Category: Call That Girl’s Tech Blogs
10 things you should know how to do with your computer
Do you know how to do these important computer-related functions? Take the quiz and see how well you do!
1.) How do you save to a flash drive?
2.) Do you know how to download software, install it and use it?
3.) How do you back up your data to a flash drive or external hard drive?
4.) How do you find out if the link you’re clicking on goes to the site you intended or if it is taking you to a virus?
5.) Do you know how to Google properly?
6.) Do you know how to do a basic search on someone on the internet?
7.) How do you blind copy (BCC) people in emails (So people can’t see the email addresses of others that you included in an email)?
8.) How do you properly turn off your computer?
9.) How do you perform a system restore?
10.) Do you know how to find Call That Girl on Google maps and call us when you need help!?
Check back in on Friday or subscribe to our RSS feed to check your answers and see how well you did!
IMAP vs POP email and why you need IMAP if you’re on a smartphone
With just about everyone wanting email on their smartphones and wanting it to just “work” right, IMAP is your answer. Many folks are setting up their smartphones with POP and their email doesn’t match up, meaning…they will delete an email on their phone and it’s still on the computer. Everyone wants that email GONE when they log back into their computer. That’s the point of deleting it, right? Not if you have your email set up for POP, it will stay there!
Here is an explanation of IMAP and POP
IMAP (Internet Message Access Protocol): Synchronizes your email, your deleted email, your folders and sent items. So that means, if you are on one computer or your iPhone/Droid and delete emails, they are deleted on your computer as well.
POP (Post Office Protocol): Just downloads your email to your computers and smartphones and does not synchronize anything. This is a problem for those with Gmail because they are constantly having email that doesn’t make sense or is hard to manage.
Changing your email to be managed via IMAP
Gmail users: When you log into your Gmail inbox on the website, you can change your settings by going to the settings and selecting “forwarding and IMAP” and turning on IMAP. For instructions from Google, click here.
Go Daddy users: You will need to call Go Daddy and get IMAP set up on your account. Once you have it set up, they can send you instructions on how to set it up yourself. It’s easy, but make sure you have a backup of your Outlook PST first! Safety first folks. Here are some instructions I found online on how to set up IMAP for Godaddy after you have upgraded.
Others: Call your email hosting company and request their information.
For those on Outlook who need help, feel free to fill out the form below this blog to set up an appointment to get your email configured for IMAP. It’s a good idea to also get your old email backed up too, or imported into your IMAP if you are using POP, those emails will be missing when you set up IMAP.
I know this may be confusing to some, but once you are set up on IMAP…your email life is so much easier to manage and it’s a one-time set up, nothing to do after we get it done.
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DIY computer cleaning tips!
Just as a tip…when I clean a computer, the first thing I do is go to the Control Panel and hit “add/remove” programs (for XP users that is).
I generally do a quick scan and see what looks like it should be there and what should not be there.
What should be there? Programs you have paid for or knowingly downloaded.
What shouldn’t be there? Spyware programs!
You can easily tell a spyware program by 2 things.
1.) the word “search” is in the name of the program
2.) the program is very small in size (under 1 mb usually)
If you want to delete those little buggers, you can. Just a reminder that sometimes a removal of those spyware will take you to an internet site and require a download of a tool to uninstall it. Generally that is the safest way to go, follow the spyware instructions. Back in the day it was hard to remove the spyware, but today it’s a big easier.
Sometimes the computer will require a reboot after removing. Make sure you watch for that window or option in a window because you may want to wait to reboot until you are done.
TIP…many “coupon” saving websites will download a tool, so if you’re a coupon maniac, you may want to remember that those coupons you are cyber clipping is maybe adding spyware. Most people hate it when I remove that coupon tool, but it’s really best for your computer.
If you have any questions or would like to schedule one of our 22-point checklist cleanings, give us a call at 612-865-4475 or fill out the form below.
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The “blue screen of death” – is it really your hard drive?
In the next few weeks I’ll be posting some blogs from our archives. Digging all the way back to the beginning, you’ll be getting refreshers of some great information 🙂 Here’s the first oldie but goodie all the way from 2008!
