No, The Computer Psychic didn’t just have a stroke. I meant to type the above paragraph that way. For those of you not into texting, here’s what it says:

Does this look strange to you? Can you even read it? If you’re comfortable reading this, then you are familiar with texting.

If you have kids – and if they have cellphones – odds are they text more than they talk on them. But what is all that gobblygoop they type? It’s simply a form of shorthand that makes texting on a telephone keypad quicker and easier. And, even though they may not admit it, they also think it’s “cool” to text like that.

It’s pretty easy to decipher text-speak. You simply read the characters as they look. For example, take a look at the title of this article. It translates into “What are you texting today?” In addition to this shorthand, there are many acronyms these darn kids today use as well. Following are just a few:

And, once again proving that you can find anything at all on the internet, check out the Lingo to English translator.

So, now that you know all bout texting, put dwn yr keybord, pik ^ yr ph, n gt txtN!

This article is provided by Eric Smith, The Computer Psychic. All content is protected by applicable copyrights, and may not be reproduced without express consent of the author.

The information in this knowledge base article is provided “as-is” with no warranty, express or implied, as to the suitability or validity of its content. It is up to the reader of this article to determine if the steps outlined herein are appropriate for his or her use. As with all tasks on the computer, be sure to have a current backup of your data before proceeding.

If you ever need to reinstall the software, you will be required to re-enter the product key. For this reason, it is imperative that you keep a copy of your product keys in a safe place. The Computer Psychic recommends that you print out a page containing any pertinent information for a given program. This would include the program name, the product key, any user names and passwords associated with the application, plus contact information – company’s address, help line number, and the like.

You can then keep a file of all of these pages in a handy location, in case you ever need to reinstall. There is one more precaution you can take. If you have a web-based email account (Windows Live Mail, GMail, Yahoo Mail), or if your internet service provider has a web-based tool for their email (most do), you can email yourself a list of all of these product keys. This way if you have a fire and lose both your computer and your product keys file, you can always recover these from your email.

One more thing to keep in mind. The Windows operating system also has it’s own product keys. If your computer came with Windows pre-installed, there will be a sticker on the computer showing the version of Windows you have, and its product key. Since these stickers have been known to come off, or wear down such that they are illegible, you will want to add that information to your product key file as well.

This article is provided by Eric Smith, The Computer Psychic.  All content is protected by applicable copyrights, and may not be reproduced without express consent of the author.

The information in this knowledge base article is provided “as-is” with no warranty, express or implied, as to the suitability or validity of its content. It is up to the reader of this article to determine if the steps outlined herein are appropriate for his or her use. As with all tasks on the computer, be sure to have a current backup of your data before proceeding.

The reality is, these days a good credit score can not only save you money on a car loan, mortgage and insurance, but it might dictate whether or not you get an apartment or even a job!

With so much riding on your credit score, it only makes sense to monitor it regularly.  Fortunately, the internet makes it easy to do that.

First of all, forget FreeCreditReport.com. That’s the one we all hear about on the radio and TV.  However, if you sign up with them, you’ll find the credit report is only free if you subscribe to their monthly monitoring service.  And that’s not free! Here are some other resources you can use to monitor your credit score, and they really are free!

Credit Karma – Their easy to read reports and graphs allow you to track your credit score from month to month.  In addition, they offer free tools and advice to improve your score.

Quizzle – As their tagline says: Don’t guess.  Know!  This easy to use website not only gives you your credit score, but also your full credit report, home value, and tools and tips.

AnnualCreditReport.com – This website was created as mandated by the Fair and Accurate Credit Transactions Act. It is operated by the big three credit reporting agencies: Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion.  Under the rules of the act, you are able to receive one free credit report per year from each agency.  This means you can log in once every four months and request a report from a different agency.  As mandated by the act, ou will receive your full credit report, but – since credit scores weren’t part of the mandate – you will have to pay extra to view your credit score.

With all of these sites, you will need to provide personal information, including your social security number. But rest assured, the sites are secure and so is your data.

