Technology Bytes

Over the past year, I’ve written a number of columns on quite a few different subjects, but writing about technology has a drawback: technology is always changing.  This article will touch on a few of my past articles with updates on the technologies previously discussed, and for those who have missed them in the Lagniappe, I encourage you to check out Technology Bytes, my online blog, at http://wordpress.bayoutechnologies.com.

One column I wrote in the beginning focused on remote capabilities so that you can use your computer from another.  A couple of the utilities and services I mentioned in that article (http://wordpress.bayoutechnologies.com/2009/05/24/want-to-save-on-gas-remote-into-your-work-pc/) have published new and improved versions, and with their updates come some neat new features.  TeamViewer (http://www.teamviewer.com) has released version 5, which adds the ability to conference via audio and video through a webcam, adding an increased level of interaction with the people you help over the Internet.  You can also present selected applications, so if you only want the person logged in to see a certain window, now you can.  LogMeIn (http://www.logmein.com) has also released a new version of their Pro edition (Pro²) that offers some additional features and a new interface.  The Free version has also received the facelift, so be sure and check them both out to gauge which version you might need for your particular situation.

Another column from last year (http://wordpress.bayoutechnologies.com/2009/08/21/a-penny-saved-is-a-penny-earned/) delved into the myriad of online bargain websites you can visit to find extreme discounts on the items you can’t live without. I’ve found another great site, Fatwallet.com (http://www.fatwallet.com), which features “Top Deals” on a wide variety of items, and adds a section for coupons, which can certainly help to add to your savings.  The online forum is another great source for finding deals, so be sure and explore thoroughly the next time you have some money burning a hole in your pocket.  For travel discounts, my previous article (http://wordpress.bayoutechnologies.com/2009/09/07/save-on-travel/) made mention of some wonderful resources for finding discounts on your next vacation.  One site that I’ve discovered since that missive is Kayak (http://www.kayak.com).  The neat thing about this site is it compares the results from hundreds of other travel sites like Expedia, Orbitz, and more.  From this comparison, you can then find the best deal for your trip.  They also offer mobile apps for your smartphone so you can use this service on the go.

Netflix (http://www.netflix.com) was the subject of another article (http://wordpress.bayoutechnologies.com/2009/10/09/netflix-making-movies-easier-to-watch/) and since then, they’ve added another big participant to their streaming movie offerings.  The Sony Playstation 3 is the latest device to allow Netflix content to stream to your television, leaving only one other platform without this capability, the Nintendo Wii.  The crazy thing is that there are already rumors that Netflix will be offered on the Wii within the year, giving Netflix the trifecta of gaming platforms, and cementing them as the clear leader in streaming home entertainment.  This will change the face of DVD rentals, and while they have the lead in that segment as well, this might be the nail in the coffin for the other companies.  Another thing to note is their decision to cooperate with the movie studios in delaying the availability of new releases.  Netflix has agreed to wait a month before releasing new films to give the studios a greater opportunity in DVD sales.  Smaller players like Redbox aren’t cooperating, even going so far as to purchase the new releases from storefronts to make them available for their customers, but with the combined weight of Netflix and the Hollywood studio industry, we’ll see how long they last.

With the ever-changing advance of technology, there will never be a shortage of innovative ideas and gadgets that will merit inclusion in my column, so I’ll do my best to keep you up to date.  If you have any sites that you think people should know about, don’t hesitate to share!  You can leave feedback or comments on the blog site (http://wordpress.bayoutechnologies.com) and I’ll be happy to review and include any questions and feedback in a later column.  Thanks for reading!

When I’m not writing this column, my main occupation is computer service and repair.  My clients come to me for a variety of issues, some hardware-related, some software-related.  One frequent cause of discontent with their machines is malware infections, and these days, you can get contract an infestation by trying to keep your computer clean.  Sound confusing?  Don’t worry; you’re not the only one who might think so.  It should be noted that this article applies to Windows PCs only – Apple Macs aren’t nearly as susceptible to this type of malware attack – I’ll delve into the reasons why in a later column.

