Too much power can be a waste
You’ve probably heard of the term ‘You get what you pay for’, but paying more doesn’t necessarily get the results you want either. Let's take phone chargers for example… There are two components to charging a phone – the cable that connects into your phone and the charging adapter you plug into the wall socket. The new EU ruling for all computers, phones and tablets is now the USB-C type cable, and this is the fastest type of cable to use for charging. But the most important component is the wattage of the charging adapter itself. A 5-watt charger for example, will take twice as long to charge compared to Read More
When meetings get difficult
If you're a regular user of Microsoft Outlook, you'll be accustomed to the ongoing Microsoft updates that get pushed down to your computer. These updates are designed to improve the users’ experience and make it safer with the regular security updates. But, as I recently discovered, updates can sometimes be anything but helpful… I use the Outlook calendar daily, and regularly copy and paste recurring appointments when creating new entries. But, for whatever reason, Microsoft have disabled this feature within Outlook, and got the following dialog box instead. But after some digging around, I've managed to find a fix… So if you have a need to copy recurring calendar entries Read More
How much is there left?
When you're out driving, and the fuel or battery level on your car is running incredibly low, do you ever wonder how much further you can actually go? Because, I remember watching an old episode of Top Gear (the proper one!), when Jeremy Clarkson drove from London to Scotland and back on one tank of Diesel. And even though the tank said he was out of fuel, he still managed to keep on going to the finish line. There was obviously a buffer set on that particular car, and maybe they still do today, but I'm not prepared to test that theory, especially if I'm on the M25, or the Read More
He’s not my boyfriend anymore!
If you’ve listened to the news recently, or anytime for that matter, you probably wouldn’t have a heard a great deal of good news. There are plenty of uplifting and great things happening in the world, but unfortunately, it doesn’t grab people’s attention, and the news corporations and media, prefer that you focus on the alternative, which is – “if it bleeds, it leads.” My daily intake of what's happening, is through listening to Heart radio in the morning, as I do the little one’s breakfasts, and I haven't bought a newspaper for probably fifteen years. I take the view, that if anything important is happening in the world, I'll Read More
The Waze Way
Ten minutes at least. That’s how much time I saved driving to a client last week. If I'd gone and relied on my own instinct, and taken the route I thought was quickest, I would’ve got caught up in a very long tail back. But for a long time now, I've learnt to listen and obey whatever Sandra says, because I've paid the price in the past by disagreeing with her by taking an alternative route. Sandra’s the voice I use on Waze. It's a Sat Nav app on the Smartphone that saves me time and stress wherever I go. I highly recommend it, if you like the idea of Read More
Are you going to tune in?
Do you have reminders of things you need to do, or written inspirational quotes on a sticky note on your screen or desk? Maybe you’ve pinned things on your wall. Be it reminders or photos of loved ones. But no matter how powerful or important the quote or person is to you, overtime, they’ll just become part of the wallpaper or furniture, and you won't even notice them. And this will more than likely apply to something that’s been staring at you these last few weeks… if you’ve been using Google Chrome or Brave to browse the internet that is… In case you haven't noticed already, both of these apps Read More
Will You Be Queuing?
At this time of year, the kids have gone back to school, and it's the start of the usual early traditions… New cars will be launched, and a plethora of newer electrical items, in the hope that people will add them to their Christmas list. And this month, Apple are sticking to their September tradition by launching newer versions of their products. There's no big surprises, but it still won't stop people from queuing round the block for the latest iPhone or one of their other gadgets. If you decide to upgrade to the latest iPhone 15, one thing you'll have to ditch is your old iPhone charger. And that’s Read More
If You Have This Phone, Turn It Off Now!
Not that long ago, it was quite common to hear of fraudsters rummaging through people’s bins, in the hope of grabbing paperwork they’d find useful for their unscrupulous activities. But, with the rise in identity theft, people have recognised how damaging this is, which is why you’ll find a shredder in most homes and businesses. And to play it safe, I’d definitely recommend a cross-cut type shredder. And with all of us taking these extra precautions to keep our identity and other personal information safe, fraudsters are using alternative tactics to access your information. And this information is in the palm of your hand. Do you use a banking app Read More
How To Save Time With Google…
It goes without saying, that a good, well-thought-out question, will determine the quality of the answer. But last week, an answer took me by surprise… I went to collect some new IT equipment from the Currys store in New Malden and needed a comfort break before collecting my stuff. So I popped into B&Q just down the road, and asked the assistant – ‘Can you tell me where the Gents are please?’ A fair and clear enough request, I thought. Her reply – ‘Why, you want to use them?’ I was stumped at this point. I was thinking, what other purpose would I request directions for the loo?! So with Read More
The Heat is On
The weather for us Brits, has always been a topic of conversation. It certainly was in my childhood, and for good reason… I was brought up on a farm, so it was crucial to be able to plan ahead for the sowing and harvesting. And when it comes to technology, there's only one setting they prefer, and that is - as cool as possible please. 🆒 When the temperature reaches 30 degrees, your technology certainly won't like it. But even in temperatures that’s well below 30’s, if it's left in direct sunlight, they’ll simply shut down to avoid any physical damage. Last week, my phone disabled itself as I left Read More
Do You Think This is a Scam?
If you got an email from me, and the from address was xyzinvestments.org instead of the usual hefin@pcresq.co.uk, would your immediate reaction be that the email was fake? If your answer is yes, you would be correct. 👍 And you should apply this thinking to all emails you receive. Just because an email looks genuine, it doesn’t make it so. The usual suspects of fake emails looking genuine, tend to be from BT and McAfee. So if you get an email from BT, claiming that your account will close down today, or that your password is about to expire, and the senders email address is anything but no-reply@bt.com or something Read More
ChatGPT
When I was around ten years old, I was given an assignment for my school homework, which involved writing about the Flight of the Condor, to be shown on TV that very evening. I thought this was incredibly inconsiderate of Miss Thomas, with it being the summer season. Because on the farm at that time of year, it was hay-making time, the sun was shining, and the draw to be on the tractor with my Dad, was far more enticing than watching a documentary about a bird in South America. So I did what any normal 10-year-old would do in that position, and got my Mum to watch the program Read More
Fancy a Deal
I think it's safe to say that everyone likes a good deal. That’s why most of us use websites like moneysupermarket.com and comparethemarket.com when a renewal’s due on your car or home insurance for example. And for holidays, you have lastminute.com and other similar websites. But there's one trick that you might not be aware of when it comes to booking holidays… A VPN is advertised as a way of providing a higher level of security on the web. But it's most commonly used to access Netflix, Amazon Prime and BBC iPlayer when we’re overseas, as we can trick these apps into thinking we’re still in the UK. But it Read More
National Clean Out Your Computer Day
Today is National Cheddar Day 🧀 But it's also… Kiss Day, 💋 National Football Hangover Day, 🍷 International Natural Day, Galentine’s Day, National Apology Day, 🙇 International Condom Day World Radio Day, 📻 Get a Different Name Day, National Clean Out Your Computer Day, 🖥️ National Tortellini Day, Employee Legal Awareness Day, And Madly in Love with Me Day. 💘 Seriously, I haven't made these up. But out of all of them, there's only one obvious day that I can really give advice on. And you'll be pleased to hear that it's not International Condom Day! 😄 It has to be National Clean Out Your Computer Day. And this refers Read More
The Devices You Should NOT Switch Off
With the sharp rise in fuel and energy costs, a lot of us have been feeling the pinch over recent months. After seeing our recent energy bill, I've quickly become more conscious about leaving lights on unnecessarily, and have since modified the heat settings, so that we’re using less energy in the daytime. The slogan every little helps by the well-known retailer is very apt, and there's no harm in switching off devices that we tend to leave on standby. Or is there… Most of us don’t give a moment’s thought about leaving the TV, printer, and satellite box on standby overnight. But what are the average costs, and which Read More
Change Before It’s Too Late
As I've mentioned before, choosing the wrong type of email address can be a right pain in the backside. To give you a few examples, opting to have an email address ending with any of the following, would be a very bad idea… @sky.com @talktalk.net @btinternet.com @virginmedia.com Why is that you may ask? Well, if you happen to have one of these, and you decided to move away from them to another Internet Service Provider (ISP), over time, you'd lose access to the email address. This can cause a great deal of stress, as you'll need to notify all your contacts of the change. And some of your friends and Read More
Steroids For Your PC or Mac
Do you fancy changing your high-speed broadband for the slower dial-up internet access? Doesn’t sound like a good deal does it! Why would you; it makes no sense to replace something quick with outdated technology that’s significantly slower. And the same can be said for Solid State Drives (SSD) and traditional Hard Disk Drives (HDD). The difference here is that a lot of people are still unaware of what and how an SSD can significantly improve the performance of a PC or Mac. A HDD is the component inside most computers that stores the PC or Mac Operating System, the programs and data. HDD’s have been around for years, but Read More
