Got word yesterday from Insight Broadband, which services many computer users in the Louisville region, that home-based servers are not permitted on their network. Although Insight’s terms and conditions state it is a violation to use Insight-provided services to “run programs or servers from the Premises that provide network content or any other services to [...]

I’ve long seen the ads. Unfortunately, there’s much more to tuning PC performance than just buying a simple program and installing it. There is no magic solution. Slate confirms that fact, today. Cash For Speed: Programs That Offer To Boost Your Computer’s Performance Are Mostly Bogus reveals that most tune-up programs don’t really do much. [...]

Computer services quality varies. Widely. We’re learning not to be surprised. For example, yesterday we repaired a host of computer problems a client had already paid the local Best Buy technicians to fix, but they couldn’t do it (they purportedly blamed the issues on software firewalls and other problems). We solved all the issues. Sometimes these troubles arise [...]

Whenever the power fails–and Louisville seems to have been cursed the past four months with two separate widespread electrical grid failures each extending a week or longer for many utility customers–computer users should take several steps: 1. Unplug all computers, monitors and printers.2. Unplug all networking equipment, modems, CSUs/DSUs and routers.3. Unplug all battery backups [...]

Louisville computer clients frequently ask me the difference between antivirus and antispyware software. It’s a good question. Antivirus programs are designed to spot (and remove) viruses and other malicious programs that possess distinct signatures and behavior and typically seek to delete data or otherwise corrupt Windows systems. Sometimes viruses aim to turn a Windows system [...]

Louisville computer users frequently ask me about the differences between an imaged drive and a regular backup. It’s a great question, especially as there’s a very big difference between the two. With traditional disk backups, the files you create are typically backed up to another hard disk or tape. This means the Microsoft Word documents, [...]

One of the most common complaints I receive from Louisville computer users is Windows Vista’s consistent, repeated nagging question: A program needs your permission to continue. This menu appears as part of Windows Vista’s User Account Control (UAC) security feature, which is supposed to warn users whenever a program is attempting to install or make [...]

Don’t feel bad. Believe it or not, it’s a question many Windows Vista users ask. You can still uninstall programs in Vista. The process is just a little different than in Windows XP. To uninstall a program in Windows Vista, follow these steps: 1. Click Start. 2. Select Control Panel. 3. Double-click Programs and Features. [...]

Increasingly, we’re hearing from Louisville clients that they, too, are receiving CNN Alert spam e-mail messages. The e-mail messages themselves appear to be news alerts sent by CNN, but they are not. The attack is making headlines worldwide. In many cases, the e-mail messages carry a subject line that reads CNN Alerts: My Custom Alert. [...]

While disabling Automatic Updates isn’t a step I recommend, many clients ask how they can turn off this feature in Windows. In Windows XP: 1. Click Start.2. Select Control Panel.3. Double-click Automatic Updates. If the option doesn’t appear, ensure you’re in Classic View (select Switch To Classic View within the menu that should appear toward [...]