Plugging in...
Some Lenovo Thinkpad laptops have an irritating power problem: no matter what settings are chosen and saved, the laptop goes to "sleep" after 2 minutes.
After grappling with an update to the power software (which did not solve the problem), the Tutor decided to use a Windows feature. Turning on the screen saver, setting the wait time for 2 minutes, unchecking Resume to logon screen, requires a mere tap of the mouse or any key on the keyboard to bring the laptop instantly back to where it left off. Since the screen saver is busy drawing something across the screen, the laptop doesn't think it's idle and won't go to sleep.
Though the problem wasn't technically "solved", this quick work around was perfect for this frequently interrupted user.
ALWAYS REMEMBER: before calling for help - is it plugged in, and is it turned on?
Unplugged
Thursday, September 29, 2016
Wednesday, September 14, 2016
The Case for UNPLUGGED
Plugging in...
Usually the Unplugged tale is all about making sure it's plugged in, but this tale is the opposite. No sound was the issue for a video that a Tutor client wanted to watch. If one wanted to study lip reading, this was an excellent video for such. But alas, the sound was important.
The Tutor made a house call and did a cursory look at the computer and the desk where other peripherals were attached to the computer (printer, keyboard, mouse... and speakers). The computer was an all-in-one with its own speaker, horizontally at the bottom of the monitor. The very old, but usable Harmon Kardon speakers were plugged into the computer but not turned on. Nor were they attached to a power source. Easy, peasy. Unplug the cord attaching the speakers to the computer and the sound was directed to the built-in speakers.
The Tutor could have searched for a power source, but the client was pleased with the solution and the Tutor was pleased not to crawl around on the floor looking for either the power cable and/or where it could be plugged in.
ALWAYS REMEMBER: before calling for help - is it plugged in, and is it turned on?
Unplugged
Usually the Unplugged tale is all about making sure it's plugged in, but this tale is the opposite. No sound was the issue for a video that a Tutor client wanted to watch. If one wanted to study lip reading, this was an excellent video for such. But alas, the sound was important.
The Tutor made a house call and did a cursory look at the computer and the desk where other peripherals were attached to the computer (printer, keyboard, mouse... and speakers). The computer was an all-in-one with its own speaker, horizontally at the bottom of the monitor. The very old, but usable Harmon Kardon speakers were plugged into the computer but not turned on. Nor were they attached to a power source. Easy, peasy. Unplug the cord attaching the speakers to the computer and the sound was directed to the built-in speakers.
The Tutor could have searched for a power source, but the client was pleased with the solution and the Tutor was pleased not to crawl around on the floor looking for either the power cable and/or where it could be plugged in.
ALWAYS REMEMBER: before calling for help - is it plugged in, and is it turned on?
Unplugged
Thursday, August 25, 2016
DOS isn't DOA
Plugging in...
The Tutor was genuinely surprised to be asked to assist a DOS and Wordstar (word processing, for those who aren't familiar) user this week. The computer did not have a case, the floppy drives (both 5.25 and 3.5) and the CD player no longer worked and the computer is so old that it has never heard of a USB port.
There are thousands of word processing documents on this computer that the owner wants to transfer. There are several issues at hand here, the most important being that the current round of word processing programs are incapable of opening the Wordstar formatted documents in any legible form (We tried). It might be possible to dig around on ebay or Craig's list for old hardware parts for a CD drive that would allow the documents to be burned to it and then transferred to a newer computer. But that does not solve the problem of opening them and saving them in an updated format.
One solution, though time consuming, is to print each document (no email, too old...) and scan them using an OCR (Optical Character Recognition) program. The documents are all typed in a courier font which makes scanning much more reliable since each character is the same height and width (called a mono-spaced font). The client has been regularly prodded by family, colleagues and tech people to update over the years, but steadfastly remained with what he knew inside and out.
The tutor left the client pondering his options. Hey, the Tutor can do many things, but teaching an old and reluctant dog new tricks? We'll see...
ALWAYS REMEMBER: before calling for help - is it plugged in, and is it turned on?
Unplugged
The Tutor was genuinely surprised to be asked to assist a DOS and Wordstar (word processing, for those who aren't familiar) user this week. The computer did not have a case, the floppy drives (both 5.25 and 3.5) and the CD player no longer worked and the computer is so old that it has never heard of a USB port.
There are thousands of word processing documents on this computer that the owner wants to transfer. There are several issues at hand here, the most important being that the current round of word processing programs are incapable of opening the Wordstar formatted documents in any legible form (We tried). It might be possible to dig around on ebay or Craig's list for old hardware parts for a CD drive that would allow the documents to be burned to it and then transferred to a newer computer. But that does not solve the problem of opening them and saving them in an updated format.
One solution, though time consuming, is to print each document (no email, too old...) and scan them using an OCR (Optical Character Recognition) program. The documents are all typed in a courier font which makes scanning much more reliable since each character is the same height and width (called a mono-spaced font). The client has been regularly prodded by family, colleagues and tech people to update over the years, but steadfastly remained with what he knew inside and out.
The tutor left the client pondering his options. Hey, the Tutor can do many things, but teaching an old and reluctant dog new tricks? We'll see...
ALWAYS REMEMBER: before calling for help - is it plugged in, and is it turned on?
Unplugged
Wednesday, July 13, 2016
Turning it On
Plugging in...
You readers may laugh at how the Tutor's tag line " is it plugged in, and is it turned on", yet another problem was recently solved by... you guessed it... turning it on.
