Cell Phone Locators

No matter where you are with your cell phone, you can be found. The cell towers you are using allow the provider to triangulate your position and locate your phone, and you, within an area the size of a football field. This can be a life-saving attribute, an intrusion or a great crime fighting tool. Depends.
Wherever you carry a phone the government can go to your provider and use the phone records to locate you. The advantages are numerous, beyond the potential life-saving capability. Tracking wanted criminals, suspects or delinquent persons can be a more affordable way to get persons of interest. However, where is the line drawn?
Tracking people without probable cause can be a messy topic, and one that the courts will have to decide upon. If you want to make it more difficult, but not impossible, for anyone to track you then turn off your GPS tracking chip. The only way to completely fall “off the grid” is to turn off the phone completely, even if it is for a short time.
Does the type of phone matter ? Not really. Although smart phones are better tracked due to GPS chips and other capabilities, tracking you still relies on the ability of your provider to triangulate your position via use of cell towers. All cell phones use towers…

Picasa 3

Use Picasa 3 for managing your photos? Great. Nice program, and it is free !! First, though, remember that is designed to manage your photographs and Picasa does not hold your pictures. The photos are stored on your hard drive. If you edit or delete the photo while working in Picasa you will have the altered photo or it will be deleted from your system. Backup the pictures routinely…
How do you backup the Picasa albums ? Albums are different from folders because albums only exist in Picasa. They don’t represent real folders on your computer. Albums may also contain photos saved across multiple folders. For example, you might create an album called Vacation 2011,’ and include photos of your vacation saved in different folders. It’s important to note when you delete or move photos from an album, the original files remain in their original locations on your computer. Folders in Picasa represent actual folders on your computer, so changes you make to folders in Picasa also affect the folders on your computer. To backup an album within Picasa you should do so one album at a time. Highlight the album, then select all the photos within that album, (edit, select all). Then click on Export to a folder. Browse to a folder or create a new one.
You may also want to backup your pictures separately to an external hard drive. To do so, go to the pictures folder on your hard drive, right click and copy to a folder or to the external drive itself.

Forgotten Passwords XP

Rule number One: write down your passwords and store it in a safe, and memorable, location. Failing that, you can retrieve your logon password with some effort. This is the password you would enter as soon as the Welcome screen appears in Windows XP.
If your logged on, please do the following right away. Make a Password Reset Disc / usb device. To do this:
Click on Start and then Control Panel. Click on the User Accounts link. Note: If you’re viewing the Classic View of Control Panel, double-click on the User Accounts icon. In the pick an account to change area of the User Accounts window, click on your Windows XP user name. In the Related Tasks area on the left, click the Prevent a forgotten password link.
When the Forgotten Password Wizard window appears, click Next. Note: You will need a floppy disk drive and a blank floppy disk. On the next screen, verify that a blank floppy disk is inserted in your floppy disk drive. Click Next to continue.
With the disk still in the drive, enter your current account password in the text box and click Next. Windows XP will now create the password reset disk. When the progress indicator shows 100% complete, click Next and then click Finish in the next window.
You can now remove the floppy disk from your computer. Label the disk “Password Reset” and store it in a safe place.

Forgotten Passwords 2

Rule number One: write down your passwords and store it in a safe, and memorable, location. Failing that, you can retrieve your logon password with some effort. This is the password you would enter as soon as the Welcome screen appears in Windows Vista and 7.
If your logged on, please do the following right away. Make a Password Reset Disc / usb device. To do this:
Click on Start and then Control Panel. Click on the User Accounts and Family Safety link. (Note: If you’re viewing the Classic View of Control Panel, you won’t see this link. Simply double-click on the User Accounts icon and proceed to Step 4). Click on the User Accounts link. In the task pane on the left, click the Create a password reset disk link.
When the Forgotten Password Wizard window appears, click Next. (Note: You will need some kind of portable media before being able to create a password reset disk. This means that you will need a flash drive or a floppy disk drive and blank floppy disk).
In the I want to create a password key disk in the following drive: drop down box, choose the portable media drive to create a password reset disk on. Click Next to continue. With the disk or other media still in the drive, enter your current account password in the text box and click Next.
Windows will now create the password reset disk on your chosen media. Then the progress indicator shows 100% complete, click Next and then click Finish in the next window. You can now remove the flash drive or floppy disk from your computer. Label the disk “Password Reset” and store it in a safe place.

Forgotten Passwords 3

Rule number One: write down your passwords and store it in a safe, and memorable, location. Failing that, you can retrieve your logon password with some effort. This is the password you would enter as soon as the Welcome screen appears.
There are several ways to by-pass, change or restore your forgotten password. Some of them require a higher level of expertise. These steps may allow you to do it yourself.
–Use your Password Recovery Disc
–Restore Windows to a previous state using system restore. All that is needed is a setup cd for Vista or Windows 7.
–Boot up in Safe Mode in Win XP and select the Administrator profile. No password required. You can change or remove the passwords of all users.
–Reinstall Windows. In some cases this is the best method. For instance, if you don’t want to lose your EFS-encrypted files or stored credentials by resetting your password, but you desperately need the computer, you can just install Windows a second time. You will have access to all the files of the previous installation. Just make sure that you don’t overwrite the original Windows installation during the Windows setup. This allows you to boot up the original Windows installation at a later time. I am sure you will remember your forgotten Windows password sooner or later. As to my own experience, the old password will pop up in your mind right after you finish the installation…

