badbrain computers - comprehensive computer services

A Common Misunderstanding:

Nate — Sun, 29 Jul 2007 05:57:31 +0000

Just a friendly warning to those about to re-install Windows and/or have someone format your hard drive: while you can backup your personal data files and documents, most or all of your software applications (Quickbooks, photo editors, MS Excel, games, etc.) cannot be “backed up” in the same manner and restored. Because of the nature in which most software applications are written and executed on your computer, you must have the original disk(s) you purchased. If you purchased the software online with a credit card (i.e. Norton Internet Security), you must have a way to re-download that program’s installation file over the internet.

It’s always a good practice to keep those CD-ROMs that came with your computer in one place (along with all your other software), so that if the unthinkable happens–such as a hard drive gone bad or even a nasty virus/spyware infection–you won’t be scrambling to find them at the last minute. This is an especially good idea for small business owners who rely on their computers for day to day tasks. I have seen this issue time and time again, and I’ll admit that I was at one time guilty of scattering my software installation disks around, too! If you downloaded the software from the internet and purchased it with a credit card, then there is usually a record or account set up at the time of purchase that will allow you reclaim your software without having to buy it again. Print out or save any confirmation e-mail you received at the time of purchase, and remember the password you registered with them! You’ll be glad you did.

As you may know, backing up your data and personal documents is always a good thing. Getting a run-of-the-mill external USB drive is a good investment (you can purchase one from your local supplier of gadgetry for $100-$200). USB drives can store a very high volume of data these days and, if you bought your computer in the last 10-12 years, chances are you have a USB interface. This will also keep you from having to divide your data among 20 or 30 CD-ROMs or DVDs. Who has time for that? You could make the argument that an external hard drive could eventually fail, but if you only plug in the power to the external hard drive when you’re backing up, and keep it in a dry & safe place when you’re not, it will last indefinitely.

At badbrain computers we are all dedicated not just to provide you with good service, repairs and troubleshooting, but also to provide you with the know-how to avoid pitfalls associated with computers and equipment we use everyday in our homes and offices. We love computers and really appreciate your business!

Tabbed Browsing

Grant — Mon, 08 Jan 2007 23:59:50 +0000

One of my biggest gripes with IE 6 (may it rest in peace) was that it had no support for tabbed browsing.
Firefox, Safari, and Opera have included support for tabbed browsing for quite some time, and thankfully, the latest version of Internet Explorer now does too.

What, you may ask, is tabbed browsing? Think of it as a task bar in your web browser. It allows you to open multiple web sites in one windows, thereby keeping your valuable task bar space uncluttered. For example, let’s say that you want to open CNN.com, msnbc.com, and Google News all at the same time. In IE 6, you’d have to have three windows open, and you would have to use Alt+Tab or click on the task bar and select a window each time you wanted to navigate between them. If you wanted to have 14 web pages open, you’d have 14 windows open. That’s a lot of task bar and desktop space, not to mention a lot of memory for each copy of Internet Explorer you have open.

Now, in Firefox, Safari, Opera, and IE7, all you have to do is open three tabs in one window (see below for ways to do this) and open the sites you want. One window, and up to 16 tabs per window. When you want to select a tab, you just click on it underneath the address bar or use Ctrl-Tab to navigate through them. You only use memory for one instance of the web browser you have open plus a little bit extra for each tab, so there’s not nearly the same drain on system resources as there is when you have a bunch of windows open. And the REALLY nice thing about tabbed browsing is that when you minimize a window, the tabs stay in the same order that you left them in. Lots of nifty organization, very little effort.

So, how does one go about using this tabbed browsing thing? Simple.

To open a new tab in any of the big four (Firefox, IE7, Opera, Safari) that support it, select New Tab from the File menu or hit Ctrl+T (Cmd+T if you’re using a Mac).
To close a tab, select Close Tab from the File menu, hit Ctrl+W (Cmd+W on a Mac), or click the little “X” button in the tab itself.
To switch between the tabs in a given window, just click on the tab you want. You can also hit Ctrl+Tab to cycle through the tabs in a window from left to right (IE and Firefox only).
To rearrange the order of tabs in a given window, click on a tab and drag it around.

There are also a bunch of program-specific tab tricks you can use to get extra functionality out of your web browsing. You can find more information by clicking one of the links below.

Tabbed Browsing in Mozilla Firefox
Tabbed Browsing in Safari
Tabbed Browsing in Opera
Tabbed Browsing in IE7

Why do we get so much spam?

Aaron — Fri, 08 Dec 2006 15:05:57 +0000

There was a great article in Wednesday’s New York Times about what spam is, why it’s gotten so bad, and what people are doing to combat it. The New York Times no longer requires registration to read most online content, so I highly recommend this.

Spam prevention tip

Grant — Wed, 29 Nov 2006 02:14:41 +0000

One of the most effective ways of limiting the spam that you get is to use a “throwaway” email address for site registrations and product sign-ups. One easy way to do this is to sign up for an account with Hotmail, Yahoo! Mail, or Gmail and use that account only for the above type of transaction, and then use your normal email account for business use, regular correspondence, etc.

Another option is to use a brand new service called 10 Minute Mail. You can go to the site, get an address, use it to sign up for an account, check it to get the confirmation email, and then let it expire. Not only does this give you the benefit of using a separate email account to avoid spam, it has the added convenience of no password or username to remember. Click, copy, paste, done.

Laptop Security

Grant — Mon, 11 Sep 2006 18:09:20 +0000

The laptop/notebook computer has become an important tool in today’s modern business world. Indeed, the ability to work and connect to information almost anywhere is a valuable asset, but it comes at the cost of security. We’ve all heard and seen stories on the news about stolen laptops containing sensitive information, and it seems like these thefts happen more often than they should.

