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Showing posts with label TECHKNOW. Show all posts
Showing posts with label TECHKNOW. Show all posts

How to Set Up Email on a New Android Phone

Unless you rely on one of the majors like Yahoo and Gmail for email on your Android smartphone, one of the worst tasks in setting up a new device is surely configuring the email server. The key is to ignore the Android-device prompts for an automatic setup -- they won't work. Instead, plan to manually enter the data straightaway -- it's faster.
 
Setting up a brand-new phone can involve numerous aggravations, but if you don't rely on one of the majors like Yahoo and Gmail for email, one of the worst is surely the manual email server configuration. If you use a customized domain name, your Android device's email client is likely to need this extra step.

This could become an even more prevalent problem with the January U.S. launch of the reasonably priced and specified Moto G smartphone, enabling consumers to buy new devices willy-nilly and without contract. Buying such a new device might be easy, but it will likely remain a time-consuming hassle to configure it -- particularly if you're moving operating systems, like Apple iOS or Windows to Android.

In any case, the key is to ignore the Android-device prompts for an automatic setup -- they won't work. Instead, plan to manually enter the data straightaway -- it's faster. Begin by identifying your existing email settings: Open a currently functioning email client and choose the Settings menu. Then copy the settings syntactically character-by-character.

Microsoft Office's Outlook on the PC lets you leave the settings dialogs on-screen while you fiddle with the phone, but the settings can be copied from iPhones or other software clients too; look for the Settings button on the iPhone and drill down for email settings. 

Outlook 2013

Step 1: Open Outlook 2013 and choose the File tab. Then click or touch the Account Settings button and again, click or touch the resulting drop-down button.

Step 2: In the resulting Change Account dialog box, double-click on the listed email account that you want to use on your phone. The account type, incoming and outgoing servers, and incoming logon information will be listed.

Step 3: Choose the More Settings button on the dialog and then the Outgoing Server tab in order to see if the outgoing mail server is different from the incoming mail server listed in the previous step. Keep Outlook open.

Tip: Some, but not all, outgoing email servers use settings different from those of the incoming server.

Step 4: Find the email setup area on your new Android 4.0 ("Ice Cream Sandwich") device by choosing Settings in the app drawer and then Accounts and Sync; then Add Account and then Email.
Tip: The newest Android operating system -- Android 4.4 "Kit Kat" -- sets up similarly.

Step 5: Follow the syntax precisely to enter server data, obtained in the earlier steps, into the Android device's email setup menu. Use the Next prompt button to progress forward through screens.

Tip: Check the server syntax, password and User ID if the Android device can't connect to the server. Required ports can be found in Outlook's More Settings. Look for the Advanced tab and copy the port numbers listed there.

Pay attention to outgoing server-required SSL encryption, which will be listed in that Outlook tab too. Outgoing encryption is more prevalent than incoming.

Step 6: On the last screen in the series of Android email setup prompts, choose the Android device's email account options such as inbox-checking frequency, default sending account, notification and syncing.
Posted by Michano at 3:27 AM, Add Comment
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How to Tease Top Performance Out of Your Windows Laptop

Much like cars, Windows PCs need an occasional servicing to keep running at their best. That can mean replacing the battery, freeing up disk space, defragmenting and more. For example, older, nickel cadmium laptop batteries were never designed to be left endlessly plugged in -- as we all do with our laptops -- and often die before the laptop does.



If you're noticing that your Windows laptop runs slower and crankier the older it gets -- I'm talking about your laptop here, not you or me -- it's probably because it needs a bit of maintenance.
Some tender loving care will take care of most old-laptop lethargy in much the same way a routine service visit can extend the life of your car and let it operate with more vroom.
Here's how to fix your laptop. 

Step 1:

Buy a new battery if your laptop is no longer portable and needs to be tethered to the wall.
Older, nickel cadmium laptop batteries were never designed to be left endlessly plugged in -- as we all do with our laptops -- and often die before the laptop does.
Tip: Remove the battery pack from the under side of the laptop and perform a search for the model number on the Internet.
Choose newer Lithium Ion, or Li-ion, battery chemistry, if you can find that option, for the least weight and limited memory effect.

Step 2:

Run Windows Maintenance Tasks by opening the Control Panel in Windows 7 (older Microsoft operating systems are similar), and browsing to System & Security and then Find and Fix Problems.
Select Run Maintenance Tasks and allow the troubleshooter to run.
Tip: Run Maintenance Tasks will correct maintenance issues like excessive unused files and shortcuts.

