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 Tips & Tricks
Need some do-it-yourself help to fix your computer or buying advice for Xmas or where to find something on the Web? Look here at Missing Pieces' Tips & Tricks!
Look at the subjects below. Click on a category or the 'plus'  or 'minus'  signs next to them to open and close them and see what's in each category. If there's something you don't see but wanna know, then email Missing Pieces at Help@Missing-Pieces.com and I'll see if I can get you the information and maybe even add it here! Don't be afraid to email if you see something wrong or out of date either! ;-)
This is a work in progress, so things will keep being added!
Shopping for Technology
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Which store should I go to?
- Now this is more specific to computers, but also applies to technology in general. Here in Nashua, they're almost all in the same 1 square mile area. (all no sales tax! ;-) Heck, you can do the 'BB-CC Walk' between Best Buy and Circuit City!
 STAPLES - I always start there. Least selection, but usually the best prices on what they have and the best of breed. Like they now carry several Dell computers! Also, since their weekly circular isn't in most papers (god knows why) less people go to them. AND there's a second Staples in Nashua at exit 8 that usually has more stock than the exit 1 store. If one store doesn't have it, have them call the other store! Most knowledgable, yet not obnoxious staff. Also, a better, free rewards program than Best Buy or CompUSA.
CIRCUIT CITY - Used to be worse than Best Buy, now the reverse. They have the better return policy now, no restocking fees. Best stock and selection. More knowledgable people on the floor. Watch the circulars for the better prices, they seem to alternate each other! (collusion? ;-)
BEST BUY - They seemed to have adopted all Circuit City's old habits. Stocking fees, less stock, less choice. But they sometimes have the item on sale in their circular when the others don't, so worth the BB-CC Walk. If you talk to someone there, talk to the blue shirts. They're Best Buy people as opposed to the Geek Squad guys, who are just surly it seems. They are a separate company within Best Buy, so they just don't seem to get along. And at $250 an hour at home, THEY are why _I_ started my business! lol
WALMART - Ok, no real knowledgable folk behind the counters, not much selection either. But if they've got it, they probably have lots of them and good to great prices. And a good return policy too. They now sell Dells too, like Staples.
BJs - Ok, I know the buyer here! :-) He got me my Wii last year! If you get desperate, can't find that electronics item, Wiis, TVs, etc. you wanted, let me know, I may be able to dig it up thru him! Just let me know, 603-891-1928.
MISSING PIECES - Nope, I'm not a store! ;-) But if I see something at a good price for a customer, I sometimes pick up a couple more in case anybody else can use it. So check out my sale page and what I have and give me a call if you want it!
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Where to shop online
- DELL.COM - My favorite machines. Best prices, setup your way. Even though they sell about the same as HPs, I fix far less of them. But with the Dell website, you can get different prices on virtually the same hardware, by going in in different ways. When you first go to the site, try Home & Home Office first; then try their promotions; even try their new Small/Medium Business line. I was able to get a great buy recently, buying a Vostro modified to be like an Inspiron Home machine. Got more power for less price. AND Dell still sells Windows XP!! And still FREE shipping.
STAPLES.COM - Join their Staples Rewards program and you'll get email for coupons for online and off. Like 30% off on a $100 purchase!
AMAZON.COM - If the stores run out, Amazon may still have it! Sometimes folks buy from the stores and put them up here. (you can sell on Amazon too, like eBay) And I've gotten stuff from Amazon that I ordered after 11pm, at _8am_ the next morning!! With regular shipping! (they have a warehouse in Jersey!)
eBAY.COM - If the stores run out, here's the last chance! Remember, with eBay you're dealing with individuals or small operations, so use PayPal if at all possible, for the protection it gives you. And remember, when you win the bid or buy, it is NOT shipped right away, so contact the seller promptly to get it going!
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Combating Viruses, PopUps, Spyware & Adware
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Use your Antivirus program and keep it updated
- If your PC came with a free or free trial of an antivirus program, use it! If you have a router, it has a built in firewall, but that is NOT a replacement for an antivirus program. In fact, almost all antivirus programs come with a firewall too. So you might turn off the firewall program if you are short on memory, depending on the router to do its job, but you still need the antivirus itself.
