The Computer Dude

Microsoft Is Making Some Serious Money!

2010-05-28T17:06:00.003-04:00

Bill Gates and Microsoft are making some serious money!

This thought occurred to me when I was reading one of my older Microsoft manuals.

Microsoft provides a lot of helpful tools to help you with your computer problems. They provide direct assistance with a Microsoft Technical Engineer as well. They have a policy where if you still need answers to your technical questions they offer standard no-charge support for retail versions of their Microsoft products.

However if you are seeking help after hours then that is when they will start to charge you. If you require support after normal business hours then you have to purchase "Pay-Per-Incident Support. In the United States that is a fee of $35 per incident. In Canada the fee is $45 plus tax per incident. The support fees for calling their 800 number will be billed to your credit card. If you call their 900 phone number your calls will appear on your telephone bill.

If you have a problem that you think will take more than one phone call then you can purchase different accounts. For example for making 10 calls the cost is $295.

Now remember I said that this information was something that I found from one of my older Microsoft manuals. I don't know if this information still applies today. But I bet that when this manual came out people were using this service - the one(s) where they had to pay the fee - I bet that they were using it a lot!

This is yet another example of why Bill Gates is so rich!

What A Day!

2010-03-09T19:21:00.003-05:00

Talk about having an anxiety attack!

I went to turn on my computer and it wouldn't come on! 'Now what was the matter' I thought? I checked the computer! It was working fine the last time I used it which was last night. I pushed the power button and nothing! The power light wasn't coming on so I checked the plug connection. That seemed to be okay. The power light on the monitor was working but the terminal power light was not!

So now I'm having a panic attack! How was I going to be able to work on my computer if I couldn't even get my computer to work! All these thoughts started racing in my head! I work from home and that was going to be a hard thing to do if I couldn't even work on my computer!

So I'm checking plugs and connections and I still couldn't figure out what was wrong! I was afraid that I was going to have to get a computer repair person to take a look at my computer and I really didn't want to have to spend the money for that!

My computer wouldn't come on, I couldn't go online - even to check my Google Adsense earnings for the day!

If you are anything like me then you have computer plugs all over the place and as long as they work you really don't have to (and don't want to) mess with it. I mean if it's working why mess with it?

So I resign myself to the fact that my computer is going to be out of commission for a while and then I notice that the extension cord was out of its socket! Good Grief! That was what the problem was!

So now I'm all plugged in and good to go!

Whew!

Adobe Reader - A VERY Important Program!

2009-12-07T23:50:00.003-05:00

I just didn't realize how important the Adobe Reader program was to me until I found out that I couldn't access it anymore!

You see I was quite comfortable with my older version of the Adobe Acrobate Reader. But as I continued to be online there were some .pdf files that I wanted to download and a newer / more cuurent version of the Adobe Reader program was needed! But every the pop up window came on asking whether or not I wanted to update to the most current version of the Adobe Reader program I would always click on "No" because to tell you the truth I really didn't want to be bothered with another long download. My older version of the Adobe Reader was working just fine for me!

But somewhere down the line I must have gotten tired of that pop up message asking me whether or not I wanted to download the latest version of the Adobe Reader program and I checked "Yes". However the latest version of Adobe Reader is a rather large download file and somewhere during the time that I was online and downloading the Adobe Reader program I must have interrupted the download process on more than one occasion.

I say that now because I downloaded a tutorial that was in a .pdf format and of course I was going to use the adobe reader program to take a look at it. Well when I clicked on my Adobe Reader program icon - nothing happened!

Surely I thought that one of my older versions of the Adobe Reader program would kick in but it didn't.

Since the current version of the Adobe Reader program wasn't working for me I decided to un-install it. Unfortunately when I did that it seems that I didn't have any versions of the Adobe Reader program installed!

So now what I am doing is currently downloading the latest version of the Adobe Reader program and since the latest version of the Adobe Reader program is over 25 megabytes in size it is going to take me a little to download the entire program. (I'm downloading it now as I am typing this blog post).

Another reason why the Adobe Reader program is important to me is because I have some ebooks and reports that I have for sale and they are in the .pdf format as well!

So I didn't know exactly how badly I would miss this program until I wasn't able to access it anymore!

I know that there are some Adobe Reader - like programs out there but I would rather have the original Adobe Reader program. Even if I decide to try out some of the other programs that are similar to the Adobe Reader program, I would want to have the original Adobe Reader program.

Interested In Getting A Dell Studio 15 For Free?

2009-11-25T05:06:00.000-05:00

If you are interested in getting a Dell Studio 15 for free just click this link and fill in the required information. You are required to sign-up to join in order to be eligible to win the computer.

Slow Computer Night!

2009-09-10T21:19:00.003-04:00

Sometimes I just get so frustrated when my computer runs so slowly! I have had both phone dial up and DSL and I can tell you that there have been slow times on both!

Sometimes I just want to pull my hair out when my computer runs so slowly when I'm online! I wanted to check my Adsense account to see how much money I have earned today but the computer is running so slowly that I decided to just wait and look at my Adsense later.

I see that the Internet is feeling stressed and I can see why!

Of course I have had days when my computer ran so fast that I couldn't even keep up with it but today is not that kind of day!

Of course I'm taking a step back and have told myself to be grateful! I'm typing this blog post now which means my computer is running and working and all that.....its just one of those "slow" days for me and my computer.

Anzio?

2009-05-25T03:00:00.000-04:00

I have this program called "Anzio" that I downloaded some time ago! It was a free download and it also looked like a pretty interesting (and popular) program.

What the program does (as far as I know) is that it is some sort of telnet-related program. Telnet lets your computer talk to other computers.

I'm sure that I have used this program in the past - I just don't remember what I used it for?

Is Your Social Security Number Secure?

2009-04-10T03:35:00.000-04:00

Here is a little experiment that you may want to try. (I can't take credit for this because I saw it mentioned elsewhere online.)

Type your social security number into one of the popular search engines. If you get no matches - GOOD!

However if you do get some links then your social security number maybe being illegally used!

Computer Worm Expected To Act Up On April 1st!

2009-03-31T19:48:00.002-04:00

The Conficker computer worm is expected to "act up" on April 1st 2009! (April Fool's Day!)

Once this worm activates it will be able to trigger to send spam, spread more infections, clog networks with traffic, or try and bring down Web sites.

