CompuClever Blog

My New PC Arrival

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What can compare to the feeling of getting a new PC? It’s like watching Tom Hanks in the movie “Big” when he spends a day in the toy department! While reasons for purchasing a new computer will differ from person to person, what remains constant is a level of excitement and anticipation that comes with getting it set up and putting it to use. With any level of excitement comes taking a few moments to take care of certain little necessities before rushing headlong into the fun. Ahhh adulthood!

Stages

We have come up with a list of items that we feel constitute the “necessities” of first running you brand new PC. In an attempt to make it easier for you we have broken these items into stages – that way it doesn’t seem overwhelming and tedious. We have also included an approximate time of completion. These may vary based on many factors but it is intended to give you an idea of what to expect. By having this information available you can determine how many items you can take on based on your schedule. If you want to bite the bullet and complete the tasks on the same day… go for it! Continue reading...

Looking back and moving forward

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During the year 2013 we covered a wide range of topics and moving forward we think there are many suggestions and recommendations that can be used in dealing with PC issues you may be facing right now.  So, we embark on a two-part adventure: to review the best of our articles and to highlight what PC tips and tricks you can take advantage of immediately.  What better way to step up to the plate when asked: What is your New Year’s resolution?  We hope it’s to take charge of your computing needs so that your PC works for you! This summary of our top PC stories for us is a celebration of a year’s correspondences to you our readership.

The following topics include our top stories that we find will give you an upper edge on PC good practices and regular use:

Security & Privacy

Digital security – updates and trends
Edward Snowden hit the news this past year and opened up a whole can of worms in relation to surveillance and the reams of digital information that is readily available.  Our information article broached the subject of the digital universe and our level of exposure to surveillance.  We have become participants and are increasingly more involved in the creation of digital information that can be accessed from online means.  Continue reading...

SyncToy – A free tool for PC backup

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Synopsis:  In some of our previous articles we have advised our readers to perform a backup of files for a variety of good reasons including to avoid loss or destruction of data file and to better organize files so as to reduce clutter and free hard drive space.  We have also recommended Microsoft’s Sync Toy and have encouraged users to run this free tool when doing backup procedures.  In this article we are going to go in to some depth on how to use this technology.  While we do not benefit from others using this program, we do feel its merits are to be shared.  There are some terms and actions that require explanation and instruction.  Once you get familiar with this program you can be backing up files on a regular basis and you’ll be impressed by just how fast and easy it is.

What to Backup:

When thinking about backing up your PC we suggest you visualize types of computer files in three categories: system files, application files, and other files (including your personal data).  System files are those items that are critical to your PC for it to run and operate as you expect it to.  These files are part of the operating system and they are typically hidden and are not meant to be modified, moved, deleted, or tampered with. Continue reading...

Choosing an Online Storage Solution

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Synopsis: All this talk about “cloud” and sharing files in the cloud. It seems we just got our heads wrapped around the idea of surfing the web. In our most recent article “Cloud Storage” we go into detail about online cloud storage and the reasons for using it. In this article we will shine some light on making the choice to use online storage and what to look for with cloud storage providers. We will give our recommendation once again and provide a clear outline of how to use a cloud storage system so you can get up and running. It is our intent that you take full advantage of this technology by using it for free and having fun with it.

Making a Decision That Works for You:

Before you begin using a cloud storage provider, it is best to consider the determining factors.  Here are a few of the items to consider.

Cost:  Many storage providers will offer an entry level for free.  You can then upgrade to a larger storage package based on various levels of cost.  Some subscription levels will also get you very large amounts of storage or even unlimited storage and perhaps more functionality (as would be the case if you want an enterprise subscription).  Continue reading...

Cloud Storage

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Synopsis: Data loss can be a hardship and being an informed PC user requires knowing about backing up data as a means of prevention. We focus here on informing our readers about a new technology that is available. This new technology has become a buzz word and drawn considerable attention – cloud storage. Here we will look at what it means to be in the cloud and we will highlight some examples of cloud storage and provide our pick for a cloud service provider.

Data Loss:

As the creation of data on PC’s increases so too does the need for storage and for the chance of loss of data.  In a recent article we introduced basic information about your PC Hard Drive.  Having your PC turn off or crash can result in data loss.  This usually results in data loss from the time you last saved a document or an email that was open – not a great loss overall.  However, the most common cause of data loss is hardware failure.  According to one study [1] 40% of data loss incidents occur from hardware failure including power surges and hard drive failure. Human error accounts for 30% of data loss (accidental deletion of data and accidental hardware damage). Continue reading...