Before I begin with today’s topic, I want to remind TR Times readers of two excellent venues for finding help with your computer problems—the Computer Club, which meets on Mondays at 7:00 P.M in Citrus Center East, and the newly formed TR Macintosh Users Group that meets on Tuesdays at 7:00 P.M. in the Paul Ruth Place. Both groups begin with question and answer sessions and feature how-to presentations. They are also good places to connect with TR residents who can answer your individual computer questions.
Now for today’s topic: If you connect to the internet, odds are you visit certain web sites repeatedly. Whether you use Internet Explorer, Firefox, or Safari, these browser programs give you a way to make returning to your favorite sites easy — by saving Favorites if you use Internet Explorer or Bookmarks if you use Firefox or Safari. Favorites and Bookmarks, which are the same thing, are records of website addresses that can be accessed with a click of your mouse.
Your Favorites or Bookmarks list are embedded in your browser software, but what happens if you have a problem and need to reinstall the software? If you’ve had this experience, you know that your Favorites/Bookmarks are gone unless you had the foresight to save them. Outlined below are the steps you need to take to save your Favorites/Bookmarks in the three most popular browsers.
INTERNET EXPLORER (version 5.0 or later)
1. From the File menu choose Import and Export.
2. This starts the Import/Export Wizard. Click NEXT.
3. Select Favorites and click NEXT.
4. The next screen shows the location for saving the Favorites list. Accept the default, or choose another location and click NEXT.
5. Click FINISH.
To reinstall your Favorites, follow the same steps, choosing Import instead of Export.
MOZILLA FIREFOX — PC & MAC
(You should be using the most recent version of Firefox, which is v. 2.0.0.11 on both platforms.)
1. From the Firefox menu bar, click on the Bookmark menu and choose Organzize Bookmarks (in older versions of Firefox it is Manage Bookmarks).
2. A new window opens and the menu bar changes.
3. From the File menu select Export.
4. Choose a location to save your Bookmarks and click on the Save button.
To reinstall your Bookmarks follow step 1 and 2 above, then:
3. From the File menu select Import.
4. Click the button next to From File.
5. Choose the location of you Bookmark list and click the Open button.
SAFARI (for Macintosh)
1. From the File menu choose Export Bookmarks...
2. Choose a location for your Bookmark file and click the Save button.
To reinstall the Bookmark file:
1. From the File menu choose Import Bookmarks...
2. Find the location of your Bookmark file and click the Import button.
For safekeeping in case your hard drive fails, you should save a copy of your Favorites/Bookmark file to a flash drive, external hard drive or burn it to a CD. But then, you do have a complete backup your hard drive, don’t you? If not, I’ll cover backing up your computer in next week’s column.
Besides the OnMouseClick blog at onmouseclick.blogspot.com there are two more blogs you might want to checkout. The newly formed TR Macintosh Users Group has a blog featuring information about the group and some how-to’s for Macintosh Users. You can find the blog at trmug.blogspot.com. The other blog you might be interested in is my new photo blog. I plan to update it two or three times a week, with each post featuring a new photograph. You can visit my photo blog at lsqlensviews.blogspot.com.
Monday, January 28, 2008
Making passwords secure…
In the first OnMouseClick of 2008 I wrote about the importance of using unique passwords for all of your password protected online accounts. This is easier said than done. First you have to think of secure passwords to use, and then you have to remember what they are. If you followed my suggestion to create a book containing all of your relevant computer information, the second part is easy. Creating the passwords themselves can present more of a problem.
Anyone who watches television or goes to the movies has seen characters attempting to “crack” the password of an encrypted file, and nine times out of ten they are successful. While in real-life the process is generally more complex, too many of us use passwords that can easily be discovered by a third party.