WhatsApp Safety for Children
If something’s too good to be true, it's probably a scam. And with the news, sometimes, it's hard to distinguish what's fake and what's real. In an ideal world, bullying is something that shouldn’t happen, but this is very common for many children during their school days, and sadly, for some, it also happens at the workplace. If you're a parent or grandparent, your children or grandchildren will in no doubt be confronted with some or all of the above at some stage, if they have access to a certain app on their Smartphone… The app I'm referring to is WhatsApp. This is a very popular messaging and media sharing Read More
Choosing a Safe Password
On a regular basis, I get calls from customers who’ve had their email account hacked. And in order to fix the problem, the first thing to do, is to reset their email account password. Thinking of a new password though, is something that can bring people out in a cold sweat. But the one thing you should never do, is set up an easy to guess password, as it'll come back to bite you on the bum in no time. Everyone knows the importance of having secure passwords, but for whatever reason, this has fallen on deaf years for a lot of people. In a recent survey, the most popular Read More
15 Apps Parents Should Know About
The majority of us have habits that don’t serve us either mentally or physically… Some people smoke. Others might drink more than the recommended amount. Overeating. Not enough sleep. Too much endless scrolling on social media. Addiction to Netflix. And then, there's the 15 apps… If you're a parent, and have kids actively using a Smartphone or tablet, this should be a very important read for you. I'm sharing this, because in my view, they're not the healthiest of apps to use, but the reality is, most kids will be using one or more of these apps. So, I think it's essential that you know what these apps do, and Read More
Continue at Your Own Risk
If you had a dodgy lock on your front door, you'd probably get it fixed rather sharpish. Or if someone you didn’t trust, found out the password to your computer, or the PIN to your phone, I'm guessing you'd change the password or PIN pretty quickly. And before Jan 10th 2023, you'll definitely want to make this change, if your PC still has the Windows 8.1 Operating System on it. And I don't mean Windows 8, as this has already been discontinued as a supported product. This is specifically about Windows 8.1. All Operating Systems have a shelf-life, where there comes a point when it's no longer safe to use. Read More
70 Years of Service
My aim each week, is to share something I've experienced in my life or work, and to pass on any knowledge learnt, in order to help you. But with the recent passing of Queen Elizabeth II, I just want to say the following… Very often, it's only when a person passes away, you reflect on the impact they’ve had on the world. And this is very much the case with the Queen. During the last few days, it’s really hit home for me, the magnitude of the contribution and service she’s made and sacrificed during her 70-year reign as the Queen. Like any other family, we all have our ups Read More
Size does matter
I've been on the hunt for a new laptop for quite some time now, and I've narrowed it down to one model. And that’s because this laptop is the right size for what I do, or to be more precise, the screen size ratio. Because for years now, the standard screen size ratio has been 16:9 or 16:10. This is the aspect ratio of the display, not the size of the screen. So a laptop with a ratio of 16:9 or 16:10, could have a screen size of 13”, 14”, 15” or 17”. But the screen aspect ratio is just as important as the screen size, and the one to Read More
Dumping it would be madness
For whatever reason, my big toe was giving me gyp last Saturday morning, so with my run and walk out of the question, I did something a bit more sedate… I grabbed the redundant IT equipment that had piled up over time in the garage and took it to the local recycling centre. Not that exciting, but it had to be done. Before setting off though, I had to make sure that everything was safe to disposed of. And this is something you should most definitely be doing, before selling or disposing of your IT hardware. Imagine you treated yourself to a new laptop, desktop or Smartphone, and you took Read More
Cause and effect
If you had a nasty cough, it doesn’t necessarily mean you have COVID-19. Or, if you had a sharp pain in your leg, the cause could well be a knock-on effect from a persistent back issue. Or, if your internet speed is very slow from your computer or mobile device, it doesn’t mean that your internet is slow. Let me explain… With all the above examples, the reason might not be that clear-cut, but after seeking a professional opinion, the cause of the effect, could very well be something entirely different. So, with an internet connection, there's always two things at play; the internet feed that comes into your property, Read More
It’s never the one thing
As you may or may not know, I do enjoy my running, but that's been put on hold for quite some time; around three months to be precise. Being tall and having a sedentary job isn't the ideal combination for a healthy back. And I was told back in February that I needed to lay off the early morning runs for two to three months. Not the news I wanted to hear, but the results of the MRI scan left me with no option. Roll on to today, and I've started my runs again. But it hasn't been just one thing that's got me back to this point… As advised Read More
Spending less comes at a cost
A common error I see in peoples buying habits, is purchasing a piece of kit that’s ‘OK for now.’ It might save them a few pounds today, but long term, it'll cost them a lot more. Imagine you buy yourself a nice-looking laptop, that comes with 120GB of storage, because you think this will be more than enough, as you just need it for basic internet and email access. What you'll find though, is that 120GB will get used up very quickly, even if you only use it to store a few pictures and documents. And that’s because your Mac or Windows system is constantly downloading updates and taking up Read More
A saving of £1,016!
If you drive, what would you choose to power your next vehicle? Petrol, diesel, hybrid, or battery? Would you pick a Smartphone with 64GB of storage, or 512GB that costs an extra £200? A £15 toaster that lasts three years, or a £99 model that comes with a lifetime guarantee? An inkjet printer costing £1,343 over ten years, or an Ink Tank printer costing £327 over the same period? We all have decisions to make when buying. And depending on the item and your personal taste and situation, more often than not, it comes down to a combination of reliability, quality, trust, cost, likeability, durability, how it impacts the environment, Read More
Are you in the dark?
Browsing the web can be a dangerous place to visit, if it's not used sensibly. There are so many unscrupulous websites waiting to grab your attention, and ultimately, your personal details. It's a bit like walking down a well-lit high street, versus taking the shortcut down a back alley, which could potentially lead you into trouble. So sticking to the mainstream and secure websites, is a good rule to abide by. But no matter how careful you are, your details could end up in one of the darker alleys, or to be more precise, the Dark Web. The Dark Web is used by criminals to carry out illegal activities online, Read More
Why do I bother?
Aoccdrnig to rscheearch at Cmabrigde Uinervtisy, it deosn’t mttaer in waht oredr the ltteers in a wrod are, the olny iprmoetnt tihng is taht the frist and lsat ltteer is at the rghit pclae. The rset can be a toatl mses and you can sitll raed it wouthit a porbelm. Tihs is bcuseae the huamn mnid deos not raed ervey lteter by istlef, but the wrod as a wlohe. I'm guessing you managed to decipher my ramblings without pausing. This word-scrambling phenomenon is known as typoglycemia; playing mischievously with typo and glycemia, the condition of having low blood sugar. Typoglycemia is the ability to read a paragraph like the one Read More
Just get to the point
With so much information available on the web, sometimes it can be a bit overwhelming when you have to scroll through endless number of pages, just to get to the point. Well, Google has a nifty little feature in their Chrome browser to get round this issue, when you email someone a link to a website. As an example, let's say you emailed me a query asking when the iPhone 14 is due for release. I could email you a link and instruct you to scroll down to a particular section on the page, but this can easily be missed if the web page content is quite lengthy. PLEASE NOTE: Read More
Spend with caution
Even though Black Friday deals have been doing the rounds for weeks now, tomorrow is the official day, and there will be some good deals to be had (if you really need the item that is), but there will also be some very bad ones… Action Fraud, the national reporting centre for fraud and cyber-crime, said that scam online shopping "bargains", cost shoppers £15.4m during the Christmas period last year, with each victim losing an average of £538. So if you're on the lookout for a bargain, here's what you should look out for, BEFORE you click on the buy button. 1) Stick to well-known online retailers. 2) Don’t be Read More
Replace, not accumulate
So you go and buy yourself a new watch, A new dress, A new phone, or whatever it may be. All of us buy new or replacement items for very different reasons… It could be about rewarding yourself for the hard work you've achieved. Fancy a change from the old. Keep up with the Joneses and impress others, or believing that by getting the thing, it'll improve our lives. Personally, I've never been a big material spender, and try to focus on less is more, and so when I do buy something new, it's to replace the old, and not to accumulate. Because in all reality, a new watch will Read More
A complete and utter lie
If the car manufacturers announced that as of January 2022, you'd be forced to use their own brand of fuel… Or your toaster gives you a warning, if you didn’t put in the manufactures own type of bread… you'd quite rightly think that the world’s gone mad. But this has been going on for years with printer manufacturers, and the majority of consumers are quite happy to along with it. In a recent survey by Which? more than 77% of people surveyed, said that they’ve stuck with the manufacturers own brand of ink when replacing the cartridges. The big four companies (Brother, HP, Epson & Canon) will try and scare Read More
Did you get smished over the weekend?
