Working as I do every day; with broken computers, there are some job requirements that necessitate that I must be ever present in front of a computer or laptop while installing programs and updates. It was with some relief that I recently happened across a free online service that reduces my exposure to the eternal installation progress bar.
Ninite.com offers a few more benefits than just time saving for square eyed computer technicians, the downloads that it offers cover everything from photo editor Picasa and free antivirus software AVG, to the more mundane essentials like Java and Flash.
The website, easily found by Google search ‘Ninite’, offers a fairly simple automatic install facility for all your basic software needs. The benefits in using this website to install your software requirements are mainly two fold. Ninite enables the user to install multiple applications (‘apps’ if you will) at once, all up to date and with options customised to your own computers specifications. For example if you have Windows XP or Windows 7 it will automatically download the correct version for you.
The main reason I am recommending it though, is that the clever people there disable the junk add-ons that come bundled with the software of your choice. For example if you need an Adobe product, you normally get a useless security scanner and an internet toolbar for your trouble. Not with Ninite.
One word of caution, these programs can be very useful but moderation is important. You shouldn’t install two antivirus programs or media players; just like you wouldn’t fit a second steering wheel to your car.
If there are any questions regarding this or any other computer related question please let me know at colin@colcom.info.

Disposal of your old tech can be a bit of a bind. Many households have old computers stored away in the attic as just another thing to deal with later.
You may not know how best to get rid of you old or broken kit in a way that is secure and safe, for you and for the environment. The nasties that live inside your computer are generally the heavy metals that make up the circuitry. The older the technology the more likely it will be to contain harmful elements like lead, cadmium, mercury and chromium. Environmental concerns aside; the small matter of your data security is another reason to employ a considered approach when parting ways with your old machine.
Removing or transferring sensitive data from an old computer can present a problem, especially if the machine won’t even turn on. Options are still available, removing the hard drive from the unit is a little awkward but achievable with a No. 2 Phillips head screwdriver. Laptops can vary in difficulty but generally a smaller ‘star’ type Phillips head will get you there. The data on your computer lives solely on the hard drive, not in the RAM (the random access memory) as is frequently thought. So in removing the hard drive from the machine we completely neutralize it of its stored memory.
Your local council recycling centre is in Linwood, Middleton Road or in Greenock, Pottery Street. If you are looking for a greener, guaranteed safe disposal option, where suitable components will be reused or recycled, I now offer this service with data retrieval as standard. £45 will remove the hard drive from your computer and take care of the disposal of the machine. We can have your data returned to you on a DVD or by email. You can dig out that old Christmas card list yet!

March 2012.

Last month I bought a gift for my wife that I thought may be worth while checking around online for price comparison. In the end I purchased the present the old fashioned way; on the high street. A few days after the gift was given I heard an exclamation from the lounge where my other half was on the computer. She was looking at an advert with a picture of her gift, a watch, and the price directly beneath! ‘I didn’t look for it, it just appeared!’ I was peeved, not only at myself for not being more careful to remove internet cookies, but at the invasive forms of OBA (Online Behavioural Advertising) that go on under our noses every time we search the internet.
You may have heard of internet cookies, these are packets of data stored on your computer whenever you go online. Cookies allow a website to recognise a user’s preferences when they return to a site. A cookie itself does not contain or collect information. However, when it is read by a server in conjunction with a web browser it can help a website deliver a more “user-friendly” service. These are the devices used by most behavioural adverts to target you specifically.
If you want to nip the cookies in the bud from the get-go you can turn them off in your internet browser. I find this method to more of a hindrance than a help as some important sites require them to be active. I prefer to use CCleaner from Piriform. It is a quick, free and easy software solution you can run as often as you like.
Due partly to a large increase in complaints of a similar nature to my own, the European Digital Advertising Alliance (EDAA) will administer an “innovative and revolutionary self-regulatory system for online behavioural advertising”. Basically you will see a bigger ‘i’ in triangle on the offending advert with a link to remove the specific cookie it uses. ‘Watch Finder’ cookie bewares!

February 2012

There are many, many email providers. Some come as part of your broadband package, some come free; some do the job well and some in my opinion – not so well at all. Here is some opinion on three main vendors.

BT Internet and Yahoo merged a while ago now so they share a similar front end. My main complaint with the BT Yahoo interface is the proliferation of advertising on the page. To my mind they are the worst offenders of this. It is a cheap and easy shot for them and you can rest assured that they make great money out of your email home screen’s real estate.

Microsoft’s Hotmail along with Live.com and msn.com are the old kids on the block. I recall my first email address zogg11@hotmail.com with the same nostagia as my first car number plate. I latterly created a more sedate email address with Hotmail which subsequently got hacked. This resulted in a small proportion of my client base being offered Iphones fraudulently. Email-barrassment. I have since heard of quite a number of my clients experience similar hacked Hotmail accounts. If you should be unlucky enough to get hacked try to access your mail then delete or download all messages and contacts and change the password on the account.

Googlemail (gmail) is my favourite free email provider. A clean looking dashboard with minimal advertising being the main reason. Although the further functionality Google offer is astounding too. When my Hotmail account got hacked I used Gmail’s mail collector to pull in new email from the Hotmail account. If you were to consider a move from your current email provider you can organise the same for a smooth transition between email addresses.

My blogs are now available online at www.colcom.info, please feel free to leave comments.

With Christmas come and gone some of the luckier among us may have a new laptop or computer to play with. You might be getting used to the new experiences that may be Windows 7, or OSX Lion. Maybe you have a touch screen PC and, like me, are still reaching for the mouse at every opportunity. For that matter, perhaps you have a new laptop and you are struggling with touchpaditis, symptoms include severe exasperation, confusion and feelings that you must persist with the touch pad rather than giving in to plugging in a USB mouse.
Remember that your computer will probably come loaded with antivirus software that you can expect to last a couple of months before the vendor asks for you to pay. I always recommend that you look elsewhere for an antivirus deal rather than hand your card details over to them. Norton and McAfee are the two main players here but both are quite expensive. I had a client recently who was in an antivirus syndicate where the three user licence was purchased at Amazon.com and shared through three individuals. A good idea if you can find like minds.
In most new Windows computers you find now that Microsoft has loosened their grip on the two most popular office applications, Word and Excel. You can now go to Office 2010 in the start menu and select ‘Starter’ option. This will let you use these programs on the proviso that you can put up with the relatively subdued advertising they offer.
Your old computer or laptop is never completely beyond hope. They can at the very least be recycled by me or by many other computer technicians. However you dispose of your machine, be sure to remove the hard drive from it or to have the data completely deleted.