So your mom, sister, or even best buddy calls you up and says, “My computer is broke help me fix it!” Instinctively you would rush over to help them with their computer needs. However here are a few things to thing about before you go rushing to start the repairs.

1. Before beginning any repairs on the system be sure you ask the End User what they would like backed up. It is very important to backup any crucial data before you start troubleshooting the system. Computers are tricky and we never know what will happen when we start poking around it’s insides. So before you do anything BACKUP
2. Tell them what you plan on doing with the computer. This does not mean “I am going to fix it”. Tell them what you think is wrong and if anything else happens along the way let them know. It is much better to keep them updated rather than breaking all the bad news at once!
3. Privacy!!!! No person on this planet wants their person data floating around. When you backup do it to a secure hard drive or to a disk. Never throw the disk away!! Even if you do not use the disk to restore the data give it to the family member or friend. This ensures that if the data is lost or stolen that you are not responsible.
4. Respect! You might be dealing with data of all types. Just because you are fixing the computer does not give you the right to snoop into the My Documents folder on their computer. Respect them and don’t do it!
5. Treat the computer as if it was yours. I know we can all get lazy and not be considerate at times. However it is very important that you do not damage the computer during the repair process. I am sure your Family Member or Friend will not be very happy if you break something that will cost money to fix.
6. Enjoy helping out your friends and family but be professional about it. I am sure that if you do you will feel guilt free and kindhearted!

Post your own comment/question to twitter :

http://tinyurl.com/dg3kl4 –

Comments Posted from Twitter :

UPDATE : Twitter has restored full functionality to the unfollow feature on both @aplusk and @cnnbrk.

If you have not noticed CNN and Ashton Kutcher are doing a battle on twitter. As of today April 16, 2009 Twitter has removed the ability for you to unfollow @aplusk or @cnnbrk.

I can understand where twitter is going considering they do not want to loose a user base or active users after this little contest. The real question however is it right for twitter to remove the ability for you to unfollow certain people? In my opinion No. Regardless of what is at stake the users should still maintain the ability to choose what updates they get and what updates they can do without. By twitter forcing a user who has 1. Mistakenly followed or 2. Someone who got caught in the moment and really does not care for either party is wrong and I feel sorry for the people who got suckered into this little battle and now will have to put up with these twitter updates. (Honestly not what I want in my twitter client)

The internet is a place for individuality and the conversations about what is right or wrong will always be common place. Give us your opinions by leaving a comment or by adding #apluskcnnbrk in your twitter update.
Post your own comment/question to twitter :

http://tinyurl.com/dmem6w –

Comments Posted from Twitter :

First please watch the video above as it will help you better understand the tools required to get this job done correctly.

I have always had the issue of Mac OS X not having the best IRC clients. So I decided to start using mIRC within a VM (Virtual Machine) Running windows XP. However the problem I ran into was not getting the fancy growl notifications when I received a PM or Highlight. To solve this issue we at Geekologist have found a way to get mIRC to send notifications to Growl via SSH.

Requirements :

• plink.exe – It can be download from putty’s download page. (Just google Putty)
• growlnotify – This is included in the software bundle when you download Growl
• mIRC (Obvious)
• SSH enabled on the Mac – (Follow the instructions in the video to do this)
• Growl installed and running on the mac

mIRC Scripts you will need :

For Highlights :

On $*:Text:*:#: {
if ($highlight($1-)) {
if (($0 == 1) && ($1 isnum)) return
else echo $color(highlight) -ts -Highlight- $nick highlighted you in $chan $+ . ( $+ $replace($1-,$ifmatch, $+ $ifmatch $+ ) $+ )
/run -hide plink.exe -ssh MACIP -l YOURUSERNAME -pw YOURPASSWORD /Users/YOURUSERNAME/growlnotify –image ‘/users/YOURUSERNAME/images.png’ -t ‘ Highlight from $nick ‘ -m ‘ $chan $+ : $replace($1-,$ifmatch, $+ $ifmatch $+ ) $+ ‘ -n ‘ mIRC ‘
}

