Get Your Hands Nerdy » Computer Software

PC Freezes – Simple Approaches To Resolving Computer Hangs

Dorkus McGorkus — Tue, 21 Sep 2010 13:01:15 +0000

It can be very tricky to establish why a computer freezes during normal operation. Moreover, the computer rarely shows any type of error message which can give you an indication of what the root cause of the problem actually is. This article takes a look at some of the broader issues that can cause computer freezes, along with some solutions.

Start your investigations by running an anti-virus scan. If bugs are on your computer, then there is a good chance that they have corrupted the registry and/or system files.

Check that you have left 10% or more of your disk space free for the paging file to expand. The Windows paging file is used as virtual memory by the operating system when running applications and the operating system itself. It has to use free disk space in order to run, a soft this is running low then the virtual memory will be restricted and freezes will occur.

Open the task manager and check to see how many applications you have running at any one point in time. The more applications are running, the more RAM and CPU that will be used. It is best if you can close as many applications as possible, however, any applications you leave running should be checked for program updates, performance tuning tweaks, and known performance bugs which may affect how they perform.

You could attempt some more general ways to fix PC errors that could lead to computer freezing issues by running Windows update and using a registry cleaner application to rectify any corrupted keys.

If your PC freezes due to mechanical faults then you may have to consider using a PC technician to rectify the issues. You can usually tell that there has been a mechanical fault if you hear strange noises coming from the computer, such as clicking from the hard drive or excessive fan sounds.

The 5 most popular Microsoft Office 2003 training courses

Jonny Defcoat — Mon, 13 Sep 2010 12:34:07 +0000

Doing a survey on the 5 most popular Microsoft Office 2003 training courses worldwide is just about an impossibility, as there are literally millions of such courses available, in many different formats and at many different levels. We can therefore logically only do this survey based on our own experience, but, within a specific market segment similar to the one we target, the results should be pretty much consistent. I would also dare to say that the same trend would prove to be true for Microsoft Office 2007 training.
The majority of people looking for or attending training for Microsoft Office fall into 2 groups: those that have not really worked on Microsoft Office before, and those that have reached a certain level of proficiency, but would like to become really good at using a specific programs.
Let’s look at the first group. If you are a novice computer user, chances are that you would have purchased at least Microsoft Office basic 2003. The basic edition of Microsoft Office consists of 3 programs – Word, Excel and Outlook. Not having used these programs before, you would most probably want to do the basic, beginners or level 1 (whatever the training provider calls it) course for each of these programs. If you have never worked on a computer before, you might have to first do Introduction to computers or Windows XP, Windows Vista or Windows 7 first, depending on which operating system you use. As the operating systems however do not fall within the Microsoft Office suite of programs, this falls outside of the scope of this article.
The second group of users wanting to enrol in a Microsoft Office training course are those that want to learn more about a specific Office program. Here the clear front runner in popularity would have to be Microsoft Office Excel training, specifically the level 2 (intermediate) and level 3 (advanced courses.
Thus, the 5 most popular Office 2003 training courses in my book would be:

Word basic
Excel basic
Outlook basic
Excel intermediate
Excel advanced

For more information visit Microsoft Office 2003 Training.
For more information on various Microsoft Office Basic 2003 training courses, visit Compulearning

USB Password Protection – Securing Files From Being Read

Reginald Vel Genius — Mon, 13 Sep 2010 10:25:08 +0000

It is nearly a weekly occurrence to hear of company secrets and customer data being lost/stolen from a company laptop or USB flash drive. This could so easily be avoided in the case of USB keys through simple USB password protection. This article looks at how applications and encryption chips could protect a firm’s information.

The first approach is to use a software solution to enforce users to enter a password when reading files off of the USB flash device. The applications (for example, True Crypt or Bitlocker To Go; which is provided with some Windows 7 installs) can be used on existing USB keys quite simply, securing existing data. The software algorithms can be complex enough to avoid hackers breaking the code, so long as the user is using a strong password.

