PCinfospace

I have seen numerous occasions were a client wanted to send a large amount of pictures or data through Outlook 2007.  Although I have not found anything that says the actual limit here is my advice:

• Never send a large amount of pictures through e-mail. They either will not send at all or they will take forever.  Also, the person or company you are sending them to may have trouble getting them. Certain mail servers may treat it as Spam and therefore treat it as junk mail.
• If you want to send large amounts of photos or data cut them to a DVD and give it to the person or send it through the regular mail system.

The Internet and e-mail are wonderful things but they do have their limits.  With the speed of the internet increasing at a rapid pace you should be able to do almost anything.  However, you are always limited to what any program will do.

How can I fix an e-mail that is stuck in the outbox?

You can try to right click the e-mail and then click delete.  This may work.  However, if the e-mail has already started to send you will not be able to do this.  Before you do anything it is advisable to backup what you have. Go to “File” then click on “Import and export”.  Click on “export to file”. Now click on “Personal Folders File (PST)” and click next. Click the box that says “sub-folders” if you have any and click next.  Click if you want to replace duplicates or not. Go to Browse and find a location to store the file.  You can rename it if you wish. Click “finish”.  When the next screen comes up, just click “OK”.  You should see it moving data to the file.

You will need to locate your Outlook installation disk.  After the disk loads pick “Reinstall” DO NOT pick remove. I you do remove the program, you will need to import the PST file you created above.  If you pick Reinstall you will not have to do that.

After the screen says it is done, go to the Out box folder, find the e-mail you want to remove and delete it.  This should work.  If it does not work you may have other problems.

What other problems are possible?

It is hard to cover all of them but here are some:

• Your mail box may be full.  Yes! There is a limit.  It goes by size so it is hard to say exactly the number of e-mail we are talking about.  Periodically remove deleted e-mail from the deleted folder.  Also, do not keep every email.  Delete the ones you have read or store them in a separate folder or disk.
• You may have a Virus.
• The registry may be corrupt.

I hope this article helps.  Always take it to a professional if you don’t know what to do.

This question gets asked a lot. As I see it, if your going to pick an easy password you might as well not even have one.

Hay! Do I even need a password?

I’m going to say yes. It isn’t all that hard!  Here is why you need one:

• With the introduction of spyware every attempt is being made to obtain your personal data so that the “thief” can become you.  This is Identity theft and it is growing fast.
• To keep people out of your computer that shouldn’t be there.  This is especially important if you are in a work environment.
• Keeping critical data protected is another reason.  Tax records, personal information and even pictures.
• Keeping children out.  Why? There are plenty of “illegal” sites out there.  A child doesn’t have to be a teen. In fact the spammers and other “Bad” sites work hard to get the young child.  They try to get them hooked on this bad stuff.
• Protecting your bank account.  A lot of people transfer funds through the internet. Purchasing over the internet can also cause problems.
• Protecting your credit card.  THIS IS BIG!! DO NOT buy anything you don’t look up yourself.  If a screen pops up do not be tempted to purchase what is on it.

How do I insure that my password is protected?

• Protect your computer with the best Anti-Virus/Anti-spyware program you can afford.  This will help keep out spy-ware and other unwanted programs.
• Make up a password. Do not use common dates or names such as: your name or a family member’s, an animal’s name, any date of birth or other important date, a name spelled backwards (the one thing spy-ware programs look for) and other common names.
• Use at least 8 characters. Have at least one capital letter and one number. EXAMPLE: Vt24pY@U

How do I remember this?

You memorize it or write it down.  If you write it down do not use a post it note that you put by the computer. Another way not to do it! Sorry! The evil ones need a challenge.  At least it’ll be a little harder. Do not get lazy! Somebody will take advantage of you.

Operating systems before Windows XP could not be adequately secured with a password.

Why would I write such an article? Mainly because I have experienced with what I am about to write about.

Did you ever do a backup of files, email or pictures only to find out they weren’t really backed up. I have and so have many of my clients.

Tape drives, DVDs, CDs and even USB drive ‘s can fail. You should periodically test the backups to be sure they are actually working. Another problem is that they may not be backing up what you think they are. They may not even be backing up to the chosen drive or location you want them to. This could be because you configure it wrong or just because the software is defective. Because the drive, tape, or other media can go bad.

Obviously there are many kinds of data people can back up. This data could be very critical base files that many small and large businesses have, important family pictures, emails or just a file you think is important.   

 What do I need in order to do a backup?