Therefore, we at badbrain computers have a few helpful suggestions for deterring theft and keeping your data safe.

1. Buy a locking cable for your laptop. This seems obvious, but it is a step many people never think about. High-quality computer locks run anywhere from $30 - $70 and can be purchased at most office supply or computer stores. In addition, most laptops come with a small slot for connecting a “Kensington”-type lock. Lock your laptop to a permanant or unmovable fixture whenever you have to leave it for any extended period of time.

2. Get a laptop bag that doesn’t look like a laptop bag. That bulky, black bag with armstrap and utility pouch may protect your laptop from physical damage, but it does nothing to masquerade the contents. One thing that has become popular in recent years is a simple neoprene “sleeve” that fits over your laptop, which then allows you to carry it in any manner of bag or briefcase.

3. Use external media for important data and store the media away from your laptop. That way, you have a reliable degree of data security and are not kept from working if your laptop is stolen or incapacitated. There are many alternatives to saving to your hard drive, such as rewritable CDs, USB flash drives, and external hard drives. A convenient feature of USB flash drives is that they are often no bigger than a pack of chewing gum, which easily allows you to keep them in a pants pocket or on a keyring.

4. Utilize encryption, especially in conjunction with external media. Encryption will protect your data from prying eyes, which at least deadens the blow to you and your business should your laptop be stolen. There are a number of professional and open-source data encryption suites that we can help you with at badbrain computers.

As always, if you have any questions, feel free to contact us.

Internet/Telephone Service Outage

Grant — Fri, 25 Aug 2006 20:41:36 +0000

It appears that yesterday’s storms brought Northfield more than broken glass and damaged cars. If you are a Qwest telephone and/or DSL customer, you’re ~~more than likely~~ experiencing a major service outage. From what we’ve heard, a fiber optic cable in our area was cut, which would definitely explain the service disruption.

A call to the Qwest technical support line returned few answers. We were told that the earliest a technician could come out to look at our line would be Sunday afternoon, and that call volume from our exchange was “unusually high”. Luckily, we recently installed Vonage internet telephone service, which, when coupled with our Charter Cable internet service, provides us with a link to the outside world. If you are one of the aforementioned Qwest customers, you may be without DSL and long distance service until Monday.

It looks like local telephone service is still functional, so if you are in Northfield and would like to contact us via phone, you may do so at (507) 663-7050. If you live outside of Northfield or do not have a Northfield telephone number, you may contact us at (612) 216-3737. As always, you can also contact us by email here.

Update: Qwest reports that service has been restored to its telephone and internet customers.

Crazy Daze

admin — Wed, 26 Jul 2006 21:53:49 +0000

This year we will be celebrating Northfield’s Crazy Daze by holding a sale. We will be opening our doors at 6am, and throughout the day we will be selling computer parts and accessories. We look forward to seeing everyone!

WiFi at the Rueb

admin — Mon, 27 Mar 2006 19:22:05 +0000

The Rueb ‘N’ Stein has joined the burgeoning downtown WiFi network. Wireless internet allows us to work and play on our computers wherever we go.

Rueb management noticed more and more people bringing their laptops with them to dine. Some people came to eat and work, others were there to socialize and have a beer. Increasingly, and especially so in Northfield, wireless-enabled computers follow us when we go out.

So in January, badbrain set up and tested WiFi installation at the Rueb. The goals were to use moderately priced hardware and to make sure it was both robust and extensible. Customers at both the Rueb, with its many tables and bar, and Grundy’s, the non-smoking diner associated with the Rueb, needed a nice signal for their laptops. And Rueb management needed hardware that could stand up to the everyday wear and tear of a busy restaurant and bar, including a sometimes smoky environment.

Rueb management reasoned that people are more likely to use laptop computers while sitting down, so they didn’t worry as much about the Game Room and the Upstairs, which is used mainly for live music.

But if it turns out that customers use their computers in those areas, too, badbrain can help the Rueb use its new extensible hardware to expand WiFi service whenever and to wherever it wants.

badbrain and the Northfield Entertainment Guide

rbrown — Mon, 09 Jan 2006 20:59:15 +0000

A couple of months ago, By All Means Graphics, an excellent downtown Northfield design firm, came out with the Northfield Entertainment Guide. This is a very comprehensive free printed calendar of interesting things happening in Northfield. BAM (By All Means) correctly identified a need for such a guide and also correctly realized that local businesses would want to advertise in it. We are such a local business. Here’s our ad.

Additionally, Northfield.org decided recently to syndicate business blogs. Again, we are a such a local business.

Backups Save the Day… again.

admin — Thu, 03 Nov 2005 22:29:22 +0000

Recently one of our small business customers experienced something really awful. His laptop computer died… Actually, the hard drive had a mechanical failure, which was then replaced under the manufacturer’s warranty. Sadly, all of his files were lost and all of his email, contacts and calendar too.

Fortunately,� his business� subscribes to our Proactive Maintenance Plan, and as part of that plan we manage� its nightly backups. All of our customer’s important files had been captured the night before, and the night before that, and so-on. Once we got our hands on his laptop, all we had to do was restore that data. Ta-da!

Backups are an essential component to a healthy network. Often the task of making backups is left to an individual. This is problematic for a couple of reasons. One reason is that the designated person may not know what to back up. Another reason is that, as we all know, people are busy and this makes us forgetful. Routines are often interrupted by all those little tasks we have to accomplish every day and every week.

The solution? An automated backup system. The lesson here is to back up often and back up comprehensively.