Do You Think Setting Up Your Computer Is As Easy as Taking It Out of the Box and Following the On Screen Instructions?

My 17 year old son who is somewhat tech savvy got a new laptop computer last month. As such, I did not expect him to ask me for help in setting up his new computer. Even afterwards he had a question since his screensaver was not working properly which I promptly fixed for him.

It got me thinking and realizing how much more there is to setting up a computer than just taking it out of the box, making the necessary connections and following the on screen instructions. I always knew, but with my 17 year old asking for help did not realize how much more it truly is.

Here are just a few things to consider: 

1.     Do you know which programs need to open when you start your computer? Unnecessary programs opening when you start your computer up will slow start time.

2.     Do you have a system recovery disk should you ever need it?

3.     Do you know the correct update setting for your computer to use? Make the wrong selection and you are more likely to get a virus or have another computer problem.

4.     Do you know what to do when your factory installed antivirus program expires? This will occur shortly after you purchase your new computer. The right move will keep your computer virus free and save you money in the long run.

5.     Do you know how to set up your computer to find and open your favorite programs and files quicker?

If you live in Queens or Nassau County, NY call me at 917.572.3468.  Installing computers is just one of the technology services I offer.  I also provide expert computer training in the convenience of your home (seniors a specialty) as well as computer troubleshooting, printer setup, computer repair, computer support,wireless networks, and more.

Computer Concierge NY LLC, provides expert computer services in the Bayside, NY area, Including Queens, Albertson, Bayside Hills, Bay Terrace, Bellrose, College Point, Douglaston, Floral Park,  Flushing, Forest Hills, Great Neck, Jamaica Estates, Kew Gardens, Kings Point, Lake Success, Manhasset, Mineola, Munsey Park,  New Hyde Park, North Hills, North Shore Towers, Oakland Gardens, Plandome, Rego Park, Roslyn, The Bay Club, Thomaston, University Gardens, Williston Park, Whitestone and Other Areas in the Bayside vicinity.  

Online Instruction Manuals

Do you wish you wish you had a manual for the used treadmill you recently purchased?  Are you still looking for the manual for that dishwasher you purchased 8 years ago?  Well you may be in luck.  


There are a few ways that you can get that manual online. For starters you need to know the brand and model number of the product you want a manual for. Further you can save it on your hard drive. An advantage of saving it on your hard drive is that you can download manuals for items you own and save them on your hard drive. You can save on storage space since the manual that came with your purchase can probably be discarded.


Many companies on their website (usually a customer support section) have a way to download the instruction manuals from their website to your hard drive. Two good websites are Manualsonline or Safemanuals. By creating a free account on Manualsonline you can have an online "Virtual Filing Cabinet" where you can store your downloaded manuals from their site. Further you can participate in discussion groups and receive personalized updates. The only downside to this virtual filing cabinet is should you lose internet service you will need till it is restored before being able to access your online virtual filing cabinet. The workaround for this is to also save a copy on your hard drive.


If these fail, you can always do a search on Google. Start by typing in the model number and manual, instruction or instruction manual.  Ex: Omit quotes. I am using a model ABC123 as an example. "ABC123 manual"  "ABC123 instruction" "ABC123 instruction manual".


You may find that manual for that old TV that you were looking for in your home and was unable to locate.


Computer Concierge NY LLC, provides expert computer services in the Bayside, NY area, Including Queens, Albertson, Bayside Hills, Bay Terrace, Bellrose, College Point, Douglaston, Floral Park,  Flushing, Forest Hills, Great Neck, Jamaica Estates, Kew Gardens, Kings Point, Lake Success, Manhasset, Mineola, Munsey Park,  New Hyde Park, North Hills, North Shore Towers, Oakland Gardens, Plandome, Rego Park, Roslyn, The Bay Club, Thomaston, University Gardens, Williston Park, Whitestone and Other Areas in the Bayside vicinity.  

You Probably are Overpaying to Keep Your Computer Secure

Some of you over the holidays received computers as gifts. If you received a PC as opposed to a MAC you probably got a trial version of a program to secure your computer against viruses, spyware, etc.  Once this trial period is up (usually after 30 days), you need to pay to renew this program. The cost of this can be as much as $80 per year. 


