Your computer is an important part of your regular life. It helps you with work, with play, and with keeping in touch with those important to you. You keep all your precious pictures on it, records of purchases and donations, documents and music on it. Imagine now, that one day, you wake to find that that was all gone.

Do you have any way to retrieve those files? Are they somewhere in the cloud? Or stored on an external disk? Or are they gone forever? If you fall into that last category, it’s time you set up some way to back up your files. You never know when something might happen to your hard drive.

If you are backing up, on the cloud or an external disk, do you know that your backup process is working properly? It’s one thing to know that you’re backing up; another to know that what you’re backing up will be usable should the need arise.

We had a customer not too long ago who lost their data to hard drive failure. It should have been simple enough to restore from one of their two backup drives, but it wasn’t. It turned into a multi-day project because their backup data was corrupted. Turns out, they weren’t backing their files up correctly, and it ended up costing them a lot of their work records.

Fortunately, they were eventually able to get most of their files back from the other drive, but the fear remained with them. If you’re not checking your backups, you may one day end up in the same situation as them, and you may not be so lucky.

If you’re not sure if your backups are working properly (or if you don’t have a backup process in place to begin with), don’t hesitate to give us a call or contact us via our website!

Also be sure to check out our blog to comment on this article and share your experiences with us, regarding backups or anything else!

You seek out something new…

When you search for things on the internet, you want the process to be simple and straightforward. Let’s say you’re looking for an antivirus program, the cheaper in cost, the better. Free would be best. You know there’s lots of free antivirus protection out there; your friends and family have all recommended you different names. You have your list in front of you and you head to your favorite search engine.

You click on the first result you see and you’re brought to a page with three or four different download buttons, and you’re not sure which one to click. Of these, only one is the actual download button for the software you seek; the other three are deceptive ads hoping for your click. Let’s say you click the wrong one. You realize it almost right away when you’re taken to a new webpage. Quickly you back out and return to the download page. Whew, safe… right? You try another download button. This one actually gives you the file.

You find what you seek but get more than you bargained for…

You install your new antivirus and you feel all set, protected. Suddenly, there are a number of applications popping up behind your antivirus screen; programs you don’t remember installing. From here, a number of things could happen: your computer could freeze from all of the programs running at once, a number of viruses could worm their way into your software, you could get the dreaded Blue Screen of Death. No matter what happens though, you no doubt will ask yourself what went wrong.

The answer is a number of things could have gone wrong: the misguided download button could have led you to a page that gave you bad programs, the antivirus download was packed with other unnecessary programs that you weren’t warned about, the antivirus itself is simply a virus. So how could you have stopped this from happening?

How to make sure you know what you’re getting…

1. You could stop foul things from getting onto your computer before they have the chance to. McAFee SiteAdvisor is a free program that is installed onto your Internet browser and checks the quality of websites before you visit them. It also is able to block you from going to sites that it knows are bad, even if you are redirected to them.

2. You can scan your computer for programs called malware (they are less deadly than viruses, but they can still cause problems for your computer) after you’ve clicked on links that you didn’t mean to (deceptive ads, pop ups, etc). Even if you didn’t let the page load, there’s still a chance something may have gotten through. Programs like MalwareBytes and ADWare scan for malware and remove them from your computer.

3. Know the website of the antivirus (or any program) you are looking to download. Adobe products are found through adobe.com. Microsoft products are found through microsoft.com. If you are unsure what the official website is of the program you’re looking for, do a search through your favorite search provider (like “what is the official Microsoft website?”). Look at the top results (watch for ads!). If you’re still unsure, ask someone who you think may know the answer! Like your friends at Hogan’s Systems Consulting!

4. Keep your computer and antivirus up-to-date. Let your antivirus run scans periodically.

5. Back up your computer on a regular basis, so that in case something does infect your system, you can always restore to an earlier point before it got there.

Good luck out there and stay safe!

For more tips on how to keep your computer safe and yourself happy, head to our website at Hogans-Systems.com or click like on our Facebook fan page!

It’s nearly time for the holidays again! Which means it’s time for family gatherings, tree lightings, and, of course, gift giving. If you didn’t take advantage of Black Friday or Cyber Monday, then now is the time to think about what to get for your loved ones.

For those of you considering a computer or a tablet, you probably have a ton of questions, not least of all: “what works best for the person I’m giving this to?” Computers come in a variety of shapes, sizes, capacity, and ability, so it’s easy to get confused about what best suits your or your loved one’s needs.

The first thing to consider is, what will this computer be used for? Is it meant for someone who is a light internet user? A gamer? A businessperson? An artist? Each of these people will need something different.