So you get the “blue screen” or “blue screen of death,” what do you do now?
If you call someone, you may get this answer, “It’s your hard drive”
Or is it…
I’ve troubleshooted many of these errors. Sometimes simple troubleshooting is all you need to do.
First I would start by turning off your computer.
Then unplug all your cords including monitor
Let the computer sit for 20 minutes
After 20 minutes, only plug in the ac/dc for the computer and monitor and turn it back on.
If it turns on and goes to the Windows start up screen, you may have a bad keyboard, mouse or USB external port issue.
Once it comes back on, if all seems ok…turn it back off.
Plug back in the keyboard and mouse. Turn it on again.
If it blue screens, it’s more than likely your mouse or USB port. If the end of your mouse has a circular end, it’s probably not the issue. If it has a 1/2″ thin metal end, it’s a USB mouse and could be the issue. Try another mouse if you have one.
If your computer turns on fine again, then test your USB plug-ins. (camera, webcam, printer, etc)
If then all seems ok, go in and back up your information/data right away.
Again….if anything at this point fails, it could be a hard drive issue. I don’t always think it’s a bad drive if it blue screens. Sometimes your computer just has a bump in the road and needs to be “reset”. The troubleshooting tricks above often help figure out what may be causing the issue.
USB ports can fail if you plug in a camera or another “external device” meaning…printers, cameras, webcams, etc.
Are you getting a blue screen and not sure what to do? Fill out the form below and we’ll get back to you!
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I have a Mac, it doesn’t break. Or does it?
Contrary to popular belief, Macs ARE susceptible to malware and CAN benefit from the occasional tune-up. Yes, Apple’s 
Mac Operating System X does maintain itself well, but with time files pile up on the hard drive and start to drag the computer down. Many Macs may experience freezing or locking up of programs, long startups and shutdowns or just plain old slowness. These issues may be caused by little to no available hard drive space, lack of memory to support computer function or malware (malicious software, which includes viruses and spyware. And yes, although it’s less common on Macs, such software still exists).
If you have a Mac and you are experiencing any of these problems, a tune-up may be just the thing to get your computer running at top speed again. The good news is Call That Girl does Mac tune-ups and virus removals! If you’d like our help keeping your Mac healthy, fill out the form below and we’ll get an appointment set up for you.
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4 tips to help your computer survive a storm
I have been one of those that has lost documents due to a storm. It wasn’t data in my computer, but rather documents I was working on, that I had not saved yet. One power outage and POOF, bye bye they went. That was before the days of auto-save. We here at Call That Girl know when there are massive storms going on, the next day we will get calls from people that had their modems zapped, computers fried or routers blew away from storms. Are you our next client? We hope not for these calls. These calls usually include complete new purchases and are costly. While they may be able to be claimed on an insurance policy, the point is that it’s money you have to put out now and be down with work. The downtime to set up and reconfigure everything and get your data back is the biggest headache of the whole ordeal. Now on to some tips!
Tip #1, if it’s raining out, save often.
Tip #2, if it’s storming out, turn off your computer.
Tip #3, if it’s thundering out, turn off your computer and unplug it from the wall/electric source.
Tip #4, To avoid doing 1, 2 and 3, consider getting one of these babies. Not only do they save your computer from a meltdown, but keep your computer running during the storm. Plug your modem into it and you are still surfing away while lighting is going on. It’s pretty cool to see the first time you are running on a battery during a storm. It’s like a candle almost haha.
They run about $80, sold at most electronic stores.
Now… a computer should not be plugged into one of these…
These are useless. Sure, they are good for getting more power, but do nothing for you in regards to saving you computer during a storm. And I bet most of you have your computer plugged into one right now.
If you can’t afford the $80 price tag on the big power back up, you can consider a cheaper model sold at most Lowe’s, Target, Walmart type stores. These run about $20.
If you need help with figuring out all of your cords and would like a home visit, please fill out this form and we will get back to you to schedule an appt. If you have had your power destroy your computer and you want your data back, we can help with that, too of course. Or better yet, let’s set up online back up today!
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