If your computer is for personal use or you use it for a very small business, you do not need to pay for internet security. There is free security software that you can use instead. Some of it is good.  Some not as good.  Assuming that you keep your computer for 5 years, you are paying $400 to protect it that you can avoid spending.  Save $$$.  I use security software from a highly respected company. It is legal and not a pirated copy. Computer Concierge NY LLC can install this on your computer too. Given an $80 per year charge for security software once the trial period ends, my cost to you to install it will pay for itself in less then a year. If you expect to keep your computer 5 years, our cost to install will pay for itself several times over the life of your computer. Did I mention, the software is absolutely free?

Have a new computer and unsure how to set it up? There is more to setting up a computer than taking it out of the box and following the online instructions. Our costs for a basic computer set up can save you as much as $300 over the life of your computer assuming you are keeping it for 5 years. The set up includes the same free security software used on my computer. The $300 savings more than doubles the costs to set up your computer.

One other thing. A major consumer electronics retailer that sells and services computers will not tell you of this free software. If they install your computer, their costs to you will be higher than what we charge. They will not install this free software for you. They will likely try to sell you what you do not need. They have done it to friends and customers of mine. They tried to do it to me.

I can be reached at 917.572.3468 and I look forward to saving you money.

Yahoo's New Email

Yahoo recently released its new version of Yahoo Mail to its over 280 million users worldwide. At present, it is the most widely used email in the United States. While there are some issues that have not been resolved, the new interface is faster and cleaner. Over 6 months ago I did a post on Yahoo Mail that included discussing their beta email system that was then being developed. Well they have made the changes they considered necessary and released the new Yahoo Mail.

One of the things I like most about Yahoo Mail is the ability to drag an email from one folder to another with the mouse. Simply left click on the message and move it to the folder you wish to move it to. Even the widely heralded Gmail does not have this feature. There you move an email message from one folder to another by selecting the message(s) you wish to move and then select the "Move To" tab and from the drop down menu select the folder you wish to move it to. This is certainly more time consuming.

Yahoo Mail has also integrated certain applications with its new email to facilitate communicating with friends and family. For example if you are planning a family reunion you can send an Evite invitation directly from your own email page. You choose a design for your invitation and create it just like a hard copy invitation you send in the mail. The difference is that this is a computer generated invitation that is emailed and resembles the paper one. You also save on postage. For those who use Flickr to store and share their pictures, you can email your Flickr pictures from your Yahoo account.

Further, I like the interface between contacts and email. With Gmail unless you are using keyboard shortcuts you need to click on "Contacts" or "Mail" in the upper left hand corner of your Gmail interface to go from one to the other. With Yahoo Mail, to go from one to the other you click on the "Inbox" or "Contacts" tabs that are easy to find above your inbox or contacts respectively. You also have the ability to preview your messages at the bottom without opening them which is also a good feature.  

This email is not perfect by any means. I mentioned in my previous post about Yahoo Mail that in order to delete spam messages you are prompted if you are sure. Other mail services realize if you are deleting a spam message there is no need to prompt to confirm you are sure about deleting them. However when deleting a message from your inbox or another folder, you are not prompted to see if you are sure about deleting. I do not understand why Yahoo is so concerned about you possibly deleting a spam message in error while not as concerned about you deleting a message from your inbox, sent or other folders. I hope this is simply a glitch that Yahoo will correct in the near future.


While Yahoo Mail is improved, there are still some unresolved issues. You are limited to 100 email filters whereas other email services do not limit the number of filters. You are limited to blocking 500 email addresses. If you wish to view your Yahoo Mail in an email client such as Outlook or Windows Live Email you must upgrade to Yahoo Plus for $20.00 annually. Upgrading also gives you such features as a limit of 200 email filters and no ads.  Another knock on Yahoo Mail is that the spam filter leaves a bit to be desired.  Yahoo has said that this issue has been addressed with their new release.  Time will tell if this is so.


In all Yahoo is one of the better email services.  With its good and not so good features, you have to decide for yourself if it is the one for you.

Flickr - A Different Type of Photo Sharing Site

If you not only enjoy sharing photos but also being able to learn about photography as well, then you may wish to check out Flickr. Flickr is owned by Yahoo and a Yahoo account is required but worth it if you wish to have a Flickr account. As of a year ago, Flickr had over 26 million users.