While doing online research for this column, I happened upon a 2006 study done at Witchita State University titled “Password Security: What Users Know and What They Actually Do.” In the study three hundred and fifteen students were asked to complete a 101-question “Password Practices Survey.” A quick review of the survey results showed that over 75% of the respondents reported using either the same, or a variation of the same password for multiple websites. Over one-half of the survey takers use personally meaningful words or numbers for their passwords, and only about 15% write down a list of passwords in case the password is lost or forgotten.
Included as a part of the survey were questions about password practices that should be followed to insure a high level of password security.
1. Passwords should not include personally meaningful words or numbers (such as pets’ names, birthdays, anniversaries, etc.).
2. Passwords should have seven or more characters.
3. Passwords should use a combination of both upper and lowercase letters, numbers and punctuation or special characters (ie: &, $, #, {, ? etc.).
4. Unique passwords should be used for each account.
5. Passwords should be changed every three to six months.
While a majority of the respondents agreed that these “best practices” should be followed, only a small percentage of them actually reported following them.
The survey concluded that most of the respondents “...reported password generation practices that are simplistic and hence very insecure.” (To read the full report, which is only one web page long, go to http://psychology.wichita.edu/surl/usabilitynews/81/Passwords.htm.)
The best practices listed above provide some guidelines to use when creating and maintaining passwords. The difficult part is generating secure passwords in the first place. If you take your family and pet names out of the mix, and you cannot use personally significant numbers, what do you do?
One solution is to make up a sentence that has relevance to the account you are creating. Use the first letter of each word in the sentence, and you have the basis of your new password. To make the password more secure, add a couple of numbers, punctuation marks and/or special characters and you have a unique password that will be difficult to breach.
As an example, let us suppose you need to create a password for your online banking account. You might come up with the phrase “Our First National Bank of Anywhere personal banking account.” Take the first letter of each word and you have OFNBOAPBA. Next, you could substitute a punctuation mark or special character for every instance of a letter that repeats more than once, in this case the letter A, giving us OFNBO!PB&. Finally add one or more random numbers somewhere in the mix, OFNB742O!PB&, and you have a password that will be much more secure than using your son’s birthday or your pet’s name.
And for anyone who attended my presentation on working with FLICKR web galleries at the Monday, January 21 computer club meeting, a “how to” PDF file is available online at www.digitalquinn.com/howtoflickr/.
Anyone who watches television or goes to the movies has seen characters attempting to “crack” the password of an encrypted file, and nine times out of ten they are successful. While in real-life the process is generally more complex, too many of us use passwords that can easily be discovered by a third party.
While doing online research for this column, I happened upon a 2006 study done at Witchita State University titled “Password Security: What Users Know and What They Actually Do.” In the study three hundred and fifteen students were asked to complete a 101-question “Password Practices Survey.” A quick review of the survey results showed that over 75% of the respondents reported using either the same, or a variation of the same password for multiple websites. Over one-half of the survey takers use personally meaningful words or numbers for their passwords, and only about 15% write down a list of passwords in case the password is lost or forgotten.
Included as a part of the survey were questions about password practices that should be followed to insure a high level of password security.
1. Passwords should not include personally meaningful words or numbers (such as pets’ names, birthdays, anniversaries, etc.).
2. Passwords should have seven or more characters.
3. Passwords should use a combination of both upper and lowercase letters, numbers and punctuation or special characters (ie: &, $, #, {, ? etc.).
4. Unique passwords should be used for each account.
5. Passwords should be changed every three to six months.
While a majority of the respondents agreed that these “best practices” should be followed, only a small percentage of them actually reported following them.
The survey concluded that most of the respondents “...reported password generation practices that are simplistic and hence very insecure.” (To read the full report, which is only one web page long, go to http://psychology.wichita.edu/surl/usabilitynews/81/Passwords.htm.)
The best practices listed above provide some guidelines to use when creating and maintaining passwords. The difficult part is generating secure passwords in the first place. If you take your family and pet names out of the mix, and you cannot use personally significant numbers, what do you do?