171,476. That’s how many words you'll find in the Oxford English dictionary. Quite astonishing if you think about it; and it's growing daily. Roll back to the year 2005 and if you were to lookup the word Google in the English dictionary, you'd be out of luck. Google hadn’t been heard or spoken about then. How times have changed; I can't remember the last time I held a dictionary in my hand as a quick Google search gives me all the information I need in seconds. Google was included in the English dictionary in 2006. Now here are three words you might have not heard before. Phishing, SMiShing and Vishing. Read More
Never assume
They say it takes around 21 days to develop a new habit, and there's one topic that I've probably mentioned more than 21 times over the years in my weekly ramblings... and that is data backups. The message is getting through to most people, as I can't remember the last time a client didn't have a backup setup. But last week I had three appointments where the customers computer wouldn't boot up, but all had an ongoing data backup in place, so they had peace of mind knowing that their data was safe, or so they thought... Each one had assumed the backups were running in the background, when in Read More
Don’t Try This At Home
Technology and liquids has never been a good mix, especially if it involves a washing machine! Coming back from one of my morning runs, I forgot to unclip the Apple Shuffle music player from the running top, and so in it went, inside the washing machine for a good half-hour soaking. Unsurprisingly, the player refused to work afterwards, and had no choice but to replace it. Whatever the event, technology is never too far away; be it a set of Bluetooth speakers at the poolside or barbecue, a Smartphone at the seaside, or a tablet while you relax in a hot soaking bath. In all these events, there's always a chance that water, alcohol Read More
It’s laughable
Do you prefer Volvo, Ford, BMW, Audi or Mercedes? The answer to this question will come down to some or all of the following… Your personal taste, comfort, safety, and how economical and environmentally friendly the car is. If you're a sports fan, you've probably been a follower of the same team all along. With there being an emotional attachment, you'll be a follower and supporter no matter how good or badly the team performs. But when it comes to deciding if you should go for a PC or Mac is not quite so clear cut... In terms of performance, a PC in my view is slightly quicker than a Read More
Free office please
If you're a shopaholic, you’re probably quite relieved with the reopening of the non-essential shops. But how would you feel if someone followed you round, took note of the shops you visited, the items you looked at, and if you didn’t buy something, they’d come up and remind you. Sounds very intrusive and annoying wouldn’t you agree. But this has been going on the internet for years. Every Google search you’ve entered, every item you have or haven’t bought is closely tracked. And because your likes and dislikes are of such value, this information is passed on to third party companies, who then entice you to purchase their stuff through Read More
Have you been pwned?
Now and again, I hear a comment from those who don’t have AntiVirus protection on their computer - “I've never had a virus on my machine.” But how can they possibly know if they don’t have an AntiVirus installed to protect and notify them of any infection? Just like COVID-19, it's best to immunise yourself from it, as the alternative could be fatal for some. My view with anything, is that it's always best to know, and if possible, to protect yourself from it. But with personal information, it's quite a different story… We enter our email address and passwords on a daily basis without giving it much thought, but Read More
How to avoid a hefty Smartphone bill
No one likes to pay for something that’s not being used, but maybe you're doing this with your Smartphone. When choosing to upgrade or renew a mobile phone contract, there's one thing you need to give some thought to…. It's the amount of data you envisage using each month. Right now, with the majority of us spending a lot of time at home, this won't be an issue, if your phone is connected to the home wifi. But this will be worth taking notice of when life returns to some kind of normality. In the past, before lockdown, you might have received a regular text from your mobile phone provider, saying Read More
Don’t even bother
Electric is all the rage in the car industry right now, with most of the manufacturers launching their full electric or hybrid range of vehicles. They haven't had much choice mind you, after the Government’s announcement of a complete ban on all new Petrol and Diesel cars by 2030. Even the petrol heads of Formula 1 are getting on board; Lewis Hamilton, Nico Rosberg and Jenson Button have all setup their own racing team to take part in the Extreme E all electric Racing Series. I've been thinking about getting a hybrid as my next choice of car too, but having done some research, the biggest hurdle I'm finding is Read More
Buzzwords of 2020
Unless you’ve been living under a rock for the last twelve months, it wouldn’t take a genius to work out some of the most commonly used words of 2020. So today, I'll go through my list and how you can use them to your benefit with your IT. 1) COVID / VACCINE Starting with the most obvious. Just like the vaccine, you also need to protect your PC or Mac from infection. A free AntiVirus program won't cut it these days. So for peace of mind, install an AntiVirus Suite like Norton 360, that has all the bells and whistles. 2) LOCKDOWN With the kids at home schooling, there's a Read More
Kids stuff
It goes without saying that kids learn from their parents and elders, but I also take the view that we can learn just as much from kids. My kids' school sent me a ‘Six Steps to a Better Digital-Life Balance’ document last week, explaining how we can support and get involved with our kids use of technology, and how to use them in a balanced and healthy way. As I read the PDF, there's so much us adults can also learn from these six points. So without further ado, open this article to click on the link... Six Steps to a Better Digital-Life Balance
Time to lighten up
If you’ve listened to the news recently, or anytime for that matter, you don’t hear a lot of good things going on do you? Well I think we all need a good laugh now and again, and more so in these times. So today, I thought I'd share a post I got from a client last week. Enjoy… ______________________________________________ Dear Tech Support, Years ago, I upgraded from Boyfriend to Husband, and noticed a distinct slowdown in overall system performance, particularly in the Flower and Jewellery applications, which operated flawlessly under Boyfriend. In addition, Husband uninstalled many other valuable programmes such as Romance and Personal Attention, and then installed undesirable programmes such as Rugby, Read More
Unlike Trump vs Biden
You can have Biden or Trump, but you can't have both. And at the time of writing this email, Biden looks on course to be the next US President. You can either go for a Diesel or Petrol fuelled car, but not both. And the same goes for an Apple or Android Smartphone. But when people ask me the common question – “Shall I go for a laptop or desktop?”, you really can have both… because if you opted in the past to go for a laptop, but in hindsight, wished you'd gone for a desktop (which is a screen and a separate box), well you can easily turn your Read More
Choice
Imagine this; you walk into a Waitrose, Sainsburys or any other supermarket, and you find that all the big brands have been taken off the shelves. Now, the only choice you have is the Waitrose or Sainsburys branded goods for example. Most people like the freedom to choose, especially when the alternative is a better option. There is an argument though, that too much choice is a bad thing. Eating out is a classic example, because there's nothing worse than seeing an encyclopaedia of a menu, especially if you're not a quick decision maker. And when it comes to the Windows 10 S Mode, this is certainly not the best Read More
Watch out
Well, the kids are finally back in school, and this time of year usually means the start of something else… A new model or models of the iPhone. But this year, Apple have had a change of heart. For once, the new iPhone wasn’t even mentioned at the Apple Conference. Instead, they’ve launched three new Apple Watches. So if you’ve been stressing out recently because you’ve haven't been able to detect your blood oxygen levels, the Apple Watch is a must for you! They also announced the new iPad Air 4, which they claim is four times faster than the top-selling Android tablet. But what about the new iPhone 12 Read More
Why the customers not always right
When you pay forty pounds or more each month for a service, you'd quite rightly expect it to work. But for Jamie, a client I visited in Esher last week, this was not the case. The service was for the high-speed broadband, but unfortunately for him, it was anything but fast, and was getting frustrated at the poor performance from various laptops and other mobile services around his home. Having already spoken to the Internet Service Provider (ISP) and getting even more frustrated when they said there was nothing wrong with his broadband, he then got in touch with us. Once I carried out the initial inspection, I confirmed with Read More
Don’t listen to them
Do you like a good deal? Of course you do; who doesn’t. But in some cases, what you thought was a cracking deal turns out to be anything but. A classic example is printers. You buy a new printer that’s relatively low-cost, but the sting in the tail comes when it's time to replace the ink cartridges; this is when you find out that the cost of replacing the cartridges can be more than the value of printer. But this only applies if you buy a certain type of ink cartridge… And that is manufacturer ink cartridges. The big four companies (Brother, HP, Epson & Canon) will try and scare Read More
Missing instructions
The weather always makes a difference and it looks like we’re in for a treat this week, if you like hot weather that is! Yesterday morning was spent putting together a new trampoline for the kids and as it was Father’s Day, we went to the local park for a picnic in the afternoon. The trampoline was quite a straightforward process, and this was helped by having a very detailed set of instructions. From the kids’ point of view, it was a very popular buy, because according to their fitness watches, they managed to clock up around 20,000 steps by the evening! I'm not too concerned by not having a Read More
Office update fix…
There seems to be a common issue doing the rounds with Microsoft Office on Windows PC’s at the moment… Quite a few of you have been in contact to say that the Office software is no longer updating itself, and you're getting the Error Code: 30088-26 Well I'm pleased to say there's a quick fix for this; and even if you get any other kind of error message with your Microsoft Office, the fix I'm about to mention will more often than not resolve it. STEP 1Close down all your Office apps. STEP 2Type in Programs & Features in the Windows search box in the bottom left of your screen, Read More
Lockdown
Following Boris Johnson’s announcement last night, this is how things stand with PC ResQ. First of all, we’re still open for business, but… If you have a problem that can be resolved remotely and your internet connection is working OK, then taking control of your computer without the need of a visit is the most sensible option. If you have an issue that cannot be resolved by telephone or remote access, assuming that both you and ourselves are still in good health, we're OK to come out and visit whilst keeping a safe distance of 2m or more from one another. Or if neither of these options work for you, Read More
Simplicity is key
Do you sometimes find that the wording on a product packaging doesn’t quite match the reality?... Many years ago in my car racing days, I bought a pair of Halogen spotlights for the front of my Vauxhall Astra 1.2L together with some go-faster gold stripes. Can't say the gold stripes made a massive difference to the performance though! Anyway, in I went to the local Halfords in Bristol to buy the items that wouldn’t take very long to install, as it clearly said in bold lettering on the spotlights box. The gold stripes were on in no time, but many hours later with my mate Adrian, we eventually got the Read More
There’s always an upside
I do like to keep things well maintained; be it my car, IT equipment or the house. By doing so, it'll hopefully reduce the likelihood of problems cropping up. My cars’ coming up to seven years of age and the mileage is below fifty-five thousand, so that’s way below average. Last week though, my dashboard lit up like the Starship Enterprise. First it was the Emissions Control System Light flashing, then another light warning me not to exceed 4000rpm. I also noticed the temperature was at rock bottom and the cruise control system was no longer working. Things didn’t look good, so without causing any further damage, I took it Read More
Just do it!
