As I mentioned in my post of October 21st, Windows 7 was launched the following day, October 22nd.
I will receive my copies of the program, (two, one for each computer), as communicated to me by Microsoft Corporation, no later than Wednesday this week.
These are upgrade versions, which I can directly install using the running Windows Vista in my computers. According to what I have been investigating, this is not very hard or difficult, however, some of the published articles on this matter, call for careful handling of this operation.
I will let you all know how easy or difficult it is. In a few days I will post a full report on how I did this, as well as description of the best features, (there are quite a few), that this new and hopefully greatly improved version of Windows performs.
I assume that some of you will also be planning to convert to Windows 7. Do not hesitate to contact me if you need help. That's the whole purpose of this blog.
George Freire
Monday, October 26, 2009
Wednesday, October 21, 2009
WINDOWS 7 READY TO LAUNCH TOMORROW OCTOBER 22, 2009
The following is a review, (concerning the launching of Windows 7 due tomorrow October 22nd, 2009), by Mr. David Goldman, a CNNMoney staff writer.
I am sure this review will be of great interest to you viewers who are planning to switch to the new OS Microsoft Corporation is presenting us with:
"Experts say Microsoft's new Windows 7, which debuts Oct. 22, will likely prompt computer users to make
their first upgrade in eight years.
By David Goldman, CNNMoney.com staff writer
October 21, 2009: 11:18 AM ET
NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) -- Microsoft is banking on Windows 7 to breathe new life into a PC world where most computer users are running XP -- an operating system that was released in the early days of the Bush administration.
Experts expect that PC users will change their operating system for the first time in about eight years when Microsoft (MSFT, Fortune 500) launches Windows 7 on Oct. 22.
Microsoft's last operating system, Windows Vista, was a disaster when it was released in 2007. Vista was plagued by bugs, software incompatibilities, sluggishness and annoying security alerts. The episode nearly destroyed the tech giant's reputation with consumers.
"The stakes for Microsoft are astronomically high after the Vista debacle," said Scott Anthony, managing director of Innosight Ventures, a venture capital and consulting firm. "There is a lot of hunger for computing power around the world, and this release will be a real test for Microsoft."
Positive reviews for Windows 7 have been pouring in. Computer experts say that Windows 7 is good -- if not perfect -- and has a shot at eventually usurping XP as the world's most prevalent operating system.
Right now 71.5% of PCs are still running XP, according to OS market share tracker netmarketshare.com, while 18.6% of PCs are running Windows Vista.
"There was lots of negativity around Vista, and Microsoft lost a lot of goodwill with its customers," said Ken Allen, a portfolio manager at T. Rowe Price who manages a tech fund that includes Microsoft as one of its holdings.
Microsoft has aggressively been rolling out products and services (think Bing and Zune HD) to boost its sales, which have declined in the previous two quarters. Its third quarter ended March 31 marked the first time sales fell in Microsoft's 23-year history as a public company.
"The 'bad will' that Microsoft engendered could be reversed if Windows 7 is well received," said Allen.
It appears Microsoft is on the right road. Demand for new computers is starting to heat up again, and many users are looking for an operating system upgrade. Windows 7's release coincides with holiday season shopping. With the economy showing signs of recovery, consumers may be more willing to loosen their purse strings. "
Interesting isn't it?
About two months ago I ordered and pre-paid copies of Windows 7 for my 2 computers, (which are running Windows Vista at the present time). In the process I saved a lot of money, paying only $49.00 per copy. I surely hope that what Mr. Goldman predicts, will come true.
I am not one of those people, (there are many, many of them), who hate Windows Vista. I have had many moments of frustation, however, I have learned how to live with Vista and how to overcome many of its irritating problems.
I published several posts in this blog addressing Windows 7 problems and how to overcome them, but frankly, I can't wait until I install the new Windows version.
For those who still use Windows XP, (which in many aspects is a better product than Windows Vista), be aware that the rumor is that Microsoft will completely drop any security upgrades and support, within one year for this OS.
I am sorry they are going to do this. My wife's computer runs on Windows XP; it is faster than mine and does not give me any irritating problems...
Let me know how many of you will be changing to Windows 7.
Good Luck,
George Freire
I am sure this review will be of great interest to you viewers who are planning to switch to the new OS Microsoft Corporation is presenting us with:
"Experts say Microsoft's new Windows 7, which debuts Oct. 22, will likely prompt computer users to make
their first upgrade in eight years.
By David Goldman, CNNMoney.com staff writer
October 21, 2009: 11:18 AM ET
NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) -- Microsoft is banking on Windows 7 to breathe new life into a PC world where most computer users are running XP -- an operating system that was released in the early days of the Bush administration.
Experts expect that PC users will change their operating system for the first time in about eight years when Microsoft (MSFT, Fortune 500) launches Windows 7 on Oct. 22.
Microsoft's last operating system, Windows Vista, was a disaster when it was released in 2007. Vista was plagued by bugs, software incompatibilities, sluggishness and annoying security alerts. The episode nearly destroyed the tech giant's reputation with consumers.
"The stakes for Microsoft are astronomically high after the Vista debacle," said Scott Anthony, managing director of Innosight Ventures, a venture capital and consulting firm. "There is a lot of hunger for computing power around the world, and this release will be a real test for Microsoft."
Positive reviews for Windows 7 have been pouring in. Computer experts say that Windows 7 is good -- if not perfect -- and has a shot at eventually usurping XP as the world's most prevalent operating system.
Right now 71.5% of PCs are still running XP, according to OS market share tracker netmarketshare.com, while 18.6% of PCs are running Windows Vista.
"There was lots of negativity around Vista, and Microsoft lost a lot of goodwill with its customers," said Ken Allen, a portfolio manager at T. Rowe Price who manages a tech fund that includes Microsoft as one of its holdings.
Microsoft has aggressively been rolling out products and services (think Bing and Zune HD) to boost its sales, which have declined in the previous two quarters. Its third quarter ended March 31 marked the first time sales fell in Microsoft's 23-year history as a public company.
"The 'bad will' that Microsoft engendered could be reversed if Windows 7 is well received," said Allen.
It appears Microsoft is on the right road. Demand for new computers is starting to heat up again, and many users are looking for an operating system upgrade. Windows 7's release coincides with holiday season shopping. With the economy showing signs of recovery, consumers may be more willing to loosen their purse strings. "
Interesting isn't it?
About two months ago I ordered and pre-paid copies of Windows 7 for my 2 computers, (which are running Windows Vista at the present time). In the process I saved a lot of money, paying only $49.00 per copy. I surely hope that what Mr. Goldman predicts, will come true.
I am not one of those people, (there are many, many of them), who hate Windows Vista. I have had many moments of frustation, however, I have learned how to live with Vista and how to overcome many of its irritating problems.
I published several posts in this blog addressing Windows 7 problems and how to overcome them, but frankly, I can't wait until I install the new Windows version.
For those who still use Windows XP, (which in many aspects is a better product than Windows Vista), be aware that the rumor is that Microsoft will completely drop any security upgrades and support, within one year for this OS.
I am sorry they are going to do this. My wife's computer runs on Windows XP; it is faster than mine and does not give me any irritating problems...
Let me know how many of you will be changing to Windows 7.
Good Luck,
George Freire
Saturday, October 17, 2009
REVIEW OF SOME GOOD POSTS PUBLISHED SINCE THE START OF THIS BLOG
Today I was going to publish another of my weekly posts, when a friend suggested, "why don't you go back and read all the posts so far published and select some to be republished, that you consider the best, (as far as helping computer users is concerned) ?
I gave it a thought; the first thing that came to mind was the fact that most probably, a majority of the viewers, (with the exception of those who have been reading the blog from the very start), did not have the opportunity of checking all the posts published.
This is only natural, because there have been 77 posts published, but going back and checking everyone of them, is by human nature, a pain in the a..
Therefore, I have gone back and did that for all of you viewers. I made a selection of a few that I hope will be of help to you all. For this week I selected the following:
Monday, December 29, 2008
Reinstall and Restore Your Windows PC
PC WORLD is one of the greatest sources for computer performance and maintenance free utilities, "fix-up" tools and advice.
Here is a good example:
Reinstall and Restore Your Windows PC in Eight Easy Steps
Eliminate problems and improve performance by wiping out Windows and reinstalling it from scratch. Here's a simple guide to help you back up your data and restore your PC quickly.Part 1 of a special five-part series. -->
Lincoln Spector, PC World
Tuesday, December 23, 2008 04:40 PM PST
Maybe your PC won't boot. Or it could be infected with some kind of persistent malware. Perhaps Windows puts up a Blue Screen of Death every time you type the word aardvark.
No matter what kind of trouble your computer is having, someone will probably tell you to reformat your hard drive, reinstall Windows and your applications, and then restore your documents, photos, and music from a backup.
document.write('')
That isn't always good advice--according to a 2004 Salon.com article, incompetent tech support people use it to get customers off the phone. But if nothing else fixes a problem that's impossible to live with, starting over from scratch may be the best solution.
Don't do it unless you've tried everything else, however. If your PC refuses to boot, see "Diagnose and Repair an Unbootable XP or Vista PC" and "Six Downloadable Boot Discs That Could Save Your PC" for better options. If Windows boots and then horribly misbehaves, check for malware, remove unneeded autoloaders, and update drivers. You might even consider cleaning the Registry.
If after all that you determine that you must wipe out and reinstall Windows, follow these seven steps to make the process as safe and painless as possible.
Step 1: Find and Know Your Restore Tool
You need some sort of bootable environment that can restore or reinstall Windows--and you probably have one. PCs that ship with Windows all come with one of the following options.
Most new PCs come with a restore disc, making it easy to return your system's software to the same condition it was in when you first pulled the machine out of the box.A restore disc is a bootable CD or DVD that can restore your hard drive to the exact contents it had when the PC left the factory. In most cases the recovery disc will destroy all of your data--documents, photos, and so on--while "saving" your system. Some manufacturers don't actually ship a separate restore disc with your PC, but instead install software on the hard drive that you can use to create your own restore discs. If your PC came with a restore disc, but you can't locate it, see "How Do I Restore Windows If I've Lost My Restore CD?"
A restore partition lies hidden on the hard drive. You access it by pressing a particular key combination at boot time. Check your documentation to learn whether you have one and how to access it. The partition does the same thing as a restore disc does.
An actual Microsoft Windows CD or DVD is the best tool of them all, but unless you bought an upgrade to a newer version of Windows, you probably don't have one.
