New Outlook Error 080073cf8 New Outlook would not launch, so I tried to uninstall it, But it didn’t uninstall. It would not no matter what I tried. I got the error “You cannot uninstall Outlook” as well. Quick Answer on how I fixed it I typed this in the run line %localappdata%\Microsoft Deleted the OLK […]
Author Archive: Lisa Hendrickson
Lisa Hendrickson is the owner of Call That Girl. She is an Outlook Expert and Microsoft 365 Consultant.
Big box anti-virus programs, no good in my book
Let me tell you how many computers come in the shop that have Norton, McAfee, Trend and WebRoot Spy Sweeper on them, and they are FULL OF SPYWARE!
I need to say that loudly because it doesn’t really matter what anti-virus program you use, spyware seems to get through them all.
So Lisa, please tell us…what are those programs good for? Well..they are good for a couple of things.
- Regular virus protection (today’s viruses are spyware)
- Slowing down your computer.
Period.
Spyware viruses and regular old viruses are not the same these days. Norton (I know this for a fact), will not support certain viruses and you will have to pay “extra” to get those removed. When you’re paying $80+ for the 360 package, you should get everything included. One of my clients had to pay extra for a certain virus removal. Kinda sad.
If you have purchased those products, have had a virus or 20 sneak past them or are finding them to slow down your computer…please Call That Girl for a phone consult and let us help you figure out a better system for protection.
If you are considering buying them, I would not. I remove many of those big box programs because they don’t work and are slower than bisquits drying in a hot sun.
My 2 cents! Enjoy your Wed!
Interns…are you ready for them?
Today’s blog is about the interns…
Updates! The workshop is busy with 50% off deals for the umemployed and of course, virus repairs. I brought on a new intern from ITT Tech and he’s been having a fun week with me learning all the little things that can happen in a computer repair shop. We set him up with his own computer to keep our libraries of drivers and software. He’s also going to set up a Linux server for me. YAY! My first one. I really haven’t needed one in the past, but what the heck…I’ll have one. For the first time, I’ll have a workshop with every operating system going on. Linux, Windows and Mac. Exciting times! (for a geek LOL).
The other interns (all from St. Thomas btw)…are a blazing away with their projects. Next week is the week they all launch their new projects, all at the same time! I have had fun helping them along, learning why their project is important and most important, how to get it done by deadline and following a project outline. I really enjoy helping the students learn the value of “back end marketing” versus “marketing that time time” and “marketing NOW”. I use all three with my business. All three work too.
I have on 5 interns, business and marketing, finance and technical. They all come in my workshop on different days, with their own computer work areas and I gave them all their own email accounts. Which I require they use for internal communications. Some of their profiles are listed in the “meet the interns” link at the top of the page. The page is getting updated right now, so check back to meet them all in a few days.
Are you ready for interns? I was ready after my business was running for about 9 months. I had one gal on for about a year and together we got her some really good technical experience to graduate with. Did I need an intern? No. I wanted to help and I had time to give. That is the most important thing about interns. It’s not getting them board to do your crap work, but rather the opposite. Give them projects they can learn from and take some load off your to do list at the same time. I have vowed to never give the interns “junk work” unless it’s a necessary element of their proejct.
If you have alot of business/marketing needs coming up, I recommend that you go to the St. Thomas website and put up an ad for an intern. I got great applicants and have my “intern academy” working hard. Right now I have 6 on board, all doing different projects that have value for my business and their future.
Some more tips…
- Don’t take the first interns on that apply. I have been through a few since last year and you have to remember that an intern’s life comes first. Make sure that they have the same focus as you do and can give the time. I also recommend getting a senior who needs experience. Seniors tend to have the graduation/experience mindset and want to get as much done as they can. In a short amount of time.
- Figure out a communication method right away. Phone, email or text. I have found each intern likes to talk to me in different ways.
- Paid or unpaid? One of my interns said they gave up looking for a paid internship a long time ago. Paying internships are probably preferred, but I would only consider paying one if they were also doing other office duties for me. I do unpaid as it’s project based work that has value for their future positions, resume or interview experience. My interns only do projects that will help their careers.
- Schedule times for them to come in the office and help. Make them accountable for coming in or letting you know if they cannot come in. I had one intern that decided his schedule was more important than mine. 8 weeks later of me rescheduling clients for his schedule, he was let go. Having an intern requires YOUR time too, as you must mentor them. That means you cannot work during that time. Your time is important too!
- I have found that the interns doing it for experience and not credit for school are working best for me. Their dedication is unbelievable. They really do want “real business experience” and you can help them! Mentor them the best you can and you will enjoy the experience as well!