Happy New Year and hope you had a nice break. It’s that time of the year when we tend to reflect on the year just gone and plan for the year ahead. New Year’s Resolutions isn't a tradition I've used in the past, but here's a few Tech New Years Resolutions that you might find useful to get you started in 2020. NO TEXTING & DRIVING - I do use my phone while driving using the cars’ handsfree kit, but I must admit that the level of my concentration is definitely lower when talking and driving. But when I hear of people checking their social media and texting whilst driving, Read More
Final call
Just a quick reminder that the clock’s ticking if you're still using Windows 7. Yes, your computer will continue to work after Jan 14th 2020, but it will be more vulnerable as Microsoft will no longer be sending out the usual security updates. You can either take a risk by leaving it as it is, or upgrade the Operating System to Windows 10 and keep your existing machine or replace your computer with one that'll come pre-installed with Windows 10. The decision’s yours.
It’s not clear-cut
Having the right tools always helps… I remember quite a few years ago, as we were driving in the country and got caught out by the snow. Even though the car was an Audi 2.0L Turbo with plenty of tread on the tyres, that meant nothing when trying to drive up hill on sheet ice. We eventually had to admit defeat and wait to be towed away. You might have the latest version of a Smartphone with all the bells and whistles, but if you're in an area with very poor network signal, your phone isn't going to perform at its best as all the apps rely on a decent Read More
First time
When PC ResQ was setup in 2003, we had zero experience with Apple Macs. But as the business grew, so did the popularity of all things Apple, and it would have been very foolish of us to ignore this fact and continue to focus on PC’s only; so we got ourselves educated with Apple to the point that we're as comfortable now with both the PC and Mac systems. A lot of people say there's no need to have an AntiVirus on a Mac and proudly boast that they’ve never had a problem. But my response is ‘how do you know?’ Because if you don’t have an AntiVirus installed, there's Read More
Three of them
Setting the trend… When Steve Jobs announced the first iPhone that combined the traditional Personal Digital Assistant (PDA) with a phone and instant email and web access, it was a big turning point in the Smartphone industry; a change that forced all other manufacturers to follow suit or get left behind. Blackberry, who were untouchable at the time, have been trying to play catchup ever since, and who knows how much longer they can continue for. You might have not seen a Blackberry for a while, but yes, they're still being made. But as we the consumers have become so used to these Smartphones, it's been challenging for manufacturers to Read More
Keeping cool
Just like us Brits, technology cannot stand excessive heat. And you might have already noticed a significant slowdown with your PC or Mac’s performance this week. This is more so with laptops because of the confined space. I read an article of a laptops’ keys melting in the heat after the owner forgot to turn off the machine before putting his laptop bag away inside the boot of a car on a scorching day. This is extreme, but to ensure you get the best out of your computer in hot conditions, here's a quick cooling guide. Computers generate a lot anyway, even on cold days. So the temperatures over the Read More
Cliff the shuffler
Legendary and inspiring. This was Cliff Young, a 61-year-old Australian farmer. Back in 1983, Cliff showed up at the start of a race in Sydney; but this was no ordinary race… It was a 543.7 mile run from Sydney to Melbourne! Taking his age into account and that he wore overalls and work boots, the other competitors naturally thought Cliff was a spectator. That was until he picked up his race number and joined the other runners. The press and other athletes were understandably concerned. They told him “You're crazy, there's no way you can finish this race." To which he replied, "Yes I can. You see, I grew up Read More
R.I.P Windows 7
With technology, sometimes you're forced into a situation where you're left with no choice but to upgrade. In a recent article, I wrote about needing to upgrade my iPad. Because of its age, I was no longer able to install new apps on the existing model. And if you have Windows 7 on your machine, there's a very good reason why you should think about upgrading very soon… Windows 7 I'd say is one of the most stable of Microsoft’s Operating Systems, but all good things come to an end. Because, as from Jan 14th 2020, Microsoft will officially pull the plug on supporting this product. So what does this Read More
How To Keep Your Documents & Photos Safe
To cover or not to cover, that is the question. Having insurance can be costly, especially if you don’t claim. I've always had car breakdown cover for example but haven't broken down once. But then, there's always be a first. And it's peace of mind knowing that if we do come to a grinding halt on the side of a motorway, there's someone we can call on. Car insurance is a legal requirement, but for the home, if you don’t have a mortgage, building insurance is not a must. If you do have a mortgage, then buildings insurance is a requirement with the lender. Either way, it would be complete Read More
eM Client
To good to be true I'd say… Now and again I'll recommend something, but only if it's been tried and tested by myself. eM Client was first developed back in 2006 but I've resisted in promoting the product due to a few glitches along the way and it was only compatible with PC’s. I say was, because they’ve now developed a version for the Mac and they’ve given the interface a complete makeover. So what is it?... eM Client is an email program with a difference. Different because it let's you sync your emails, contacts and calendar items between your computer, phone and tablet. Other than paying for Microsoft Exchange, this Read More
How to STOP Viruses From Destroying Your Personal Data
Malicious Software, or more commonly known as Malware, isn’t the kind of software you want on your PC or Mac. Malware covers all different types of infections such as viruses, worms, Trojan Horses, rootkits, spyware, keyloggers and more. I won't go into detail for each one, but what is important for you to understand is how they get on to your computer in the first place and how to stop it from happening. SPAM EMAILS The most common way that Malware infects a system is via a spam email. These are emails that'll contain links to infected files, that when clicked on, will download the malicious file and the Malware Read More
886 friends
Don’t talk to strangers! This isn’t something I can recall my parents telling me as a kid. Living on a farm with a maximum of twenty vehicles a day passing by gives you an idea of the remoteness of my upbringing. But no matter where children are brought up today, in the city or the sticks, ‘don’t talk to strangers’ has a whole new meaning, and this was reinforced at a seminar I attended at my sons school recently. It was to educate parents and their kids on online safety and how unsafe the online world can be. And with 90% of 5 to 15 years olds accessing online content, Read More
Master your passwords
One question that brings people out in a cold sweat is having to think of a new password, especially when the criteria is so specific e.g. Must contain a minimum of eight characters, has at least one uppercase character, at least one number and one symbol. After a while, trying to remember complex passwords for various accounts can become a bit of a headache, and most people end up writing them all down on paper. This in my view is a big no no; but help is at hand… A system that we've used for years now means you can have hundreds of different passwords without the need to have Read More
How to 4X The Speed of Your PC or Mac…
The most common complaint we hear week in week out is - ‘Why is my computer running so slow?’ - or more importantly ‘How can I speed it up?’ You might be experiencing this frustration right now, and maybe you’ve already tried some of the following: > Run the disk defragmenter tool, > Deleted some of your data to increase disk space, > Scanned your disk for errors, > Uninstalled programs you no longer use; but it's still running at snails pace. Assuming the hard disk is healthy and has plenty of free space, none of the above will make a jot of difference to your computers’ performance. 2 things Read More
Google+ no more
I've received quite a number of emails from customers over the weekend asking about the closure of Google+. This email explains that the Google+ service will be taken down in April 2019. If you got this, no it isn’t a hoax and no it won't affect your email address after this date. Google+ is a social media platform which quite frankly never really took off, and after a security flaw in Nov 2018, which could have exposed profile information such as names, email addresses, jobs, and ages of 52.5 million users without their permission, Google decided to shutdown the consumer version but will continue to develop and support the business Read More
New friends
I'm trying to make friends outside of Facebook while using the same principles. So, I've been walking down the street telling passers-by what I've eaten, how I feel at the moment, what I've done the night before, what I'll be doing later and with whom. I give them pictures of my family, my dog and of me gardening, taking things apart in the garage, watering the lawn, standing in front of landmarks, driving around town, having lunch and doing what anybody and everybody is doing every day. I also listen to their conversations, give them the “thumbs up” and tell them I like them. And it works! Just like Facebook, Read More
Gobbledygook
A question… What time is it in New York? Reply - What slime is it in Cork? Q - Where's the nearest Pret A Manger? Reply - Where is the nearest threat of a manager? Q - Time of next train from Kingston to Waterloo? Reply - Time of rain from Kingston in a Portaloo. I might have exaggerated these responses slightly, but I wouldn’t be far off the mark when attempting to get an answer from a Smartphone or computer a few years back using voice recognition. But now the tech giants have really got their act together and improved the facility no end, and so the accuracy of Read More
Swearing won’t help
Got lots of feedback from last weeks’ email about knowing your password scam. And quite a number of you have decided to change your passwords to something more secure. I hope you didn’t find as stressful as the following… Enter your new password cabbage Sorry the password must be more than 8 characters. boiled cabbage Sorry, the password must contain 1 numerical character. 1 boiled cabbage Sorry, the password cannot have any spaces. 50bloodyboiledcabbages Sorry, the password must contain at least one uppercase character. 50BLOODYboiledcabbages Sorry, the password cannot use more than one upper case character consecutively. 50BloodyBoiledCabbagesShoveItWhereTheSunDoesn'tShineIfYouDon’tGiveMeAccessImmediately Sorry, the password cannot contain punctuation. NowIAmGettingReallyCheesedOff50BloodyBoiledCabbagesShoveItWhereTheSunDoesn'tShineIfYouDon’tGiveMeAccessImmediately Sorry, that password is already Read More
Not another one!