You can read more about this by clicking here.

Yahoo Briefcase To Close!

2009-03-11T16:10:00.001-04:00

Here is a copy of an email that I got:

Dear Yahoo! Briefcase user,

We will be officially closing Yahoo! Briefcase on March 30, 2009. Until then, we are offering you the opportunity to download your files back to your computer. You will need to take action before we close, after which any files remaining on Yahoo! Briefcase will be deleted and no longer accessible.

To access your Yahoo! Briefcase account, click the link below:

http://briefcase.yahoo.com/

If you are a Yahoo! Briefcase Premium subscriber, your current subscription will be canceled on March 30, 2009. We will refund the unused portion of your Premium subscription, if any. The refund will appear as a credit via the billing method we have on file for you. So please make sure that your billing information is correct and up-to-date. For more information, please visit https://billing.yahoo.com.

For additional information or to review a list of our frequently asked questions, click this link

We appreciate your being a Yahoo! Briefcase user.

Sincerely,

Yahoo! Customer Support

You can find out the reason(s) why Yahoo is closing their Yahoo Briefcase by clicking here but the main reason they are closing it is because the usage of it has gone down.

Thank Goodness For Computers!

2009-02-17T23:03:00.000-05:00

I was sending a fax around 5 o'clock this afternoon and I thought that it would be a good thing to blog about this simply because being able to fax something at 5 in the afternoon on a Sunday is something that I am grateful to be able to do!

First of all I can remember a time when I had to fax something to my mortgage company a few years ago - maybe it was longer than that! I didn't have access to a fax machine at home plus those little printing shops were no where near me so I looked in the yellow pages and found this place that sends faxes for people at quite a hefty fee! But I had no choice because that was my only option at the time!

But now I am able to send a fax any time of the day or not and if I'm feeling really creative I can "mess" around with the fax to edit it and make it look different in all sorts of ways!

I have quite a few fax programs on my computer. Of course I have the fax program that came with Windows and I also have a fax program called WinFax - which is a great fax program! I also found this site online where you can get a free phone number and people from anywhere in the world can leave you either a voice message or send you a fax using that phone number! I also found another great site online where you can send a fax anywhere in the United States for free! They also have a paid version but with the free version you are only allowed to send one fax per day and the fax that you do send will have their advertisement on it - small price to pay to be able to fax long distance without having to pay a long distance fee!

I also have a fax program that came with my Lexmark-All-In-One and this is the program that I used to send my most recent fax!

I'm also able to pay my bills online but that's another blog post for another time - LOL!

Sorry I Haven't Posted In A While!

2009-01-21T20:58:00.000-05:00

That doesn't mean that I haven't been online - just the opposite!

I go to one website and that leads me to another web site and that leads me to another website and on and on and on and on!

My harddrive is getting quite full with the number of things that I have downloaded - most of them were free downloads!

Oh if we could only harness this power into being able to make money while on the Internet! I have read that there are quite a few internet millionaires out there and I'm hoping to be one of them!

As you can see I have Adsense ads on this blog and it does bring in some money but I'm hoping for quite a bit more! I wanna be one of those Adsense Millionaires too!

Just in case you don't know what Adsense is it is a program that lets you earn money when visitors to your site click on the ads that appear on your site. You can find out more about this program by going to The Adsense Consultant's Blog.

Of course there seem to be other ways of being able to make money online but I want something that is legitimate!

In the meantime I am having blissful fun exploring what the Internet has to offer!

A Nine-Year-Old Has Passed Microsoft's Certified Professional Exam!

2008-12-27T23:28:00.002-05:00

If that don't beat all!

You can read more about this story by clicking here!

Personally I don't think one has to go through the enornous cost involved with being legitimately certified - but hey that is just me!

I Can Create A PDF File!

2008-11-10T21:00:00.000-05:00

Didn't even know this until I was messing around with Microsoft Word (I was looking for their resume template) and I saw the option to be able to turn a MicrosoftWord document into a .pdf file!

Of course I had to try it out and with the exception of a few formatting issues I was able to save the Microsoft Word document as a .pdf file! And I opened it up as a .pdf file just to make sure that I was able to do it!

This is great news for me because now I can make (and edit) my own .pdf files without having to buy the (very expensive) PDF Software!

Of course I'm dying to be able to open some of the .pdf files that I already so that I can edit and annotate them - so I may end up buying the PDF program anyway! - LOL!

The Kitchen Sink!

2008-10-19T11:29:00.002-04:00

I have been noticing for the past few days that I have been having problems getting in to my Google Adsense account and just being able to use the Google search engine.

It was quite annoying to say the least so when it happened again to me today I decided to find out more information about why this was happening.

First of all when I try to log-in to my Adsense account, I get this certificate warning kind of thing and the name on the certificate is kitchensinks!

Here is a screenshot:

I tried doing a search on them and so far haven't come up with anything but I have found some sites with people reporting that they are having the same problem - although a solution hasn't been found yet.

Here is the one relative link that I could find links:

Warning-New Hack!

10/26/08 Update!

I have been posting around to see what more information I can find.

11/12/08 Update!

For the past few weeks I haven't been having this problem as much. It has popped up on occasion but not nearly as much as it did before! I have been able to view my Adsense and I have also been able to use the Google search engine again! Can't say that I did anything in particular to solve this problem although I did get an interesting education about a computer's "host" file - which I edited (and also saved a backup copy of the original) and now my browser(s) are working much better now!

So There I Was, At My Computer......

2008-09-06T20:56:00.002-04:00

when the power went off!

We were right in the middle of hurricane hanah for my area - which is right near Philadelphia!

So there I was online with the computer and then everything went black!

The power outage lasted about 20 minutes and when everything came back on my computer monitor had the blue box that said it would shut off in 5 seconds!

Of course I panicked thinking something was wrong with my computer but it all ended well in the end.

I just shut my computer down for about 5 minutes and then re-booted it and now every thing is back to normal!

Are You Still Using A Dialup Modem For Your Internet Access?

2008-07-13T14:09:00.002-04:00

Then don't you feel bad because there are still a lot of people who are using a dialup modem for their internet access. Not everyone can afford the added expense of having a broadband internet connection.

Just think about it. If you have a dialup modem for your internet access that means that you are basically just paying for your phone bill and paying another bill for your internet service provider.

I was thinking about this when I read a blog post about AOL raising their fees!