This article is provided by Eric Smith, The Computer Psychic. All content is protected by applicable copyrights, and may not be reproduced without express consent of the author.

The information in this knowledge base article is provided “as-is” with no warranty, express or implied, as to the suitability or validity of its content.  It is up to the reader of this article to determine if the steps outlined herein are appropriate for his or her use.  As with all tasks on the computer, be sure to have a current backup of your data before proceeding.

1. Google Chrome
   A faster, more stable web browser. It starts faster, it loads pages faster, it’s simpler to use.  Forget Internet Explorer and Firefox.  Try Chrome.
2. Macrium Reflect
   A backup solution that will create complete disk images as well as incremental backups. Save your backups to a network drive or burn them directly to CD or DVD.
3. OpenOffice.org
   The premier Microsoft Office replacement. Read and write Word and Excel documents, as well as Word Perfect documents.
4. Audacity
   Might not be for everyone, but if you ever need to edit or enhance audio files, this outstanding app is for you.
5. Microsoft Security Essentials
   An exceptional all-in-one anti-virus, anti-spyware, anti-malware application.  As good as, if not better than, everything else out there.
6. Paint.net
   Paint.NET is free image and photo editing software for computers that run Windows. It features an intuitive and innovative user interface with support for layers, unlimited undo, special effects, and a wide variety of useful and powerful tools.
7. AutoIt
   An easy-to-use scripting language for Windows. Have you ever wanted to start programming? AutoIt is a good introduction. Simulate mouse clicks, application functions, and control Windows actions.
8. JR Screen Ruler
   Using a virtual ruler, measure any element on your computer screen.  Measure inches, pixels, picas or centimeters, either vertically or horizontally.
9. 7-Zip
   Quickly becoming the new standard for file compression, 7-Zip can handle all major formats, including Zip, RAR, ISO and others, plus its own superior 7z format.
10. Cute PDF Writer
    Print any document to the industry standard PDF format, compatible with Adobe Reader.
11. Ccleaner
    The industry leader in system optimization and cleaning. Remove unneeded files, fix errant registry settings and more. Warning: Ccleaner is an advanced technical utility. Be sure to have current system backups before using.
12. CDBurnerXP
    Burn CDs, DVDs, Blu-Ray and HD-DVDs.  Create and burn ISO files and bootable disks.
13. KeePass Password Safe
    KeePass is an open-source password manager.  You can put all your passwords in one database, which is locked with one master key or a key-disk.  So you only have to remember one single master password or insert the key-disk to unlock the whole database.
14. BitTorrent
    Open source file sharing application for quick downloads of large software and media files.
15. Eraser
    Securely delete files from your system, eliminating all traces of them.
16. WinMerge
    Compare two files or folders in a visual interface. View differences line by line, and merge changes in an easy-to-use format.
17. SyncToy
    Synchronize folder contents between two computers.  Use this tool to merge changes from one folder or computer to another, or use it to perform easy backups over the network.
18. Overdisk
    Overdisk provides you with a visual graphic showing just how much disk space is being used by any folder or sub-folder.
19. VLC Media Player
    Play virtually any media file format with this universal video/audio player.  Don’t waste time downloading codex’s. This one app handles them all.
20. Sandboxie
    Isolate your web browsing from all other elements of your system, protecting your computer from viruses, spyware and malware.

This article is provided by Eric Smith, The Computer Psychic.  All content is protected by applicable copyrights, and may not be reproduced without express consent of the author.

The information in this knowledge base article is provided “as-is” with no warranty, express or implied, as to the suitability or validity of its content.  It is up to the reader of this article to determine if the steps outlined herein are appropriate for his or her use.  As with all tasks on the computer, be sure to have a current backup of your data before proceeding.

Of course, one option is to simply shut down the computer.  This closes all running programs, exits Windows and powers off the computer.  When next you turn on the computer, it will power up and start Windows.  Windows will then load all necessary drivers, plus any programs that are configured to run at startup.  This by far is the slowest method.