You need media to copy data to. This could be a second hard drive, USB drive,  tape, CD, or DVD. Tape drives have become fairly obsolete but there are still many around. Some companies back up to a server or even an online service.

Once you establish were your going to put the data you need to decide how you’re going to get it there. If you have a small amount of data you simply need to select the file or folder and drag it to the location were you plan to store it. Be sure to right click when you drag it. If you left click you actually remove the file or folder from its previous location. What’s worse is that it may not be  obvious that you did it. If that happens, you will probably need to copy it back again.

What about large amounts of data?

Here is where things can really get tricky. First of all you need to store the files you want to back up in a single directory.  I recommend keeping anything you want to see again in “My Documents”, or a directory (folder) of your choice. If you want, you can simply right click the folder, drag it to its destination, and copy it.

WAIT! What about the files you copied there last time?

Yes! This is why it is better to have a USB drive and have two of them. It is also better to store one off site in a safety deposit box or at a different address. That way if there is a fire or other catastrophic situation you have your data.

What about programs?

You can not “copy” programs. The industry has taken steps to license the programs they sell for this very reason. Copying is called pirating and you can get penalties, fines, or even jail in some cases. You MUST have a legal copy of the program. This is why it’s better to take an image of the drive. An image will copy all your settings, programs, files and anything else that is on the drive.

Wow! How do I do that?

You need a program that will do it! Buy Norton Ghost or any other program that can do this. This actually will create an image of your drive. This includes absolutely anything you had on your drive. This is the best method to move the data from one drive to another. If the current drive ever goes bad or you just run out of disk space this image of the drive will be a life saver.

What will all this cost?

It would cost a lot more to have a technician do it. These costs have skyrocketed. You can easily spend $150 or more. This may not include the programs you need to buy and time you may loose. Break down and do the right thing. You save nothing by trying to take shortcuts. An ounce of prevention here will save you time also. If you have an image or even a file backup you can get up and running fairly fast.

I hope this article helps! Just be sure you verify that your backup is really working and you will be fine.

WARNING ! 1 There is a three application limit. It is mostly designed for e-books due too this limitation.

As I am writing this article new laws are being made that will prevent people from throwing computers, monitors and other components in the trash. Be sure what you are allowed to do in your area.

Computer repair services also may include deciding a computer is uneconomically repairable. This simply means that the cost of repair exceeds the cost of replacement. In that case the computer owner needs to take action to properly dispose of the computer. If you have a Goodwill store or other recycling outlet in your area you can take it there and they will do the rest.

What to do before you recycle it

Every area of the country is different when it comes to recycling  computers and computer equipment. Check your local ordinances.  Sometimes you can get fined or arrested if you dispose of this equipment illegally.  For example, you may need to separate plastic components from steel.

The main thing to do is remove any parts you may need for the new computer or that you can use as a spare part in the future. Maybe you need the CD-ROM or Memory chips.  However, you MUST remove your personal data from your hard drive. Why? If you do not remove your personal data you could become a victim of identity theft. You may have your name and address and even you contact information in either your e-mail or some other program.  Even worse they might be able to log into your bank account.  Thieves are out there just waiting for you to make this mistake.

How can you sure your information is removed?

You need to reformat the drive.  Some computers come with restore disks and others have a key you can push when you first start the computer.  In any case you need to be sure any data you want to keep is backed up on another drive or storage media. Once you start restoring the hard drive all data will be removed and you will not be able to get it back. Although there are possibilities to still get some of your information off, most people will not know how to and will not have the necessary tools to do it with.  If you have very sensitive records (medical, criminal or other) you will need to have somebody use a special program that will obliterate any data that may be on the hard drive.

Are there other ways?

Yes! You could totally remove the hard drive.  However, you need to remember that your personal data may still be on it.  Either get somebody to destroy the information or make sure the drive is marked so you don’t loose it. You can still use it in another computer or as a backup drive.

What if I want to sell the old computer?

If you plan to give away or sell your old computer you definitely need to make sure all personal data is off the hard drive. This is the single biggest mistake people make when they get rid of an old computer.  If you don’t know how to get rid of personal information find somebody that can do it for you.

I may have sounded repetitious about being sure your personal data is not on the hard drive.  This was intentional.  Even after all the warnings,  people still make this huge mistake.

SAVE $280 – FREE SHIPPING – HP TouchSmart Notebook AMD Turion X2 2.20GHz 4GB DDR2 500GB HDD 12.1″ Vista Premium 64-bit $819.99