Someone who only needs a computer for general internet use — that is: checking email, interacting on social media, watching videos, etc — would probably appreciate something small and light, like a tablet or a netbook.

A gamer will be better off receiving a desktop or a laptop computer with a really high-quality video card and precise controls. There are computers specifically marketed as gaming computers, so what you’re looking for is actually really easy to find! They are quite expensive though, so consider splitting the cost of this present with another person.

A businessperson will want a light laptop that comes with business-oriented programs, such as Microsoft Office and Adobe products, as well as a long-lasting battery (especially if they travel a lot). They will be better off with a Windows computer, as Windows has access to more programs (in general), especially those that a businessperson needs.

For the artist, a touchscreen laptop, or a high-end tablet with an external keyboard is ideal. The touchscreen allows them to draw and write straight onto the computer without having to deal with external tablets or mice. It allows them to use their computer to suit their creativity.

Still not sure what to kind of computer is best for your loved one? Call Hogans-Systems, and we can help you find the perfect match!

And getting through the fear of the new and unknown

It seems whenever a program, website, or game is given an update, the first thing consumers like to do is gripe about all of the new changes to which they have to adapt. Nobody seems to like it when Facebook changes its layout, or when Nintendo or Microsoft come out with new consoles like the WiiU and the Xbox One. We all like what we know.

Such an event happened about eight months ago when the Windows operating system underwent a huge face lift with the release of Windows 8. From the new Start Screen to the simplified, tablet-like design, everyone found something they didn’t like. We at Hogan’s Systems understand our customers concerns for what new features Windows 8 has brought, and so we have used it and tested it out so that we can better help those who have doubts about upgrading their computers.

Windows 8 is ideal for those looking to get a tablet and a computer at the same time, because they will be using the same operating system when they get both a Windows PC and tablet. It is also good for people with lots of programs on their computer that they may have a hard time keeping track of. With the Start Screen, you can place and organize all of your most frequently used programs in one place, without taking up the entirety of your desktop screen with shortcuts.

One aspect of Windows 8 that understandably makes a lot of people nervous are the apps found on the Start Screen. These apps make it seem like Windows 8 is run only through them and not through desktop programs like on Windows XP, Vista, and 7; but this is not true. The apps are optional, and easily hidden for those who do not want to use them. One of these apps is the desktop screen, and it is with a click that you can return to the same familiar desktop that you are used to seeing.

There are, however, many apps that make using the computer easier, and with these apps can come program organization. One example of this is with chat clients like Skype. Sometimes when you have many programs open on your desktop, you can lose track of your chat client and have to hunt through many windows to find it again. With Windows 8 apps, Skype can be pinned to one side of the screen where it is separate from the desktop and cannot be lost among other windows.

It is true that Windows 8 seems intimidating at first, but you only need to give it a chance to see the great features it has.

©2014 Hogan’s Systems Consulting, LLC

I’ve been using Windows 8 as my main operating system since Christmastime. Before that, I had been using the “Consumer Preview” version on my laptop. I can tell you, it takes a little time to get used to some of the changes in Windows 8. But if you put a little bit of effort into learning to take advantage of the new features, you will quickly find that Windows 8 is very easy to use on a desktop or laptop computer. And, if you are thinking about buy a tablet, you

This is the new Start Menu replacement in Windows 8

now have the option of getting a tablet with Windows 8, which work exactly the same as your desktop or laptop computer. In the long run, this makes life easier than having to learn a different operating system for your tablet and having to use completely different applications on your tablet.

The first thing to understand about Windows 8 is that the new Start Screen is just a replacement for the Start Menu. A lot of people are frightened by the idea that the Start Menu is gone; but if you think about it, the Start Screen is just a new, improved version of the Start Menu suitable for use with both a traditional keyboard/mouse interface as well as a touch screen interface. If you move your mouse all the way to the lower left corner of the Desktop screen (near where the Start button used to be), a little image of a Start Screen will appear. Clicking on that will take you to the Start Screen. Pressing the Windows key on your keyboard will also toggle you between the Start Screen and the Desktop.

In the tradtitional Windows 95 style Start Menu, everything was based on the idea of the start menu having folders on it. The folders might contain additional sub-folders, or they might contain shortcuts to programs. To open Microsoft Word, for example, you’d click Start, then click All Programs, then go to Microsoft Office, and finally click on Word. If you wanted to open the Event Viewer, you’d click Start, then Settings, then Control Panel, then Administrative Tools and finally Event Viewer. Starting with XP, they added the idea of “pinning” frequently used programs to the Start Menu, so that your frequently used programs would be right there and you wouldn’t have to navigate through layers of sub-menus to get to your programs. In addition, most people also like to add shortcuts to favorite programs or documents to their Desktop, so they could access these items without going through the Start Menu.