Do I really need to? That’s been a common question regarding the new Mac OS Mojave; pronounced Mohavi, this is the new Mac Operating System (OS) upgrade that’s available to some Apple users. I say some, because your Mac needs to be of a certain age before you can install it. Your iMac, Mac Mini, MacBook Pro, MacBook Air must be late 2012 or newer. A MacBook needs to be early 2015 or newer or if you any of the iMac Pro’s, all these models are compatible. If your machine doesn’t meet these requirements, you'll have to stick with an older version of the Mac OS. So back to my Read More
Over £21 million!
I'm sure you received a phone call or two over the weekend. Now imagine if a caller told you… There's a fault with the engine of your car, or There's a fault with the electrics in your home, or There's a fault with your gas hob, and they can come around to fix it for a fee. In these examples, you'd be right in thinking that the only thing that needs help with is the caller, and you certainly wouldn’t keep them on the line for long! Official figures released today has shown that over a period of 12 months, an astonishing £21 million has been stolen from people in Read More
Walter
One way NOT to start the day… If you’ve been on my list for some time, there’s one thing I keep to a minimum. What I'm referring to is the news; twenty-four hours, seven days a week of depressing headlines if you choose to listen to it. The news stations have the ‘if it leads it bleeds’ down to a fine art. And that’s why I use the BBC News App so that I'm in control of what I read. This App allows me to select which topics appear in my news feed. But last week, something very unusual happened; a positive and uplifting story about a young man from Read More
An easy way to your bank account
I regularly get asked for my opinion on everything tech. Apple or Windows computers; which is best? Which one should I go for? Laser versus inkjet printers? Traditional desktop or the all-in-ones? Tablets or laptops? In all the above, it's very much a case of me listening to the clients’ needs before looking into the pros and cons. But it also comes down to personal taste. But if you were to ask me Apple iPhone / iPad versus a Google Smartphone / Tablet, I'd be able to give you a very quick answer. The apps available for download via the Apple store have been through a very rigorous safety and Read More
Roaming surprise
It cost more than I thought. Not too long to go now before the holiday season kicks-in. The usual things will be on the checklist - passports, book a taxi, check flight times, location of hotel and how much will it cost to make and receive calls on the mobile. We went to Jersey last year and even though they have the +44 code, they are not part of the UK. So I did my research before-hand and understood that any calls made, or data used, would not be included in the monthly allowance. I made three calls over the three days, so I was quite surprised to see a Read More
Tax refunds.
Got a few surprise texts on my mobile while I was away… A car refund of £61.77 from an overpayment and the best one was a tax refund of £265.84 from HMRC. Very nice you might think, or not. For starters, I knew they were both bogus as I wasn’t due a refund on either. Secondly, both the links were pointing to unsecure and invalid website addresses. I also got, which is a very regular occurrence now, phone calls saying that I’d been involved in an accident. They don’t even get a chance to say the word ‘accident’ in full any more. I just put the phone down. I tried Read More
It ain’t Ronseal.
It shouldn’t and needn’t be so complicated; but it is. Good examples of simplicity is Ronseal. The tins do exactly what it says on the tin… Ronseal tile paint, Ronseal antimould paint, Ronseal cupboard paint, Ronseal wood filler, Ronseal fence paint, Ronseal floor paint, Ronseal damp seal. No guesses in what each one does. Now try the following. 1 - Microsoft Office 365 Home, (5 Installs) 2 - Microsoft Office 365 Personal, (1 Installs) 3 - Microsoft Office 365 Business, (5 Installs) 4 - Microsoft Office 365 Business Premium, (5 Installs) 5 - Microsoft Office 365 Business Essentials, (Online access to Office only) 6 - Microsoft Office Home & Student Read More
Hidden eggs.
So it's the Easter weekend and kids everywhere will be dosing themselves up on ridiculous amounts of sugar. I'm fairly disciplined when it comes to chocs, but once the wrappers’ off, that’s when my discipline goes out the window! And talking of Easter eggs, in the digital world, and Easter egg is an intentional joke, a hidden message, a game or a feature that the programmers have secretly hidden. Here's a list of Goggle’s hidden eggs, starting with my favourite. Trip by Dragon In Google Maps, if you typed in a trip from Snowdon to the Brecon Beacons, it'll show a part of trip can be taken by Dragon! Click Read More
Unpredictability.
There's one thing that makes sport of all kinds interesting… You never really know what's going to happen. The England v Wales rugby match last weekend could have gone either way and with the Winter Olympics in full swing, its already thrown up a few surprises and upsets. Katie Ormerod the snowboarder, fracturing her right heel before the opening ceremony and forcing her to withdraw from the event. Felix Loch the defending luge world champion, who was a dead cert on reclaiming gold, missed out on the top spot after a mistake on his last run. Red Gerard the 17-year-old American, given his lack of experience at this level, was Read More
Polar opposites.
A bit nippy, Oh it was too hot. These are common responses when chatting about the weather. I personally prefer it being too hot than too cold. During my travels in Australia in 1993, I climbed Uluru, more commonly known as Ayres Rock. It was in the early hours of 7am at a relatively cool temperature of 35 degrees before rising to its peak of 40 degrees around midday. Even the 40-degree seemed bearable in the fresh Aussie outback, which is a damn sight cooler than a 30-degree heat in central London. The mugginess is the real killer for me. Anyway, I digress. After listening to the news headlines, I Read More
Recording your every move.
If you’ve got a HP laptop, then please DO NOT ignore this email. Yesterday, a security researcher found an alarming piece of code within the keyboard software drivers that’s been pre-installed on specific HP laptops. What does this mean? It has the potential to record every single key stroke you type on the keyboard which is extremely disturbing with the rise of online banking. This setting is disabled by default, but it could be switched on if the laptop was accessed by an attacker. As this security leak affects a range of 460 different HP laptop models dating back as far as 2012, I would certainly advise that you check Read More
How to spot a fake.
I do like a bargain. And who doesn’t; especially when you can get your hands on a lovely watch at a reduced price. Around 99% less than retail to be exact. This was my experience during my backpacking years in Bali where they try and flog you anything but the kitchen sink during your walkabout. I do have a bit of a weakness when it comes to watches and when I was presented with a sparkling Breitling watch at a ridiculously low price, I snapped it up it no time. It was obviously a fake, but to my professionally trained eye, I really couldn’t tell. We love to buy but Read More
People don’t care.
The on-going battle resumes. Between the mobile phone giants Apple and Samsung. Apple last week announced the latest models to hit the high street this coming November. The iPhone 8, 8 Plus and the X Edition which they referred to as the iPhone ten. Except for the iPhone X, the pricing will be similar to previous years’ releases and averaging around the £700 mark. The former with a 256GB of storage will set you back £1,249. Will this sell? Of course it will. Only time will tell if it's to reach the level of sales they hope for. None of the new models will sell for its technical specification though; Read More
Sandra’s always right.
Twelve minutes quicker. That’s how much time I saved driving to my first appointment yesterday morning. My journey takes a bit longer since I moved to a new house but if this was say 15 years ago, I'd be driving the same route day in day out praying there wasn’t too much traffic on the way. But times have changed as I have a trusted navigator guiding me. I've disagreed with her a few times thinking another way was quicker and paid the price every single time. Her name’s Sandra, the voice on my Waze Sat Nav app. It's such a time saver and highly recommend it if you like Read More
New era, maybe.
Very brave move. ALL our cars will be electric or hybrid from 2019. That was Volvo’s announcement and a very commendable one that'll either set the trend for other manufacturers to follow or one of complete disaster. As long as the infrastructure is sound to charge the electric cars with ease AND quickly, there's no reason for this major change in the automotive industry not to work. The biggest bug-bear with these cars to date has been the lack of charging stations and the low mileage before needing a re-charge. The hybrid technology gets around this issue by charging the battery when the engine’s running. If you drive locally with Read More
Spot a Matt.
I've never been a convincing liar. My facial expression gives it away so easily. All of us tell a sweet little lie now and again, but my classmate Matthew took it to a whole new level. This was in the class of 1986 when I studied a computer studies course in Llanelli, South Wales. Proved to be a worthwhile investment long term. Every time we’d share a story about what we’d done or seen, Matt would soon chip in and say he'd done it bigger, faster or more often. One story took the biscuit; he claimed that he’d been involved in 96 separate road accidents. Absurd I know, but in Read More
March 1st at 8am.
Changing habits ain't easy. Take my Grandad for example. In 1983, when the new seat belt law came into force, he thought it was far too uncomfortable. Bearing in mind he'd been driving without a seat belt for decades, it was going to take a while for him to change his ways. And more often than not, he'd simply forget to click it in as it wasn’t part of his subconscious yet. So as a passenger, when he did remember he'd pull down the seat belt with his right hand and hold it to his side and make it look as if he was sticking to the law. Thankfully he Read More
Toaster alert
100,000 internet attacks. When you read that, you'll automatically think I'm talking about computers. Well in the not too distant future, this won't necessarily be the case. The landscape of Smart alliances, which refers to equipment that’s connected to the internet like TV’s and security cameras at the home is all about to change. And very soon it'll be your toaster! Yes I did say toaster… And your dishwasher, washing machine, oven, kettle and fridge. In time, any device that plugs in to the power socket will eventually be plugged into the internet grid. But why I hear you ask? Well for one, it's becoming so cheap to add internet Read More
Seriously – will that fix it?
