For those of you familiar with Microsoft?s Windows Operating System, you?re well aware of how critical it is to keep your system updated with the latest patches released by Microsoft. In addition to steeling you against any security breaches, these updates have been shown to significantly improve the performance of the operating system.
Once a feature that many either ignored or reluctantly used, Windows Update has seen significant gains in its design since the transition to Windows Vista and the recently unveiled Windows 7.
This important feature is now accessible via the search bar located in the Start menu.
As you?ll see, the new Windows Update process has been streamlined, making it easier to manage and assign those updates where needed.
With this Windows Update manager, you can also view all of the updates for MS Products, saving you the time of checking them individually.
If you find yourself questioning just what you?re installing on your computer, you can click the link specified below, which will bring you to a more detailed explanation.
In the past, the installation of some updates has conflicted with the use of certain applications, which can lead to the instability of your system.? Should such a conflict occur, the incompatible update can be removed by simply selecting it from the Uninstall window.
For what you need, many of the updates will be unnecessary, yet you?ll still find them included in the list of updates to install. For those updates you consider needless, right-clicking on them will summon a window from which you?re able to select ?Hide updates.?
Keeping your Windows Updates current is just one of a number of ways for you to ensure that your system is properly functioning.
If you have any questions about what else can be done, feel free to give us a call.
When you?re the standard, it?s normal to become comfortable, the popularity of your product trumping the need to introduce changes that are more than just cosmetic. However, popularity is often the result of the familiarity of your product taking precedence over its reliability. In every market, consumers exhibit a tendency to stay with the standard out of habit, excusing glaring flaws that become acceptable in the face of the unknown.
One such example is Acrobat Reader, an application commonly used to read PDF files. PDF (Portable Document Format) is the file format created by Adobe Systems for the exchange of documents. Independent of the usual variables that are attendant to the compatibility of a file format (software, hardware, and operating system), PDF files are self-contained documents of a two-dimensional nature. Until just recently, Acrobat Reader — also created by Adobe Systems — was the the only application that one could use to view a PDF file. A little over a year ago, Adobe released the format as an open format, making it possible to read the file with other solutions.
Acrobat Reader, like all popular products that suffer from the aforementioned complacency, has seen its evolution stunted by a lack of attention given to its performance. Though primarily used for just viewing files, its bloat is obvious, the application consuming approximately 30MB of space. While Acrobat Reader has features that haven?t yet been adopted by competing software, there are a number of alternatives that offer its core functionality without the excess baggage.
One option is Evince. Evince is notable for its simplicity, its name accompanied by a tagline that reads, ?Simply a document viewer.? That?s exactly what Evince is, its unassuming interface underscored by the speed that you?d naturally expect from what is nothing more than a document viewer. ?A neat addition to Evince is its ?Presentation Mode,? which handles the PDF file as if it were a slideshow. In this mode, each page is treated as a slide. Originally written for use with Linux, there is a Windows version that offers the same features.
Another great alternative is SumatraPDF. For those who simply want to view and print PDF files, SumatraPDF does so without any of the lag one notices when using Acrobat Reader. While plain in appearance, not unlike Evince, its functionality is readily gleaned from the easily navigable interface. With just a few buttons, you can avail yourself of this tool for the functions that are most used by those viewing a PDF: open, page-jump, search. Though its use is limited to just those fundamental tasks we associate with Acrobat Reader, it moves at an impressive speed, with a minimalistic design that spares you the needless trimmings.
Lastly, there?s Foxit Reader, an alternative with a feature set that’s comparable to Acrobat Reader’s . Free and available for Windows, Foxit Reader is regarded by many to be the most satisfying choice for those who?ve sought a competent substitute for Acrobat Reader. One reason for its popularity is the impressive feature set: email the PDF while viewing it, highlight part of the screen and save it as an image, and convert the PDF to text.? Those features come with the free version, with even more impressive options included in the Foxit Reader Pro Pack, should you opt to purchase it ? chiefly, the ability to edit your PDF files.
In the case of Acrobat Reader, this is but one of many instances where you?ll find that the most popular software isn?t necessarily the best solution. Acrobat Reader is certainly no slouch, coming from the company from which the PDF originated, but there’s no denying that it can stand to shed much of the weight that its present form is dragging. Until that?s done, the alternatives mentioned above should be more than enough to fulfill your needs where viewing PDF files are concerned.
Often praised for its functionality, with a feature set that has made it more popular than Microsoft?s Internet Explorer, a persistent criticism of Firefox has been its speed.? Despite its intuitive accessibility and powerfully customizable interface, the performance of this browser ? even for systems on which such issues are a rarity — has been problematic.
When several tabs are opened, Firefox has become notorious for using an inordinate amount of memory.? On systems with a minimal amount of ram, being forced to quit the application altogether is not an uncommon recourse.
These issues are most prevalent on those computers that either need to be upgraded or haven?t been properly optimized.? We understand that not everyone can go out and outfit their computer with a lot of ram, particularly in this age where budgetary concerns remain paramount. Taking that into consideration, it should be noted that there does exist an effective means of improving the performance of Firefox with the use a simple utility created for just that purpose.