Step 2: Gather Everything Else You Need
Make sure you have all of the following before you take any action.
A driver backup: See "How Do I Back Up My Drivers?" for instructions.
Backup media and software: You'll want an external hard drive (or better yet, two of them), some blank DVDs, and backup software. I'll cover more details in Steps 3 and 4.
Your applications: For every program you use that didn't come with your PC, you need the CDs they came on, their serial numbers, their registration codes, and so on. If you downloaded an application, make a backup of the download file or check to be sure that you can easily download it again.
Time: In reality, this project will probably take only a few hours, but you want to leave yourself a day of wiggle room in the event that you can't locate an important driver or software disc. This project is best tackled at the start of a long holiday, or at least over a weekend, to avoid disrupting your business if something goes wrong.
A good book or some other diversion: You're going to spend a chunk of time in front of a nonworking PC. If the PC is a laptop, plop it down on the coffee table so that you can watch a little TV while the installers are running.
Step 3: Create an Image Backup of Your Hard Drive
In the unlikely event that something goes wrong (for instance, you forget to save a copy of an important presentation that you need for work on Monday), an image backup of your hard drive in its current state will let you quickly and easily restore everything to where it was before you started. Resist the temptation to skip this step, as it's your most reliable safety net.
What should you back up to? An external hard drive--they're fast, cheap, and easy to work with. For best results, pick one that's at least twice the size of all the data you have. If your 160GB hard drive has 90GB of data on it, a 200GB external drive will make a good choice. With 500GB and 1TB drives now readily available and reasonably priced, though, I suggest you go as big as you can afford; that way you can save more than one copy of your files to the drive, or even use it to back up multiple PCs.
And what software should you use? Ghost and TrueImage are the two best-known image-backup programs, but they aren't the only ones. Check your regular backup program (you do back up regularly, don't you?) for an image-backup feature, quite likely labeled Disaster Recovery. The backup software that came with your external drive might have something similar, too.
DriveImage XML is a great free option for creating disk-image backups in Windows.Vista Business and Ultimate have built-in image backup. Click Start, type backup, select Backup Status and Configuration, and press Enter. Click Complete PC Backup, and then choose Create a backup now.
And, as usual, you have free options. I recommend Runtime Software's DriveImage XML.
Ultimate Boot CD for Windows comes with backup tools and a variety of other handy system-recovery features.Remember, though, that an image backup is useless if you can't boot from a CD or DVD to restore it. Both Ghost and TrueImage come with tools for creating just such a disc. If you opt to use Vista's Backup tool, make sure you have either a true Windows Vista DVD or the Vista Recovery Disc available for recovery purposes. You can recover a DriveImage XML backup via the Ultimate Boot CD for Windows.
Step 4: Make a Data Backup
Yes, I just had you create a backup of everything on your hard drive, including your data. But the purpose of that first backup was to add an extra layer of security. This second, data-only backup will make restoring your data, once you reinstall Windows, easier.
See "What's the Best Way to Back Up What I Need to Back Up?" for two lists (for XP and Vista) of Windows' data-holding folders. But don't worry about the software I recommend in that article--all you need to do right now is drag and copy those folders to a safe location.
As for what location, once again, an external hard drive does well. If you're really paranoid (as I am), you'll use a different external drive than you used for your image backup; it's safer than putting all your backups onto one hard drive. If you have only a few gigabytes of data files, burning them to DVD is a good, cheap solution.
Step 5: Reformat, Restore, and Recover
Now comes the main event. I can't really give you specific instructions for using your recovery tool, because I don't know what recovery tool you have. Just boot into it and follow the prompts. They're all designed to be as simple as possible.
Step 6: Make Windows Your Own
Congratulations. You now have a new version of Windows, configured exactly the way Microsoft and/or your system vendor like it (or, the way they liked it at the time you bought your PC).
Now you have to configure it, remove any preinstalled junk, install your own software, and generally make it yours all over again. This is, in my opinion, the longest and most annoying part of the job, and in Step 7 I'll tell you how to avoid it in the future. But for now, do the following.
a. In Control Panel's Users applet, create log-ons for yourself and any other users. You will need to have at least one Administrator-level user.
b. Remove bundled programs you don't want. I recommend the portable version of Revo Uninstaller for this job.
c. Restore your backed-up drivers. You can probably skip the drivers for anything that came with your PC, as your restore tool likely creates a version of Windows already set up with them.
d. Download and install any Windows updates.
e. Starting with your security software, install programs you use that didn't come with the PC. Update them, and then configure them to your liking.
f. Rearrange the Start menu as you wish.
g. Select your preferred wallpaper, screen saver, power settings, and so on.
Step 7: Create Another Image Backup
No, I'm not kidding. This step isn't strictly necessary, but if you ever need to restore Windows to this computer again, you can simply back up your personal data, restore this fresh and clean image backup, and then put your data back in its place.
Remember, the restore tool restores Microsoft's and your vendor's configuration of Windows, not yours. Think of this image as your own, customized restore tool, allowing you to skip Step 6 the next time around.
Because you have not yet copied your data back to the hard drive, this image will be relatively small. Put it on a series of writeable DVDs rather than an external drive, label them clearly with today's date, and safely store them away.
Step 8: The Final Touch
With Windows ready and recoverable, restore your data from the data backup with a few simple drags and drops. In the unlikely event that that backup has been damaged, restore it from the image backup. And keep both backups around for a month or so, just in case you missed an important file.
Finally, sigh, relax, treat yourself to something decadent, and get on with your life.
1998-2008, PC World Communications, Inc.
Posted by George Freire at 10:50 AM
I gave it a thought; the first thing that came to mind was the fact that most probably, a majority of the viewers, (with the exception of those who have been reading the blog from the very start), did not have the opportunity of checking all the posts published.
This is only natural, because there have been 77 posts published, but going back and checking everyone of them, is by human nature, a pain in the a..
Therefore, I have gone back and did that for all of you viewers. I made a selection of a few that I hope will be of help to you all. For this week I selected the following:
Monday, December 29, 2008
Reinstall and Restore Your Windows PC
PC WORLD is one of the greatest sources for computer performance and maintenance free utilities, "fix-up" tools and advice.
Here is a good example:
Reinstall and Restore Your Windows PC in Eight Easy Steps
Eliminate problems and improve performance by wiping out Windows and reinstalling it from scratch. Here's a simple guide to help you back up your data and restore your PC quickly.Part 1 of a special five-part series. -->
Lincoln Spector, PC World
Tuesday, December 23, 2008 04:40 PM PST
Maybe your PC won't boot. Or it could be infected with some kind of persistent malware. Perhaps Windows puts up a Blue Screen of Death every time you type the word aardvark.
No matter what kind of trouble your computer is having, someone will probably tell you to reformat your hard drive, reinstall Windows and your applications, and then restore your documents, photos, and music from a backup.
document.write('')
That isn't always good advice--according to a 2004 Salon.com article, incompetent tech support people use it to get customers off the phone. But if nothing else fixes a problem that's impossible to live with, starting over from scratch may be the best solution.
Don't do it unless you've tried everything else, however. If your PC refuses to boot, see "Diagnose and Repair an Unbootable XP or Vista PC" and "Six Downloadable Boot Discs That Could Save Your PC" for better options. If Windows boots and then horribly misbehaves, check for malware, remove unneeded autoloaders, and update drivers. You might even consider cleaning the Registry.
If after all that you determine that you must wipe out and reinstall Windows, follow these seven steps to make the process as safe and painless as possible.
Step 1: Find and Know Your Restore Tool
You need some sort of bootable environment that can restore or reinstall Windows--and you probably have one. PCs that ship with Windows all come with one of the following options.
Most new PCs come with a restore disc, making it easy to return your system's software to the same condition it was in when you first pulled the machine out of the box.A restore disc is a bootable CD or DVD that can restore your hard drive to the exact contents it had when the PC left the factory. In most cases the recovery disc will destroy all of your data--documents, photos, and so on--while "saving" your system. Some manufacturers don't actually ship a separate restore disc with your PC, but instead install software on the hard drive that you can use to create your own restore discs. If your PC came with a restore disc, but you can't locate it, see "How Do I Restore Windows If I've Lost My Restore CD?"
A restore partition lies hidden on the hard drive. You access it by pressing a particular key combination at boot time. Check your documentation to learn whether you have one and how to access it. The partition does the same thing as a restore disc does.
An actual Microsoft Windows CD or DVD is the best tool of them all, but unless you bought an upgrade to a newer version of Windows, you probably don't have one.
Step 2: Gather Everything Else You Need
Make sure you have all of the following before you take any action.
A driver backup: See "How Do I Back Up My Drivers?" for instructions.
Backup media and software: You'll want an external hard drive (or better yet, two of them), some blank DVDs, and backup software. I'll cover more details in Steps 3 and 4.
Your applications: For every program you use that didn't come with your PC, you need the CDs they came on, their serial numbers, their registration codes, and so on. If you downloaded an application, make a backup of the download file or check to be sure that you can easily download it again.
Time: In reality, this project will probably take only a few hours, but you want to leave yourself a day of wiggle room in the event that you can't locate an important driver or software disc. This project is best tackled at the start of a long holiday, or at least over a weekend, to avoid disrupting your business if something goes wrong.
A good book or some other diversion: You're going to spend a chunk of time in front of a nonworking PC. If the PC is a laptop, plop it down on the coffee table so that you can watch a little TV while the installers are running.
Step 3: Create an Image Backup of Your Hard Drive
In the unlikely event that something goes wrong (for instance, you forget to save a copy of an important presentation that you need for work on Monday), an image backup of your hard drive in its current state will let you quickly and easily restore everything to where it was before you started. Resist the temptation to skip this step, as it's your most reliable safety net.
What should you back up to? An external hard drive--they're fast, cheap, and easy to work with. For best results, pick one that's at least twice the size of all the data you have. If your 160GB hard drive has 90GB of data on it, a 200GB external drive will make a good choice. With 500GB and 1TB drives now readily available and reasonably priced, though, I suggest you go as big as you can afford; that way you can save more than one copy of your files to the drive, or even use it to back up multiple PCs.
And what software should you use? Ghost and TrueImage are the two best-known image-backup programs, but they aren't the only ones. Check your regular backup program (you do back up regularly, don't you?) for an image-backup feature, quite likely labeled Disaster Recovery. The backup software that came with your external drive might have something similar, too.
