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When my computer crashed, not only did I realize how new to Los Angeles I was, but how crippled I am without a computer.  As a graduate student at USC, my computer is more or less another part of my body, which is why I was so thankful for the help that I received from E-Geniuses.  Being new to the city, I looked on the Internet for computer support that was close to campus and E-Geniuses popped up.  Through their user-friendly website, I was able to contact and be responded to within hours.  The next day, I took my broken computer in to E-Geniuses, which was within biking distance from USC.  I was pleasantly surprised to see that the stereotype of computer support guys (i.e. Geek Squad) was not true.  The two people I spoke with were personable, patient, and highly professional.  The atmosphere and customer care were such that I felt comfortable and welcomed while my computer was being attended to.  I will definitely be going back to E-Geniuses with any computer problems in the future.

~Jeff

What hardware and software does the computer savvy elite have that the ordinary person does not and why? Many computer geniuses know what is important when it comes to computer setups. We can’t always afford everything we want, but there are some things that are close to necessary if you want to get the most out of technology. Here’s an overview of some hardware, software and services that will get you started in finding your inner genius with the help of technology, without having to be a technical geek or guru.

You need a computer that can keep up with you. If your computer is too slow and it discourages you from using it, then you need to either upgrade or optimize your system. In many cases, removing unnecessary start-up programs, upgrading ram, and removing viruses can make a big difference without having to swap out your entire computer.

Security is extremely important if you’re doing anything even remotely private such as online banking, writing your next best selling book, or even email. Anytime you type in your password, you should feel confident that no one else will be able to retrieve it. This requires an updated security suite. So many new viruses are made each day, that we would recommend having a computer service company that can change your security software based on current threats. E-Geniuses offers Monthly Maintenance Plans specifically for that reason. We can service clients anywhere in the world as long as they have a high-speed internet connection.

Most people are aware of advantages of a high-speed internet connection. With the prices of DSL nowadays, no one should be paying for a dial-up connection.

Backup, backup and backup! The two types of backups that we always recommend are backups of your software, operating system and priceless data (pictures, movies, music, documents). This requires an extra hard drive or an online backup storage solution. These backups should be automatic. A flash drive is not sufficient for this purpose since it has a limited life span.

The second type of backup is a battery backup also called a UPS. The purpose of a battery backup is to protect your computer from electrical issues caused by fluctuations. This is one of the most common causes of computer hardware failure and can easily be prevented with a UPS.

Of course the proper peripheral devices are important for functionality. Devices that fit into this category are scanners, printers, wireless routers, comfort keyboards and mice, and web cams.

Software is crucial to being able to do what you want to do. Every computer user has specific uses for their computer and it differs from user to user. Computer software programs need to be installed to facilitate those needs. Let your computer service technician know what you want to be able to do, and they should be able to find the right software to get the job done. Many times, the software is available for free.

Every computer user needs to feel comfortable with the software on their computer. They should feel familiar enough so that the computer doesn’t get in the way of what they really intend to do. The computer experience should almost be transparent. Tutoring is recommended for anyone who wants to get the most out of their computer. One-on-one tutoring is going to be more effective than computer classes because you can learn the software specific to what you want to do. E-Geniuses offers One-on-One Tutoring Services for existing clients. Feel free to contact us and see how we can get you on the right track.

Have you ever felt that your “desktop” space on your computer was too small? Have you ever wanted a larger monitor but did not want to pay the high costs for one large LCD monitor and the hassle of getting rid of your old monitor? A dual monitor setup may be the solution to your problem. Imagine doubling your computer workspace and having the freedom to keep multiple windows maximized and in view. These are just a few benefits of a dual monitor setup.

Many software developers and others in the Technology industry have known the positive effects that a dual monitor setup provides. Now, the lower price points of LCD monitors and better operating system support has allowed consumers to easily add an extra monitor (or two!) to their existing computer setup.

Whether you are a student, home user, or a business owner, a dual monitor setup benefits every type of computer user. For students, they will be able to have their word processor maximized and open on one monitor to write a paper while having a web browser open with research topics open on the other. This allows the student to save time and become more efficient by eliminating the need to switch between windows and possibly lose track of where they were in either document. This scenario holds true for other users as well, keeping email clients, web browsers, and other frequently used applications open AND visible at the same time, allowing you to quickly switch between them.

A dual monitor setup is available if you work on a laptop or desktop. An additional monitor can be added to anyone’s current setup. A 19- or 20-inch flat-screen LCD monitor is available for less than $200 at your local electronics store.

Call E-Geniuses today to setup an appointment to maximize your computer efficiency and install a dual monitor setup. For more information regarding this or any other computer related issue, feel free to contact an E-Geniuses Technician at (877) My-Genius or email info@e-geniuses.com.

This is a short writeup about certain hardware upgrades and how they benefit you. Many users do not understand the difference between memory and hard drive space. They don’t know what a faster CPU will do for them; they think the higher the MHz the better (which is true to a certain extent). What mix of memory, hard drive space, processing power, and graphics processing power will suit your needs best. Let’s find out.

