Radio Spots For the 27th March

Backing Up

The 3 copy rule – you don’t have a copy of 1 unless you have 3 copies 

• 1 on your computer
• 1 on external media 
• 1 in the cloud 

Remember the perils of not backing up ( hard drives die at the rate of 8% a year after 3 years )

Online backup options can include :

• Dropbox
• Carbonite
• CrashPlan

If backing up to DVDs , CDs be aware that factors can affect the life expectancy of the disc with some home made DVDs only lasting between 2 - 4 years 

Factors that affect disc life expectancy of DVDs and CDs include the following:

• type
• manufacturing quality
• condition of the disc before recording
• quality of the disc recording
• handling and maintenance
• environmental conditions

Remember - Organise your files for easy backup and restore , documents belong with documents , music with music and photos with photos and files do not live on the desktop.

Emails

Ever made a mistake sending that email – well there are a couple of options that can get you out of trouble 

If you use Gmail you can recall a message after a few seconds with their “ undo send “ setting 

In Outlook you can establish a rule to delay sending any emails 

Apple Warranties

The warranty has just changed to be in line with Australian law which requires that sellers offer a warranty for a reasonable period from date of delivery until the failure becomes apparent – this has been interpreted as 2 years for computers

You need to contact the “seller “ of the product rather than the manufacturer.

SMH Story On Apple Warranty

Tips Of The Week

1. Save your Office documents in case of a power or computer problem - Applies to both Windows and Apple computers  Click here for more details
2. How do you know a genuine Paypal email - emails from Paypal will always address you by your first and last name and will have no Western Union references

App Of The Week

The Paper Toss App - play toss the piece of paper into the office bin 

For more information click here ; Paper Toss App

Power FM Spot For 7th Nov

On This Week In Technology

2002

In New York, Microsoft officially unveils the Windows XP Tablet PC Edition operating system.

Shows how long tablets have been around and this week is the week that the Microsoft Surface orders arrive 

Talking Points

Installing Windows 8 on an old computer , here are some tips 

• Backup all your data
• Get all the software you want to install ready
• Windows XP or Vista , restore your computer to factory settings using the discs you received with the computer or the inbuilt restore function  
• You may need additional drivers for devices on your computer so make sure you know the make and go to the manufacturers site and download from there

Android

It is also 6 years of the Android operating system 

The Commonwealth Consumer Affairs Advisory Council ( CCAAC ) ( impressive name ) is having an enquiry into dodgy apps 

More than 100,000 Android apps in the Google play store pose a security risk 

• This includes accessing GPS location data ( these include wallpapers , games , utilities )
• Accessing phone calls or phone numbers
• Accessing personal data such as contacts and or email

Mashable article On Google Apps 

App Of The Week

Spot The International Space station 

Sign up on this site and NASA will send you an email when the International Space Station will appear overhead.

Backup , Format Your Computer And Reap The Rewards

The computer is one of those rare things that you can make exactly the same as when you first bought it , but yes it takes a bit of work.
I sometimes end up having to format and reinstall peoples operating systems and there is a definite order in which this should be done. 

First have you backed up everything that you need:

The " My Documents " folder should contain the bulk of what you need to back up.

• All your documents , photos , movies , memories etc
• A folder with your internet favourites saved in  , export them from your current browser or Firefox and Google Chrome will sync them for you if you have adjusted the settings
• Instant Message Profiles ( Google search on how to do this )
• Software you have purchased or downloaded with the activation keys 
• Music ( you have purchased or downloaded ) , dont forget the itunes folder
• Your e mails and address book if you do not use a web based e mail solution and if you think about it you should , makes it easier if the worst happens.

Firstly you need to format the hard drive.

You can do this by inserting the Windows disk and follow the instructions on the screen or using the built in format and restore to original condition that comes with many computers.

