Technology With Mike

Making technology easier to understand!

Category: How To’s

Show #20 – How To Transfer Your Digital Camera’s Pictures to your computer.

 

All digital cameras come with software that can help you to transfer your images to your computer.  However, windows by itself does a good job.

Types of memory cards for your camera, please check your user manual for what type your camera supports.

  • Secure Digital or SD:  Also come in Mini and Micro versions. SDHC are high capacity cards over 4GB.  Will not work with older devices.
  • Compact Flash:  Type I (up to 16GB) and Type II (up to 8GB)
  • xD-Picutre Card: Developed by Olympus and Fujifilm for their cameras.  Up to 8GB
  • Sony Memory stick: MS, MS Pro, MS Pro High Speed, MS Duo 1/2 the size of the regular card.

Warning: Camera cards or any other type of flash memory do have a limit on how many times you can write to them.  This limit is in the 10′s of thousands or even 100′s of thousands writes.  Ensure you copy your new images to your computer frequently and ensure you have a backup of your computer.

Memory cards can be very useful.  Here is a link where you can purchase Card readers.

 

Transferring Your Images To Your Computer (Windows Vista)

  1. Connect the camera to your computer using the camera’s USB Cable
  2. Turn on the camera
  3. A window will appear.  Click ‘Import using Windows”.  and follow the onscreen instructions.

NOTE: If step 3 above doesn’t happen, this usually means your windows autoplay feature isn’t enabled.  Here is a google search result that might help you.

I didn’t forget about you Wndows XP users out there!  This link will show you how to transfer images in Windows XP.

Caller questions:

Koolguy just got a new Ipod and wants to put movies onto it.  I suggested Handbrake.  It will handle H.264 video.

DaveAC agrees not to use the camera software.  Did show concern about the contacts on the SD card from being damaged after removing and inserting it from the camera and reader.  He also goes on saying some cameras charge while you have it connected to the computer so this can lower the life of the battery if you keep on plugging it in and unplugging it.

1 Comment by mike on January 4, 2009
filed in How To's, PodCasts, Show Notes

Show #14 – Optimizing Vista

 

Wacom Bamboo Product Review: See the full product review at Wacom Bamboo Product Review.

Optimizing Vista - From Microsoft

  • Delete or Uninstall programs that you do not use.
  • Limit start up programs.
  • Defragment your hard drive.
  • Use Disk Cleanup to reduce the number of unneccessary files on your hard drive.
  • Run fewer programs at the same time.
  • Turn off Visual effects (appearance versus performance)
  • Add more memory
  • Scan for viruses and spyware
  • Disable services that you don’t need.
  • Check for updates from your computers manufacturer.
  • For more advice, click HERE.

Side Note: We mentioned disabling User Access Control in the show.  User Access Control is the anoying messages you get when you want to something in the systems configuration.  Here is the steps to disable it.

NOTE: Disabling this will lead to a less secure computer

  1. Go to Control panel
  2. Select User Accounts
  3. Click on ‘Turn User ACcount Control on or off”
  4. Uncheck the box next to ‘Use User Account Control (UAC) to help protect your computer”
  5. Click ‘OK’

Daveac’s Tips

He talked about setting the priority of a process to limit a program on how much processor power it uses.

  1. Right Click in empty space on task bar and select ‘Task Manager’
  2. Go to the ‘Processes’ tab
  3. Find the process taking up CPU cycles
  4. Right click process and select ‘set affinity’ then choose the CPU you would like that process to use.

No more sidebar:  The sidebar that holds all the gagets can be closed and have the gagets put directly on the desktop.

  1. Click and drag each gaget that you want to save onto the desktop.
  2. Right click the sidebar and select ‘Close Sidebar’

NOTE: To get the sidebar back, simply right click a gaget and select ‘ATTACH TO SIDEBAR’ then drag other gagets back into it.

2 Comments by mike on November 8, 2008
filed in How To's, PodCasts, Product Review, Show Notes
tagged , , ,

Show #8 – Practice Safe Computing

 

Review of new ZUNE software
Access to the zune marketplace via wifi
    Listen to 30 second samples of songs and purchase them all from your zune
    Audible audio books
    Games are high quality 
 

 

 

 

Anti virus   

Do not open attachments in e-mail

Do not click links in e-mail

Do not click links in instant messages

WARNING: There is a 3 to 4 day window for new virus activity.  Anti-virus companies scramble to get new signature updates out, but usually take 3 to 4 days.  During this time, you are vunerable for visures unless you follow the above guidelines.