For PM’s :
On $*:Text:*:?: {
if ($nick == $active) { return }
/run -hide plink.exe -ssh MACIP -l YOURUSERNAME -pw YOURPASSWORD /Users/YOURUSERNAME/growlnotify –image ‘/Users/YOURUSERNAME/images.png’ -t ‘PM from $nick ‘ -m ‘ $1- ‘
}

Please replace YOURUSERNAME with your mac username, YOURPASSWORD with your mac password and MACIP with the IP address of the mac running growl.

If you have any questions or comments please leave them below.

If you’re reading this, you are hopefully a Windows user. If you are anything but a Windows user, enjoy the rest of the site. This particular post is meant to be a resource for those that have experienced the irreversible crashing or feel the need to restore their PC to the factory default conditions by reformatting. Either way, this post is here to help individuals seek a number of programs, through this single resource, to aid in the crash & reformat process. I would recommend downloading these programs and backing them up on an external source, such as a USB jump drive, external hard drive, or even copying them to a DVD-RW drive so you can install these programs before connecting to the Internet again.

Disclaimer: This is only meant as a compiled resource. I do not necessary recommend or endorse any one or numerous programs in this guide. However, I have placed a ** in front of them as they conform to my needs. Your particular needs may be different, depending on how often you use your Windows PC and what you use it for.

Service Packs: Service Packs are essential to your Windows operating system. They provide essential performance and security updates to help your Windows machine run more efficiently and be more secure.

Windows Vista

All versions: Service Pack 1

Windows XP

1. Home/Professional Edition (32 bit): Service Pack 1, Service Pack 2*, Service Pack 3*

Anti-Virus Software: There is a number of good anti-virus software out on the market. Some are paid versions while others are freeware versions. Personally, I believe that some of the freeware versions are equivalent to the paid versions, so I will be providing a number of anti-virus freeware.

1.**Avast Home Edition: I switched to Avast from AVG recently and I have to say, I’m glad I made the switch. Avast is a lightweight program specifically designed to find any all viruses, even the incoming ones, and remove them. Avast is ideal if you plan on running a separate, more sophisticated Anti-Spyware program.

2. AVG Free 8.0: AVG is one of the more popular free anti-virus software on the Internet. It combines its comprehensive Anti-Virus protection along with its newly created anti-spyware protection to keep your Windows machine protected and help it run more smoothly. AVG also comes with other tools in its software as well to help protect you while reading e-mail, surfing the Internet, and much more.

3. Avira AntiVir Personal: With extensive malware recognition of viruses, trojans, backdoor programs, worms, and more Avira makes Anti-Virus ideal for any Windows PC. Installation and configuration are done in a couple of steps. A help forum and phonme support are available, as well as a Knowledge base with virus descriptions available on the web site.

Anti-Spyware: Anti-Spyware software helps protect your Windows machine from unwanted and harmful malicious software intending to ruin the performance and security of your PC.

1.**SUPERAntiSpyware: Don’t let the cheesy name fool you. This program is considered on of the best out there. It’s light on system resources and has a very high detection rate. It’s unique repair tool makes this program one of a kind.

2.**Spybot Search and Destroy: Spybot is another unique anti-spyware program. Not only does Spybot remove spyware and other malware from your PC but it can also use methods inside of your browser to protect it from future attacks. That’s not all, though. Spybot also has the ability to back up your registry and recover components that may have been lost due to the spyware purging.

3. MalwareByte’s AntiMalware: A baby to the Anti-Spyware conglomerate, MBAM is a program that can detect some of the more advanced malware. It includes a number of features, including a built-in protection monitor that block malicious processes before they even start.

4. Ad-Aware 8.0 (Anniversary Edition): Lavasoft does a nice job when it comes to removing spyware. Ranked number one on download.com, Ad-Aware is most effective when combined with other security tools.