A new breed of malware is on the up rise, and it relies on its victims’ good intentions to propagate.  If you have ever been on a website and suddenly, a window appears that warns you that your computer is infected with all sorts of badness, chances are that you are about to fall victim to the insidious culprit, otherwise known as a “phishing” attack.  This social engineering method opens a window that looks very legitimate, and touts itself as “Personal Antivirus”,  “Windows Antivirus”, or some other seemingly helpful program trying to warn you about the many infections it has located on your computer.  (For a more complete listing, go to http://www.spywarewarrior.com/rogue_anti-spyware.htm)  This is actually a browser window, cleverly disguised as a program installed on your computer.  If you see something like this open, kill your browser.  That is, close all instances of your web browser (Internet Explorer, Firefox, etc), and the best way to do so is through the Task Manager, accessible in Windows by pressing the “Control”+”Alt”+”Delete” keys on your keyboard.  You can then kill the open task and this will safely stop the running program.  If you are so unfortunate as to have clicked on the “Scan Now” button on the window, this is what delivers the virus payload, and your computer, while it seems like it is scanning for the malware, is actually installing the malware on your computer.

What do you do now?  Well, for one, stop using the computer.  As soon as possible, shut it down and get ready to start it up in “Safe Mode”.  Safe Mode allows you to run Windows with the bare minimum of processes necessary and is sort of a debugging mode that can be helpful when you’re trying to identify programs on your PC.  To start your computer in Safe Mode, restart the machine, and then start pressing F8 on your keyboard.  You can stop when you see the Safe Mode menu appear, where you will be presented with a number of choices.  The one to use is “Safe Mode with Networking”, which will allow you to connect to the Internet or other network machines while in Safe Mode.  The reason we want this is we are about to download a program that is very effective at removing infections such as these: Malwarebytes (http://www.malwarebytes.org).  The free version works great, and once downloaded, just go with the default options during the installation.  This will update the program with the latest malware definitions and run the program once the installation completes.  When the window opens, click “Scan Now” and let it run.  Anything it finds will be ready for you to remove when it’s done.  The “Quick Scan” option is selected by default, but you can also run a “Full Scan” if you feel the need to be extra safe.

If you’ve already fallen victim to this type of malware and let it run, chances are things might be too far along where Malwarebytes isn’t going to fix all your problems.  This type of malware can reroute your Internet connection through a “proxy server” and when you try to download Malwarebytes you can’t even get to the page or download the updates.  Should you encounter difficulties beyond what I’ve explained here, you’ll probably need some professional help in getting your computer back working right.  The easiest and best fix (in my opinion) is a complete reinstallation of Windows after you back up your crucial data.  For any help, feel free to contact me through my company, Bayou Technologies (http://www.bayoutechnologies.com).

I use a number of different computers, both at my office and my home.  While different computers at each place can be networked together so that files can be accessed and shared across the network, accessing files from both the home and the office can be a hurdle.  Most of us have a need for a way to access files no matter where we are, and there exist a number of solutions for easily sharing your important documents and files across the Internet.

One solution I really like is DropBox (http://www.dropbox.com) which gives you space online to store your files that you need to access anywhere.  For computers that you use regularly, DropBox installs a small utility that creates a share folder on that local machine, into which you can place the files.  You can also select existing folders to share via DropBox, like your Documents folder, so that all the files inside are synchronized with the DropBox servers.  This allows these files to be accessed on your other machines as if they are local files in a folder.  For computers that you don’t use often, like a business center in a hotel, you can still login to the DropBox website and download the files you need when you need them.  DropBox also allows you to share files with other users; you can have a public folder that allows you to share with your friends and colleagues.  The service does have fees associated for various amounts of online storage, but for free, you can use 2GB of space, which is plenty for documents.  The utility is available for both Mac and PC and installation is painless.  There is also a free iPhone app that allows you to access and view your DropBox files on your handheld, which can be useful when you need a document on the go.