I hope this guide helps you if you are ready to bring on a student or two. Feel free to call me if you have any questions!
Lisa
Rebuild, reformat, reinstall, repair…what does it all mean?
Many folks today are hearing these 4 words and don’t really understand what they all mean. To us technicians, we know…but you don’t. It’s terms we use everyday probably so I thought you all might like a review of what they mean.
Rebuild…to physically rebuild a computers hardware
Reformat… erase all the data/programs/settings, pretty much everything. It puts the computer in an original state, just like how you got it when you brought it home from the store. Many folks have to have this done when a computer crashes very badly or if it’s very infected with a virus. You will lose all of your data/music/pictures.
TIP: even though you reformat a computers hard drive, the data is still available! Please keep this in mind when donating a computer.
If you have not backed up your data, you should because a reformat does lose everything. Call That Girl does have tools to get that data back, but it comes in a “raw” form and you lose all the names of your documents and folders.
Reinstall …the operating system, this does not reformat the drive and usually your programs are still on the computer. But your data is not.
Repair… the computer means to install the original operating system disk and fix the glitches that are causing you problems. This usually does not change your programs or data. I would always back up though prior to doing this, just in case.
That is the quick and dirty version, I am sure there are more technical versions out there, but this is for the average reader to understand.
Call That Girl with any questions!
In the design world, a little goes a long way
Hello all!
Hassan here, your Call That Girl marketing mad man! Today was a great day in the office at CTG. All of us interns were working hard at establishing outlines for our new projects. The flyers I designed for our Reboot partnership arrived today, and we are very pleased with how they turned out. This was a really great learning experience for me, and it truly gave me an idea of the different areas marketing can cover. One thing I learned from this project, that my marketing professors at UST have failed to mention is the actual design process for materials. Lisa, my fearless leader at CTG, quickly humbled me by showing me the difference between making a flyer on Word, and using design software. After I built the information side of the flyer, and developed a very basic outline of how we wanted it to look. The rough draft for the flyer was sent to our designer, and gave her an idea of how we wanted it to turn out. She did not mess with the information being presented, or the general layout of the flyer. All she did was main some minor layout changes, to make it look spiffy! The most impressive part about all of this to me is that a little really goes a long way. Keep that in mind yourself for the next time you have to build some sort of promotional marketing material… I know I did, and it turned out GREAT!!! Have a great week folks and thanks for following along!!
Random computer fact of the week:
One of every 8 married couples in the US last year met online.
Internet Explorer giving you glitches?
For a month or more lately I’ve seen Internet Explorer cause some slight problems for folks. It’s not really slowing them down, but glitching more or less. This is a 2 fold issue.
#1. ) Your windows updates are trying to install Internet Explorer 8 and it’s not finishing the installation.
2.) You did the update/install but never completed the wizard and are getting oddities with surfing. IE may ask you over and over to allow phising sites or do other “optimizing”.
I’ll just say, I am a fan of IE 8.0 so far, but those extra’s aren’t helpful and are only going to annoy the advanced user or non-technical user. Just upgrade and don’t use the “extry’s” (as my Grandma would say”.
How to fix?
Do the installation. Run IE again and go to “tools” and then “internet options” and the “advanced tab”. In that window click on the “restore advanced settings” and “reset” tabs. IE will finish the install/updates and then close the IE window. Then open it again and you should see an IE 8 wizard box pop up.
Do the wizard, but select all the “No” options. This is how folks are having problems with IE 8.0. They are not completing the wizard and getting all sorts of phantom issues with it. I have updated many folks now with the wizard and it’s now working great!
If you would like help with this issue, we can help you over the phone. This does not require a home visit.
Where have all the interns gone?
Today was a great learning experience for all the interns at Call That Girl. After everything was said and done this afternoon, the “I” Crew has stepped up their game big time. We have a great opportunity today to sit down with a friend of Lisa’s, John Eichten, who did an outstanding job of explaining the basics around professional sales and market research. Before today I was feeling a little weary about “cold calling” because I lacked experience there. Now I am much more confident in myself and can not wait to start my new project! As the summer wraps up, we are all learning the ways to streamline our projects and organize them in a more efficient manner. One thing I am positive about right now is that all the interns at CTG, have a leg up on our peers. We have had the experience like no one else and the value in our training is extremely high. So get ready corp world, because once we are done here, I know we will be ready to make an immense impact on our respective fields. In other news… the State Fair starts Thursday, which I am sure you all already are aware of. I hope everyone has their favorite pair of elastic waistband pants ready to go, I know I do!! 🙂
Random Computer Fact: The technology contained in a single game boy unit in 2000 exceeds all the computing power that was used to put the first man on moon in 1969.