Step 3:

Free up disk space by returning to the Control Panel home page and browsing to System & Security again. Choose Free Up Disk Space from the Administrative Tools area. The cleanup will run and prompt you to delete redundant files.
Tip: Freeing up disk space provides more elbow room within the hard drive.

Step 4:

Remove programs that you don't use by selecting Free Up Disk Space again. This time, choose Clean Up System Files and then the More Options tab.
Allow the list to populate and uninstall programs you don't use by double-clicking on the program label.
Tip: Programs take up space on the hard drive. As with the previous step, making space helps the laptop. Plus, fewer programs loading on laptop startup frees RAM.

Step 5:

Defragment the hard drive by choosing the Defragment your Hard Drive option label adjacent to the Free Up Disk Space label.
Click on Analyze and the tool will analyze the disk and advise you if defragmentation is necessary. Follow the prompt to perform the defragmentation.
Tip: Defragmenting physically organizes file clusters on the hard drive, making the day-to-day file reading faster.

Step 6:

Turn on Windows Update by clicking on Automatic Updating On or Off within the same System & Security section of the Control Panel, and choosing Install Updates Automatically.
Tip: Windows Update is a Microsoft service that pushes bug fixes and enhancements to the laptop.
Ensure the computer is running and online at the scheduled check time. Follow any prompts.

Step 7:

Install antivirus software. Browse to the Microsoft Windows Consumer Security Software Providers Web page and choose an antivirus application. I've had success with the free AVG product, but others are available too.
Follow the prompts to install the product and allow a scan to take place. Follow any prompts to repair virus damage.
Tip: You may have to delve deep into some of the antivirus websites to find the free version of the product.

Step 8:

Install maintenance software. I've used IObit's free Advanced SystemCare, which has corrected issues for me.
Browse to the IObit website for the download. Install the application and allow it to perform a Smart Scan. Smart Scan will identify and remove malware, fix registry issues and scan the disk for errors, among other optimizations.

Tip: The paid version of Advanced SystemCare provides more in-depth fixes.
Posted by Michano at 5:03 AM, Add Comment
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How to Use a Windows PC as an Internet Hotspot

It's a device-laden world out there, and that means we all have numerous Internet connections to maintain when we're out and about. One solution is to create a routerless wireless network for your devices using an existing laptop Internet connection. That's where tools called "virtual routers" or "hotspot creators" come in, including Connectify Hotspot Lite.

   

 

If you're like many, you're sprouting portable devices. Tablets, e-readers and phones are taking over our pockets and bags; add mobile games consoles and phoneless iPod touches for the kids, and that's a lot of Internet connections to maintain when out and about.
It's a gaggle of device connections that's hard to sustain because each one needs configuring onto a hotspot.
There are solutions, however. For some years Windows included an ad hoc WiFi network-creation tool as part of its OS. You hard-wire your computer to an Internet router and create an Internet-connected PC. You then use the PC's wireless card to create a WiFi network.
The problem with this method was that you had to use a hard-wired connection for the Internet element -- no good for WiFi in hotel lobbies and other public places. You could have bought additional hardware like a second wireless USB stick and configured it, but that's complicated, more work and conceivably a point of failure.
Microsoft dropped the ad hoc network feature altogether in Windows 8.
I've been exploring solutions to this problem and have been looking in particular at ways to travel with numerous portable devices while only having to connect one of them to the public network, with the others connecting parasitically.
Tools enabling such capabilities are called "virtual routers" or "hotspot creators." One freemium software solution I've used recently is Connectify Hotspot Lite, and it runs under both Windows 7 and 8.
The setup uses a laptop as hotspot. Here's how to do it. 

Step 1:

Switch on your laptop and connect to the wireless network that you'd like to share.
Connect as you normally would by choosing the network name and entering any network-provided password. Then open a browser window and agree to any network-specific terms and conditions or session payment options.

Step 2:

Browse to the Connectify website and choose the Continue button within the Connectify Lite download panel.

Step 3:

Follow the prompts to save the file and allow it to download. Then run the file.
Tip: Follow any prompts to install Microsoft.Net 4.5 and any Microsoft Visual C++ updates.

Step 4:

Allow Connectify to pass through the Windows Firewall when the Firewall dialog appears on the screen.
Tip: The Firewall defaults to allowing connections through Home and Office networks, but you should check the "Public networks" checkbox too.

Step 5:

Choose the free Hotspot Lite option by clicking on the button. Connectify Hotspot Lite will let you create an access point, share the Internet and see which of your devices are connected.
Tip: There are also paid versions that allow firewall controls, sharing 3G and 4G connections, creating a WiFi repeater and unlimited hotspot uptime -- among other things.

