Club Reference Page

Member Information Committee Information General Reference Computer Tips
  • Sooner or later you will have a problem with your computer. To preserve your critical data it is important to make frequent backups. You can do this to a CD, DVD, flash drive, another networked computer, or an external usb drive. Spend some time figuring out what files are important to you and decide what method you will use to move the files to the backup device. Take them to another location in case your computer is stolen or damaged.
  • All computers, electronic equipment, and expensive TV's should be protected by a surge protector. Buy a minimum 2,700 Joule model and expect to pay at least $25. Some brand names are Panamax, Belkin, and Tripplite. This is an example of a good Belkin. Some electrical power companies sell a lightening arrestor that connects behind the house meter. These are also a good idea. If you work on critical files you may want to also consider a battery backup power supply. This will allow you to close out of programs when there is a power failure.
  • Two monitors can save you much time searching the Internet, designing documents, and doing many other computer tasks. Windows XP supports this feature and older operating systems can use special software. Some video cards allow you to connect two monitors. Special video cards are available just for this purpose and they come with all the needed software. A free software program is available that makes it easy to flip flop the two screens. You can download it here.
  • The cost of computer monitors has dropped considerably over the past years. I would advise to purchase at least a 19 inch LCD model. Cheaper brands do not last as long nor do they look as clear. Samsung is my favorite and you can get a 1,000-1 contrast model for under $250. Do not buy wide screen models unless your primary use is to watch movies. Unless you are a computer Geek, a good local person to deal with for computer stuff is Mark Potts, Owner of Star Computers (720-0755). Mark can even make you an Intel compliment laptop. You can see some models here.
  • Clearwire is a good provider of wireless high speed Internet connections. If you have Charter or dial-up you may want to check this out. One of our local retailers is Cellular Plus located in the mall by the Chippewa movie theatre.
  • Do you ever want to select a different font for some document. Font viewer programs allow you to show actual examples on the screen all of the fonts stored on your computer. Download it here. Click here to get unusual free fonts.
  • Make a backup copy of your DVD movie. Go to DVD Shrink.
  • For security always put a password on your operating system as well as sensitive documents.
  • Every computer should have an anti virus program and a spyware program. Good free programs are avast! 4 Home Edition and Ad-Aware SE Personal.
  • Do you have trouble remembering all your passwords to different web sites? Try Roboform.
  • A free simple program to lock your desktop icons in place is Iconkeeper. Get it here.
  • Are you considering upgrading your operating system to Windows Vista? Be very cautious about doing this in the near future. It needs lots of resources and many computers are not powerful enough to support it. Also there may be software programs that will not work with it. Best to wait six months to a year.
  • This web site is a good resource for downloading many software programs.
  • This is a free program that will give you complete information about your computer's hardware and software.