Let's just face it - not everyone can afford to have a high speed internet connection!

OK, I Admit It - I'm Very Impatient As Far As My Computer Is Concerned!

2008-06-01T19:00:00.002-04:00

I was online but had something to do so I got offline and left my computer running. About a half an hour later when I came back to the computer the contents on the screen were enlarged!

I didn't want to re-start my computer because it takes it some time to warm up so I tried some other methods that didn't work.

I thought if I went to the control panel and changed the size of the type that that would work. Long story short I didn't want to mess up the settings that I already had so I didn't do anything in the control panel.

So I ended up re-starting the computer! Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr!

Here Is Something That Everyone Should Try!

2008-04-24T13:24:00.002-04:00

I got this idea from The Computer Brother.

Do a google search on your own name. Why? Because you may be surprised at what the search engine will turn up on your name! You could be finding websites that are posting about you, revealing things like your personal information.

I have done this myself and so far it seems that I am ok!

Audio And Video - Sorry!

2008-04-02T16:18:00.000-04:00

As much as it pains me to say not everybody has a high-speed internet connection. There are still a lot of people who are still using a dial-up modem as their internet connection. That means things like audio and video are slow to load - if they are able to load at all.

If you have these on your sites, please remember that not everyone is able to view them. It would be nice if everybody had a high-speed internet connection but everybody does not.

So if you do have these kinds of things on your site please place them so that they don't load right away. Give people the option of being able to click on a "play" button in case they do want to see or hear the video and/or audio that you may have on your site.

Problem Solved?

2008-03-30T10:44:00.003-04:00

I had an interesting problem with one of my files today.

You know how everybody always advises to have a backup copy of one's file? Of course I don't. Well I have some backup copies of some things but not all of them.

I had a file saved in the .wri format. It was a pretty big-sized file but I was working on it and then deleting the information on it as I worked on it so that the file size would be smaller. Well I opened that file today and besides the first few paragraphs there was a lot of "jargon" on it - just some box symbols that went all the way down the pages! So I thought for sure that all of that information was lost and that I would have to start over again from scratch.

For some reason I decided to open the file in another format - .wpd which is the Corel Wordperfect program. I can't believe that this actually worked but it did! I usually don't use the Wordperfect program because my needs have been met by the Windows Write program. But I'm glad that I have Wordperfect because now my file has been saved so that I can continue to work on it!

Nice (and happy) surprise!

You Find Out Something New Every Day!

2008-03-22T05:47:00.003-04:00

I can't believe that I am now just finding out that my computer keyboard has little "stands" on them. I just found this out a few minutes ago when I was typing on my keyboard and it seemed like the keyboard was even - so I turned it over and found these little stands on each side of the keyboard that I can use to prop up my keyboard on - which I am doing right now!

It's Time For A New Computer Mouse!

2008-03-14T21:18:00.003-04:00

I HATE when things go wrong! As as you can probably tell from this blog I will like hold on to things forever!

My computer mouse has been giving me some trouble for a while now. It's a computer mouse that is a trackball computer mouse and I have been told that they have come out with new and upgraded kinds of computer mouses - since I have had mine for ages!

Since it is a trackball computer mouse the trackball has been sticking for some time. I have had to take the computer mouse apart and clean the inside of it more than just a few times!

So its time to get a new computer mouse!

Ever Wonder What Happens When The Lights Go Out?

2008-03-08T21:05:00.002-05:00

So here I am at my computer on a very windy day and then it happens............the lights go out! Rather I should say the power goes out!

I'm sure that most people have had this happen to them while they were at the computer.

This just happened to me this afternoon! I was busy at my computer and it was a very good computer day because my internet access wasn't slow this time. The next thing I knew everything went dark - including my computer while I was online!

So I resign myself to the fact that I would have to wait for the power to come back on and as soon as I got up the power came back on again!

Of course I had to re-start my computer but I'm grateful because that is all I have had to do! I remember reading a story one time about some guys who left their computer on and there was a thunderstorm which knocked out their computer system entirely!

I Never Knew That Sending A Fax Could Be So Hard!

2008-02-27T22:11:00.002-05:00

I know that I have done it before with my Lexmark All-In-One because the activity log shows that I did and I rember about that fax. It was quite a few documents and they were all received successfully!

So this particular night I had some documents that I wanted to fax and I went about setting them up to be faxed. The problem with the fax number though was that it went through a tirade of messages and menus before a fax could be sent and my fax sending mode would beep and I guess that the fax got tired of waiting and the call would disconnect!

After trying again a few more times I came upon the idea of dialing the number myself and waiting for the faxing mode to kick in. The only problem with that was that when I pressed "send fax" the fax would dial the number while I had already dialed it!

Frustrated I got out the manual for the fax program and thought I could change the settings to when I wanted to send the fax. The only problem with that was that I didn't know how long it would take until the recipient's fax mode kicked in!

Then I thought that I would try another fax program. The only problem with that was that it didn't allow me to send multiple documents and it had the same problem as the other fax program in that I couldn't delay the time that the fax "kicked" in!

How did I solve this problem?

I simply looked for another fax number for the recipient that was only their fax number and I sent the fax THAT way! So far it looks as though it "took" but I'm going to call the place to check to make sure that they got the fax!

Can It Really Be THAT Easy To Guess Someone's Password?

2008-02-20T14:21:00.000-05:00

I was watching this movie on tv last night and to make a long story short the main character had to get into another person's computer so that he could stop a catastrophe from happening. Of course the clock was ticking and he had to get into the computer right away! But the computer had to have the password / code typed in to gain access to the computer and of course the main character didn't know what it was so he had to guess.

He tried a couple of times but it didn't work. Then he thought about what the person loves and then typed that in - that didn't work. Then he typed in what the person hated - and that worked!

Even though I kind of enjoyed watching the movie I thought to myself that it couldn't possibly be THAT easy to guess somebody's password!

Listening To The Radio

2008-02-16T13:03:00.002-05:00

Is this a lost art?

I am currently listening to one of my local community radio talk stations. While I'm also at the computer it can be a bit distracting but I am becoming very interested in this local radio station. To make a long story short the station that I used to listen to got their format changed and the staff was let go and this came as quite a surprise to me! Luckily I was able to find the current radio station that I am listening to now which is WURD - 900 AM.