Now wait until the drive has formatted and the operating system has loaded , follow the instructions and don't be impatient, it takes time.
Fill in all the instructions that Windows needs , keyboard , location etc and wait until that final reboot.
Do not turn on Automatic updates.
After the final reboot and the windows screen is looking at you take out the disk.
Again let me say do not turn on Automatic updates at this time.

Now configure your internet connection.

Now go to Windows Update and select custom not automatic ( if on Windows XP) or just go to Windows Update in Vista and Windows 7 and select the automatic and optional updates, as you are after all updates.

If it has been a while since you bought your computer you will have many , many , many , did i say many updates and reboots to go through.

Keep installing and updating until there are no more to update then reboot your machine and you should be ready to install your software.

Don't try and skimp on this and be aware that it can take several hours to get your system up to date.

Now when you are installing your updates sometimes things may go wrong and it will stop installing updates and say that they will not install.

Here then is the bad news , you will have to go to Microsoft downloads and manually install them one by one.Look for the incident number to make sure you are downloading the correct file.If you can you will see that there is a + sign next to the download which takes you to the link at Microsoft or copy the description into the search pane.

Remember you need these to download to keep your system secure and operating well

Install your Antivirus solution and I recommend going with the new FREE Microsoft Security Essentials if you want a free solution or Nod32 if you want a paid solution.

Make sure you have it totally updated before you proceed any further.

You will sometimes have to reboot your machine and update your antivirus a few times.
Wait until there are no more updates for your antivirus then reboot your machine.

Now that your system is up to date you can turn on Automatic updates in the knowledge that you have completed a job well done and your computer is just like the day you bought it .

If you have restored a machine which is filled with trialware and software ( AOL , McAfee , Norton trials etc) that the manufacturer is trying to get you to use ,  install PC Decrapifier which will remove these.

You can now start to reinstall all your software and then your documents onto your computer.

After installing your software , check for updates and don't forget Adobe Flash , Java and Adobe Reader updates.

Backing Up On An Apple Computer

So what do you backup on an Apple computer to an external hard drive  ?

Try and stick to the basics.

• Documents

• Music - this will grab iTunes

• Photos

• Movies

• Desktop

Keeping it simple and using a drag and drop method is sometimes preferable to an automated backup solution.

Remember you can use Apple's time machine as well.

Should You Scan A Backup Before Restoring

If you have backed up all your data to an external hard drive and are restoring that data to your computer , especially a new computer , it may pay you to scan that data with an antivirus software in case you have accidentally backed up an infected file.

In your backup you should have only backed up files not programs .

Keep your backup to

• Documents

• Pictures

• Music

• Movies

If you have downloaded programs then keep these separate from the above files and scan them.

Power FM Spot For 11th July

On This Week In Technology

In 2009 a 15 year old girl fell into an open sewer while texting

CNET Article 

Discussion Point Of The Week

Backup

Too many people don't back up their most valuable documents and photos

If you don't have 3 copies of something you don't have a copy.

Use an external hard drive

Use an internet service - Dropbox , Google Docs - Online storage Link

Use DVD's ( buy brand name ) 

App Of The Week

The Dark Knight Rules App - Gotham City's Most Wanted

You too can look like Batman , Bane or Catwoman with this free app which will put a mask over your face from your iPhone and you can share on Facebook

5AA Segment For 10th July

Subject 1

The world didn’t come to an end yesterday with the DNS Malware Changer and people should be more concerned with the other malware they have on their computers.

People are still neglecting updating their computers which is the first line of defence against getting a virus

Subject 2

Backup – you don’t have a copy unless you have 3 copies 

Your computer

External media , hard drive , DVD , USB Flash Drive

Internet

Don’t lose your most precious memories.

Tip Of The Week

Have your iPhone camera LED flash when you have a message 

1. Go to settings 
2. General
3. Accessibility
4. Turn On LED flash for Alerts
5. Make sure your camera flash is on 

Image Your Hard Drive For Restore & Backup

 

When you install an operating system or you have formatted your hard drive and you have things exactly the way you want why not image your hard drive.