Memory is added to the computer, look like computer chips, and are called RAM, Random Access Memory. The more memory installed on the computer, the more concurrent tasks your computer can run simultaneously without slowing down too much. In order to future-proof this article, I will not state specific amounts of RAM, but it is safe to say that this is one of the most cost-effective ways to make the computer respond faster. If your computer is fast when you first start it up, but slows down after you start opening up programs, you probably need more ram. I will explain why more memory/RAM will make the computer snappier, it has to do with the next section on hard drives.

Hard drive “space” or “disk space” is often confused with memory. It can be confusing because they are both measured in terms of bits, bytes, kilobytes, megabytes, gigabytes, terabytes etc. The difference is that hard drives are made of disks that spin (think record player, cd player,) at an extremely fast rate. Although they can access data quickly, they are slow in comparison to the access speed of RAM which have no moving parts. When a computer does not have enough RAM, the computer resort to using the hard drive as “virtual RAM”. This slows down the computer because it is no longer using RAM, but instead the mechanical hard drive. This may even cause the computer to lock up. Hard drives are made for permanent storage, not temporary storage. If you plan on storing lots of music, movies, pictures and documents, you want to get more hard drive storage space.

The CPU, is the central processing unit. When computers say “Intel Inside” or AMD, it’s referring to the maker of the CPU. It is no longer true that the higher the Megahertz/Gigahertz the better because some processors are more effective even when it has a lower clock speed. Multiple core CPU’s actually have a few processors on the same chip. The question is which one is right for you? Typically, you will need a more powerful processor when you are using your computer for intensive applications such as video editing, music editing, photo editing and gaming. If you plan on just using your computer for basic computing, then you don’t need the extra power. Just keep in mind that what might be the top of the line now might be the budget line in a few years and what might be budget line now might be obsolete then. I think it is a good idea to invest in a higher end computer now if you plan on keeping it for a few years. I can only recommend the lower end computers to those with really tight budgets.

As far as graphics cards, it used to be true that you only needed a powerful card if you were gaming. Now operating systems are requiring more graphics processing power to process the system’s transparent windows and motion effects. Also, if you’re interested in playing HD content, you will need a better graphics card. Again, if you’re a hardcore gamer, you will want to get the best video card you can afford; for basic computing, just get what operating system requires.

If you’ve ever wanted to stream your music collection and online radio stations through your home stereo system or have had the urge to find some new music but didn’t know where to start, E-Geniuses has some suggestions.

Pandora radio is the personalized internet radio service that helps you find new music based on your old and current favorites. Easily create custom web radio stations, and listen to full songs for free and without commercial interruptions.

For starters, just visit www.pandora.com and fill in an artist and/or song that you enjoy listening to. Pandora will analyze aspects of the song (up to 400 attributes!) and play songs that consist of similar musical qualities. To customize your radio station further, Pandora allows you to assign a "thumbs up" or "thumbs down" which it will take into account for future music selections, thus creating a truly custom radio station for you.

Now imagine streaming your custom radio stations in addition to the music library you already have all throughout your home. E-Geniuses can configure your home stereo and wireless network with Logitech’s Squeezebox player to stream the music through your speakers. With the Squeezebox, internet music streaming services are even available when your computer is turned off.

What You Will Need

Both of these tutorials require that you have Picasa installed on your PC and a Gmail account. If you do not yet have an account with Gmail or have Picasa installed, you can get them here:

Get a Free Gmail Account

Download Picasa for Free

Transferring Pictures from Your Digital Camera to Picasa

1. Plug in USB Cable from your camera to your computer.
2. Turn on the camera
3. When Windows detects the camera, a window will come up saying “camera connected, Select the program to launch for this application.” Choose Picasa 2 and click OK.
4. Wait for Picasa to open. You will notice pictures starting to appear on the screen. Wait for the transfer to finish. From here you can choose which pictures you would like to transfer, but for now, choose Import All to transfer all of the pictures.
5. You will be asked to “enter a folder name for these photos.” Write something descriptive so that you can refer back to the set of pictures in the future.
6. Near the bottom of the screen, you will see “After copying, do this with my camera or card.” Make sure that Safe delete is selected. This tells the camera to only delete files from the camera after they are transferred to the computer. Then click Finish.
7. You will be asked to Confirm Remove, to confirm the deletion of the pictures from your camera after they are transferred. Click Yes.
8. All of the pictures have now been transferred to your computer via Picasa.

How to Email Photos Via Picasa and Gmail

1. If Picasa is not yet open, go ahead and run the program.
2. Find the group of pictures you want to send photos from.
3. Hold Control (CTRL) and click once on each picture you want to include in the email. You will notice the selected pictures will have a blue border around it. IF YOU RELEASE (CTRL) AND CLICK ON A PICTURE, IT WILL DESELECT ALL OF THE OTHER PICTURES!
4. After you’ve chosen all of the pictures you want to send, release the (CTRL) and click on the button on the bottom of the window to Email.
5. Choose Gmail.
6. Type in your Username and Password, then click Sign In.
7. Now type the email addresses of the people you would like to send the pictures to. You can do this by starting to type their name. If you’ve sent or received email to them before or they are in your addressbook, Gmail will automatically give you a list of email addresees.
8. After you are finished adding the addressees, type a subject and some written text like you would with a regular email.
9. Click Send.
10. That’s it. You’ve sent pictures via email.

