Tiplet expert tips & tech support

March 7, 2009

Help, My Task Manager Is Disabled

Filed under: computer performance,data storage and recovery,privacy & security,Windows — Tags: , , , , , — admin @ 2:00 pm

by David Hakala

Windows’ built-in Task Manager is a pretty useful tool. It can help you shut down programs that are frozen or misbehaving. It can even shut down background processes that may be causing problems. Many people use Task Manager almost every day, so they are startled when they click on the Taskbar or press Ctl-Alt-Del and get something like this:

“Task Manager has been disabled by your administrator.”

If you work in an office that has a systems administrator go talk to him or her about the problem. But if you don’t have an administrator, how did Task Manager get disabled and how can you turn it back on?
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How to Copy Data Files From Your Mac to Your iPhone

Filed under: applications,digital media,file transfer,Macintosh,mobile computing — Tags: , , , — admin @ 9:00 am

by Davis Strom

If you have an iPhone, one of your frustrations is that you don’t easily have any way to make copies of your files from your Mac desktop and view them. You can use iTunes to move videos, photos and music files, but anything else is an issue.

It is an odd omission: Any iPod since the very early days has the ability to act as an USB-connected hard drive and you can drag and drop files to it—as long as you have enough room on your iPod, that is. Luckily, there is a solution – actually, several solutions. You’ll need to download an app for your iPhone, and we found many of them that claim to offer this feature. Sadly, none of them allows this simple configuration of being able to plug your iPhone into your computer via USB. But since the iPhone is chock full of connectivity, there are several ways to skin the file transfer cat. We tested a variety of apps that can connect in between your desktop and iPhone in some interesting, and perhaps too clever, ways.
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March 6, 2009

Should You Worry About Backing Up Gmail?

Filed under: data storage and recovery,e-mail,Internet — Tags: , , , — admin @ 6:00 pm

by Tina Gasperson

Gmail is Google’s web mail service. It’s popular, easy to use, and free. One of the best features of Gmail is that it is easy to archive messages that you’ve already read, and search for them later using Google’s search technology. Google says you’ll never have to delete another message – they give you 7 GB of storage space for free. For that reason, some people have taken to using Gmail like a backup storage service by emailing files to themselves.
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How to Disable Internet Explorer

Filed under: computer performance,Internet,Windows — Tags: , , , , , — admin @ 2:00 pm

by David Hakala

Internet Explorer (IE), Microsoft’s free Web browser included with all versions of Windows, is by far the most widely used browser just because it’s free and it’s there. Some people don’t like it, and install an alternative browser such as Firefox, Opera, or Google Chrome. Some people really hate IE and want it off their computers entirely.
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What’s the Best Way to Complain About Problems?

Filed under: communication — Tags: , — admin @ 9:00 am

by Gabe Goldberg

“Whine, whine, whine,” “Gripe, gripe, gripe,” and even “kvetch, kvetch, kvetch” usually mean “Shut up; stop complaining.” But when things go wrong, complaining courteously to the right person with a specific remedy in mind can be rewarding.

If a company Web site has a “Contact us” link, start there with an email or telephone connection. Be polite, identify yourself, mention how you’re connected to the organization (current or potential customer, etc.), and describe your dissatisfaction. Staying calm and cheerful will set you apart from most people and will improve the odds of your getting satisfaction.
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March 5, 2009

How Do I Replace the Battery In My Laptop Computer?

Filed under: computer hardware — Tags: , , — admin @ 6:00 pm

by Tina Gasperson

Laptops seem to be most useful when the battery is fully charged and you know it will last a good two hours or more. After all, what good is a portable computer if you have to find a working electrical outlet to use it? OK, it’s still some good. However, it’s much better to have a powerful battery or two that you can rely on during those times when other people have claimed every outlet in the coffee shop, but you still need to get that report typed. Replacing your laptop battery is easy to do, and if you look around a bit you might find a great deal too.
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How to Delete or Move a File That Is “In Use By Another User Or Program”

Filed under: applications,computer performance,data storage and recovery,Windows — Tags: , , , — admin @ 2:00 pm

by David Hakala

Have you ever encountered one of these error messages when you tried to delete or move a file on your Windows machine?

Cannot delete file: Access is denied
There has been a sharing violation.
The source or destination file may be in use.
The file is in use by another program or user.
Make sure the disk is not full or write-protected and that the file is not currently in use.
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How to Use SuperDuper to Make Backups and Bootable Mac Disks

Filed under: applications,computer hardware,data storage and recovery,Macintosh — Tags: , , , , — admin @ 9:00 am

by David Strom

After having my laptop stolen from the trunk of my locked car in a shopping mall parking lot, I am very paranoid about making copies of my data. Apple’s latest version of the Mac OS includes backup software called Time Machine that will make regular copies of the files on your hard drive. But what if you aren’t running this version (10.5) or want to use something else? My recommendation is a product called SuperDuper. You can try it for free with some limitations before you purchase a copy for less than $30.
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March 4, 2009

Can I Get Old-Style PC Keyboards with “Clickability” Tactile Feedback?

Filed under: computer hardware — Tags: , , , , — admin @ 6:00 pm

by Gabe Goldberg

No matter how much you spend for a (non-laptop) computer, it’s likely to come with a junky low-end keyboard which you’ll hate. For much of my computing career, I was spoiled by using high-quality keyboards attached to various IBM terminals; early IBM computers maintained this battleship-robust quality. I was fortunate that early in my PC use, a friend gave me not one but two IBM Model M keyboards. They’ve survived multiple moves and been connected to several PCs, and they just keep on clicking with that nice tactile feel that typing should have.
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Why Won’t My Computer Recognize My SD Card?

Filed under: computer hardware,computer performance,digital media,photos and video — Tags: , , — admin @ 2:00 pm

by Tina Gasperson

SD cards are standard equipment for anyone who owns a digital camera. These tiny memory packages have become digital film, and for years, desktop computers and laptops alike have come with an SD card reader installed by default. So what’s the problem if you insert your new SD card and your computer doesn’t recognize it?
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How to Improve Wireless Internet Reception and Get Free WiFi Legally

Filed under: Internet,wireless computing — Tags: , , , , , , — admin @ 9:00 am

by David Hakala

The distance record for wireless Internet reception based on 802.11 technology is 125 miles, set in June 2005. You probably don’t need that much reach, or all the hundreds of icons that would show up in your “available WiFi networks” list if you could reach out that far. But you may be struggling to get a strong, consistent signal from your home WiFi network. You may also have heard there is free WiFi available in your neighborhood, but can’t seem to find it. Solutions are at hand.
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