DriveImage XML is a great free option for creating disk-image backups in Windows.Vista Business and Ultimate have built-in image backup. Click Start, type backup, select Backup Status and Configuration, and press Enter. Click Complete PC Backup, and then choose Create a backup now.
And, as usual, you have free options. I recommend Runtime Software's DriveImage XML.
Ultimate Boot CD for Windows comes with backup tools and a variety of other handy system-recovery features.Remember, though, that an image backup is useless if you can't boot from a CD or DVD to restore it. Both Ghost and TrueImage come with tools for creating just such a disc. If you opt to use Vista's Backup tool, make sure you have either a true Windows Vista DVD or the Vista Recovery Disc available for recovery purposes. You can recover a DriveImage XML backup via the Ultimate Boot CD for Windows.
Step 4: Make a Data Backup
Yes, I just had you create a backup of everything on your hard drive, including your data. But the purpose of that first backup was to add an extra layer of security. This second, data-only backup will make restoring your data, once you reinstall Windows, easier.
See "What's the Best Way to Back Up What I Need to Back Up?" for two lists (for XP and Vista) of Windows' data-holding folders. But don't worry about the software I recommend in that article--all you need to do right now is drag and copy those folders to a safe location.
As for what location, once again, an external hard drive does well. If you're really paranoid (as I am), you'll use a different external drive than you used for your image backup; it's safer than putting all your backups onto one hard drive. If you have only a few gigabytes of data files, burning them to DVD is a good, cheap solution.
Step 5: Reformat, Restore, and Recover
Now comes the main event. I can't really give you specific instructions for using your recovery tool, because I don't know what recovery tool you have. Just boot into it and follow the prompts. They're all designed to be as simple as possible.
Step 6: Make Windows Your Own
Congratulations. You now have a new version of Windows, configured exactly the way Microsoft and/or your system vendor like it (or, the way they liked it at the time you bought your PC).
Now you have to configure it, remove any preinstalled junk, install your own software, and generally make it yours all over again. This is, in my opinion, the longest and most annoying part of the job, and in Step 7 I'll tell you how to avoid it in the future. But for now, do the following.
a. In Control Panel's Users applet, create log-ons for yourself and any other users. You will need to have at least one Administrator-level user.
b. Remove bundled programs you don't want. I recommend the portable version of Revo Uninstaller for this job.
c. Restore your backed-up drivers. You can probably skip the drivers for anything that came with your PC, as your restore tool likely creates a version of Windows already set up with them.
d. Download and install any Windows updates.
e. Starting with your security software, install programs you use that didn't come with the PC. Update them, and then configure them to your liking.
f. Rearrange the Start menu as you wish.
g. Select your preferred wallpaper, screen saver, power settings, and so on.
Step 7: Create Another Image Backup
No, I'm not kidding. This step isn't strictly necessary, but if you ever need to restore Windows to this computer again, you can simply back up your personal data, restore this fresh and clean image backup, and then put your data back in its place.
Remember, the restore tool restores Microsoft's and your vendor's configuration of Windows, not yours. Think of this image as your own, customized restore tool, allowing you to skip Step 6 the next time around.
Because you have not yet copied your data back to the hard drive, this image will be relatively small. Put it on a series of writeable DVDs rather than an external drive, label them clearly with today's date, and safely store them away.
Step 8: The Final Touch
With Windows ready and recoverable, restore your data from the data backup with a few simple drags and drops. In the unlikely event that that backup has been damaged, restore it from the image backup. And keep both backups around for a month or so, just in case you missed an important file.
Finally, sigh, relax, treat yourself to something decadent, and get on with your life.
1998-2008, PC World Communications, Inc.
Posted by George Freire at 10:50 AM
Tuesday, October 13, 2009
Free Anti-Virus Software, Can You Trust It?
I have recommended in previous post several anti-virus free software programs. Some are better than others, but all that have been recommended here have one thing in common: they all can be trusted, however, the degree of performance and effectiveness may vary greatly from one to another.
Today I am going to respond to a question posed by one of our viewers, Mr. Luis Nabais from Portugal, who asks whether he should keep buying expensive anti-virus software, when, as he has read in this blog, he could instead use other programs that do basically the same thing and are free of cost.
Not all the programs I have referred to are as efficient as the big names of the industry, (that I am not going to mention), except one that by all records known can be favorably compared to them.
This anti-virus software program that can be downloaded and installed at absolutely no cost is called:
Avira Antivir Personal.
This program was rated #1 by PC WORLD magazine, (which in my opinion is the premier computer field technology magazine published today).
I quote from their test results as follows:
Avira's Antivir Personal surpassed all competitors, thanks to its excellent malware detection and impressive scan speed.
The program test scores were the following:
PERFORMANCE SCORE: SUPERIOR
OVERALL MALWARE DETECTION: 98.9%
HEURISTIC DETECTION WITH TWO
WEEK-OLD SIGNATURES: 52.7%
ROOTKIT DETECTION, (ACTIVE
AND INACTIVE ROOTKITS) 100%
ROOTKIT REMOVAL: 100%
DETECTION OF ADWARE SAMPLES: 92%
SUCCESSFUL ELEMINATION
OF MALWARE: 50%
ON- DEMAND, (IN SECONDS): 17
ON-ACCESS, (IN SECONDS) 28
DESIGN SCORE: GOOD
The program excellent detection, desinfection and scan speed, earned the top spot of all programs tested. The strong performance continued in desinfection, where Avira Antivir Personal found and disarmed all the rootkits and other infections tossed at it, but (like all the free software here) it tended to leave remnants, such as relatively harmless Registry changes, in place.
Avira's program was not just the most thorough tool, but also the fastest. It led in speed tests for both on -demand scans, (which you schedule or start), and on access scans, (which ocurr automatically during tasks such as copying files).
If you viewers want to use this anti-virus program you can download it at the following address:
http://www.free-av.de/en/trialpay_download/1/avira_antivir_personal__free_antivirus.html
Just copy the above and paste on your browser.
The company has a premium version that costs approximately $20.00, which eleminates "pop-ups" ads for Avira's paid ID -theft protection programs, but other than that this version is basically the same as the free version.
George Freire
Today I am going to respond to a question posed by one of our viewers, Mr. Luis Nabais from Portugal, who asks whether he should keep buying expensive anti-virus software, when, as he has read in this blog, he could instead use other programs that do basically the same thing and are free of cost.
Not all the programs I have referred to are as efficient as the big names of the industry, (that I am not going to mention), except one that by all records known can be favorably compared to them.
This anti-virus software program that can be downloaded and installed at absolutely no cost is called:
Avira Antivir Personal.
This program was rated #1 by PC WORLD magazine, (which in my opinion is the premier computer field technology magazine published today).
I quote from their test results as follows:
Avira's Antivir Personal surpassed all competitors, thanks to its excellent malware detection and impressive scan speed.
The program test scores were the following:
PERFORMANCE SCORE: SUPERIOR
OVERALL MALWARE DETECTION: 98.9%
HEURISTIC DETECTION WITH TWO
WEEK-OLD SIGNATURES: 52.7%
ROOTKIT DETECTION, (ACTIVE
AND INACTIVE ROOTKITS) 100%
ROOTKIT REMOVAL: 100%
DETECTION OF ADWARE SAMPLES: 92%
SUCCESSFUL ELEMINATION
OF MALWARE: 50%
ON- DEMAND, (IN SECONDS): 17
ON-ACCESS, (IN SECONDS) 28
DESIGN SCORE: GOOD
The program excellent detection, desinfection and scan speed, earned the top spot of all programs tested. The strong performance continued in desinfection, where Avira Antivir Personal found and disarmed all the rootkits and other infections tossed at it, but (like all the free software here) it tended to leave remnants, such as relatively harmless Registry changes, in place.
Avira's program was not just the most thorough tool, but also the fastest. It led in speed tests for both on -demand scans, (which you schedule or start), and on access scans, (which ocurr automatically during tasks such as copying files).
If you viewers want to use this anti-virus program you can download it at the following address:
http://www.free-av.de/en/trialpay_download/1/avira_antivir_personal__free_antivirus.html
Just copy the above and paste on your browser.
The company has a premium version that costs approximately $20.00, which eleminates "pop-ups" ads for Avira's paid ID -theft protection programs, but other than that this version is basically the same as the free version.
George Freire
Thursday, October 8, 2009
HOW TO SEE ANY ARTICLE POSTED ON THIS BLOG SINCE ITS BEGINNING
If you readers want to see and explore ANY of the articles posted since the start of this blog, all you have to do is select and click any of the months shown on the "ARCHIVE SECTION" shown at the very start on the left column of the blog. The postings of the month selected will be then shown.
You can also go to the end of the blog page and click "Older Posts".
You can also go to the end of the blog page and click "Older Posts".
Tuesday, October 6, 2009
To my Portuguese friends who are following this Blog
The following are the instructions in Portuguese, so that you can easily have the Blog translated to Portuguese by the program "Babelfish" in no time flat.
In fact this program can translate the Blog to more than 20 different languages!
Caros amigos,
Descrubi hoje uma maneira simples de ler o meu blog em Portugues.
Vao na internet para a web page http://babelfish.yahoo.com/
Esta web page abre e mostra duas janelas a escolher: "Translate a block of text" ou "Translate a web page".
Deverao escolher a janela "Translate a web page".
O espaco em branco desta janela ja tem a entrada http://
Escrevam logo a seguir ao http:// a web address do meu blog: www.whatisyourquestionblog.blogspot.com/.
O resultado final sera portanto: http://www.whatisyourquestionblog.blogspot.com/
Logo por baixo do espaco esta uma janela com a fraze "Select from and to languages" e uma seta no final da fraze.
Carreguem na seta e uma longa file de frazes aparece. Selecionem "English to Portuguese" e clickem a pequena janela seguinte que diz "Translate".
E tudo! teem que esperar uns 10 a 20 segundos e o meu Blog aparece completamente traduzido para Portugues.
Agradeceria o vosso comentario de como este "truque" funciona!
Um abraco Tertuliano a todos.
George Freire
In fact this program can translate the Blog to more than 20 different languages!
Caros amigos,
Descrubi hoje uma maneira simples de ler o meu blog em Portugues.
Vao na internet para a web page http://babelfish.yahoo.com/
Esta web page abre e mostra duas janelas a escolher: "Translate a block of text" ou "Translate a web page".
Deverao escolher a janela "Translate a web page".
