Author Archives: Dan Hartman

I received an email from a listener, Larry:  “what is a good free program that makes a backup image of ones drive?” Image backups are GREAT!  They take an entire snapshot of your hard drive and copy that to a storage device.  In the event of a major failure (think – your hard drive dies), you would “re-image” the computer to a new hard drive and EVERYTHING would be back – Windows, Programs, Data, configuration, etc.  GREAT!  There are many programs that allow you to make an image of your hard drive.  This is one of the categories where my favorites are commercial (not free, … Continue reading →

For many years I have heard people say “Macs can’t get viruses” (or some variation).  That wasn’t true then and DEFINITELY is not true now.  As MacBooks and iMacs get more popular, they are becoming a tempting target for the cyber crooks. Although we have had customers bringing in virus infected Macs to Discount Computer Service for many years now, we recently have seen a significant spike of infected Macs.  Yes, now more than ever, just like PCs, a Mac can get popups, website re-directions and other nasty virus effects of malicious software. Oh, did I mention the Flashback trojan … Continue reading →

The good news is that Apple’s relatively new Activation Lock feature is deterring criminals from stealing iPhones, iPads, etc.  This feature lets you ‘Find’ your device if it gets lost or stolen and lock it or wipe it out.  A locked or wiped phone cannot be re-activated by the next person unless it is first unlocked by the owner. If you’re buying a second hand iPhone, iPad or iPod touch (any recent iOS device), be sure to check it’s Activation Lock status BEFORE you buy it!  Simply type in the serial number (printed on the device) into the website below. … Continue reading →

For the last several years, I have loved sharing my Sunday afternoons with the WCBM audience and talking about tech.  I have some great listeners and have loved talking to each and every caller.  I am happy to announce that Tech Solutions Radio will be moving to a new day and time in the WCBM lineup.  Effective February 27, 2015, Tech Solutions Radio will now be broadcast live every Friday from 6p-7p eastern time.   I truly hope all of the weekend listeners can join me at our new day and time.  I thank you for all of your great calls … Continue reading →

Google Earth Pro, which formerly required a $399/yr subscription, has now been opened up to the masses.  It has all the easy-to-use features and detailed imagery of Google Earth, along with advanced tools that help you measure 3D buildings, print high-resolution images for presentations or reports, and record HD movies of your virtual flights around the world.  Pretty cool and now FREE. You can find more info here: https://www.google.com/work/mapsearth/products/earthpro.html The download  here: http://www.google.com/intl/en/earth/download/gep/agree.html Just use the free license code of “GEPFREE”  (no quotes).   Enjoy!  

When you have a web page to print, you don’t want to print ALL of the headers, footers, banner ads and other ‘stuff’ on the page.  You just want to print the main article you are reading.  Here’s a great web browser add-on that pulls out the main article on the web page, makes it reading friendly (enlarges the fonts, etc.) and allows you to print just what you want.  You can remove images and any text you don’t want to print with just a click! This is a FREE program with more info and download links here: Print Friendly  … Continue reading →

UPDATES FOR ANY WINDOWS PROGRAM THAT TOUCHES THE INTERNET ARE EXTREMELY IMPORTANT! If you are looking for a simple and free application that can update those programs for you, check out PatchMyPC.  It can monitor and update over a hundred common programs.  You can find it Here .

If you’re looking for a powerful file search tool to find a file on your computer, check out ‘Search My Files’ Free and portable (it doesn’t have to be installed).  You can download it here: http://www.nirsoft.net/utils/search_my_files.html

One way to help stay away from websites that may have malicious content is to use a different DNS (Domain Name System) provider.  By default, your Internet Service Provider (ISP) will have you use their DNS Servers, but you can choose your own.  Some DNS providers will make your Internet go faster and/or block known malicious websites.  One of these DNS providers is OpenDNS.  It’s a free service and all you need to do is manually change your DNS settings to use their servers.  You would set your DNS servers to:  208.67.222.222 and 208.67.220.220.  You can find more info at … Continue reading →

Potentially Unwanted Programs (PUPs) seem to be plaguing installations everywhere.  When you run the installer for many free applications and updates you download from the Internet, all too often they are bundled with unrelated adware that sometimes is borderline malicious.  Have you ever installed a program, then afterwards discovered that your browser’s homepage has changed and there are a LOT more ads in your webpages? I was thrilled when I heard about this great program that can help keep these pesky PUPs from infesting your computer! Let me introduce you to one of my new best friends …… Unchecky! When … Continue reading →