Another neat product, Microsoft Mesh (http://www.mesh.com), is still in Beta, but as such, it is free.  It, too, works on both Mac and PC for file sharing, but some features that work on Windows are still in development for the Mac.  Like DropBox, you can share files with other users, and it also offers the ability to remote control the machines on which it is installed, however that feature currently works exclusively on Windows.  With this extra capability, it stands to complete with players like LogMeIn (http://www.logmein.com), which allows for file transfer in the LogMeIn Pro package, so I’m curious to see if they will be charging for the service once Beta testing is complete.  Mesh also supports smartphones, but certain devices are not compatible with certain features.  Again, Microsoft Mesh is a work in progress, but the future looks exciting for this utility.

For Mac and iPhone users, MobileMe (http://www.me.com) is the slick service that allows you to store your files, contacts, email, and more “in the cloud”.  Being that Apple is the developer, it’s integration with iPhones and Macs is flawless and it’s pleasing to the eye.  You get 20GB of online storage and you can always upgrade to more space. This includes an email address at “me.com”, and for iPhoto users, you can also store webpages that allow your friends to view your photos online.  Of course, MobileMe requires a subscription that runs $99 a year, but you can start with a free 60-day trial.  A family pack is also available for $149 a year that adds four more family email accounts and ups the storage available to everyone.  While MobileMe is accessible online on any computer, Mac and iPhone users might find this a more useful solution as there are apps that integrate seamlessly into the Apple operating system.

Having your files available to you wherever you go is a must for many people, and with the solutions that are available now, it’s pain-free to accomplish.  While carrying a thumb drive is certainly one way to go about things, but I think that once you get used to the simplicity of any of these solutions, you’ll find the added features and convenience will change your mind.

Some regard the fax machine as a dying technology, and while most business is slowly but surely moving towards a paperless environment, there still exists a strong need for fax capabilities for a number of businesses.  While the ability to send a fax via computer has existed since the advent of the modem, many computers stopped coming with pc/fax modem cards and don’t have a corporate server to send faxes from the various workstations on a network.  For those who want an easy way to send faxes from their computers, look no further than email to fax functionality, which is a great way to send faxes from your computer or even your smartphone.

The first provider of the email-to-fax service we’ll look at is MetroFax (http://www.metrofax.com).  The service is completely email-based, so sending and receiving faxes is accomplished easily via your standard email.  Simply attach the document you wish you send, and the recipient fax machine receives it as if you sent it via fax.  Receiving faxes is the same, with the document received as an email attachment.  You can attach many common formats like Microsoft Office or Corel WordPerfect documents, or the defacto standard for cross-platform compatibility, Adobe Acrobat PDF.  If you have a Windows PC, there are plug-ins available that allow you to print directly to the fax and include integration with Outlook.  Your faxes arrive as PDF or TIF attachments, so viewing and storing them is easy.  With no contracts, $12.95 a month allows you to send and receive a total of 1000 pages, which for most small businesses is plenty.  Should your need extend beyond this limit; additional pages are 3 cents each.  If you have an existing fax number, you can use it with MetroFax, and there are no long distance charges for fax within the US and Canada; a toll-free fax number option is also available.  If you try out MetroFax, they give you your second month free, so there is a decent incentive to try out this service.

Another similar provider is Nextiva, whose service, vFax (http://www.nextiva.com/virtual-fax/virtual-fax-service-by-nextiva.html), offers the same basic functionality as MetroFax but adds a few features.  You can use their online portal to send or receive faxes, which gives your account a centralized control panel in which you can keep track of what you’ve sent and received.  If you pay monthly, the rate for 1,000 pages is $17.95, but if you opt to use their service for a year, you can pay up front and get each month’s service for 12.95; additional pages are 3 cents each.  One different feature that Nextiva offers is the ability to use your fax machine in conjunction with the service, so that you can keep track of sent and received faxes via the online portal, but this requires an adapter for an extra charge.  Nextiva also features printing directly from Microsoft Office programs, and it should be mentioned that they also offer a variety of other services related to telephony, so including vFax in one of their other packages might be a good option for your business.