O espaco em branco desta janela ja tem a entrada http://
Escrevam logo a seguir ao http:// a web address do meu blog: www.whatisyourquestionblog.blogspot.com/.
O resultado final sera portanto: http://www.whatisyourquestionblog.blogspot.com/
Logo por baixo do espaco esta uma janela com a fraze "Select from and to languages" e uma seta no final da fraze.
Carreguem na seta e uma longa file de frazes aparece. Selecionem "English to Portuguese" e clickem a pequena janela seguinte que diz "Translate".
E tudo! teem que esperar uns 10 a 20 segundos e o meu Blog aparece completamente traduzido para Portugues.
Agradeceria o vosso comentario de como este "truque" funciona!
Um abraco Tertuliano a todos.
George Freire
GMail Quick Searches with a Keyboard Shortcut
For those of you who use GMail, this might be interesting and of good use. PC World published a "snip" by Todd Jackson who is a GMail Product Manager:
" The GMail feature I can't live without is search operators. I'm a huge fan of keyboard shortcuts, so when I need to find some quickly, I hit '/' to get to the search box and type "from:keith" plus a keyword in the mail from Keith that I'm looking for. Make sure you have keyboard shortcuts turned on for the '/' shrtcut to work. There is a list of other tips and tricks for becoming a GMail ninja here: www.gmail.com/tips."
If you don't know how to activate keyboard shortcuts in GMail, go to your GMail page, click "settings" on the right side of the page, a screen opens, on "general" tab go down to "keyboard shortcuts" and activate "keyboard shortcuts "on".
George Freire
" The GMail feature I can't live without is search operators. I'm a huge fan of keyboard shortcuts, so when I need to find some quickly, I hit '/' to get to the search box and type "from:keith" plus a keyword in the mail from Keith that I'm looking for. Make sure you have keyboard shortcuts turned on for the '/' shrtcut to work. There is a list of other tips and tricks for becoming a GMail ninja here: www.gmail.com/tips."
If you don't know how to activate keyboard shortcuts in GMail, go to your GMail page, click "settings" on the right side of the page, a screen opens, on "general" tab go down to "keyboard shortcuts" and activate "keyboard shortcuts "on".
George Freire
Sunday, October 4, 2009
KEYBOARD SHORT-CUTS FOR WINDOWS
Here are some good and easy to remember keyboard short-cuts that work in most windows related programs.
They are easy to remember, (especially those that you use more regularly), and as the title says, very fast and easy to use:
SAVE THE CURRENT DOCUMENT: Ctrl-S
SELECT THE ENTIRE DOCUMENT : Ctrl-A (this is useful if you want to copy and paste the document).
TURN ITALICS "ON" , "OFF' : Ctrl-I
TURN BOLD "ON" , "OFF" : Ctrl-B
TURN UNDERLINING "ON" , "OFF" : Ctrl-U
TOGGLE FULL SCREEN MODE
"ON" OR "OFF" IN IE AND OTHERS: F-11
GO TO YOUR HOME PAGE: : Alt-Home
REFRESH WEB PAGE: : Ctrl-F5
There are many more keyboard short-cuts that you can use, however, remembering them all is "kinda" hard to do. I though that the above cover most of the actions that we all need when using "WORD", "EXCEL" Internet Browsers, (IE, Firefox and others); once you start using them, you'll find out that it all comes naturally when you are working in your computer.
George Freire
They are easy to remember, (especially those that you use more regularly), and as the title says, very fast and easy to use:
SAVE THE CURRENT DOCUMENT: Ctrl-S
SELECT THE ENTIRE DOCUMENT : Ctrl-A (this is useful if you want to copy and paste the document).
TURN ITALICS "ON" , "OFF' : Ctrl-I
TURN BOLD "ON" , "OFF" : Ctrl-B
TURN UNDERLINING "ON" , "OFF" : Ctrl-U
TOGGLE FULL SCREEN MODE
"ON" OR "OFF" IN IE AND OTHERS: F-11
GO TO YOUR HOME PAGE: : Alt-Home
REFRESH WEB PAGE: : Ctrl-F5
There are many more keyboard short-cuts that you can use, however, remembering them all is "kinda" hard to do. I though that the above cover most of the actions that we all need when using "WORD", "EXCEL" Internet Browsers, (IE, Firefox and others); once you start using them, you'll find out that it all comes naturally when you are working in your computer.
George Freire
Saturday, October 3, 2009
How to Upgrade to Windows 7
With Windows 7 release just three weeks away, just a brief note concerning those of you who are planning to upgrade either from Windows XP or Windows Vista:
PC World has a very helpful article covering the possible problems you'll encounter and how to solve them without problems!
Go to: http://www.pcworld.com/article/171432/article.html?tk=nl_bex_h_topstories
They will tell you how.
George Freire
PC World has a very helpful article covering the possible problems you'll encounter and how to solve them without problems!
Go to: http://www.pcworld.com/article/171432/article.html?tk=nl_bex_h_topstories
They will tell you how.
George Freire
Sunday, September 27, 2009
Gadwin Print Screen Free Program
Back in February I recommended this very useful program "FREE GADWIN PRINT SCREEN FREE PROGRAM".
I have been using it eversince, just about everyday. I love it, therefore, for those who never read the post and downloaded the program, I decided to post it again. Here goes:
Here is a great free useful print screen software that enhances the operation of your "Print Screen" key in your keyboard:
Gadwin PrintScreen allows much more flexibility. Usually when you hit the Print Screen button it loads the current screen into your clipboard. To save the image you have to open up an image-editing application, paste it, then save the file. Gadwin's free PrintScreen streamlines this whole process. It sits in your System Tray, and you can set a number of options. When you hit print screen (or whichever button you specify), you can choose to save the screen directly to a specific folder.
Gadwin PrintScreen captures the contents of the screen with a single keystroke. The captured screen can then be sent to the printer, or saved to disk as a file in 6 different graphics file formats.
Gadwin PrintScreen can capture the entire Windows screen, the active window, or a specified area, when the hot key is pressed. The hot key defaults to the PrintScreen key, but users may also define other keys to initiate a capture. Gadwin PrintScreen allows you to e-mail the captured images to recipients of your choice.
All this is free software. However Gadwin Systems Inc. also offers a more powerful version which combines the power of a first-class screen capture application with an advanced image editing and annotation utility - wrapped into one easy-to-use tool. Gadwin PrintScreen Professional is versatile and extremely easy-to-use.
In order to download either program, go to:
http://www.gadwin.com/
Select the "Download " tab then scroll down to either "Gadwin Print Screen Professional Version 4.5" or the free "Gadwin Print Screen Version 4.3" and download whichever you want. Full description of the program is outlined.
I use this program almost everyday, it is so easy and practical.
George Freire
I have been using it eversince, just about everyday. I love it, therefore, for those who never read the post and downloaded the program, I decided to post it again. Here goes:
Here is a great free useful print screen software that enhances the operation of your "Print Screen" key in your keyboard:
Gadwin PrintScreen allows much more flexibility. Usually when you hit the Print Screen button it loads the current screen into your clipboard. To save the image you have to open up an image-editing application, paste it, then save the file. Gadwin's free PrintScreen streamlines this whole process. It sits in your System Tray, and you can set a number of options. When you hit print screen (or whichever button you specify), you can choose to save the screen directly to a specific folder.
Gadwin PrintScreen captures the contents of the screen with a single keystroke. The captured screen can then be sent to the printer, or saved to disk as a file in 6 different graphics file formats.
Gadwin PrintScreen can capture the entire Windows screen, the active window, or a specified area, when the hot key is pressed. The hot key defaults to the PrintScreen key, but users may also define other keys to initiate a capture. Gadwin PrintScreen allows you to e-mail the captured images to recipients of your choice.
All this is free software. However Gadwin Systems Inc. also offers a more powerful version which combines the power of a first-class screen capture application with an advanced image editing and annotation utility - wrapped into one easy-to-use tool. Gadwin PrintScreen Professional is versatile and extremely easy-to-use.
In order to download either program, go to:
http://www.gadwin.com/
Select the "Download " tab then scroll down to either "Gadwin Print Screen Professional Version 4.5" or the free "Gadwin Print Screen Version 4.3" and download whichever you want. Full description of the program is outlined.
I use this program almost everyday, it is so easy and practical.
George Freire
Avira AntiVir Personal Free Antivirus Program
I have in the past recommended some antivirus programs, which I have used with success, such as ClamWin, Avast etc.
These are good programs and they are free. About a couple of weeks ago, in one of my research trips through the Web I came across some interesting information on another free antivirus program called
"Avira AntiVir Personal Free Antivirus".
I went to their website: http://www.free-av.com/
and downloaded the program. I must say that it is far superior than any antivirus free program I have tried.
The description of the program is as follows:
Avira AntiVir Personal - FREE Antivirus is a reliable free antivirus solution, that constantly and rapidly scans your computer for malicious programs such as viruses, Trojans, backdoor programs, hoaxes, worms, dialers etc. Monitors every action executed by the user or the operating system and reacts promptly when a malicious program is detected.
Avira AntiVir Personal is a comprehensive, easy to use antivirus program, designed to offer reliable free of charge virus protection to home-users, for personal use only, and is not for business or commercial use. Available for Windows or UNIX.
They also have "Premium" and "Security" versions of the program, which if you want them, you'll have to pay for it, however, the free version really has most of the features that everyday computer user needs, no more no less.
If you go to this address: http://www.free-av.com/en/products/1/avira_antivir_personal__free_antivirus.html
You can also download the program and also see the features covered by the three versions referred above.
Try the free version and compare it against other security programs you may have installed in your computer, AND if you still run your computer without antivirus protection, (believe you me there are many users in that category), please, please, install this program. You will not regret it.
George Freire
These are good programs and they are free. About a couple of weeks ago, in one of my research trips through the Web I came across some interesting information on another free antivirus program called
"Avira AntiVir Personal Free Antivirus".
I went to their website: http://www.free-av.com/
and downloaded the program. I must say that it is far superior than any antivirus free program I have tried.
The description of the program is as follows:
Avira AntiVir Personal - FREE Antivirus is a reliable free antivirus solution, that constantly and rapidly scans your computer for malicious programs such as viruses, Trojans, backdoor programs, hoaxes, worms, dialers etc. Monitors every action executed by the user or the operating system and reacts promptly when a malicious program is detected.