The subject line is a common response during some of my calls. After twenty-eight years helping people with their computer gremlins, some things haven't changed. People laugh when I say “have you tried switching it off and on?” … It seems so simple and bizarre but quite often does the trick. So if your PC or Mac misbehaves at any time, give it a restart and see. If your mobile phones’ not responding in the usual way, you guessed it; switch it off for about 10 seconds before switching it back on. If you can't access the internet from several computers or devices, give the broadband router a restart. If Read More
How to save £432.
WARNING! I make no apologies for harping on about this. A client of mine (we’ll call him Tim) had a nasty experience after Christmas, and a very expensive one to that. He was browsing the web when a popup appeared from nowhere. The message said something along the lines of ‘to clean and fix all your problems call XXXX.’ Unfortunately, he did call the number and thirty-six minutes later was charged £432. Tim called me straight after to confirm his suspicion that he'd been scammed. As to what these guys did I really don’t know. They left the computer with no antivirus protection and several Windows security updates were not Read More
Text hole
Got my shiny new toy this week. After months of headache with my old laptop, I've finally got a machine that works. Technology’s a great thing and truly does make life easier if it works and you use it in the most effective way. At times it can be a bit of an irritation when things don’t go as planned – as I discovered last week. I was expecting a text to confirm a time and a place for a meeting with Andy who’s a client of mine, but it never came through. This didn’t turn out to be a major problem as we made contact by phone and the Read More
Almighty chaos
What a drama. No, I'm not referring to the shocking election in the states. I'm talking about something far less brutal of a contest but gripping to watch. If you're a keen Formula 1 viewer, you would in no doubt have enjoyed the race in Brazil last Sunday. I'm a very keen motorsport fan but I'll admit that some of the races this year have put me in a coma early on in the race. With the performance of the Mercedes team being in a different league to the rest of the field, watching a predictable outcome with only two drivers out of 22 in with a shout of a Read More
Disaster
Creatures of habit. Most of us are to some degree. And when change happens it can sometimes backfire. Coca-Cola in 1985 announced a change of their successful formula; this didn’t go down well with consumers. The back-lash was quickly resolved a few months later by them reverting to the original formula and calling it the ‘Coca-Cola Classic.’ In 2010, Gap launched a new logo in an attempt to be more modern. That lasted a whole two days! In 2011, Netflix had a $16 billion market value with their DVD rental business. They decided to split up the business to the DVD rental and streaming services which meant the customers had Read More
Sierra RS
0-60 mph in 6.5 sec. Capable of 300 Horse Power in race trim with a maximum speed of 149 mph. This is the spec of the Ford Sierra RS Cosworth back in the late eighties to early nineties. It was a beast of a machine back in its day but fairly tame in comparison to the car of today. And I can't not mention the rear spoiler; what were they thinking? Embarrassing enough for the hard-core Essex boy to be seen in! Click here for a reminder. Winding forward to 2016, there's a new type of Sierra on the scene and this time it's for the Mac. A week ago, Read More
120 times faster!
I want one! This is a common thing for kids to shout. Be it a shiny new toy car, tank, helicopter or whatever. But this coming Saturday there's a new toy in town… And it'll be the adults screaming this time. It has become an annual event that makes grown-ups queue or camp around the clock to get their hands on one. I'm referring to the new iPhone 7 and its big brother, the iPhone 7 Plus. Is it an improved handset with loads of new features? Well going on the history of previous models, who cares! If it looks ever so slightly different, shinier, has a few improved tweaks Read More
Slippery slope
What a fascinating weekend of sport in Rio. Crammed packed with so many disciplines. Or maybe the two weeks is torture for you and would rather be sticking pins in your eyes! Personally, I was gripped by the men and women’s bike road race. I used to cycle the Kingston to Box Hill loop (bit of a lame comparison I know) but these guys are on a whole different level. They do this for a living but cycling for six hours in the Rio heat must have been so demanding and beyond my comprehension. Most of the riders made it to the finish line, some did not… A few were Read More
Out of Office
Tis the season to be out. If and when you go on your break this summer… And before you switch on your ‘Out of Office’, have a read through my favourite automatic replies for some inspiration! 1) I'm currently out at a job interview and will reply to you if I fail to get the position. 2) Hi. I’m thinking about what you’ve just sent me. Please wait by your PC for my response. 3) I'm out of the office from dd/mm to dd/mm and will not be checking email. It’s likely your note will be swallowed in a sea of inbox banality, never to be seen again. If you Read More
Catch the spike.
When I get a call from a customer saying their computer no longer switches on, And having suggested the obvious - like replacing the fuse, trying a different power supply cable and the even more obvious… I ask if they’ve had a power cut. Got to ask because you never know! If none of the above has done the trick, it tends to be one of the following… A faulty Power Supply Unit (PSU), A dead motherboard, Or if it's a laptop, a faulty battery as this can sometimes prevent the computer from starting up. In my experience though, in around 95% of cases the PSU tends to be the Read More
£756 Coffee.
A quick flush and it was gone. I'm writing this email on a sunny Tuesday in a Hampton Hill café. There's something about the four walls in my office that simply doesn’t get the creative juices flowing. My thoughts and inspiration comes to a blank… But, walking away from the office in the open space lifts the cloud and the ideas come flooding in. To have the mind in a relaxed state most definitely helps and a coffee shop on a glorious day watching the world go by is an ideal setting. Not that I needed much inspiration for this week’s email though… Lindsay, a client of mine in Richmond Read More
How to avoid a hefty bill.
Not to be underestimated. When choosing to upgrade or renew a mobile phone contract, there's one thing you need to give some thought into…. That is the amount of data you envisage using. Do you regularly get a text from your mobile phone provider saying you’ve nearly run out of data for the month? A common reaction is ‘but I haven't used that much!’ Well unfortunately, the way smartphones are designed, you could leave it on standby without ever touching it for a month and still end up using a lot of your data. How can that be? As mobile phone programmers are constantly developing newer and improved versions of Read More
Been spoofed yet?
Not right now thank you very much. Isn’t it great to see whose calling you at home or on the mobile? You can then decide if you want to speak to that person or not! Caller ID does have its benefits but there's a scam that’s very much on the increase that you should be made aware of. Have you got your Bank’s telephone number stored in your phone or mobile? If you have and one day you got a call showing the Bank’s name on the screen, you'd automatically think that it must be from your Bank right? Think again. You see, I could install an app on my Read More
Seeing double.
The relief was clear to see… I did a job last week for a lady in Teddington who runs her own business. Her main concern was to do with her emails; and a lot of them. From the initial call, Claire explained that she was becoming overwhelmed with the masses of emails arriving daily to her Inbox. Just to get an idea of the magnitude, I asked her roughly how many emails she was getting per day. She replied with around fifty to seventy emails. My immediate thought was that it didn’t seem to be that many. But that wasn’t the full story…. Claire went on to explain that she Read More
Who you ask does matter.
Please stop doing that Thomas! I’ve lost count the number of times my son’s dropped my iPhone on the floor. Yes he's only 29 months but he's quite attached to them already. I have two iPhones; one for work and the other for personal use. I find them so reliable and user friendly in comparison to Android based phones. I've protected them both with quite a sturdy case to hopefully take and withstand the drops and knocks when in the hands of a toddler. No so long ago you used to have VHS repair shops on the high street but the rise of the DVD’s put that to bed fairly Read More
Trip to Russia.
Another twelve months before I do it again, thankfully. Isn’t it crazy how time flies or the perception of time at least? Don’t know about you, but it feels like Christmas was a very long time ago now. Back to the office early last week and got a pleasant surprise when I opened the door. The week before Christmas, I did my annual activity. It's not something I particularly look forward to but find it quite a therapeutic experience once it's done. It's the office de-clutter and tidy-up. Having done this before the break and forgotten about it on my return, it was quite a nice surprise. I'm sure it Read More
They’re no DiCaprio.
The smarts can be a right pain. I remember watching the film ‘Catch Me If You Can’ starring Leonardo DiCaprio who played the life of Frank Abagnale, who, before his 19th birthday, successfully performed cons worth millions of dollars by posing as a Pan American World Airways pilot, a Georgia doctor, and a Louisiana parish prosecutor. His primary crime was cheque fraud and became so experienced that the FBI eventually turned to him to help in catching other cheque forgers. At least in this instance, they made good use of Frank’s skills but this isn’t always the case. I wrote an article back in 2013 about Ransomware. This is when Read More
Kitchen disaster.
The obvious can be hard to see at times. Had a call yesterday from a very good friend of mine who runs a successful business and prides himself on getting the very best service and certainly doesn’t mind paying the extra few quid for a service or product that'll make his business and personal life easier to manage. He was in a spot of bother though and needed my help…. He won't mind me saying that he's not the most skilled when it comes to all things IT; about as advanced as I am in the kitchen. Yes it's pretty bad! One thing he bought a few years ago was Read More
One-minute charge.