BUT! If your free antivirus expires or requires you to pay for a subscription, its just not worth it! Look at the following options first, instead. All the pay-for options have their problems.
Norton - is the most bloated Anti-virus as it is the most popular. It takes so much memory, it will slow your system's performance like a virus would! It is also the most HACKED antivirus! Viruses actually replace parts of Norton's code with dummy code that acts like its removing viruses, but is just acting like it. Sometimes even INSTALLING viruses! So I don't find it a good solution. Uninstall it even if its FREE!
AOL - their antivirus is so slow and finds fewer viruses than just about any other. AND it adds to the AOL memory bloat that slows a system too.
CA - their antivirus is pieced together from multiple products they bought, there are just as good free options.
McAfee - is the best of the store-boughts, but is available free from internet providers like Comcast, but not Verizon any more. There have been some hacks to invade McAfee, since its the #2 seller out there, but not as many as Norton.
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Comcast subscribers can get McAfee for free
- I'm still using my Comcast McAfee and I switched to Verizon DSL! To get yours (both antivirus and firewall) log into your Comcast.net (not .com, that's for bill paying) email account. If you don't have an email account yet, call them and they'll turn it on for you. Look along the top edge of the page for 'Security' and follow it from there. You'll setup a Comcast/McAfee account and download both products. Its a little involved, but worth it. Or call me for a little help. ;-)
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Use a FREE Antivirus
- I've tried a few of them, they are attacked by viruses far less than Norton/McAfee just becuase of shear numbers of the big two. Some are a pain though or are really just trying to sell 'real' versions of themselves.
But of the few I like, I like AVG the most! Its totally free, not a trial version. Its always being updated with new virus definitions and detects updates automatically. And its not TOO much of a memory hog, so it runs on low end systems well.
CAVEAT: If you already have version 7.5 of AVG on your system, you may see a window pop up telling you you have to upgrade to the new version 8.0! And if you follow the link, you will find a version 8.0 that costs $54! Try as I might, I could NOT find the 'free' version of 8.0 from this link!
BUT, it doesn't mean there is no free version and you have to pay! The free version is where it always was, upgraded to the free version of AVG 8.0. I think they just tried a little too hard to steer you to the 'pay for' versions, that they left out the link to the free one.
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Spyware and Adware are bigger problems than Viruses
- Unless you go to a 'bad' website, very few people ACTUALLY run into viruses. Far more likely, in normal websurfing, is the problem of spyware and adware infecting your system and slowing it down. Normal websites sell the rights to load up your system with all sorts of junk, watching your surfing and buying habits or trying to popup in front of you to sell you something!
To combat this, you need anti-spyware/adware software. But unlike anti-virus software, it doesn't need to be running all the time, down in the system tray in the bottom right of your screen. Anti-spyware just needs to be run every couple of weeks to keep things clean.
And unlike anti-virus software, where you can only install one at a time (they don't like each other ;-) you can use more than one product to provide a better total solution. In fact, I use these two as a great 1-2 punch and run them both at the same time every couple of weeks:
Ad-Aware - The best in the business. Although their new version is a bit too flashy and less easy to use than the old version, its still the best way to find and remove spyware! They are ALWAYS updating their spyware/adware definitions. And if there is a bad virus outbreak, they even help out the antivirus folk by putting in a quick fix to remove a bad virus until the antivirus guys get a full solution out there! Ad-Aware will even nag you to to update it, if too much time goes by.
Spybot - 2nd best in the business! ;-) Spybot picks up the things Ad-Aware doesn't and vice versa. Run both of these and you've got the best chance to avoid the affects of spyware.
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Blocking Pop-Ups!
- I always install the Google Toolbar on systems. Its the best tool for blocking popups in your Internet Explorer or FireFox browser. (sorry, none for Opera) All the other toolbars, like the Yahoo or AOL, just don't do the job. And toolbars that you never heard of? They almost ALWAYS are PUTTING spyware on your system, not REMOVING it!
