With email now the most common means of staying in touch, we often find ourselves swamped by the volume of messages received within the day. At their computers, users are engaged in any number of activities, email being something that many prefer to check on only occasionally.
For most email accounts, checking on the receipt of a new message requires you to open a web browser and log into your account. But one email service has introduced a neat application? that makes it easier to keep track of new messages.
Fast on its way to becoming the most popular solution for free email, Google’s Gmail continues to be the beneficiary of new updates that enhance its functionality.One such addition to its impressive list of features is a tool that notifies you of new messages even when you’re logged out of your account.
Seamlessly running in the background, Gmail Notifier alerts you whenever a new message has been received.
Installation is quick and easy, taking only a few steps. Once it’s finished, you will be asked to select a language:
You will then be prompted to sign into your account.
After you’ve logged in, Gmail Notifier remains in the background, occupying only your taskbar.
Right-clicking on the icon will bring up a list of options.
For instance, when selecting preferences, you can configure how you would like the tool to notify you.
Providing much of the same functionality you’ll find when logged into your actual account, the notifier allows you to manage your email? — read message, delete message, mark as read, etc.
Coming from the ingenious minds at Google, Gmail Notifier is a convenient and free tool that mitigates what can become an annoying routine.
Windows XP has many features and options.? Some of these features are simply eye-candy.? These can make the system look nicer but they add no functionality and actually slow the system down.? In this post I will show you how to use Microsoft’s Guided Help titled “How to set performance options in Windows XP.”?? On some systems this will increase performance up to 5%.? It can be very noticeable.? On others it wont be as noticeable, but still any increase you can get is worth it.
Click on the Download Guided Help link.? You should see this window next:
Click on the Run button.? Then wait until you see this window:
Click on the Run button here too.? You will then see this window:
Make sure This Computer is selected and click the Next button.
Click on the text for Do it automatically.? Wait for the guided process to get to this next window before doing anything else.
Select “Adjust for best performance” and then click the Next button on the little Guided Help window.? Wait for the screen to look like this:
Now you should already have Programs selected, if not then select that option.? Hit the Next button on the Guided Help window.? It will move down to the next option.
Again Programs should already be selected for you, but if isnt then select it.? Hit the Next button on the Guided Help window again.
This window should have the right opton selected as well.? Just make sure No is selected and hit Next.
It should take between a few seconds and a minute for you to see a screen that looks like that.? You will notice all the pretty blue and green graphics are gone and everything is back to the standard windows grey.? Click the Continue button on the Guided Help window.
At this point your done, you can click the Ok button and close the website.? For best results you should reboot at this time.
Now you should have a slightly more optimized system thanks to Microsoft and Computer Geeks.? For more performance gains and other helpful support don’t hesitate to call Computer Geeks.
In the next installment I will show you a simple tool for removing unneeded startup items automatcally.
Within the private confines of their home, away from the prying eyes of co-workers lurking nearby, the average user of a home PC figures they can surf? the internet without worrying about intruders. Spyware and Viruses are all that concern them, the installation of malware protection enough to ward off any stress about their computer’s vulnerability.
Yet, no matter how much we caution users against leaving their computers unprotected from malware, those pests are not the only threat to which your attention should be turned.? Many home networks remain susceptible to the ill intentions of unwanted visitors.
Piggybacking ranks as one of the most common offenses, the term referring to the unauthorized use of bandwidth by an outside party.? With a wireless connection, piggybackers access an unsecured network, using it as if it were their own. While piggybacking is a relatively mild transgression, usually committed by a struggling college undergrad who can’t afford internet service, it can impact the availability of bandwidth on your network — resulting in a slow response time when using the internet.
The more serious violations of network security occur when an intruder invades your network for the express purpose of retrieving private information.? Housed on your network are files of all sorts, personal data that you wish to secure against snoops and thieves. Without ample safeguards in place, unauthorized users can ferret sensitive information from your network and use it for their own design.
Many people unwittingly leave their networks open, unaware that they’re leaving themselves subject to the unwelcome motives of the internet’s less scrupulous population. Protecting yourself against these incursions is paramount, and one of the most effective ways to do so is the establishment of a? firewall.
Firewalls do exactly what the term suggests, erecting a wall of protection that shields your network from outsiders, blocking entry to those who haven’t been granted authorization. They can be implemented through software or hardware, to varying degrees, depending on just how secure you want to be.