A free account allows you to only see the last 200 pictures you have posted and you can only post a picture to 10 groups. Groups relate to a topic which can be related to camera gear used, locations, types of photos, etc.  You can discuss in these groups not only photography but also topics relevant to the group. If you are travelling, there is probably a group for the places you are visiting that you can check out for pictures posted in the group and even post questions or comments about the area.  For $24.94 a year you can get a Pro account. This enables you to have stats on your account, unlimited uploads and storage, ad free browsing and other benefits. No matter what type of account you have, you can tag your photos which enables pictures to be found easier when doing a search by topic.

This is such a popular site for photography that in May of 2009 the official White House photographer Peter Souza started to use Flickr as a way to release White House photos.

If you have even a passing interest in photography this is a site worth checking out. You do not need to have an account to go through the site and check out the pictures and groups. You may decide to stay awhile.  Click to see pictures in my Flickr account.

How I Backup My Files

Possibly due to my posts about the importance of backing up files http://goo.gl/IBXm2 http://goo.gl/xltNy as well as being the owner of Computer Concierge NY LLC, I have been asked how do I back up my files. Let me first say that for any of the products I mention, I have not received any compensation or assurances, hints, discounts, etc of compensation as of June 30, 2011 for mentioning the products in question by anyone.

I use an external Western Digital Hardrive Model #WDBAAA6400ABK-NESN that I purchased from Amazon. It provides for automatic and continuous backups. If any file of mine is changed it is backed up when I close the file. When I have had to rebuild my system, it has worked fine and I was able to restore all my files. Further if I need to go back to a previous version of a file I am able to do that as well. My personal setting is where I can go back up to 5 file versions prior to the current one. I also have backups on several DVDs I keep offsite that I update about monthly. One of these is constantly updated while for the other DVDs it is a 1 time deal once the DVD is filled. Should there ever be some sort of catastrophe at home or if the external hard drive fails, I have a way of going offsite and getting back the contents of my files. It is recommended that you have another backup away from your computer should this instance occur.

I also am a Dropbox user.  I have blogged about Dropbox in the past.  http://goo.gl/1Imgp I recommend it for all. You can sync up to 2 gb for free to your Dropbox account. However there are ways to get even more storage free. The most common is suggesting it to someone and when they become a Dropbox user from your suggestion both of you get an extra 250mg of storage.

This is the backup system that works for me. What type of backup system you need depends on various factors. For those living in Queens and Nassau County, NY call me at 917.572.3468. I can determine the backup plan that is best for you. Many people think a hard drive failure cannot happen to them. Nothing is farther from the truth. You need to have a backup plan and follow it before it is too late.

Why I Am Not Following You On Twitter

Twitter is a very prominent social networking and microblogging service. Those using Twitter have people they follow and people who follow them.

There are those people who I will follow when I see that they are following me. There are those I will tend not to follow. The reasons I do not follow someone are entirely not personal.  The person could be a very good person. These reasons are not absolute as I have made exceptions. Some reasons for not following someone are:

1. They have less then 10 tweets. I like to get a feel for what the person is like before following. With few or none tweets of their own, I am unable to grasp what they are about. Do their tweets align with their profile? 
2. Someone not having a profile or the profile does not tell me about them. Who are you? What are you about? I would like to know about you if I am to follow you.
3. A person seems to be tweeting on an almost ongoing basis. There are those who it seems are constantly on Twitter tweeting what appears 200 times daily or so. Twitter is about conversation and in a conversation there is an exchange of ideas.
4. Tweets consistently showing the same link. The person is spamming on Twitter. 
5. Their interests do not match what I am interested in. Let's say a person constantly tweets about Newton's 3 Laws of Motion. This is a subject that would make me not inclined to follow. That said, I did once make an exception for a follower who I had no intent of following. They did however list me and mentioned me on a Tweet.  I must admit they charmed me into following them and I am glad to follow as whoever tweets for this Twitter handle is a really nice person.
6. Their tweets are all about them and trying to plug their product and/or themselves. Similar to #4.  
7. "Tips on making money" is in their bio. Again it is about them. We all want to make money but at least be subtle about it. 
8. Someone who follows many people and hardly anyone follows them. A lot of times this ties in to having few or no tweets.  
9. They do not have a link to their website or blog in their profile or just as bad the website link in their profile does not work.  
10. They seem to argue rather than discuss. Twitter is about an exchange of ideas and not I am right and you are wrong. Further 2 people can have different approaches to an issue and both be right.  