Avira AntiVir Personal is a comprehensive, easy to use antivirus program, designed to offer reliable free of charge virus protection to home-users, for personal use only, and is not for business or commercial use. Available for Windows or UNIX.
They also have "Premium" and "Security" versions of the program, which if you want them, you'll have to pay for it, however, the free version really has most of the features that everyday computer user needs, no more no less.
If you go to this address: http://www.free-av.com/en/products/1/avira_antivir_personal__free_antivirus.html
You can also download the program and also see the features covered by the three versions referred above.
Try the free version and compare it against other security programs you may have installed in your computer, AND if you still run your computer without antivirus protection, (believe you me there are many users in that category), please, please, install this program. You will not regret it.
George Freire
Friday, September 25, 2009
Microsoft "Fix It Solutions Center"
Widows
Internet Explorer
Office
Email and Messaging
Windows Media Player
Windows Media Center
Such problems may be pretty simple to correct, but many times, such problems can be exasperating because
"Windows" is a very sophisticated program with thousands os hidden files that only those who are true experts can see and somehow debug..
Some of you may not know that Microsoft has a web site that is extremely helpful and can help you correct such problems.
The site is called as the title above indicates "FIX IT SOLUTIONS CENTER".
The site address is
http://support.microsoft.com/gp/cp_fixit_main#tab0.
If you click the above address you'll be immediately be "transported" to this site. Once there, first select the "About Fix It" on the left side tab of the page in order to understand how it works.
After that, select the product you are having problems with, (which are all described on that same tab). When you do so, the right side of the page opens up and shows a series of most likely problems that can occur with the product.
If you see in any of the described problems areas common with your problem or problems, click on it and a new page opens. In this page you'll see the steps you need to take in order to solve the problem, BUT EVEN BETTER, you are asked if you want the "Fix It Slutions Center" program to do it automatically for you!!
If you click yes, (and who wouldn't...), like magic the "Fix It Solutions Center" will do it for you.
One word of advice here: You must follow a few instructions, and click here and there for the solution program to run.
Even if you are not experiencing any problems now, I suggest, (just for the sake of familiarizing yourself with "Fix It Slutions Center"), that you go to the site and read the instructions.
I hope this will be, (for those who did not know about it), a great tip that will help you solve many problems that sooner or later you'll be faced with when operating your computer.
George Freire
Tuesday, September 22, 2009
How to post a comment or ask a question
This is the best way for you viewers to ask questions or post comments:
At the end of each post, there is a gold colored word "comments".
If you click on it a window opens where you can type your question or comment.
After you are done writing, just click the "Publish Your Comment" tab.
After you are finished, the word "comments" will be shown with a number behind it, such as
"1 comment".
To read the comment all you have to do is click on it again.
George Freire
At the end of each post, there is a gold colored word "comments".
If you click on it a window opens where you can type your question or comment.
After you are done writing, just click the "Publish Your Comment" tab.
After you are finished, the word "comments" will be shown with a number behind it, such as
"1 comment".
To read the comment all you have to do is click on it again.
George Freire
Monday, September 21, 2009
EssentialPIM 3.1
I came across a nice program that can be used by those who keep busy schedules and need reminders, time management etc.
You can download this program "EssentialPIM 3.1" from CNET.com at the following address:
http://download.cnet.com/EssentialPIM/3000-2074_4-10362881.html
Here is the CNET Editor's review of the program:
While there are plenty of programs that help manage your daily tasks, many are terribly expensive. EssentialPIM offers a free way stay organized, and we found it to be a fairly effective program.
This freeware heavily mimics the display and functionality of the popular Microsoft Outlook program. This, however, is not a bad thing. In fact, it makes EssentialPIM very intuitive thanks to the toolbar along the left side that allows users to easily cycle through the calendar, to-do list, contacts, notes, and trash. Inputting data into any of these fields is fairly easy. Anyone with prior experience with time management software will leap right into creating reminders on the calendar, recurring to-do events, and more. The menus that create such items flow well, with versatile pull-down menus, fillable fields, and dates.
We had a simple time managing nearly all aspects of this program, but we did find that although the program is listed as free with no limitations, the freeware version lacks numerous features found in the paid version. Users looking for advanced features to sync with other programs, add advanced encryption, and filter task lists and events won't find those features in the free program. Still, if users don't need these options, EssentialPIM covers the basics and its price cannot be beat.
I downloaded this program and have been using it. I like it and it reminds me of all my daily chores in an easy and interesting way.
You can download this program "EssentialPIM 3.1" from CNET.com at the following address:
http://download.cnet.com/EssentialPIM/3000-2074_4-10362881.html
Here is the CNET Editor's review of the program:
While there are plenty of programs that help manage your daily tasks, many are terribly expensive. EssentialPIM offers a free way stay organized, and we found it to be a fairly effective program.
This freeware heavily mimics the display and functionality of the popular Microsoft Outlook program. This, however, is not a bad thing. In fact, it makes EssentialPIM very intuitive thanks to the toolbar along the left side that allows users to easily cycle through the calendar, to-do list, contacts, notes, and trash. Inputting data into any of these fields is fairly easy. Anyone with prior experience with time management software will leap right into creating reminders on the calendar, recurring to-do events, and more. The menus that create such items flow well, with versatile pull-down menus, fillable fields, and dates.
We had a simple time managing nearly all aspects of this program, but we did find that although the program is listed as free with no limitations, the freeware version lacks numerous features found in the paid version. Users looking for advanced features to sync with other programs, add advanced encryption, and filter task lists and events won't find those features in the free program. Still, if users don't need these options, EssentialPIM covers the basics and its price cannot be beat.
I downloaded this program and have been using it. I like it and it reminds me of all my daily chores in an easy and interesting way.
Thursday, September 17, 2009
How To Squeeze A Toner Cartridge To The End And Be Able To Print A Lot More Pages
My friends,
This comes from my personal experience. I am talking about those expensive toner cartridges used mostly in laser printers. It does not matter which brand of printer we are talking about, be it HP, Brother, Canon etc., etc.
If you have the proper software for your laser printer completely installed in your computer, when the toner in the cartridge is near the end, some kind of a "Pop-Up" window will show up to tell you that it is time to replace the toner cartridge.
At $70.00 or more a pop for these cartridges, if you do a lot of printing, it can be quite expensive. Here is a little secret that I found out by asking myself : "is this cartridge finished or is there still some life in it?".
So, I pulled out the toner cartridge from my Brother laser printer DCP-7040, shook it out side ways a few times and re-installed it.
Guess what? I have since then printed more than another 100 pages and the "Pop-Up" window telling me to replace the cartridge has not made its presence yet...
Sure enough I have a new cartridge readily available, but in the mean time I'm still using the old cartridge and saving money.
This will work with other laser printers too, the reason being that by default (in order to make a fast profit), when the toner powder reaches a certain low level, the software is set up to tell you to replace it.
Of course the printer manufacturers make most of their money by selling us toner and ink cartridges at extremely bloated prices and they want you to replace them as often as possible.
Next time your laser printer tells you that the toner cartridge needs replacement, try this trick and you'll see that there are still many more pages that can be printed with the old cartridge.
You see? I just saved you a bunch of money.
George Freire
This comes from my personal experience. I am talking about those expensive toner cartridges used mostly in laser printers. It does not matter which brand of printer we are talking about, be it HP, Brother, Canon etc., etc.
If you have the proper software for your laser printer completely installed in your computer, when the toner in the cartridge is near the end, some kind of a "Pop-Up" window will show up to tell you that it is time to replace the toner cartridge.
At $70.00 or more a pop for these cartridges, if you do a lot of printing, it can be quite expensive. Here is a little secret that I found out by asking myself : "is this cartridge finished or is there still some life in it?".
So, I pulled out the toner cartridge from my Brother laser printer DCP-7040, shook it out side ways a few times and re-installed it.
Guess what? I have since then printed more than another 100 pages and the "Pop-Up" window telling me to replace the cartridge has not made its presence yet...
Sure enough I have a new cartridge readily available, but in the mean time I'm still using the old cartridge and saving money.
This will work with other laser printers too, the reason being that by default (in order to make a fast profit), when the toner powder reaches a certain low level, the software is set up to tell you to replace it.
Of course the printer manufacturers make most of their money by selling us toner and ink cartridges at extremely bloated prices and they want you to replace them as often as possible.
Next time your laser printer tells you that the toner cartridge needs replacement, try this trick and you'll see that there are still many more pages that can be printed with the old cartridge.
You see? I just saved you a bunch of money.
George Freire
Saturday, September 12, 2009
Simple Sticky Notes
What is Simple Sticky Notes? It's a simple, easy-to-use, absolutely free, fast and efficient taking notes software.
Simple Sticky Notes is 100% safe and ads free.
Here are the features of Simple Sticky Notes;
•Full unicode support
•RichText support
•Colourful and Transparent notes
•Printable
•Snap to desktop edges
•Hide/Show all notes option
•Automatic updates
and more...
(The following comments concerning this program are from Mr. Preston Gralla,os PC World) :
Simple Sticky Notes lets you create sticky notes on your PC. They're just like the Post-it notes that litter people's offices--but more private and not so unsightly. It's incredibly easy to create them. Double-click the program's icon in your system tray, and it creates a note for you. Type in what you want to remember, and you're done. You can drag the note to any spot on your desktop.
Easy as it is to use, Simple Sticky Notes has plenty of options. Want to change the font or the font color? You can do that, as well as making the text bold or italic. How about changing the note's color? Yes, you can do that, and you can also change the transparency of it as well. You can also hide the notes, print them, and even automatically send their text via e-mail.
Overall, Simple Sticky Notes is straightforward and simple to use, and it won't waste your time. And since it's free, it won't waste your money, either.
To download this simple but useful program go to:
http://www.simplestickynotes.com/
Just copy and paste the above address to your browser and download it.
I hope you'll enjoy it, I use it all the time.
George Freire
Simple Sticky Notes is 100% safe and ads free.
Here are the features of Simple Sticky Notes;
•Full unicode support
•RichText support
•Colourful and Transparent notes
•Printable
•Snap to desktop edges
•Hide/Show all notes option
•Automatic updates
and more...
(The following comments concerning this program are from Mr. Preston Gralla,os PC World) :
Simple Sticky Notes lets you create sticky notes on your PC. They're just like the Post-it notes that litter people's offices--but more private and not so unsightly. It's incredibly easy to create them. Double-click the program's icon in your system tray, and it creates a note for you. Type in what you want to remember, and you're done. You can drag the note to any spot on your desktop.