FaxZero (http://www.faxzero.com) is another service that allows you to send and receive faxes online, but it is a free service.  Of course, in exchange for that low price, your cover pages have ads for FaxZero, which might be a deal-breaker for some.  You are also limited to two free faxes per day that can only consist of three pages max.  If you only need to send the infrequent fax, this might work fine for you, but for the average business user, that might not be an option.

For those of you who need fax capabilities but don’t want the initial expense of a dedicated fax machine or separate fax line, the variety of fax to email services can fit the bill. While I’ve highlighted a few different options for sending and receiving faxes online, I’ve only scratched the surface.  With my needs for cross platform compatibility, email to fax will work best for me, but will it fit your needs?  If you are on a company network, most likely there are other options are available already.  However, small business and home users can certainly take advantage of this technology, and whichever choice you make, conserving paper more than makes up for the price you pay, if any.

I have a great love for new gadgets, but over the years, I’ve learned that “want” does not equal “need”.  Therefore, I typically hold out on buying new stuff until I can rationalize the “need” and fork over my hard-earned cash for a new toy.  Luckily, my birthday brought me a new gadget that has had me drooling since I first heard of it:  the Apple Magic Mouse.  For those of you who don’t have a love for all things Apple, then this column probably won’t peak your interest.  For those of you that do, you may already have a Magic Mouse.  Consider this an article to help people understand why Apple is consistent in releasing new products that are very useful, while maintaining an extreme cool factor.

In the most basic terms, the Apple Magic Mouse is a wireless mouse.  Where it breaks from the pack is in how it works.  Its appearance is sleek and plain, with no visible buttons or scroll wheels; it has just a plain white surface set atop an aluminum bottom that houses the laser assembly, a switch that turns the mouse on and off, and the battery compartment.  The “Magic” part is how the surface of the mouse reacts to your touch.

It is the first “Multi-Touch” mouse, an Apple-coined term that means you can do a lot more than just click and scroll on the surface of the mouse.  Similar to the control on an iPhone or iPod touch, you can use gestures on the surface of your Magic Mouse to click, scroll in 360 degrees, advance through pages in Safari or browse photos in iPhoto.  You can zoom when you hold the “control” key on your keyboard.  While this hardly seems revolutionary when you read this on the page, holding the device and using it is where you realize the “magic”.

Now a mouse with fancy gadgetry and features isn’t worth a darn if it doesn’t work well.  As luck would have it, Apple doesn’t skimp on functionality, and the mouse works great.  The laser-tracking engine is precise, and you can use the mouse on nearly any surface with no mouse pad.  The Bluetooth wireless connection is simple to perform on your Mac, and battery life is pretty darn good, running for a long time on two AA batteries.  While some folks might opt for rechargeable batteries, the two my mouse came with are still running strong after a month of solid use.  The Magic Mouse “sleeps” when not in use, but I also use the switch on the bottom when I’m not using it regularly.

Some folks who use a mouse for hours on end for gaming and the like might have their gripes about the new Magic Mouse, and it might not be the ideal solution for some.  It does have a slim form factor, and for gamers, it’ doesn’t have a multitude of buttons that they favor.  I, for one, find it to be a comfortable device to use, and getting used to the Multi-Touch surface took no time at all.  For full Multi-Touch compatibility, you’ll need to be running OS 10.5 or later, and PC users need to do a little “Googling” (http://uneasysilence.com/archive/2009/11/14588/) to get drivers that allow for use on the Windows platform.