One solution is to make up a sentence that has relevance to the account you are creating. Use the first letter of each word in the sentence, and you have the basis of your new password. To make the password more secure, add a couple of numbers, punctuation marks and/or special characters and you have a unique password that will be difficult to breach.
As an example, let us suppose you need to create a password for your online banking account. You might come up with the phrase “Our First National Bank of Anywhere personal banking account.” Take the first letter of each word and you have OFNBOAPBA. Next, you could substitute a punctuation mark or special character for every instance of a letter that repeats more than once, in this case the letter A, giving us OFNBO!PB&. Finally add one or more random numbers somewhere in the mix, OFNB742O!PB&, and you have a password that will be much more secure than using your son’s birthday or your pet’s name.
And for anyone who attended my presentation on working with FLICKR web galleries at the Monday, January 21 computer club meeting, a “how to” PDF file is available online at www.digitalquinn.com/howtoflickr/.
Tuesday, January 22, 2008
TR Computer Club Presentation
On Monday evening, January 21, I made a presentation at the TR Computer Club on using the online photo gallery site, FLICKR.
The PDF version of the presentation is available for download from www.digitalquinn.com/pages/trpdf.htm
The PDF version of the presentation is available for download from www.digitalquinn.com/pages/trpdf.htm
Thursday, January 17, 2008
More thoughts on upgrading your computer…
Last week I promised that I would write a column to help you determine if it is time to buy a new computer. If have already decided that you want a faster system, more memory, more storage, or a bigger monitor you can stop reading right now— it is time to start shopping This is for the rest of you.
I was recently asked by a TR resident if I thought they should replace their five year old computer. Technology, as it relates to computers and microprocessor, is advancing at a blistering pace. By 2008 standards a five year old computer is positively “ancient”. But ancient is fine if it meets your needs. However, with an outdated computer you are bound to run into problems if you want to make improvements or upgrades. Every time a computer manufacturer introduces a new model, software publishers update programs to run on the new hardware. In most cases these newer programs are not compatible with older hardware and/or older operating systems.
As an example, if you use Microsoft Office 2003 on a PC, you can run it on the Microsoft Windows 2000 operating system. If you want to upgrade to Office 2007, you must be running Windows XP or Vista. For Macintosh users, Microsoft Office 2004 will run on Mac OS X 10.2.8 or later (the most recent version on the Macintosh operating system is OS X 10.5.1). Microsoft Office 2008 was released this week and requires OS 10.4.9 or higher.
Computers do break down, and an older systems will be more difficult to get repaired. Most computer technicians do not actually repair computers; they replace parts — and parts for outdated systems are not always available.
If you purchased a computer in the last three years it is probably more than adequate for your needs, with the possible exception of the amount of hard disc storage space available. If you use a digital camera and regularly download images to your computer your hard drive can fill up quickly. Instead of trading in your computer, the addition of one or more external hard drives might be all that you need. The cost of external hard drives have been drastically reduced over the past two years—drives with 500 GB (gigabytes) of memory can be found for under $120 and will store over 100,000 digital photos.
Still unsure about needing a new computer? Try answering the following questions:
If you have a PC, is the operating system Windows 2000 or earlier? If you have a Mac, are you still running OS 9?
Do you have to wait a long time while your computer performs operations?
Does your computer have less than 512 megabytes of memory.
Did you buy your computer prior to 2003?
If you answered YES to one or more of these questions, you should definitely consider buying a new computer. If you have questions or need help with the process, pay a visit to one of the Travelers Rest Computer Club meetings. The Computer Club meets on Monday, and the Macintosh group meets on Tuesday. Check the TR Times or Channel 25 for times and location.
I was recently asked by a TR resident if I thought they should replace their five year old computer. Technology, as it relates to computers and microprocessor, is advancing at a blistering pace. By 2008 standards a five year old computer is positively “ancient”. But ancient is fine if it meets your needs. However, with an outdated computer you are bound to run into problems if you want to make improvements or upgrades. Every time a computer manufacturer introduces a new model, software publishers update programs to run on the new hardware. In most cases these newer programs are not compatible with older hardware and/or older operating systems.