I talked to one person who has told me that they don't even listen to the radio anymore which I kind of found shocking!

I have my favorite jazz station that I use for background music and of course I listen to my local news station and I have a few other radio stations that I listen to including my local PBS (Public) station. I have even started listening to my station on the Internet when my AM reception is bad.

I've Forgotten How!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

2008-02-13T15:54:00.004-05:00

Today I was going to make copies of one of my W-2's. I have a flat bed scanner along with a printer that are both connected to an A/B switch. But its been so long since I used it that when I tried to make copies from my scanner the scanner wasn't recognized!

I looked through my notes hoping to find some information that I saved about what to do when my scanner wasn't working properly. I'm sure its in there somewhere - I just can't find it - I think I'm trying to hard.

Another thing to complicate the issue is that the scanner has 3 ports - one goes from the scanner to the A/B switch. Another is from the scanner to..............NOWHERE! Now I can't remember whether or not it worked like this before - my mind is totally blank!

So my first thought is that the cable got loose when I was hooking up my new computer monitor so I went back to the back of my computer but I really couldn't find where to connect this cable.

The printer works fine when I switch the A/B switch - but not the scanner! (I even got out the manual to see if I could find some help!)

So I have come to the conclusion that I'm not going to let it drive me crazy for today!

I made the copies of my W-2 by using my All-In-One printer (which doesn't have any printer cartridges that are full - my ink is low)and scanning it and saving it and reducing the number of colors to get it to a more manageable size and then printing it out on the printer that is connected to the A/B switch!

Whew!

Of course I know the solutions here:

I do have to find out why that scanner isn't working - its a matter of principle!
I also have to get some new printer cartridges for my All-In-One

Of course I wanted to make copies using my own equipment as opposed to having to go get copies made (even though the copy store is such a short distance away - actually its within walking distance!).

Well I managed to do that - with some effort!

2/27/08 Update! - well I turned the computer on and I could hear the scanner warming up so I though that I would give it a try. It was working!

Microsoft Wants To Buy Yahoo!

2008-02-09T14:50:00.000-05:00

I wasn't going to blog about this because I figured that it was on the news so much that everyone probably already knew about it. But today that headline was staring me in the face so I decided to post a blog entry about it.

Just in case you haven't heard - Mircosoft wants to buy Yahoo for $44 Billion Dollars! First of all this online article says that Yahoo was never even up for sale - Microsoft made them an unsolicited offer!

Here is what is also kind of surprising is that (so far) Yahoo is not selling! The article says that while Yahoo's stock is going down they are still very popular and are still generating advertising revenue.

Just because someone offers you Billions doesn't necessarily mean that you have to take it! And that's what it seems Yahoo is doing. The article goes on to say that Microsoft could still be able to buy Yahoo by going to Yahoo's board of directors.

I have often read about and seen on television stories about big takeovers but in this case - so far - Yahoo is refusing to sell.

It Seems Like A Lot Of People Haven't Heard Of The Type Of Computer I Have

2008-01-25T20:19:00.000-05:00

I have a Pionex computer. (I don't even think the company is around anymore because I did a google search and couldn't find any information concerning the company. The only Pionex-related information that I could find was about a company named Pionex but they were a different kind of company and not a computer company.) I got it some years ago from QVC. I liked the computer because at the time the thing that sold me was the fact that this type of computer was used to test Microsoft's programs - that is what sold me!

Now its been a few years since I have had this computer and except for the fact that my computer monitor is only working sporadically the rest of my computer is holding up fine!

I have so much stuff on my harddrive - I really have to clean that up. I have a lot of programs and files that I have accumulated over the years.

Even when I do get a new computer I'm certainly not going to let this one go! I'm sure that there are a lot of people who still use their older computers even though they may have a newer one as well. I just can't part with mine!

From Flat Fee To Number Of Hours Used?

2008-01-17T16:11:00.000-05:00

source
Yahoo News

"Time Warner Cable Inc said on Wednesday it is planning a trial to bill high-speed Internet subscribers based on their amount of usage rather than a flat fee, the standard industry practice.

The second largest U.S. cable operator said it will test consumption-based billing with subscribers in Beaumont, Texas later this year as a part of a strategy to help reduce congestion of its network by a minority of consumers who pay the same monthly fee as light users.

The company believes the billing system will impact only heavy users, who account for around 5 percent of all customers but typically use more than half of the total network bandwidth, according to a company spokesman.

Personally I feel that as soon as you have a good thing going somebody comes along and ruins it! I remember when AOL switched to a flat rate and they got so inundated with people who wanted to sign up using the new flat rate that for a time AOL was bogged down.

Now comes news of an ISP provider that wants to bill according to usuage. I don't see this having a very good outcome. It just seems that they are wanting to try to charge more.

Call me "old-fashioned" but why would they want to mess with something that is working?

Of course the answer to that is that they want to try and get more money!

ITotalfind!??????????

2007-12-19T16:03:00.000-05:00

I don't know how this gets onto one's computer but it is very annoying!

What happens is that when you view a website with adsense ads on it you won't be able to see the adsense ads. Instead what you will see is ads by itotalfind!

There also seems to be a big problem when you try to get rid of this. Apparently it is a very hard thing to do! It's being classified as malware. According to Wikipedia, Malware is software designed to infiltrate or damage a computer system without the owner's informed consent. Here is a discussion board that is discussing the topic and possible ways to get ri of it. But so far nothing seems to be working. One person posted that they tried contacting the company but still nothing has been done. Another person said that they had to reinstall their windowings operating system just to get rid of it!

It could also have something to do with it being associated with some type of affiliate program and when people join the affiliate program they get it installed on their computer.

I've Got A Secret.....................................

2007-12-14T23:46:00.000-05:00

Every wonder how people get around having to pay Microsoft every time that they install Windows?

I was browsing around on the Internet and someone actually posted a way to do this.

If you would like a copy of this information then kindly submit a $20 payment via the Paypal button that appears on the side.

Anzio?

2007-12-03T14:52:00.000-05:00

I have this program called Anzio. It took me a while to figure out (or should I say remember) this program. It is a telnet program which allows you to communicate with another computer. If I remember correctly it was a free download but it took me a while to "get" to the program.

It is still being offered as a free download at: Anzio.com

The program is used to communicate with Bulletin Board Systems (BBS). I'm still deciding on whether or not I will used the program because with the Internet there's really no need to communicate whith a bulletin board system - unless I find a really good one!

