Despite being a holiday, the folks at Mozilla ?Firefox are making sure that their latest version of Firefox meets the standard previous versions have set. In doing so, they have released the fourth beta of Firefox 3.6. Which gives you over 100 fixes from the previous beta and more security measures.
With its great?security and customization features, Firefox has charged ahead of the browser pack. Proving the unfailing principle that competition is good for innovation. Which, is good for the end user. Firefox is one of the most secured browsers out there and is the preferred browser for most technicians. Here at Computer Geeks we prefer to use Mozilla Firefox over other browsers. It is much more secure and easy to use, for even the most novice of user. To learn more about which browser is right for you, visit our website??or give us a call 7 days a week at 800-433-5435
Many of our customers know how high our opinion of AVG is. This award-winning anti-virus and security software is one of the most effective countermeasures to the always looming threat of malware that stalks the internet during your jaunts through its halls. Previously, it came in two versions, the professional version and a free trial version that eventually requires you to upgrade after prolonged use.
If you?re someone familiar with the trial version, you know all too well how frustrating it was to boot up your computer and find that you were no longer able to use its services. While the professional version is a more robust version, offering real-time protection where the trial version placed the onus on you to run the scans, none of us frown upon those things which are free.
Well, AVG is now offering their latest update to the free package ? version 9.0 ? to the public for as many uses as they choose.
Yes, that?s right.
No matter how long you have this version, or how many times you use it, AVG Free 9.0 is yours forever. You won?t be prompted to upgrade to the professional version ? ever. It?s completely free, available for unlimited use, and just as powerful as the previous iterations of what was once the ?trial? version.
Of course, as was the case before, the free version will still not offer real-time protection. The benefit of real-time protection is knowing that you?re always secure, no matter what you?re doing, the AVG protection steeling you against malware threats while running in the background.
However, for those of you are vigilant and pro-active when tending to the security of your computers, this is as good as it gets.
For those of you who?ve recently upgraded to the latest version of Firefox (ver. 3.6), the popular and amazingly customizable web browser from the ingenious crowd at Mozilla, you might be aware that your extensions ? those apps which expand upon your browsing experience ? aren?t working.
This is a problem about which frustrated users of Firefox have become especially vocal, but there seems to be a fix.
In the past, when a new version of the browser was released, there was a simple solution to ensuring that the extensions were working properly. One needed to only edit the config file, adding a simple ?extensions.checkCombatibility? entry to the list of values. With the new version, this string no longer works. However, with a simple amendment to the original value, you’ll have extensions working on your new browser in no time.
If you haven?t made the necessary changes, when installing an extension on the new version of Firefox, you?re met with an error message that reads:
Readeroo.0.2.20080520 could not be installed because it is not compatible with Firefox 3.6b3
Correcting this is simple, though the process may initially seem daunting to your average user. Here?s what you need to do:
In your address bar, where you?d normally enter a url (www.webpage.com), type: about:config.
Ignore the warning and proceed.
You?ll see an exhaustive list of all the configuration values associated with your browser. Ignore those and right-click on the list, choosing ?New? -? ?Boolean? from the drop down.
You?ll then be asked to enter a ?preference name,? where it becomes critical to know which version of Firefox 3.6 you?re using, as both Alpha and Beta releases are available to the public. ?For instance, if you know you have? the Beta release, you will enter the following in the ?preference name? field:
Extensions.checkCompatibility.3.6b
Note the ?b? at the end and understand that it signifies the Beta release, while an Alpha release would require that you end the string with an ?a.?
After that?s complete, you?ll want to choose ?false? and proceed. Assuming everything was entered correctly, the value will now be included in that long list of configuration settings. If you?re curious, run a search for it in the ?Filter? field.
Once that’s done, your extensions will install as they once did, returning you to the wonderful world of customization that Firefox extensions welcomes you to.
If you have any other questions, even if unrelated to Firefox, never hesitate to give us a call.
We always advise our clients to backup their data. No matter how new their system, the chance of a catastrophic crash is right around the corner, the likes of which possibly resulting in the loss of critical data. Well, in an age where much of our computer use centers around the internet, a good deal of that the data we prize is now stored online, making it difficult to back it up as easily as we would the information housed within our our hard drives.
Backupify is an extremely helpful service that solves that problem, backing up your online data ? Facebook, Gmail, Photobucket, and more ? so that you?re able to browse the web with a little less anxiety over how secure your information is should one of the sites you frequent experience problems that threaten the data you?ve stored since your account?s creation.
Once you’re signed up for Backupify, the service performs scheduled backups at one of the 10 online services it supports, requiring only that you provide the login information for that site you?d like backed up. After you?re set up, Backupify ensures that your information is never deleted ? easing any worries you might have about ?losing all of those blog posts you?ve put on your Facebook page.
There is a fee for subscribing to the service, but it?s certainly more than manageable, considering how critical the information is to many. While Twitter backups are free, the pay plans range from $3.95 $14.95 per month, with fluctuations in price contingent upon just how much you need stored.
This is for those of us who spend a considerable amount of time online, wanting to protect the data we store on the internet.
At Computer Geeks, we pride ourselves on being the #1 solution to your troubleshooting needs, servicing customers the nation over with our signature brand of exemplary customer service and peerless technical expertise. While our job is to assist you, we also love to keep the public informed, offering them tips that they can use when having any questions about their systems.
If your computer begins experiencing problems, resulting in error messages and the occasional system crash, the source could be any number of issues. Without some idea of what?s occurring, you?re left in the dark, with no solution to your issue.
Windows Surface Scanner is a helpful utility that might shed light on where the problems are originating. Completely free, this tool inspects your hard drive, locating any physical errors that exist. We should note that this is not a repair tool, being only a means of diagnosing what might be causing your frustration.
If problems are uncovered and you?re unclear on how to proceed, we’re here to help.
If you use Firefox, the popular internet browser thats surpassed its Microsoft counterpart in the area of ease and functionality, I?m sure you?ve always wanted the ability to minimize your session in the system tray ? freeing up your task bar for other applications. Well, you finally can, with the cool MinimizeToTray extension that does just that.
As I?ve discussed in the past, Firefox extensions are neat apps that augment your browsing experience, empowering you with the ability to tailor the browser ? its functionality and appearance, mainly ? to your browsing needs. Outside of the customizable options included with the browser, Firefox extensions add to the experience, with hundreds of unique types that do everything from monitoring email to storing passwords.
This extension allows you to minimize the browser in the System Tray.
This version works with Firefox 3.0 ? 3.5
After you?ve installed the extension, you?re given three ways to minimize the browser to the System Tray.
Using the first option, you can access the ?Minimize to tray? function from the File Menu. The second option will see you using just the F9 key to minimize the browser. If you?d rather just have a button that sends that browser to the tray with a simple click, all you need to do is access the Customize Toolbar Window and select the ?To tray? button for wherever you see fit to place it.
After you?ve minimized the browser, you?ll see that it?s included in the System Tray.
You?re also able to specify when you?d like the browser minimized, even having the ability to minimize it to System Tray when closing the window. If you want only certain windows minimized in the tray, you?re given the option to specify which ones (Bookmarks? Downloads? Browser?).
Firefox is fast becoming the most popular browser for the internet, with its many extensions one of the reasons why. For those of you who?d like to free up your Taskbar for other programs, this is a great way to do so.
You can download the MinimizeToTray extension here.
