bruceb news

These are the rules for being safe using a Windows computer in 2012. Memorize them, forward them to your friends, post them on Facebook, alert the troops, sound the alarm, and walk from door to door passing them out to your neighbors!

If a web site brings something up on your screen that might be malware, turn your computer off with the power button. Get your hands off the mouse and do not click on “OK,” “Cancel,” or the X in the upper right corner! Anything that you click might lower the defenses on the computer and install malware.

Antivirus software & UAC will not always protect you against malware if you click OK at the wrong time. […] continued

A few days before Christmas, Microsoft delivered the “Office 365 Integration Module for Small Business Server 2011 Essentials,” a long awaited add-in that integrates Microsoft’s new server software for very small offices with its hosted Office 365 service.

In some respects this is what SBS 2011 Essentials should have included all along, and the combination is a compelling choice for many very small offices considering their first onsite server or a replacement for an aging Small Business Server 2003 tower. You’ll find a full description of Small Business Server 2011 Essentials here:

• Overview
• Remote Access
• Backups

Separately, the two products are already compelling choices for small businesses. […] continued

LogMeIn has moved far ahead of its competitors for working with computers remotely. It introduced major changes to its product lineup a couple of days before Christmas – not a good time to get much attention but an appropriate time to deliver lovely presents, since the changes include new features that will be useful for many of you.

Let’s start with the basics.

COMPUTERS

LogMeIn provides a small bit of software that installs on your computer at home or the office. It’s tied to a LogMeIn account – an email address and a password. The basic program is free for connecting from one computer to another computer. […] continued

Many Dropbox users quickly start to store all interesting files in their Dropbox folders, especially current files that are being used on more than one computer. The faster you can get to your Dropbox folders, the easier it is to use.

Here’s a tip about using Windows 7’s libraries for quicker access to your Dropbox folders – and perhaps it will give you some other ideas about how to use libraries.

Windows 7 libraries are virtual collections of folders – a consolidated view that lets you browse folders in one place even when they are stored in different directories or on different computers. […] continued

Microsoft released a particularly large crop of patches and updates on Tuesday. Your computer probably restarted on Tuesday or Wednesday night.

If you’re a subscriber to the Bruceb Remote Management service, your computer is also installing additional Microsoft updates that were released at the same time as the critical updates sent through Microsoft’s Automatic Updates system.

Java version 6 update 30 will be arriving on all your computers soon, too. If you install it manually, please make sure to avoid the noxious Ask Toolbar being pushed along with it!

If your computer is even a little wobbly on Thursday or Friday, restart it. […] continued

A few days ago Microsoft launched Answer Desk with little fanfare – no press release, just a new web site (www.answerdesk.com) offering live technical support for Windows and Office, plus PC tuneups, virus removal, and software training – 24×7, 365 days/year.

It might be your new best friend, it might disappear without a trace. Either way, it illustrates some interesting things about your changing relationship to technology and the evolving role of an IT consultant.

What is Microsoft Answer Desk?

When you start a session from the Answer Desk web site, Microsoft will connect you with an “Answer Tech” for free basic troubleshooting and diagnosis. […] continued

Previously:
Windows 7 Search
More About Windows 7 Search
Windows 7 Searches – Small Business
Windows 7 Searches – Libraries
Windows 7 Searches – Search Techniques

SUMMARY: Once you have some experience with Windows 7 searches, Mark Minasi has some tips for power users here.

Old Windows XP computers are falling over left and right, meaning every day people are being exposed to Windows 7 for the first time. One of its most important features for small businesses and law firms is the pervasive inclusion of indexed searches throughout the system. You can search for everything – the programs are indexed, your files are indexed (file names and all the words inside every file), your email is indexed, the metadata in music files about artist and album is indexed, the tags in your photos with the names of your children are indexed – every word is living in an index that’s created and maintained in a quiet, efficient way. […] continued

Previously:
Speech Recognition And Dragon NaturallySpeaking

For two weeks I’ve been writing e-mails and articles by speaking out loud into a microphone, using Dragon NaturallySpeaking 11.5. Its accuracy has been uncanny. It is so significantly improved from anything I’ve ever tried before that it feels as if some large technological leap has been made.

if you’ve ever used a voice recognition program, almost everything about the current version of Dragon NaturallySpeaking will be familiar. It’s second nature for me to sit with a microphone and speak out loud:

“This sentence is about cap windows and cap office on thursday period.”

The result is:

This sentence is about Windows and Office on Thursday.

[…] continued

I’m about two weeks into one of the more amazing experiences I’ve ever had with a computer. I don’t say that lightly; over the years I’ve had a lot of amazing experiences with computers and this really stands out.

On the other hand, there are a thousand reasons why you might not have the same experience. Before we’re done I’ll hedge this story with cautions and qualifications and defensive Ifs and Buts.

The story is this:

• About two weeks ago I installed Dragon NaturallySpeaking 11.5 Home Edition on my office computer.
• I speak into a microphone. The computer writes down what I say.

[…] continued

Apple’s brilliant success since Steve Jobs returned in 1997 has made it the largest company in the world by almost any measure, with a market capitalization that exceeds Microsoft and Intel combined. iPhones define the smartphone market, even if they do not completely dominate it now that Android has taken the lead in market share. iPads, however, so completely dominate the tablet market that Amazon opted not to directly compete but instead to seek a different niche that will leave Apple as the undisputed king of the 10′” tablets – for now, at least.

Apple’s lineup of Mac computers and its releases of OS X upgrades are watched by bloggers and the media almost as lovingly as its mobile devices. […] continued