I very rarely throw out anything and that includes programs that may be considered obsolete but I will hold on to this program just in case I find an interesting computer to communicate with........................

My Computer Monitor Isn't Working Too Good!

2007-11-23T04:06:00.000-05:00

Here is a picture that has a monitor that looks similar to mine. I hate to say that the monitor (as well as the whole computer system itself) is quite old - about maybe 10 years old!

I had a talk with The Computer Brother and told him about the problem that I was having with my computer monitor and he says that its time to get a new computer monitor! I'm going to have to agree with him because now the monitor works just sometimes - and I can't have that!

So now its time to get a replacement monitor!

How Long Does A Computer Monitor Last?

2007-11-20T21:13:00.000-05:00

I'm already having trouble with my CD drive and now comes a new problem with my computer monitor! I know its an older monitor model but I was hoping that it would last forever!

I'm having a problem with my computer monitor in that it is not coming on! The plugs and connections are securly in place and the lights on the computer monitor that are supposed to light up are lit up! But it is not coming on. Now I had the computer on for two days straight and it was working fine up until then. But when I got it out of "sleep" mode that is when the screen went blank. Now I have tried turning it on and off again but it only shows for a few seconds and then the computer screen goes blank! I'm hoping if I leave it off for a while (to let it "cool" down?) that it will come back on again and everything will be as it was.....

But I am curious as to how long a computer monitor can last. I still have the instruction manual for it and I have read it and the only thing that it mentions besides making sure that the plugs and connections are secure is to check and make sure that the monitor has proper ventilation.

So please keep your fingers crossed!

Sampo AlphaScan 511L Monitor Problem

When it's turned on, the light on my monitor blinks but the screen doesn't display anything. Why ....

When it's turned on, the light on my monitor blinks but the screen doesn't display anything. Why might this be happening, and how can I fix it?

Posted by Powe33 on Aug 08, 2005

View Solutions for this Problem on FixYa.com

A Laptop With A Floppy Drive?

2007-11-15T23:31:00.000-05:00

My brother and I were talking about laptops the other day and it occurred to my that while I would love to have a laptop I would love it even more if that laptop had a floppy disk drive.

I have a lot of backup files on floppy disk and it would be just so good if I could work on them using my laptop. I was watching one of QVC's shows where they were featuring Dell computers and one of them was a laptop but alas it didn't have a floppy disk drive.

The Computer Brother has mentioned about older laptops that have a floppy disk drive but I'm wondering if any of them are still around. You would probably have to know someone who knows where to get such an older laptop model.

Fortunately for me I know someone just like that - LOL!

Sometimes It Just Amazes Me!

2007-11-04T14:25:00.000-05:00

In case you didn't know this is the weekend that Daylight Savings Time ends. It is the time when we turn back our clocks one hour. It also stands out a little bit because beginning this year (2007) the government has changed the time when we turn our clocks.

I'm mentioning this because I noticed that my cellphone has already done the change. I just wonder how this is possible - especially this year when the date of changing the clocks has changed. I mean is there some way that my cellphone can be programmed by someone (or something) else? Was it already programmed into the cellphone to change the time at the time that the time was supposed to change? I guess I should just be happy that it changed all by itself without me having to do it but I still wonder how it was able to do that?

Meanwhile I still have a lot of clocks to change around the house.

"How Can I Delete My Yahoo Account?"

2007-10-26T19:57:00.000-04:00

Just in case you're wondering how you can delete your Yahoo account the first thing that you have to do is to sign onto Yahoo with your sign-in name and your password. After you have done that then go to:

https://edit.yahoo.com/config/delete_user
Why would anyone want to delete their Yahoo account? It could be for a number of reasons. When I first got online and found out about Yahoo I signed up for it. Then something would happen where I couldn't sign in or I forgot my password or something so I just registered for another Yahoo account. After awhile I had too many yahoo accounts and wanted to get rid of most of them.

As far as I can tell "How Can I Get Rid Of My Yahoo Account?" is a very popular question amongst people looking for how they can delete or cancel their Yahoo account.

Once you sign in to Yahoo finding out how to delete your account is hard - if not impossible - to find and the only reason why I got the link was that I was looking for it online.

So in case you are wondering how to delete your Yahoo account, just sign in to Yahoo as you normally would do and then click the link above which should take you to the Yahoo page where it will ask you if you want to delete your Yahoo account permanently.

Anybody Else Use Netscape As Their Browser?

2007-10-24T15:05:00.000-04:00

I was signing in to Yahoo and it said that my browser wasn't supported. Strange? I'm sure that I used netscape before when I went to Yahoo? Anyway it let me sign in using Netscape. They also give you the option of being able to download their "supported" browsers like IE6 and higher and Firefox.

I have heard a lot about Firefox but haven't downloaded it yet. I hate long downloads and I got burned one time with one download that messed up my computer no end so I am very hesitant when it comes to downloading something.

Of course I have Internet Explorer - 'cause it came with the computer. But I was having some trouble with it so I decided to download Netscape's browser because it gave me another browser option.

But for some reason Netscape's browser doesn't seem to be too popular?

AOL Credit Card

2007-10-22T20:43:00.000-04:00

Well now it seems that AOL is offering its members the chance to get an AOL VISA card. Here is an excerpt:

Get the Card that lets you choose your rewards. You'll earn 1 point for every $1 in eligible net purchases that you make with your AOL Rewards Visa.¹

Start redeeming with as few as 1,000 points. Plus no annual fee!
Cash-Back Checks - Get a $25, $50 or $100 check.
Airline Tickets or Hotel Stays - Claim a free round trip airline ticket on any major U.S. airline with no blackout dates.
Top Quality Merchandise - Redeem from top brand names, there is a lot to choose from!
Gift Cards/Certificates to popular merchants – including
free time on AOL!

This credit card also has its requirements:

See Pricing and Terms

*Valid for introductory period so long as you comply with the terms of your account. Also, we apply payments to introductory balances before balances with higher APRs. This means that the length of your introductory period may vary based on your payment amounts and the APRs for other balances on your account. Learn more about rates, fees, and other cost information by reviewing Pricing & Terms.