Google 9

What have they thought of next ? Google Chrome has a new version out that aims to further enhance our web browsing experience. There are several upgrades that are automatically downloaded and installed. They just need to be activated.
Instant Chrome is the neatest enhancement. It will begin loading the web site as you type it. Based on your history and Chromes use of the Google search engine, your desired web page will load even faster than it has previously. Neat !
To activate this option, (remember it is already downloaded), you only need to open Chrome, click on the wrench in the upper right corner and then select Options. Find the Search area and place a check mark in the box next to where it says “Enable Instant for faster searching and browsing…”
Now type in a favorite web site. Before you finish typing the address it will display on the screen.
Other upgrades already installed for you include WebGL support for accelerated 3-D graphics and easy access to Chrome Web Store. The access point for the Web Store is located in the upper left corner of a new tab. Click the plus sign at the top of the screen to access a new tab.

iPhone Service

If you own an iPhone, you know the advantages it has over most other phones. Now that it is available on the Verizon network as well as AT&T, which service will provide the better service ? Both are very fine companies, but have some significant service differences.

The main difference between the two is the antenna. The Verizon phone is compatible with 3G EvDO, (not 4G) and the AT&T phone supports UMTS. EvDO can download about 1.4 Mbps and EMTS can download about 3 Mbps. However, speed is more a factor of how good a signal you are getting.

If you are getting a better signal using either of the services, that is the factor to first consider.

Another factor, not well known, is that Verizon’s CDMA technology will not allow you to simultaneously surf the web and talk on the phone. AT&T’s UMTS also is more common internationally. Verizon, however, has the larger and more reliable network, giving the user a better, stronger signal. Verizon also lets the user create a wifi hotspot with their version of the iPhone, giving web life for up to five users, (at least until the phone rings…)

It comes down to selecting the right set of advantages for your use. Carefully consider what you need the iPhone for and whether AT&T or Verizon is the correct choice.

Mastering Email

Here are some tips to master your email account. These will help you streamline and organize your email so that you can quickly and effectively respond to them.

Keep your Inbox clean. Emptying your inbox everyday allows you the feeling that you have responded to and addressed each one. A cluttered Inbox has the opposite effect, the feeling that something is left undone. Having an “Inbox Zero,” (no emails), also keeps your email program running better, especially if you download your email using Outlook, Mail or Outlook Express.

Do not over-do creating new folders to store email. Create a series of subject, or topical folders and store relevant emails there. Sub-folders can be created for each, however, again, try to create only ones you need. This effort will help you stay on top of your email.

Use filters sparingly. These are tools that can send email to various locations, further clearing your Inbox and storing them in pre-determined locations for easy reference later on. However, over-using them can simply make it harder to stay on top of your email. You can have thirty filters sending project, family or friends email to various locations. Too many locations to track.

If you periodically check your Inbox, get in the habit of deleting the unwanted email first and then leaving the rest for reading later on. This maintenance habit keeps your Inbox cleaner and makes it easy to find relevant email.

Missing Downloads

Every time you download a file, you cannot easily find where it is stored on your system. So you download it again, hoping this time catching where the browser is storing it. Then again, and again and so forth. Next thing you know, there are several copies of the same file on your system.

Depending on your browser, finding the download location is easy. IE 6, 7 and 8 actually asks you where you want the file to be saved. Usually we suggest saving it to the Desktop.

Firefox will let you set the download location, (Tools, Options and on the General tab go to the Downloads section and tell the browser where to put these files), however the default location is the Downloads folder within the My Documents folder. If you select the option to have Firefox ask you every time where to store your downloads, then like IE, you choose the location each time.

Using Chrome, you will need to recognize that downloads are sent to the bottom of the screen. There you click Save to start the process. If you click the down arrow, then you can have Chrome open the download folder. There you can copy the file to another location. If you want to tell Chrome where to download files, you can click on the wrench in the upper right corner, then Options and then select Under the Hood. Place a check mark next to Ask where to save each file.

Online Banking

These are tips to make your online banking experience enjoyable and less worrisome. However, everyone should understand there still exist ways for perpetrators to access your banking information. Taking these steps will improve your security of this vital information.

First, you should have an effective security software package installed on your system. There are several to choose from. For example, Norton 360, McAfee, AVG, Avira and Avast, to name a few. We prefer a set of programs. These include AVG 2011, Malwarebytes and ccleaner that are used to combat most issues confronting our systems. You need to select the best one for your needs.

Second, do not fall for emails that are supposedly sent from your bank. This is a phishing technique that aims to fool the responder into giving out information that can be used to access your banking accounts and, ultimately, take your money. NEVER answer an email from your bank, NEVER access your accounts through any links provided by that email. If you suspect something, call your bank.

Third, the security warnings for some pages are just a nuisance. However, if it pertains to your online banking, then feel better that it lets you know you are at the right place. Do not go to an unsecure page.

Fourth, use a very strong password and rotate them periodically. Strong passwords will have combinations of letters, numbers and characters. Have a rotation of them written down and placed in a safe location, for you to use periodically and for a spouse or relative to have access to should that need arise.
Fifth, NEVER access your online bank account at a public location, or wifi spot.

Finally, always encrypt your banking information on your system for further protection. Backup your vital data using encryption software.