Step 6:

Follow the setup tutorial to configure the software by first creating the hotspot name. Then choose the password that you'll use to connect the portable devices to the laptop hotspot.

Step 7:

Choose the Internet connection that you'd like to use. This is the hotel room or other network name that you're already connected to. Then press Start Hotspot.
Tip: The already-connected network name will appear as the default.

Step 8:

Open the WiFi network connections settings on your parasitic portable device. Scroll through the list of available connections and you'll see the hotspot that you created.
Connect to this hotspot by choosing it and entering the password.

Step 9:

Repeat with your other portable devices. Now, when you need to connect multiple devices to a public network, connect the laptop first and then the devices to the laptop.
All of your devices will be online with minimal configuration and conceivably economically using one session.

Tip: Check the "Clients" tab within the connected Connectify Hotspot Lite software for a list of currently connected devices.
Restart the hotspot service with the Start Hotspot button if you encounter issues obtaining an IP address for your portable device.
Posted by Michano at 5:11 AM, Add Comment
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How to Repair a Broken Screen on a Tablet or Phone

Does the glass on your mobile device sport more cracks than a frozen lake in springtime? Never fear -- this is a repair you can handle yourself. It's actually quite easy, and cheap, to replace the glass once you get the hang of it. I've replaced a few touchscreens now on my rough-handled devices. Tablet and phone construction is all roughly the same, with the same basic concepts.

Breaking the screen on your mobile device doesn't have to mean a brand new, expensive bit of kit. It's actually quite easy, and cheap, to replace the glass once you get the hang of it. A tablet touchscreen can cost about US$50 if you perform the work.
I've replaced a few touchscreens now on my rough-handled devices. Tablet and phone construction is all roughly the same, with the same basic concepts.
This is how to approach it.

First, get familiar with the makeup of your device. The construction is loosely the same across devices and generally includes a back cover, motherboard-containing frame, LCD-containing chassis, LCD, front frame or bezel, and the touch-sensitive glass sandwich -- which is called a digitizer.
Tools that you'll need include miscellaneous small screwdrivers, a heat gun, scissors, double-sided adhesive tape, canned air, work gloves and two dinner-table bowls to keep screws from getting lost.
Replacement digitizers can be obtained from auction sites like eBay.

The Teardown

Step 1: Remove the device's back cover and pull the main battery.

Step 2: Loosen any stuck-on cabling that is now exposed, like the camera cable, for example. Then remove cables if the clasps are exposed. These cables simply slide out of any exposed sockets after clasps are released.

Tip: The tape-style cables are often held onto the frame and parts by adhesive, so tug gently to release.

Step 3: Unscrew the Phillips or Torx screws that hold the motherboard-containing back frame to the LCD-containing chassis and place the screws in a bowl for safe-keeping.

Tip: There can be lots of screws here -- my Toshiba tablet has 14.

Step 4: Separate the back frame from the chassis by gently and carefully pulling the two apart.

Tip: Perform a visual check for any hidden, unremoved screws if you detect resistance. Look for any hidden cables that connect the glass to the LCD-containing chassis and remove if necessary.

Step 5: Remove any further cable assemblies that have become exposed by the separation of parts.

Tip: Maintain visual cues as to which cable to reattach where. For example, place them on the work surface face-up in the order of removal.

Step 6: Remove the LCD-containing chassis from the front frame or bezel and glass assembly by unscrewing a second batch of screws.

Store the second set of screws in a second bowl. Remove any further parts such as the camera.
Tip: Don't touch the LCD face.

Step 7: Separate the existing, damaged glass from the bezel or front frame by waving the heat gun over the adhesive join and pulling apart. Wear gloves here because you will further break the glass.

Tip: Be patient while the heat gun loosens the adhesive and be careful not to break the bezel or front frame while removing the glass -- you will need the bezel intact.

Replacing the Screen

Step 1: Attach fresh two-sided tape to areas of the bezel that have lost their stickiness. Use the existing adhesive where possible. Don't allow tape to overlap the visual part of the glass.

Step 2: Look for any foam padding or seals and reattach.

Step 3: Thread the digitizer cable and remount the new digitizer glass to the bezel by firmly pressing it into place. Then remove any dust from the LCD and glass with canned air.

Tip: Do not touch the inside of the glass -- you won't be able to get rid of the fingerprints after assembly.

