I was talking to a student yesterday and let them know the Windows 8 Pro upgrade was coming to an end on the 31st of January.
Whether to upgrade or not is always a difficult question. I estimate that over 100 million computers running Windows XP simply can’t be upgraded effectively turning them into boat anchors come 2014. When you upgrade to a new version of Microsoft’s operating system often something doesn’t work and Windows 8 is no different. As an example my ageing colour laser has no driver for use under Windows 8 (worked fine under Windows 7) and I’ve found other issues. If you need to pay to have your computer upgraded, the time involved will most likely mean it isn’t worth it. Often it will be better to save your money and put the money towards a new computer when you need it.
For students wishing to upgrade their computer to Windows 8 Pro, as long as they could do the upgrade themselves, the upgrade represented good value for money. But I couldn’t help feeling after the Windows 8 Pro upgrade offer finished there may be an educational offer available for students and if that happened, the difference between the Windows 8 Pro upgrade offer and the student edition may not be that significant. Students could then upgrade when they wished to.
Today I read about Microsoft’s Windows 8 Student offer. For those students who wish to upgrade to Windows 8 Pro from Windows XP (SP3), Vista, or Windows 7, Microsoft is releasing a student price on the 21st of February. As an indicative price the price in the States will be $69.99 (which usually doesn’t include tax). The upgrade will be available from the Microsoft Online Store. (You can find a link to the online store on my advertising site www.JustLocal.com.au.)
- Kelvin Eldridge
www.OnlineConnections.com.au
Call 0415 910 703 for help with your computer problem.
Servicing Templestowe, Doncaster, Eltham and the surrounding area.
Thursday, January 31, 2013
Microsoft annouces Windows 8 upgrade offer for students from the 21st of February.
Alert: St.George Internet Banking - Important alert. Highlights Windows 8 Mail app issue
Today I received a scam email with the subject “St.George Internet Banking”. Often I alert people to these scams, but this time I want to alert people to a shortcoming of the Windows 8 Mail app.
One technique I suggest to people is in an email hover over the link (in Outlook) or press and hold on the link (for the an iPhone) and check the underlying link for the web site you’d go to if you clicked on the link. Outlook displays the link address as a pop up message making it very easy to check. On the iPhone pressing and hold on a link opens another screen where you can see the link address. Browsers will often display the link address in the Status area towards the bottom of the screen.
The problem with the Windows 8 Mail app is you can’t see the underlying link. In an ideal world this would be necessary, but unfortunately it isn’t an ideal world and not being able to see the destination for a link in an email is very dangerous for users.
When using the Windows 8 Mail app take extra care not to clink in links in emails.
Kelvin Eldridge
www.OnlineConnections.com.au
Call 0415 910 703 for computer support.
Servicing Doncaster, Templestowe, Eltham and the surrounding area.
Apple 128GB iPad available starting Tuesday 5th of February.
According to the Apple site, the new iPad 128GB model will be available in black or white from the 5th of February.
The Wi-Fi model will be $869 and the Wi-Fi+Cellular will be $1,009.
Keep in mind the 128GB of memory isn’t fully available to the user.
It is interesting the new iPad model has been announced just days before the Microsoft Surface Pro, which includes 128GB model, is released. Again quite a bit of memory in the Microsoft Surface Pro isn’t available to the user.
Kelvin Eldridge
www.OnlineConnections.com.au
Call 0415 910 703 for computer support.
Servicing Doncaster, Templestowe, Eltham and the surrounding area.
Wednesday, January 30, 2013
Office 365 Home Premium subsciption released but keep in mind this is for non commercial use.
I have to say the average computer user is very likely to be confused by Microsoft’s licensing. You buy a Windows Surface RT tablet with Office RT installed but it isn’t licensed for business use. My guess is business users probably don’t care and just use it anyway. If you buy an Android or Apple device you don’t have to bother with thinking about whether you can use it for business or not, you can just use it.
