How to Take a Screenshot with Windows Vista or 7

Screen shots or screen captures can be helpful when information on your display/monitor needs to be shown to others ‐ maybe to show a problem or demonstrate how a program is used.

I recently discovered a tool called the "Snipping Tool" that is available in Windows Vista or Windows 7. This tool allows you to select only the portion of the screen.

To access this tool go to your Start menu, select All Programs, the Accessories folder and lastly click on the Snipping Tool. A window will appear with instructions to select the area that you would like to crop. Select the area clicking and holding down your left mouse and dragging around the area.

A new window will appear with your selection that you can send to an email or save to a location of your choosing that you can later open and view as you would any other picture.

Now the next time that you are trying to explain something, you can take a screen shot to help with your explanation.
 

- Janet F, Marketing Coordinator

Northern Computer - Your Trusted Partner
#1 - 495 Banks Road Kelowna, BC V1X 6A2
Phone: 250.762.7753 Fax: 250.861.1861 Toll-Free: 1.877.257.2896
Email: sales@northerncomputer.ca or service@northerncomputer.ca
Web: http://www.northerncomputer.ca/

Read More

Kelowna - Cloud Computing

The cloud – it’s all the hype right now, but what does it mean? Simply stated, it is a general term for anything that involves delivering hosted services over the Internet. The name was inspired by the cloud symbol that’s often used to represent the Internet in flowcharts and diagrams. Chances are, you are already using an application in the cloud or storing files there. Are you using gmail or facebook? Have you ever uploaded anything to the internet? Do you have a website?

Years ago, when you had a website, you would have it sitting on a server in your office. But as more people stopped by to visit your website, you needed new, bigger and better servers to handle all of this traffic. This became costly and took more time and resources to maintain it all. New businesses were formed that bought lots of servers and did all of the work to service them and sold you space to put your website on their servers. In other terminology, they “host” your website. Where is the content from your website physically sitting? It could be in a datacenter anywhere. It is in the cloud.

Examples of application software include gmail, google docs or facebook. You can access any of these applications from anywhere and access the files (pictures, documents, etc) that you’ve uploaded from anywhere as well. You don’t actually own the application or the hardware that it resides on.

How will businesses use cloud computing? Why will businesses move to cloud computing?

Businesses today are facing many challenges – rising costs, declining sales, tough competition. They need to find ways to increase the efficiency of their business operations and do more on their existing infrastructure.

• Reduced Costs and Resources– Only pay for the resources you use, as you use them with a monthly subscription fee. You don’t own the application software or the hardware or the costs associated with ownership. By placing storage and server needs in the hands of a 3rd party, you shift the burden of in house IT onto the out sourcer.

• Scalability – You can grow or shrink to match your demand, referred to as elastic. If you need more computing power, it is available instantly. There is no need to secure additional hardware or software that you may or may not need to use.

• Highly Automated – IT personnel are not needed to keep software up to date.

• Easy Implementation – Without the need to purchase hardware or software licenses, a company can get it’s cloud computing services off the ground quickly – and for a fraction of the cost.

• Mobility – You don’t have to be confined to working from one physical location Work from any PC, anywhere and relocation is easy. And if your business relocates, there is no hardware to move.

Talk with our office for more information about how cloud services can help your business.

Janet F, Marketing Coordinator

Northern Computer - Your Trusted Partner
#1 - 495 Banks Road Kelowna, BC V1X 6A2
Phone: 250.762.7753 Fax: 250.861.1861 Toll-Free: 1.877.257.2896
Email: sales@northerncomputer.ca or service@northerncomputer.ca
Web: http://www.northerncomputer.ca/

Read More

How to Protect Your PC

So you’re cruising around on the internet, minding your own business. A few clicks here, a few clicks there and before you know it, you’re computer is acting odd. You thought you were pretty safe, or thought that the box that had popped up was just another annoying pop up. Uh oh! Now you’re infected, but you might not even know it! Or maybe you have all sorts of pop ups showing up left, right and center. Or maybe there’s a new program showing up that you don’t recall installing lately. YIKES!

