would his router work. Now it is possible that with a very long cable run, there might be a degradation of signal on the cable line, but this was a new house and none of the cable runs were exceptionally long. I asked him to humor me and hook the router up where he originally wanted it. He did and you guessed it, the internet worked just fine.

And finally, a client called me this week and asked me to take a look at her two week old Dell computer that had stopped working. She informed me that she had called Dell Support and in the course of the conversation, she mentioned that the computer had stopped working shortly after a thunderstorm. The Dell technician then informed Kat that lightning damage to a PC was not covered under warrantee and please have a nice day. Unfortunately before he hung up he gave her a case number which insured that the storm information was on record for this particular PC.

I took the PC back to my office and began a series of diagnostic test on the PC and a very thorough examination of the components in the PC. I could find no burn marks, discolorations, expanded or leaking capacitors nor anything that would indicate lightning damage. Also, all of the separate components worked when tested in a working PC except for the motherboard. I then contacted Dell support and began a dialogue with them about this particular PC. They had me repeat many of the tests I had already done and concurred with my diagnosis of a bad motherboard. Then the Dell tech mentioned that they had this PC listed as damaged by lightning and consequently wasn’t covered under warranty.

I informed the tech at Dell that I was also a computer tech with many years of experience and that my examination of the system did not indicate damage from lightning. I also informed him that my initial examination of the room the PC had been in at Kat’s house showed that the PC was connected to a surge protector and that all the other peripheral equipment on the same connection was undamaged. I stated that in my professional opinion, the PC had a defective motherboard and should be covered under warranty. The Dell tech agreed, reinstated the warranty, and replaced the motherboard.

The point of this story is that if you contact any manufacturer about a product that isn’t working; please do not try to offer the support tech help in solving your problem if you don’t have the knowledge or skills to make an informed determination of the problem. That is their job and they are very good at it. But it is also their responsibility to protect the company that is paying them. Tell the truth, tell the facts, but never speculate about what caused a problem.

Computers, you have to love’em!

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

Is Your Computer In Heat?

Heat. What happens when we are mowing the lawn, it’s ninety degrees out and the heat finally gets to us? We stop. We wait a little bit and start again. After awhile if the heat gets to us again, we stop again. Finally, if the heat is too much we either stop altogether or find someone else to mow the lawn. (Martha, the hedge still needs work!)

A client had a similar problem with his computer this week. When he called he said his computer would start up, work for a few minutes and then without any warning, simply shut off. He could start it up; it would work again for a couple of minutes and suddenly shut off.

The usual suspects immediately jumped to mind. Viruses, loose electrical plugs, corrupt Windows operating system or the embarrassing one, the computer was plugged into the only wall socket in the room that was controlled by the light switch and someone was turning the switch on and off. I asked if any or what error messages appeared just before the system shut off. Strangely, there were no error messages, no blue screen, no beeps, nothing.

Fortunately, Windows tracks events that occur in several logs. The first one I like to use is the events log, found in the control panel, under administrative tools. This allows techs to review the log and see just what is happening as Windows performs its various functions. However, Don’s event log was clean. So far, the lack of errors pointed toward a hardware failure instead of a software problem.

The next step in diagnosing the problem was to check the power cables, surge protectors, wall outlets, battery backups or any other electrical connection to the computer. Everything checked out ok. Now we are narrowing it down. I suspected at this point that the power supply of the computer itself was to blame. The power supply is where you plug the power cable into the computer. The only way to confirm this was to plug my  test power supply  into the computer and see if the computer stayed running.

I popped open the computer case and before I even started to unhook the old power supply, the problem was obvious. The computer was having a nervous breakdown.

There are many components inside a computer tower. Hard drives, PCI boards, CPU’s,  CD drives etc. Much like a human has eyes, ears, feet, arms, heart etc. all tied together by the nervous system, the computer uses something called a system board or more commonly called a motherboard as a nervous system to make sure all the components play together nicely.

