We complain about how long it takes Microsoft to patch known issues. On 13 June 2006, about 12 security patches were released that fix some of these critical issues. I usually load these without question. However, this may resulted in a loss of functionality.
Recently, I lost the use of my office PC due to a hard drive crash and needed to access the web on a second PC using my dial-up service during the repair. I was unable to connect to my Broadband ISP dial-up service “Invalid Password or user name” was the error message. I called the ISP tech support to get my password reset and it was not the source of the problem. It turns out, based on further trouble-shooting, that that Microsoft patches had removed the ability to use my modem. I was told to remove the update 911280, and then reinstall the 916281 and 914389 patches and contact Microsoft. My fax/modem is also crippled. Noted when I send a fax using the fax console software, I get no response from the modem and no error message. After I shut down the PC and as the computer restarts, it sends the fax during the process of loading services.
I found some IT advice on the web that seemed to agree with my tech support.
http://www.uwindsor.ca/units/its/website/helpdesk2.nsf/(Channel)/6216A37485210D0D8525718F006AC027
Unfortunately, my attempts to restore functionality on both my home and work Laptop PCs have not been successful. Since I use my dial-up infrequently, most users won’t even know the problem exists until they are in a jam. I consider the dial-up service the emergency backup.
I sent this off to PC World Bugs and Fixes. Contacted my Computer Manufacturer, and determined that the best option may be to wait for Microsoft to "patch" this patch. I left a comment on the KB 911280 patch page for the Microsoft Developers to read.
Friday, June 23, 2006
Tuesday, May 09, 2006
Software Class Action Lawsuits
Several years ago I heard about a Class Action Lawsuit for Microsoft's applications, and figured that I would apply for them and see a monetary return soon. Well, I'm still waiting. In the interest of being true to the name of this Blog-Waiting for it-here are a few more that you can apply and hope that someday the Courts and Law Firms can agree to just pay the consumers what the suit intended. Or maybe we can just stop this nonsense, and provide software that is fairly marketed, tested and otherwise supported for the benefit of those who would never think up this stuff on their own!
Links and trademarks excepted, here they are:
Epson Class Action
http://www.epsonsettlement.com/index.htm
Q: What is this lawsuit about?
A: The Settlement resolves a class action lawsuit filed in California and other state courts. Plaintiffs assert claims against Epson America, Inc. (“EAI”) based on various legal theories, including breach of contract, breach of implied warranties, unjust enrichment, fraudulent concealment, violations of California Business and Professions Code Sections17200, et seq., and violations of the California Consumers Legal Remedies Act, California Civil Code Sections 1750, et seq., relating to the performance and other characteristics of Epson inkjet printer cartridges. Among other things, Plaintiffs allege that Epson inkjet printers and inkjet cartridges indicate that cartridges are “empty” and suspend printer function, even though substantial ink remains. EAI has denied and continues to deny the claims and any wrongdoing, but has decided to settle to avoid the cost and inconvenience of litigation. The Court has not issued any rulings about the validity of the claims.
Q: What are the settlement benefits for class members?
A: Settlement Class Members who have already registered a qualifying printer with EAI, or who register a qualifying printer with EAI by November 13, 2006 will automatically receive a $45 credit to be used in the Epson E-Store for each registered qualifying Epson InkJet Printer. Registered Settlement Class Members are not required to submit a claim to receive the $45 credit.
The following printers are eligible for settlement benefits: [list of qualifying printers]. To register a qualifying printer with EAI, go to www.epsonstore.com/benefitsreg and complete all required fields. In the alternative, a Settlement Class Member may reject the $45 credit and instead elect, by not later than June 22, 2006 (the “Claims Period”), to receive either: (a) a combination of $25 payable by check and a $20 Epson E-Store credit for each registered printer; or (b) a discount of 25% off Epson E-Store purchases for a total discount of up to $100 with respect to each registered printer.
California Microsoft Class Action
http://www.microsoftcalsettlement.com/index.htm
Q: What is this settlement about? A: A settlement has been reached in an antitrust and unfair competition class action lawsuit about certain Microsoft software acquired by consumers and businesses between February 18, 1995 and December 15, 2001 for use in California. Under the terms of the settlement, Microsoft will provide vouchers totaling up to $1.1 billion to eligible California users of its Windows, MS-DOS, Office, Excel, Word, Works Suite or Home Essentials 97 or 98 products to be redeemed for cash after they purchase qualifying computer hardware or software.