Coming from TotalIdea, Firetune is a quick solution for augmenting your experience with Firefox. Giving particular attention to the speed? of your internet connection and that of? your computer?s processor, Firetune adjusts several internal settings of Firefox for increased performance.
Firetune works with Mozilla Firefox versions: 1.x, 2.x, and 3.x
Browser speed is but one of several areas of concern when taking stock of your computer?s performance. For questions on the effective optimization of a computer, we may have the answers you?re looking for.
Oftentimes, when arriving to a job with a client, our technicians find that the client has either misplaced or lost their Windows repair disc. While our technicians are? still equipped with the tools that a repair necessitates, it’s always helpful if the client has an extra disc lying around.
Though it?s considerably more stable than previous versions of Microsoft?s operating system, Windows 7 is still susceptible to the occasional crash, requiring the creation of a repair disc for those instances when an unanticipated problem is encountered.
Below, you?ll find the necessary steps to take if you wish to create one:
In the Start menu, bring up the search box and enter:
system repair disc
Once entered, this command will summon a window that allows you to select the drive in which the creation of this disc will occur. Taking up just a minimal amount of space, a CD ? rather than a DVD ? will suffice.
Upon its creation, you?ll have in your possession an invaluable tool that will ease the headache of a system crash.
Now, we?ll look at its use.
Again, Windows 7 has received high marks for its stability, but no operating system is immune to the unforeseen emergence of problems that are often the product of either user error or malware.
If a problem arises, insert your repair disc into your drive and boot Windows from it. Select Windows Setup [EMS Enabled]
Once the boot process has completed, you?ll be able to select various recovery tools or return the computer to a previous system image.
As you see, you?re given a list of options, all them different methods of achieving the same goal: recovery of your system.
While I hope the state of your computer never reaches this stage, having this disc at your disposal should make things easier if it does.
It certainly helps our technicians when they’re onsite.
Computer Geeks specializes in system recovery, and we?re here to help you along that process.
A renowned pioneer in web technology, creating the most popular search engine in use today, Google stands at the forefront of companies pushing towards a future that is tied to the rapidly evolving world of the internet.
With some of the most brilliant minds at work beneath their roof, the services resulting from their ingenuity have fundamentally changed how we communicate with one another. From Gmail to Google Wave, to products from competitors who’re invariably playing “catch up,” evidence of this company?s forward-thinking innovation abounds.
One of their more interesting services is Google Voice, a telecommunications marvel that extends users a unique phone number from Google, to which any calls to your actual phone ? or, if you so choose, multiple phones — will be transferred.
How it works:
User creates (assuming it isn?t taken) a new phone number or selects one from a pool of numbers made available by Google.
Once the Google Voice number has been selected, inbound calls to that number will be forwarded to the assigned phones.
As an example, take the following scenario as testament to the convenience afforded by Google Voice:
While in the kitchen fixing dinner, you?re awaiting a call from your brother about your sister-in-law?s pregnancy, knowing that she?s due any minute. Your cell phone, which is your primary means of communication, is upstairs. Yet, your home is also outfitted with a land line, with one phone located just a foot away from the kitchen counter. Not knowing if you?re home or not, your brother excitedly dials your Google Voice number, resulting in his call being forward to every phone assigned to it ? including your land line.
With configuration requiring just a few steps, use of this service is that easy, gathering our disparate modes of telecommunication under the umbrella of Google Voice.
Additional features include:
Voicemail
Call History
Conference Calling
Call blocking
Voice transcription (translating your voice mail into text messages)
Call transitioning, which allows you to migrate from one phone to next in the midst of a call.
Google now allows you to use your existing phone number with Google Voice, a feature that was only just announced. Your existing number can be used in tandem with a new Google Voice number. To read more about this new feature, visit here
For those of you who’re interested in taking advantage of this service, you can request an invite today.
Computer Geeks prides itself on educating you about the daily advances introduced to this world in which our company continues to grow. If you ever have any questions, feel free to contact one of us.
Windows 7 is upon us, ushering in the latest era of Microsoft?s Windows Operating System. Faster and more functional, with less bloat than previous iterations, Windows 7 has been introduced to a surprisingly receptive audience.
But all fanfare aside, the question of its compatibility with your system is of paramount concern. As has been the case with each version of Windows, successfully installing the package is contingent upon the present composition of your system.
To shed light on what requirements your system meets, Microsoft has released a helpful program that aids in highlighting what you?ll need before attempting to upgrade to Windows 7.
Called the Upgrade Advisor, this utility assesses your system, providing an analysis that will leave you with a clearer picture of your computer?s compatibility.
After launching the Upgrade Advisor, you?re met with a welcome screen that prompts you to begin.
Depending on the specifications of your system, the duration of the analysis varies, but it usually lasts just a few minutes.
Upon conclusion of the analysis, Upgrade Advisor produces a report that lists those areas which must be addressed before proceeding with the upgrade.
Without running the Upgrade Advisor, you should know that the minimum requirements for Windows 7 are:
1 Ghz CPU
1 GB of RAM
16 GB HDD
Seeing how well it?s been received, it?s understandable that you could be leaning towards upgrading to Windows 7. Before doing so, you might want to run the Upgrade Advisor.
