How do I … (fill-in-the-blank)…?

Posted on February 23, 2016April 29, 2024 by Gail Eddy in Apple, Desktop, iMac, Mac's, Microsoft, PC's, Tips, Win10, Windows 10, Windows 8

How-To Books:

Like a lot of our customers, I try to figure things out for myself before I call in outside support and training. That is doubly true for learning new software and applications. If my friends can’t help, I type my request into Google. If that doesn’t work, I head to the bookstore. With that in mind, here are some books we recommend:

If you’re trying to learn Windows 10:

Windows 10: The Missing Manual by David Pogue. I became a fan of Mr. Pogue’s books when I got my first iPhone. I’ve long since moved on from that phone, but the book is still on my shelf.
Teach Yourself VISUALLY Windows 10 (Teach Yourself VISUALLY (Tech)) by Paul McFedries is another good one. I’m a visual person and like to see lots of pictures. The “Visually” series is very helpful for me.

If you can’t figure out your Windows 8 machine:

Windows 8 Quick Reference Guide (Cheat Sheet of Instructions, Tips & Shortcuts – Laminated) by Beezix Inc. is a handy reference guide to keep on the wall near your computer.
Windows 8.1 For Dummies Book + DVD Bundle by Andy Rathbone is another helpful Dummies guide.
Top 100 Tips for Windows 8: Discover the Secrets of Windows 8 by Tim Sievers is also recommended.

If you need help learning how to navigate on your new Mac:

OS X El Capitan For Dummies by Bob LeVitus. I love the “Dummies” books. They’re always easy to understand and straightforward.
Switching to the Mac: The Missing Manual, El Capitan Edition by David Pogue. Yup, another very helpful Missing Manual book.

Microsoft Office

Microsoft Office 2013 Essentials Quick Reference Guide (Cheat Sheet of Instructions, Tips & Shortcuts – Laminated Card) by Beezix Inc. This is another laminated guide to keep near your desk.
Office 2016 All-In-One For Dummies (Office All-in-One for Dummies) by Peter Weverka. This All-in-One guide covers each of the applications included in the Office Suite. From Word and Excel, to Outlook and PowerPoint. It even includes Access! This is for the newest version of Office.

Open Office:

I’m trying to find a great book to recommend on using OpenOffice, a replacement for the (fairly expensive) Windows Office Suite. If there is a book that you love, please share the title with me and let me know why it’s so great!

Chris Eddy of Geek For Hire, Inc. has been providing computer service to families and small businesses with Mac’s and PC’s for the past fourteen years. His company is highly rated by both the BBB (Better Business Bureau) and by Angie’s List. You can find more at http://www.GeekForHireInc.com Geek For Hire, Inc. provides onsite service (Tier 3) to the Denver / Boulder / Front Range area. Links to products may provide a small commission to Geek For Hire.

Windows 10 Update

Posted on February 16, 2016May 2, 2024 by Gail Eddy in Data Backup, Hard Drive, Microsoft, Passwords, PC's, Tips, Win10, Windows 10, Windows 7, Windows 8, Windows XP

Upgrading to Windows 10?

We continue to see machines that have upgraded to Windows 10 with serious problems. And, I continue to get asked if machines should be upgraded.

Here’s the scoop:

If you have a Windows 7 machine, don’t upgrade unless you have a serious business need.
If you have a Windows 8 machine, you should be okay to upgrade, although you may still experience some issues
If you have a Windows XP or earlier machine, don’t (DO NOT!) upgrade. Consider purchasing a new machine with Windows 8 or 10 already installed.

If you’re planning to upgrade do this first:

Back up your data. Use an external Hard Drive if you have one, or upload to the Cloud
Make sure you have a list of all the programs and applications that you use.
Make sure you know what all of your passwords are, especially if you have asked your computer to remember them for you.
Make sure you know what your WiFi Router password is.

Tired of the Win10 “Nag” message?

I asked Chris how to get rid of the message that pops up frequently reminding you to UPGRADE NOW! WHILE IT’S STILL FREE!. Here’s what he said:

“The only reliable method I’ve found so far to prevent a machine from presenting the “Get Windows 10 Upgrade” (GWX) nag message is to rename the GWX folder which contains the upgrade program.
- See a small window icon in the tray, to the left of the clock in the task bar.
- Go to the folder: “C:\Windows\System32” /and/ the “C:\Windows\SysWOW64”
- Rename the “GWX” folder to something else – such as: “_GWX”, if it exists in either folder. Note that you will see a popup titled “Folder Access Denied” and the message “You’ll need to provide administrator permission to rename this folder”. Click on the “Continue” button to proceed with renaming the GWX folder.
- Reboot your machine.
- See that the small window icon is not present, and note that it does /not/ reappear”

If you have any questions about upgrading, give us a call

Chris Eddy of Geek For Hire, Inc. has been providing computer service to families and small businesses with Mac’s and PC’s for the past fourteen years. His company is highly rated by both the BBB (Better Business Bureau) and by Angie’s List. You can find more at http://www.GeekForHireInc.com Geek For Hire, Inc. provides onsite service (Tier 3) to the Denver / Boulder / Front Range area.
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Windows 10 Advice – Revised

Posted on August 11, 2015April 29, 2024 by Gail Eddy in Microsoft, Win10, Win8, Windows 10, Windows 7, Windows 8

A few weeks ago, I asked Chris about Windows 10. Should I upgrade right away, or wait awhile? What should I tell our customers and readers of the blog? His answer was basically:

“Unless you have a reason to stay with your current operating system (and especially if you have Win8), it should be fine to upgrade.”

Well, he’s changed his mind.

Windows 10 has been plagued with issues, especially for computers without the capacity to properly run it. So, if you have Windows XP, or Windows Vista machine without a modern processor and upgraded RAM, you should do those upgrades first, or consider a new machine with Windows 10 already installed.

Chris has also talked with other people that have upgraded with zero problems. One guy said that the upgrade “breathed new life into his laptop”. Chris added:

“Of course, it could just be that we’re only getting calls from folks who are having issues!”

Another huge issue with Windows 10 that is just starting to come to light, is the amount of information that Microsoft collects. The collected data isn’t just for targeted advertising A recent article in Wired states:

“Of course, Microsoft’s privacy statement outlines all the data that is collected, and you agreed to this when you downloaded Windows 10 and checked the terms of service.

In this Age of the Unread Terms of Service Agreement, it’s important to, well, read the ToS. It’s too easy for our technologies to gather personal information without our realizing it. Microsoft is far from the only perpetrator…”

Of course, in order to actually use Windows 10, you do have to agree to the Terms of Service. Once the new Operating System is installed, you should change the privacy and tracking settings.

So Chris’ new advice is to wait until you have a real need before installing the Windows 10 Operating System. Windows 10 doesn’t really give you much more than Windows 7. You don’t really need to run right out and get it now. If you’ve already upgraded to Windows 10, what was your experience?

Chris Eddy of Geek For Hire, Inc. has been providing computer service to families and small businesses with Mac’s and PC’s for the past fourteen years. His company is highly rated by both the BBB (Better Business Bureau) and by Angie’s List. You can find more on our website. Geek For Hire, Inc. provides onsite service (Tier 3) to the Denver / Boulder / Front Range area and remote service throughout North America.