Finally, Reassemble

Reattach any parts, like the camera. Then reassemble chassis, frame and so on, in order.
You may have to assemble and disassemble a couple of times because the two sets of screws use similar holes. It's easy to insert the initial set of screws into the wrong holes. You'll only know you've done that when the second set won't fit because you've already used the hole.

Tip: Look for solid connections when attaching cables. Ensure that the clasps are open first. Usually the up position is open.

In general, firm snaps indicate a good assembly. Always reapply any existing metallic tape. Count the screws. If you have any left over, backtrack.
Posted by Michano at 10:14 AM, Add Comment
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Google's 15th birthday: 15 things you didn't know

From the company's original name to the first Google doodle, we search the archives of Larry Page and Sergey Brin's tech giant for some little-known titbits

Google is 15 years old.

 

Google is 15 years old today. To celebrate, here are 15 facts you probably didn't know about them.
1. Google was originally called BackRub. The homepage read: "BackRub is a 'web crawler' which is designed to traverse the web."

2. Google has acquired an average of one company every week since 2010.

3. The first Google doodle was a Burning Man symbol. Founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin went to the Burning Man festival in 1998 and added the doodle to let users know they were away from the office that weekend.

4. Google hired its first in-house chef, Charlie Ayers, in November 1999, when the company had just 40 employees.

5. Ayers went on to become the firm's executive chef, overseeing a team of 150 employees across 10 cafes at its headquarters in Mountain View, California.

6. You can use Gmail in more than 50 languages. These include: Welsh, Basque, Tagalog, Malayalam, Telugu and Cherokee.

The first Google Doodle from 1998 – incorporating the Burning Man logo. Photograph: Google

7. Around 1,000 of Google's employees became millionaires when the company went public in 2004.

8. One of those millionaires was masseuse Bonnie Brown, who worked at the company giving back rubs for $450 a week back in 1999.

9. The "I'm Feeling Lucky" button, which bypasses the results page to take users directly to the first result of their search, has been estimated to cost Google around $100m in lost ad revenue every year.

10. Google hires goats. In 2009, the company rented around 200 goats for a week to eat the grass and fertilise the soil at its California headquarters.

11. Google's first official tweet was the words "I'm feeling lucky" in binary.

12. Almost all of rival company Mozilla's money comes from Google. The firm pays $300m a year to be the default search engine on Mozilla's web browser Firefox.

13. Google founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin own just 16% of the company.

14. That 16% gives them a combined net worth of around $46bn.

15. A new Google employee is known as a "Noogler" and a former employee is referred to as a "Xoogler".

Posted by Michano at 4:04 AM, Add Comment
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How to Manage Email and Stop It From Overwhelming You

It's a rare computer user today who isn't constantly battling email overload. Does that describe you -- or someone you know? Never fear. You're not alone, and there are steps you can take to tame the electronic avalanche and regain control of your computing life. Step 1: Shut down your in-box. Step 2: Unsubscribe -- again and again. Turning it all into a game can't hurt, either.

Email has been around since before the Internet, but while the technology itself hasn't changed much since the 1970s, the volume of it has. Some people, in fact, receive hundreds of messages a day. That's a threat to a human's ability to process information.
There are, however, ways to manage email. Here's how to go about it.
 

Step 1:

Shut down your in-box if you find emails are distracting you from productive work. You can still be alerted to important messages through an SMS text message.
Set up a "from-based" filter within your email client, such as Gmail, to forward important emails to your phone's text account. That way, you'll see the initial 140 characters on the phone as the message comes in and know that you need to open your email client to address the email. Yet you won't get distracted routinely by less important email.
Tip: This method will only work if you keep your phone's SMS message functions exclusively for important stuff.
Check your wireless carrier's website for the email-to-SMS messaging syntax. Sprint's, for example is 2127777777@messaging.sprintpcs.com, where the number is your phone number.

Step 2:

Hit the Unsubscribe link embedded in legitimate mass emails and then delete the email without reading it. Gradually your daily volume will decrease -- some of those lists are bombarding you frequently.

Tip: Be careful here, because some unscrupulous marketers use the Unsubscribe link to identify your email box as being live. I've written about identifying dodgy emails before in How to Identify Bogus Banking Emails and How to Do Your Part in Foiling Spammers.

Step 3:

Avoid distributing your email address, but if you do, use a Burner email.
Unfortunately, marketers looking for prospects to harass have wised-up to the use of completely fabricated email addresses when signing up for services, and won't let you register for services without a legitimate email.
Burner email addresses are disposable addresses that let you sign up for services and click on the verify link in the sent email; the addresses then vaporize after a predetermined period, like an hour. Guerrillamail.com is one such Web-based solution.