While there are other reasons, these are the main ones.  For those not having many tweets and/or no profile, I want to know more about you before I follow.  

Dropbox – A Real Good Program for File Sharing and Accessing Files Away From Your Computer

Have you ever wanted to share files with someone without emailing them? Have you ever needed to access a file and you are not by your computer? Then Dropbox is for you. Per Wikipedia, “The Dropbox client enables users to drop any file into a designated folder that is then synced to the cloud and to any other of the user's computers and devices with the Dropbox client.”

While Google Docs is a way to share and store files offline, it is not as good as Dropbox. 3 reasons:
1. Using Dropbox allows you to upload by folder which at this point in time you cannot do using Google Docs. With Google Docs, you can only upload files. You have to set up a folder in Google Docs and move the files to that folder after you upload. With Dropbox, you can drag the folder into Dropbox and the folder and contents are uploaded.
2. You can set up more than 1 computer to have access to selected files. When you use the files and update, they are automatically uploaded on any other computer linked to your Dropbox account. You do not need to use a USB drive to transfer files or email a file to yourself.
3. Dropbox offers up to 2GB free storage. With Google Docs you are limited to 1GB of free storage.

Let’s discuss the 1st advantage. When you use Google Docs you can only upload files. You cannot upload a folder but rather the files in a folder. In Google Docs you upload the files in the folder, individually or collectively. What this means is that in Google Docs you need to create a folder name. Then in Google Docs you move the files to the folder selected. In Dropbox you simply upload the folder which would include all the files in the folder. A step saved.

I also like the time saver of the 2nd advantage. My wife and I have both a laptop and a desktop. When we travel, frequently our travel notes are written on the desktop. Prior to our trip we use a USB drive to transfer our travel notes to our laptop. Now that we have Dropbox and both computers are linked to the Dropbox account this is automatic. No USB drive needed here. That said, in order for the file to sync in Dropbox the file cannot be opened. While you are using the file, it cannot be synced to the Dropbox website or any other computer. Only files in the Dropbox folder are synced. If you do not want to share a file and/or folder you don't put it in the Dropbox folder. You save time in that you do not have to email files to yourself. You also do not need a USB drive to transfer files from 1 computer to another. This also has the advantage of backing up files on both another computer and on the Dropbox website. Don’t have another computer? Well like Google Docs, you can access the file from another computer by going to Dropbox on the web. If you want to share a file with others, you send an email allowing access to the file you wish to share.

The last advantage is academic. 2GB of free storage vs 1GB of free storage.

All in all, Dropbox is not only a good way of storing and accessing files online. It is also a better way of doing it than using Google Docs. Try it. You will find that you have some extra time on your hands for other things to do.

Using the Internet to Expedite a Claim in the Event of a Disaster

A good friend of mine recently lost her home to a fire that destroyed her house and personal belongings. While old keepsakes like pictures, family heirlooms, etc are priceless and can never be replaced there are items that can be replaced in the event of a loss.

We have taken pictures of our home and belongings to document what we have in the event we are ever unfortunate to have a loss whether it be a fire or otherwise. Not only are these pictures stored on our computer they are also stored on an online photo site. You can set the privacy settings where only you can see them. You can store the pictures on a photo sharing site such as Google Picasa. This way we will be able to get access to them on a timely basis without having to depend on being able to get to where our backups are stored offsite.

When dealing with insurance companies documentation is important. Receipts for purchases can be destroyed in a fire. We have scanned receipts which are backed up and also saved as picture files like other pictures. These are also put on our online photo site should we ever need them. It is also a good idea to have a written list of major purchases such as furniture and televisions in the event of a loss. A good site for this is Know Your Stuff. Your data is stored on their site so in the event of a loss, your data is not on your computer which could be lost when disaster strikes. While this is not a blog on how to handle insurance claims, insurance adjusters have told me to also take pictures after the damage before you begin to cleanup.

Hopefully you will never need these pictures but if you do and also do what my wife and I do, your documentation will help to more favorably expedite your insurance claim.