Easy as it is to use, Simple Sticky Notes has plenty of options. Want to change the font or the font color? You can do that, as well as making the text bold or italic. How about changing the note's color? Yes, you can do that, and you can also change the transparency of it as well. You can also hide the notes, print them, and even automatically send their text via e-mail.
Overall, Simple Sticky Notes is straightforward and simple to use, and it won't waste your time. And since it's free, it won't waste your money, either.
To download this simple but useful program go to:
http://www.simplestickynotes.com/
Just copy and paste the above address to your browser and download it.
I hope you'll enjoy it, I use it all the time.
George Freire
Saturday, September 5, 2009
BACKUP AND RECOVERY OF YOUR COMPUTER HARD DRIVE IS NOW EASY TO PERFORM
Not long ago, two weeks to be precise, the 500 GB hard drive of my "super computer" I built almost two years ago started giving me a feeling that it was getting "tired out", this in spite of the fact that I always keep this computer in the best top shape possible.
These things happen, hard drives may last almost forever but sometime they surprise you and say, "buddy you better do something because I may quit all of a sudden".
Well, I have in this computer everything, I mean everything, from my finances to pictures and music collections business documents, drawings from jobs designed when I was still working, etc. etc.
In spite of the fact that of course, I have an external drive where all these files are completely backed up, the problem was that you cannot back up software installed in your computer and much less your OS (in my case Windows Vista).
If the hard drive would all of a sudden give its last breath, I would not lose these files, but all the installed programs, (and there are quite a few), and the Windows OS would all be lost in a split of a second.
There are several programs on the market that make it possible to completely make an image of your hard drive on another separate internal or external drive and thus save all your programs and OS in just the same way they are installed in your main hard drive.
However, with most of these programs to do this is quite complicated, time consuming and many times exasperating, therefore I explored and studied a lot of information which is available on the internet about such programs. I found out that there was one, (or so they said), that made all this extremely simple even to those people who are not very computer savy...
I went one step further and discussed the matter with people who know and had the experience about such matters and most of them said that this program was indeed excellent.
Well, I bought it, paid $39.95 for it and my friends, it was the best investment I made. The program is called "ACRONIS TRUE IMAGE HOME 2009".
I was able to completely create an exact copy of my hard drive,(this is called cloning), transfer it to a new internal hard drive, and then pulled out the old almost dying main hard drive and replaced it with the new copy.
When I turned the computer on I kept my fingers crossed, because I did not know wether it would work. To my surprise the computer started and operated as if nothing had happened.
Time spent in doing all this? it took about 2 hours to clone the old driver to the new driver and about 20 minutes to take out the old and install the new! that was it.
But this is not all, now with this program installed in my computer, it automatically keeps a clone of my hard drive on an external drive, and keeps it to date on a weekly basis, all software installed, OS and all files. I don't have to worry anymore if my hard drive fails, (I hope it will last a long time), but I know that if it happens, all I have to do is to get a new one and transfer everything back again.
ACRONIS is available in any computer or electronics store such as Best Buy, (that's where I bought it).
For what it's worth, I hope this experience of mine will be able to save some of you readers, future problems with your hard drives. One thing for sure, hard drives do not last forever...
Have a good week-end,
George Freire
These things happen, hard drives may last almost forever but sometime they surprise you and say, "buddy you better do something because I may quit all of a sudden".
Well, I have in this computer everything, I mean everything, from my finances to pictures and music collections business documents, drawings from jobs designed when I was still working, etc. etc.
In spite of the fact that of course, I have an external drive where all these files are completely backed up, the problem was that you cannot back up software installed in your computer and much less your OS (in my case Windows Vista).
If the hard drive would all of a sudden give its last breath, I would not lose these files, but all the installed programs, (and there are quite a few), and the Windows OS would all be lost in a split of a second.
There are several programs on the market that make it possible to completely make an image of your hard drive on another separate internal or external drive and thus save all your programs and OS in just the same way they are installed in your main hard drive.
However, with most of these programs to do this is quite complicated, time consuming and many times exasperating, therefore I explored and studied a lot of information which is available on the internet about such programs. I found out that there was one, (or so they said), that made all this extremely simple even to those people who are not very computer savy...
I went one step further and discussed the matter with people who know and had the experience about such matters and most of them said that this program was indeed excellent.
Well, I bought it, paid $39.95 for it and my friends, it was the best investment I made. The program is called "ACRONIS TRUE IMAGE HOME 2009".
I was able to completely create an exact copy of my hard drive,(this is called cloning), transfer it to a new internal hard drive, and then pulled out the old almost dying main hard drive and replaced it with the new copy.
When I turned the computer on I kept my fingers crossed, because I did not know wether it would work. To my surprise the computer started and operated as if nothing had happened.
Time spent in doing all this? it took about 2 hours to clone the old driver to the new driver and about 20 minutes to take out the old and install the new! that was it.
But this is not all, now with this program installed in my computer, it automatically keeps a clone of my hard drive on an external drive, and keeps it to date on a weekly basis, all software installed, OS and all files. I don't have to worry anymore if my hard drive fails, (I hope it will last a long time), but I know that if it happens, all I have to do is to get a new one and transfer everything back again.
ACRONIS is available in any computer or electronics store such as Best Buy, (that's where I bought it).
For what it's worth, I hope this experience of mine will be able to save some of you readers, future problems with your hard drives. One thing for sure, hard drives do not last forever...
Have a good week-end,
George Freire
Wednesday, August 26, 2009
Windows 7 Will Run 120 Days for Free
Folks,
You can try out Windows 7 for 120 days free!
Here is how:
Gregg Keizer, Computerworld
timestamp(1250773740000,'longDateTime')
Aug 20, 2009 9:09 am
Like its predecessor, Windows 7 can be used for up to 120 days without providing a product activation key, Microsoft confirmed today.
Although Microsoft generally touts a 30-day time limit for users to activate their copies of the company's operating system, a little-known command designed for corporate administrators can be used by anyone to "reset" the countdown up to three times.
Late yesterday, the Windows Secrets newsletter published step-by-step instructions on using a single-line command to add an additional 90 days to the stock 30-day grace period.
Microsoft allows users to install and run any version of Windows 7 for up to 30 days without requiring a product activation key, a 25-character alphanumeric string that proves the copy is legitimate. During the 30-day grace period, Windows 7 operates as if it has been activated. As the grace period shrinks, however, increasingly-frequent messages appear on the screen. For example, on days four through 27, a pop-up asks the user to activate once each day. During days 28 and 29, the pop-up displays every four hours, while on Day 30, it appears hourly.
But by invoking the "slmgr -rearm" command at a Windows 7 command prompt, users can reset the time-until-activation to 30 days, said Woody Leonard, a contributing editor to Windows Secrets and the author of several computer books, including Windows Vista All-in-One Desk Reference for Dummies.
"You can run the -rearm trick a total of three times," said Leonard. "If you perform a -rearm at the end of each 30-day period, you end up with 120 days of full, unfettered Windows 7 use, without having to supply an activation key."
Leonard tested the command on Windows 7 RTM (release to manufacturing), the final build of the operating system that Microsoft has already shipped to computer makers and distributed to IT professionals and developers who subscribe to the TechNet and MSDN services.
Microsoft confirmed that "-rearm" can be used as many as three times by Windows 7 users to avoid activation. "This means [that] a total of 120 days total time is available as a grace period to customers that take advantage of -rearm," said a company spokeswoman.
Nor is extending the grace period a violation of the Windows 7 End User License Agreement (EULA), the spokeswoman said.
Windows Secrets and others published information about the same grace period extension two years ago, shortly after Microsoft launched Vista. "Rearm is the same in Windows 7 as in Vista," noted Brian Livingston, the editor of Windows Secrets, in an interview yesterday.
Microsoft introduced product activation in 2001's Office XP and also used it in that year's Windows XP. The feature was toughened up for Vista, however; after the grace period, non-activated PCs running Vista dropped into what Microsoft called "reduced functionality" mode. In reduced mode, users could only browse the Web with Internet Explorer, and then only for an hour before being forced to again log on.
In early 2008, however, Microsoft revamped that process, which some had dubbed a "kill switch," in favor of a black background and constant nagging reminders. Later in 2008, Microsoft introduced the same procedures to Windows XP when it rolled out Service Pack 3 (SP3).
In February 2009, Microsoft said Windows 7 would use the same reminders, a black screen and persistent notices.
"We knew that -rearm worked on the beta and RC [of Windows 7], but until it was finished, there was no way to be sure it would work in the final," said Livingston.
Although Windows 7 won't go on sale until Oct. 22, the RTM build has leaked to file-sharing sites. In fact, the build that Microsoft later identified as RTM hit BitTorrent almost a week before the company officially announced the milestone.
The -rearm command isn't the only way users can run Windows 7 without paying. Until about 11 a.m. ET Thursday, users can download a free copy of Windows 7 Release Candidate (RC), the last public preview issued before Microsoft wrapped up work on the OS.
See more like this:
Windows 7,
microsoft,
windows upgrading
You can try out Windows 7 for 120 days free!
Here is how:
Gregg Keizer, Computerworld
timestamp(1250773740000,'longDateTime')
Aug 20, 2009 9:09 am
Like its predecessor, Windows 7 can be used for up to 120 days without providing a product activation key, Microsoft confirmed today.
Although Microsoft generally touts a 30-day time limit for users to activate their copies of the company's operating system, a little-known command designed for corporate administrators can be used by anyone to "reset" the countdown up to three times.
Late yesterday, the Windows Secrets newsletter published step-by-step instructions on using a single-line command to add an additional 90 days to the stock 30-day grace period.
Microsoft allows users to install and run any version of Windows 7 for up to 30 days without requiring a product activation key, a 25-character alphanumeric string that proves the copy is legitimate. During the 30-day grace period, Windows 7 operates as if it has been activated. As the grace period shrinks, however, increasingly-frequent messages appear on the screen. For example, on days four through 27, a pop-up asks the user to activate once each day. During days 28 and 29, the pop-up displays every four hours, while on Day 30, it appears hourly.
But by invoking the "slmgr -rearm" command at a Windows 7 command prompt, users can reset the time-until-activation to 30 days, said Woody Leonard, a contributing editor to Windows Secrets and the author of several computer books, including Windows Vista All-in-One Desk Reference for Dummies.