Another option is to put the computer to sleep.  Sleep mode is a power saving state of the system.  When you put the computer to sleep, Windows saves all running programs and then powers down the computer.  The system doesn’t completely turn off, but suspends operation, using about 10% of amount of power used by Windows when it’s running. Entering sleep mode can be equated to pausing a DVD – the system is ready to start at a moment’s notice – usually in just a few seconds.

A third option has the advantage of completely shutting down your computer, thus using no power, combined with a fast startup.  This mode is called hibernate.  When you hibernate, Windows will save all open documents, and then power down the system.  However, before the power down, it will save the state of Windows in a temporary file.  When the system next starts up, the previous state will be restored, thus eliminating the time-consuming process of loading drivers and startup programs.

So, which should you use?  There’s rarely a reason to completely shut down the computer.  If energy savings are a concern, then use hibernate.  If quick startup is driving factor, then use sleep.  If the computer is a portable system and it won’t be plugged in, keep in mind that sleep will continue to drain the battery.  So if you’re going to be away from the system for some time, better to use hibernate.

Not all systems support sleep mode. Certain video cards are incompatible with sleep, thus you may not have that option available.  You may have to enable hibernate for that option to be available.  To enable Hibernate, open the Control Panel, and then select Power Options.  Click the Hibernate tab and select Enable hibernation.  But with this information, you can make a more intelligent when shutting down your computer; which mode combines the best – for you – combination of power savings and quick startup times.

This article is provided by Eric Smith, The Computer Psychic.  All content is protected by applicable copyrights, and may not be reproduced without express consent of the author.

The information in this knowledge base article is provided “as-is” with no warranty, express or implied, as to the suitability or validity of its content.  It is up to the reader of this article to determine if the steps outlined herein are appropriate for his or her use.  As with all tasks on the computer, be sure to have a current backup of your data before proceeding.

There’s a particularly nasty virus going around these days.  It goes by the name of Internet Security.  This virus, if left unchecked, will progressively inject itself into running processes, block internet access, prevent you from accessing certain Windows features, and eventually render your computer unusable.

Internet Security infects your computer with the Vundo virus.  This virus is often missed by the latest anti-virus programs, meaning even if your anti-virus software is up to date, you may still get infected by the virus.

So, how do you know if you’re infected with Internet Security 2010, or another wrapper for the Vundo virus?  First of all, you will see a screen showing a fake security scan.  This scan will purport to have found several viruses, with an option to purchase the program and correct the issues.  Don’t fall for it. This screen is a fake.  Yes, you have a virus (most likely, at this point, several) but IS won’t fix them.  They will take your money and pretend to fix the issues, but in reality, you will be more infected than ever.

Other symptoms of IS may or may not include:

• Your desktop wallpaper changing to simple text telling you that your system has been infected and will be suspended.
• You may be unable to access certain web sites
• Windows update may be disabled
• Your current anti-virus program may be suspended
• You cannot access the registry
• You cannot boot into safe mode
• If you can boot to safe mode, you may receive these same fake virus warnings
• Your firewall may be disabled

Internet Security often looks different on different systems. Depending on how long it’s been in your computer, you may not see all of the above symptoms.  The longer it’s active, the more infected your computer becomes. In addition, it acts as a “gateway” allowing your system to become further infected with other viruses.

So, it’s a nasty virus, it injects itself in many parts of the system.  The question is, how do you remove it? Since it disables many anti-virus programs, removal can be problematic.

First of all, try to boot into safe mode. (Restart the computer.  While the screen is still black – before it says Starting Windows – press the F8 key.  You will see a menu with various safe mode options –select Safe Mode with Networking.)  If you can’t boot into safe mode, go ahead and boot into regular mode.

Download and run rkill.com by clicking this link. This app will attempt to stop all IS2010 processes.

Now download and install SuperAntiSpyware free edition by clicking this link.  Important: be sure to check the option telling SuperAntiSpyware to automatically download the latest virus definitions and updates.

Once SuperAntiSpyware is installed, go ahead and run a quick scan. Once it’s done it will present you with a list of infections.  Click the button to fix the issues.

After SuperAntiSpyware has performed it’s magic, restart the computer, in normal mode.  Now run SuperAntiSpyware again, this time doing a full scan, just to make sure everything has been removed.