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Keep your system updated!
- The old wisdom used to be, "Don't do Windows Updates, they'll screw up your system!" But now-a-days, updates are NECESSARY! There are too many holes that are plugged by updates these days to avoid doing them. And Microsoft has been pretty good about keeping them flawless.
But many systems CAN'T seem to do updates! There seems to be so many ways Automatic and regular updates get broken, there is a cottage industry for solutions. Unfortunately, most of them are like old wives tales, urban myths and snake oil! They DON'T fix updating!
The most reliable (though a tad complicated) set of instructions I've found, which I've used many times, is from PC Hell. (gotta love the name! ;-) You can try it a section at a time and see if the easier steps get you going again. Or try the whole thing! If it looks too complicated, it kinda is, give me a call and I can do it for you.
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Getting on the Internet
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Comcast
- Comcast, at $40-$50 a month, better be fast! But it is. It IS quite a bit faster than DSL and until FIOS is available here in NH from the telephone company (it may never get here if Verizon sells VT/NH/ME to a tiny company) it is the reigning champ for residential customers. You can run multiple computers and file servers with one connection easily. And it doesn't tie up your phone like a dialup connection will. And unlike DSL, if you get cable, they usually can get you a connection. (no distance from the office issues)
You can buy a Comcast kit at the store (Staples, Circuit City, Best Buy) but usually Comcast will send a guy out to enable it. Especially if your place needs to be upgraded to the new RG6 cable, which is required for best throughput over the old RG-59 TV cable. Their techs are good. Hopefully you get a cable guy who's been taught the computer stuff rather than just a computer guy. They fix you up from the pole and your TV reception gets better as well. I sometimes have to come in and cleanup the network issues they create though, especially if you have TiVos or Nintendo Wiis to get on your network as well. They won't do those.
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Verizon DSL
- I use DSL right now and although it IS slower than Comcast, even I, who LIVE on the Internet, rarely notice the difference, even with multiple computer, TiVos and Wiis on my network. Only if I run a file downloader like LimeWire or BitTorrent do I ever notice my network grinding to a halt. And at sale rates like $12.95 and $14.95 per month (usually for a years subscription) you can't beat the price! Even over dialup! And unlike dialup, you still can use the phone at the same time, just like cable!
Forget the 'other' DSL companies. They have to get access to Verizon's lines and Verizon makes it very hard to get connected. So its just a pain. Go right to the source. Shouldn't be that way, but it is.
For some reason, Verizon hasn't sold kits in the stores, though I think this finally has changed in some places. You call them or go online and see if your phone number can get DSL and they will send you a free kit in like 3 days. For $15, they'll make it a wireless kit, so you don't have to buy a wireless router to support more than one computer or wireless devices. (pay the $15, its worth it if you're ever going to go wireless) Its not too hard to install yourself and they have good phone techs to help, though I've had to intervene at times. ;-) Wierdest thing is having to put these filters they send you to put on all your OTHER phone lines to keep your phones from interfering with the DSL signal. Weird, but relatively easy.
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Dialup
- Why use dialup at $25 a month for AOL and the like or $10 for 5-10 hours a month, when DSL is $13?? Well, when Verizon says you're TOO FAR to get DSL. Or you have satellite instead of cable. Or you travel and need a mobile connection. Or you only use your cellphone and have no landline. (Verizon can STILL set you up with DSL even without a landline!) Or you loooove AOL's interface! (you can use AOL on DSL or cable WITHOUT paying for AOL now! Dump it!) But other than that, going with cable or DSL will make life a lot smoother. If you do go dialup, and buy a new computer, make sure it has a modem! They're starting to leave them OUT of new computers.