Q: What benefits are available under the settlement?
A: You will receive vouchers redeemable for cash after the purchase of a wide variety of software and computer hardware products. The vouchers are worth: $16 for each Microsoft Windows or MS-DOS license claimed; $29 for each Microsoft Office license claimed; $5 for each Microsoft Word, Home Essentials or Works Suite license claimed; and $26 for each Microsoft Excel license claimed.
Symantec Class Action
http://www.softwaresettlement.com/index.html
Q: What is this lawsuit about?
A: If you purchased Symantec's Norton AntiVirus 2004, also known as NAV 2004, software package and / or Symantec's Norton Internet Security 2004, also known as NIS 2004, software package between January 1, 2003 and January 3, 2006, manufactured by Defendant, Symantec Corporation, this lawsuit may be important to you. A proposed settlement has been reached in a lawsuit in which Plaintiff claimed that:
NAV 2004 and NIS 2004 were defective for a variety of reasons, including that their use sometimes resulted in one or more of the following conditions:
- Inability to access the internet,
- A material slowdown in the performance of internet browsing speed, and
- Difficulty in uninstalling the product,
- AND that Symantec allegedly failed to communicate and disclose certain of these facts and circumstances to consumers.
For more information about this settlement, please refer to the Notice.
Q: What are the settlement benefits for Class Members?
A: As part of the settlement, Symantec has agreed to make the following relief available to Settlement Class Members who submit a valid Claim Form:
For any Settlement Class Member who submits a valid Claim Form, Symantec will provide and send to any such Settlement Class Member a fifteen dollar rebate certificate redeemable on the purchase of Symantec products from Symantec's on-line store.
For any Settlement Class Member who incurred any third party expenses in remedying one or more of the Conditions and submits a valid Claim Form, Symantec will pay up to ten dollars to reimburse the Settlement Class member for such charges.
Saturday, February 25, 2006
Tax Time Again
Tax Time!
Every year, it seems the onerous chore of doing taxes gets harder for me-based on those laws passed to keep more from my paycheck or deliver on a political campaign promise that I need to fill out 3 pages of tax forms in order to be eligible to qualify for a deduction- So here it is- the tax blog!
I’ll start by saving you some money. Maybe that is enough to get you in a patriotic mood. The software-based method I use is discussed below, but there are web-based tax programs that are available, however, I have not used them. The IRS provides volunteer training for those who wish to help others- the courses are good if you want to learn tax code, and the service is great is you are challenged by the process of doing taxes on your own. There is also the typical Tax service or accountant that can do your taxes for you, and the discussion below may help you to organize your records for their use as well.
What happened to the Rebates?
The major brick and mortar Office Superstores offer phenomenal deals during the Tax season, now starting as early as Black Friday (see my previous blog on that). Typical is the Staples offer where top-of-the-line Financial management software (Quicken or Money), computer utilities (Symantec, McAfee, or Computer associates), and shredders are offered free after rebate with the purchase of the Tax software. Some of these offers require an “upgrader” rebate to make it free, so if you have never purchased a qualifying program, your first year may cost a little extra. One of the new trends I noted in the boxed tax software this year is less of these rebates are offered. The three major tax software companies (for TurboTax, TaxCut, and TaxAct) have all but eliminated them. The only significant rebate program left is H&R Block's offer to refund the $16 you'll pay them for e-filing your TaxCut federal return. This news is bad for consumers since only TaxCut reduced the software price along with eliminating the rebate. TurboTax eliminated the rebate but kept the same price. However, both TurboTax and TaxCut now include their deduction management software (ItsDeductible and DeductionPro, respectively) as part of their deluxe packages (retail versions only; you don't get the freebie if you decide to download the software). Both companies used to charge $20 for these add-ons. Block has also upped its offer of help should the IRS want to delve into your TaxCut Deluxe + State return: An H&R Block enrolled agent will accompany you to any audit. And if you start to use TaxCut, then decide you need professional help, H&R Block will credit the purchase price of the software toward the cost of an H&R Block tax preparer. With a price of $30 and a rebate for the $16 federal e-file fee, TaxCut is easily the best value of the three.