Firewalls: Another crucial component to protecting your Windows machine, a firewall acts as a filter keeping malware out and helps to keep your PC running as it should. If you’re looking for something to replace Windows Firewall, here are four really good suggestions.

1. Comodo Firewall Pro: “It’s Pro? And it’s free?” Absolutely! Comodo Firewall Pro has a number of components inside of this program to maximize the protection of your PC. First it has its Network Defense and Proactive Defense components, providing protection on the inside and outside of your Internet connection. Second, it has it’s own malware scanner, which will scan upon installation. Comodo also contains a variety of other tools to help you with your PC’s security: View Active Connections, My Network Zones, View Firewall Events, and much more.

2. Zone Alarm: Zone Alarm Free, fortunately, is now available for your Windows Vista machine. And, thankfully, it is still a #1 firewall used amongst Windows 2000 and XP users. Zone Alarm is a more unbloated version of Comodo, in that it only does a few simple tasks. First, the firewall portion protects your PC at your discretion, allowing you to set the filter on certain applications connecting to the Internet. Second, the Internet lock halts all web traffic while your Windows 200o/XP machine is not in use or if you have not opened a web browser. Third, the Zones portion of the program monitors overall activity on your PC and notified you when a new application wants to connect to the Internet.

3. Sunbelt Personal Firewall: Sunbelt Personal Firewall helps users control how their computers exchange data with other computers on the Internet or within the local network. It’s a necessity for all desktop computers connected to a broadband Internet. Versions 4.2.2 and prior are FREE for home and personal use.

4. Sygate Personal Firewall: Whether your working, banking, gaming, or even chatting, Sygate protects your Windows machine by actively looking for Trojan applications and hostile intruders that wish to break your system. If an attempt occurs, it blocks it by default. The same is true for applications; if an unauthorized application attempts to access the Internet, it, too, will be blocked by default. (Note: Since November 30th, 2005, all Sygate Firewall products have been discontinued. The last version is still available through the above link.)

Internet Browsers: Having the right Internet browser makes all the difference when it comes to your PC. It’s good to have an all-around browser: fast, open source, and secure. Having all three of these components in a browser will make your Internet browsing more enjoyable and less of a hassle.

1. Mozilla Firefox: One of the more common browsers on the open source market today, Firefox is known for its speed as well as its flexibility when it comes to your browsing experience. Firefox has over 5,000 add-ons and plug-ins to make your browsing experience more secure and enjoyable for you. Integrated anti-phising and anti-malware measures within the browser make this Internet browser a must have.

2. Internet Explorer 8: The recently released IE 8 is supposedly faster, safer, and more customizable. If you use IE 7 and are looking to update, click the link above.

3. Avant: The Avant browser is more of a secret in the web-browsing community, in my opinion. Avant is based on Microsoft Internet Explorer’s rendering engine but built by a smaller programming firm. Avant is wicked fast and preloaded with an abundance of skins for personalization. Tabbed browsing and toolbars are also features of this browser, among others. Avant lacks expansion and has been known to create problems in Vista. This is a good alternative to IE.

4. Maxthon: For those of you who want to try something different from IE and Firefox, Maxathon is a good alternative. With its ADs blocker and advanced content filter, Maxthon is ideal for those that want to escape from “the norm”.

5. Flock: Flock, as the company is aptly named, believes that users today are using the Web differently than they did years ago. Flock believes that the web browsers of today have not kept pace with these changes in online behavior. Hence, the browser ‘Flock’ was born, an open source browser that meets the stands of today’s web browsing. Many versions of Flock are available.

6. Safari: Safari is Apple’s pride and job web browser. All though it was designed for the Mac OS platform, it has also been made avaialbelt o Windows users.

7. Opera: Opera is a little farther along in the web browser community in terms of development. Opera is the only Web browser that comes complete with everything you need to productive, safe, and fast on the Internet.

