Technology Tips – Published February 2020 in the Guide and Digest

By Don Trauger – Kennett

The last time I wrote about buying a new computer was for the August 2016 Guide & Digest issue. Since then a number of changes have taken place. Desktop computers with a monitor are still viable and are often slightly less expensive than laptops with equal specifications. What can be confusing when shopping for a computer is the terminology and the technical specifications. Although space doesn’t allow for a complete primer on the subject, I’ll tell you what you need to know.

First, decide whether you want a laptop or a desktop. Laptops offer certain advantages over a desktop. You get portability with plenty of processing power. However there are disadvantages too. A somewhat smaller screen may strain your eyes over a period of time. A smaller keyboard makes for cramped typing. Glossy screens are great for sharpness and contrast but don’t sit with a sunny window behind you. The glossy screen acts as a mirror reflecting the light from the window thus making the screen harder to see. Another item to consider is the touchpad. A touchpad allows you to mimic the mouse. Some people have trouble using the touchpad and prefer to connect a real mouse to the laptop. That’s fine if that’s your preference.

My minimum hardware recommendations for both laptops and desktops require that they have 4 core processors. Four cores refers to 4 computer processors in one package. Names like i5 and i7 made by Intel are best. AMD, an Intel competitor, is also an excellent choice. AMD Ryzen 5 and Ryzen 7 processors are the best choices within the AMD brand. Computers with Intel i3 processors can serve for everyday computing single task needs such as Internet surfing, email, and word processing but are limited in processing power and don’t offer much to offset higher demands now or in the future. An i5 processor can handle almost all demands put on the processor. An i7 processor is the fastest and most expensive processor and is aimed toward serious gamers and multitasking. When buying a new computer choose a computer whose processor has 4 cores and 8 threads. Threads provide additional performance to the 4 cores. The speed rating of the processor also is important. The higher it is the faster your computer will run. A good choice would be a 3GHz or higher speed processor. Keep in mind that processors have a low idle speed that extends battery life when there are no programs running. An idle speed rating around 1.5GHz is normal. When a demand is executed the speed will increase to nearly the full rated speed. The higher the speed the faster the computer will run Apps (programs). 

Here’s how to find a processor that meets my recommendations. After making a choice on a new computer note the model number of the computer. Your choice may come from an in-store or online visit. Don’t buy on your first visit to a store. Google the computer model number online and look for the specifications. It’s best to choose the specifications from the manufacturer’s website. To keep up with technology the right processor and a SSD drive will add years to the usability of the computer. 

My recommendation for an Internet, email, word processing, photo editing and light gaming computer would have a 3 GHz or higher speed 4 core 8 thread Intel i5 processor, 8 GB’s or more of RAM, and a 256 GB or higher solid state drive such as a Dell 15 3000 model 3593. There are many other options available for computers that help personalize it for your needs and of course add to the cost. A DVD drive is now an option on some laptops but unavailable on most. What I’ve outlined here would be suitable for most HM residents. Other things to consider are the number of ports (USB & HDMI) for your needs.

WARNING: STORE CONFIGURATIONS FOR ANY MODEL COMPUTER CAN VARY FROM THE MANUFACTURER’S WEB SITE OFFERING. THE DELL 3593 IS NO EXCEPTION!

Both laptops and desktops feature the Windows 10 operating system. Shop for popular brands such as HP, Dell, and others. I favor Dell because of good reliability, easy online ordering and less junkware installed compared to other brands. Before going to a store become familiar with a manufacturer’s line of computers by visiting their web sites. HP can be found at www.hp.com, Dell is at www.dell.com. Avoid the low cost ($300-$400) computers or computers that have Celeron or Pentium processors. They can be annoyingly slow if speed is a priority for your needs. A higher priced computer also offers future proofing which means the computer will operate at nearly the same speed in future years as it does now. 

More help in purchasing a Windows 10 computer can be obtained by attending the PC Club meeting on the 3rd Tuesday at 7 PM of each month at the Community Center.

I am sure that most of us can remember the severity of the weather that we experienced last winter…and the resulting power outages. Though winter is not scheduled to officially arrive until December, the following information will help you prepare for any instance where you may lose power…regardless of the season.