Best Deal Versus Best Software.PC World Magazine states of the three major desktop tax prep packages, TaxCut probably offers the best value for the money. Those new to tax software should seriously consider H&R Block's offering--if only because they may want to use a professional preparer after spending some quality time with the tax code. Block's offer to credit the purchase price of TaxCut against professional preparation in one of their offices gives rookies a hedge against the unknown. Even though there are only three major products in the market, shrink-wrapped tax software still manages to offer a choice appropriate to individual tax situations. Choose wisely and you won't be disappointed. I believe TaxCut Deluxe is the best of the three for my use. I had to pay $30 for the cost of the product and $16 to e-file my state return.
Managing and Organizing your Finances. One of the best reasons to use Tax Software is it allows you to import your finances-charities, investments, deductions into the software directly. I use Microsoft Money, but I’ve used Quicken and there is substantially no difference from my perspective. I would state that the “Deluxe” versions of the programs can be free after rebate-so the added functionality comes without additional cost. I simply import my banking and investment files from the web into Money, update the items in Money to reflect their tax status, and export them into the TaxCut Software. Using the included chartiable deduction management software could also get you even more back on your taxes. Using your PDA/and or office software to keep track of business mileage and expenses gets you a two-fold benefit- you get the deduction for the expense, and the device or software being used becomes a deduction as well. These records can easily be saved as comma separated values files for import into any accounting program and provide an official record for auditing.
Every year, it seems the onerous chore of doing taxes gets harder for me-based on those laws passed to keep more from my paycheck or deliver on a political campaign promise that I need to fill out 3 pages of tax forms in order to be eligible to qualify for a deduction- So here it is- the tax blog!
I’ll start by saving you some money. Maybe that is enough to get you in a patriotic mood. The software-based method I use is discussed below, but there are web-based tax programs that are available, however, I have not used them. The IRS provides volunteer training for those who wish to help others- the courses are good if you want to learn tax code, and the service is great is you are challenged by the process of doing taxes on your own. There is also the typical Tax service or accountant that can do your taxes for you, and the discussion below may help you to organize your records for their use as well.
What happened to the Rebates?
The major brick and mortar Office Superstores offer phenomenal deals during the Tax season, now starting as early as Black Friday (see my previous blog on that). Typical is the Staples offer where top-of-the-line Financial management software (Quicken or Money), computer utilities (Symantec, McAfee, or Computer associates), and shredders are offered free after rebate with the purchase of the Tax software. Some of these offers require an “upgrader” rebate to make it free, so if you have never purchased a qualifying program, your first year may cost a little extra. One of the new trends I noted in the boxed tax software this year is less of these rebates are offered. The three major tax software companies (for TurboTax, TaxCut, and TaxAct) have all but eliminated them. The only significant rebate program left is H&R Block's offer to refund the $16 you'll pay them for e-filing your TaxCut federal return. This news is bad for consumers since only TaxCut reduced the software price along with eliminating the rebate. TurboTax eliminated the rebate but kept the same price. However, both TurboTax and TaxCut now include their deduction management software (ItsDeductible and DeductionPro, respectively) as part of their deluxe packages (retail versions only; you don't get the freebie if you decide to download the software). Both companies used to charge $20 for these add-ons. Block has also upped its offer of help should the IRS want to delve into your TaxCut Deluxe + State return: An H&R Block enrolled agent will accompany you to any audit. And if you start to use TaxCut, then decide you need professional help, H&R Block will credit the purchase price of the software toward the cost of an H&R Block tax preparer. With a price of $30 and a rebate for the $16 federal e-file fee, TaxCut is easily the best value of the three.
Best Deal Versus Best Software.PC World Magazine states of the three major desktop tax prep packages, TaxCut probably offers the best value for the money. Those new to tax software should seriously consider H&R Block's offering--if only because they may want to use a professional preparer after spending some quality time with the tax code. Block's offer to credit the purchase price of TaxCut against professional preparation in one of their offices gives rookies a hedge against the unknown. Even though there are only three major products in the market, shrink-wrapped tax software still manages to offer a choice appropriate to individual tax situations. Choose wisely and you won't be disappointed. I believe TaxCut Deluxe is the best of the three for my use. I had to pay $30 for the cost of the product and $16 to e-file my state return.