Now Microsoft has released their Office 365 Home Premium subscription which is $119 a year and at first glance there is nothing to say it can’t be used for business. The first indication it isn’t for business is when you go to buy and that is when you see the “Non-commercial use” notice. The software is called Office, you can buy it from Office.com, but you can’t use it in your office. How confusing is that for a user!
When reviewing Microsoft Office either the subscription based software or the full packaged software, make sure you review the licence and that you comply with the licence. If you aren’t happy with the licence then you may wish to investigate the options available to you. Keep in mind there are alternatives to Office, there are web based services and you can even purchase just the part of Office you need. It may end up being easier and more cost effective to simply purchase a single copy of Office, but you won’t know unless you review the options.
Kelvin Eldridge
www.OnlineConnections.com.au
Call 0415 910 703 for computer support.
Servicing Doncaster, Templestowe, Eltham and the surrounding area.
Tuesday, January 29, 2013
Microsoft Office 2013 release date rumoured to be January 29 2013.
According to what I’ve read on the internet, Microsoft Office 2013 will be released for general consumer and businesses on January 29th 2013 in America. Checking the Australian Microsoft Online Store Office 365 is currently marked as out of stock. I suspect this means it is yet to be released in Australia.
When considering Office 365 there are a range of options so it can be confusing. The best approach is to determine what you need and review the options that meet your needs. Microsoft appears to be pushing their subscription model and it does appear to be good value for money, but the only problem is you don’t own a licence and once you stop paying you have to assume you no longer have access to the software. Many of my clients are still using Office 2003 and if you spread the purchase price over nine years, Office 2003 has been very cost effective for them.
The Microsoft Online Store provides a good amount of information on the software options available and is worth reading. Keep in mind the prices in the online store are recommended retail and some retailers may offer discounted software.
Kelvin Eldridge
www.OnlineConnections.com.au
Call 0415 910 703 for computer support.
Servicing Doncaster, Templestowe, Eltham and the surrounding area.
Apple iOS6.1 released and available in Australia
Kelvin Eldridge
www.OnlineConnections.com.au
Call 0415 910 703 if you require help with your computer.
No problem too small.
Saturday, January 26, 2013
Reminder: Activate Windows Media Center Pack with your product key
From what I see this isn’t a spam or scam email. Just an unusual reminder from Microsoft for something I’d already done months ago. Equally as weird is if I follow the instructions provided they wouldn't work as described. I don't get to the "add features" form. A bit disconcerting however over the years I've found quite a few instructions from Microsoft don't work as expected and what I see on my screen doesn't match the instructions. It could however mean the difference is that I've already activated Windows Media Center Pack.
If you receive unusual emails from any source it is best not to trust them and to check the email out thoroughly. In my case I checked all the links and the domain they went to, which included who the domains were registered to. The activation key’s last characters corresponded to the key I’d already used and would be almost impossible for a scammer to know unless they’d already infected my computer, so the information was legitimate and unlikely to be from a source other than Microsoft. Even then there was no need to click on any link in the email. It does take effort to review a suspect email, but the time taken can save you a lot of angst.
Take care on the internet.
Kelvin Eldridge
www.OnlineConnections.com.au
Call 0415 910 703 for computer support.
Servicing Doncaster, Templestowe, Eltham and the surrounding area.
Thursday, January 24, 2013
Microsoft Surface with Windows 8 Pro Australian release date not yet specified.
The release date for the Microsoft Surface with Windows 8 Pro in the United States and Canada has been set to be February 9th. It was a surprise the UK wasn’t included in the release. Only time will tell when Microsoft Surface with Windows 8 Pro will reach Australian shores.
Kelvin Eldridge
www.OnlineConnections.com.au
Call 0415 910 703 for computer support.
Servicing Doncaster, Templestowe, Eltham and the surrounding area.
MyAnswers: How to test the memory on your video card.
The following MyAnswers solution 2306 is now available:
A client had a trojan on their computer which they removed and shortly after the Windows 7 desktop started display weird rubbish on the screen. My feeling was it was nothing to do with the trojan but possibly a faulty video card. Here is how I tested the video card and fixed the computer.