However, the software is completely useless if the user fails to use the password protection (as may be the case with some employees) or a weak password is used that makes decrypting the contents not too difficult.

If you need to provide a higher level of security then there are dedicated USB keys with chips in them to encrypt all data whether a password is used or not. This also means that hackers analyzing the flash memory directly will only ever see encrypted files.

These hardware solutions provide additional USB password protection by adding intelligence to clear the keys memory if a password is incorrectly entered three times. The downside of the dedicated keys is that they cost a lot more than regular USB memory so may not be as cost effective (depending on the number of employees.

USB password protection can be simply applied or retro-fitted to a company’s data protection policy. If no policy exists, then users can protect their personal information, and the company’s data, using the solutions above.

MS Project training

Perry Hokapannon — Thu, 09 Sep 2010 13:56:11 +0000

When looking for a MS Project training course it is important that we first of all understand the difference between Project Management and Microsoft Office Project. Project management is a field and career in its own right and incidentally, very sought after. Doing any form of MS Project training does however not make you a Project manager.
Microsoft Project is a project management software program developed and sold by Microsoft which is designed to assist project managers in developing plans, assigning resources to tasks, tracking progress, managing budgets and analysing workloads. The application creates critical path schedules, and critical chain and event chain methodology third-party add-ons are also available. Schedules can be resource levelled, and chains are visualized in a Gantt chart. Additionally, Project can recognize different classes of users. These different classes of users can have differing access levels to projects, views, and other data. Custom objects such as calendars, views, tables, filters, and fields are stored in an enterprise global which is shared by all users. (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Microsoft_Project). Whether or not you will benefit from attending a course is something only you can decide.
If your objective is to learn how to use Microsoft Project effectively, there is a host of different MS Project training courses available. These range from free MS project training, MS project 2003 training, MS project 2007 training and MS project server training. Before selecting a specific course, it is important that you first determine on which version of MS Project you will be working. Failing to do this will result in needless frustration as you struggle to find the relevant command, button and menus in a different version.
Finally, it is essential to target the level of the course that you need. If you are a beginner and have never used MS Project before or have on played around with it in your spare time, it does not make sense to enrol on an advanced course – you are likely to get lost on the first day. Conversely, if you have a fair amount of experience, a beginner’s course will be a waste of time. Training providers should be able to provide you with a list of subjects that they cover in each course, from which you can easily determine the appropriate level for you.
One question that often gets asked is whether or not Project Management experience or training is a pre-requisite for attending a MS Project training course. The short answer to this is No. Although having been exposed in some form to the Project Management discipline and concepts per se will certainly benefit learners attending a MS Project training class, it is not a pre-requisite.
For more information on various Microsoft Office Basic 2007 training courses, visit Compulearning

Researching Effective Computer Error Help

Reginald Vel Genius — Mon, 30 Aug 2010 13:36:04 +0000

When an exception or error occurs to your PC it is essential to make the right fix, rather than make the issue worse with an incorrect solution. This article looks at some key sources of computer error help and some problems with these sources.

It is a easy these days when fixing computers to opt for a broad search on Google. However, if you target your search you will improve the chance of finding reliable fix from the most apt computer error help.

Start by considering if a single application or piece of hardware has caused the pop-up error (e.g. perhaps an error code is displayed). Your research should therefore start with the manufacturers website. Use their search functionality to check for FAQ entries, documentation entries, known issue listing and patch update details that reference the error.

If the makers own site is no help then consider user forums next. The larger ones can be a treasure trove of information. Just be careful with attempting any fixes/solutions that other users suggest as these may be untested or only applicable for specific configurations (of PC, OS, application versions).

For broader computer errors (e.g. blue screen exceptions) then the Microsoft support site is a great research source. Again, check for updates or suggested fixes.

Blue screens may be more difficult to resolve and may only be fixed by using registry cleaners or alternatively rolling back system files using System Restore (accessories / system tools). You could also run this as Windows boots, to start Windows using snapshot versions from previous dates of system files such as the registry (a key cause of blue screen problems).

