How to Simplify Your Computer

Thank you all for joining us in June on Facebook for our Simplify Your Computer week. We had an overwhelming response and many requests to provide a re-cap post for easy reference. We are so thankful for all of our followers, your continued support and patronage!

Monday, June 17, 2013

Word of the day:

Articles:

• Is your PC computer running slow? Try these tips from PCWorld to get things moving.
• Is your hard drive getting full? Check out these 9 ways to find more space on your computer.
• Digital scrapbookers: Follow these 7 steps to give your computer a summer refresh.
• You must check out this awesome video + tips from Lifehacker on creating a clean, organized desktop.

Tips:

1. Why should YOU simplify your computer? A tidy computer helps you work faster and get more memories from camera to page!
2. Tip for The FlyLady followers: Make a clear desktop your digital shiny sink. It really works!
3. Does your computer take forever to start up? Tip: Change application settings on non-essential programs to not launch when you computer boots up.

Tuesday, June 18, 2013

Word of the day:

Articles:

• Need a simpler way to manage your Gmail? Try the Mailbox app for iPhone/iPad.
• Do you wish your email was better organized? Try the tips from Forbes to help clean up your inbox.
• Know these common elements used by hackers for Phishing.
• Everyone has different needs/styles of organization. Read more organizational tips from Net Manners.
• Check out these simple tips for organizing your email box.

Tips:

1. Legitimate companies will not use email to ask for account information, passwords, verification of security questions or other sensitive information.
2. For most email responses, it only takes 73 seconds to write a reply. To maximize your time (and the recipient’s time too), don’t go over five sentences.
3. Use the OHIO rule to manage email. OHIO = Only Handle It Once. If it can be dealt with in
4. Watch out for emails claiming to alert investors to a breach of security and asking you to submit personal information – this is another version of a phishing scam!
5. If you’re anticipating a string of emails on a situation and really don’t want that particular interruption, pick up the phone instead. What could take 6-8 rounds of emails can easily be tackled in a 30-second phone conversation.

Videos:

1. Watch this short but helpful video on E-folder basics.

Wednesday, June 19, 2013

Word of the day:

Articles:

• Need help with organizing the photos on your computer?
• Do you use geo tags on your photos? This can be a powerful addition to your photo organization.
• Confused about which photo organizing software to use? Here is a review of the top 10. The 2013 Best Photo Organizing Software Comparisons and Reviews.
• A good read… some tips from the Shutterfly Community and their fans on photo organization.

Tips:

1. Computers crash and accidents happen. But a well-organized photographer always makes duplicates, so even the worst crash won’t result in a loss of pictures.
2. It’s easy to forget simple tags when you’re concentrating on the content of the picture, but don’t forget to add the physical information about the shot.
3. While many applications allow you to use custom tags for the purpose of sorting, using a photo’s built-in Exif information can be just as effective.

Thursday, June 20, 2013

Word of the day:

Articles:

• Have you been putting off backing up your computer? Get the lowdown on backups from PC Magazine.
• A great read from The Next Web, A Complete Guide to Backing Up Your Computer.
• Need a little help in figuring out what to backup? Get Organized: Back Up Your Most Important Data from PC Magazine has some great tips.
• Wondering where and how to start the backup process? From PC Magazine, The Beginner’s Guide to PC Backup.
• Another great read you should not miss. Disaster-Proof Your Data with Online Backup from PC Magazine.

Tips:

1. The ideal backup strategy will utilize a combination of online, portable drive and optical media, depending on file type, size and necessary backup frequency.
2. As important as backing up, is testing the backup. To ensure it’s protecting you, periodically test the backup by attempting to restore them to an alternate location.
3. If your backup hard drive and your computers live side by side, your data is vulnerable to burglary, fire, or other calamities. For irreplaceable content, consider supplementary backup at a second location.
4. Remember if your computer is turned off during the scheduled backup time, automatic backups will not run.

Friday, June 21, 2013

Word of the day:

Articles:

• Virus protection is an important part of keeping your computer healthy. Here is a must read from Maximum PC- Virus Protection Guide.
• Does virus software confuse you? PC Antivirus Reviews gives a review of the top 10 Best Antivirus Software for 2013.
• Need a simple maintenance schedule to follow? Check out Dom’s Tech & Computer Blog for his Monthly PC Maintenance Schedule.
• The top five computer maintenance questions answered.

Tips:

1. Don’t put your personal files on the root of the C: drive
2. If you download a zip file and expand it, delete the original zip file when you are done.
3. On a daily basis update your anti-virus scan and anti-spyware, if they aren’t being done automatically.
4. If you leave your computer on all the time, reboot your computer once a week. It will reset the RAM, and your computer will run much better and faster.
5. Store your hardware drivers and purchased software installer files off your hard drive.

Share your computer tips

Have a great tip that you would like to share with the Simple Scrapper Community? We would love to hear it, please leave it in the comments below.