There are a lot of threats out there and more are developed every day. I could go into the details of network security, but then I might as well dedicate an entire website or book to that, because there is a lot of information to cover. If you do a little bit of searching, you will surely find someone out there that has been nice enough to have already gone through the trouble of gathering all the information in one convenient spot.

For those of you who are curious as to what some of these threats can do, here’s a basic overview from of just some of the threats out there, from less critical to most critical:

1. You click a link or open an email attachment and you get:

• Popups galore!
• Programs that mask themselves as legitimate programs, but actually are not. Sometimes they will say “hey! Your computer is at risk! You need me, but first you need to buy me. Give me your credit card number.”
• You try to go to a legitimate website, but get directed to some other website(s)

2. You download something off a website that you think was legitimate, but the download has been compromised and when you go to run it, in the background it installs a backdoor program to either:

• Sit in the background and collect every keystroke you make (including when you log into your bank account online!)
• Corrupt your files on your hard drive
• Wipe or physically wreck your hard drive
• Get remote access to your computer and do what they want
• Make your computer send out massive amounts of email
• Make your computer become part of a botnet (network of computers that carry out tasks that the hacker can instruct them to do)

You’re probably thinking, “Who has the time to be doing this? Who is doing this?” or “Why would they do this? What benefits would they see from it?” These people are usually referred to as hackers, but that’s such a loosely coined term and not correctly used. Depending on the intent of the attack, hackers will either do it for one of two major reasons, but not limited to: the shear challenge of the hack or to collect information about you and your financials.

At this point, you probably just want to disconnect your computer and never to look at it again, because let’s face it, it’s just easier to not deal with it, right? Don’t let all this scare you, because there are things you can do to be better protected while you surf the internet. The best thing is to just be well aware of the risks and what to watch out for. By searching the web, you can find a wealth of information to help educate yourself about these threats. This can help you be more aware before just clicking that link, or opening that weird email attachment. You can find some good pieces of information and whole websites that are dedicated to helping guide you in protecting your computer system. A good start is heading over to http://www.getsafeonline.org/nqcontent.cfm?a_id=1044
 or http://www.online-tech-tips.com/computer-tips/how-to-protect-your-computer-from-hackers-spyware-and-viruses/

There you will find articles that will better explain all the components that go into protecting you while you enjoy your web browsing experience. Nowadays, security is such an important part of everyone’s world. Many websites (banking institutions, webmail providers, etc) implement highly secured connections for when you go to enter your financial or sensitive information. They put in place security functions (like entering security questions, picture codes, etc) to ensure your information is not compromised. So feel a bit more at ease, but don’t rely solely on this to protect you. The more protection you can setup for yourself, the better.

$29.99

After doing some reading, the first thing you should do is build your protection system. Start with the basics and work your way up. A good place to start is getting a highly successful anti-virus and anti-malware software package. There are a lot to choose from out there and not all of them will guarantee 100% protection and some will do a better job than others. Some will catch what others won’t and some will miss what others can do better at. One of the best pieces of software protection for consumers is Malwarebytes. At Northern Computer, we recommend it to our clients as we’ve tested many software packages, and we’ve found the best success with the Malwarebytes’ software. So if you’re looking to get a start on protecting your computer, come on in and someone will be more than happy to help you with all your computer protection needs.

- Jeevan T, Network Support Technician

Northern Computer - Your Trusted Partner
#1 - 495 Banks Road Kelowna, BC V1X 6A2
Phone: 250.762.7753 Fax: 250.861.1861 Toll-Free: 1.877.257.2896
Email: sales@northerncomputer.ca or service@northerncomputer.ca
Web: http://www.northerncomputer.ca/

Read More

Tips and Tricks - How to Use the AutoComplete Function in Internet Explorer

The autocomplete function in Internet Explorer automatically remembers information that you've recently typed. It is a handy tool when you are frequently filling in fields in web forms, such as name and address or usernames and passwords. You can save time because you don't have to type in the full information, the AutoComplete function will fill in the information for you. To turn on this feature follow these steps:

1. Open Internet Explorer.

2. Click on the Tools button, and then click Internet Options.

3. Click the Content tab.

4. Under AutoComplete, click Settings.

5. Select the boxes for the Web addresses, Forms, User names and passwords on forms, and Prompt me to save passwords.

6. Click Ok, and then OK again.

- Janet F, Marketing Coordinator

Northern Computer - Your Trusted Partner
#1 - 495 Banks Road Kelowna, BC V1X 6A2
Phone: 250.762.7753 Fax: 250.861.1861 Toll-Free: 1.877.257.2896
Email: sales@northerncomputer.ca  or service@northerncomputer.ca
Web: http://www.northerncomputer.ca/

Read More

Tips and Tricks - Send a Fax Over the Internet

Need to send a fax but don’t have a fax machine available or the fax needs to be sent in color? The next time your fax machine is broken down or your traveling on business and a fax machine is not available send your fax over the internet. This is also a good option if you don’t have a phone line or need to send a fax in color. The later was situation that has happened in our office. We needed to send a fax in color, but our multi-function printer (MFP) is black & white.

A great resource was found! www.faxzero.com will let you send a fax to any fax machine in the United States or Canada for free. The restrictions? Only 2 free faxes per day, each fax can be a maximum of 3 pages, the fax must be a word document (.doc) or a .pdf file and there is an ad on the cover page. There is an option to upgrade if you need to send more documents, more pages or do not want the ad on the cover page.

Sending the fax is very easy to use, just fill in the sender and receiver information, attach the file and enter the confirmation code. An email confirmation will then be sent to your inbox. After locating the email, click on the URL in that email message. After clicking on the link, you will be directed to a webpage where you can find out the status of the fax and you will also be sent an email confirming the final status.

- Janet F, Marketing Coordinator

Northern Computer - Your Trusted Partner
#1 - 495 Banks Road Kelowna, BC V1X 6A2
Phone: 250.762.7753 Fax: 250.861.1861 Toll-Free: 1.877.257.2896
Email: mailto:sales@northerncomputer.caor service@northerncomputer.ca
Web: http://www.northerncomputer.ca/

Read More

Kelowna Digital Signage

Capture - Communicate - Entertain - Promote

Digital signage is revolutionizing the way that we advertise and communicate information. Businesses are moving away from printed signs to more dynamic, flexible and customizable signs.

What is digital signage?

Digital Signage refers to an electronically controlled sign that you can update on-the-fly. The content it presents may guide visitors, provide critical information, and entertain customers to trigger certain purchasing decisions.

Introduction to Digital Signage

5 Reasons to Use Digital Signage

(1) Tailor the right Message to the right Audience

Dynamic content enables different messages to be delivered at different times of the day to reach the right demographics repeatedly, thus increase the ROI of your digital marketing. Over You can promote new products and services, local event participation, contributions to community, and more. Studies show that digital signs are viewed up to ten times more often than static signs.


(2) Shorten Perceived Wait Time

While customers are waiting, digital signs can serve as dynamic message board that presents a custom-tailored mix of informational and advertising content, including product promotions, timely news, and upcoming events. This can result in a reduction in perceived wait time.

(3) Lower the Cost of Creating and Distributing Print Ad Campaigns

By eliminating the need to print and distribute static signs every time you change your campaign, you substantially save on printing/distributing costs and processing time. Content changes are easily made and can be customized for various products or customers. Think about menu changes, in store promotions, emergency announcements, facility information.


(4) Cross Promotions and Partnerships

Digital Signage allows cross promotion among your products and services for up-selling and upgrades. Many businesses use digital signage as promotional channel to cross promote value-added product and service packages at a lower advertising cost.

You can also cross promote your products and brand by working in collaboration with alliances and partners to capture consumers’ attention and increase brand awareness. Some businesses use digital signage to increase product perceived value by rotating their ads with other high-end brands to leverage brand equity.

(5) Increase Point of Sale Purchases

Connect with your audience at the most crucial time, during the point of purchase. Over 75% of decisions are made in-store and digital signage can increase impulse purchasing. They grab a customers’ attention and influence their purchasing decision right at the point of purchase and can result in increased product sales.

How it Works

There are a few basic key components of an effective digital signage network. They include a media player, a display, software, a network to coordinate and control it all and your content.