Online computer error help has made it possible for all users to troubleshoot and resolve problems for themselves. Take the extra time to seek out reliable information in order to have the best chance of resolving computer problems.

Affordable Website Design

Perry Hokapannon — Wed, 18 Aug 2010 13:00:14 +0000

Affordable website design is really a relative term. Measured simply in dollars and cents, you can get your neighbor’s kid to come up with a good looking site, and he’d probably be glad to do it one or two hundred bucks. Alternatively you could hire a professional Atlanta web design company and spend considerably more. In fact the site your neighbor’s kid creates may look just as good. So why spend the money of a professional web design company. Because how your site looks really is not that important, in fact your site might make more money by not looking so great!

This seems counter-intuitive, but it really makes a lot of sense. The goal of a business website is not to wow your visitors. The goal of a business site is to create customers and create revenue. To this effect a business website must strike a balance between function and form. When looking for a web design company, make sure your designer understands marketing, especially Internet marketing. A business site is a tool, not a creative outlet. Your local part-time web designer will understand web design software and probably web standards, but they won’t get Internet marketing and the more subtle nuances of web navigation.

By spending a little more money upfront and using a professional website developer, you will have a site that is tailored towards turning visitors into customers and increasing your bottom line. So what is the more affordable website design, a $100 site that nobody ever sees or never turns a customer, or a $2,000 site that increases your sales by 30% and your yearly revenues by $15,000?

In addition to understanding the importance of developing a customer-centered site, a professional developer also understands how to generate traffic and create websites that can rank well in major search engines. A really good developer will have conducted thorough keyword research to uncover which phrases and words your site should target to provide you’re the greatest chance for success. A professional web designer will do all their research before even thinking about writing a single line of code or wire-framing a website.

How to Fax From Windows XP

Dorkus McGorkus — Wed, 04 Aug 2010 06:35:11 +0000

While Windows does have it’s own faxing program it may be very complicated for some to setup and understand and many times you need a modem that is compatible and what not. So how can you start faxing from Windows XP without all the headaches of complicated installations.

Fax software for Windows XP allows you to easily send and receive faxes via the internet without having to get any extra hardware, modem or complicated installations. Best of all these services can be used on Windows XP, Vista and even earlier platforms such as Windows 98 as well as for Mac users.

Internet fax software is compatible with almost any platform because it uses the internet to send and receive faxes. Doing so makes faxing easier, faster and more affordable for you and your business. So how can you get started?

First pick from one of the leading fax software windows xp services. What is great of these services is that they also offer free 30 day trials which gives you plenty of time to review the service yourself and see if it is the best for you. Remember that the service should adapt to your faxing needs, check out what kind of plans they have and ask if you need a custom plan.

Once you sign-up then you can easily begin sending and receiving fax online via the online account they provide you with that is activated automatically when you sign-up. This account can also be integrated with Microsoft applications such as Outlook, Word, Excel and so on. Many internet faxing services also let you integrate their service with your web mail such as gmail, yahoo, msn etc. There are many benefits with fax software, you can send multiple faxes at once, send fax via cell phone and many other features that a fax machine could never do for you or your business.

It’s All About CRM Software

Perry Hokapannon — Tue, 20 Jul 2010 19:29:18 +0000

Companies deal with customer relationship management, whether they are large or small. Management of customer relationships involves identifying and providing customers’ need and building a relationship with them to guarantee customer satisfaction and gain profits. The goals of this kind of strategy are to find, attract and gain new clients, maintain and retain clients with those that the company has and later on reduce the cost of marketing in providing client services. It involves the following people within a corporation: management, sales people, customer service, marketing, and IT. To get all of these people working together with customers, the company uses technology to help them. That is what CRM software is all about.

CRM software is an important part of any company. It is used in order to make the most of sales leads, maximize the return on marketing expenses, and develop good relationships with customers. It does all of this by organizing important information in a way that it is easily accessible to both your sales and customer service team.

