GuruNews, Volume 10 Number 3, 1-28-09

[Kevin-PC Gurus]

Welcome to GuruNews



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USS Rover’s list of streaming computer shows is now available for download in Excel, Open Office and Linux ready formats from http://sheet.zoho.com/public/ussrover/shows. 

 

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Vol. 10, No. 3                           

1-28-10

 

1 Website roundup  

2 Giddy up!

3 Kindle killer, Ubuntu ditches Google, Google owners ditch Google, scam shenanigans  

4 Oops!  Recover those deleted files

5 Open Source is free

 

Sometime every year I like to compile a list of useful websites, many of which I use multiple times daily or at least consult frequently.  Others are rarely used but are a godsend when you really need them.

 

By starting early you can save the sites if you so choose and get a jump-start on keeping your PC in tip-top shape this year.  Or perhaps even learn things about a new OS you’re using on that shiny new Christmas present you’re surfing on.

 

I would be remiss if I didn’t start with the end-all and be-all of search engines, Google.  It is the repository of all knowledge, if you know how to search for it, and you don’t even have to use it as a web page.

 

Both Internet Explorer and Firefox have built in search bars in the upper right corner.  Just change the default engine to Google and it will be right at your fingertips anytime you need it.

 

You can search for answers to vexing questions with, basically, just the question.  You can look up error codes to help track down annoying problems, find updated drivers for problematic hardware, check news from your hometown etc.  It’s all in how you search.

 

Let’s say you have Microsoft Office 2007 and letters you send to friends can’t be opened.  Search for “how do I save word 2007 as a .doc” (without the quotes) and the very first hit takes you to a website that explains changing the default file type in Word 2007.

 

If you’re looking for the meaning of an error code or message just search for it.  Error numbers are always helpful, or you can surround and exact message in quotes (“Explorer has encountered problem and needs to close”) to find matches for the exact phrase.

 

It should be noted that the example I used is exceedingly generic and won’t develop much useful info.  I can’t generate actual errors at will, thankfully :)

 

On the topic of computers I would highly recommend www.majorgeeks.com.  It’s a repository of all things geek, ranging from malware cleaning tools to productivity packages (think office suites).  Many of the free or have free versions and there are multiple download mirrors for nearly all of them.

 

One word of caution about this site:  Once you click on a download link you’ll be redirected to another page, which isn’t all that unusual.  What’s deceptive here is the inclusion of a prominent download button for a sponsored program, i.e. some sort of shareware or retail product.  Once you click on the mirror site you won’t need to click anything else, other than maybe the download warning from IE.  Don’t be tempted to click that download button or you may end up with something you didn’t want.

 

The files are all verified malware free, including the sponsored ones, but if you’re trying to download Open Office there’s no reason to download Spyware Doctor as well…

 

As often happens, I seem to have run a bit long this week.  I still have several websites to list so I’ll pick up with part two next week.  I promise I’ll keep the descriptions shorter and cover more ground.

 

Kevin Mefford, Editor

microdome at thepcgurus.com

 

 



 

Terry Wise

www.ratland.com

 

 

Tech News of the Week
 

Apple introduced the iPad this week (no jokes...).  Looks to be trying to kill the Kindle as well as getting people that want an iPhone but can't get one on their cell phone network:

http://www.apple.com/ipad/
http://events.apple.com.edgesuite.net/1001q3f8hhr/event/index.html (The Keynote introduction of the iPad)

Ubuntu Linux has announced that they will no longer set Google as their default search engine, and will now go with Yahoo:

https://lists.ubuntu.com/archives/ubuntu-devel/2010-January/030065.html

Google's owners Larry Page and Sergey Brin are looking at unloading all their Google stock and removing themselves from having voting control:

http://gizmodo.com/5455045/

Great piece from the Consumerist about computer safety.  In a nutshell, if anyone calls claiming to be from your ISP and wants you to download software you don't know about, do not let them:

http://tinyurl.com/ybzgups 

Keep us in the loop on the best of the web!

Daniel A. Williams

daniel at thepcgurus.com 

 

 

Download of the Week
 

Chances are that if you've accidentally erased a file, or something malicious like a virus has done it for you, Recuva will find it. And if it hasn't been overwritten, this program will recover it for you.  Recuva's not a recovery program in the accepted sense because it works only with an intact file system. If you've reformatted your drive, or there are physical errors, you'll need something else.  It's free here: 

 

http://tinyurl.com/gurus-recuva 

 

Carlita Lupino

Cards57 at gmail.com

 

 

Email Question of the Week
 

Q:  Hey guys - I liked it all!!! I appreciate your effort and your work. I enjoy all of the articles, even the ones that I don't understand. I recently moved my email from Outlook to Mozilla Thunderbird which I like as well as Outlook and they are not changing or asking me to buy another upgrade. I did get a call from someone there that was asking me about paying for something, is this customary?

 

A:  Absolutely Not!  Thunderbird is completely free has always been.  You  
can always donate to the Mozilla Foundation if you wish to support  
the project

http://www.mozilla.org/foundation/donate.html

but I have never heard of anyone soliciting for it.  Please make sure 
you always download Thunderbird from Mozilla Website, so you don’t 
fall prey to someone scamming you for money.

http://www.mozillamessaging.com/en-US/thunderbird/

Hope that helps.

Hash
hash at ucanweb.com

 

 

Contact info and legal stuff
 

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Information provided in this publication is provided "as is" without warranty of any kind, either expressed or implied.  Although the information provided is known to work on most systems, it may not work on ALL systems.  Make use of any information supplied at your own risk.

 

The PC Gurus are a group of volunteers who provide support for the PC, Mac and Linux users in the Kentuckiana region.

 

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