With Vista, they added the Search Box to the Start Menu. With the Search Box, if you knew you wanted to open Word, for example, you could just type “word” in the search box and it would find Word for you. If you wanted to open Event Viewer, you could just type “event v” in the Search Box, and it would find Event Viewer for you. This saves a lot of time and effort spent working your way through layers of menus to find a program you want.

For those of us who picked up on pinning programs to the Start Menu and using the search box on the Start Menu, the move to the new Windows 8 Start Screen is very easy to adjust to. For those who stuck with the old fashioned method of working your way through the layers of folders and subfolders on the Start Menu, the change to the Windows 8 Start Screen is more dramatic.

With the Windows 8 Start Screen, the idea of manually working your way through layers of menus is gone. With the Start Screen, the idea is to “pin” frequently used programs, documents, web sites, etc., to the Start Screen. Then, when you open the Start Screen, all the programs you use regularly will be right there in front of you. You can arrange the programs and organize them any way you want on the Start Screen. So you can group Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Outlook together. You can put the items you use daily up front, where you’ll see them right away, and put less frequently used items further down, where you might have to scroll to see them. If you want to use a program that you haven’t pinned to your Start Screen, you can either simply start typing the name of the program, which will automatically open the search box, or you can go to the All Apps menu, which gives you a list of every program installed on your computer. In addition, the Start Screen can also have “Live Tiles” which are like little mini-programs that actually run on the Start Screen and can provide information, such as weather reports, stock market updates, etc. Like the program shortcuts, the live tiles can be arranged to suit your preferences.

There are some 3rd party programs that bring back the old style Start Menu in Windows 8. I tried one called Start8. While it worked just fine, I quickly found that the new style Start Screen is actually preferable to the old Start Menu, once I got used to using it. By the time my trial period for Start8 ran out, I realized that I hadn’t even used it in a few weeks, so I decided to uninstall it, rather than buy it. However, for anyone dead set on wanting to use the old Start Menu, Start8 is a great solution! It only costs $5.

When you start playing around with a Windows 8 computer, you’ll find that, by default, the Start Screen is set up with tiles for several new Windows 8 Modern style applications. This seems to bother a lot of people because they jump to the conclusion that Windows 8 can only run the new style applications, and that the traditional Desktop is gone. However, if you look closely, you’ll notice there is a tile there that says “Desktop.” Clicking (or tapping) that tile brings you to the Windows Desktop, where everything is the same as in Windows 7, with the exception of the missing Start Menu. Once you install some Desktop style applications on your computer (Word, Excel, Outlook, Quicken/QuickBooks, etc.), and pin shortcuts to these applications on the Start Screen, you will find that when you open one of these applications from the Start Screen, it goes into Desktop mode and everything runs the same way it always has. Windows Explorer, Control Panel, Event Viewer, Device Manager, etc., are all still there and all still run the same as ever. However, there are also new touch-oriented versions of many traditional Windows components. These run in the new Windows 8 Modern Style interface and are meant to be easier to use on a touch screen device. Again, this is where some people get the idea that having the new interface means the old interface is gone; but this is simply not the case. Windows 8 is designed to make it easy to do things the same way you have always done them, while also making it easy to use on a tablet or touch screen computer. You get the best of both worlds in one system.

Another thing that is different in Windows 8 is what they call the “Charms Bar.” This bar is hidden off of the right side of the screen. On a touch screen, you open the Charms Bar by swiping your finder in from the right side. With a mouse, you put your mouse pointer in the lower right corner of the screen to make the Charms Bar appear. The Settings button on the Charms Bar opens a list of system settings, including the Power button, which is what you need when you want to shut down or restart your computer. This is also how you get to settings for connecting to a Wi-Fi network.

Once you spend some time with Windows 8, you will find that it’s not complicated or confusing. Most things are still similar to the way they’ve always been. The new features take a little getting used to, but once you get used to them, you’ll find that they’re quite nice.

If you have any questions or comments, please feel free to post them here, or email me (Rick@Hogans-Systems.com) or call me (847-989-8768). We are here to help you with your computer needs.

The insides of a failed hard disk.

I frequently get calls from people who are having computer problems and are wondering if it is worth fixing their old computer. Usually, they are thinking that they could buy a new computer for $300 or $400, and they want to know if they should fix the old computer, or just buy a new one.

We can fix many computer problems for $100 to $150, which is considerably less than the cost of a new computer. We offer free diagnostic services, and we will tell you what it will cost to fix your computer upfront. If the problem is minor, it could be much less expensive to fix an old computer, rather than buy a new one.

