Windows 10 free upgrade offer to end on July 29 2016

Don’t miss out! The free upgrade offer to Windows 10 will end on July 29, 2016

Microsoft has been making Windows 10 available as a free upgrade for compatible devices that are running genuine Windows 7 Service Pack 1 or Windows 8.1 Update.  However, this offer is coming to an end.

Not that I want to push you to upgrade if you don't want to, but if you have been just thinking about it, then it is time to line all your ducks in a row.

Remember to make sure your computer is compatible with windows 10 and check with your manufacturer if they have available drivers for your hardware for windows 10.

for more info check this link:

https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/windows-10-specifications?OCID=win10_null_vanity_win10specs

See you soon with more tips.

The easiest path to our hearts

Keeping up with social networks trends #bringdonuts

Bring Donuts

We are constantly joking  about feeling unappreciated, I guess it is part of working in a service department. Nobody remember us when everything is going "peachy". In fact there is people that don't know who we are and what we do. 

So yesterday we took this picture as many people do on social networks. David decided to make the "O" look like a donut.

It is ok to have fun at work, makes the days go smother. 

To upgrade? or not upgrade?....

Check before you upgrade to Windows 10

I have heard from a few users and friends that after upgrading from windows 7 to windows 10 (without asking me first!), they are experiencing some problems with their computer display.  They just couldn't resist the temptation :)

If your computer is running windows 8.1 more likely you will be ok to do the upgrade.  But, if it is running windows 7, then i would really check that the manufacturer of your computer has drivers for your device for windows 10.

Most of the cases they were able to make the computer work, but the resolution of the screen was below the recommended causing them not to be able to see some of the components on some windows.

So my tip for today:

If you are not sure if your computer can run windows 10, it is better to ask before upgrade. Also, since it is so new, maybe it will pay to give the manufacturers a little time to catch up.

see you soon with more tips.

By-By old Technology......

You did a great job but now it's time to part ways.

With the school year over, we start our summer replacement projects.

By by E-scrap 

So long old technology, a new windows is on its way and you won't be able to handle it.  Microsoft just announced yesterday that they will release Windows 10 to the public in July 29th.  We can't wait for it!

Looking at this pile of workstations reminds me of many users and friends that won't part with their old workstations. After all they have put hard earned money on it.

Unfortunately technology never stops, so even when the hardware part is still on running conditions, if we want to be productive and able to accomplish some work, we must depart from old technology. I know of people still holding up to Windows XP.

So my tip for today,

Whatever old technology you have in your house that is just collecting dust and using space, it is time to move on. The old excuse that 'we can let our kids to play with it', it is not realistic since most games are online and need updated browsers and plug-ins. Say by-by to old technology and have a great summer 2015!

See you soon with more technology tips.

 

What really is behind the "like and share" posts on facebook

By liking and sharing you might be helping scammers.

Have you ever noticed facebook posts that claim to be giving away stuff (like iPhones) and the only think you need to do is like and share, and maybe comment?.

like and share scams

I see them all the time and always wonder why some of my friends will fall for something obviously too good to be true. It's like those emails that you needed to resent to so many more in order to get a gift card or laptop or whatever.

And you might thing "oh well what does it hurt?" . Actually, you might be helping a scammer to do what is called "likes farming". They do that because after collecting so many likes and activity on facebook page, then, they can sell it on the black market to another scammers or for marketing dubious products.

You see, when you like a page, they you will start getting updates from that page (free marketing) and also your friends will see what you have liked and they might fall in the scam too.

So, my tip for today:

In facebook as is all things if life, if it seems too good to be true, it probably is a scam. Let's all stop scammers.

see you soon with more tips. 

P.S.   go ahead and like and share this post :-) 

Managing power and electical cords NO NO 's

Avoid damaging your equipment - manage your cords properly.

When setting up our office and desk, it is important to take in count that most of our office equipment requires electricity.

Consider this when placing your desk on your office. Unfortunately most of the power cords have a limited length making us basically solve a puzzle when setting up equipment. I understand we need space on our desk to write and to work but the computer and electronic equipment is very costly too.

 Stretching and bending cords damage them and in the long run they will damage our computers / electronics.

