from PC S. .S. Spring
2009
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Happy
Memorial Day!
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Greetings,
Fellow PC User! 
This
special Memorial Day issue of The
LifeRing goes out to 360 customers and
friends. Today we remember those who have given their lives in the
military service of the U.S.A.
In older days,
before cell phones could bring the Internet to your belt,
voyagers would communicate with each other using a code of dots and
dashes called Morse code. A simple "distress" signal
was created using 3 dots, 3 dashes and 3 dots, or ". .
. _ _ _ . . ."
This sequence was
chosen as the distress signal because
it was easy to send by a voyager in distress. In
Morse code that sequence also spells the letters "SOS".
An "SOS" is a call for help.
Today we navigate the
treacherous sea of technology. Sometimes we go from
sailing to sinking. Sometimes we have to send out an
SOS. Sometimes we need a LifeRing to
support us until we can get safely back to shore. Read below
about my recent voyage.
The
Website Spotlite is on Academic Specialties Texas,
Inc. Check out their new website created by PC
S.O.S.
I recently achieved
the milestone of working 25 years in the PC industry.
As a blast from the past, I've included my photo that
appeared in The Port Arthur News during my first year of business,
1986.
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Sometimes you
need to send an SOS
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Technology is complicated .
. .
. . . and
good tech support is hard to find!
In
1983 I started writing software on the original IBM PC.
"Windows" did not yet exist. Instead, PC's were operated by
a diskette operating system (DOS).
In
1990 I saw Windows for the first time. I was dismayed because I
thought that Windows would eliminate the need for a PC support
person like myself. Windows would make all software and
hardware work together "auto-magically". Little did I
realize that Windows would create so much confusion that my career would
turn to helping people solve their PC problems.
This
year I upgraded 3 digital devices in my life: a
"smart" phone, a digital TV box, and a GPS device for my
truck. To get the full functionality of each device I had to send out an SOS - I had to call "tech
support" for assistance!
I
often wonder how non-technical people navigate through the swamp of
"Technical Support". I always cringe thinking about
what kind of person will answer my call. Do they speak English
well? Do I know more than they do? Will they transfer my call
to someone else, or worse, will they drop my call and force me to call back
and start over?
Technology
is complicated and constantly changing. More and more devices are expected
to work with each other. No one knows everything about everything, so
inevitably you are going to need support, but good tech support is hard
to find.
Here is what sets PC
S.O.S. apart from the typical computer geeks:
PC
S.O.S. is
English only! No geek-speak or foreign language options.
I keep
regular business hours, but your SOS comes to me on nights, weekends and
holidays whenever you are in PC distress.
You
can feel confident when you refer your friends and associates to me for PC
support. PC
S.O.S. is
Clean, Courteous and Competent in your home or office.
Support
On Site
means I come to you. No need to disconnect all the cables, take
your PC somewhere and drop it off, go back and pick it up only
to find out it still doesn't work correctly.
PC
S.O.S.
is your single point of contact - no voice mail prompts to reach
me and I won't transfer your call to "someone who can better
assist you".
My
billing structure is simple: Support On Site is billed at
an hourly rate, lab work is done at a flat rate.
My
business is to make PC technology work for you. I have been solving
PC problems for 25 years and I am at your service.
Got PC distress? Send
me an SOS!
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Website
Spotlite
"ASTexas.com"
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The Website
Spotlite is on . . .
ASTexas.com
Academic Specialties Texas,
Inc. has been a customer of PC
S.O.S. since
2006. Check out their website created by PC
S.O.S.
Need a new website or company email? I create
and maintain websites and personalized email addresses such as YourName@YourCompany.com.
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Computer
Tutor
"Must
Have's, Do's & Dont's"
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"6 Must Haves" that didn't come with
your PC
#1 PC
Support -
If you are reading this, I've got this one handled for you!
#2 Backup - No excuse to lose your only
copy of data. There are many inexpensive ways to store a backup copy
of your irreplaceable data.
#3 Anti
Virus - Most anti-virus programs
also include anti-spyware. Windows Defender is free
anti-spyware from Microsoft. If you have Windows Vista, you have
Windows Defender included.
#4 Windows
Updates - If
you are using Windows XP, you might not have all the security patches that
protect your PC from Internet intrusions.
# 5 Sufficient
Memory - Many
PC's don't have sufficient memory to run Windows efficiently.
#6 Surge
Protector - Protects
your PC from most power related problems. $30 for a "computer
grade" surge protector. For $60 you can add a battery
backup. This will power your PC for about 30 minutes in the
event of a power outage and prevent unexpected shutdowns and loss of data
when the power blinks off and on.
"8 Do's and
Dont's" for all PC Users
DO get an optical mouse and learn to use the scroll wheel - this makes browsing the
Internet a much better experience and reduces the amount of
mousing and clicking required.
DON'T forget to backup all your "irreplaceable"
data, such as emails, photos,
music, videos, Internet Favorites, address book, accounting files,
anything stored on your Windows Desktop and any device drivers for
devices you have added to your PC.
DO restart Windows weekly - this helps Windows run better
and prevents problems.
DO ScanDisk / Defrag at least yearly - ScanDisk checks your disk
storage for errors and can correct problems before they cause a PC
crash. Defrag reorganizes your data so that your PC can read and
write more efficiently, making it respond faster.
DON'T download free programs, accept free offers or install
free toolbars - unless you know they are from
a trusted source.
DO Delete temporary files in Internet Explorer - this speeds up your Internet
browsing and also removes any unwanted items such as viruses and other
malware that like to hide themselves in your temporary file folders.
DON'T believe everything your PC tells you - many malicious programs gain
access to your PC by poping up a message on your screen and getting you to
respond to it.
DO be careful with your email address - use your primary email
address for "safe senders" who you trust, such as family and
friends. Consider using a secondary email address for all
others.
DO contact me for a FREE remote check-up - in only a few minutes I can
check your PC and let you know if you have problems that require immediate
attention.
Got a PC question? Click
here to email me!
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A
Blast from the Past
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The Port Arthur News, 1986
(no cell phone, digital cable or GPS!)
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I hope you enjoyed The LifeRing!
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