A client needed to change printer ink cartridges, and had done so many times before. Simple, right? Except the print head would not move over to the center of the print for access to the print cartridges. Hemming, hawing and cussing did nothing to make it move. No surprises there.
The remedy? Turning the printer POWER on. The printer cover can be easily lifted to see the print head but the cartridges will not move to the center for full access unless under power. So often it is the easy ones that get us!
ALWAYS REMEMBER: before calling for help - is it plugged in, and is it turned on?
Unplugged
You readers may laugh at how the Tutor's tag line " is it plugged in, and is it turned on", yet another problem was recently solved by... you guessed it... turning it on.
A client needed to change printer ink cartridges, and had done so many times before. Simple, right? Except the print head would not move over to the center of the print for access to the print cartridges. Hemming, hawing and cussing did nothing to make it move. No surprises there.
The remedy? Turning the printer POWER on. The printer cover can be easily lifted to see the print head but the cartridges will not move to the center for full access unless under power. So often it is the easy ones that get us!
ALWAYS REMEMBER: before calling for help - is it plugged in, and is it turned on?
Unplugged
Wednesday, June 29, 2016
Can we BE too secure these days??
Plugging in...
A PIN can be secure when used to access a local device (tablets, phones, directly via the device's keyboard or touchscreen. It's especially secure if the device has enhanced security such as a TPM (trusted platform module) chip.
If you want to improve PIN security, increase its length. A four-digit PIN allows only 10,000 combinations, while a six-digit PIN affords a million. A million combinations is much harder for a computer program to "crack"!
In all other cases — and especially for all remote or Web-based sign-ins — use a classic password: one that's long and complex.
ALWAYS REMEMBER: before calling for help - is it plugged in, and is it turned on?
Unplugged
A PIN can be secure when used to access a local device (tablets, phones, directly via the device's keyboard or touchscreen. It's especially secure if the device has enhanced security such as a TPM (trusted platform module) chip.
If you want to improve PIN security, increase its length. A four-digit PIN allows only 10,000 combinations, while a six-digit PIN affords a million. A million combinations is much harder for a computer program to "crack"!
In all other cases — and especially for all remote or Web-based sign-ins — use a classic password: one that's long and complex.
ALWAYS REMEMBER: before calling for help - is it plugged in, and is it turned on?
Unplugged
Tuesday, June 7, 2016
Apple: when later elicits a download
Plugging in...
Apple and Microsoft both are showing their bully sides with the operating system upgrades they are pushing at us.
On the beloved Apple Phone or iPad, even when the user chooses LATER, remind me LATER, the sneaky Apple software update is downloaded, consuming space, which for some users, that space is critical (8 GB phone users).
Choose Settings, General, Storage and iCloud Usage, Manage Storage to see if it is there and DELETE if not interested in updating right now, which results in regaining the space the update used. But... be sure to check the next time you are prompted for the update. If you choose LATER, it will be downloaded again without your knowledge, or consent, repeat the above to remove it.
BTW, signing OUT of iCloud will not prevent this.
ALWAYS REMEMBER: before calling for help - is it plugged in, was it downloaded without your knowledge, and is it turned on?
Unplugged
Apple and Microsoft both are showing their bully sides with the operating system upgrades they are pushing at us.
On the beloved Apple Phone or iPad, even when the user chooses LATER, remind me LATER, the sneaky Apple software update is downloaded, consuming space, which for some users, that space is critical (8 GB phone users).
Choose Settings, General, Storage and iCloud Usage, Manage Storage to see if it is there and DELETE if not interested in updating right now, which results in regaining the space the update used. But... be sure to check the next time you are prompted for the update. If you choose LATER, it will be downloaded again without your knowledge, or consent, repeat the above to remove it.
BTW, signing OUT of iCloud will not prevent this.
ALWAYS REMEMBER: before calling for help - is it plugged in, was it downloaded without your knowledge, and is it turned on?
Unplugged
Wednesday, June 1, 2016
Quickbooks 2009 (or older)
Plugging in...
If you are a holdout on upgrading your well used, well loved Quickbooks program, Windows 10 has a little surprise for you... Quickbooks 2009 or older, will not run under Windows 10. Not today, not tomorrow, not ever.
You may think it is a ploy from Quickbooks to grab some greenbacks from your wallet, but in fairness to Intuit, they cannot keep re-writing older programs to comply with new operating systems.
This is not an Intuit only situation, many software vendors must decide how to manage their programming resources and allocate them where they best see fit when the operating system they run on changes and their programs are unable to work on them. Sometimes we users get lucky and we can keep using our old software under the new operating system regime. And sometimes, we must pay the piper.
ALWAYS REMEMBER: before calling for help - is it plugged in, is the VERSION compatible, and is it turned on?
Unplugged
If you are a holdout on upgrading your well used, well loved Quickbooks program, Windows 10 has a little surprise for you... Quickbooks 2009 or older, will not run under Windows 10. Not today, not tomorrow, not ever.
You may think it is a ploy from Quickbooks to grab some greenbacks from your wallet, but in fairness to Intuit, they cannot keep re-writing older programs to comply with new operating systems.
This is not an Intuit only situation, many software vendors must decide how to manage their programming resources and allocate them where they best see fit when the operating system they run on changes and their programs are unable to work on them. Sometimes we users get lucky and we can keep using our old software under the new operating system regime. And sometimes, we must pay the piper.
ALWAYS REMEMBER: before calling for help - is it plugged in, is the VERSION compatible, and is it turned on?
Unplugged
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