Click here to obtain the solution.
Click here for related solutions.
Kelvin Eldridge
www.MyAnswers.biz
(An Online Connections service.)
Wednesday, January 23, 2013
Harvey Norman selling Nexus 4 from 1st of February
Google’s flagship mobile phone the Nexus 4 has been out of stock on the Google Play Store since well before Christmas. According to Harvey Norman’s site, Harvey Norman will be selling the Nexus 4 from the 1st of February.
What is unusual is Harvey Norman is advertising the Nexus 4 with 16GB for $496. The price on the Google Play Store is $399 for the 16GB Nexus 4 and $349 for the 8GB Nexus 4. There is also a delivery fee when purchasing from the Play Store.
According to media reports the Nexus 4 is expected to be generally available in February, but again we have to wait to see if that happens.
For those interested in the Nexus 4 perhaps waiting and seeing what is announced at Mobile World in February may be prudent. There are rumours a new model may be in the wind for the same price. As with all rumours you never know if they’re true or not, but given Mobile World Congress is at the end of February it may be prudent to wait.
Kelvin Eldridge
www.OnlineConnections.com.au
Call 0415 910 703 for computer support.
Servicing Doncaster, Templestowe, Eltham and the surrounding area.
Convert you home videos from DV and Mini DV tapes before you find it becomes too difficult.
This week I had an interesting task to assist a client import their videos from their Sony TRV355E video camera. The video camera is quite an old video camera and uses full size DV tapes.
The client had an older notebook running Windows XP which had a FireWire 1394 port, but it was found we couldn’t get the communication to work. The quality of using USB streaming wasn’t good enough and using a video capture device would have also produced lower than desirable quality videos.
In the end I was able set the client up with the ability to bring their videos from their old video camera into their newer Windows 7 computer.
I decided it was a good time with my own home movies to convert older mini DV tapes and store the videos as files on a hard drive (duplicate copies on separate devices for backup). Right now it was easier to use old hardware and software with the video camera but it won’t be too long before the older computer will be obsolete and I may not have an easy method to import the videos and the highest possible quality.
If you have old home movies on tapes or old technology, now is a good time to review the technology you are using. It won’t be long before DVDs are considered old technology so think ahead and convert your movies to files that you can at least have available for the next 5-10 years before we have to again convert them because technology continues to change. If you have already converted your old movies to DVDs then perhaps revisit your movies. You may have converted the movies and reduced the quality when you converted from DV or Mini DV tapes.
Kelvin Eldridge
www.OnlineConnections.com.au
Call 0415 910 703 for computer support.
Servicing Doncaster, Templestowe, Eltham and the surrounding area.
Tuesday, January 22, 2013
Windows 8 Pro upgrade ending on January 31 2013
If you’re thinking about upgrading your computer to Windows 8 Pro because of the special offer, please keep in mind the upgrade offer is finishing at the end of January. Whilst I don’t currently know the Australian price, I’ve read the US price will be $199USD so we should be expect similar pricing here or perhaps a little more due to GST and US prices generally add tax to the price at purchase.
If you need assistance upgrading to Windows 8 Pro please contact me.
Kelvin Eldridge
www.OnlineConnections.com.au
Call 0415 910 703 for computer support.
Servicing Doncaster, Templestowe, Eltham and the surrounding area.
Free web site software now available with all sites built.
I regularly build single page web sites to provide small businesses with an internet presence. The software I use previously cost around $300 and is now available for free. This means I can now build a single page site for a clients and provide them with a link to download the software I use and they can modify their site as often as they wish.
My approach with clients is to have them provide a brochure or document which they use to promote their business and convert the brochure to an online presence. If they don’t have a brochure I ask that they think about what they’d like to share about their business and to use a product like Microsoft Word to create a brochure which I can convert to a site for them. By doing this a great deal of time and thus money is saved. If a business requires a designer to assist them then I can also provide a contact. Once I have an outline of the page the client would like on the internet I can build the site. As mentioned above the software I use is now free so if the client wishes they can maintain their own page. Making minor changes is very easy. I can also show the client how to upload their page to the internet and how to work in a structured manner to avoid many common issues. The fee for this often between one to one and a half hours.