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Browsers
- Yes, Windows comes with Internet Explorer, but I do find other browsers to be very useful at times. For one thing, they are less likely to be 'broken into' by spyware and viruses, just by the fact that they are not nearly as popular! Much like the Mac enjoys its clean, no-virused image, due to still pitiful marketshare, (its been stuck at 10% for 10 years, Mac-o-files, don't argue ;-) other browsers can fly under-the-radar, unaccosted by as many sicknesses as IE is. On the other hand, other browsers tend to be a tad less compatible with many websites, so I always keep IE around for those instances. But I find each browser is better at a particular task than the others:
Firefox - Being the next most popular browser, Firefox is also the next most compatible browser AND therefore the next most affected by spyware and viruses. There are even Firefox-specific ailments, but still NOwhere near the number that affects IE.
I find Firefox great for my email clients, Hotmail, Yahoo, Gmail, AOL and my own site's service. (in the business I need to keep up on each service, when people ask questions :-) I have each on a tab and I saved all the tabs as my Homepages, so when I start up Firefox in the morning, I see all my email clients logging in at once!
Opera - Opera is less compatible with many webpages vs IE or Firefox, but it does so many other things better than either of them! Its also available for far more devices than just PCs. You can probably get it for your phone and its even available on the Nintendo Wii! (we love surfing YouTube on the Wii; much better on a TV than a PC! ;-)
I use Opera for all the websites I have to 'sign in' to. It somehow recognizes 'username' and 'password' spots on webpages far FAR more accurately and reliably than either IE or Firefox. Click on the 'magic wand' icon on a page and it fills it in and off you go into the site. Far easier than any other way to get into a site. So I access all my utility, bank and finance sites via Opera, yet its more secure than using IE, since its not targeted by viruses.
AOL - Please, please, please DON'T download AOL! Its the most virused and spywared interface ever created! I spend more time cleaning machines infected thru AOL than ANYthing else! I know non-computer folk love the interface, but I can show you how to get it all ... somewhere else! If you want to keep your AOL email, you don't have to pay AOL or even use its desktop any more. You can get your AOL email on the web thru any browser.
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Video help
I do a lot of video work these days. (as you could see from my Home page boring you to death until I added the special affects, or my Fun Science page FULL of videos! ;-) And I find a lot of PCs I work on are not up to snuff on the proper software drivers to see and hear all the latest video/audio out there on the web. So I end up installing a lot of them for folks or removing bad ones that are causing trouble.
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YouTube
- YouTube of course, is the grandaddy of all video sites. Still the best, with the most. Especially now that Google bought them! Yahoo Video and AOL Video have their moments, but are still also-rans, far behind the leader. Also forget the 'wanna be' sites like Motiono.com. (I won't even grace them with a hyperlink) Terribly run and poor performing or outright just devious, they aren't worth your time.
I put a lot of my videos on my various YouTube accounts, or see my About page for them:
My main account, with lots of 60s/70s videos
My extra account, with space-related stuff
My Missing Pieces-related work
Enjoy!
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TeacherTube
- One problem with YouTube is its content can be just about anything. Like it or not, its mostly likely there. So a lot of schools and libraries have banned YouTube access within their facilities. :-( So a bunch of teacher came to me and asked me if I would put my 'School House Rock' and space videos on a place where teachers can at them in schools/libraries.
A bunch of teachers got together and this summer started a site just for this: TeacherTube.com! TeacherTube is a site for educators, teachers and students to share school-related videos and teaching materials amongst each other, without the clutter and inappropriate subject matter of other video sites.
Its NOT nearly as polished and versatile as YouTube is, I admit. And I have reported MANY bugs. (many have been fixed too! :-) But it works well and gets things exposed within schools like they wanted. Plus it has special features YouTube doesn't, like allowing videos longer than 10 minutes and attaching other useful files to a video, like help, word, PDF and such files, to assist the user in the subject of the video. Very neat.
But its not without its thorns. ;-) So I have created a series of videos on TeacherTube on how to use TeacherTube better, called TeacherTube Tips:
TeacherTube Tips
All my TeacherTube videos
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MySpace TV
- Another interesting video spot on the web is MySpace TV. Not so much a 'me too' site as a service to all those MySpace folk, who want to easily embed tons of videos in their MySpace pages. lol They have recently been bought by Fox I think it was and they have made many of their TV shows available here. So it has some things YouTube won't have.