I thought he was mad; my boss that is. This was quite a few years ago now when I started out in IT at a car leasing firm in Swindon. My boss came back from lunch one day and proudly showed off his brand new Nokia mobile phone. Bearing in mind this was 1993, my initial reaction was “who’s going to call you, nobody knows your number?” Things have changed quite a bit since then; today it's very uncommon to hear of anyone that doesn’t have a mobile. Even my mum has a mobile, the biggest technophobe you could ever meet. It is permanently switch off in the glove compartment Read More
Do you want fries with that?
I was definitely speaking in English. Had a rather frustrating chat with Sky TV yesterday. My request was pretty clear in that I wanted to downgrade to the basic package. Don’t get too much time to channel surf these days and can't say that Nordic tractor pulling floats my boat so it was time to eliminate a lot of channels and save a few quid each month. Couldn’t blame the Sky chap for trying, but even though I specifically asked for a downgrade, he insisted that an upgrade is what I really needed – and cost me more money! I eventually got through to him but the point I'm making Read More
Apple Will Pay With Time.
It would’ve been unthinkable ten years ago that you could walk up to a till and pay for your goods with a mobile. Well Apple have done just that and very well I must say. Back in July they announced the new Apple Pay facility that lets you pay for goods using an iPhone 6, iPhone 6S or an iWatch in the same way a contactless credit card works. It does have limitations in thatyou can only purchase items with a total value of £30 so its fine for your small and everyday purchases but you’d be a bit short if you wanted to buy a new iPhone! SO HOW Read More
El Capitan.
What is El Capitan you may ask? Well it's the latest update to the Mac OS X Operating System which was officially launched yesterday and like all other previous Mac upgrades this is free and comes with a few little tweaks that might prompt you to switch. Before you do upgrade, make sure you take a full Time Machine backup of your Mac in case things don’t go quite according to plan! So in no particular order, here's a list of the main features. SPOTLIGHT This feature shows more detailed results including the weather, sporting results, stocks and a video in the spotlight window. SPLIT VIEW Easily splits your screen in Read More
Taking a Shortcut.
Have you recently switched from a PC to a Mac or maybe like me - you use both systems? One thing I do miss on the Mac though is the shortcuts I’m used to on a PC and the basic little things like pressing the Enter key in Windows Explorer to run a program or open a document, because in Finder on a Mac this function will instead prompt you to rename the file; little irritations. All this can easily be overcome by a neat utility called BetterTouchTool. With this you can easily re-configure or re-map your keyboard to do basically any function you like. So for example on the Read More
Return to Sender.
Most weeks, I get mail in the post that’s addressed to someone I've never heard of or to someone at a completely different address and in both cases I just mark it with R.T.S and chuck it back in the letter box. Now when it comes to emails, it's not quite as simple. Do you get repeated junk emails from the same company or individual even though you’ve already unsubscribed? In my experience, unsubscribe can sometimes mean we'll just send you a few more of our emails until you're interested in buying our product! Well here's a simple and effective way of putting a stop to some of these emails. Read More
The BIG 4.
One question I regularly get asked is how long should a computer last? What's the shelf life of a typical PC or Mac? There's no written rule as to how long they’ll last and if you find that your computer is doing just fine for your needs then there's no real need to replace it with a new machine. One the other hand, if you find that you don’t really want the expense of buying a new computer but would like to give your current machine a massive boost so that it feels like you do have a new system, then you'll love my BIG 4. MEMORY (RAM) Most new Read More
No More Waiting.
Last week I gave you a taster of the main features with Windows 10 and some of you have already decided to take the plunge and upgrade or you may be one of many that’s registered for the upgrade but still waiting for the all systems go message. Well rather than wait any longer, I'll show you a way to force the upgrade of Windows 10 on your machine. HOW TO FORCE THE WINDOWS 10 UPGRADE NOTE: These instructions only apply if you have Windows 7 or 8 installed. NOTE 2: Make sure you have a full data backup BEFORE you install Windows 10. The first step is to make Read More
This is Personal.
If you’ve already upgraded to Windows 10 and used the default ‘Express Setting’ during the installation, you might like to change some of the settings to protect your personal information. The reason for this is because in Microsoft’s privacy statement, it says that it will collect data to provide a better experience; this information includes your location to create a more personal user experience and more relevant adverts. Some of this is collected through day-to-day tasks like searching Bing; Microsoft says "We collect data to operate effectively and provide you the best experiences with our services. You provide some of this data directly, such as when you create a Microsoft Read More
Windows 10 Verdict
Having spent the last week putting Windows 10 through its paces, my thoughts couldn’t be any more different than when I first tested Windows 8. Windows 10 has a very pleasant and solid interface which thankfully includes the traditional Start button. Response time is very good throughout; the upgrade process went through without any glitches and even though I tested it on an aged spare laptop, it managed to find all the drivers needed. So what's new? In no particular order, read on for a brief on the main features. WINDOWS HELLO If you have a webcam with an illuminated infrared camera or have a fingerprint reader, you can sign Read More
What NOT To Do Tomorrow
The long awaited day is nearly here. Tomorrow’s the launch of the new Windows 10 and from what I've read so far, the comments are fairly positive. Microsoft has merged the very successful Windows 7 with the layout of Windows 8 and I'll be testing it myself over the coming days and post another blog with my verdict. In the meantime, here's what you should NOT do and I'll show you a way to avoid paying for it if you have an old version of Windows…. > Don’t Upgrade Your Computer Without Checking its Compatible FIRST. The initial process of the Windows 10 upgrade will carry out a check to Read More
Prepare For The Unexpected
I came in to work last week with my to do list and switched on my laptop to start ploughing through my list of actions, but technology has a way of adjusting your plans when it decides it ain't going to play ball. It's true that you should never fully rely on technology especially when you're about to give a presentation as anything could happen that’s outside of your control. The key is to always have a Plan B. In my case, for the second time in eight months the hard disk completely crashed. Luckily I did have a Plan B and I was up and running in a very Read More
Do You Have The Right Address?
Whether you're a business or home user, it helps to have the right type of email address at the outset? For business, having a personalised domain will give it more of a professional look; so john@hampton-plumbers.co.uk looks better than john987@talktalk.co.uk for instance and the first one tells us exactly what John does. Secondly, if John decided to switch his Internet Service Provider (ISP) to Sky, his TalkTalk address in time would stop working and he'd have to let all of his contacts know of the change together with the additional marketing costs with new stationery. Here's my 3.1 guide for choosing the right email address for both the business and Read More
Now or Wait Till 10?
Most of us like to treat ourselves with new things once in a while and when it comes to computers, the first and most common reaction is ‘How did I manage to put up with my old one for so long!’; but is newer always a good thing? A good example of this is Microsoft Windows. Over the years, I'd say there's been two stable versions of Windows; Windows XP & Windows 7. The others have had their issues on release and improved over time. This can also be said for Windows 8 that was launched in October 2012. In my view, this was very unstable and unusable at the Read More
Can’t Beat a Good Clean Surf
The internet has a lot of positives; no more queuing up at the Post Office for your tax disc or spending hours on the phone to car insurance companies answering tedious questions and comparing the best deal for a flight and hotel is a few examples. Basically it saves a lot of hours but has in itself brought along a whole new set of headaches. The biggest one is popups and adverts that appear while surfing the web. You might have recently visited a particular online store to browse for a new laptop and not actually bought anything. Next day you're on a completely different website and you see the Read More
Buy or Rent?
When I started working in the IT business, CD Rom drives had only just come out on computers and since then software’s been available in CD format for years; that is until Tim Berners-Lee came up with a little invention called the “internet”. With access speeds now reaching 30Mpbs on average, the internet has virtually wiped out software being sold on CD’s. A lot of new laptops don’t come with a CD drive as most software is downloadable from the web and for a while now there's been another shift in the way some companies are offering their software and one that all others in my view will follow in Read More
Is Your Broadband Damaging Your House Price?