¹ One point will be earned for each dollar of net purchases. Awards are subject to program restrictions, including 21 day advance ticketing and Saturday night stay for air travel. A service fee of up to $25.00 will be charged for the use of Reward Headquarters services for redemption of air travel. Points are not earned on balance transfers, cash advances, any checks that access your account, overdraft protection advances, travelers checks, finance charges, or fees of any kind, including fees for products that protect or insure the balances of the cardmember’s account. Maximum point accumulation is 60,000 points annually on net purchases. The maximum cash reward redemption is $600 per calendar year. See Program Rules and Regulations which will be mailed after your first statement.

I should point that this is a legitimate AOL offer and not a spam or junk email.

Here is a link for more information about this AOL credit card and you can find out more about the terms of the card as well.

Ever Heard Of Paypal?

2007-10-18T14:25:00.000-04:00

I know that there are a lot of people that already know what paypal is but I have also come to find out that there are a lot of people that don't know what paypal is.

With Paypal you can accept credit card payments on your site. That way if you have a service or product to sell you can sign up for paypal and be able to accept payments by credit card!

Well I'm a paypal member and just recently someone sent in a payment to me. Since this was my first Paypal transaction I thought that it would show in my account immediately! But it does not.

Just in case you are curious about paypal and its process if someone sends you a payment via PayPal and you want that payment to go into your bank account then it will take (according to the Paypal site itself) 3 - 4 business days before it will show up in your bank account.

In order to be able to have a Paypal account you have to have a bank account and a credit card.

You also have the option of getting a Paypal debit card so that payments that you receive you will be able to spend right away!

I Love My Lexmark All-In-One Printer!

2007-10-16T10:08:00.000-04:00

I had to send a fax this morning and I can't tell you how good it felt to be able to send it right from my home! I remember a time a few years ago when I had to send something by fax and I had to drive to this place where they charged me around $20 to send a fax out of state!

I love my Lexmark All-In-One Printer! (and I'll love it even more when I get some more printer cartridges for it!)

November 3, 2007 - Of course finding replacement cartridges is proving to be quite frustrating! My closest Walmart and RiteAid didn't have them so now I guess the next place I try will be at the Radio Shack store that is at my local mall.

Innovage Digital Camera - Keychain Camera

2007-10-10T08:39:00.000-04:00

I got this little keychain digital camera while at my local Walmart. Of course you know the reason why I got this was because of the price!

Now when I first got it I decided to try it out and it doesn't work too badly if you don't mind your pictures coming out in less than "finest" quality. To make a long story short - it will do in a pinch. But there are some things that I have learned about it.

The batteries - since this camera is so small and the batteries that it uses are so small, the batteries run out quickly - not so much quickly but when I have used the camera and then set it aside for awhile and wanted to use it again I find that the batteries have run out. Now if you don't have any replacement batteries at the time this could put a "krimp" in your picture-taking plans.
Here is a link to a message forum that also discusses this small digital camera. It seems many people have it but they don't have the software that came with it or they are claiming that the software that they did have has been damaged. They are asking people to send them a copy of the digital camera's software.
this small digital camera is also supposed to be able to act as a webcam. So far I haven't been able to use it as such. I'll get a blurry picture for like 10 seconds and then I get this dotted kind of scene - so I'm guessing that the camera is not powerful enough to act as a webcam.
the camera itself can be attached via usb port

Lately I have been using my cellphone to take any digital pictures so I haven't used the keychain digital camera for a while. Maybe I'll give it a run-thru to see if it still works - after I get some batteries for it of course.

"AOL Connection Lost"

2007-10-09T07:38:00.000-04:00

"Your AOL Connection Has Been Lost....."

Well this is a very frustrating screen message that came on the last time I tried to sign in! My first thought was whether or not I had paid my AOL bill - which I had. Then my thoughts turned to other bills like my phone bill, the electric bill and so on.................

So I tried signing on again....and again.....and again! I still got the same message "Your AOL Connection Has Been Lost". Then I tried to use another dialing number and I got the same error message. Then I tried a third dialing number and - again - I got the same error message!

Then I went into a panic! What if I have lost my AOL connection forever? How could I ever possibly be able to work from home again? I would have to go out and get a "real" job - a job that I would hate for sure.....................

So I decide to do some "offline" work - with the above thoughts still lingering in my mind.........................

I finished the "offline" work and decided to re-start my computer (and go back to my original AOL dial-in number). I tried to sign on again!

IT WORKED!!!!!!!!

So here I am typing away on my blog.....

Is this obsessive of me?

If this happens to you here is a link to a site that will explain the steps that you should go through just in case you get the same AOL "error" message when you try to sign on.

Taking The Time To Enjoy My Computer More!

2007-10-03T22:22:00.000-04:00

I usually just rip and roar through my computer projects! "Get it done and get it done fast" were my mottos!

But I have come to realize that there are a lot of fun things on my computer and there are a lot of fun things that I can do with my computer!

For instance today I was going to print out some forms that I have to fill out and send in. Usually I just bring them up on screen and then print them out. But this time I did a little fooling around with my print settings and came to see that there are a lot of "cool" things that I can do with my printing settings. I can have specific settings that I want to print with and then be able to save those settings so that I can use them over and over again - something that I did this time!

I also had a little "fun" with the forms themselves - making them more "print friendly" so that I wouldn't use so much ink when I printed them out!

Of course there are lots of fun programs that I have on my computer that I haven't really played with yet because I have been too busy focusing on just the work that had to be done! What about the fun stuff too!

It's time to enjoy my computer just for the heck of it!

No more "All Work And No Play!"

It doesn't mean that I'm going to stop "working" with my computer but it does mean that I should be having more fun with my computer because there are so many fun things to do with it.

Annoying Little Popup

2007-09-29T22:28:00.002-04:00

I have this annoying little pop-up that shows up on the bottom of my screen everytime I log onto the internet.

It's for the Norton Ghost program. When I first got this computer I had access to it for free for a certain amount of time. After that time was over I decided that I didn't want the program just yet. So I thought that the annoying pop-up reminders would go away. No such luck!

Now I have to figure out a way to get the reminder to stop popping up without messing up the configuration of my computer!

12/31/08 Update!

Unfortunately I still haven't been able to figure out a solution to this annoying little pop-up!

I did some searching online - but still couldn't find anything!

February 2009 Update!

Yep! I'm still having this problem!

New "Widget" About The Latest Virus's

2007-09-28T00:22:00.000-04:00

I just added a new widget on the right side of my blog about the latest computer virus information - which would be good information for any computer user to know.