Step 4:

Look for newsletter marketing preferences options whenever you give out your email in a Web-based form and uncheck the boxes.

Tip: The only emails you'll ever need are the ones related to the account itself -- an option often with its own check box. If you ever feel the compunction to learn more about a company, browse to the website instead.
Turn off email notifications from social networks. Look for the options within the account management page.

Step 5:

Take advantage of triaging tricks offered by email services.
Clients like Outlook let you set up hierarchical folders. Add project folders with action and archive subfolders, then drag-and-drop from the in-box as emails come in, for example. Then deal with the email on a project-by-project basis rather than a hit-and-miss chronological one.
Alternatively, use filters to send messages to the project folder, then address the email content as you work on that particular project.
Look for category options within email clients and take advantage of them. Gmail's newest client on some Android 4.0+, iPhone and iPad devices, for example, lets you categorize by people you actually know. Look for the new Primary tab there.
Tip: Mark certain message senders as Important if your email client lets you do that.

Step 6:

Try some email management software.
Boomerang, a plugin for Gmail, lets you set up reminders if no one replies to your message, so you don't have to retain tickle items in your in-box.
ActiveInBox, a Gmail extension for Chrome or Firefox, creates professional status and prioritization project management-like elements within Gmail.

Step 7:

Turn the whole process into one big game with The Email Game. This Gmail- and Google Apps-compatible game gives you a score. The faster you clear your in-box, the more points you get.

 

Posted by Michano at 8:44 AM, Add Comment
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How to Get Windows 8.1 on Your PC Now

If you've already got Windows 8 installed, it can be well worth your while to download the free preview version of Windows 8.1. New personalization and services improvements are among the many enhancements included in this widely anticipated update, which is expected to remedy many of the problems in its predecessor. Step 1? You guessed it: Make sure you have a recovery image.


It's no secret that Windows 8 has met with only a lukewarm reception, but life in the tech world moves quickly, and now Windows 8.1 is on the way.
If you've installed Windows 8, it's worth downloading the recently released free preview version of Windows 8.1. By doing so, you will be able to take advantage of the updated OS's personalization and services improvements. The final build will be out later this year.
Curious Windows 7 users can also check out 8.1 by creating and installing an ISO file from the Microsoft website. I've written about ISO-creating concepts before.
Windows 8 users update to Windows 8.1 through the Windows Store. Here's how to go about it if you've already got Windows 8 installed. 

Step 1:

Verify that you have a recovery partition on your hard drive. Access the Command Prompt from the Windows 8 Search charm by entering the term Command. Right click on the result and choose Run as Administrator from the options.
Confirm at the prompts, and then enter the term "recimg /showcurrent" at the Command Prompt to identify if there is a recovery image present.

Step 2:

Create a recovery image if, in the previous step, a "no active recovery image" error appears.
Create the image by creating a folder called Refreshimage at the Command Prompt and then entering "recimg -createimage c:\refreshimage" and Enter.
Tip: The create folder command is "mkdir c:\refresiimage" and then Enter.

Step 3:

Create a USB recovery drive. This will allow you to revert back to your previous install from external media if you need to.
Enter the term Recovery in the Search charm and touch or click Settings. Then choose Create a Recovery Drive and the tool will open.
Choose Copy the Recovery Partition from the PC to the Recovery Drive checkbox and choose Next. Then insert a USB drive, choose it from the options presented and touch or click Next followed by Create. Allow the file transfer to take place and then choose Finish. Then remove and store the flash drive.

Step 4:

Browse to the Windows 8.1 Preview Web page and choose the Get It Now button. Then follow the prompts to open the file and allow the install to take place.
Tip: Back up your personal data before updating any operating system. An update to Windows 8.1 from Windows 8 should retain Windows settings, personal files and most apps.

Step 5:

Restart the PC when prompted, and then open the Store by touching or clicking on the Store tile. Then choose the Update Windows tile or any Update Windows prompt.

Step 6:

Select Download and allow the download to proceed. Follow the prompts to restart and allow the setup to proceed. Follow the prompts to set up the account, including entering a security code that can be sent by email when prompted.

Step 7:

Explore the new features, which include navigation arrows where there was previously white space, and other navigation tools, like a Windows icon for flipping between classic desktop and Windows 8 Start page.

Tip: You'll need your Windows 8 product key when you update to the final edition of Windows 8.1 later this year. 


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Posted by Michano at 8:29 AM, Add Comment
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10 Tech Things You Need To Know This Morning

Posted by Michano at 10:44 AM, Add Comment
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