"You can run the -rearm trick a total of three times," said Leonard. "If you perform a -rearm at the end of each 30-day period, you end up with 120 days of full, unfettered Windows 7 use, without having to supply an activation key."
Leonard tested the command on Windows 7 RTM (release to manufacturing), the final build of the operating system that Microsoft has already shipped to computer makers and distributed to IT professionals and developers who subscribe to the TechNet and MSDN services.
Microsoft confirmed that "-rearm" can be used as many as three times by Windows 7 users to avoid activation. "This means [that] a total of 120 days total time is available as a grace period to customers that take advantage of -rearm," said a company spokeswoman.
Nor is extending the grace period a violation of the Windows 7 End User License Agreement (EULA), the spokeswoman said.
Windows Secrets and others published information about the same grace period extension two years ago, shortly after Microsoft launched Vista. "Rearm is the same in Windows 7 as in Vista," noted Brian Livingston, the editor of Windows Secrets, in an interview yesterday.
Microsoft introduced product activation in 2001's Office XP and also used it in that year's Windows XP. The feature was toughened up for Vista, however; after the grace period, non-activated PCs running Vista dropped into what Microsoft called "reduced functionality" mode. In reduced mode, users could only browse the Web with Internet Explorer, and then only for an hour before being forced to again log on.
In early 2008, however, Microsoft revamped that process, which some had dubbed a "kill switch," in favor of a black background and constant nagging reminders. Later in 2008, Microsoft introduced the same procedures to Windows XP when it rolled out Service Pack 3 (SP3).
In February 2009, Microsoft said Windows 7 would use the same reminders, a black screen and persistent notices.
"We knew that -rearm worked on the beta and RC [of Windows 7], but until it was finished, there was no way to be sure it would work in the final," said Livingston.
Although Windows 7 won't go on sale until Oct. 22, the RTM build has leaked to file-sharing sites. In fact, the build that Microsoft later identified as RTM hit BitTorrent almost a week before the company officially announced the milestone.
The -rearm command isn't the only way users can run Windows 7 without paying. Until about 11 a.m. ET Thursday, users can download a free copy of Windows 7 Release Candidate (RC), the last public preview issued before Microsoft wrapped up work on the OS.
See more like this:
Windows 7,
microsoft,
windows upgrading
Friday, August 14, 2009
How Windows Vista Shuts down Your System, Or Puts It To Sleep
OK, we all know that Windows 7 is coming soon, however, be it W 7 or W Vista, the method of shutting down your computer will be the same on both.
In older versions of Windows, (i.e. XP and prior versions), to exit Windows and shut down your computer you would "Start>Shut Down". In W Vista, to completely shut down your system, you click the start button and then click the right arrow, (next to the power button), and select "Shut Down". Windows then automatically closes all open applications and processes and asks you to save all open documents. Device drivers and program files may be damaged if they are not closed in this proper fashion, this being the reason why you should never turn off your computer by clicking the main power button on the system unit.
W Vista however also offers a new "Sleep Mode" in addition to the full system shut down:
When you click the power button on the start menu, (the one on the bottom left that looks like a big O with a vertical dash on top), Vista saves all open documents, applications and data to both your hard drive and computer memory; shuts down your PC hard drive and monitor; and then enters a special power saving mode. It does not turn off your computer, it simply puts it to sleep.
When ou want to get back to work, all you have to do is drag your mouse back and forth a couple of times; this wakes up W Vista from sleep mode and quickly retrieves the open documents and applications from system memory. This of course IS A LOT FASTER THEN REBOOTING FROM A POWER OFF CONDITION, IN FACT IT IS ALMOST INSTANTANEOUS, MIND YOU.
I have been familiar with this option since I first loaded W Vista in my computers. A couple of days ago I came across a very interesting article addressing this option, in (as usual) my favorite magazine PCWorld, which I am transcribing here:
Why You Should Use Sleep Mode
Jason Cross
timestamp(1249926600000,'longDateTime')
Aug 10, 2009 1:50 pm
Shutting down your PC at the end of the day is so 20th century. What you probably should be doing is putting it into sleep mode. You'll save that interminable wait for your system to boot up, and it won't destroy the Earth or your bank account with a dramatic change in energy usage. Allow me to illustrate.
I have a fairly high-end system at home. It's a Core i7 920 based PC with 6GB of RAM, a high-end GeForce card (sometimes it's a Radeon, I go back and forth), and a reasonably quick Seagate 7200.10 hard drive. I'm running the final release of Windows 7. This is how long it takes me to shut down and boot:
Shutdown: 0:16
Boot: 1:06
Shutting down is pretty fast, but booting up is painfully slow. Bear in mind, this is what I call "true" boot-up time. It the time from when I press the power button to when I'm at a usable desktop (where you can actually click on things and get a response). Like your system probably is, it's not totally clean. I have Dropbox and my antivirus software loading at boot. Here's the numbers to go into sleep mode, and wake from sleep:
Sleep: 0:18
Wake: 0:02
That's right two seconds to get to a truly usable desktop waking from sleep mode. Shutting down takes a couple seconds longer, but waking my computer up is almost instantaneous. Not to mention that I can wake up my PC by tapping the keyboard, instead of reaching down to press a small power button.
But what about power, you ask? Am I running up my power bill? As long as your system BIOS supports the S3 ACPI (Advanced Configuration and Power Interface) mode, no. The S1 mode leaves the CPU and RAM powered up, the S3 mode powers those down. Our article from a couple years ago on how to check and change your BIOS sleep state is still relevant. My high-end system uses some 120-130 watts just sitting at the desktop (not including monitor), and uses 1 watt when powered off (most computers draw a very small amount of power, even when off, so they can do things like turn on when you press the power button). In sleep mode, my system draws a whopping 5 watts. Five. What does that different of 4 watts mean to you?
My computer is running a lot more than the average person's, so let's just suppose your system is turned off 16 hours a day. That 4W difference works out to a whopping 1.92 killowatt-hours (kWh) per month. According to the Department of Energy, the average price for electricity in the U.S. is 11.59 cents per kWh, so sleep mode costs you 22.2 cents per month. The average home in the U.S. uses 936 kWh per month, so 16 hours of sleep mode a day would be a 0.21% increase in monthly power usage. That's what we call a "rounding error."
Of course, some systems use a little more power in sleep mode, but it's almost always under 10W. We have more on how to change the function of your computer's power button here. You probably don't want hibernate mode, which dumps the contents of your PC's RAM to the hard disk and then power off your PC, so you can resume right where you left off (with programs open and so on). With the large amount of RAM in today's systems, this can be a pretty slow option.
In older versions of Windows, (i.e. XP and prior versions), to exit Windows and shut down your computer you would "Start>Shut Down". In W Vista, to completely shut down your system, you click the start button and then click the right arrow, (next to the power button), and select "Shut Down". Windows then automatically closes all open applications and processes and asks you to save all open documents. Device drivers and program files may be damaged if they are not closed in this proper fashion, this being the reason why you should never turn off your computer by clicking the main power button on the system unit.
W Vista however also offers a new "Sleep Mode" in addition to the full system shut down:
When you click the power button on the start menu, (the one on the bottom left that looks like a big O with a vertical dash on top), Vista saves all open documents, applications and data to both your hard drive and computer memory; shuts down your PC hard drive and monitor; and then enters a special power saving mode. It does not turn off your computer, it simply puts it to sleep.
When ou want to get back to work, all you have to do is drag your mouse back and forth a couple of times; this wakes up W Vista from sleep mode and quickly retrieves the open documents and applications from system memory. This of course IS A LOT FASTER THEN REBOOTING FROM A POWER OFF CONDITION, IN FACT IT IS ALMOST INSTANTANEOUS, MIND YOU.
I have been familiar with this option since I first loaded W Vista in my computers. A couple of days ago I came across a very interesting article addressing this option, in (as usual) my favorite magazine PCWorld, which I am transcribing here:
Why You Should Use Sleep Mode
Jason Cross
timestamp(1249926600000,'longDateTime')
Aug 10, 2009 1:50 pm
Shutting down your PC at the end of the day is so 20th century. What you probably should be doing is putting it into sleep mode. You'll save that interminable wait for your system to boot up, and it won't destroy the Earth or your bank account with a dramatic change in energy usage. Allow me to illustrate.
I have a fairly high-end system at home. It's a Core i7 920 based PC with 6GB of RAM, a high-end GeForce card (sometimes it's a Radeon, I go back and forth), and a reasonably quick Seagate 7200.10 hard drive. I'm running the final release of Windows 7. This is how long it takes me to shut down and boot:
Shutdown: 0:16
Boot: 1:06
Shutting down is pretty fast, but booting up is painfully slow. Bear in mind, this is what I call "true" boot-up time. It the time from when I press the power button to when I'm at a usable desktop (where you can actually click on things and get a response). Like your system probably is, it's not totally clean. I have Dropbox and my antivirus software loading at boot. Here's the numbers to go into sleep mode, and wake from sleep:
Sleep: 0:18
Wake: 0:02
That's right two seconds to get to a truly usable desktop waking from sleep mode. Shutting down takes a couple seconds longer, but waking my computer up is almost instantaneous. Not to mention that I can wake up my PC by tapping the keyboard, instead of reaching down to press a small power button.
But what about power, you ask? Am I running up my power bill? As long as your system BIOS supports the S3 ACPI (Advanced Configuration and Power Interface) mode, no. The S1 mode leaves the CPU and RAM powered up, the S3 mode powers those down. Our article from a couple years ago on how to check and change your BIOS sleep state is still relevant. My high-end system uses some 120-130 watts just sitting at the desktop (not including monitor), and uses 1 watt when powered off (most computers draw a very small amount of power, even when off, so they can do things like turn on when you press the power button). In sleep mode, my system draws a whopping 5 watts. Five. What does that different of 4 watts mean to you?
My computer is running a lot more than the average person's, so let's just suppose your system is turned off 16 hours a day. That 4W difference works out to a whopping 1.92 killowatt-hours (kWh) per month. According to the Department of Energy, the average price for electricity in the U.S. is 11.59 cents per kWh, so sleep mode costs you 22.2 cents per month. The average home in the U.S. uses 936 kWh per month, so 16 hours of sleep mode a day would be a 0.21% increase in monthly power usage. That's what we call a "rounding error."
