Issue 14 - Summer 2011

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Welcome to Issue 14 of the Hillside Computer Services Newsletter.

Summer is well and truely here, though over the past week or two, it's been decidedly cloudy and quite unseasonable up here in the flat (bad)lands of Norfolk.

Thank you so much to all of you who responded to the questionnaire I emailed to you in May regarding feedback for these newsletters. The newsletters do take quite a long time to put together and it's great to know that they're appreciated and that I'm on the right track with their content.

This is a brief resume on your comments:

Things are still pretty stagnant on the computer scene, though Apple have finally released their new operating system - Lion. More of this further on.

Trojan viruses seem to be even more prevelant than ever. All users of Microsoft Windows are at risk. I'm not wanting to scare monger, but you must ensure that your copy of Windows, whatever version you run is fully up to date by using the Windows Update application on your computer's Start Menu. Make sure that your anti virus software is fully updated and that you do a full system scan for nasties at least once per week.

As I mentioned in the last issue, If you are at all worried that your PC's performance isn't what it was say last week, then please do call me sooner rather than later.

You can print this newsletter off to read at your leisure. Just press the print button on your web browser and please feel free to pass this newsletter onto anyone you know who might benefit from reading it (friends, family, a bloke at work etc.).

Don't forget that my new contact details can be found at the bottom of this page.

News

Apple finally released it's new version of it's OS X operating system; Lion on the 20th July (continuing with the wild cat theme). It's a major upgrade and brings some 250 improvements and features. I especially like Mission Control and Launch Pad, which are really nice touches. Another great feature is that Lion auto saves any work you're working on, so if for example, a power cut should occur, that long document you've spent all day typing up shouldn't get lost.

The OS can only at this stage can only be downloaded from Apple's App Store and costs a paltry £20.99 (Though Apple have said that the upgrade should be available to purchase on DVD sometime in the Autumn for approx. £60.00). The only downside with the download is that it is a 4GB in size (which, naturally enough can take quite a while to download especially if you have a capped broadband package or a slow connection). If you would like me to install Lion for you, I can do so at my office as I have a fairly quick and uncapped broadband connection. Contact me for further details.

A fantastic piece of backup software has been recently released called Timeline from Genie Soft. I know a couple of you have been using their previous incarnation HomeBackup and found it to be very effective in backing up your data / emails/ photos etc. to an external hard drive.

Timeline is very easy to use, though the setting up of the program is quite confusing. You have to decide through a "My Computer" style page what it is you want to back and you also need to know where it is located on your hard drive and it's not entirely obvious what you do. But once the program has been set up it's very much plain sailing and reliable. The program initially makes a backup of your selected files and then backs up those files / areas to the external hard drive if anything changes.

It is a nice program and could save you lots of heartache and grief if your hard drive fails or if you want the reassurance that your data is being backed up.

The software cost £29.99 and a free trial version is available. If you'd you'd like me to install and configure it for you then please contact me.

Hints 'n' Tips

Digital Photography

This is a new route for me in this newsletter and is probably beyond it's remit, but here goes.

A few people responded to my questionnaire and asked if I could include any hints and tips regarding digital photography and Adobe's leviathan Photoshop. As Photoshop is such a vastly powerful and complicated program I am not going to cover this here - there is too much to cover and is very much version dependant as to how tasks are performed i.e where to click etc. If you have any specific questions about Photoshop or it's little brother; Elements, then please contact me.

One tip I can offer to you is to bear in mind this:

All digital photographs, which you download onto your computer from your camera should be treated as traditional photographic negatives. This means that if you lose or damage the negative then to all intents and purposes you have lost your photograph. Therefore, before tweaking or cropping any of your precious images make a copy of them.

What I do is really easy and hasn't let me down.

I download my photos onto my computer and store them in a folder called for example, Summer Holidays 2011 (I always call my folders by their subject matter and date). You'll end up with something like this:

I then create a new folder within this Summer Holidays 2011 folder called Adjusted. I then copy all the photographs in the first(top) folder (Summer Holidays 2011) into this new folder. I now have something like this:

Now, if I want to tweak any of my pictures I use the ones in the Adjusted folder only. If anything goes wrong with any of the adjustments, I can abandon what I'm doing, copy the relevant image from the top folder, in this case Summer Holidays 2011 into the nested Adjusted folder and restart the tweaks. I know it's a difficult concept to get your head around, but once you've lost a whole pile of irreplaceable digital photos you'll realise that this is a simple solution. Of course you should alway back up your pictures up to an exteranl hard drive as well for safe keeping just in case.

Jokes

A programmer was walking along the beach when he found a lamp. Upon rubbing the lamp a genie appeared who stated "I am the most powerful genie in the world. I can grant you any wish you want, but only one wish."
The programmer pulled out a map of the Mediterranean area and said "I'd like there to be a just and last peace among the people in the middle east."

The genie responded, "Gee, I don't know. Those people have been fighting since the beginning of time. I can do just about anything, but this is beyond my limits."

The programmer then said, "Well, I am a programmer and my programs have a lot of users. Please make all the users satisfied with my programs and let them ask sensible changes"

Genie : "Uh, let me see that map again."

Dilbert by Scott Adams

Endpiece

Well that wraps up another issue. I hope to get the next one out to you in the Autumn.

Remember:

• Scan your PC for viruses / Trojans and nasties once a week.Keep your software updated.
• Do regular backups - weekly or more if needs be.
• If you have any computer problems, call me sooner rather than later.
• Don’t forget that back issues of the Newsletters are from www.hillsidecomputers.co.uk
  

For more information and details on any of the issues mentioned in this missive or any computing problems / queries, please contact me, and don’t forget to send me your email address if you’d like to be kept in touch with what’s happening in the computer world. Your details will not be passed on to any third party.

Happy and safe computing.

Mike Hamilton Hillside Computer Services 91, Nunnery Drive Thetford Norfolk IP24 3EP Office telephone - (01842) 824427 Mobile - 0780 752 3859 info@hillsidecomputers.co.uk www.hillsidecomputers.co.uk

Hillside Computer Services