Tag: Saint Paul Computer repair
Call That Girl’s Guide to Windows 7
Call That Girl has finally tested and beat up Windows 7 enough to do an overview and give you all some thoughts on it. We were a bit disappointed with Windows 7 as we hoped it had the old look and feel of XP (Or even something brand spanking new!), but in fact, it is the opposite. Just more Vista appearances and workability.Please keep in mind that this was wrote for the “basic to average” users of computers. This is by far not a technical review!
We have determined 3 major factors in the change from XP/Vista/Windows 7
Speed
- They say it’s faster than Vista. Call That Girl claims this as TRUE.
- If you could equate Vista to a luxury cruise boat, then Windows 7 is a luxurious speed boat.
Look/feel
- Windows 7 looks just like Vista and acts like Vista, it is Vista for the most part.
- Even more gadets and decoratives then Vista has (some you can remove by changing themes)
Internet Explorer 8:
- All of the windows are now at the bottom and they all run as tiny windows at the bottom of your screen.
- I’m not getting used to it, but I have so many things open at once, it’s crazy to try to figure out.
Extra info! (For the Vista users)
- You will not see many changes in how the computer works (in my opinion).
- There is even more “bling” (aka…gadgets) to figure out (some are confusing too)
- It’s been recommended you to do fresh installation versus upgrades (we haven’t done one yet, but have read many reviews online)
Extra info! (for XP users)
- Expect the look and feel of Vista/Speed of XP
- For XP users that have sworn off Vista because it was slow, then you will enjoy how much faster it runs.
- Some extra hardware may not work right, (printers, scanners, etc). You may have to download them again fresh from the product site and install the Windows 7 version of the drivers.
- You can still select “classic windows” as a theme option, but we have yet to find a way to make it look 100% like XP used to, unlike Vista that had that option (if you know, please call and tell us!)
Extra info! (for everyone)
- With a fresh install, you will need to install all of your applications again from scratch
- Back up all of your data, pictures, Quickbooks, music, desktop, favorites and your Outlook, you will lose it all if you do a fresh installation .
- Expect a learning curve of sorts. The computer will work the same, but with how they changed the look, some folks may have a hard time finding where things “used to be”.
- “Show desktop” is now in the far right corner of the screen.
- The only time my Windows 7 has crashed was when I was using my Blackberry, otherwise it’s been fairly stable!
I hope that helps everyone get a good overview of Windows 7 in a basic nutshell. Please remember with any upgrades or fresh installs to back up everything! Call That Girl can help with this and any installations/upgrades. We can also help with little questions if you move forward on your own.
Want an upgrade from Comcast or Qwest? Give them a call!
Many of of you added on high speed internet years ago, you pay the same each month…but you are still paying for the lowest upload/download packages they had offered at that time. Times are changing and the packages are must faster now (for the same price you are paying for the old package!)
Why is this? Because they ware not going to upgrade you unless YOU ASK THEM.
I have recommendations to many of my clients to call Comcast or Qwest and find out what package you are on and see if you qualify for the upgrade for free, most are finding they are qualified.
It will take a call and going through the drama we all hate when calling large corporations, but this one may be worth it. Ask what package you are on now and see if there is another package for the same price. They may ask if you want to pay $10 for a bit extra. I tend to find many of my clients are taking the extra package because so many people are downloading right now, it’s worth the speed.
I’m usually just fine with what I pay for. I don’t need to download at Superman speeds. Hope this helps and gives you a bump on your internet speed!
Holiday pictures tips and tricks by InBeaute Photography
Hey again everyone! I am asking folks in my network to do blogs for me as I am absolutely loving my bloggin’! Wendy Blomseth of InBeaute Photography has donated a blog to Call That Girl. Wendy is a great networker and an avid social media markter. Check out her website here! www.inbeautephoto.com. She is posting a list of ‘tips and tricks” for your holiday picture taking adventures.
Here we go, enjoy!
Wendy Blomseth/Owner, InBeaute Photography
Til the season to take lots of photos. Are you excited? Are you ready? You might be smiling now but if your computer isn’t ready for your pictures, it won’t be pretty. Here are seven easy to do steps to get your computer ready to receive a large quantity of photographs from any important occasion.
PREP YOUR COMPUTER:
- At least quarterly, if not weekly, relocate any pictures you haven’t touched or looked at recently. Copy them onto CD’s or move them onto backup storage hard drives. Better yet, choose one out of every 100 to print out, put on a tshirt, cup, calendar and/or archive for a future coffeetable book.
- Free up hard drive space by removing old software programs, text documents or music
- that you haven’t enjoyed lately.
- Clean your monitor and keyboard because you’ll be looking at those beautiful new pictures very soon.
- Assess location of your camera-to-computer card reader.
