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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.

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 meant to do a top 10 list, but I had too much to say and it became 11. Oh well, hope you like it. Please comment and add some suggestions of your own.” -Joey

When you’re shopping around for computer services in the Los Angeles Area, or anywhere for that matter, here are a few things to keep in mind to ensure that you get the best possible computer service and support.

Quick List: 1) Don’t just go for the “cheapest”. 2) Can you talk to a live person right away? 3) Are they professional? 4) Check to what their website looks like. 5) Read their testimonials. 6) Do they recommend reinstallation of the Operating System as a first resort? 7) Do they let you know exactly what is involved with each service? 8 ) Make sure they backup first and can migrate your data. 9) Do they charge per service or per hour? 10) Trust your gut instinct. 11) Ask to see if they offer maintenance plans.

1) Don’t always go for the cheapest quote. Not all services are the same. With computer services you usually get exactly what you pay for. That doesn’t mean you should pay the highest price out there, it just means that you shouldn’t be cheap when it comes to your priceless data and computer security. There is a reason why companies charge a decent amount for their services, it takes time and experience to get the job done correctly. If you don’t want to spend money, call your nephew or neighbor. Just hope they can do it right. You can also learn to do it yourself if you are trying to save money. Just realize that it does take time to do things right. That costs money. Understand that you have to pay for good service.

2) If you can get a hold of a person quickly the first time you call, you will more than likely be able to get a hold of them again in the future. If they don’t answer their phone and it goes to voicemail, they had better return the call in a timely manner. If they don’t answer or don’t get back to you, it might give a hint to their level of customer service. I wonder how responsive they’ll be when you call because your computer is still having the same problem they supposedly fixed. Hmmm.

3) How does the company answer the phone? Do they answer in a professional manner? Do they just answer with Hello? If they answer by saying their business name first, you know that they are a serious business and not just a one-man-show answering their cellphone. You need a company you can rely on. Computer service is something that is needed on an on-going basis. One-man-shows are dangerous because you can’t rely on them all of the time. They can only be at one place at one time…unless they don’t have any clients which may be yet another hint as to their level of service. Pay close attention to whether the person on the other end of the line is paying close attention to your questions and statements or whether they are just trying to “sell” you. Test them to see if they understand what you’ve asked for.

4) What does their website look like? You’re looking for a computer service company. If they are up on technology, they should have a decent looking website. If they have a shabby looking website, they might be one man show with a small budget or a company that doesn’t understand the importance of a website and company image. Either way, stay away from them and go with a company that “looks and feels” professional. If they’ve spent some time and money on their website, then they are serious about their business. That’s important.

5) Read their customer testimonials on their website and on independent sites. Search the company name in Google and Yahoo. Search for the company in Yellowpages.com and Superpages.com. What do past clients have to say about the company? Negative feedback or no feedback? Watch out. Go with a company with a proven track record with their clients. Make sure the testimonials are written by real people and not employees of the company. You can usually tell because real testimonials will sound and feel different than ones that are made up. If all of their testimonials sound the same, they’re probably fake.

6) Reinstalling your Operating System should be the last resort. Most good computer service technicians can remove almost any virus and repair most problems. There are some cases when reformatting and reinstalling makes sense, just not in most. It makes sense to reinstall when time is an issue; virus and spyware removal, repairing specific system files, and resolving software conflicts can take up to 3 to 5 hours to complete. If time is of the essence, it makes sense to reinstall. If it costs less to reinstall the operating system than to resolve your specific problem, then it might be a good idea. Just make sure you know what else is involved. See number 3. Find a company that understands that reinstallation is a last resort technique. This goes back to number 1. Most companies that charge a fair rate, will be willing to take the extra time to do things correctly by not reinstalling as a first resort.

7) If the technician does have to reinstall the operating system, you should understand that EVERYTHING will be deleted. If you have important data, you need to make sure that they migrate the data first, reinstall the operating system, then migrate the data back.

8 ) Make sure that when they migrate the data from an old operating system to a new one, that they integrate the data with the programs by importing the data. Your data file for your addressbook, email, and favorites are useless unless you can see the data in the program they are meant to run in.

9) Pay close attention to the company’s pricing method. I think that companies that charge only for solutions, per-job basis, are generally better than companies that charge per hour. Companies that charge per-job have to be confident that they can get the job done or else they don’t get paid for the service. When a computer service company charges per service, then they can take the time to ensure that the job is done correctly without feeling rushed. If the company charges per hour, make sure you get an estimate up front and make sure they stick to their quote. Find out if they have a guarantee in case they are working on the problem for a few hours and cannot solve the problem you called for. You don’t want to get stuck with a $400 bill and still have the same problem. Try to find a company that only charges after they fix your problem. (Side note: make sure you understand how much the company charges just to send out a technician to diagnose your problem.) Find out how long their work is guaranteed for.

10) Noticed that I’ve mention “feel” or “feelings” a couple of times. That is because I really believe that your gut instinct and your first impressions are usually pretty accurate. Having a technician service your computer system or network on-site requires trust. Trust must have a solid foundation which starts the moment you start the communication with the company. Do you feel that this company is trust-worthy? Backup your “feeling” with some factual information by searching their website, checking the BBB and reading testimonials and you will have enough ammo to make a good decision.