So my tip for today:

Avoid twisting, bending and stretching power cords or cables. Put the power cords on a place that it is not crowded and make sure they are not going to be mashed or bent by other piece of furniture. When rolling up the cable of an adapter procure not to bend it. Take care of your investment.

see you soon with more tips.



 

FitBit - My life in numbers.

fitbit- my life in numbers

In the quest of healthier living..numbers don't lie.

I am still sticking to my new year's resolutions to lose wait and be healthier. So besides enrolling in a fitness program I decided I needed a tool to track my daily activities.

After researching for a month and reading a lot of reviews and also asking friends around I finally decided to take the plunge and purchased a fitbit charge HR, because I might as well get into the heart rate tracking wagon.

I have had it for a little longer than a month and it is my second favorite gadget (my phone is first). I am constantly checking my numbers and always striving to hit the 10,000 steps goal and the 30 active minutes. I even have gone for walks in this cold weather!

There are a lot more fitness trackers devices in the market. Some are much more accurate measuring the heart rate or other stuff. But for me, that I am basically going from couch to 5K, this is very neat and easy to use. I am not into the big sports or extreme exercises but when i do exercises, the fitbit charge HR  allows me to log and track how many minutes I stayed in cardio or peak zones.


So my tip for today:

Yes, I do recommend the fitbit charge HR. It motivates me to keep going and meeting my goals. You can connect with friends in social media and challenge each other making "getting out of the couch" much more fun.

See you soon with more tips.

A list of passwords to avoid.

The list of the most common passwords and thus the easier to hack.

Last night I was watching the news while cooking dinner and there was this news that capture my attention.

worst passwords of 2014

It was a list of the worst passwords for the year 2014 and the number one was "123456" and second in the list was "password". The worst part was when Ryan Williams said that those where the perennials in the list. The list is published by Splahsdata and company dedicated to security applications and services.

They came out with such a list by compiling from more than 3.3 million leaked passwords during the year 2014. The compiled info came mostly from North America and Western Europe.

My tip for today:

Although  the name password suggest "word" it is better if we think about a pass phrase. That means 2 or 3 words and numbers to make a most secured password. For example 2hot2handle or AuntLucy0hi0. Use phrases that mean something to you so you can remember them and include numbers or symbols to add difficulty.

see you soon with more tips.

Keep your billfold in your pocket and Feliz Navidad !

If you are planning to buy a new PC maybe it will pay off to wait

As usual on Christmas time, I have received a few calls about suggestions for what computer to buy as a Christmas gift. I know there are a lot of sales and some are really good deals. However it might be a good idea to wait.

christmas gift

The computers now are being sold with windows 8 or 8.1 that most users dislike and in some cases some companies offer computers with windows 7 pro installed and with a free upgrade to windows 8.1. Which the user will have to install himself.

Although windows 7 pro is a really good option, there are some features that doesn't work as well on windows 7 as on the newer version windows 8.1.

So my tip for today:

If it is possible for you, wait for Windows 10, it is supposed to come out on late summer or early fall 2015.

see you soon with more tips.

what career or major to take?

Being prepared for the future includes having technology skills.

#futureready

I was checking on my twitter and I came across the hashtag #futureready.  It is related to a president initiative name ConnectED. The main idea of this initiative is to prepare american students with the skills they need to get good jobs and compete in the global economy demands.

That really captured my attention. It is really important for students to be ready to face a labor force that will require them to have technology skills.  Not only be able to use iphones and ipads and all those devices they comfortably use but to be able to be productive with them.

I have heard young people make comments that they don't like technology or computers because they don't like math or feel that they are inadequate because their grades in math are not as good, etc. Also, students are picking a career or major basing their decision on those fears.

Independently of what career path students chose, they will have to have computer skills. We all need to encourage kids to be future ready and in fact to select technology or any other STEM career.

The punch line today, while I was encouraging a student to pick computer science as his major instead of social studies, it was the fact that many people complain about calling tech support of any kind and always getting someone with a foreign accent, so I told him,  you have to power to change it! you all need to pick computer science.

So my tip for today:

Don't be afraid of technology, stay on top of it!

:)

see you soon.

