Fusion Computers Tips and Tricks
Desktop Troubleshot
Summer Haiku:
Parasail’s fly high
in the sky . . .
a seagull flies by
Hello all,
Welcome to the Third edition of the Fusion Newsletter. This month’s newsletter will cover some of the more perplexing issues users have with their computers.
Last quarter we covered icons and placing them permanently on your start menu or quick start task bar. Every so often the icons for Microsoft Office will disappear from your start menu.
As long as all of your other icons are still visible and the start button and taskbar are accessible this can be a very easy fix that you can do yourself.
** WARNING TECH SPEAK AHEAD **
If all other icons, your start button or your taskbar are not present you have a very serious problem and it is not a trivial fix. It is a very good possibility that the explorer.exe shell for Windows is corrupt. Bring it in ASAP to get it fixed. For what is being explained here though read on…
Click on the Start button, and then click on Control Panel. Double-click Add or Remove Programs then chose Microsoft Office 2003 from the list, and then click Change.
In the Microsoft Office 2003 Setup box, click Reinstall or Repair, then click Next. Click either Reinstall Office or Detect and Repair errors in my Office installation, check the Restore my Start Menu Shortcuts check box to rebuild your Microsoft Office shortcuts. Now choose Install button and let it repair itself.
You may need your Office 2003 CD too so have it handy just in case.
Computer Lingo
Back in the good old days if you had a perplexing question about something you could go to your Encyclopedia Britannica and look it up. If you had a word you needed spelled you checked your Webster’s dictionary. Here we are going to cover “google it” and “check Wiki” among other terms used liberally today as was “check the dictionary” back then.
Google it:
If you are looking for some information about a subject you go to HYPERLINK "http://www.google.com" www.google.com and type in the search bar the question you may have. This will present you with millions if not billions of answers to your questions.
Wiki:
Wikipedia is a free online encyclopedia that is added to and edited by everyone and anyone. It contains links to other web sites for more in-depth explanations and pictures.
HYPERLINK "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia" http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia
White Pages:
The white pages are used to find phone number, address, business, and people and reverse phone number look ups. Not all the services offered are free though or require a payment for more detailed information. This site is used just as the old telephone books were, but with much greater detail.
HYPERLINK "http://www.whitepages.com" www.whitepages.com
Map it:
The internet also has some of the greatest mapping software available. If you need to know how to get from here to there in explicit detail you can go to Yahoo or Google Maps and map your route. You will see distance traveled, time needed and even landmarks all in great detail.
"http://maps.yahoo.com/"
and
"http://maps.google.com/"
So check out these web sites and see what is out there for you. You could learn a thing or two…
“The future is here. It's just not widely distributed yet. “
William Gibson
We're Going Fishing
For about a year now Microsoft Explorer has been on Version 7. This newer version has what’s called a Phish Filter built into it. It is a tool that most Anti Viruses such as AVG have built in. To turn it on or to see if it is on go to Start || Control Panel || Internet Options || Advanced Tab || Scroll down to Phishing Filter and choose Turn On and click the OK button.
This is an explanation of Phishing:
Online phishing (pronounced "fishing") is a method of identity theft that tricks you into revealing personal or financial information online. Phishers use phony Web sites or deceptive e-mail messages that mimic trusted businesses and brands in order to steal personally identifiable information such as usernames, passwords, credit card numbers, and Social Security numbers.
This type of identity theft is rampant and you can be easily fooled into giving out your personal information. The web sites are copied exactly like the authentic web site, but after you type in your username and password that information is captured and you are directed to a web page that will show an Access Error page stating that it cannot be shown or possibly a page that will look just like the authentic web site only it will say “Down for maintenance”.
IE7’s phishing filter runs in the background once your internet is started and you browse the Web. The filter analyzes Web pages and determines if they have any characteristics that might be suspicious. If it finds suspicious Web pages, it will show a yellow warning, advising you to proceed with caution.
This built in tool checks the sites you visit against a database Microsoft owns and if they have a match for a suspected phishing site the phishing filter will show you a red warning in both the upper web address and in the lower right secure web box notifying you that the site has been blocked for your safety. There will also be a pop up window telling you that the site is suspected of phishing.
If you get an email you suspect of being a phishing scam you can report it through Microsoft Hotmail. Between the Not Junk and Move to buttons you will see the Report Phishing Scam button. Check mark the e-mail and click on that button. The email is then sent to Microsoft for further investigation and if it is proven to be a phishing scam it will be added to the database I spoke of earlier.
Did You Know?
The Internet is still a crazy and fascinating world. It’s best to be prepared when heading out there.
Nero 8 Ultimate Edition
You can use a trial of Nero 8 by visiting:
http://nero.8-software.com/
The cost after trial: $69.99
CDBurnerXP v4.1.1
A free alternative to Nero 8 is CDBurnerXP. This software was created by Canneverbe Limited and works just like Nero 8.
Cost: Free. Forever.
Visit:
http://www.cdburnerxp.se/download
“It is better to know some of the questions than all of the answers.”
James Thurber
Financial Freedom
I am going to take a break from the simple fixes and focus on financial software. With the current economy the way it is, everyone is pinching pennies. This software can help you keep track of all the pennies you have.
The most widely known financial software available today is Quicken or QuickBooks by Intuit. Quicken is more focused on personal finance’s where as QuickBooks is focused on small businesses. Both are very rich in bells and whistles and there are college classes and a multitude of books available that will show you how to get the most out of the program.
You can use Quicken to track any and all expenses, credit card transactions, investments and it will show your net worth. You can use both Quicken and QuickBooks to pay bills on line or to set up auto pay.
Both have reporting features built in that will allow you to put into graphical detail where all your cash is going.
Setting up the software is very time consuming not the installation of the software itself, but getting everything documented correctly and tailored just for you. I would recommend taking a Sunday off to set it up. It will impact your finances greatly.
Prices range from $99.99 all the way up to $549.95 for QuickBooks Pro. It would be impossible to cover all that Intuit and their products have to offer so here is Intuit’s web site for more details:
Being that we are pinching pennies it is kind of ironic that you would spend that much money on financial software… right?
Here is some top rated free financial software.
For personal finance’s you can use GnuCash. Pronounced: NewCash.
http://www.gnucash.org/
This software was created by the Linux community and released for free forever along with any and all upgrades. There is free help available from the web site and this software works on Windows, MAC, Solaris, and Linux.
GnuCash offers everything that Quicken does and will take just about the same amount of time and effort to set up.
Compiere can pretty much do it all. This too is free software just like GnuCash but it is tailored for small businesses. You can do everything from inventory to accounting, online sales and invoicing to purchasing and financial management.
This software also integrates with 3rd party payroll services and can integrate with online banking.
Compiere was designed as a free solution to QuickBooks Pro and is overkill for those wanting to track their personal finances. The software will run on Windows, MAC, and Linux and has a large community for help and even demo’s to watch. Here is the web site:
"http://www.compiere.com/products/index.php"
There is a multitude of both free and pay to use financial software out there. No matter what you choose please understand that for the software to work properly you have to put in the time to keep them updated.
One thing to do is keep track of your expenses and enter them once a week into the software. This will keep things in perspective and give you a crystal clear view of where the money is going and where it needs to be saved.
I hope you enjoyed this quarter’s newsletter and I was able to save you some time and headaches. Now get out and enjoy the sunshine!!!
Thank you all so much for your support and I’ll see you in the fall with more great tips and tricks.
Jason Scouten