The second aspect of having a site is the actual presence on the internet. The domain name people will use to find your business on the internet and the hosting of your page and email under your own domain name. The fee for assisting with setting up the domain name and hosting is approximately an hour.
My approach is to provide businesses with assistance. The business is not locked into me in any way. The business has full ownership over the site, domain and hosting. Once the web site is live I am there to support the business should they require assistance.
With the web site development software now available for free this makes it even easier for businesses to put their business on the internet and maintain their own site if they wish to.
If you’d like to have your business on the internet with a single page site and require assistance please don’t hesitate to call or email me. I’m able to assist people no matter where they are located in the world because the internet is accessible from almost anywhere in the world.
Kelvin Eldridge
www.OnlineConnections.com.au
Call 0415 910 703 to put your business on the internet.
Wednesday, January 16, 2013
Alert: Jetstar Check-in Details
Today I received a number of emails with the subject “Jetstar Check-in Details“ and an attachment “Check-in-Details.zip”. The attachment is malware. You should delete these emails.
Users of Jetstar and Qantas (as are many well-known businesses) are common targets with emails containing malware or phishing scams so please take care.
Also this malware is not currently detected by most of the antivirus programs commonly used in Australia including the program you are probably using. New malware is likely designed to get past antivirus programs and is unlikely to be detected for up to 48 hours. The only protection you have is common sense. Don’t open attachments unless you are expecting the attachment from a person you know and don’t click on links in emails. With links open your browser and go to the site.
Kelvin Eldridge
www.OnlineConnections.com.au
Call 0415 910 703 for computer support.
Servicing Doncaster, Templestowe, Eltham and the surrounding area.
Tuesday, January 15, 2013
Warning: Windows 8 shutdown blanks screen for a considerable time before turning the computer off.
Over the years I’ve seen quite a few clients damage their computer when they turn off their computer, or think they’ve turned their computer off. A very common situation is when people shut down their computer at the end of the day and then turn the power off.
The problem with the design of Windows 8 is when you shut down your computer the screen goes black and then it takes up to about 15 seconds for the actual power to turn off. During this time because of the black screen, it is very easy to think the computer is off and thus turn off the power. If you turn off the power whilst the computer is in the process of shutting down there is a possibility of damaging your computer. I haven’t yet seen this happen to a Windows 8 computer, but I have seen it happen to many computers in the past.
A second situation is with a notebook computer. When you shut down the computer and the screen goes black you’ll be tempted to close the lid. If the notebook hasn’t shut down and you think it has, you could then end up having the computer in standby mode. Whilst not a major issue in terms of corruption, it could mean the next time you go to use the computer the battery has no power. I did see one person a few years ago who thought they’d shut down their computer, put it in the case, only to many hours later find it was still on and very overheated.
With Windows 8 it is a good idea to get into the habit of waiting for approximately fifteen to thirty seconds before assuming the computer is off after shutting the computer down. Watch the lights on the computer or listen to the computer as it shuts down. The lights and computer noise are good indicators of whether the computer is still on or not.
Personally I would have preferred if Microsoft left a small amount of activity on the screen to let people know the shutdown was still in progress.
Kelvin Eldridge
www.OnlineConnections.com.au
Call 0415 910 703 for computer support.
Servicing Templestowe, Doncaster, Eltham and the surrounding area.
Monday, January 14, 2013
Microsoft increases price of Outlook from $189 to $209.
In the past I’ve sometimes recommended to clients to purchase Outlook if they don’t have it installed. At $189 (based on Microsoft’s online price) it was a bit of an ask, but now the price seems to have increased to $209. I’m not sure what Microsoft’s strategy is. They could be increasing the price of packaged software so the price of their subscription software appears to be much better. They may be trying to stop business users from purchasing the home edition of Office and then adding Outlook. They could simply be increasing the price knowing that if you need Outlook then you’ll pay the extra money.