I predict that 2008 will be the year of the ultraportable computer. In the last newsletter we featured the Asus EEE PC, a 2lb., 7" ultraportable laptop. This month’s feature is the latest ultraportable from Apple… the Macbook Air. The price of the Macbook Air is $1799 while the Asus is $349. Here are some features that justify the price difference.

Apple claims to have made the world’s thinnest notebook at only .76 inches at its thickest point. It weighs in at around 3 lbs. and features a 13.3" screen and a full-sized backlit keyboard. The oversized touchpad shares most of the multi-touch functions with the iPhone. With its built-in battery, Apple claims a battery life of 5 hrs. There is one USB port, a headphone jack and a micro-DVI slot for connecting to an external monitor. It has a 1.6-1.8Ghz Intel Core 2 Duo Processor, 2GB of RAM and an 80Gb hard drive. It also sports a built-in iSight camera. It also has Wi-Fi and Bluetooth which comes in handy since it does not have an ethernet port. The Macbook Air utilizes wireless technology to connect to other computers when a CD/DVD drive is necessary due to its lack of a built-in drive.

This would be well suited to anyone seeking a lightweight yet fully featured laptop. If you are looking for an ultraportable laptop suited for more casual use to supplement your full-sized laptop or desktop, I would recommend purchasing an Asus EEE for $1400 less. You could even use the money you’ve saved on the more powerful Macbook (not Air) and still have about $300 left over.

For more information regarding this or any other computer related issue, feel free to contact an E-Geniuses Technician at (877) My-Genius.

I arrived at the client’s apartment complex in the city of West Covina, CA. It was hard to find the exact location. It was raining so I was in a hurry to get inside the house. I called the client and they guided me in the right direction.

The problem they were having was with a virus infested computer. They explained that their computer was a few years old, but it was older and slower than I expected. That is a nightmare considering that virus and spyware removal are resource intensive. Scanning requires a lot from the CPU, the RAM and the Hard Disk Drive.

A pre-boot scan found 16 different viruses, mostly trojans. When the computer came on, I scanned it again with a few anti-spyware programs. I found and removed a few more bugs. Two hours had already passed. To finish up, I scanned the registry, startup folder and system32 folder manually. Nothing there.

The computer ran a lot smoother but I still had to recommend that the client look into upgrading to a newer machine in the future. They agreed but said they weren’t in the position to buy a new computer.

They were happy with the service and got the Monthly Maintenance Plan.

Happy Holidays!
Everyone at E-Geniuses hopes that you and your loved ones have a wonderful and safe holiday season.

ULTRALIGHT, ULTRAPORTABLE, ULTRA-AFFORDABLE
There are many characteristics that stand out about this new notebook from Asus but there are three in particular that create the most waves. The first thing that most people will notice is the form factor, which is much smaller than most laptops. When closed, it weighs 2lbs and is roughly the same size as a small novel. Next is the very unconventional name: “Eee PC”. The name Eee comes from "the three Es"; an abbreviation of their advertising slogan for the device: "Easy to learn, Easy to work Easy to play". The third aspect that captures most people’s attention? The price. This ultraportable and full featured laptop is only $399.

This notebook comes equipped with a full suite of preinstalled software that allows you the same capabilities of your home computer but on-the-go. You can browse the web using FireFox, use Skype with the built-in web cam and microphone, open Word and Excel docs and edit them, view photos, listen to music files, use AOL IM, MSN messenger or just about any other major chat client. Although pre-installed with Linux, it is also capable of running Windows XP. The Asus Eee PC can be found online at Amazon.com, BestBuy.com and Costco.com.

For more information regarding this or any other computer related issue, feel free to contact an E-Geniuses Technician at (877) My-Genius

If you are looking into purchasing the new Microsoft Operating System, Vista, or a new computer that is equipped with it, here are a few reasons to delay that purchase. Seen to be the most important reason to wait to upgrade are compatibility issues between Vista and the programs that you currently run on a daily basis. Many companies were not ready for Vista’s release and have not been able to update their drivers and programs to be completely compatible. This will result in either slow performance or not being able to use that program completely. Another reason is the large costs accompanying Vista. The prices range from $99 for Vista Basic to $399 for Vista Ultimate. Although inexpensive, Vista Basic ($99) is not equipped with the features that would warrant the switch. To get the full experience and the most compatibility,Vista requires a new computer already bundled with the new Operating System or a high-end computer with the latest hardware. Vista adds new benefits and, in the long run, will make computing easier, faster and a lot more enjoyable. In spite of this, Vista does not solve any existing problem. Windows XP, an industry-wide supported system, is solid, well-understood and highly functional. Microsoft acknowledges this and has even committed to 7 more years of XP support. With that said, Vista has its good points. It has revolutionized the Windows interface and has incorporated many new helpful features but, if you do not have a pressing need for a new computer, waiting until Vista is more widely supported is recommended. Regardless of what Operating System you have, E-Geniuses will make sure that it is stable, safe and secure.