Managing and Organizing your Finances. One of the best reasons to use Tax Software is it allows you to import your finances-charities, investments, deductions into the software directly. I use Microsoft Money, but I’ve used Quicken and there is substantially no difference from my perspective. I would state that the “Deluxe” versions of the programs can be free after rebate-so the added functionality comes without additional cost. I simply import my banking and investment files from the web into Money, update the items in Money to reflect their tax status, and export them into the TaxCut Software. Using the included chartiable deduction management software could also get you even more back on your taxes. Using your PDA/and or office software to keep track of business mileage and expenses gets you a two-fold benefit- you get the deduction for the expense, and the device or software being used becomes a deduction as well. These records can easily be saved as comma separated values files for import into any accounting program and provide an official record for auditing.
Saturday, January 21, 2006
What to Do With Old Software?
Office 97, Photoshop Elements 1.0, and Maniac Mansion Day of the Tentacle (it’s selling on EBay for $225)-what are you doing with that software now? The old software CD’s, manuals, and boxes are now clutter stored in the basement, closet, garage or the attic. Each year, millions of PCs reach the end of their useful lives and are retired or removed from service. Not only does this present a challenge to dispose of the hardware in an environmentally safe manner, but it also brings up issues regarding the software residing on those PCs. Unlike hardware, software is not wholly-owned by the user. When purchased, a product's software license only gives the user the right to use the software, but it does not transfer ownership rights to the user. Thus, the rules of use are mandated by the vendor. That End User License Agreement (EULA) you scroll past during installation told you that, remember?
Sell it?
The Garage Sales and EBay are great sources for old software products. Resell for re-use here is common. Old software runs well on old PCs, so there is a ready market of buyers to help bring some of the cash you spent on these products back to you. But be careful because anything that you bought as an upgrade license usually requires you to give up your previous product license to use the upgrade product, and may require you to destroy the product as a condition of its use. For that reason, some upgrade products require you to send the User Manual cover page as a condition for the upgrade rebate. Doing anything else with that product after the upgrade could get you in trouble.
Donation?
The World Computer Exchange supports delivering IT to under-developed countries and is authorized by the IRS to give you a tax deduction for the donation if the software is “educational, non-violent, and appropriate”. Plus you help save the Planet. Pretty Cool!
Reuse?
At work, we recently had a give-away that consisted of few boxes of commercial software-and some nice software products got reused. The reuse of work-related software at home may get you in trouble, so make sure that use is approved before accepting it. For your personal software, you may have friends and relatives that could benefit from your software games and applications.
Disposal?
When disposing of old or unused versions of commercial software, it is essential to adhere to the policies outlined in the EULA. Failure to comply and reusing the software illegally can result in a best-case scenario of getting a "slap on the wrist" and a worst-case scenario of being fined and facing criminal prosecution. If you are a commercial enterprise, a Gartner Report published in 2003 provides guidance that Integrity Software, an Austin, TX company, has used to provide software tracking software called SofTrack to manage this problem. The Gartner Report recommendation of what to do is stated below:
For old software that is no longer used or licensed, follow these guidelines to dispose of unused commercial software:
Sell it?
The Garage Sales and EBay are great sources for old software products. Resell for re-use here is common. Old software runs well on old PCs, so there is a ready market of buyers to help bring some of the cash you spent on these products back to you. But be careful because anything that you bought as an upgrade license usually requires you to give up your previous product license to use the upgrade product, and may require you to destroy the product as a condition of its use. For that reason, some upgrade products require you to send the User Manual cover page as a condition for the upgrade rebate. Doing anything else with that product after the upgrade could get you in trouble.
Donation?
The World Computer Exchange supports delivering IT to under-developed countries and is authorized by the IRS to give you a tax deduction for the donation if the software is “educational, non-violent, and appropriate”. Plus you help save the Planet. Pretty Cool!
Reuse?