- Pre-visualize: your product destination / the products you will create and your editing / rating system. Suggestion: rate your pictures so one out of 50 pictures are given the highest rating. Only those pictures should be printed, uploaded, shown to others.
- Test drive and check for updates for your creative image adjustment software, anything affordable from Picasa (free from Google) to Photoshop (never free).
- Inventory your printing equipment; i.e. fresh inks, good variety of papers
Follow these easy to do steps and you’ll be much better prepared and ready to download your favorite event pictures.
Call That Girl’s Guide to buying a new computer
Happy Holidays everyone! I’m really excited to help all of you this season with all the little questions you have! Many folks have a big question, “How do I save money when buying a computer”
First tip: If you have a monitor, keyboard and mouse that works, just buy a new desktop computer.
Second tip: Make a budget and stick to it. A basic desktop model that is good for a family/solo is under $500. You can go to Dell’s website and get a basic “no frills” computer for under $300! Or you can even buy a refurbished one (way cheaper) at Reboot http://www.reboot-store.com
Third tip: If you go to a big box store, don’t get talked into all the “extra’s” that they sell you.
- Their “optimization” package
- The “data transfer” tools (buy an external hard drive and do it yourself and have a back up system)
- Their anti-virus programs (chose your own)
- The warranties. If you are buying a basic computer for that low of cost, you don’t need to pay $200+ for a warranty. The computer has a one-year warranty for hardware and after that, the parts are cheap enough to replace at any hardware repair store. AND…the software is never included in the warranty! That means that software that runs your computer “Windows” is not covered. So if you have an operating system crash, they won’t pay for it unless it’s due to hardware failure!
Fourth tip: Don’t worry about processor speeds or hard drive space. All new computers are keeping up with the industry and giving you plenty. If you are a music or picture fan, then yes…you may want a bigger hard drive. A basic computer should do everyone fine. I’m still running on a 60 gig hard drive! (2 year old computer too)
Fifth tip: if you are buying a laptop computer, skip the bells and whistles (like media packages), just look for a basic computer with the basic RAM needed, I recommend 3 or 4 gigs.
Email me with any questions, I hope this helped many of you in your buying decisions!
lisa@callthatgirl.biz
Fun blog today about people and their computers
Nothing too special today folks, just some “fun” comments I have.
One thing that kinda gives me the “weirds” is when someone comes over and says, “Can I use your computer”. I don’t care, but I always feel weird about it. Computers are VERY personal these days. They are YOUR life! Most adults have their own and some with children have to share. (but many now are getting their own). And doesn’t it seem when someone borrows your computer, something is wrong with it afterwards?
Time after time I hear stories like these, “my brother was over for the weekend and now I have viruses all over and my internet isn’t working” “My mom came over and now I have a coupon page that pops up” or my favorite!!! “My ex-boyfriend came over and said he wanted to do something on my computer, popped in a flash drive and saw a window moving for 20 minutes” (WOW, he was TAKING HER STUFF!!!).
Eeks! We all need to be somewhat careful when we borrow our computers. Not everyone is as savvy as you are right? 🙂
Back to the creepy feelings…computers are now an extension of “us”, it’s how we work, play, eat, sleep and breathe. Ok a bit extreme, but for the most part it’s true. I had a computer stolen from me once and I didn’t care about the data (as it was backed up) but I felt more violated and “who is using it now!!!” I missed it actually.
To close for today, Happy Hump Day!
Call That Girl’s buck a minute special for backing up
Here we go again…so many of you are not backing up your data! I’m going to now be the data back up annoying person. I hate to do this, but I feel that someone has to move you to wanting to at least do one back up. Can you blame me? I see this everyday in the shop…computers crash, viruses attack, they just plain fail… Your data is there and wants you to have it back asap!
You paid for that music. You stole that music. Either way, replacing your collection would be a lot of work!
Those memories off the camera? You cannot re-take those pictures. No way!
For one week, Call That Girl is offering a $1 per minute consultation. Even if you just want to check and see if your data back up is doing it’s job or going as far as setting up a whole new system that is hands freel….we want to help. We have seen many times over that people are sure their data is backed up to only find that the external hard drive or the online back up system is not backing up properly.
Many of you are not backing up on a regular basis. For the home users, this is important to get all those pictures and music collections in a 2nd home.
We can help you figure out a data back up package that fits your needs. Many of you have back up systems in place and just need a second opinion, for a buck a minute to have that checked, this is worth the price.
For the business user, you documents, excel spreadsheets and powerpoints are critical for your business to move. If your computer fails, you can at least get to your data.
This “buck a minute” special ends Wednesday, Nov 25th. If you book an appointment before then, you can book an appointment at anytime.
Email Lisa@callthatgirl.biz to schedule an appointment.