Even if the cost of repairs is considerably higher, it still may be worth fixing an older computer. If the computer is only a few years old, and it was fairly “high-end” when it was new, it may actually be a better computer than what you will get in a new $300 or $400 computer. Although we tend to think that computers become obsolete very quickly, the reality is that many of the cheaper computers you find on the market are built with older technology and lower quality components, which are not as good as the components in a high-end computer which is a few years old.

Beyond the computer hardware, it is also important to consider the software on your computer. Software like Microsoft Office, or specialized business software, can be quite expensive. If you do not have the CDs and license keys to re-install the software on a new computer, you may have to repurchase the software.

Another situation is where you have some older version of software that will only run on Windows XP, for example. If you buy a new computer, your old software may not run well on a newer version of Windows. This could mean having to purchase a new version of the software, if one is available. If no newer version of the software is available, you may not be able to use it at all.

Another consideration is the time and effort it takes to get all your software installed and configured the way you like it on a new computer. Fixing your old computer saves you from having to do all that work to get a new computer set up and configured the way you like it, and saves you from having to spend time learning to use a new system.

Do you have any computer related questions? Are there any topics you’d like to read about? Feel free to call me at 847-989-8768 or email me at Rick@Hogans-Systems.com with your questions or suggestions for topics for future columns.

A common complaint I hear from customers is that their computer has gotten to be very slow. There can be many reasons for this. Some problems are easy to fix, others can be more complicated.

First of all, computer performance is often a matter of perception. If you get accustomed to using a new, high performance computer and then switch to using an older, slower running computer, you will notice the older computer seems extremely slow, compared to the newer, faster computer. There may not be anything wrong with the old computer, other than the fact that it is old. It seems really slow because you have grown accustomed to using a faster computer.

Often times, when you download software and updates from certain vendors, they will try to slip in extra unnecessary programs, along with the program you actually want. These unwanted programs not only clutter up your computer, but they often tend to slow it down by using up excessive resources.

When you go on the Internet, you may notice that your web browser window has a number of “toolbars” taking up space on your screen and getting in your way. I’ve seen many computers with AOL Toolbar, Google Toolbar, Bing Toolbar, Comcast Toolbar, Yahoo! Toolbar and so on. All these toolbars can slow down your Internet browsing. They can also cause conflicts which will prevent your web browser from operating properly. They may prevent you from accessing web sites, or even cause your computer to crash.

If you have an iPhone or iPad, you’ve probably installed iTunes on your computer, which includes a number of programs that start up when your computer starts up, and run in the background all the time. If you have installed photo software to use with a camera, it may have components that start when your computer starts and run constantly in the background. Having all these programs starting and running in the background will make your computer take longer to start up, and run slower all the time.

If you are comfortable with removing unwanted programs from your computer, you can get a big improvement in performance by doing so. If you want help with this, give us a call! We can clean up your computer, remove unwanted junk and make it run smoother and faster!

Feel free to call me at 847-989-8768 or email me at
Rick@Hogans-Systems.com.

I often get calls from people having  various problems with their computers which could have been avoided by keeping their computer clean.There are two main elements in every computing device: Hardware and Software. This month, I will talk about the hardware side of things.

Keeping hardware clean is pretty straight forward.  The electronic components in a computer generate a lot of heat.  Fans are used to pull cool air through the computer to carry the heat away.  Unfortunately, fans also pull dust, dirt, pet hair and other debris into the computer.  Eventually, the inside of the computer becomes clogged with dust and debris.  This causes the fans to run faster, making more noise and also pulling more dirt and debris into the computer.

Over time, the build-up of dust and debris will cause components to overheat.  Overheating will eventually lead to hardware failures. If your CPU, Memory, or Motherboard fail, your computer will either stop working altogether, or worse, it will exhibit strange behavior and crash frequently, leaving you with a costly, difficult to diagnose problem.

If your hard disk fails, not only will your computer stop working, but you will also face losing all your documents, photos, music, software and whatever else you’ve saved on your computer. Simply cleaning the dust and debris out of your computer on a regular basis can help avoid these problems and save you from the aggravation and expense of fixing or replacing failed hardware.

If you are comfortable with taking your computer apart, it is not terribly difficult to clean the dust out yourself.  However, if you’re not sure, call a pro to take care of it for you!  There are many sensitive parts inside a computer.  If you’re not sure what you are doing, it is best to call someone who is sure. Cleaning the dust and dirt from inside your computer is much like getting the oil changed in your car, or having your furnace cleaned.  It is a good maintenance procedure that will keep your computer in top condition longer.

In next month’s column, I will talk about keeping your computer software “clean” and healthy. If you have any questions for me, feel free to email me at Rick@Hogans-Systems.com.