I have been infected with viruses a few times but thankfully they were rather mild viruses

Murphy's Law!

2007-09-18T17:41:00.000-04:00

Okay, I have 2 printers (actually 3 if you count my dot matrix printer). On this particular day I wanted to print something out (kind of fast, in-a-hurry kind of thing). Well I can't use my newer printer because my black ink is so low that it won't print anything. So I go to use my older Canon printer and find that the print results are kind of "spotty" only because it has been a while since I used that printer (because I had my newer printer that I used).

I read somewhere online that if you don't use your printer for a while then the ink in the printer cartridge tends to dry out - and I think that is what is happening with me right now.

So I have a choice here. Although I still have to get a new black cartridge for my newer computer I'm somewhat hesitant to replace my older computer's cartridge - firstly because I'm "cheap" enough to admit that I want to use the rest of that ink that is in the older cartridge! and I'm thinking that having 2 printers with my "last" replacement printer cartridge in them isn't such a good idea - meaning I don't want anything to go wrong with both of them at the same time.

Of course it would be much easier to just go out and buy some replacement cartridges but they don't always have them in stock so it would be a matter going to the store over and over again until you got lucky! (I remember the last time I went to buy a printer cartridge for one printer and they were out of it but they did have printer cartridges for my other printer so I bought a few of those).

I could also order them online but I'd really like to use that as a last resort!

So right now I'm kinda "stuck" as far as printer cartridges are concerned!

My Older Computer Equipment

2007-09-12T14:23:00.000-04:00

I'm taking the time to join some of the computer-related newsgroups.

Already I have seen a post from someone who is is asking that one of the older windows operating systems manual be sent to them. I hope that they mean by regular mail because I have a very old windows and DOS manual that is about half as thick as our yellow pages!

I wouldn't part with this old manual for the world! I may never need it again but I just cannot part with it!

I also think that I still have the manual for my old Tandy computer as well as the original operating disk for that computer system.

I still have my old dot-matrix printer too and it is still hooked up to my computer although I haven't used it in a while. This older computer printer still takes the computer paper that has the holes on the side that you have to thread onto the printer. I still have some paper for it but when I run out of the print cartridge for this I'm sure that its not going to be easy to find a replacement for it.

A (Very) Slow Internet Day!

2007-09-08T21:50:00.000-04:00

Ever have one of those days when your internet access is so slow! I'm having one of those days now!

My internet access is so slow today and I just get antsy waiting for it to work and waiting for it to work faster!

Oh how I long for the pleasure of having a high speed internet access!

Maybe that day will come soon!

In the meantime I am just taking it slow - 'cause I really have no choice!

Moving Things Around!

2007-09-01T07:42:00.000-04:00

I don't know about you but when I have to "do" something to my computer like move it around or clean it it is going to involve much more than just cleaning my computer! My computer area is surrounded by wires and cords and plugs and dust! Even if I were able to just let my computer stay where it is and let the dust collect I know that there will be times when I will have to do something with my computer area. For instance today the computer desk area that my computer sits on had to be re-inforced which meant that I had to take everything off to re-inforce it. I have come to find out that when I add things like a usb plug from my digital camera to my computer the plugs wrap around other plugs and other cords and hopefully you get the picture! Of course the impatient person that I am, I just wanted to re-inforce it and get back to work! But it was not going to be that easy!

First of all I resigned myself to the fact that I should turn the computer off before I started moving things around. I didn't like it but I know that it is better to be safe than sorry! So I turned off the computer, took everything off the top including the computer keyboard, the monitor (man this monitor is heavy), the speakers and the terminal! I reinforced the top and put everything back on top. (It also gave me the opportunity to see how dusty my monitor was!).

So now I'm back to where I was although my computer area is still quite cluttered and I still didn't unwind all of the inter-winded cords and stuff!

My computer area definitely needs an overhault!

But not right now!

Am I A Computer Addict? - Actually I think I Am!

2007-08-15T00:18:00.000-04:00

Am I A Computer Addict?

Actually I think that I am very much addicted to my computer! I saw a post from someone that was promoting his website and I'm assuming that his website is about computer addiction and whether one is a computer addict or not.

Actually I think that I am quite addicted to my computer. I mean it helps some that my computer IS my work so a little bit of computer addiction could be quite understandable!

There have been times when I have started logging into my computer during the afternoon and the next thing I know night has come and gone and the day is starting to dawn!

There have been times when I have come across a computer problem so difficult and frustrating that I will continue to work on it until I get it solved - which happens half of the time.

There have been times when I have been working at the computer and my stomach starts to growl and yet and still I still stay at the computer and continue working.

Now I know I'm not 100% addicted to my computer because I know that there are other things that have to be done.

I mean I do got out - usually because I have to go shopping or something like that and there have been a few times when I have let a day go by without being at my computer at all! But I usually am NOT away from my computer more that 24 hours!

So while I may not be addicted addicted - I sure am close to it!

Here's a test I found online

You Are 27% Addicted to the Internet

Internet? Please. You're definitely not geeky enough to be that addicted.

You have a full life off your computer - and the internet is just a small pastime.

Are You Addicted to the Internet?

Need To Access Another's Computer Far, Far Away?

2007-08-06T17:29:00.000-04:00

If you're someone that works on computers you probably have clients that are located far from you and it will require a lot of time on your part to go back and forth to help service your clients' computers.

Have you ever thought of being able to work on another's computer by a remote access? There are a number of programs that can help you do this. Basically the principle is the same. What you do is create an EXE-file (server), send it to the person in need who opens it, so you can take over with a viewer.

Here are just a few programs that can help you with this:

Hidden Administrator is a simple to use remote PC administrationprogram. Control the desktop of a remote computer, send messages,shutdown and restart remote PC, perform administrative tasks, more.
Try LogMeIn Free. It works well but has to be installed on both computers. This program also allows your client to see what you will be doing to his computer by remote.
You can try Hamachi, and then you can remote desktop into another computer if it is running XP Pro.
A more advanced program that you can try is Single Click UltraVNC.
You can also try PCHelpware which some think is easier to set up and install.

Sometimes You Just Want To Scream!