Just like that, Internet Security 2010 is removed.  So, how did you get it, and how do you prevent further infections?  The most common way of getting infected is from the internet. You are contentedly visiting a website and you see a popup saying words to the effect of, “Warning.  Your computer is infected with spyware or adware.  Click here to download the latest version of Internet Security 2010.”  (Keep in mind, the message may vary.)  There will be two buttons, one labeled OK and one Cancel.  Or maybe one labeled Yes and one labeled No.  Or Install and Don’t install. You get the idea.  There’s one that says Do It and another that says Don’t.  The thing is, no matter which button you click on, the virus will be downloaded.  The code behind the two buttons is identical.  The only way to safely close this window is to click on the X in the upper-right-hand corner of the window.  If there is no X, you can use the Ctl-W keyboard combination to close the window.  Or Alt-F4 to close the internet.

So, in a nutshell, be aware of what you’re clicking on when browsing the internet.  Keep your anti-virus software up to date with the latest virus definitions, and you’ll greatly reduce the chance of getting infected by malware.

Make restore disks

Most computers these days do not come with a set of disks.  You probably don’t even have a Windows disk.  Instead, the manufacturers will include an image of the system on a separate partition of the hard drive.  This image can be burned to a set of CD’s or DVD’s, called the restore disks.  If the computer ever needs to be reverted back to the factory-fresh condition, you can run these restore disks.  It’s vital to have a complete set of restore disks available in case of catastrophic failure in the future.  Each manufacturer has their own method of creating the restore disks, so refer to your computer’s documentation for further instructions.

Remove trial applications

One way that manufacturers hold down computer prices is to install trial versions of many programs.  They accept payment from the program developers to include these trial versions.  The idea is, you’ll give them a try and decide to purchase them.  However, in most cases there are free alternatives, so there’s no need to use a paid version of a given app.

Click on your Windows Start button and then click Control Panel.  In the Programs section, click on Uninstall a Program. The resulting screen will show a list of all of the programs installed on your computer.  To remove any of these programs, just click on one and then click Uninstall on the toolbar just above the list.

Obviously, since each manufacturer includes different trial applications, this article can’t tell you what to remove.  A couple of suggestions, though: Anti-virus programs such as Symantec, Norton or McAfee – these are all great anti-virus programs, but there’s a free alternative that’s every bit as good!  (We’ll discuss what to use instead later in the article.) Also, Microsoft Office is often pre-installed.  Again, there are perfectly acceptable free alternatives.

One thing to keep in mind – many manufacturers are including their user documentation as files on the computer. Be sure not to remove that documentation.

Also keep in mind that if you accidentally remove items you wish you hadn’t you can always use the restore disks to revert the entire computer back to its factory-fresh condition and start again.

Remove Unneeded Shortcuts

Many manufacturers include shortcuts either on the desktop or in the Start menu to websites that you just aren’t interested in.  If you see shortcuts for items such as AOL or online games, you can remove them. Just right-click on the shortcut and select Delete to send it to the recycle bin.

Install Anti-Virus

Be sure you have a good anti-virus program installed on your system.  The Computer Psychic recommends Microsoft Security Essentials (http://www.microsoft.com/Security_Essentials/).  It’s proven itself to be a superb all-in-one anti-virus and anti-spyware product.

Implement these suggestions before using your new computer and your computing experience will be a pleasant one. Also, be sure to back up regularly because you never know when catastrophe may occur.  Oh, and those free software alternatives?  Visit www.thecomputerpsychic.com/free-software to find the best ones on the market today.

This article is provided by Eric Smith, The Computer Psychic.  All content is protected by applicable copyrights, and may not be reproduced without express consent of the author.

The information in this knowledge base article is provided “as-is” with no warranty, express or implied, as to the suitability or validity of its content.  It is up to the reader of this article to determine if the steps outlined herein are appropriate for his or her use.  As with all tasks on the computer, be sure to have a current backup of your data before proceeding.