Of course, some systems use a little more power in sleep mode, but it's almost always under 10W. We have more on how to change the function of your computer's power button here. You probably don't want hibernate mode, which dumps the contents of your PC's RAM to the hard disk and then power off your PC, so you can resume right where you left off (with programs open and so on). With the large amount of RAM in today's systems, this can be a pretty slow option.
Monday, August 3, 2009
Is Your Printer Stealing From You? Here's How to Tell
Here is a very interesting article transcribed from PC World, (Great computer magazine, always offering the best advice), by one of their professional writers, Ms.Melissa Riofrio:
Whether through exorbitant ink prices or through flimsy construction, your printer may be robbing you of money or time. Here are five ways to tell whether you're being cheated.
Melissa Riofrio, PC World
Jul 29, 2009 11:00 pm :
Don't let that blank, boxy look fool you: Printers can steal your money and your time if you're not careful. Printer manufacturers have come up with a few creative ways to drain your wallet through ink and toner cartridge costs. Other printer models just make you waste precious minutes fooling around with complicated menu systems or stupidly designed hardware.
How do you spot a thieving printer? We've identified some of the leading suspects for each specific crime. But to determine whether your printer is pilfering from you, check its specs and our reviews for these warning signs.
1. If the Printer Is Cheap, the Ink or the Toner Isn't
Think you got a great deal on your printer? Think again. It’s a common ploy for printer vendors to sell machines at or below their production cost--and then make their money later on with extremely high ink or toner costs. How can you tell? Do the math: Take the cost of the cartridge and divide it by the page yield—the number of pages the manufacturer says the cartridge can print. (Note that most vendors base their page-yield numbers on industry-standard testing that is designed to represent real-world usage. However, the page yields you obtain may vary, depending on what you actually print.) Some vendors make their page yield information easy to find online (thank you, HP!), while others bury it (we're looking at you, Canon). The cost per page for the printer’s ink or toner does not reflect other printer costs, of course, such as those for an inkjet’s special paper or for a laser’s belts, drums, and other longer-life consumables.
We collected cartridges prices and vendor page yield information for a number of printers. From them, we determined that the following costs per page for black-and-white and four-color pages for inkjet and laser printers are about average.
Inkjet printers:
Plain black text: 4 cents to 5 cents per page
Simple four-color page: 12 cents to 14 cents per page
Monochrome laser/LED printers:
Plain black text: 1 cent to 2.5 cents per page
Color laser/LED printers:
Plain black text: 2 cents to 3 cents per page
Simple four-color page: 12 cents to 15 cents per page
If your printer’s costs fall at or below these averages, that’s good. But if its costs exceed these averages, you should consider looking for a different printer. A person who prints two dozen or fewer pages per week, mostly text with a little color, might tolerate a higher cost per page; but with so many good printers out there, why go with one that's going to soak you?
Here are some printers and multifunction printers (MFPs) we've tested recently that aren't as inexpensive as they look:
LEXMARK C543DN
CANON PIXMAR MX330
DELL 2130CN
EPSON WORKFORCE 40
LEXMARK X543 DN
HP PHOTO SMART C4680
2. Lower-Capacity Inks = Higher Cost Per Page
PC World's research has shown time and again that lower-capacity ink and toner cartridges cost you more in the long run. If you print relatively little, it may not matter much, since the high cost is spread over a longer period of time. But if you print a lot, look for ink cartridges with yields above 250 pages, or toner cartridges with yields above 2000 pages. Some printers offer high-yield consumables that can save you a lot more. Here are the worst and best models for cartridge capacity that we've reviewed recently.
Worst: Printers with standard-size cartridges that are low-capacity and pricey:
EPSON WORKFORCE 40
HP PHOTOSMART D7560
EPSON WORKFORCE 600
DELL 1230 C
DELL 1320 C
HP COLOR LASERJET CM2320 NF
HP PHOTOSMART C4680
Best: Printers that give you lots of ink or toner for a low price:
HP OFFICEJET PRO 8500
DELL 3130 CN
KONICA MINOLTA MAGICOLOR 4695 MF
DELL 3115 CN
3. Plain Paper or Bust
If your inkjet printer requires specially coated paper to produce the best-looking output, you'll end up shelling out a lot for paper over time. Most inkjets can print at least adequately on plain paper, but a few that we've tested recently still can't hack it.
EPSON WORKFORCE 40
DELL P703W
KODAK ESP9
KODAK ESP7
4. The Waiting Game
A slow printer steals your time. But as important as print speed is, you need to take any printer vendor's page-per-minute (ppm) speed claims with a grain of salt: Some vendors quote draft-mode speeds or use other contrivances to make their printers seem faster than they'll actually be in normal everyday use. Here are some particularly slow printers that we've tested recently:
EPSON WORKFORCE 40
DELL P703W
KODAK ESP 9
KODAK ESP 7
RICOH AFICI0 SP 232 SF
DELL 2145 CN
5. Cheapo Paper Trays
One way that some vendors reduce the cost of their cheapest printers is by providing skimpy (low-capacity) or flimsy paper trays. So you save a few bucks at the front end, but then for the life of the printer you have to waste time replacing paper constantly or fighting with a bent plastic extension that rattles annoyingly. Some designs even pile printed pages right on top of blank ones in the same tray. Among the cheesiest models we've seen recently are these suspects:
BROTHER HL-5370 DWT
HP PHOTOSMART C4680
EPSON WORKFORCE 600
XEROX PHASER 6128 MFP
RICOH AFICI0 SP 3300 DN
DELL 1230 C
XEROX PHASER 3250 DN
Well, when you guys go buy a printer, keep the above information in mind.
George
Whether through exorbitant ink prices or through flimsy construction, your printer may be robbing you of money or time. Here are five ways to tell whether you're being cheated.
Melissa Riofrio, PC World
Jul 29, 2009 11:00 pm :
Don't let that blank, boxy look fool you: Printers can steal your money and your time if you're not careful. Printer manufacturers have come up with a few creative ways to drain your wallet through ink and toner cartridge costs. Other printer models just make you waste precious minutes fooling around with complicated menu systems or stupidly designed hardware.
How do you spot a thieving printer? We've identified some of the leading suspects for each specific crime. But to determine whether your printer is pilfering from you, check its specs and our reviews for these warning signs.
1. If the Printer Is Cheap, the Ink or the Toner Isn't
Think you got a great deal on your printer? Think again. It’s a common ploy for printer vendors to sell machines at or below their production cost--and then make their money later on with extremely high ink or toner costs. How can you tell? Do the math: Take the cost of the cartridge and divide it by the page yield—the number of pages the manufacturer says the cartridge can print. (Note that most vendors base their page-yield numbers on industry-standard testing that is designed to represent real-world usage. However, the page yields you obtain may vary, depending on what you actually print.) Some vendors make their page yield information easy to find online (thank you, HP!), while others bury it (we're looking at you, Canon). The cost per page for the printer’s ink or toner does not reflect other printer costs, of course, such as those for an inkjet’s special paper or for a laser’s belts, drums, and other longer-life consumables.
We collected cartridges prices and vendor page yield information for a number of printers. From them, we determined that the following costs per page for black-and-white and four-color pages for inkjet and laser printers are about average.
Inkjet printers:
Plain black text: 4 cents to 5 cents per page
Simple four-color page: 12 cents to 14 cents per page
Monochrome laser/LED printers:
Plain black text: 1 cent to 2.5 cents per page
Color laser/LED printers:
Plain black text: 2 cents to 3 cents per page
Simple four-color page: 12 cents to 15 cents per page
If your printer’s costs fall at or below these averages, that’s good. But if its costs exceed these averages, you should consider looking for a different printer. A person who prints two dozen or fewer pages per week, mostly text with a little color, might tolerate a higher cost per page; but with so many good printers out there, why go with one that's going to soak you?
Here are some printers and multifunction printers (MFPs) we've tested recently that aren't as inexpensive as they look:
LEXMARK C543DN
CANON PIXMAR MX330
DELL 2130CN
EPSON WORKFORCE 40
LEXMARK X543 DN
HP PHOTO SMART C4680
2. Lower-Capacity Inks = Higher Cost Per Page
PC World's research has shown time and again that lower-capacity ink and toner cartridges cost you more in the long run. If you print relatively little, it may not matter much, since the high cost is spread over a longer period of time. But if you print a lot, look for ink cartridges with yields above 250 pages, or toner cartridges with yields above 2000 pages. Some printers offer high-yield consumables that can save you a lot more. Here are the worst and best models for cartridge capacity that we've reviewed recently.
Worst: Printers with standard-size cartridges that are low-capacity and pricey:
EPSON WORKFORCE 40
HP PHOTOSMART D7560
EPSON WORKFORCE 600
DELL 1230 C
DELL 1320 C
HP COLOR LASERJET CM2320 NF
HP PHOTOSMART C4680
Best: Printers that give you lots of ink or toner for a low price:
HP OFFICEJET PRO 8500
DELL 3130 CN
KONICA MINOLTA MAGICOLOR 4695 MF
DELL 3115 CN
3. Plain Paper or Bust
If your inkjet printer requires specially coated paper to produce the best-looking output, you'll end up shelling out a lot for paper over time. Most inkjets can print at least adequately on plain paper, but a few that we've tested recently still can't hack it.
EPSON WORKFORCE 40
DELL P703W
KODAK ESP9
KODAK ESP7
4. The Waiting Game
A slow printer steals your time. But as important as print speed is, you need to take any printer vendor's page-per-minute (ppm) speed claims with a grain of salt: Some vendors quote draft-mode speeds or use other contrivances to make their printers seem faster than they'll actually be in normal everyday use. Here are some particularly slow printers that we've tested recently:
EPSON WORKFORCE 40
DELL P703W
KODAK ESP 9
KODAK ESP 7
RICOH AFICI0 SP 232 SF
DELL 2145 CN
5. Cheapo Paper Trays
One way that some vendors reduce the cost of their cheapest printers is by providing skimpy (low-capacity) or flimsy paper trays. So you save a few bucks at the front end, but then for the life of the printer you have to waste time replacing paper constantly or fighting with a bent plastic extension that rattles annoyingly. Some designs even pile printed pages right on top of blank ones in the same tray. Among the cheesiest models we've seen recently are these suspects:
BROTHER HL-5370 DWT
HP PHOTOSMART C4680
EPSON WORKFORCE 600
XEROX PHASER 6128 MFP
RICOH AFICI0 SP 3300 DN
DELL 1230 C
XEROX PHASER 3250 DN
Well, when you guys go buy a printer, keep the above information in mind.
George
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