8. Seamonkey: Formerly known as the “Mozilla Application Suite”, Seamonkey contains a web browser, a mail client, an HTML editor, Web development tools, and an IRC chat client all in one package. Ideal for those that want a somewhat leightwieght application to do a number of tasks.

9. Netscape Navigator: An oldie to the browsing community, Netscape Navigator offers high speed web browsing and instant messaging capabilities as well as tabbed browsing, support for buddy icons, and more.

10. Google Chrome: A newbie to the browsing community, Google Chrome combines a design sophisticated with technologies that allow your to surf the Web faster, safer, and easier. (Note: The download link above will take you to the Google Chrome website, where you must accept the EULA before downloading. Also, the 474k downloadable file is only a stub installer. You must remain connected to the Internet during installation to complete the full download of Google Chrome.)

File Clean-up/Recovery: File Clean-up programs are nice to get any un-needed files off of your system. What is an un-needed file? Anything in your Temporary Internet Folder, cookies, sometimes the tmp, etc. Some browsers can clean up your files, while there are other more sophisticated programs to clean up the rest of the junk. File Recovery programs allow you to retrieve files that have been deleted permanently from your hard drive and recover them to a manageable state.

1. Ccleaner: Formerly known as “Crap Cleaner”, this program cleans your hard drive of all un-necessary files that clutter your hard drive. This free system optimization tool removes such files to give Windows the ability to run fast and free up needed disk space.

2. ATF Cleaner: ATF Cleaner is a nice program if you don’t want to install another program onto your hard drive. It’s easy interface makes cleaning up files a breeze.

3. Recuva: Don’t let this program’s pronunciation fool you. Pronounced “recover”, this file recovery technology allows you to recover files that have been permanently deleted from your system, whether it was by you, a virus, or even an annoying Windows error.

Fun Programs: Every Windows machine should have some sort of interesting and appealing program on it. Check out these programs below:

1. ObjectDock: A program from Stardock, ObjectDock gives Windows users the feel for the Mac OS X dock. Customizable icons, grouped icons, and other customizable features make this program a must have.

2. Automatic Wallpaper Changer: I’m sure the lot of you tend to change your wallpaper often, so this program is a must have for you. AWC, as it is commonly called, allows you to set a timer between wallpaper changes as well as customize other particulars with the program.

3. Desktop Sidebar: If you’re a Windows XP user, you may to a certain extent envy the Windows Vista sidebar. Well, envy no more. Desktop Sidebar has a variety of features that you’ll drool over. Preinstalled features include a System Performance monitor, RSS feed, Calendar, Volume Control, Media Player, Shortcut area, and weather information, just to name a few.

Well, here you have it. Your guide to for your Windows machine. Everything you need to getting started on your new Windows machine, whether your new to Windows or simply recovering from a crash or reformat. If you have any other programs you wish to see on this list, please leave a comment.

* Also available for the Tablet and Media Center Editions

Windows Wednesday for April 15, 2009
The Ultimate Guide to Securing your PC. The topics included Updating your computer, Installing Malware Protection, Installing a Firewall and Fun things to do when you are secure.

For more information about the topic’s discussed on the 15th please visit Zetacon’s Post “Your Ultimate Guide to Windows (Part 1)”

Questions brought up during the show :

• Is AVG still going to provide a free version in the future? The question to this answer is Yes. AVG is still going to provide a free version of their software to End Users. Emails that AVG users got about AVG not being free was a fishing attempt.
• What is a good linux CD to download and burn to help me try to fix my broken and infected computer? Our recommendation is SystemRescueCD it will allow you to boot to a live CD to try to fix the most common of system issue.

Dave answers your questions about how he records audio for our podcasts and shows you a few tips getting started with your own audio setup.

Using his Alesis MULTIMIX8 FireWire Mixer he can record up to 8 different channels, gives a brief description of the “knobs” on this mixer and shows you his preferences for mixing his audio.

Along with his mixer Dave uses the Marshall MXL990 XLR Condenser Mic and Heil PL2T Mic Arm to position the mic for optimal recording.