The problem with the chromebooks.... is it really a problem?

The biggest complaint about chromebooks.

The problem with the chromebooks?

The biggest complaint people have made about chromebooks is that they only work with an internet connection. That is not true. There are some things that can be done offline. Yes it is very limited what you can do off line but to be honest, i don't know many people that owns a computer, ipad, etc. that uses them to work offline.

The other complaint I have heard is from the people that travels a lot and want to get some work done while flying. That is not a problem anymore because airlines offer wi-fi internet on their flights nowadays.

I our school district we have deployed 500+ chromebooks to students. We have wifi coverage on all our buildings. The students love them and can actually produce finished products on them like presentations, videos, documents, websites, blogs, etc. The price is very accessible, they come with a keyboard and webcam and they are so easy to use.

Are they the same as a PC? of course no, that would be comparing apples to oranges. 

Are the iPads cooler than them? maybe, but their price by the time you include a keyboard is almost un-affordable in this economy.

So my tip for today:

Don't let the fact that chromebooks need a internet connection to work best make you ignore its advantages. Christmas is coming we all need to be wise with our budget too. 

see you soon with more tips.

Can we go back to the old phone system???

The user resistance to change. 

We just updated our old telephone system to a new voice over IP telephone system and it has been a nightmare. Not only dealing with the telephone company but with resistant to change users.

I know its different, its going to take some time to learn it but at the same time the old system was literally  falling apart and we needed a new one.

Telephone systems cost a lot of money and it wouldn't be wise to replace an old system with another already obsolete system. It would be like buying a new PC and installing Windows ME on it.


So my tip for today:


Give yourself time to learn the new system and allow yourself to make some mistakes. You will learn to love the advantages of this new technology sooner than you think.


see you soon with new tips.

The infamous ticketing system .. a necessary evil

What happens when the telephone system goes down.

So today, i had to send a email to all our employees to inform then that our telephone system is down. We are in the process of changing the old telephone system to a new Voice over IP system ( which means telephones that use our data network), and the telephone company is still working to fix a few unforeseen issues.

the infamous ticketing system a necessary evil

And now we have users knocking at our door asking for help!

I understand it is much easier to pick up the phone and call than filling a service request. However, when using a ticketing system allow us to serve the users better as it gives us a way to track our work, we get some important information we need beforehand, gives the supervisor an opportunity to assign jobs to the right help desk person and the ticket just need to be submitted once instead of calling and getting a busy tone and having to call back.

My tip for today:

Use the ticketing system, once you do it one or two times, you will realize it is not that hard and it is fair for everybody.

See you all soon with more tips.

It's like magic....isn't it?

When users see the computers just as a black box.

It's like magic

For some users computers are like a black box that works like :

input -> blackbox -> output.

They don't really know how it works or what make things work the way the do. I remember meeting a young lady that said to me "computers are like magic to me". I guess it gave me a lot of insight of what some users perception of computers is.

It does seem like magic now with the new operating systems, but there is a lot of engineering inside those black boxes and a lot of processes going on before and after every click the user makes.

What to learn more about what goes on inside the black box?  then keep reading my blog.  :)

See you soon.

Who you gonna call?

When facing computer problems, Who you gonna call?

As a user myself, I sometimes face issues with software I am trying to use or deploy. As part of education system,  we tech people also have a helpdesk support in Frankfort we could call if needed. However, it is important to know whom to call. When it is a internal operations issue we call our helpdesk, otherwise, when it is a software application issue, then we need to call the software company support.

I  know it is a fine line and I guess as a user calling your own tech support would be the first option for most users and that is ok. 

My Tip today : There are several sources of help we could use.

• GOOGLE IT. Don't underestimate the power of "googleing".
• FAQ. In most websites they have a FAQ (frequently asked question) sections where they have posted questions and answers to common questions.
• FORUMS.  most software companies also have forums where users can go and post issues they are experiencing and they get answers from other users.

Of course when all this options fail, call me :D, but don't be like some users that work for 2-5 days and call everybody on their contact list and then, when the level of frustration is 200 (on a scale from 1-10), they call tech support.... It is hard for us too.

Hope these tips help you and I'll be back soon.