WINDOWS 7 NEWS
Microsoft Windows 7 shipped on October 22nd but it hasn’t been out long enough to have generated any significant amount of feedback. Every major Operating System release has been accompanied by a few initial problems. Still we don’t expect them to be that significant if you order a new PC with Windows 7 and newer software pre-installed.
The main problem that we assume will occur is some level of incompatibility with older hardware and software. Lesser known brands and models of printers, computer peripherals and accessories may or may not work properly with Windows 7. The level of problems you experience is often reduced with well known brands like HP & Logitech.
Some problems are already well documented like MS-Office versions pre 2003 and Novell Server support. On the other hand many older DOS based programs seem to work quite well which is actually something of a surprise. Windows 7 may be worth considering on your next computer but we would recommend that you discuss it with us first to avoid any major problems. We can also recommend computers that can be easily downgraded to Windows XP if problems arise. Dell and other companies will still ship Windows XP as well.
GOOGLE PROBLEMS
If you have Google set up as your home web-site you may have noticed the occasional problem when you access the page for the first time. A pattern seems to have appeared where the home page is entered as google.ca or google.com for that matter. Windows often translates this as http://google.ca and some DNS servers fail to correctly translate this properly. Clicking on Tools and Internet Properties will allow you to correctly set your home web-site to www.google.ca or the web-site of your choice to resolve this problem.
FREE SOFTWARE THAT ACTUALLY WORKS
The Internet is a great place to obtain free software if you know what you are looking for. Adobe Flash and Adobe Reader are essential for Internet and E-Mail use. Apple QuickTime and i-Tunes have become the standard for video and music file playback. The only downside of these products is the occasional promotion of their “Professional” versions.
We utilize these and a number of other programs on a regular basis and recommend them to users willing to put up with the occasional promotion as long as you are aware of the limitations of the free versions.
AVG & AVAST – FREE ANTI-VIRUS
Both of these Anti-Virus programs are quite effective even if they are short a couple of features included in the professional version. They can be supplemented by a good Scan & Removal Tool like Malwarebytes to make them just as effective as their more pricey editions. Go to: http://free.avg.com/us-en/homepage to download the free version of AVG Anti-Virus.
LOGMEIN REMOTE ACCESS
This program allows us to attach to a remote computer and view a problem while it is happening or send through changes quickly where required. It can also be used by clients that want to access their work computer from home or their home computer from work. We can set this up for you or you can create your own account by going to: www.logmein.com
MALWAREBYTES ANTI-MALWARE
Every Anti-Virus needs help from time to time. Malwarebytes Anti-Malware is a fairly new and quite effective free Scanning and Removal Tool that I have used to remove several of the newer viruses commonly seen on the Internet. It is available at: www.malwarebytes.org