On the motherboard, there are many little things that look like little aluminum soda cans. These are called capacitors and are used to store energy and discharge it when needed. They deliver a stable voltage for a wide variety of functions. In the client’s computer there were eight of these that were blown up like balloons and leaking really ugly goo. This, as you can imagine, is not normal, or as we say in the computer biz, nominal. Unfortunately, depending on the computer this can be a repair that may be more expensive than purchasing a new computer. In Don’s case the replacement board was not terribly costly and the swap was made.

Some of the symptoms of a bad board are: Computer fails to POST. (power on self test) The Memory Test fails. The computer randomly and/or constantly reboots itself. The computer fails to fully boot (or even install) Operating System. Sometimes the system randomly and frequently freezes and the system has random & frequent “Blue Screens of Death.”

Heat is the issue. The capacitors get hot, expand and finally break their casings and your computer stops working. Remember heat. Do not put your computer in a confined space without adequate air flow. Make sure that all the vents on the case are clear of dust or debris. Use a can of compressed air to clean the fan blades on the power supply. If you are brave, unplug the computer and open the case. Use the compressed air to blow the dust off the system board and other components. Do not touch anything in the case unless you have grounded yourself first.

If you have a computer problem that might be of general interest, send a description to me via email and it may appear in an upcoming column. In the meantime,

Keep cool!

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

Fun With Neighbors or How To Spell Fishball

This week let’s look at an email from Mary  who writes in this week with a unique problem.

“I'm having a bit of a problem. Earlier this year, my wireless was set up as being a 'secure' network, using my telephone number as the password. About 2 hours later, the man next door called me to say he couldn't log on to HIS network. He's an older man and was upset that I'd done something to mess up HIS Internet, so I stupidly gave him the password. Could he possibly be using my wireless?”

The short answer is; yes he is using your wireless network because he doesn’t have an Internet Provider. Let’s examine the fundamentals of a home wireless network.

To make it easier to visualize a wireless network, let’s start with the normal wired network. We need an Internet provider such as a DSL (Digital Subscriber Line) from the telephone company or a cable Internet provider such as your TV cable company. These providers bring their cables into your home and connect them to a modem. The modem is the junction box between the computer and their Internet service. It provides the computer with an Internet address. The computer is then connected by cable to the modem.

Now suppose that there are multiple computers in the house and all of them want access to the Internet. One way to accomplish this would be to call up your provider and ask them to install additional lines and modems and charge you appropriately. (Martha, guard your checkbook!)

A more economical method would be to purchase a wireless router. This device is connected between the modem and your computer. The router queries the modem for an address from your ISP and then clones itself as the modem. The router can then distribute its own group of addresses to the computers in your home. As each computer sends data to the Internet, the data goes to the router which in turns sends it through the modem to the Internet. Most  home routers come with four ports which allow four computers to share the same modem. However, Internet address protocols actually allow each router to distribute up to 254 addresses. In theory, a router could have 254 computers sharing a single modem, if there were a way to attach them all.

Where does the wireless part come in? First, think of a wireless router as nothing more than the router we have described so far but with invisible cables running from the router to the computers. Another difference is that a wireless router distributes its addresses via radio frequencies instead of ports and cables. This means that all 254 possible connections to the router are available. When the family comes over for Thanksgiving this season lugging wireless equipped laptops, tablets, smartphones etc, all thirty or more devices of them can connect to your wireless router at the same time and get their emails or surf the net looking for that perfect turkey recipe.

The wireless router itself has some interesting features. First, manufactures claim a 150 ft. range for their wireless routers; the reality is much less than that. Walls, metal appliances, cordless phones, all sorts of things will reduce the range of a wireless router.  My office router is unreachable after seventy feet. Second, routers can be set up as an “unsecured” network, which means that anybody that can get within range of the router can use the router to reach the Internet. For example, I can sit in the parking lot of the Punta Gorda library and use the library’s “unsecured” wireless network to check my email or surf the net. Option two is to set up the router as a “secured” network which means that while anybody in range of your network can see that there is a network available, any attempt to connect to the network results in a request for a password. No password, no access.