I don’t add to my collection of technology toys as often as I did in my youth, but when I do, I try to make informed decisions before “justifying my need”.  If you get a chance to try out the Apple Magic Mouse, I think you’ll find a need pretty quickly.

Technology always brings new and exciting things each and every year, so what can we expect for 2010?  Sure, a lot of technological advances are just slight improvements on existing technology, like adding the “Genius” functionality to an iPod.  What will truly be a trend-making concept, the leader of the pack, the one that others strive to imitate?

On the computer front, Apple looks like it’ll have the device to have for 2010.  Mass speculation on their release of a tablet style PC is abundant on the Internet, but things are starting to firm up for a first quarter release of the iGuide (or iSlate), the tentative name for their new compact tablet PC.  Apple has been buying mass quantities of 10.1” touch screens, and while not making a formal statement the company hasn’t really done anything to quash the rumors flying around.  The new gadget “looks like a blown up iPhone, weighs less than a MacBook Air, and is priced below $1,000.”  Apple has already started telling iPhone app developers to start working with ideas for a larger screen, and this may be a replacement for the MacBook product line.  With the impact the iPhone has made on the world and the cell phone marketplace, this new offering should revolutionize the sub-compact PC market and set the bar for others to try and follow.

For videogames, the Nintendo Wii has been the system to get for kids and adults alike.  The trendsetting control interface has made gaming fun again for everyone, and combined with a vast selection of interesting games that utilize the motion controls in innovative ways (like the Wii Balance Board), it’s time to look for the next big thing.  Evidently, Microsoft, utilizing their Xbox 360 platform, is clamoring to perfect their new technology, codenamed “Project Natal”, which eliminates the need for any controller.  (http://www.xbox.com/en-US/live/projectnatal/)  A system of sensors will pick up your motions, so say for instance, you are playing a driving game, you simply hold your hands in front of you and act like you are steering.  A sword fighting game would actualize you swinging your hand and arm as if you were holding a sword.  While this may seem pretty cool to some, having developers utilize the technology into games that will prove as entertaining as the success Nintendo has enjoyed will remain to be seen.

For vehicles, we have seen the integration of iPod docks and Bluetooth into your controls, allowing for music and phone functionality that has proven to be useful.  One concept that is already being released is the automobile as a Wi-Fi hotspot.  Ford, with their “SYNC” system, and Chrysler, with “UConnect” technology, have started rolling this out in their 2010 models of cars.  This enables the passengers in the vehicle to use their mobile devices that are equipped with Wi-Fi to motor down the road while remaining connected to the Internet.  As great as this would be for some, the potential hazards for other motorists are great.  We already have big problems with DWT, or “Driving While Texting”, which greatly increases your chances of causing an accident.  While smart folks don’t succumb to the lure of using your phone to text (or even talk) while operating a motor vehicle, there will be those who will be trying to use a laptop if you make it easy for them to do so.   Nevertheless, for those travelers who can utilize their time efficiently while traveling with others, this will be a useful feature in new cars.

We have seen some amazing advances in the past decade, but I expect 2010 will only help to “pick up the pace”.  As exciting as new technology can be, but popularity will be the deciding factor in its effect on what we will remember in the next decade.  Only time will tell if these devices will take hold on our society like the iPhone and the Wii.

The internet is ripe for browsing, but for customized content, you usually need to create an online identity to use with that site.  Prime examples are social networking sites, online banking, news sites and homepages, online email services, and the list goes on and on.  I’m sure you’ve all heard that you shouldn’t use the same password from site to site, but I would guess that I’m not the only person guilty of this “security offense”.  If you are a person who is proactive about differentiating your passwords for different sites, then you might have a little notebook where you store them all, but taking that notebook with you everywhere you go can be a chore.  Luckily, the wonder that is technology has presented a solution that can bridge this gap, and get the rest of us, the “security offenders”, on-board when it comes to secure internet logins.