For those looking to set up a firewall on their network, here are a couple free solutions that I like:
Creating a firewall can be an involving process. If not properly configured, your firewall will leave you no more protected than you were? before its installation.? Should you have any questions on how to build one, feel free to give our office a call. We are here to help you.
Commonly experienced by even the newest computers,? the diminished performance of a system? can be attributed to any number of problems.? It could be software or hardware, conflicting drivers, or a memory leakage.
Whatever the root cause of your frustration, arriving at an answer isn’t easy, but having a direction in which to travel just became a bit more manageable.
PC Pitstop is a neat diagnostic tool that provides users with a comprehensive overview of their system — performance, security, drivers, etc.
It’s free and easy to use, with results that may surprise you.? Again, while it won’t fix whatever’s ailing your system, PC Pitstop will highlight those areas around which you might want to focus.
Our business is making sure your computer runs as well as possible. Taking a few simple steps on your own can be a fast and easy way to get your system running better, even if you aren’t able to solve matters on your own. Remember, whenever you hit one of those frustrating situations that’s a little beyond your ability to handle, Computer Geeks is just a click or a phone call away.
More ubiquitous than the Iphone, the Blackberry ? widely hailed as the granddaddy of the smartphone ? has served as an invaluable tool for professionals on the go.
Whether you?re communicating with your manager off-site or corresponding with business contacts while vacationing, the blackberry keeps you in touch at even the most inconvenient of times.
The key to this is the synchronization of your blackberry with your network ? home or business. As the term would suggest, ?synchronization? does just that: it syncs your blackberry up with the network to which you?d like an uninterrupted connection, effectively mirroring any activity that originates on the network and reproducing it on your phone.
For instance, if you’re a VP brokering a new deal in Chicago that will result growth for your corporation, you want to stay apprised of the internal correspondence being exchanged between upper management at the home office in Houston. Synchronization of your blackberry with your organization?s server? will keep you current with any email sent to your office account, just as if you were sitting at your computer.
Unfortunately,? synchronization of your blackberry with a Macintosh was difficult, requiring the use of third-party solutions that didn?t always work as intended.
Until now.
Responding to this growing need, R.I.M. has released a tool for those looking to synchronize a Blackberry with a Mac.
This can used with:
Microsoft Exchange Server
iCal
Address Book
Additional features include automatic backups, the installation of firmware updates, and the synchronization of iTunes to your Blackberry.
As is the case with the introduction of any new tool, one can find themselves confronted by more questions than answers. If you?re at all confused about how to put this to use, give our office a call.
From creating spreadsheets to playing the latest games, we use our computer for multiple purposes, one of the most common being our navigation of the internet.? With the use of the internet occupying so much of our time, it stands to reason that we?d want to enhance that experience as best we can.
When it comes to internet browsers, there isn’t a more ubiquitous one than Microsoft’s Internet Explorer. Bundled with Microsoft Windows, the most widely used operating system in the personal computing market, Internet Explorer is the standard by default.? However, in spite of its widespread use, there are alternatives to Internet Explorer that are arguably more popular with the geeks amongst us.
Because of its de facto popularity, a result of being packaged with Microsoft Windows, Internet Explorer has seen only incremental advances in how it functions. This lack of innovation has paved the way for competitors to release alternative choices which offer greater functionality and more reliable security for users browsing the internet.
Of those choices, my favorite is Mozilla?s Firefox.
Free and thoroughly customizable, Firefox is fast becoming the choice to which users are migrating from Microsoft?s problematic browser, its superior functionality immediately apparent:
Firefox includes helpful features that augment the browsing experience, such? as spell checking and saving sessions for those who accidentally quit the browser.
hundreds of plug-ins afford users a staggering level of customization for their browsing experience.
Though Internet Explorer now has tabbed browsing , which allows multiple pages to be opened within a single browser, Firefox? tabbed browsing is faster and easier to manage.
With the advent of malware, those bugs that creep along the porous byways of the internet highway, your computer remains at risk whenever you use the internet. When it comes to security, Firefox is unmatched, with seamless updates that keep you protected from vulnerabilities that leave Internet Explorer users subject to spyware and viruses.
While your internet browser of choice is a personal preference, there?s no denying that Firefox adds a bit more to the experience than Internet Explorer. Yes, Microsoft?s offering has certainly taken steps in the right direction, but much of its improvements were available in the first version of Firefox.
The functionality of Firefox may prove daunting to new users, but Computer Geeks is always available to show them how to get the best out of its use.