At work, we recently had a give-away that consisted of few boxes of commercial software-and some nice software products got reused. The reuse of work-related software at home may get you in trouble, so make sure that use is approved before accepting it. For your personal software, you may have friends and relatives that could benefit from your software games and applications.
Disposal?
When disposing of old or unused versions of commercial software, it is essential to adhere to the policies outlined in the EULA. Failure to comply and reusing the software illegally can result in a best-case scenario of getting a "slap on the wrist" and a worst-case scenario of being fined and facing criminal prosecution. If you are a commercial enterprise, a Gartner Report published in 2003 provides guidance that Integrity Software, an Austin, TX company, has used to provide software tracking software called SofTrack to manage this problem. The Gartner Report recommendation of what to do is stated below:
For old software that is no longer used or licensed, follow these guidelines to dispose of unused commercial software:
- Destroy the information on the original disks or CDs. This can be done by physically destroying the media or by bulk formatting/erasing and then recycling the media. This process is necessary to avoid having the old software removed from the garbage and used by an unlicensed party, thereby exposing the enterprise to copyright infringement.
- Destroy the manuals.
- Keep an inventory of serial numbers, dates of purchase, dates of destruction, and means of destruction. This will provide a complete audit trail in the event of a software audit.
Recommendations
When reusing, donating, selling, or destroying software licenses, enterprises need to:
- Recognize that all software vendors and licenses are different and have different requirements regarding the transfer of software and usage rights. Have these rights reviewed by legal counsel and develop a process to track compliance.
- Develop license contracts that use easily understood language and examples that will assist in articulating the intent of both parties.
- Document all transactions for software dispositions per the licensing requirements to protect the enterprise in the event of a software license audit.
Advice
Regardless of its origin, when reusing, donating, or disposing of old or unused software, review the EULA for any reuse limitations or potential liability.
Sunday, January 08, 2006
Back-up that Computer, now!
You've heard this before. But you never have time. Or do you? I was recently visiting with a friend of mine that was in need of some technical assistance with her computer. We had some discussions about how to back-up computers that are hassle-free. This one thing may be the most overlooked item on anyone's list of PC maintenance chores.
Why Back up?
The Second Law of Thermodynamics implies that everything will eventually end in chaos. It's just a matter of time. I recently purchased an Anti-spyware program that resulted in not one, but two of my home computers being wrecked on the same day. I'll save the details that caused the problem for some future blog on software engineering practices, but for now I'll discuss the cure.
So what? You still have the original disks. How much time would it take you to reinstall all the programs, configure them for your system's hardware, and create all the files you had on the drive? Those digital photos of the cousin's new baby, a precious e-mail from a late relative, or scores of digital music files may be permanently lost!
The problem is we have gigabyte-sized hard drives in our computers that need frequent back-up, but any strategy to back them up on the local host PC drives is like betting you know the next thing that will go wrong - and it will be something other than that hardware link that joins them. You can never be sure enough to bet on that. I'll talk about remote back-up storage options.
Back-up Media and Equipment
PC Magazine has some very good advice here. In stability of media, a DVD R or DVD RW disc is the winner since you know it's not likely to malfunction. Burning them is fast and easy with a good drive, and recovery is just as easy since most software comes with some disaster recovery option that runs from the disk. Cost versus size is always the other option discussion. But hands down-from a dollar per gigabyte storage cost-it's hard to beat an external drive with a hi-speed USB or fire wire connection that uses a reliable software back-up program. Most can be either purchased as a package or easily assembled using a spare hard drive (recommeded at least 100 Gigabytes) and an external enclosure with back-up software purchased or downloaded as freeware/shareware. You can setup to run the backup on a schedule and unattended-meaning it's hassle free.
But the "air-gap" between your back-up media and the host PC should be intentionally maintained-otherwise the problem on you host PC could migrate to your back-up device/media undetected. The backup system would then be unavailable at the moment you need to recover. Back it up and after you do it, keep it up to date (recommend running a scheduled back-up at least every three months). You should always back-up before a system upgrade, and at some interval afterward you'll need to exercise that back-up again so the upgrade will be included in the back up set.
Types of Back-ups.