An "image" is an exact copy of your hard drive that you can use to restore your computer if things go wrong.

You could also take an image of your hard drive on a regular basis as a way of backing up.

Remember if you take an image of your hard drive you can then restore it to the exact state when you took the " image"

There are a couple of free solutions for this:

• Macrium Reflect 
• Drive Image XML

Windows 7 also allows you to do this.

Back up your programs , system settings and files 

What You Need If Disaster Strikes

If the worst happens and your computer crashes , what do you need to get everything back up and running quickly.

One

A Backup , preferably of your user profile on your computer.

You get this by opening up your hard drive on your computer , say the " C " drive

Then find your " user name " which will either be visible straight away or in " documents and settings"

This contains all the relevant files , including application settings , documents , music and photos.

Two

Your software for that computer.

You will need your copy of Office for example and any other discs or downloaded software you need , along with installation keys.

You should keep this say in a box so that it is easy to lay your hands on.

Three

If your computer has a built in format and reload the operating system function , make sure you know how to access it.

This is usually acheived by a combination of keys such as alt F11 being pressed when the computer is restarting.

Knowledge of these three can get you up and running reasonably quickly.

Quick Backup Guide - Windows and Mac

Looking for a quick backup guide where you backup everything then try this method.

I much prefer this method to an automated backup solution which can show the backup as a 'Blob " then you have to delve into the blob to recover files.

It is much better to see the folders and files in a backup.

Also when you have backed up make sure that backup works by opening up files on the backup.

This method works if you have not moved your documents from the C drive.

Windows

Open the C Drive on your computer

Go to Documents and Settings 

You should see your User Profile  , eg Richard 

This is the folder you should back up as it contains all your files and settings.

So you should go highlight the folders , then go to edit , select all and edit copy and paste into a folder on an external hard drive.

Mac - Apple - osX

Go to your User name

This is what you should copy and back up as it will take all your files.

When Is A Back Up , A Back Up ?

Firstly I try and keep everything I need to back up in an organised system of folders on my hard drive.

Solution 1

The " My Documents " folder should contain the bulk of what you need to back up.

• All your documents , photos , movies , memories etc
• A folder with your internet favourites saved in ( or you should just use Delicious and you would always have your internet favourites and across all browsers)
• Instant Message Profiles ( Google search on how to do this )
• Software you have purchased or downloaded with the activation keys 
• Music ( you have purchased or downloaded )

Remember to back up your e mails and address book ( contacts ) if you do not use a web based e mail solution ( Google is ideal for this ) and if you think about it you should , makes it easier if the worst happens.

Think of your hard drive as like a filing cabinet and organise it accordingly , it will make it so much easier when it comes to backing up.

Solution 2

If however you want to do a quick backup of your folders and information , you can just backup your user account.

In Windows 7 go to Computer and open up your C drive 

Next open up users

Then copy everything in your named folder 

Finally what is a back up , a back up is 3 copies , one on your computer , one on a portable hard drive , flash drive , dvd , etc and one stored in " the cloud" by using Skydrive , Google Docs , Dropbox to give some examples.

Download Your Facebook Tagged Photos

Do you want to see and download the photo's on facebook that you have been tagged in.

Then try Facebook Downloader

Facebook Downloader will allow you to download your tagged facebook photos, albums and friends' photos to your computer.

You will then have a backup of your photos that you have been tagged in from Facebook.

For more information on Facebook Downloader , see this quick video from Tekzilla 

Sync Files Across Multiple Computers / Multiple Platforms

I use 2 solutions for syncing files across multiple computers. 

Windows Live Mesh where if you have a Windows Live account you can sync 5GB of data between computers , Windows or Mac , yes it is a cross platform solution.

You sign into Windows Live ( you can sign up with your own email address)

Install the software on each computer, seperate installs for Windows or Mac designate the folders you want to share and sync.

I am also a big fan of Dropbox to keep files in sync across multiple computers.