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RedBox video rentals FREE on Monday and Wednesday!
- Have you seen a red vending machine in your local grocery store? Its most likely a RedBox video rental kiosk! Unlike Blockbuster, you rent videos for $1 per day. Keep the video for 3 days? Its $3. Keep it for just a day? Its $1! And if you rent on Monday or Wednesday, you can get a rental for FREE!
If you go to their signup page and give them your cellphone number, they will text message you a 'promo/coupon code' on Monday and Wednesday, that you can type in at the kiosk (look for the 'promo' button on the screen) and a dollar will come off your rental total!
I haven't paid for a video in weeks!
Oh yeah, and you can reserve a video on a local RedBox, so you know its there when you get there! Go to the Reserve Online page and look at what's available on a local RedBox near you.
Here's a list of the RedBoxes in the Nashua area.
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Orb.com: To see/hear your PC's videos/photos/music anywhere, including your Wii!
- Register your PC on Orb.com and you can use your Orb account from anywhere on the Internet to see your videos/photos/music on your PC! Much like the Slingbox let's you see your TV anywhere, like on the road in a hotel or at a friend's, Orb does the same for the contents of your PC, letting you see what it has anywhere else. But unlike Slingbox, there is NO extra hardware! Just free software! :-)
But what I love best is Orb is made to work from our Wii! So I can watch movies I have on my hard drive on my PC in the LIVING ROOM, _NOT_ back in my computer room. MUCH more comfortable! And the quality is great. Much better than even watching YouTube from the Wii. Almost DVD quality!
AND there is a Games section on the Orb menu, that gets you free internet games to play on the Wii, with MANY Wii-specific! So you want a new game to play on your Wii? Then surf to Orb and try a few... for FREE!
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Can't see the videos on YouTube/TeacherTube/MySpaceTV?
- Then you probably don't have Adobe's Flash Player installed on your computer. (also know as Macromedia Flash until Adobe bought them up) This is one of the most essential pieces of software to view content on the web. Video, animation, games, most use Flash as their delivery vehicle. So feel assured downloading & installing this one if you don't have it already.
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Can't see a video someone sent you or you downloaded?
- There are lots of different 'types' of video files out there. Unfortunately. Cameras take different kinds; videocams take other types; video editors create other types; DVDs support other types.
Its a mess.
So not every file can be played by Windows Media Player, which is the default video player in Windows. But, when I work on someone's PC, I have found if I do a few select installs, I can set up a person's machine to handle about 98% of the videos they will encounter on the web, whether by downloading from things like LimeWire and BitTorrent, or sent to you by your friends:
Windows Update - Keep Your system up-to-date, or at least pick from 'Custom' the updates relating to Windows Media Player. This will keep all Microsoft-supported video formats working.
DivX - DivX is an extremely popular video format that produces small video files with great clarity. So a LOT of video editors prefer this format. Installing this only requires the 'codec' in the install, because it works within Windows Media Player itself, but the Divx Player is also very nice itself and even though I prefer Windows Media Player these days for ease of use, its nice to have the Divx Player around for a 2nd choice.
Apple QuickTime - Apple, always being the 'lone wolf' of the PC industry, like Sony and its proprietary hardware formats, has its own video format for Apple Macs. Graciously, they have shared it with the 'rest of us' over the years. ;-) Many cameras use their format, since Apple has always targeted the Graphics market.
If you have an iPod or iPhone, you probably already have QuickTime installed along with your iTunes software. If you don't have either 'iThings', when you install, DON'T pick the option to install iTunes. You just need QuickTime to view Apple (.mov) video files.
Still got Windows 98/98SE/ME? - Neither of the above will run on these old versions of Windows. :-( They both require Windows 2000, XP or Vista unfortunately. BUT, _I_ have old versions of BOTH that will install on Windows 98/98SE/ME :-) :
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