So, Mary here is the scenario. Your neighbor came home one day and opened his wireless equipped laptop and noticed that there was a wireless network within range. But, when he attempted to connect to it, it asked him for the password which of course he didn’t have. Guessing that you were the closest possible source of the wireless signal he confronted you and convinced you to give him your password. If your router was interfering with his network, how would your password get him on his network?

Mary, here is the plan, change your password. Your neighbor will come over and tell you that his wireless doesn’t work and to give him your password. Make one up. Make it something that can be remembered but can be spelled many different ways. For example, fishball. Now he goes to his house and tries it for an hour or so, then comes back. Ask him how he spelled it. Then tell him no, it was phishbald, that will keep him busy for a few more hours. Then ghoeshbulb and on and on. Eventually he will get his own Internet Provider or offer to pay half your monthly bill.

Love your neighbors but share the cost.

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

Stop and Think!

Sometimes we should take a moment to stop and think. How often have we gotten the answer to a question, slapped our forehead and thought to ourselves that if we had just taken a few seconds to think about the problem, the answer would have probably jumped up and smacked us in the face. For example, a few days ago I changed the password on my wireless network. I had my reasons at the time and everything was fine. The next day, I suddenly could not get a print job to go to the printer. No error messages it just wouldn’t go. I checked the printer, I made sure the print spooler service was running, I checked that the wireless print server was working; I verified the IP address of the printer and then began to question the parentage of first XP, then Linksys, then HP and finally the cable makers.

Those who know me will find this hard to believe but I was even approaching a state of being peeved. As I sat there thinking about methods of exacting revenge on whatever or whoever was preventing me from printing, it dawned on me that I had changed the password to the wireless network the day before. Since the password to the wireless network was changed, the wireless print server that attaches the printer to the network was attempting to connect to the wireless network with the old password. Stop and think. Since the whole point of a password was to prevent connection to my network with anything other than the correct password, my printer was no longer part of the network. Consequently, no print jobs were being sent to it.

A few moments went by as I whispered the new password to the print server and suddenly dozens of sheets of paper started spitting from the printer and I slapped my forehead along with a specific description of my lack of intelligence.

Let’s see if some recent calls I received this week offer some other opportunities to stop and think.

I recently received a call from a gentleman who proceeded to tell me that his printer wasn’t working. (Martha, is there a pattern here?) I began the standard interrogatories to see if I could narrow down the problem. Was the printer plugged in? Yes. Was the power light on the printer? Yes. Was the printer connected to the computer? Yes. Could he see the printer when he went to Control Panel – Printers and Faxes? Yes. What was the result of sending a print job to the printer? He said the printer made noises like it was printing and a blank sheet of paper came out of the printer. “Ah ha, “I said, “it sounds like the ink cartridges are empty.”

“Double ah ha,” he said, “I just installed brand new ink cartridges!”

“Ok,” I said, “let me ask if you took the tiny pieces of tape off the cartridges that prevents ink from spilling during shipping?”

“I have used printers for a long time and I have never, never taken the tape off the cartridges and they have worked fine.”

“Humor me,” I said, “and take the tape off that PREVENTS ink from coming out of the cartridges during shipping and try printing something. If it doesn’t work call me back.” I received this email about an hour later.

OK, you've made my Christmas card list. I feel like the woman that used the CD drawer as a cup holder. I'm sure I'll appear in an upcoming column (no name please). I don't have to replace ink cartridges very often and my aging brain has trouble. For the record I don't remember EVER taking off the very tiny transparent tape over the hole on the bottom of the cartridge. I DO remember taking off a piece in the past that wrapped around the edge of the cartridge and covering the hole. As I recall it was colored not transparent. Is this small piece new or have I been just cramming the things on? In any event, I thank you for the clue for the clueless. (see Jim, I didn’t use your name)

Another client recently called me to get his PC back up and running. I like to try to determine what was going on just before the computer began to misbehave. In this instance, my client had a friend who is a “computer expert” come and “clean” up the hard drive. They removed all these pesky files that were not recognizable and low and behold, instead of the computer working better and faster, it didn’t work at all. Stop and think. I’m sure there is a moral to this story. I’ll let you figure it out.

Stop and think.

Learn even more tips and tricks from my book listed below.

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