Ninite allows you to choose from a listing of (currently) 65 of the most popular freeware applications.  Simply select the ones you want, download a single installer, and Ninite will install all of them at one time, optimizing each app’s installation to best match your operating system and Windows version.  Best of all, Ninite will prevent those programs from installing any toobars or other annoying add-ins.

Download Nnite from http://ninite.com/.

No registration with Ninite is required, and Ninite doesn’t install anything on your system, other than the programs selected.  And it’s 100% free for personal use.  They also have a paid “professional” version available.

Admittedly Ninite doesn’t have every essential free program available. But it does a good job of offering the most popular ones out there.  And be sure to visit The Computer Psychic’s website for even more free software.

This article is provided by Eric Smith, The Computer Psychic.  All content is protected by applicable copyrights, and may not be reproduced without express consent of the author.

The information in this knowledge base article is provided “as-is” with no warranty, express or implied, as to the suitability or validity of its content.  It is up to the reader of this article to determine if the steps outlined herein are appropriate for his or her use.  As with all tasks on the computer, be sure to have a current backup of your data before proceeding.

That’s well and good, but what if you’ve already emptied the recycle bin?  Or what if you bypassed the Recycle Bin by holding down the Shift key as you deleted the file?  Or what if you’ve disabled the Recycle Bin?  (Yes, that can be done, but I don’t recommend it.)  Don’t worry, using the steps outlined below, you *may* be able to recover the file.

First, let’s take a look at what happens when you delete a file in a Windows computer.  Even though the file disappears from your Explorer view, the data contained in it doesn’t disappear.  Instead, Windows removes the file’s entry from the File Allocation Table (FAT). The FAT is a pointer system that tells the operating system where to find the data on the hard drive for any given file.  So when you delete a file, Windows simply deletes that pointer entry.  As far as the OS is concerned, the file’s gone, even though the data comprising the file still exists on the hard drive.

So, how do you get that data back?  First of all, once you realize you need to recover a deleted file, don’t do any further work on the computer.  Exit all running programs, and if prompted to save changes, don’t.  This is because if Windows writes any new data to the hard drive, it’s quite possible that the FAT might direct the application to write the new data on the same section of the hard drive that the file you want to recover inhabits, thus permanently erasing that old data.

Secondly, before you need to recover a file, you need to already have the software in place to do that. Again, if you’ve already deleted a file, and then install the recovery software, that new program could well overwrite the very file you’re trying to recover.

So, let’s get your computer ready to recover a file.  There are several free programs that do an excellent job of restoring deleted data.  I recommend Recuva Portable (http://www.piriform.com/recuva).  It does an excellent job of recovering deleted files.  Recuva Portable has the added benefit of being able to be installed on a USB stick.

The application will scan your entire hard drive, looking for deleted files that can be recovered.  When it’s finished with the scan, the it will present you with a list of files to recover.  Simply select the files(s), and – as long as they haven’t been partially overwritten by another process – you’ll get them back.  It’s that easy!

But wait a minute!  If it’s that easy to recover a file, how do you delete sensitive data such as passwords, credit card info, financial data and the like?  Don’t worry, there are free programs that will make sure that files you wish to securely delete can’t ever be recovered.  These programs don’t only delete the FAT entry, but they also erase the raw data on the hard drive, over-writing it multiple times with random data, assuring that it can never be recovered.

My pick for this sort of program carries the creative name of Eraser (http://eraser.heidi.ie/). You can delete files using one of four government-sanctioned deletion methods.  You can also wipe all empty disk space, assuring that nothing can be recovered.

As you see, it’s relatively easy to assure that the data you want is available and the data you don’t want won’t fall into the wrong hands.  It’s just a matter of having the tools ready before you need them.

This article is provided by Eric Smith, The Computer Psychic.  All content is protected by applicable copyrights, and may not be reproduced without express consent of the author.

The information in this knowledge base article is provided “as-is” with no warranty, express or implied, as to the suitability or validity of its content.  It is up to the reader of this article to determine if the steps outlined herein are appropriate for his or her use.  As with all tasks on the computer, be sure to have a current backup of your data before proceeding.