CRM software not only offers customer retention but it is also used from the very first interaction with potential customers (the hope is to bring these new customers on board and maintain relationships with them). Return calls and mailing are automatically scheduled through the use of the best online CRM software. Information from these phone calls and letters are placed in the system, including a detailed history of the customer’s orders which are used in planning future marketing campaigns.

Unfortunately for most companies, CRM is not an option, but something that must be done if the company plans on being around for a long period of time. But in the end, it is up to the companies (along with the help of a CRM consulting service) that need customer relationship management to choose what software package that would fit their over all services in order for them to achieve a good customer relationship that would retain as the company is growing.

Ideas for interesting digital backgrounds

Jonny Defcoat — Sat, 10 Jul 2010 22:27:59 +0000

While I am not a professional graphic artist by any means, I have learned a bit about it over the years. Mostly I was forced to learn through my work. Usually it went something like this—we need an ad to run in the newspaper, but have no money to hire someone, so make it happen.

I really did not mind as I love to learn about new things, and so jumping into concepts of good layout, dpi, printing processes, and such was really interesting. Plus, I have learned a nerdy trick or two along the way, too.

One thing I learned is that it is really easy to overdo a layout. When you find new tricks about what your graphic software will do, it is tempting to start adding effects to the layout. Oh, you think, this is cool. I didn’t know I could do that. And so on. Soon, your design looks overly complicated, hard to read, and fails to do its job of capturing interest and conveying information quickly.

But you do need some interesting effects in the layout to attract the eye and compete with other visual “noise” that surrounds us every day. So, one trick I have used to good effect is to take digital pictures of interesting rocks. Yes, rocks.

The colors, diversity of minerals, the range of textures evident in many rock outcrops provides really interesting organic images. Granite, sandstones, marble, even travertine floor tile can be an interesting source of images. And having a digital library of many different rocks on hand can come in really handing when you need to add just a bit to a graphic layout.

Most frequently I have screened the images into the background of the layouts. For example, if it is a black and white print job screening a rock image down to about 10% can provide just the right amount of interest without being overbearing and competing with the information you are trying to convey. Plus, these images can work great as nature wallpaper for your desktop too.

Church Accounting Programs To Keep Track Of Finances In Real-Time

Jonny Defcoat — Sat, 10 Jul 2010 15:32:01 +0000

A church that can accurately manage its finances is better able to prosper in order to fund good works in its community and across the globe. Smart budgeting is essential for every person and organization. When spending goes unaccounted for and unchecked it causes financial problems. Churches like individuals can go bankrupt if a well-planned budget is not followed. Overspending is often a result of poor accounting practices.

Keeping the books in a ledger using a pen or pencil is not the most accurate or efficient way to keep track of money coming in and being spent. A church organization has to be able to keep a precise record of financial contributions that are made in the form of cash donations, a monthly tithe, or an income generating property bequeathed to it.

Using church accounting programs allows churches to keep track of finances in real-time. It acts as a virtual accounting department for any size church to handle accounts receivable, payroll, operating expenses and other payments going out to help fund civic involvements. Basic economics makes it clear that an organization needs to know what income it is generating on a weekly, monthly, and yearly basis in order to develop an ongoing operating budget.

Church accounting software does the math for people. Bookkeepers are able to input financial numbers and maintain a consistent accounting of expenses. Being able to balance a budget makes for wise money management that leads to financial stability.

Tax software is used by many people to help file income tax returns online using their computer. Accounting software is needed on a much more regularly basis then only once a year. Churches and non-profit organizations can have tax-exempt status, but still need to be fiscally responsible when it comes to managing money.

Software helps computer users perform a great many tasks for efficiently with less effort than ever before. That is a simple truth that is hard to deny. Accounting spreadsheets can now be created with a few keystrokes, saved with a click, and shared over the Internet immediately.

Making a truly informed decision on church or non-profit accounting software that works best for your specific needs depends on gathering information. The Internet is your best source to shop for and research accounting software. A wealth of insight is out there to discover. People can visit blogs and websites to read or watch online videos describing different options available. Good bookkeeping is the cornerstone of every budget.