There are full system back-ups for catastrophic failure recovery. These hard drive images are great when restored-but it takes you back to the moment when you made the back-up. These may be copied to a hard-drive or even better to a DVD RW disc-since it's not altered very often, and very important to keep intact. Those System Restore Disks that you may had packaged with a new PC are full back-ups.
There are incremental back-ups for catch up of a full-back up to date. They copy files changed since your last backup-so the backup software needs to monitor your files-usually by looking for the absence in marking of the file's attribute as archived. Great because they reduce the back-up time and space you need to restore the files. External drive or a network option may be best here.
There are differential back-ups that are options for some advanced back-up software that get you caught up without having to go through a series of full and incremental back-ups. Like a one-step program with your full back up to get you running and up to date. Size would dictate whether it goes to a DVD RW or an external/network drive. It is very important to keep intact.
Lastly, the situational back-up is if you create a file that's important enough to save to a second location, you should have a secure place to put it. Flash USB drives and external network locations are excellent choices since they are always at hand. Also the Norton GoBack software works well to recover files that "just disappear" or reverse system changes that would otherwise be difficult to diagnose or repair. These options do not offer whole system recovery as a reliable option. For those who think I may have omitted it, I have yet to see the Windows XP System Restore recover my system.
My experience with software images made with Norton Ghost or Simple Backup have been successful in recovery of my crashed PCs in the past. I used the Dantz Retrospect Express software recently and it was quick and reliable. Also an excellent option is the Backup My PC software bundled with the Easy Media Creator that I just got for a gift-I'll let you know how it goes after my systems are recovered and their next back-up is completed.
You're only as safe as your last back-up. Don't put it off.
Why Back up?
The Second Law of Thermodynamics implies that everything will eventually end in chaos. It's just a matter of time. I recently purchased an Anti-spyware program that resulted in not one, but two of my home computers being wrecked on the same day. I'll save the details that caused the problem for some future blog on software engineering practices, but for now I'll discuss the cure.
So what? You still have the original disks. How much time would it take you to reinstall all the programs, configure them for your system's hardware, and create all the files you had on the drive? Those digital photos of the cousin's new baby, a precious e-mail from a late relative, or scores of digital music files may be permanently lost!
The problem is we have gigabyte-sized hard drives in our computers that need frequent back-up, but any strategy to back them up on the local host PC drives is like betting you know the next thing that will go wrong - and it will be something other than that hardware link that joins them. You can never be sure enough to bet on that. I'll talk about remote back-up storage options.
Back-up Media and Equipment
PC Magazine has some very good advice here. In stability of media, a DVD R or DVD RW disc is the winner since you know it's not likely to malfunction. Burning them is fast and easy with a good drive, and recovery is just as easy since most software comes with some disaster recovery option that runs from the disk. Cost versus size is always the other option discussion. But hands down-from a dollar per gigabyte storage cost-it's hard to beat an external drive with a hi-speed USB or fire wire connection that uses a reliable software back-up program. Most can be either purchased as a package or easily assembled using a spare hard drive (recommeded at least 100 Gigabytes) and an external enclosure with back-up software purchased or downloaded as freeware/shareware. You can setup to run the backup on a schedule and unattended-meaning it's hassle free.
But the "air-gap" between your back-up media and the host PC should be intentionally maintained-otherwise the problem on you host PC could migrate to your back-up device/media undetected. The backup system would then be unavailable at the moment you need to recover. Back it up and after you do it, keep it up to date (recommend running a scheduled back-up at least every three months). You should always back-up before a system upgrade, and at some interval afterward you'll need to exercise that back-up again so the upgrade will be included in the back up set.
Types of Back-ups.
There are full system back-ups for catastrophic failure recovery. These hard drive images are great when restored-but it takes you back to the moment when you made the back-up. These may be copied to a hard-drive or even better to a DVD RW disc-since it's not altered very often, and very important to keep intact. Those System Restore Disks that you may had packaged with a new PC are full back-ups.
There are incremental back-ups for catch up of a full-back up to date. They copy files changed since your last backup-so the backup software needs to monitor your files-usually by looking for the absence in marking of the file's attribute as archived. Great because they reduce the back-up time and space you need to restore the files. External drive or a network option may be best here.