Next Dave explains how to setup the Alesis mixer in Garage Band to get the 8 different recoding channels if need be. Along with setting up the mixer we get a look into some basic features of Garage Band and techniques for podcasters!

Watch the video above for more details and if you have any questions do not hesitate to leave a text response below or shoot Dave and email at David@geekologist.net

Remember when your computer was new? The new computer smell, and extremely responsive interface? Today the time it takes to boot up your computer seems to take forever compared to it’s younger and more youthful years.

You might think what is going on with this slow computer. I just bought it last year. Well to be honest what you are experiencing is very common and can be easily fixed.

As you continue to use your computer, you install new programs, surf the web, and download music, and movies. Your computer becomes very bogged down. I have compiled a list of tasks you can do to keep that computer running just like it has been pulled out of the box.

1. Remove any old files, folders and programs from your computer.

• The easiest way to remove programs from your computer is to navigate to your control panel under your Start Menu click on control panel and navigate to Add/Remove Programs if you are on Windows 200o or XP. If you are on windows vista please click the icon titled Programs and Features. In this window it will show all the installed programs on your computer and tell you how frequently each program is used. You can remove any program you know is old or you are no longer using.

2. Remove all temporary or cached files from your internet browser.

• Assuming that the majority of you are running Internet Explorer as your browser navigate to the tools tab and click Internet Options. In the first window you will see an option to erase both your cookies and Temp Internet Files. It is alright to remove both because all that is stored is some simple information about where you have been on the internet and some pre cached images that will help the page load quicker next time you visit.

3. Disable programs from running at startup.

• You may have noticed when you installed a program that a new icon now shows up next to your systems clock even when the program is not open. This means that the program you installed runs in the background. Most of the time programs do this to make it quicker to start the program when you are ready to use it. However if you have to many programs running at startup your computer can become very slow and even unusable. To remove programs from startup go to your Start Menu and click run. In the run dialog type msconfig and press enter. You will see a new window on the desktop and you will need to navigate to the startup tab. In this tab msconfig will show you all the programs that run when you boot your computer. Please uncheck any box next to a program you do not wish to run at startup. Note! – IF YOU DO NOT KNOW WHAT A PROGRAM IS DO NOT UNCHECK THE BOX NEXT TO IT. IT COULD CAUSE YOUR COMPUTER TO BECOME UNBOOTABLE. Once you have removed all the startup items you wish click ok and restart your computer.

4. Organize your files and folders.

• This may not get your computer running any faster but just like you clean your car or home your computer does need it’s own spring cleaning. Try to put common files in folders and label them. Trust me you will not regret taking time out of your day to do this when you save time not searching for that paper.

5. Update your anti-virus, anti-spyware, and Windows.

• This is a MUST DO. Installing the latest Windows updates and ensuring that your Internet Security software is up-to-date is crucial to the health of your computer. If the updates are not installed or your Internet Security software is not updated your will be at risk of getting a virus that could render your computer useless. Please make sure this step is completed if none of the above are. The tech community and I can not stress enough how important this step is!

Other ways to get that new computer smell back.

• Install more memory. – Join the live chat at http://geekologist.net/live and we can help you find the right memory for your computer.
• Get an external Hard Drive for your files. – Keep your music and photos externally to save valuable space on your Hard Drive.

Keep your mac running like new coming soon!

If you have anymore questions or would like to offer your own tips to our readers do not hesitate to leave a comment below!

The Lenovo S10 Netbook is one of the more affordable and reliable Ultra Mobile PC’s on the market. Check out the specs and details below

Pros:

• Large keyboard compared to most Ultra Mobile PC’s
• Express Card slot.

Cons:

• Poor battery life.
• Less than expected system specs compared to the EEE PC.