Location, location, location is fairly high up on our list when looking for a new place to live which includes how quiet’s the area, are the transport links any good, how close are the schools and so on. But so much is the reliance now on accessing the internet, another question many new buyers are asking is ‘how quick is the broadband on that street?’ If you moved to one of the areas I'm about to tell you and hadn’t asked this question, you'd be throwing your computer out the window in frustration and estate agents are saying that the streets with very poor broadband could have a negative impact Read More
Now Where Did I See That
Most of my working hours is spent going from job to job and don’t necessarily spend or need to spend an awful lot of time in the office as I'm able to do most things on my travels. I can either access the internet directly using my iPhone, from my laptop to a public hotspot or connect my laptop through my phone (this is called tethering). Browsing the web is a big part of my job and makes it a lot easier when everything that I've accessed is accessible on all devices. So as an example, if I found a good article three weeks ago on either my office PC, Read More
Don’t Get Me Started
A lot of us are creatures of habit and like to do things that’s familiar but when change is forced upon us, one that isn’t to our liking, our reaction is made all too clear. A classic example of this was the release of Windows 8 in 2012. What Microsoft did was to do away with something that all Windows users had been so used to for years – and that was to get rid of the Start button. My initial reaction was ‘what have they done’ closely followed by ‘what were they thinking!’ To me this really was complete madness and so unfriendly was the new layout, it was Read More
Don’t Be Left Out in the Cold
It surprises me what people tolerate in life when they accept it as the ‘norm’ – no matter how upsetting and stressful a situation is. So far I've only moved house a few times in my life and when I have moved to an area where the new places’ telephone number is on a different exchange to the old one, I'm forced to take a new number. Now when the telephone provider says ‘new’, what they mean is this – “we’re going to give you another number that was discontinued around 6 months ago with an existing customer, so you'll be getting calls from people you’ve never heard of as Read More
It’s easy to do and easy not to do
Way back in my early teens, a new law came into force in the motor industry that most people chose to listen to whilst others decided to ignore; either because they saw it as a hassle or simply forgot as it wasn’t part of their normal routine, but the latter could and sometimes did lead to disastrous consequences. What I'm referring to is the law of wearing seatbelts and choosing not to wear one wasn’t the best idea, but thankfully it has become second nature to most people today and I for one wouldn’t feel safe driving 100yards on a public road without it. So you might be thinking - Read More
Jailbreaking’s Not a Good Idea
Having a virus on a computer can be very damaging and costly to fix so my number one priority when I go out on appointments is to make sure the system’s fully protected. But what about the iPhone’s and iPad’s? This is a question I get asked a lot. Do they need antivirus protection on them as well? Apple have designed both of these devices in such a way that allows you to only download apps directly from the App Store. With this system, all the apps are trialled, tested, checked and checked again before they become publicly available which is why these apps are perfectly safe and clean from Read More
Turning Back the Clock
I use both a PC and Mac for my business but the Mac has slowed down dramatically over the past year. I remember the good old days when I took the shiny new machine out of the box, pressed the on switch and everything happened in an instant. Do you feel the same way about your system but don’t want to be spending a fortune in speeding it up? Removing unused programs from your machine and disabling items from running at startup will only have a slight improvement on the performance. There is one thing you can do to your PC or Mac that can seriously turn the clock back Read More
Don’t Forget the Grizzly!
The primary function of the internet is to connect everyone together, to break down barriers, but as you might have already discovered when travelling overseas for a break or business trip, this is not the case as certain websites are blocked. Good examples of this is BBC iPlayer and YouTube. iPlayer is designed to work solely in the UK and the latter is blocked in some parts of Europe. This practise is known as geo-blocking but there's a perfectly legal workaround. By installing a VPN tunnel (Virtual Private Network) on your computer, it creates a new IP address in line with the country you select into fooling the internet that Read More
Do You Have a Flat Tyre?
If you own a car, bike or any other form of transport, regular maintenance is a must in order to keep it in tip-top condition. The alternative is not to look after it and the cracks will soon start to show. I find that a sick computer is like a flat tyre; it's not going to be much use until you fix it. Because of the way computers are designed, day one is the quickest it'll ever be. As you install new programs, add your data, the security and operating system updates, your computer will inevitably slow down and just like a car, regular maintenance is advisable. I've just taken Read More
6.5 Ways to Secure your iPhone
If you own an iPhone, chances are you have quite a bit of personal information stored on there; stuff you wouldn’t want to get into the wrong hands. Well there's quite a few settings I'd seriously recommend you check out. 1) Use a PIN or Fingerprint Security This is so important and has to be one of the first things to setup. By not enabling this feature, anyone could access your personal information at ease. All you need to do is setup a 4 digit PIN of your choice but stay clear of the obvious – 1234 and 0000. Go to Settings / Touch ID & Passcode and there you Read More
Just In Case You Didn’t Know
Following some interesting and very useful feedback from customers of PC ResQ, I thought it would be good to share with you, two of the most common queries raised. Q - If we moved further away, are you still able to help us with our computer problems? A - Yes we can. You could be living in London, Lisbon or Loughborough; as long as you have a working internet connection, we can help you by taking remote access of your computer within seconds. Q - Do you look after Apple Mac’s? A - This I have to say has been the most popular question. The name PC ResQ would suggest Read More
No Hanging Around
More and more of us in business use an iPhone or iPad to read emails or browse websites. For one, there's no waiting for it to boot up like a computer, access is instant; but sometimes you need to print something off quick but end up having to wait for your computer to go through its business before you can actually do anything. Assuming you have the right equipment, there is a way around this. You see, Apple have this facility called AirPrint which allows you to print directly from a mobile device to a printer. SO WHAT DO I NEED THEN? To print from an iPhone or iPad, what Read More
I Can See You!
I read quite a disturbing article earlier this week which could be very important to you if you have an internet connected camera at your business or home for security. You see it's very common practice to buy equipment and plug it in without making any changes to the configuration, but this does have its pitfalls. A Russian website has exploited cameras installed at businesses and the home that still have the default password configured and allows them to stream everything live over the internet. These cameras could be installed at your premises or used as baby monitors at the home to check on the safety of the children. So Read More
Have Fun with Google
I have a Google theme for you this week and the majority of us think of Google as just a search engine but there's a few other cool things that you probably not aware of. Some are quite useful and some are for plain amusement and of no use at all. Have fun! GOOGLE 1 Type in Do a barrel roll in the Google search box. GOOGLE 2 Not entirely sure why you'd use this - type in tilt GOOGLE 3 Need to set an alarm as a reminder, type Set timer 5 seconds GOOGLE 4 Type in zerg rush in the Google search box. Again, not sure of the Read More
Password Dilemma
One question that gives people and absolute headache is when I say their password needs resetting, to think of a new password and one they haven’t used before. Common response is ‘I can't remember all these different passwords’ and very often they're written down on paper or they use the same password for absolutely everything which is a recipe for disaster. SO WHAT’S THE ALTERNATIVE? For the websites I access for both business and personal, I have 162 different passwords to date; yes I know that seems a bit ridiculous, but I don’t have anything written down and as I said all my passwords are different. I'll share with you Read More
Are you in the 79%
79% of malicious attacks on mobile phones in 2013 happened on handsets running the Android system. If you own an iPhone you’re far less likely to have issues as Apple devices contributed to only 0.7% of the attacks and Nokia’s Symbian software came second to Android. So if you own an Android phone, how can you stop these attacks from happening? Here a list of my do’s and don’ts. Delete text messages from unknown callers that contain telephone numbers. This could be a text Trojan; a fake message that tricks you into clicking on a premium-rate number. This method was used in 40% of all Android attacks last year. Watch Read More
Are you safe from the ShellShock bug?
Quite a nasty bug is doing the rounds which is worth highlighting as it could have a serious impact on your computer. If the ShellShock Bug (also known as Bash Bug) does find a way into your system, the bad guys can take complete control of your machine and crack any passwords stored. SO WHO DOES THIS AFFECT? It's usually the Windows users that have to worry, but it's not the case this time round. This is targeted specifically at Apple Mac users. So if you have a Windows PC, you can sleep easy and ignore this but do forward this article to your colleagues and friends who have an Read More
Protecting your online identity
Every three seconds someone's identity is stolen! How at risk are you? With social media channels like Facebook and Twitter remaining as popular as ever, cyber criminals are able to access a wealth of personal information online. Even if you think you’re being cautious with your privacy settings, you could still be vulnerable to a cyber-attack – particularly if you allow third-party applications to be installed when downloading software from the web. Once a user's information such as location, date of birth and family connections has been logged, this can be used to hack into an account, such as banking and online storage. Here’s 8.5 tips to make your online Read More
Going back in time
Computers have the habit of surprising you at the least convenient of times; you’ve been typing away for months doing similar stuff day in day out, and you switch it on one morning - and the computer says NO! Instead of loading as usual, you're getting error messages you’ve never seen before, it's running slower than usual; a program that’s always been working– now doesn’t. Very frustrating when this happens. So why does it do this? 95% of the time, this is down to a recent Microsoft update that was automatically installed the last time you shut down the computer. These updates are designed to make your system more secure Read More
The SSD No-No’s
If the hard disc in your system is of the SSD type? (Solid State Disk) - THERE’S ONE THING YOU SHOULD NEVER DO…. Defragging a laptop or desktop PC that has a Solid State Disk can shorten the life of the disk considerably.Windows 7 & 8 is designed not to defrag but you might be defragging the system manually. If you do manually defrag, the drive could fail earlier than would ordinarily be expected. There are no moving parts in an SSD drive so the issue with files becoming fragmented (like traditional hard drives) does not apply.
Ignoring this email could prove very costly
Being a frequent user of email, I’m sure you’re very familiar with junk or spam email. Those annoying little emails which claim to be genuine and look like the real thing but instead will only cause havoc on your computer if opened. Well this one I’m about to tell you is NOT TO BE IGNORED. This particular spam email is on the increase and appears to come from a bank but is really sent from fraudsters trying to get their hands on your hard earned money. MY JAW JUST DROPPED WHEN I FIRST HEARD OF THIS. These emails carry malicious files that target Windows PC’s. Doesn’t affect Mac’s to date, Read More
Just put the phone down!
MICROSOFT TELEPHONE SCAM This has been doing the rounds for quite some time now but it's a problem still worth highlighting. You’ll get a call from an engineer who claims to work for Microsoft and reports that your system is badly infected with viruses. It’s at this point you should put the phone down! To rectify the issue (which doesn’t exist), they’ll for your credit card details and take control of your system. At this point, they have a free reign to do whatever they want on your computer. Best advice I can give is: 1) To hang up immediately. OR 2) Say that you used to be an IT Read More