There are differential back-ups that are options for some advanced back-up software that get you caught up without having to go through a series of full and incremental back-ups. Like a one-step program with your full back up to get you running and up to date. Size would dictate whether it goes to a DVD RW or an external/network drive. It is very important to keep intact.
Lastly, the situational back-up is if you create a file that's important enough to save to a second location, you should have a secure place to put it. Flash USB drives and external network locations are excellent choices since they are always at hand. Also the Norton GoBack software works well to recover files that "just disappear" or reverse system changes that would otherwise be difficult to diagnose or repair. These options do not offer whole system recovery as a reliable option. For those who think I may have omitted it, I have yet to see the Windows XP System Restore recover my system.
My experience with software images made with Norton Ghost or Simple Backup have been successful in recovery of my crashed PCs in the past. I used the Dantz Retrospect Express software recently and it was quick and reliable. Also an excellent option is the Backup My PC software bundled with the Easy Media Creator that I just got for a gift-I'll let you know how it goes after my systems are recovered and their next back-up is completed.
You're only as safe as your last back-up. Don't put it off.
Wednesday, December 28, 2005
What to do with that Old Computer?
I recently discovered it is better to give than to receive. If you got a new computer as a Christmas present, and you are ready to replace, sell, or retire your old computer, it's very important to eradicate personal data stored on its hard drive before unplugging it for the last time. You should always remember that even though you manually delete computer files, an identity thief might still be able to recover them, possibly putting you or your family at risk.
Files you should remove before you donate or sell your computer:
• E-mail contacts
• E-mail messages
• All documents
• All files in the operating system recycle bin or trash folder
• Internet files
• All non-transferable software (most software is transferable if you have the original disks and product key)
Options for removing files from your computer:
1. Remove the files yourself at home using disk-cleaning software. It's not difficult to do, and many cleaning utilities are free. Some currently available are listed below.
2. Call the computer manufacturer's technical services department and ask how to delete personal files (your computer might need to be under warranty for this service).
3. Take your hard drive to a local reputable computer supplier to have them safely overwrite your files.
4. Buy a new hard drive (they are really cheap now) and just keep the old drive in a external drive enclosure (USB 2 or firewire) box or install it in an open internal drive bay in your new computer. I planned ahead by purchasing a small drive with my last desktop PC and removed it after I copied the OS and programs onto a second larger drive I purchased at significant savings (see my free after rebate post). I removed the small drive, and made the large drive my primary drive. Should my large primary drive fail, it's 5-year warranty and my periodic backup of the data can get me back to normal in a hurry.
Shared Windows disk-cleaning utilities (free of charge):
• Weberaser Demo
• Active Kill Disk: Hard Drive Eraser
• Disk Cleaner
• Sure Delete
• Others available on Shareware.com
My favorite was Eraser. It ran from a floppy and provided a low-level format tool that overwrote each byte. Problem: what if you don't have a floppy? Answer: plan ahead by building an Ultimate Boot CD for Windows with some tools also available as shareware. It has eraser and other disk management tools in a "pre-installation environment" CD that can be built from your Windows CD and the downloaded free-ware programs.
Once you've cleaned the personal data from your old computer (and you don't plan to or are unable to sell it), what should you do with it? You can trade it in to SchoolPop to get some cash and see it used for classroom education. cnet.com has a link to the service that is operated by Market Velocity. Search for trade-in on their home page. Otherwise, consider donating or recycling.
Donate
If your unwanted computer still works, donating it is probably the best way to go, and doing so will help keep toxins such as lead, mercury, and other electronic byproducts out of the environment. Each computer dumped in a landfill is a missed opportunity to provide a computer for others to use through one of the more than 400 nonprofit or school-based refurbishers around the country. In addition, depending on the current market value of your donated computer, you might be able to deduct its value from your taxes (refer to current federal and local tax laws for more information).
Recycle
If your computer is an older model (five years is typically the maximum for donating), doesn't work, or donating isn't otherwise an option, you can dispose of it responsibly with the help of a qualified recycler near you, such as those found on the Electronics Equipment Recyclers Contact List or the Electronics Recycling Initiative Web site.