2007-07-17T15:55:00.000-04:00

Have you ever had times when your computer wasn't working right? It's not so much that you can blame the computer because its only a machine with a lot of components and connections but just the same you just want to throw up your arms and say "Arghhhhhhhhhhhhhhh"

Such was an episode for me today. I had to restart my computer right in the middle of me being online. Something was wrong with my Internet Explorer browser. Every time I tried deleting IE a new IE window would show up. So the only thing that I could think of was to just re-start my computer. So far it has worked! I'm back online again!

Please do not buy a cheap computer!

2007-07-16T20:28:00.000-04:00

Cheap laptops

cheap computers

cheap notebooks

PLEASE don't buy cheap computers! Don't buy cheap laptops! I know that maybe you feel the urge so bad to buy a computer on the cheap that you might do it but please don't because you will be sorry!

This especially applies to used computers and used laptops. You don't know what's already on the harddrives and once you get it home and start messing with it you might find problems with it and you won't be able to take it back or you won't have a warranty for it!

You can get a good computer or laptop for under $1000. Sometimes there will even be a sale and you will see them advertised for less than that. To some it may seem like a lot of money but believe me you will be spending more money if you have to go back and forth trying to get help for your computer.

My First Computer?

2007-07-13T18:26:00.001-04:00

courtesy of The Adsense Consultant

The first computer that I ever had was a Tandy (remember that name) that I got from Radio Shack for Christmas many, many moons ago! I would still have it today but I gave it to a friend of my mother's who was interested in computers but didn't know too much about them.

He bought a computer for $25 which I wouldn't do because I don't think that you can get a good computer - even if its used for just $25!

I think that I am now on my 3rd computer. I would love to have a laptop though - I'm working on that one!

Computers have come a loooong way since I have had my Tandy but you know one of the most interesting things is that myTandy used floppy disks which I'm glad to say my current computer uses also. I mean its nice to have the latest stuff but I still want to be able to use my old stuff too.

XBox Troubles

2007-07-05T19:54:00.000-04:00

According to the article the XBox has needed a lot of repairs and Microsoft has spent a lot of money repairing them! Microsoft is also going to offer an extended warranty on its XBoxes.

Because of multiple complaints by consumers Microsoft "looked into" the matter and found a number of hardware problems.

Microsoft's stock decreased during the last period but it was not sure if the problems with the XBox were the cause.

Have You Seen The New IPhones Yet?

2007-06-24T05:59:00.000-04:00

They are sweet aren't they? And of course I want one but at $600 that's a lot of money to spend on an IPhone! I still want one though! I love all types of computer gadgets! And there are a LOT of computer gadgets to be had!

I saw the news where people had lined up along the sidewalk just waiting to be the first ones to purchase the new IPhones. I, myself probably wouldn't go to those extremes but I can understand how some of those people felt!

Of Course Not Everyone Has A Computer

2007-06-22T22:45:00.000-04:00

If you or someone you know doesn't have a computer don't worry! All hope is not lost!

Nowadays you can get a good computer for under $1000. And the same thing is true for laptops too! Back a few years ago you couldn't even get a good laptop computer for less than $1500 but now they have come down in price. Not only that but the newer computers today are more powerful and have a lot more stuff on them. They have DVD-Rewritable disks and everything!

You can even get a good used computer HOWEVER make sure you know what you are getting yourself into when you're going to buy a used computer. It is just my opinion but don't buy a used computer that you haven't seen before. If you are going to buy a used computer SEE IT FIRST! Check it out! Find out what it can and can't do! Ask questions and find out more about it.

The Computer Dude!

2007-06-21T22:11:00.000-04:00

Welcome to The Computer Brother's new blog! The Computer Brother has been working on computers ever since DOS was the standard operating system that was used. You can ask your computer related questions here and they will be answered to the best of The Computer Brother's ability!

The Computer Dude

Microsoft Is Making Some Serious Money!

What A Day!

Adobe Reader - A VERY Important Program!

Interested In Getting A Dell Studio 15 For Free?

Slow Computer Night!

Anzio?

Is Your Social Security Number Secure?

Computer Worm Expected To Act Up On April 1st!

Yahoo Briefcase To Close!

Thank Goodness For Computers!

Sorry I Haven't Posted In A While!

A Nine-Year-Old Has Passed Microsoft's Certified Professional Exam!

I Can Create A PDF File!

The Kitchen Sink!

So There I Was, At My Computer......

Are You Still Using A Dialup Modem For Your Internet Access?

OK, I Admit It - I'm Very Impatient As Far As My Computer Is Concerned!

Here Is Something That Everyone Should Try!

Audio And Video - Sorry!

Problem Solved?

You Find Out Something New Every Day!

It's Time For A New Computer Mouse!

Ever Wonder What Happens When The Lights Go Out?

I Never Knew That Sending A Fax Could Be So Hard!

Can It Really Be THAT Easy To Guess Someone's Password?

Listening To The Radio

I've Forgotten How!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Microsoft Wants To Buy Yahoo!

It Seems Like A Lot Of People Haven't Heard Of The Type Of Computer I Have

From Flat Fee To Number Of Hours Used?

ITotalfind!??????????

I've Got A Secret.....................................

Anzio?

My Computer Monitor Isn't Working Too Good!

How Long Does A Computer Monitor Last?

Sampo AlphaScan 511L Monitor Problem

When it's turned on, the light on my monitor blinks but the screen doesn't display anything. Why ....

Other Sampo AlphaScan 511L Monitor Problems:

View Solutions for this Problem on FixYa.com

A Laptop With A Floppy Drive?

Sometimes It Just Amazes Me!

"How Can I Delete My Yahoo Account?"

Anybody Else Use Netscape As Their Browser?

AOL Credit Card

Ever Heard Of Paypal?

I Love My Lexmark All-In-One Printer!

Innovage Digital Camera - Keychain Camera

"AOL Connection Lost"

Taking The Time To Enjoy My Computer More!

Annoying Little Popup

New "Widget" About The Latest Virus's

Murphy's Law!

My Older Computer Equipment

A (Very) Slow Internet Day!

Moving Things Around!

Am I A Computer Addict? - Actually I think I Am!

Am I A Computer Addict?

Need To Access Another's Computer Far, Far Away?

Sometimes You Just Want To Scream!

Please do not buy a cheap computer!

My First Computer?

XBox Troubles

Have You Seen The New IPhones Yet?

Of Course Not Everyone Has A Computer

The Computer Dude!