Specs:

Starting price	$439
Processor	1.6GHz Intel Atom N270
Memory	1GB, DDR2 SDRAM 533MHz
Hard drive	160GB 5,400rpm
Chipset	Mobile Intel 945 Express;
Graphics	Intel GMA 950
Operating System	Windows XP Home Edition SP3
Dimensions (WDH)	9.9×7.3×1.0 inches
Screen size (diagonal)	10.2 inches
System weight / Weight with AC adapter	2.7/3.4 pounds

If you have anymore questions do hesitate to leave a comment below

As the hype and positive reviews for Windows 7 continues to build and build, you may be thinking: “How could Windows 7 get any better?” As the full release may soon be upon us, Microsoft has released the product names of the six different versions of Windows 7. Although similar to the releases of Windows Vista, each version will contain something for everyone, different features for your different needs. Each version will also be on a single disc, allowing you at anytime to upgrade to another version, providing you pay for the unlock code. Windows XP and Vista users will be able to upgrade their OS licenses to Windows 7 but with a catch: You’ll still need to perform a clean installation of Windows 7, bearing in mind that you’ll need to reinstall programs and back-up all of your files.

Windows 7 Starter Edition: Primarily for netbook users, the Starter Edition will allow users to run only three applications at once, have some networking capabilities, and benefit from the new task bar and Jump lists.

Windows 7 Home Basic: Home Basic will allow users to use an unlimited amount of applications at the same time. It will also bring forth some new implemented features, such as the live thumbnail previews. Home Basic will also enable Internet connection sharing, wired and wireless and will provide options for those with laptops.

Windows 7 Home Premium: If you’re a fan of Windows Media Center and Aero Glass, this version will be for you. Aside from those features being implemented from Vista, touch-screen features have also been added, such as handwriting and multi-touch support. Windows Media Center will also feature improved media support and streaming functions.

Windows 7 Professional Edition: Businesses of all sizes will benefit from the improved security features, such as the encrypted file system, advanced network back-up, and the ability to join managed networks. Location-aware printing will also be supported.

Windows 7 Enterprise & Ultimate Editions: Enterprise and Ultimate will have similar features as the other versions. However, software such as BitLocker will be implemented for internal and external hard drives. AppLocker will also be implemented, keeping unauthorized software from running.

A number of features, while prevalent in Windows Vista, have been removed in all versions of Windows 7.

1. Several shell features including:

- Classic Start menu user interface

- Floating Deskbands (was deprecated in Windows Vista, now deskband can be only pinned to taskbar)

- Windows Media Player Mini-player (replaced with the new Jump list feature)

- Pinning default Internet Browser and E-mail client software programs on Start menu by default (programs can be manually pinned)

- The ability to disable grouping (placing next to each other) similar taskbar buttons

- Combined taskbar buttons no longer numerically show how many windows are in their stack.

- The Taskbar network icon does not show network activity animation. (To be returned in RC)

- Advanced search builder UI.

- The ability to disable the taskbar’s “always on top” setting.

- Taskbar buttons’ context menus have been replaced with Jump Lists, which lack Restore, Move, Size, Minimize and Maximize buttons.

2. Some Windows Media Player features:

- Advanced Tag Editor

- Paste Album Art

- Recently added Auto playlist

3. Windows Photo Gallery, Windows Movie Maker, Windows Mail and Windows Calendar (in favor of downloading or using online the free respective Windows Live counterparts, which lack some features) although the Photo Viewer module of Windows Photo Gallery has been retained.

4. Software Explorer feature of Windows Defender

5. Removable Storage Manager (RSM) (applications dependent on it, such as NTBackup or the NTBackup Restore Tool, cannot run)

6. Windows Meeting Space

7. The ability to search contents of files using Windows Search.

8. InkBall, a game

9. The numeric keypad from On-Screen Keyboard

10. Microsoft Agent 2.0 Technology

11. Windows Sidebar (replaced with Desktop Gadget Gallery)

12. Windows Ultimate Extras in the Ultimate edition

So, how can Windows 7 get any better? You decide.

Removed features list provided by Wikipedia