As an example, if you use Microsoft Office 2003 on a PC, you can run it on the Microsoft Windows 2000 operating system. If you want to upgrade to Office 2007, you must be running Windows XP or Vista. For Macintosh users, Microsoft Office 2004 will run on Mac OS X 10.2.8 or later (the most recent version on the Macintosh operating system is OS X 10.5.1). Microsoft Office 2008 was released this week and requires OS 10.4.9 or higher.
Computers do break down, and an older systems will be more difficult to get repaired. Most computer technicians do not actually repair computers; they replace parts — and parts for outdated systems are not always available.
If you purchased a computer in the last three years it is probably more than adequate for your needs, with the possible exception of the amount of hard disc storage space available. If you use a digital camera and regularly download images to your computer your hard drive can fill up quickly. Instead of trading in your computer, the addition of one or more external hard drives might be all that you need. The cost of external hard drives have been drastically reduced over the past two years—drives with 500 GB (gigabytes) of memory can be found for under $120 and will store over 100,000 digital photos.
Still unsure about needing a new computer? Try answering the following questions:
If you have a PC, is the operating system Windows 2000 or earlier? If you have a Mac, are you still running OS 9?
Do you have to wait a long time while your computer performs operations?
Does your computer have less than 512 megabytes of memory.
Did you buy your computer prior to 2003?
If you answered YES to one or more of these questions, you should definitely consider buying a new computer. If you have questions or need help with the process, pay a visit to one of the Travelers Rest Computer Club meetings. The Computer Club meets on Monday, and the Macintosh group meets on Tuesday. Check the TR Times or Channel 25 for times and location.
Thursday, January 10, 2008
When is it time to upgrade? Or, the Life-cycle of a personal computer.
Is your computer system out-of-date? Would you know if it was? Buying a computer is a considerable investment, one that should be expected to last for many years. However, innovations in hardware, software, and operating systems make it difficult to resist the allure of something faster, bigger and easier to use. The question is, when will buying a new system make a real difference? Do you really need a faster computer, a bigger hard drive, more internal memory, or a newer operating system?
Computer advertisements tout speed as an important reason to upgrade. While it is true that microprocessing speed has been getting faster and faster, for most people the speed differences are negligible. Compare a five-year old computer to a brand new model, and there will be a very noticeable difference. The computer will turn on faster, programs will load faster, and everyday operations, like spell-checking a word processing file, will be faster. But unless you are performing processor hungry operations such as video editing, working with large, high-resolution digital images, or working with complex spreadsheet formulas, the speed difference is not always a reason to upgrade.
Another possible reason for upgrading is to utilize a new operating system. The operating system is software that controls how your computer “thinks”, what the desktop looks like, and how it
processes information. Every time a new or upgraded operating system is release, it contains more features that hopefully make everyday computing easier for the user.
Last year everyone was on pins and needles waiting for Microsoft Vista to be released. While the software was promised to be revolutionary, most Windows based computers were not adequately configured to run Vista. Most people who wanted to utilize Vista had to seriously consider buying a new computer. In October, Apple introduced Leopard, the newest version of its OS X operating system. Leopard is a little more forgiving than Vista, and will run on most Macintosh computers sold within the last four years.
However, both the new versions of the Windows and Macintosh operating systems suggest a minimum of one gigabyte internal memory. Internal memory is the memory bank that “remembers” all the information that is being processed by a computer. A few years ago 512 megabytes* of memory seemed like a lot, with most computers coming with 256 megabytes of memory. Modern computers process more information than ever, and when buying a new computer, you really need at least one gigabyte* of memory.