Software:

The software is either installed on your desktop (Premise based) or it is available online (SaaS – Software as a Service)

Hardware:

Display – A variety of display technologies are compatible, including LCS Televisions, Plasma Televisions, LCD Monitors, Multi-Screen Video Walls, Kiosks and more

Media Player – Simply stated this is just another computer where your content will reside once it is pushed out. It has it’s own software to display the content that you’ve created. The player can be a desktop tower or a small form-factor computer (mini PC).

Mount – A variety of mounts are available, including stands, wall mounts, ceiling mounts

Wiring, Including Connectivity – Ensuring the content is delivered to the right place at the right time will require power cabling, internet cabling and audio video wiring

Content:

Not much needs to be said here. This is the material that you have created to view on your display.

Considerations

• Do you want to be able to work from anywhere that you have internet connection?
• Ease of Use – Will you be doing the content creation or contracting it out? Is the availability of templates important?
• Do you want the ability to display Live TV with your content?
• How many screens do you want to output to? Can you add more screens at a later time?
• Do you need sound?
• Where do you want to mount your display(s)?
• What kind of ongoing training and support is available?
• What types of media do you want to display? Video, Images, RSS Feeds, Live Weather, Clocks, Video Podcasts

Our Solutions

Whether you want a standalone unit or multi-location we can select digital signage equipment to suit your organization’s needs. We offer software, hardware and content creation. Support and training are also available. For a personalized consultation of services and creative solutions please contact us.

- Janet F, Digital Signage Consultant

Northern Computer - Your Trusted Partner

#1 - 495 Banks Road Kelowna, BC V1X 6A2

Phone: 250.762.7753 Fax: 250.861.1861 Toll-Free: 1.877.257.2896

Email: sales@northerncomputer.ca or service@northerncomputer.ca

Web: http://www.northerncomputer.ca/

Read More

Office Ergonomics - Monitor Setup & Usage

 

As previously discussed, setting up your work space properly is essential in creating a comfortable workstation and preventing injury. Just as choosing the right mouse can reduce ailments, positioning your monitor is also important. The correct setup and positioning can avoid neck pain, shoulder pain and even eye strain. The following guidelines can help to determine the ideal ergonomic position of your monitor.

Distance – Your monitor should be positioned directly in front of you and centered. It should also be arms’ length away or at least 20 inches away. Sitting too close can cause eye strain. You can adjust the size of your fonts if you are having trouble reading from a distance.

Height – The proper monitor height is important in preventing neck and upper back strain. As a general rule of thumb, your eyes should be level with the top of your screen. Eyes are most comfortable with a gaze angled 15 degrees below the horizon. This can be achieved by raising or lowering your monitor or chair.

Angle – Our peripheral vision works better if our monitors are tilted slightly upward. The top of the monitor should be farther back than the bottom. This is why we position a book the way that we do.

Glare/Lighting – Glare can cause discomfort, eyestrain and headaches. Repositioning you monitor to avoid any glare from lighting fixtures or windows is recommend. A great way to check for glare is to turn off your monitor and examine any reflections visible on it. If you aren’t able readjust your monitor position, consider a high quality anti-glare screen.

Settings – Altering the monitors’ resolution, contrast and brightness settings will allow characters and images to display clearly and prevent squinting and eyestrain. The brightness of your monitor should be approximately equal to the area directly behind it.

$176.36

Consider a Swivel Arm – A swivel arm enables users to maintain proper monitor location while in use and they can easily be swung out of the way when not needed. People who frequently interact with others across a desk may want to keep the monitor to the side so that it doesn’t interfere with their communication. They are also beneficial when multiple users are sharing a work station.

Healthy Monitor Usage – If you work on your computer for extended periods of time, follow the 20/20/20 rule. Take a 20 second break every 20 minutes and look at least 20 feet away. This will give your eyes a break from visual fatigue.

- Janet F, Marketing Coordinator

Northern Computer - Your Trusted Partner

 #1 - 495 Banks Road Kelowna, BC V1X 6A2

Phone: 250.762.7753 Fax: 250.861.1861 Toll-Free: 1.877.257.2896

Email: sales@northerncomputer.ca or service@northerncomputer.ca
Web: http://www.northerncomputer.ca/

Read More