 Keep your windows operating system updated with Microsoft/Windows Updates

 Windows XP:

Control panel/System/Automatic updates
Make sure Automatic is selected

Windows Vista

Control Panel/System Maintenance
Under windows update click “Turn automatic updating on or off”
Make sure ‘Install updates automatically (recommended) is  selected.

  

Tips to make using a credit card online safer:
  • Get a credit card with a low credit line
  • Use only one credit card for only online purchases and make sure it protects you from fraudlent purchases.
  • Reconcile your statement each month, make sure you purchased everything on there.
  • If you must use a regular credit card, some credit card companies offer one use credit card numbers that link to your account. Temporary numbers usually expire  in a short period of time.  This makes it hard for credit card number thieves.
Clicking popups?

POPups stating that you have a virus and you should download and install the latest antivirus software.

 
 
If you do not have antivirus installed then you wouldn’t get warnings about having a virus.

 

If you have an antivirus software installed like the ones mentioned earlier, then the window for that application should warn you and not some browser window popup.If you get popups all the time, you most likely already have some sort of virus on your machine.  See your local computer professional.

Neighbor’s computer story 

GREAT ADVICE:    If someone gives you a computer, makes sure you ask them if they still have the recovery disk with it.  This will allow you to reinstall the OS, which is recommended after someone gives you a computer.

 

 

 

 

 

WARNING: David in the chat room stated: If you decide to give your old computer to someone, pmake sure you wipe your data first. 
Avoid using Limewire and other P2P sharing softwar
Caller David talked about using a router that is typically $50.00.  These usually come with a firewall.  The router firewall is the 1st line of defense for your home network.
Koolguy installed the Dual boot of Linux and Windows XP.  However, he lost his Linux boot.  I recommended he look at GRUB which aids in dual booting Windows XP and Linux.  You can find more info at http://www.devhood.com/tutorials/tutorial_details.aspx?tutorial_id=405.  I hope this helps you!

kaeferhurricanetrack from NJ was wondering about how to get rid of viruses.  Symantec Norton antivirus did not do the job.  He ended up reformatted the PC.  Which is highly recommended.

 

 

 

 
 
 

 

 

by mike on September 19, 2008
filed in Announcements, How To's, PodCasts, Show Notes

Show #7 – Your First Website

 

Tech News

Google Chrome

Create Application Shortcuts

Incognito Mde Allows you to surf the web without recording your history

Bookmarks are hard to organize

Microsoft will be releasing an update to the Zune’s firmware along with two new Zunes

New 16GB Flash zune and 120GB hard drive zune.
Ability to purchase songs that you hear on the FM radio that is built into the zune.
Browsing the zune marketplace wirelessly
Games on the Go “hexic” and “texas hold ‘em”
Audiobooks
Audible.com�
Overdrive.com

New Zune Pricing

120GB: 249.99

80GB: 229.99

16GB: 199.00

8GB: 149.99

4GB: 129.99

Your first website

Choosing a hosting provider

Registerjustright.com

Godaddy

Static versus Dynamic websites

Static: In the ‘Old Days’ we had to write Hyper Text Markup Language (HTML) code.

Dynamic: Sites using databases to provide content.

Content Management systems

Lets you worry about the content not the design.  In some cases you would provide the Cascading Style Sheets (CSS) and never have to change them.  Other cases that’s already done for you.

Drupal – www.Drupal.org

Joomla – www.joomla.org

WordPress – www.wordpress.org or www.wordpress.com

Listener Questions:

Koolguy called in with an issue installing Ubuntu/  He wants to dual boot Ubuntu and Windows XP.  I found an answer to his question.  Cick HERE.

Q:A questions was asked in the chat session:  Does the ZUNE have a touch wheel.
A: The Zune has a touch sensititive button that allows you to glide your fingers up and down along with clicking the button.

KoolGuy Asked:
Q: What IPod Touch would you recommend?
A: It all depends on the amount of Music and Videos you have.  Features are all the same with each Ipod Touch.

Wundur Asked in the chat:

Q: I can’t get the Talkshoe pro software to work so he can not be heard during the show.
A: Uninstall the talkshoe software and reinstall it with your USB microphone plugged in during the install.

by mike on September 18, 2008
filed in How To's, Online, PodCasts, Show Notes

Tip 1 – How to Change your Internet Explorer Start Page

I was recently asked how to change the start page of Internet Explorer, so I decided to put this little video tip on the site. 

by mike on May 20, 2008
filed in How To's
tagged
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