Boy, it’s been an interesting week! Some weeks go by where I find myself dealing with the same problems again and again. Not this week. I managed to learn a few things, and I want to pass them along to you.

There are still people out there running AVG 8.5

When I go to a customer for the first time, I always check that their anti-virus protection is up to date. This week, I found AVG 8.5 on three computers.

Support for AVG Free 8.5 ended December 1, 2009. While it will still scan your computer, it will not update, and that leaves your computer vulnerable to attack by new viruses and malware.

You should heed those popups that AVG has been throwing at you since last November, and get some protection. You do not need to purchase the AVG paid program. You can download and install AVG Free version 9 (http://free.avg.com/ww-en/homepage), or you can uninstall AVG altogether and replace it with a different free antivirus + antispyware product. See this previous column for more information:

Understanding the Rule of Holes

Backing up the important files on your computer is simple even if you don’t know what you’re doing

Sometimes a customer needs to recover important files after a catastrophic computer event. That’s usually not a great time for me to discuss an effective backup strategy, chiefly because I wouldn’t be there if the customer had one.

Backing up important files used to be time consuming and an enormous hassle, involving multiple disks and lots of swearing. So, people don’t do it.

This week I visited the fourth person I know who has gone to a ClickFree external drive for backing up information. Backing up your data is dead easy. Restoring it is easy, too. You connect the drive to your computer, and it just works. There is nothing to install, few decisions to make, and it’s not in the least bit scary. You can learn more here:

ClickFree


There is a surprisingly easy fix for a “USB device not recognized” error in Windows 7

This week I encountered an interesting error on a new customer’s Windows 7 laptop.  After happily recognizing the same USB corded mouse for months, one day Windows 7 reported that the mouse was not working.

My customer went out, bought a new mouse, and plugged it in, expecting to see the familiar “Found new hardware -> installing drivers -> Ready…” sequence of popups.  Instead, Windows refused to recognize the device and install the drivers.  Every ten or twelve seconds the computer would bong out the USB connect/disconnect sounds, whether the mouse was plugged in or not.

I started troubleshooting the problem by uninstalling the “Unknown device” from Windows Device Manager, but that didn’t change anything.  I tried plugging in a different mouse.  I tried plugging in a mouse to a different port.  Nothing worked, and the bonging was annoying!

Shutting down the laptop and starting it again made no difference. Shutting it down and unplugging it made no difference. Finally, I turned off the laptop, removed that battery and counted to 20.  Then I put the whole thing back together. The popups and the bonging stopped.  I plugged in the new mouse, and Windows recognized it and installed the drivers for it without further complaints.

I don’t know what caused the problem in the first place. I don’t know why that fixed it. As I write this, everything still works fine. There are many posts on computer forums from people who have had this problem. There were tons of suggestions and complicated fixes posted, followed by comments saying the fixes didn’t work. Sometimes the simplest fixes are the best, even when we don’t fully understand them.

Locking your keys in your car does not make a good first impression.

At least I took my contractor bags out of the car before I locked the keys in the car. Enough said.

Do you need help with your computer? I'm here to help you and your home or business computer get along!

Cate Eales runs Computer Care Kelowna, a mobile service helping home users and businesses get along with their computers. To arrange an appointment phone her at 250-764-7043. Cate also welcomes your comments and suggestions. Send email to help@computercarekelowna.com

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Understanding computers can be challenging, especially if you aren’t sure of the terminology. This week I’ll try to clear up the some of the confusion.

Internet Explorer 7 and Windows 7

Internet Explorer is a web browser (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Web_browser). It’s a software program that finds and displays documents and images in a format that we humans can comprehend. Internet Explorer 7 (http://www.microsoft.com/hk/windows/products/winfamily/ie/default.mspx) is version seven of that program. Other examples of browsers are Firefox (http://www.mozilla.com/en-US/firefox/personal.html), Opera (http://www.opera.com/), Safari (http://www.apple.com/safari/) and Google Chrome (http://www.google.com/chrome).

Windows 7 (http://www.microsoft.com/windows/windows-7/) is an operating system (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operating_system). An operating system is software that makes it possible for programs to run, and printers to print, to name just a few things. Examples of other operating systems are Windows Vista, Windows XP, Apple OS X, and Linux.

In order for a program, including Internet Explorer, to run, the operating system has to be present and in good working order. Internet Explorer 7 can run on Windows XP and Windows Vista. Perhaps confusingly, on Windows 7, you get Internet Explorer 8 (http://www.microsoft.com/nz/windows/internet-explorer/default.aspx)!

Hard drive and RAM

RAM stands for Random-Access Memory (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Random_access_memory). It's just that --- memory. It keeps track of what you are doing right now, like looking at your browser, or listening to music on your computer, or playing a game. RAM creates a temporary space to keep the things you need...temporarily.

A hard drive (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hard_drive) is a permanent storage area. It's where your documents, the files that are your music and pictures, your programs, and anything you store on your computer permanently reside. It's not the same thing as memory.

Think about it this way: You keep all your information for doing your taxes in folders in a filing cabinet until you are ready to work on your taxes. Then, you take out the folder with your medical expenses and your tax forms and put them on your desk, leaving everything else in the filing cabinet for now.

The filing cabinet is like a hard drive. It’s where you store your information whether you’re doing something with it right now or not. It’s permanent storage. Your desk is like RAM --- a temporary space where you can easily access the things you are working with right now.

Downloading and Installing

I often receive email from people who confuse "downloading" a file with "installing" a program. Downloading and installing are not the same thing.

When you download a file, you are simply copying a file from the Internet to your computer. When you install a program, you're getting a program ready to work on your computer. So in order to get a program from the Internet and make it work, you first download it and then install it. It's like doing the shopping. Bringing the groceries in and putting them on the counter is like downloading. Using those groceries to prepare dinner is like installing. Bon appétit!

Do you need help with your computer? I'm here to help you and your home or business computer get along!

Cate Eales runs Computer Care Kelowna, a mobile service helping home users and businesses get along with their computers. To arrange an appointment phone her at 250-764-7043. Cate also welcomes your comments and suggestions. Send email to help@computercarekelowna.com

You can read previous columns here:

Cate's columns

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