Files you should remove before you donate or sell your computer:
• E-mail contacts
• E-mail messages
• All documents
• All files in the operating system recycle bin or trash folder
• Internet files
• All non-transferable software (most software is transferable if you have the original disks and product key)
Options for removing files from your computer:
1. Remove the files yourself at home using disk-cleaning software. It's not difficult to do, and many cleaning utilities are free. Some currently available are listed below.
2. Call the computer manufacturer's technical services department and ask how to delete personal files (your computer might need to be under warranty for this service).
3. Take your hard drive to a local reputable computer supplier to have them safely overwrite your files.
4. Buy a new hard drive (they are really cheap now) and just keep the old drive in a external drive enclosure (USB 2 or firewire) box or install it in an open internal drive bay in your new computer. I planned ahead by purchasing a small drive with my last desktop PC and removed it after I copied the OS and programs onto a second larger drive I purchased at significant savings (see my free after rebate post). I removed the small drive, and made the large drive my primary drive. Should my large primary drive fail, it's 5-year warranty and my periodic backup of the data can get me back to normal in a hurry.
Shared Windows disk-cleaning utilities (free of charge):
• Weberaser Demo
• Active Kill Disk: Hard Drive Eraser
• Disk Cleaner
• Sure Delete
• Others available on Shareware.com
My favorite was Eraser. It ran from a floppy and provided a low-level format tool that overwrote each byte. Problem: what if you don't have a floppy? Answer: plan ahead by building an Ultimate Boot CD for Windows with some tools also available as shareware. It has eraser and other disk management tools in a "pre-installation environment" CD that can be built from your Windows CD and the downloaded free-ware programs.
Once you've cleaned the personal data from your old computer (and you don't plan to or are unable to sell it), what should you do with it? You can trade it in to SchoolPop to get some cash and see it used for classroom education. cnet.com has a link to the service that is operated by Market Velocity. Search for trade-in on their home page. Otherwise, consider donating or recycling.
Donate
If your unwanted computer still works, donating it is probably the best way to go, and doing so will help keep toxins such as lead, mercury, and other electronic byproducts out of the environment. Each computer dumped in a landfill is a missed opportunity to provide a computer for others to use through one of the more than 400 nonprofit or school-based refurbishers around the country. In addition, depending on the current market value of your donated computer, you might be able to deduct its value from your taxes (refer to current federal and local tax laws for more information).
Recycle
If your computer is an older model (five years is typically the maximum for donating), doesn't work, or donating isn't otherwise an option, you can dispose of it responsibly with the help of a qualified recycler near you, such as those found on the Electronics Equipment Recyclers Contact List or the Electronics Recycling Initiative Web site.
Sunday, December 04, 2005
Black Friday Free after Rebate
I waited until this weekend to discuss the rebate subject. If you took advantage of the IT deals last week that followed Thanksgiving Day, you could not help but noticing many are "Free" after rebate (FAR).
Some suggestions on dealing with rebates.
Some suggestions on dealing with rebates.
- First, never buy anything you don't need just because it's FAR. A web page that announces these deals is slickdeals.net. You can have them contact you in various ways. I get it daily on my PDA with AvantGo service.
- Second, if you wanted to buy it anyway, you should be willing to submit your rebate in a timely manner. I usually attempt to submit rebates by the next postal day.
- Third, track it. Prior to submission, they always state to keep a copy of the materials. Some stores will make the copy for you in the store. Some let you submit online. In either case, keeping the evidence of your rebate is a key to getting past some "consumer" indifference offered by the rebate center when you make an inquiry in absence of these materials. I generally approach it two ways-I make an entry in the register of the MS Money software that includes essential info-date of purchase, product name, rebate number, and the rebate phone/web contact info. I also scan the rebate materials as adobe reader docs (those .pdf files). This allows me to easily track this information and setup reminders of when the rebates are due. Also, it keeps the clutter put away and organized.
- Fourth, follow up. If the rebate check is late, contact them right away. I've never had an issue with a legitimate rebate center contact for a past due check. They get paid to provide the service to the Parent Company, and want to get your rebate processed-that is how they get paid! The few that took issue with this never sent me a check. Contact the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) if that occurs. The FTC may not get your money back, but they will investigate the reports. They have a listing of those under investigation if curious.
Of course the scanner and software I use were free after rebate.....
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