My Computer won’t turn on – Help!!

The phone rings.  It is my neighbor.  I don’t hear from this neighbor very often.  When I do hear from them, it is usually when they have a computer problem.  I have become the resident computer tech person for our Paint Creek community.  I don’t mind, if I have the time.  It is a way I can give back to my small community. 

My neighbor ask me “my computer won’t start/turn on, what could be wrong with it”.  I’m going to outline a few things you can try that will help you determine if you have an issue with your computer and/or any of its other external devices.  Here are a few things you can try:

1. Make sure your computer and monitor are turned on – I hear you laughing.  You will be surprised how many times this is the case.
2. Try plugging your computers power cord into another outlet.  Make sure it is a good outlet. You can perform this test of plugging a lamp into the outlet that you believe is working well.  
3. Next try unplugging everything from the computer for 5 minutes.  Then plug the monitor, keyboard and mouse back into the computer.  Plug the power cord for the monitor and the computer into a good outlet.  Leave all other hardware unplugged from the computer.  Such as:  external speakers, modems/routers, printers, or any other devices. 
4. If your computer comes on and boots up fine, then start hooking up the other devices, one at a time and see if everything powers up fine.  Using this method, I have had it work many times (as long as there was nothing seriously wrong with my computer).  It can be a pain, but it won't cost you an arm and a leg, just your time doing some troubleshooting. 

If the above method works for you, it doesn't mean that something was broken (something could be).  A lot of times it just resets all the devices and the computer.  

If something is broken you should notice the computer acting up in some way when you add the faulty device (maybe the printer, etc..) and then you can keep that device unplugged and replace it.     

One of the most common hardware failures that occurs in a computer, is the power supply.  I have replaced these in my own computers.  I have some links below that will help you determine if you have a bad power supply and if you do, there is a youtube video link that will show you how to install a power supply.

If your computer still doesn’t power on, check out the links below.  If your computer still won’t turn on, then you will have to take it to someone who can diagnose the problem and fixed it.

I hope this helps.  Enjoy!

Links

• 5 Ways to speed up my computer
• My computer won’t turn on
• My computer is dead, what can I do? – youtube video
• Troubleshooting power supply issues on my computer – youtube video
• Is my motherboard bad or my power supply
• Replacing my power supply in my computer – youtube video

What are DPIs and how do you change them

This is a question that has plagued many people.  I have people ask me from time-to-time, what does DPI mean.  DPI is an acronym for “Dot Per Inch”.  In simplistic terms, DPI is really just a way of conveying the measurement for output to a medium, such as paper.

If you have digital images that you want to print out, you can use the full size version of the image that comes right from your digital camera.  You shouldn’t have any problems with printing out your images this way. 

One of the most common problems I see occur, is when people are trying to print out their digital images and they have reduced the size of their digital images for emailing or other purposes.  When reducing the size of the image, the resolution and DPIs of the image will also be changed.  This can cause you to have some issues with printing.  Make sure you always keep the original image around and make changes to a copy of the original image for emailing to friends, posting on facebook, etc.  When you go to print out some of your digital images, you’ll be glad you kept the originals.  I have learned this lesson the hard way, like so many others. 

To learn more about what DPI is, and how to change the DPI on an image, check out the links below:

• Link about DPI:  http://www.rideau-info.com/photos/mythdpi.html
• Link outlining how to change the DPI of a digital image:  http://www.rideau-info.com/photos/changedpi.html
• Link for free software download that can be used to change the DPI for an image:  XnView Software
• Another link for free software download that can be used to change the DPI for an image:  Irfanview Software

Enjoy!

Flash Mobs

Have you heard of a Flash Mob?  If not, read on.  Here is a definition I found on the internet that sums up what a Flash Mob is:

A relatively new phenomenon, a flash mob is a spontaneous gathering of people who assemble in a predetermined location, perform an action, and then disperse. Participants network through email, bulletin boards, and websites, and generally assemble silently and without comment before vanishing equally mysteriously.

Note:  The above definition was found at this web site:  http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-a-flash-mob.htm.

There are videos made of these Flash Mobs.  Here are a couple of Flash Mob video links:

• Opera Company of Philadelphia "Flash Brindisi" at Reading Terminal Market (April 24, 2010)
• Frozen in Grand Central Station

You can go to YouTube.com and perform a search using these search keywords: “Flash Mobs”.  A list of of video links for Flash Mobs will appear.  There a some fun and interesting Flash Mob videos from all around the globe. 

I really like the idea of Flash Mobs.  What a true way to share a gift with total strangers in a way that is fun and entertaining.  It is a random act of kindness that hopefully touches people in ways that inspire them to pass along random acts of kindness, laughter, joy, and/or beauty. How cool. 

Enjoy!

Resizing Images

I get asked a lot “How do I resize my images/pictures”.  I thought I would write a quick and short post on how you can resize images.  Like a lot of things in life, there are several ways you could do this.  In this post, I’m just going to cover one method – using Windows Live Photo Gallery (WLPG). 

Note:  I’m running Vista and so are most of the folks who are asking about me about resizing images.  I don’t know if WLPG will run on earlier versions of Windows, so this blog post assumes you are running Windows Vista.

