Is Your Computer Compatible with Vista?

A lot of folks have been asking about Vista lately, wondering if Vista has improved any since its release date. The answer is 'yes', at least in my opinion.

Whenever a new Operating System (OS) is released, I usually advise my clients to stay away from it for a good year or so. This is because software is typically released before all the bugs are worked out of it, and there are usually compatibility issues with other software and hardware that may be running on the computer.

But now that Windows Vista has been out a while, it's more stable and more drivers have been created to solve compatibility issues. I've been using Vista for about a year now, and have not had any major problems with it. In fact, Vista has a few features that I have even come to love (like their gadgets).

For most of my clients, I still advise that they DON'T upgrade their computers to Vista - because of compatibility issues. But, if buying a new computer, then don't worry about getting Vista on it. Eventually, we'll all be forced to switch to Windows Vista. And that being the case, it's best to wait til you buy a new computer. You'll have a lot less headaches this way.

None the less, if you are considering making the switch to Windows Vista, you might want to check their compatibility list first to see if your existing hardware and software will work Vista. You can check compatibility list by checking the link below.

http://www.microsoft.com/windows/compatibility/

Checking the list can save you hours of frustration down the road when upgrading to Windows Vista.

Customizing Your Google Home Page

Once you have your Google home page set up, the next step is to customize it for you. By doing so, you can ensure that you're getting the information you want, while removing the stuff you don't want.

Once you've logged into your Google home page, you'll see a couple of links labeled, "Themes for Causes" and "Add Stuff".

The "Add Stuff" link will help you add RSS feeds and gadgets (like weather and calendar) that you're interested in. There are loads of gadgets and to make them easier to find, Google has separated them into categories (like tools, sports, finance, etc.).

In addition to the weather and calendar gadget, I tend to favor the "bookmarks" gadget and my favorite RSS feeds.

When you find one you like, simply click the "Add it Now" button under it. When done, click the "back to iGoogle home" link at top of page. If you hold the left mouse button down on the title bar of the gadget, you can drag and drop it anywhere you like on the page.

The "Themes for Causes" link allows you customize your Google page for a holiday, sports, or other theme. Some folks like to do this, some don't. It's a personal preference thing. But check it out to get a feel for how it works.

Having a Google home page can make your internet experience easier and more enjoyable. So give it a try.

Are You Protected from the Facebook Virus?

Computer viruses are typically designed to target popular programs ... and as such, there is now one targeting Facebook users. This virus was first discovered in August 2008 and is known by its technical name, "W32.Koobface.A" (and W32.Koob.face.worm, and Boface.A).

The best way to protect yourself against this worm is to make sure your antivirus software is up to date.

If you don't have an Antivirus program on your computer, I highly recommend Norton Internet Security (not Norton 360).

For more information about other viruses found on facebook, click here.

Beware of Perfect Defender!

Perfect Defender is another rogue, malware program (like Windows Antivirus). You'll know it has found its way onto your computer when you start seeing popup windows warning you of infections and asking you if you want to block programs from accessing your computer.

This is the time to stop what you're doing and remove the program from your computer.

You won't find Perfect Defender anywhere in your control panel under "Add/Remove Programs" (WinXP and earlier) or "Program and Features (Vista). You'll need a special program designed to remove Perfect Defender (or a some computer-know-how to remove it manually).

My advice is to get purchase a program called, Anti-Malware (by MalwareBytes). I've used this program several times to remove Windows Antivirus, Perfect Defender, and other rogue malware programs, and it works better than most other programs (and is easier to use!).

Programs like Perfect Defender and Windows Antivirus are capable of finding their way past many antivirus software programs. Installing Anti-Malwarre on your computer will help protect from these kinds of threats. Best of all, buying the program is a one-time fee!

For more information about Perfect Defender and Windows Antivirus, click here.

How to Setup a Google Home Page

Google allows you to create custom home pages which can make your internet life a lot easier. The big advantage of doing this is that you can view the information you want to see and remove the rest. These pages also tend to load a lot faster than MSN or Yahoo because there is a lot less graphics and advertising slowing things down.

Getting started is really easy. Just go to Google and create a new account (it's free).
https://www.google.com/accounts/NewAccount

If you already have a Google account, just sign in.
https://www.google.com/accounts/Login

Once you sign into your Google account, click the GOOGLE HOME link (top right corner of page) then the iGOOGLE link. This is the page you want to set as your home page.

To make Google your home page (so that it opens every time you open your internet browser), follow these steps ...

1. On the menu, click TOOLS and INTERNET OPTIONS (IE) or OPTIONS (Firefox)
2. If using Internet Explorer, click the USE CURRENT button then OK
   
3. If using Firefox, click the USE CURRENT PAGES button then OK

You now have your own Google home page. The next step is to customize it.

To learn how to customize your Google home page, click here.

How to Change Your Internet Home Page

When you first open Internet Explorer (or your internet browser of choice), the first page you see is referred to as your "home page". For may people, the home page is MSN or Yahoo. But this page can be set to any web page you want.

One of the frustrations folks encounter is that sometimes this page gets changed without your knowledge or permission. But in most cases, following the steps below will fix the problem.

The easiest way to change your home page is to go the web page you'd like to make "home" first. Then follow the steps below to make it your home page.

For Internet Explorer .......

1. On the menu, select TOOLS then INTERNET OPTIONS (a new window pops up)
   
2. Click the USE CURRENT button and then OK

For Firefox .....

1. On the menu, select TOOLS then OPTIONS (a new window pops up)
   
2. Click the USE CURRENT PAGES button and then OK

If you're using Internet Explorer 7 or Firefox, you can set multiple pages to open in tabs automatically when you first open the browser. To do this, open a tab and browse to the page you'd like to have open automatically (repeat this step for every page you want to automatically open). Once you have all the pages opened in tabs, follow the steps above to set your home page.

If you like, you can take setting a custom home page a step further. Several sites (like Google, MSN, and Yahoo) allow to customize their pages and make them your own. The advantage of doing this is that you can customize the pages so that you're getting the news or other information you want while removing the stuff you don't want.

While I have used MSN and Yahoo in the past, I have since switched my homepage to Google because it loads a lot faster and is much easier to customize and add RSS feeds to than the others.

So take control of your browser and set your own customized home pages.

To learn how to set up a Google home page, click here.

For more information tips on configuring your Firefox home page, click here.

How to Disable the HP Splash Screen

When you first turn on your HP computer, you see the HP logo on the screen. This screen is also commonly known as the "splash screen" (i.e., the screen you see when the computer is booting up).

Most people don't care to look at the scrolling text underneath that screen. But when you're trying to gain information about the computer or diagnose a problem, you need to see that text.

Many computer manufacturers allow you to bypass their logo screen by hitting the TAB key on the keyboard. But not HP. They insist you put a bit more effort into disabling that screen. Below are the steps for how to do this:

Step 1:
As soon as you turn the computer on, hit the F1 key to enter the system BIOS

Step 2:
On the menu, select the BOOT option by moving the right arrow on the keyboard.

Step 3:
Making sure BOOT-TIME DIAGNOSTIC is highlighted, hit the ENTER key on the keyboard

Step 4:
Select ENABLE to disable to HP Splash screen