If you have any specific "How do you...?" questions, just drop me a line.

Reusing my old computer

Have you gotten a new computer lately? What did you do with your old one? I reuse my old one in a few ways. First, it serves as a backup in an emergency. I keep the essential programs on it just in case my primary computer goes down (it will be painfully slow but at least I can keep working). Most of those programs are of the previous version -- I have clients that have different versions than I use and this lets me look up answers to their questions on the same version they're using. Second, I have it set up to answer the fax line. Third, I use it to test out software. I am always trying to find new solutions for my clients' problems so this lets me test things without completely wrecking my primary computer. Finally, I use it to play music. I've put a bunch of CDs on it and can have it play my music all day without interruption. I just put my holiday music on there so I can listen to holiday music without commercials.

Dealing with spam

Is this ever a nightmare?! Unfortunately, the spammers have found my email address on my website and I am getting deluged. Fortunately, I've been using the latest version of Microsoft Outlook (2003) with a much-improved spam filter. It catches almost all of them and rarely catches anything that it shouldn't. A quick glance through the junk mail folder is all I have to do now.

There are plenty of programs out there to filter your spam. One I recommend is I Hate Spam from Sunbelt Software (http://www.sunbeltsoftware.com). It's what I used before I got the latest version of Outlook.

I have other strategies as well. I use an old AOL email address to get a lot of newsletters and for online shopping. This keeps my Outlook Inbox more focused on what I need to deal with on a daily basis. For times when I need an email address but I don't ever want to get the follow-up mailings, I provide a fake address.

I also use rules to send email to specific folders. For example, there are some newsletters I get at my main email address (some are time-sensitive, some I need to read as soon as possible, some I knew would not result in extraneous mailings). I have rules that send these to their own folders.

Setting up a new computer

I've written an entire article on how I transition to a new computer.

Checking email on the road

Although there are options for wireless email, I don't have enough demand to justify the cost of my preferred solution. So, if I have my laptop, I just have to be able to get to a phone line or Internet connection (wired or wireless). I always travel with a network cable in the hope that I'll be able to use someone's high-speed access (thankfully, most hotels where I stay have high-speed Internet connections now and more are installing wireless).

For when I don't have my laptop or it's not feasible to set it up, I just look for any Internet access. I've set up Go To My PC on my office computer so all I have to do is go to http://www.gotomypc.com and log in to my office computer. I can do anything I could do if I were sitting in front of it in my office. It has really simplified my life. Besides checking email, I can transfer files and anything else I might need to do.

Backing up is hard to do

I have tried so many variations on backing up, I don't even remember them all. While no solution is right for everyone, here's what I do. My top priority is being able to be up and running in a matter of minutes in case my computer is totally trashed, burned, or stolen. A secondary priority is to make it as simple as possible. My solution is to use a portable hard disk. I take this with me whenever I leave my home office (even if it's just to go to the post office). With the USB cable, I can connect this to just about any computer and have it recognized as a portable drive. It certainly works with my laptop and backup desktop computers.

To get the files copied to the portable drive, I use Second Copy. It's taken me quite a while to finally find something that meets my second criteria of simplicity. It took me about 10 minutes to install and set up the program. Now, every evening it backs up all of my data files and checks to make sure they're good. I don't have to do anything (except make sure the drive is connected and turned on!).

Recently I added an external network hard drive. I did this for three reasons. First, it backs up my files as I work (I set up the software to keep two versions) so it serves as an extra backup. However, since it sits next to my computer, it could be destroyed or stolen if my computer is. Second, it has a huge capacity so I put a lot of files on there that I don't need to keep on my desktop (almost all of these files are on CDs of some sort). Finally, I have started experimenting with video and needed a lot more hard disk space to hold those files. Because it's a network drive, I can access it from any computer on my network (my backup computer or my laptop).

Managing passwords and user IDs

Do you think you have enough of these yet?! I know I surely do. I use a few strategies for managing all of them. The first thing I consider is how secure it needs to be. Typically, for user IDs, I try to use either the email address or a variation of my name. If possible (for lower security IDs), I just use triciasantos. If security is important, I use a more obscure ID (which I won't tell you or it wouldn't be very secure, now would it?!).

For passwords, I use a variation of about a half dozen words. One way I use words but still have a secure password is to substitute numbers or symbols for letters. For example, a zero instead of the letter o. I also use a mix of upper and lower case letters. While it used to be okay to just use a mix of case and numbers, password cracking software has gotten much more sophisticated so now I use symbols as well (the characters above the numbers on your keyboard). For example, the plus sign (+) instead of the letter t.

For passwords that have financial data (like a credit card on file) I use a very secure password. Basically, if it has 14 characters, you are about as safe as you can be. It would take password cracking software way too long to be worth the trouble. If you think that sounds way to hard to remember, there are a couple of ways to do it. One is to use a phrase of some sort. Maybe a favorite song title. The second is to simply repeat a word. All of your passwords should be at least 8 characters anyway, so just type it twice.

While I know I should change my passwords often, I only do that for high security passwords. For all those little site registrations, it's just too much work.

The real challenge is keeping track of everything. To do that, I have a folder in Outlook called Online Registrations. I create a contact record every time I have to create a user ID and password. Besides entering the website and user ID, I give myself a hint of the password I used (not the actual password). In the hint, I include enough information to know how I've mixed capitalization and symbols.

I also have a folder under my Inbox called Online Registrations for when I get confirmation email messages from sites. Since many of these include my user ID and password, I have to edit the message so the password doesn't show. You can open the message and click on the Edit menu, then click on Edit Message. I delete the actual password and substitute my hint.

How I Buy All This Good Stuff

I buy things both online and offline. Most of what I buy offline I get either at an office supply store like Office Max or at Best Buy. Occasionally, I'll get something at CompUSA or Circuit City. As for what I get at these stores, it's usually hardware. I find it easier to be able to check out the models, return if there's a problem, and get close enough prices that I don't feel I'm paying too much.

Most of what I buy online I get at www.buy.com. I have been buying from them for years and have always been satisfied. Their prices are usually in the low range and they are rock solid in reliability and customer service (which is worth the few dollars difference I might be able to save elsewhere).

Again, if you have any specific questions, just drop me a line.