I recently installed LastPass (http://www.lastpass.com), a free online service that will manage your passwords for you, safely and securely.  Having them online might scare some of you, but not to worry, LastPass encrypts your data locally, so not even the folks at LastPass can make sense of your data on their servers, only you can on your machine.  If you’re not on your usual computer at home or the office, you can also access your LastPass data securely online, so that your stored passwords can be accessible anywhere you might need them.  This also means that you can use your login information on any computer, Mac or PC, and any browser, including Internet Explorer, Mozilla Firefox, Google Chrome, and others.  This cross-platform, cross-browser compatibility really made this solution the one for me, as I use all the products I just mentioned.

LastPass can store your logins for you, so anytime you visit a website that requires your login information, like Facebook, GMail, or even your bank, LastPass remembers each and every one.  Now you can have a different password for each account without needing to write them all down.  If you want to have a written (or printed) record of all your login information, LastPass can export a text file that you can print.  What if you need an ultra secure password, like ones that require upper and lower case letters, numbers, and even special characters?  You can create your own for LastPass to store, or it can even generate them for you.  If you have login information you share with others, like your family or co-workers, you can securely share the logins with those folks.  Tired of filing in online forms every time you want to create an account, or get information?  LastPass will fill in these forms automatically, if you so desire.  You can even create different profiles for the form, so your personal information can be separate from your business information.

More advanced features that appealed to me include the ability to backup and read your passwords from a USB Thumbdrive, phishing protection, and an onscreen keyboard for entering your master password.  This last feature is particularly useful in thwarting keyloggers, which might be in place at your workplace or unscrupulously used at a public workstation.  This is all well and good, but how much does it cost?  Again, my frugality has come to serve me well, because this great utility is free.  Granted, there is a “Premium” version of the utility available, which adds some useful features, for $1 a month.  This gives you access to use LastPass on a variety of mobile platforms, like iPhone, Blackberry, Windows Mobile, and others.  It also makes the online interface ad-free, and gives you priority support.

It’s high time you make your internet experience a safe and easy experience.  While there are other utilities that can help to keep your login information secure, I find that LastPass is easy-to-use, secure, and best of all, free.

Windows 7 is a chance for Microsoft to fix a lot of things that went wrong with Vista.  In my last column, I discussed how they have greatly improved the installation experience for XP users upgrading to Windows 7.  Vista users can do an in-place upgrade that does not require your personal data and settings to be backed up, they remain “in-place”, as do your installed programs, and Windows 7 picks up right where you left off, just with new features and a slightly different look and feel.

One thing folks should be aware of is the different versions of Windows 7 that are available.  Windows 7 Home Premium is $199 for the full version, or $119 for the upgrade, and gives you most of what you need from this new operating system if you are a home or basic user.  Windows 7 Professional is $299 or $199 for the upgrade, and will most likely fit the needs for business users, as it allows you to join a computer domain, something that most businesses have in place for their networks.  It also features Windows XP Mode, a virtual environment for using legacy applications that cannot run in Windows 7 (or Vista).  One of the reasons XP has a such a strong following with businesses is the amount of custom developed utilities that are in use, and this should help some to migrate to the new OS.  Windows 7 Ultimate is $319 or $219 for the upgrade, and features BitLocker, a utility for encrypting your external drives, and the ability to use and switch between thirty-five different languages.  Unless you have a need for the different languages, you can easily encrypt your media with TrueCrypt (http://www.truecrypt.org), a terrific free utility for data encryption.  Unless you require domain functionality for your network, I personally think Windows 7 Home Premium gives you plenty of bang for your buck.