Dropbox will sync your files online to a secure server as well as all the computers that have the Dropbox software and folder on them.

Dropbox also keeps copies of files so if you delete a file you can retrieve a copy.

Here is a link to a previous article I had written on Dropbox

This Is Why You Must Back Up

I noticed the following story on Digg  ( Hewlett Packard Wipes Your Hard Drive To Fix A Broken Key ) and it highlights the fact that no matter what ,you should always back up because you don't know what may happen.
The story basically states that it is HPs policy that they format and reinstall the operating system no matter what sort of repair they are going to do. 

The poor person in the story only went in to get a key replaced on her laptop.
I recently helped someone who put her laptop in for a new keyboard and the repairer replaced:

• The Keyboard
• The Hard Drive
• The Ram

She gave the old hard drive to me in the hope that i would be able to get her documents off the drive , the repairer of the laptop claimed they could not ( they did not try hard enough as I was able to recover all documents ).

Did she need her ram changed , no.
Did she need a new hard drive , probably not

So when putting your computer in for repairs it pays to ask a few questions.

• Are you an authorized repairer for the computers brand?
• Are you going to wipe my hard drive?
• How long will this job take?

Dont underestimate the question of time as in Adelaide there was a computer repairer that if you got your computer back within 6 months , yes 6 months , you were doing well.

Remember have a backup schedule.

Dropbox - File and Folder Syncing and Backup Solution

Maximum PC has a great article on Dropbox the file and folder syncing and backup facility that offers a FREE 2GB account.

Remember when you put your files into your Dropbox on one computer they are instantly available on your other computers , even Mac and Linux.

When you are on the internet and save a file on Dropbox your changed file will automatically be changed on any computer you have Dropbox installed on.

There is a copy of your files to be found on the Dropbox servers as well , so you can log onto your files from any computer.

This link will take you to all the Dropbox features

Backup Week With The Adelaide Techguy

This week will be about backing up.

Backup , Backup , Backup

We all say we will do it but few rarely do.

Then when the worst happens we try and get back the memories and important documents that could be lost forever.
You need 3 copies of your important documents.
Why 3 copies?
Well if you have one on your hard drive that really is not good enough and you need to move on to the second copy.
Second copy could be , back up to DVD , CD , Flash drive.
Back up's like these should also be kept at a different location to your computer.
All these have a limited life and should not be looked at as a permanent solution as these do not last forever. especially the DVD's and CD's.

Here is the link to David Pogue's article from the New York Times which addresses the subject of DVD life span's.

You could also back up to a portable hard drive and use Microsoft Sync Toy to sync your files between the computer and the external hard drive.

If your computer has 2 hard drives on it then your operating system should be on one and your documents on the other.This makes it easier to back up.

Then there is the online solution such as Windows Skydrive  which will give you 25GB of storage but you will have to upload your documents to the "cloud".

There is also Windows Live Sync which will keep your documents synced between computers and " the cloud"

This is ideal if you have more than one computer and or a spare one to sync to and works with both pc's and macs.

Then there is also Live Mesh which allows you to sync your files between multiple computers and again it works with both PCs and Macs.

I have had success with both but would say that Windows Live Sync is the better option as Live Mesh for me became a resource drain on my computers. 

One of the best back up options is Dropbox where you can get a 2GB free account.

Dropbox when installed on your computer is just like another folder and when you save a file/document to Dropbox it is saved to the web ( the cloud ).You can then access your files from any computer by logging into Dropbox.

If you have multiple computers ( think home and work ) they will automatically be synced with any files when you log into the computer and the Dropbox account.

If you want a paid account for more room then a 50GB account is only $9.99 a month ( US Pricing )

Remember no solution is ideal for a long term basis so try and use the solution that is the easiest solution for you and do not leave your backup to luck.

Finally remember that failure rates of  hard drives can be up to 13% by the second year of use.

So in the end make sure you back up.