11) Ask to see if they offer maintenance plans. Companies name their plans differently. I have heard the plans called monthly maintenance plans, service plans, support contracts and personal technician plans. GeekSquad offers Black Tie Service for Laptops. Try to find a company that offers plans with no long term contracts. You don’t want to get stuck with a bad company. The reason I recommend companies that offer these services is because it shows that they are interested in maintaining their clients’ computers and not just looking for the one time fix. They are interested in a long-term relationship with their clients. These plans can keep overall costs down because they can prevent problems from happening in the first place. Clients who purchase these maintenance plans often get special benefits such as priority service and services at discounted rates.

Check the Computer Repair Directory for local listings near you: http://www.pcrepairdirectory.com

Hard Drive Data Recovery


E-Geniuses Data Recovery - How to Recover Data from a Hard Drive

Here are the 3 basic types of hard drive “crashes” and how to recover data in these scenarios.:

1) File structure is incorrect (usually caused by improper shutdown or disconnecting the drive while it is being written to. Usual fix involves running a scandisk or chkdsk. Scan can take a few hours at most depending on the settings.

2) Unreadable data caused by bits being de-magnetized. Can be resolved by running programs which “re-magnetize” the bits. This is common on laptops that get jarred or dropped mildly. Bad sectors that aren’t physically damaged can be recovered. Software used: HDD Regenerator or SpinRite. Scans can take days.

3) Hardware failure. Sometimes the disk/platter gets scratched, the arm stops working (head crash), or the on-board chip gets fried. All of these repairs require a specialty recovery service. Anytime the hard drive needs to be opened, a clean room (dust-free room) is required. Time to recover data depends on the company. Turn around times is a few weeks.

Did you know that people make money with their personal blogs? Blogs can be personal online journals, sources for news and entertainment, or as many businesses have found out, a marketing tool. If you’re serious about blogging for an audience, you don’t have to be Shakespeare, but you do have to have something relevant to say.

Unlike Wikipedia, blogs can focus on people’s opinions and perspectives. Blogs can be more conversational and subjective, rather than 100% fact-based, allowing writers and readers to share their perspectives.
Blogging spectrum

The ability to share ideas and to actively collaborate allows people to come to reasonable conclusions when hard facts are unavailable or sometimes unattainable. Sharing ideas with others around the world has never been so easy. A good blog engages the reader and encourages them to think and respond with their own ideas.

Blogging Tip #1: Write about things you know about and enjoy. Blogs are easy to start. WordPress is one of the best online publishing systems for blogging. It is free to sign up for an account and publishing articles is as easy as sending email. Initial setup takes less than 10 minutes. There are paid versions of WordPress that are useful for marketing, but we will talk about that in an upcoming issue.

Blogging Tip #2: You can monetize your blog! The secret is having a large enough audience and the only way to do that is to have good content. Monetizing a blog can be done in many ways. Paid advertisements can earn you money when they’re clicked. You could sell products or services, become known as an expert in your “field” and thus influencing people to purchase from affiliates, directing traffic to your main website which sells products or services just to name a few. We will go into the details of each method in our future newsletters.

To sum it up: if you create a blog that people find useful and fun, have an audience, write about topics related to your product or service, have a good product or service, then your blog can be monetized.

I would like to read your blog. After you create your blog and write your first post, send us a link to your blog. I will make sure to read it and comment on it. For more information regarding this or any other computer related issue, feel free to contact an E-Geniuses Technician at (877) My-Genius.

Once in a while you may hear the term Digital Convergence. In simple terms, this is the merging of two devices, the computer and the TV. This could also refer to the merging of two distribution models; the mainstream media, specifically TV, and the Internet. If you’re paying attention, you will notice that many networks such as ABC, CBS, FOX and others are beginning to stream their shows on their website. The main difference between traditional mainstream media and the web is that people can communicate and exchange ideas with one another whereas television broadcast is a one way communication. The TV is meant to deliver content from the source to the masses. The viewer cannot respond back nor can they discuss their opinions with others in real time like they can on the Internet. Producers of TV shows rely on focus groups to let them know what the people want to see, but they are not always effective in accurately depicting reality nor delivering the facts.

What effect will the ability for "viewers" to communicate with one another have on people’s opinions of TV programming? The fact that the viewer can offer their opinions and receive feedback from other viewers means that they play a much larger role in determining what the networks choose to air. When the audience in sitcoms do not respond to the punchlines, a laugh-track replaces the silence. This will not be as easily accomplished on the Internet since the "audience" will demand to be heard; they know others are listening. The Internet and the people using it can make more informed decisions when others post their opinions, insights and thought processes. A thumbs up or thumbs down response may be sufficient for some, but others prefer a comment to go along with the vote.

Another thing to consider is whether the content that the mainstream media has to offer is actually "better" than the user submitted content available online. They may find that users submitting content to YouTube are now their competition. They are on the same playing field. When I say better, I mean better in the sense that people find it more entertaining and are willing to spend their time and attention on. It is going to be difficult for an individual to make a better production that a major studio, but it is not impossible. Already, there are music artists who are recording their own records and doing the distribution themselves. Take note of how many Tower Records are closing down and you’ll understand the effects of this phenomenon.

It is much easier for the individual to be in touch with his audience. He can change much faster than the large corporations. If the media conglomerates want to compete with the individual, they are going to have to find a way to be more in touch with their audience and be able to respond accordingly. The alternative is to do what they do best, make large, high quality productions, and leave the other genres and "narrow casting" to the individuals.

What do you think?