Tag: Microsoft Outlook Training
Is it time to move from free email to a personal web domain?
A lot of people like using free email accounts such as Google, Hotmail, Yahoo, etc. I occasionally use Gmail, and 
understand why these “free” email accounts are so appealing. What I don’t understand is that people consistently and continually get hacked, yet they continue to utilize the account. If you are one of the people who have been repeatedly hacked, you should consider paying about $50 a year to get your own paid-for email account. The fun thing about it is that you can get a domain that matches your name. Say your name is Suzy Sharpe and you’ve been using SusieSharpe@gmail.com your whole life. With your own domain, you could use Susie@SusieSharp.com or Susieisthebest@SusieSharp.com, instead. This way, your email is more secure, because it’s run through a secured server rather than one of the free ones.
The main reason free email accounts get hacked so often is because they are vulnerable to all of those annoying social media applications, like Facebook. The second biggest target is, of course, Twitter. LinkedIn actually got hacked a few months ago, too! For years, Facebook has been the main source for hackers, and the reason why is that most people log in with the exact same username and password that they do when they log into their email. So, when the hackers get their Facebook information, it’s right there to log into Hotmail or Gmail or whatever, and they will meddle with it and then takeover your account.
So, my recommendation is that people spend about $50 a year on their own email system, set up their email for IMAP, and then synchronize their email with their devices. By having their own private personal email account, the vulnerability of getting hacked goes way down, plus it adds a nice spin on their personal life. Plus, if and when they want a website, they have their own domain! It’s super simple to put up your own website nowadays.
If you happen to have a large family, we recommend that you get your own domain, such as the JohnsonfamilyMinneapolis.com, or something like that. Larger families have wanted to set up blogs, websites and other sharing opportunities, too. Family blogs are very popular and it’s a nice way to share updates from anywhere in the world.
If you would like help setting up your own personal domain for email and/or a family website and email please contact Call That Girl computer support and repair by filling out the form below or call 612-865-4475. Ask for an appointment on Lisa’s calendar and we will set up a time for a free consultation to discuss your needs!
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Pinterest crashes my Outlook. Does it crash yours, too?
A few weeks ago, I received an email from Pinterest telling me that I had a friend on Facebook following me. Naturally I was excited to have a new follower, until I noticed that when I went to click on that email….my entire Outlook just froze up. Now I didn’t get the Outlook 2010 white screen of death, but my Outlook just froze completely. At first I was a bit shocked, but after a minute or so it unfroze and I was back to business. I thought it was a one-time glitch, but apparently not. It started happening each and every time I received an email from Pinterest and it’s starting to irritate me. Here is an example of the email…
After doing some investigation, I figured out that it’s a back end plug in from Facebook causing this issue. I found this out when I finally opened Outlook and some random rogue plug in showed up. I’m very annoyed because it came and went so fast and I can’t find it in my Outlook settings anywhere to disable it.
I wanted to blog about this for those that are having the same issue. Please comment below if you are! I will contact you if you leave your email. This is an issue that has yet to be fixed and I want it resolved!
What to do if the power cord for your laptop stops working
Drat, that power cord. Always causing problems! Most clients call us for a few reasons in regards to power issues with their laptop. Sometimes we can fix it, sometimes we cannot. Most of the time, we can fix it, but the cost is roughly $150 (it’s a hardware repair, done inside the computer and very labor intensive). If the hardware, also known as a DC jack, is fine, then the problem is most likely a dead power supply (cord).
How to figure out if it’s your power cord:
Unfortunately, there’s not always a clear cut sign as to which is your problem. One thing you can tryif you have another that fits and is the same voltage (using a different voltage charger can mess with your computer) is to plug in a different power supply and see if your computer gets a full charge. If it does, then your power cord is most likely the cause. If this still doesn’t work or you don’t have an extra cord, you can drop off your computer for a free diagnosis and let us figure out what exactly is going on!
What to do if it’s your power cord:
- Purchase a new power adapter from the manufacturer = spendy, but probably best if your laptop is under 3 years old.
- Purchase one from Best Buy or Microcenter = also spendy, but convenient.
- Purchase a generic adapter set online = Most folks do this, but…the adapter can be a problem later. They will either stop working or fail before a manufactured one will.
Why you should be careful when buying Microsoft Office on the Internet
I’ve had a few clients call in this year with problems with the Office products they purchased online. They either downloaded a pirated version and had to get their money back from their credit card, or they just had tons of issues with the installation causing many other problems.
When most of us need software, we go to our favorite search engine (mine is Google) and type in what we are looking for. Many of us want to save money, because software is expensive! But….if you end up buying a product that is from a site selling illegitimate copies, you will have a few more headaches to deal with as Microsoft will not activate products they do not sell licenses for. As well, 30 days after a purchase, you may have problems. Or, if you try to re-install, you will have problems.
Or you may not and get lucky. I recommend just paying full price; own it and use it as you wish.
Here is an example of a search in Google for “Microsoft Office.” These are the top 4 searches. The top 2 are actual paid ads from Microsoft. The 3rd one down…is a store selling products for WAY CHEAP. I would be leary of buying that product.
Having issues with your Microsoft Office products? Fill out the form below and we’ll help you out!
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Outlook, Gmail and iPhone Syncing Minneapolis, MN
Not sure how it’s done? We can help!
We can remote into your computer and set up your Outlook and your smartphone to “synchronize” together via our tools that are paid for or with free applications. If you really want a robust email/calendar we can move your company’s emails/calendar and contacts to a “hosted exchange” that is yep, in the Cloud! The Cloud is exciting, it allows you so much more freedom to be anywhere at any time and have real-time updates and synching of your stuff so you can rest assured you’re saving time without seeing duplicates!
We can even put your files in the “Cloud” so all of your word documents and excel files are accessible anywhere. Call That Girl’s support team is fully trained on cloud software and apps on phones, so you can trust your data in our hands.
We also do online backups, so there is no need for those old hardware driven servers. Use your own computer as a server, save money and time. Schedule an appointment today to find out how we can do just about everything you need in the cloud.
Our one time set up fees and prepay blocks of remote support time get you out of those irritating monthly payments and hardware upgrades. Move to the Cloud and enjoy a stress free business day!
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https://plus.google.com/100147097284628132482/postsIMAP 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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