The main improvement of Windows 7 over Vista is the speed in booting your computer, and resuming from Sleep Mode.  There are a lot of new features that are useful, but being a Mac user, you can tell that Microsoft is desperately trying to play “catch-up” with their OS.  The taskbar is back, but it is friendlier, adding the ability to “pin” programs that you frequently use.  Similar to the Quick Launch of XP and Vista, it is more akin to the way the Mac OS makes use of its taskbar.  Also changed is the System Tray, which was cluttered by a ton of annoying icons in XP and Vista.  There are still a couple, but you can pick and choose which are to be displayed.  Also, mousing over a taskbar icons of running programs will give you a thumbnail preview, which can come in handy.  Libraries are a neat new addition, which can collect data, like pictures, music, and documents, and place them into a single library, even if stored on other hard drives and different computers on your network.  You can then share your libraries with other users in your HomeGroup. HomeGroups are an attempt to simplify sharing files and printers, but for it to work, the other machines have to be running Windows 7 as well.  I’ve just scratched the surface, but I thought these would be the most important new features worth mentioning.  Of course, a few things have been removed from Windows 7, like Windows Photo Gallery and Windows Mail, which were both included with Vista.  However, they, along with some other programs, are available for free as part of Windows Live Essentials.  (http://download.live.com).

A lot of users might be wondering, “Should I upgrade to Windows 7?”  If you bought your PC after June 26, 2009, you are eligible for a free upgrade to the new OS.  Other users might be skittish about plunking down over $100 for an upgrade that could be disappointing, if they suffered through early versions of Windows Vista.  From my perspective and hands-on experience with Windows 7, I think it’s worth a try, as I found it to be the most user-friendly version of Microsoft Windows in a long time.

If you have a television, I’m sure that you’ve been seeing a lot of commercials for the new Windows 7 operating system.  Microsoft is really stepping up their advertising for this update to Windows, as they’ve been losing quite a bit of ground to Apple in the past couple of years.  Combined with the debacle that was the Windows Vista, this new OS will be a chance to try and reclaim some of their territory as a computer operating system that users can trust.  Since the release on October 22, 2009, I’ve been able to get some “hands-on” with the new operating system and I think that Microsoft has been able to right some of their past “wrongs”.

Before you start to consider upgrading your PC to Windows 7, you’ll want to run the Windows 7 Upgrade Advisor (http://windows.microsoft.com/upgradeadvisor), a small utility that will measure your computer’s performance, software, and peripherals for their compatibility with this new operating system.  Windows 7 requires a 1GHz or faster 32-bit or 64-bit processor, 1GB of RAM (for 32-bit) or 2GB of RAM (for 64-bit), 16GB (for 32-bit) or 20GB (for 64-bit) of available hard drive space, and a DirectX 9 graphics processor.  If your computer was purchased in the last 3 years, then most likely, you’ll be able to upgrade to Windows 7 with your existing configuration.

The first couple of installations I performed were PCs that were running the legacy OS, Windows XP.  Windows 7 does not allow for an “in-place” upgrade from XP, so a fresh install is necessary.  To ease this transition, Microsoft offers Windows Easy Transfer (http://windows.microsoft.com/windows-easy-transfer), a small program that allows XP users to easily backup their data and settings to another computer via an easy transfer cable, a network location, or an external hard drive.  It takes about an hour to backup 35Gb to an external USB hard drive, and the process is very easy.  It will backup program settings, but it should be noted that you’ll need to reinstall the programs, like Microsoft Office and your other utilities, after your Windows 7 installation is complete.

After I booted from the Windows 7 DVD, the setup process will allow you to install to your existing hard drive, but it will copy your old Windows files into a folder called “Windows.old”.  The installation is very easy to complete and only takes about 40-60 minutes, depending on your computer.  What really impressed me was the inclusion of drivers for most of the devices installed in your computer.  In the days of XP and Vista, you’d need to go track down drivers from the manufacturers’ websites, but I had no problems with any of the installs I completed.  Adding printers was just as easy, I just plugged in the USB cables and the printer installed; network printers worked just as well.