When you turn off your computer, everything in the internal memory is erased, so you need someplace to store your information for the long term — an internal hard drive. Today it is not unusual to buy a computer with a 250 gigabyte hard drive. Three years ago a sixty gigabyte drive seemed large. At that time, the average person stored word processing files on their computer. Today they are more likely to store digital photos, music and videos — all of which take up a lot of space. If you are buying a new computer, make sure the internal hard drive is large enough for your needs. If your current computer works well, but you are running out of space, you do not need to buy a new computer, only an external hard drive which will give you additional storage space.
Next week in OnMouseClick I will give you some specific things to look at to help you decide if you need a new computer, and what you might be able to do to bring your existing computer up to 2008 standards.
*A byte is the smallest unit of computer memory. A kilobyte is roughly equal to one thousand bytes, a megabyte is roughly equal to one million bytes, and a gigabyte is roughly equal to one billion bytes.
Computer advertisements tout speed as an important reason to upgrade. While it is true that microprocessing speed has been getting faster and faster, for most people the speed differences are negligible. Compare a five-year old computer to a brand new model, and there will be a very noticeable difference. The computer will turn on faster, programs will load faster, and everyday operations, like spell-checking a word processing file, will be faster. But unless you are performing processor hungry operations such as video editing, working with large, high-resolution digital images, or working with complex spreadsheet formulas, the speed difference is not always a reason to upgrade.
Another possible reason for upgrading is to utilize a new operating system. The operating system is software that controls how your computer “thinks”, what the desktop looks like, and how it
processes information. Every time a new or upgraded operating system is release, it contains more features that hopefully make everyday computing easier for the user.
Last year everyone was on pins and needles waiting for Microsoft Vista to be released. While the software was promised to be revolutionary, most Windows based computers were not adequately configured to run Vista. Most people who wanted to utilize Vista had to seriously consider buying a new computer. In October, Apple introduced Leopard, the newest version of its OS X operating system. Leopard is a little more forgiving than Vista, and will run on most Macintosh computers sold within the last four years.
However, both the new versions of the Windows and Macintosh operating systems suggest a minimum of one gigabyte internal memory. Internal memory is the memory bank that “remembers” all the information that is being processed by a computer. A few years ago 512 megabytes* of memory seemed like a lot, with most computers coming with 256 megabytes of memory. Modern computers process more information than ever, and when buying a new computer, you really need at least one gigabyte* of memory.
When you turn off your computer, everything in the internal memory is erased, so you need someplace to store your information for the long term — an internal hard drive. Today it is not unusual to buy a computer with a 250 gigabyte hard drive. Three years ago a sixty gigabyte drive seemed large. At that time, the average person stored word processing files on their computer. Today they are more likely to store digital photos, music and videos — all of which take up a lot of space. If you are buying a new computer, make sure the internal hard drive is large enough for your needs. If your current computer works well, but you are running out of space, you do not need to buy a new computer, only an external hard drive which will give you additional storage space.
Next week in OnMouseClick I will give you some specific things to look at to help you decide if you need a new computer, and what you might be able to do to bring your existing computer up to 2008 standards.
*A byte is the smallest unit of computer memory. A kilobyte is roughly equal to one thousand bytes, a megabyte is roughly equal to one million bytes, and a gigabyte is roughly equal to one billion bytes.
Happy New Year…
A very Happy New Year to everyone at TR. With the first OnMouseClick column coming so soon after New Years, I am writing this column for everyone who made a resolution to simplify their accumulation of computer and web related information. But first, I want to pay tribute to a TR couple that is no longer with with us.
My friend and neighbor Carol Ettenhofer didn’t make it down to Travelers Rest this year. She passed away on Christmas Day during the drive down. Instead of spending the winter with us in Florida, she has joined her beloved husband, Arnold, who predeceased her only two years ago.
Eddie and I will miss Carol, as we have Arnold. They were the most upbeat, warm people you could ever hope to have as neighbors. And although they were both along in years, they were an inspiration to seniors everywhere in their embrace of modern technology—both were avid computer users. When Carol left TR last spring she was planning to buy a new laptop for this season. She was also thrilled with a digital photo frame that her children had given her last Christmas. With people like the Ettenhofer’s in mind, I plan to devote this season’s OnMouseClick columns to covering how computers, and other computer-like devices, can work to the benefit to those of us who live in confined spaces during the winter season, and on using technology to enhance our lifestyle as we grow older.
