I know some people who don't use the "Favorites" or "Bookmarks" feature of their web browser. For example, if they want to go to this blog page, they would actually click in the address bar at the top of the window, and type out "http://scottjohnsonflorida.blogspot.com". What a waste of time!
A faster way is to store often-visited websites in your Favorites (if you use Internet Explorer), or Bookmarks (if you use Firefox). When you are at the website you want to remember, do a right-click in an open area. In the menu that pops up, choose "Add to Favorites" or "Bookmark this page". Then, whenever you want to get back to that page, just click on it in your list.
However, if you commonly want to visit one particular website, and you want to get their as quickly as possible when the only thing showing on your computer is your desktop, there is a faster way.
First, go to the website you want to visit frequently. Then, drag the web browser window down so that you can see part of your desktop also. Now, find the icon in the address bar (this will be the little icon just to the left of the "http". Drag that icon to the desktop and drop it there.
Now, whenever you are looking at your desktop, you can just double click that icon. Your default web browser (either IE or Firefox) will open immediately to that website.
This weeks's video: Fake lifeguard takes a bathroom break
Showing posts with label tip. Show all posts
Showing posts with label tip. Show all posts
Monday, December 18, 2006
Monday, December 11, 2006
How to safely trash your computer
Hi Scott,
I love getting your newsletter. I wonder if you answer questions in the newsletter. If so, here's one from me: I'd like to send my old computer to the recycle bin but first I want to take personal information off the machine. Can I simply remove the hard drive? What does the hard drive look like? How do I destroy it?
Excellent question. With new computers being so inexpensive now, lots of older computers are being replaced. Too many of these old machines still have working parts - and they contain all of your data. This could be data that doesn't really matter, such as your Spider Solitaire high score. Or, it could be your passwords or private financial information. The safest procedure is to make sure that none of that data is available to someone who might somehow come across your old computer after you have discarded it.
How to do that? First, make sure that the data you want to save is secure on a flash drive, CD or some other form of backup (how to do that is a separate lesson). Once you are sure that you have saved the data that needs to be saved, unplug the computer and open up the case. Locate the hard drive - it is approximately the shape of a small paperback book, but smaller. It will have two cables connected to it: one cable is quite wide, with about 40 pins being plugged into it. The other cable is about an inch wide, with 4 pins. Unplug both of the cables from the drive, and remove the drive itself from the computer (it is probably held in place by 2 or 4 screws).
Once the drive is removed from the computer, take it and store it in a safe place. The reason I recommend this is that you may have forgotten some data that you really need, and someday you might want to retrieve it from this hard drive. Just stick it on a shelf in a closet somewhere - it won't take up much space. You could even take a sharpie marker and write on it "old Dell computer" or something else descriptive.
Now your computer computer can be safely discarded (or recycled) and you don't have to worry about your data falling into the wrong hands.
This week's video clip: A simple left turn - in Moscow
Excellent question. With new computers being so inexpensive now, lots of older computers are being replaced. Too many of these old machines still have working parts - and they contain all of your data. This could be data that doesn't really matter, such as your Spider Solitaire high score. Or, it could be your passwords or private financial information. The safest procedure is to make sure that none of that data is available to someone who might somehow come across your old computer after you have discarded it.
How to do that? First, make sure that the data you want to save is secure on a flash drive, CD or some other form of backup (how to do that is a separate lesson). Once you are sure that you have saved the data that needs to be saved, unplug the computer and open up the case. Locate the hard drive - it is approximately the shape of a small paperback book, but smaller. It will have two cables connected to it: one cable is quite wide, with about 40 pins being plugged into it. The other cable is about an inch wide, with 4 pins. Unplug both of the cables from the drive, and remove the drive itself from the computer (it is probably held in place by 2 or 4 screws).
Now your computer computer can be safely discarded (or recycled) and you don't have to worry about your data falling into the wrong hands.
This week's video clip: A simple left turn - in Moscow
Monday, November 27, 2006
Wow, did you hear about this?
There are some amazing stories circulating on the internet and by email right now - and apparently they are all true! Here are some of them:
UPS Uniforms reported missing - believed to have been acquired by terrorists, who are planning to use them to gain unauthorized access to certain sensitive and vulnerable areas.
Ashley Flores, a 13-year old girl from Philadelphia, is missing - she has been missing for two weeks and we need your help to find her!
The "Life is Beautiful" virus - it is being distributed as a PowerPoint presentation that is attached to an email. The standard antivirus programs cannot destroy it!
Applebees is giving out free $50 gift certificates - all you have to do is forward this email to 9 of your friends!
Lipstick danger - some major brands of lipstick contain lead, which causes cancer! To test it, put some of your lipstick in the palm of your hand and rub it with a 24k gold ring. If the lipstick color changes to black, it has lead in it.
ATM panic button - did you know, that if someone forces you to go to an ATM machine to withdraw money, you can just enter your PIN number backwards, and the police will be immediately dispatched to that ATM machine.
As you can probably figure out, these "news" items all have one thing in common - they are all false. These are just some of the stupid hoaxes that continue to get forwarded by email, causing unnecessary alarm and clogging up the internet and millions of email inboxes.
If you get an email that says "Forward this to everyone in your address book", you should not forward it. You should delete it. It is almost certainly a hoax.
The same goes for email petitions. While some email petitions aren't necessarily a total fraud, they are essentially useless in effecting change.
If you get one that you just think has to be true, just do a search at www.snopes.com - this is one of the largest databases of internet hoaxes and urban legends. Or, you can send it to me and I will check it out (BEFORE you send it to all of your friends).
This week's video: an interesting trick
UPS Uniforms reported missing - believed to have been acquired by terrorists, who are planning to use them to gain unauthorized access to certain sensitive and vulnerable areas.
Ashley Flores, a 13-year old girl from Philadelphia, is missing - she has been missing for two weeks and we need your help to find her!
The "Life is Beautiful" virus - it is being distributed as a PowerPoint presentation that is attached to an email. The standard antivirus programs cannot destroy it!
Applebees is giving out free $50 gift certificates - all you have to do is forward this email to 9 of your friends!
Lipstick danger - some major brands of lipstick contain lead, which causes cancer! To test it, put some of your lipstick in the palm of your hand and rub it with a 24k gold ring. If the lipstick color changes to black, it has lead in it.
ATM panic button - did you know, that if someone forces you to go to an ATM machine to withdraw money, you can just enter your PIN number backwards, and the police will be immediately dispatched to that ATM machine.
As you can probably figure out, these "news" items all have one thing in common - they are all false. These are just some of the stupid hoaxes that continue to get forwarded by email, causing unnecessary alarm and clogging up the internet and millions of email inboxes.
If you get an email that says "Forward this to everyone in your address book", you should not forward it. You should delete it. It is almost certainly a hoax.
The same goes for email petitions. While some email petitions aren't necessarily a total fraud, they are essentially useless in effecting change.
If you get one that you just think has to be true, just do a search at www.snopes.com - this is one of the largest databases of internet hoaxes and urban legends. Or, you can send it to me and I will check it out (BEFORE you send it to all of your friends).
This week's video: an interesting trick