After reinstalling the programs I wanted, like Microsoft Office and a few others, I installed my Windows Updates, making sure I had the latest updates for all my Microsoft programs before I used the Windows Easy Transfer to restore my data and settings.  I plugged in my external hard drive, and double-clicking the Easy Restore file that was created earlier started the restoration process.  You can choose to restore everything or be selective about what goes onto your new Windows 7 installation, but it works great.  I opened up Microsoft Outlook, and all the email accounts were there as was the email.  Saved financial files from Quicken or QuickBooks were ready to run as well.

I found Windows 7 to be the most user-friendly experience Microsoft has offered in some time.  I liked XP and trusted it, and I wrestled with Vista and got used to it.  They both have needed updates and service packs to mature into operating systems that are reliable and can be used effectively, but from the starting gate, Windows 7 is doing a lot of things right.  In my next column, I’ll explore the different versions of Windows 7 and some of the new features.

In my last column, I discussed a few options for software that can assist you in backing up your important data at your own location onto an external hard drive.  There is another option available that is rapidly gaining popularity among businesses, and home users should take heed.  Online, or offsite backups, are provided by a number of different companies, but for home users, a few of these are becoming popular choices for easy and effective backups over the internet.  One of the big advantages of offsite backups is that your data is located somewhere else, so in the event of a natural disaster (like a hurricane), should your computer AND your local backup perish, you have your data in another state, sitting safely on their servers, waiting for you to download it.  A few of these services even offer free backup for up to two gigabytes (2GB) of data, and for most people, that is plenty of storage for important documents, email storage containers, or financial data.

The first company I’ll talk about is Mozy (http://www.mozy.com).  MozyHome gives you 2GB of free storage, but if you need more, Mozy offers unlimited storage for $4.99 a month.  That’s right; you can backup all your data to a remote location for a set monthly fee.  The only thing that might prohibit you from backing up ALL your files is the time it requires to send hundreds of gigabytes of data over the internet, even at high speeds.  With MozyHome, I selected a few types of files (documents, financials, and email) that totaled less than 2GB as “Backup Sets”.  Once selected, I started the initial backup, which can take many hours.  Once you have the first backup completed, the process is less lengthy, as it only backs up the files that changed since the last backup, otherwise known as incremental backup.  Mozy allows for a variety of options in the scheduling configuration, which can help if you are using your computer and don’t want your productivity or internet connection to be interrupted by the backup process, or if you want them to occur at a specific time.  Restoring your files is easy, you get a tree view (like Windows Explorer) that shows the files you have backed up, and you simply select the checkbox next to the files you want to restore.  It allows you to rename files is they already exist, in case you want to compare an older backed up version of a file with a newer one on your computer.  Once you start to encroach on the free 2GB limit, you have the option of upgrading to the $4.95 a month plan, which allows you to backup much, much more.  The backup software Mozy provides work on both Macs and PCs, so there is no excuse for any computer user to not backup their files.

Another top contender in the online backup market is iDrive (http://www.idrive.com) that also features a free version with a 2GB limit.  The interface and ease-of-use is equal to Mozy, but once you need more online storage space, IDrive Pro is also $4.95 a month, but it limits you to 150GB of storage.  While most folks won’t come close to backing up 150GB, some users might need the additional space Mozy provides for the same monthly price.  Both services allow you to select files and folders to backup straight from Windows Explorer, and both provide security in the form of encryption both during transfers and where they are stored.  Another service worth mentioning is Carbonite (http://www.carbonite.com), but they don’t feature a free version.  For $54.95 a year, you get unlimited backup storage, much like Mozy, along with the usual features like encryption and an easy-to-use interface.  IDrive and Carbonite work on both Macs and PCs, too.

Whichever service you decide to use, it is important to backup your data, and doing so online has become easy and free for most.  Whether you use an online service, or just backup to an external hard drive like I discussed in the last column, what matters most is that you just do it, and frequently.  Otherwise, you’ll be kicking yourself when you have to rely on the services of a data recovery expert (http://www.bayoutechnologies.com) to get back those important files you can’t live without.