One thing that using computers has not done for us is make life less complicated. How many web sites do you visit regularly that ask for a username and password? If you do online banking, online management of medical insurance, online ordering of prescription drugs, to name a only a few, you need a username and password. To make life easy, you can use the same password for all of the sites you visit, but that is not a good idea (I must admit, that I have been guilty of this, and am trying hard to rectify it). Every password you use should be unique.
If you are running an up-to-date operating system, your computer will store and input passwords for you, but what if you get a new computer? Or, worse yet, have to reformat and reinstall everything on your hard drive? The simple answer is to keep all of the information you might need in one, easily accessible location. Instead of filing all of the information away in a filing cabinet, I suggest using a sturdy notebook to keep near your computer workstation.
I use a small (4 3/4” wide by 6 1/4” high) hard cover, spiral notebook divided the into sections with colored, write-on tabs. I have set-up sections for retirement information, medical insurance websites and passwords, computer serial numbers and warranties. There is also a section listing the serial numbers of all of our installed software, and finally a section with the username and passwords for website access. On the last page of the book I keep a list of telephone numbers and account numbers for the periodical that we start, stop, and change addresses for as we travel throughout the year. This notebook has saved time on numerous occasions. When I need a password or serial number I know exactly where to find it. I recently set-up a new computer (I have a new, MacBook Pro 17” — an amazing machine) and my “little black book” has proved invaluable.
My friend and neighbor Carol Ettenhofer didn’t make it down to Travelers Rest this year. She passed away on Christmas Day during the drive down. Instead of spending the winter with us in Florida, she has joined her beloved husband, Arnold, who predeceased her only two years ago.
Eddie and I will miss Carol, as we have Arnold. They were the most upbeat, warm people you could ever hope to have as neighbors. And although they were both along in years, they were an inspiration to seniors everywhere in their embrace of modern technology—both were avid computer users. When Carol left TR last spring she was planning to buy a new laptop for this season. She was also thrilled with a digital photo frame that her children had given her last Christmas. With people like the Ettenhofer’s in mind, I plan to devote this season’s OnMouseClick columns to covering how computers, and other computer-like devices, can work to the benefit to those of us who live in confined spaces during the winter season, and on using technology to enhance our lifestyle as we grow older.
One thing that using computers has not done for us is make life less complicated. How many web sites do you visit regularly that ask for a username and password? If you do online banking, online management of medical insurance, online ordering of prescription drugs, to name a only a few, you need a username and password. To make life easy, you can use the same password for all of the sites you visit, but that is not a good idea (I must admit, that I have been guilty of this, and am trying hard to rectify it). Every password you use should be unique.
If you are running an up-to-date operating system, your computer will store and input passwords for you, but what if you get a new computer? Or, worse yet, have to reformat and reinstall everything on your hard drive? The simple answer is to keep all of the information you might need in one, easily accessible location. Instead of filing all of the information away in a filing cabinet, I suggest using a sturdy notebook to keep near your computer workstation.
I use a small (4 3/4” wide by 6 1/4” high) hard cover, spiral notebook divided the into sections with colored, write-on tabs. I have set-up sections for retirement information, medical insurance websites and passwords, computer serial numbers and warranties. There is also a section listing the serial numbers of all of our installed software, and finally a section with the username and passwords for website access. On the last page of the book I keep a list of telephone numbers and account numbers for the periodical that we start, stop, and change addresses for as we travel throughout the year. This notebook has saved time on numerous occasions. When I need a password or serial number I know exactly where to find it. I recently set-up a new computer (I have a new, MacBook Pro 17” — an amazing machine) and my “little black book” has proved invaluable.
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