Windows Live Photo Gallery is a free program from Microsoft.  If you don’t have this program installed already, visit this link Windows Live Photo Gallery Download to download and install the software.

Once you have WLPG installed, you are now ready to use it to resize images.  It is really pretty simple.  Here is a link – Using Windows Live Photo Gallery that outlines the steps and show screen shots of the program. 

Happy image resizing!

Recycling old Batteries and Computer Equipment

  I have a bunch of old batteries (AA, AAA, DD) and an old Dell laptop battery (li-ion) that are dead and I need to recycle them.  I went out to the internet this morning and I performed a Google search looking for places that recycle dead batteries.  I didn’t think I would find any place local (Greeneville, TN) that would recycle batteries.  But to my surprise, I found several places.  I was thrilled.  

It turns out that all of our dump centers through out our county (Greene) will take the following items for recycling:

Plastic, cardboard, newspaper, aluminum cans, used oil, 4 used tires per year, batteries, metal, demolition and used computers and monitors, along with your household trash. 

Awesome!  We already take our plastic, cardboard, newspaper, aluminum cans, used oil and household trash to the closest dump center to us, but I didn’t realized that they would take batteries. 

For dump center locations, hours and phone numbers, visit this LINK at the Greene County Chamber of Commerce (GCCC) web site.  The GCCC web site even has a link called “Keep Greene Beautiful”.  I’m so happy that our Chamber of Commerce is trying to be environmentally friendly.  I would like the next generations that follow us, to have a place that is healthy, green and beautiful.  If you have a moment and you care about recycling and leaving a better place for our grandchildren, check out the programs on the GCCC web site, by clicking here.  You may find something that you are interested in joining. 

I also found a web site called “Call2Recycle US”.  I was able to perform a search for places that recycle in our area (you supply your zip code for the search) and to my surprise again, there were several pages of places that will take your recycling material.  Wow, how awesome is that.  Another great resource for recycling.  I’m loving this and I am so glad that recycling is expanding. 

If you have an old laptop or smarthphone that you want to recycle, I found an interesting web site that perform this service for free.  The web site is “EraseMyLaptop.com”.  The process seems simple enough.  They send you prepaid packaging.  You mail back your old laptop or smartphone to them.  They erase everything on your laptop and send you a report on the results.  Then they redistribute or recycle your old laptop to cover their operating costs.  They operate on a Zero land-fill policy.  I really like this idea a lot.  

Now, I haven’t used EraseMyLapto.com before, so I can’t vouch for it, but it seems like a good idea.  If I used this service, I would wipe out  everything on my laptops hard drive before sending it them.  This way, I really wouldn’t worry and the service is free and your old equipment gets re-used or recycled.  Sounds great to me. 

My Google search results lead me to a really informative article on the Earth911 web site called “Get the most out of your battery”.  This article contains a lot of useful tips for getting longer life out of your batteries, what type of batteries work best in what electronic devices, etc.  I would recommend reading this online article.  It isn’t very long and you’ll find useful information in the article, I believe. 

If you have some time, take a moment and let me what your recycling experience has been and anything of interest and fun regarding recycling. 

Dell.com is doing some interesting Green programs.  To learn more about them, check out the links below:

• Dell using Bamboo Packaging
• Dell has a new environmentally friendly Ink Cartridge
• Dell has the Greenest Data Center 

Happy recycling!

What is Etsy.com?

Etsy.com is a web site that allows people to sell what they make, directly to the public.  It is like eBay, except that Etsy focus is on handmade items, helping people make a living, and working towards creating a new economy.  Their motto is “Buy, Sell, and Live Handmade”.  Pretty cool.

Etsy allows you to signup for a free store and it has a shopping cart and everything.  To learn more about what you can sell and to register at Etsy, check out this selling link. 

Etsy also has a blog and how to videos.  Check out these links for more details:

• How to videos
• Etsy Blog

If you hand make items or sell craft supplies and your are looking for an option to sell your items on the internet, Etsy may be a good fit for you.  Check it out and see.  Enjoy!

Google Places

Have you heard of Google Places?  If not, check out this link:  http://www.tugsearch.co.uk/blog/2010/04/20/google-places-announced/.  This is another great tool offered by the folks at Google.  Google Places allows a business to expand their their business information to include hours of operation, photos, videos, coupons, product offerings, etc.  You can also verify your business when you go through the setup process for adding your business to Google Places.

Google Places is a great tool and it is easy to use and the best part is - it is free.  There are some additional add-ons for Google Place and some them will have a fee associated with them.  Here is one add-on you may find complimentary with Google Places, it is:  How do I take advantage of the Google Tags 30-day free trial and this link:  How much do TAGs cost and this link for which has video on How to signup for TAGs.  This is one of Google’s advertisement options. 

Google Places is offering a free photo shoot for your business.  You can signup for a free photo shoot at:  Free Business Photo Shoot.  How cool would that be!!!!!!!

Google Places even offers some basic stats for your business.  Once you signup for Google Places, you can view your business listing stats on your Google Places Dashboard. 

To signup for Google Places, visit this link:  Google Places. 

Google Places is a way to help promote your business and hopefully pick up some new business.  It only cost you a small amount of your time.  Not a bad price in these lean times.  Enjoy