I still use Outlook as my main email client, but the amount of time I use Outlook is growing less by the day. Mobile devices have an adequate email client built in, and I use my mobile devices much more than I use a notebook and I now rarely use an old desktop computer except for testing. How things have changed.
My dependency on Outlook is changing as time goes on. I’ve now set up my email so I can access email equally across my mobile phone, a tablet or the notebook computer. I can access exactly the same emails (including Inbox, Sent items and Deleted items) on all devices and when travelling, if a mobile device isn’t sufficient I can use web mail (a pretty ordinary open source product called Squirrel mail but it is sufficient).
Companies generally know they can increase their prices and the loss of customers will be less than the revenue increase, that is until people get sick of the price increases and decide it is time to move on. A ten per cent price increase generally means to be worse off a company needs to lose around twenty five per cent of their customers and generally that doesn’t happen. But it can happen if a consumer has choice.
Microsoft needs to be very careful with increasing prices at this time. I’d certainly find it hard now to suggest that people purchase a stand-alone copy of Outlook unless there was a very specific business need.
It has taken me a long time to determine an effective way to set up email across multiple devices where it works on Apple, Android and Microsoft software, but now that I have and I can provide this service to clients, Microsoft’s market domination starts to diminish. Microsoft bought the market early on by undercutting the market on pricing. Now others may end up doing the same to Microsoft. Microsoft can only increase prices for so long before people decide to look around.
Most small businesses with their own site and email services often have the email facilities they need to have their email web based with access via desktop and mobile devices. Set up can be very tricky if you don’t have the knowledge. For me to have the ability to check email across any device without having to resort to using products such as Microsoft Live, Gmail, Yahoo mail or even Hotmail (which is a poor approach for business) means I have control over my email services being in my own business domain and access from any device.
New technology means new opportunities and new ways to do things. If you’re not happy with your software price increase perhaps it is time to consider reviewing some of the software tools you are using. Some will find they are too locked in to change, but others may find lower cost methods to achieve the same or better result.
Kelvin Eldridge
www.OnlineConnections.com.au
Call 0415 910 703 of you require computer support.
Servicing Doncaster, Templestowe, Eltham and the surrounding area.
PS. The Microsoft online store lists Outlook for $209. Shop around and you’ll find you can usually do better.
Alert: Qantas Customer Services - The seat requests have been added
Today I received a number of emails with the subject “The seat requests have been added”. These emails include attachment “your booking Qantas.zip” which contains malware. You should delete these emails. Qantas users are a regular target for malware and scammers. Where possible go to the Qantas site and check any information via their site. Do not trust emails which appear to come from Qantas as most are fake.
Kelvin Eldridge
www.OnlineConnections.com.au
Call 0415 910 703 for computer support.
Servicing Doncaster, Templestowe, Eltham and the surrounding area.
Sunday, January 13, 2013
MyAnswers: Toshiba Satellite Pro L750 volume when playing Blu-ray is unacceptably low.
The following MyAnswers solution 2304 is now available:
Toshiba Satellite Pro L750 volume when playing Blu-ray is unacceptably low.
Click here to obtain the solution.
Click here for related solutions.
Kelvin Eldridge
www.MyAnswers.biz
(An Online Connections service.)
Friday, January 11, 2013
Vodafone to end free social networking on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, FourSquare, YouTube and MySpace for prepaid customers.
It would appear unlimited social networking offered by telcos on quite a few plans is slowly being phased out in Australia. A couple of years ago social networking was made free by many telcos on many plans. We are now seeing this freebie starting to disappear. It will be interesting to see what affect this will have on people once they find they are paying for these free social networking services indirectly.
From 13 February 2013, infinite surfing on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, FourSquare, YouTube and MySpace within Australia won’t be part of any recharge or prepaid Mobile Internet Data Add-on.... Read More
- Kelvin Eldridge
www.OnlineConnections.com.au
Call 0415 910 703 for help with your computer problem.
Servicing Templestowe, Doncaster, Eltham and the surrounding area.