From time to time, usually during inclement weather, Hershey’s Mill villages and the surrounding community may lose electricity. While most outages last two or three hours, a few have lasted for more than 24 hours. During power outages lasting any length of time, the Security Department receives dozens of phone calls from residents who find themselves in inconvenient, or even emergency, situations that could be prevented with some advance planning. Listed below are a few suggestions that can better prepare people for a power outage:

• 1. When the power is out, your automatic garage door opener will not operate. For those residents with detached garages, be sure you know how to operate your emergency door release.
• 2. Keep plenty of flashlights around the house, and keep extra batteries handy.
• 3. Keep a charged cell phone somewhere in your house. Providing that phone and cable service have not gone out along with the electricity, Verizon customers will continue to receive phone service; and Comcast Phone customers should have phone service for 6-8 hours before the backup battery in the modem expires.
• 4. If you are dependent on any life-saving electrical devices (oxygen pumps, medical monitors….et), please contact your medical supply company to discuss options for a backup power supply.
• 5. Turn off any appliances that you were using when the power went off. When the power goes out unexpectedly, a person may have been using their stove, heating pad, or other device that requires monitoring. A person might leave the house and forget that these items were left running. If the person is not home when the power is restored, then the stove, heating pad….etc may begin operating again without any supervision…causing a fire hazard.

Please call PECO at 1-800-494-4000 to report that your power is out and for all outage-related questions, as PECO requires account holders to report their problem directly and does not provide the Security Department with any more information than they give to residents. When the Security Department is inundated with calls regarding a power outage, the phone line is then tied up; and residents who are calling with security-related issues or emergencies cannot get through.

Technology Tips – Published February 2019 in the Guide and Digest

By Don Trauger – Kennett

You may have heard the term but what is it? It’s a specialized form of malware that takes control of your computer and encrypts (locks) your personal files. Unlocking those files requires you to pay the hackers in Bitcoin which is a digital form of currency also known as cryptocurrency. After you pay them, often thousands of dollars of Bitcoins, they may give you the key (password) to unlock the files. To say the least it’s a bad situation.

Ransomware has been around for a long time. This has given anti-virus companies time to improve their detection against Ransomware. For home users detection is comprised of the usual anti-virus methods plus a vaccination applied to your personal Documents, Pictures, and Music folders. Different anti-virus companies may alter the approach of how this accomplished. They embed the protection deep into the Windows operating system but we can easily check to see if it’s working properly.

Click the white icon in the lower left corner of of the screen then click the “gear” icon (second icon above the white icon). This will open the Settings window. Next, click “Update & Security” and click “Windows Security” on the left. At the top click “Open Windows Defender Security Center”. Click “Virus & threat protection”. Scroll to the bottom and look for “Ransomware protection” and “No action needed”. If you see it you are set. If you don’t see it click the little up arrow to the right of “Windows Defender Antivirus options” and turn on “Periodic scanning”. “Ransomware protection” should now appear 1 item above.

The preceding information is based on using another anti-virus such as Bitdefender Free (my choice) or Avast. Other anti-virus programs may have similar results. If using Windows Defender as your only anti-virus program the procedure is slightly different. Click “Ransomware protection” and turn on “Controlled folder access”.

The combination of another antivirus program and enabling “Periodic scanning” is the best protection against ransomware.

Be sure to attend our PC Club meetings on the third Tuesday of each month at 7 PM in the Community Center “A” room. (Construction may change the location). We will cover this topic, update you on the Microsoft Updates issue and answer questions you may have.

PDF General info

Documents on the internet are frequently in portable document format (PDF) and most people have the software to read these already installed on the computer. If you don’t have it you can download it for free. It is called Adobe Reader and is totally free to you. However it is a large file and will be a long download if you have a slow connection. Be sure you get the free Adobe Reader since there are other options on the download page. The Adobe page will open in a new window if you click here for the ADOBE site.

Foxit Reader is a good alternative PDF reader. I used it when my old computer wouldn’t run ADOBE. It is also a free download and a fraction of the size of Adobe Reader (and faster PC magazine says). If you’d like to try it, visit Foxit Software.

Re-sizing the document

One of the nice things about the pdf reader is the user has an easy way to change the size of the print. There is a simple setting where you can change the size of the document as you are looking at it. On the residents and houses map, I find it easy to read numbers at 200% but then you only see a few houses. At 50% I see the whole village but the numbers are tiny.

Keep in mind that your reader may not be exactly the same as mine. In mine the size setting is about the middle of the bar directly above the document. There is a drop-down menu next to the percentage figure which allows you to change the size. You can also use the + and – figures near the percentage.

Or hold down the control key and tap + or – on your keyboard. See https://hersheysmill.org/help/print-size-adjustment/ if you need a bit more details on this.

Technology Tips – published December 2015 in the Guide and Digest

by Don Trauger – Kennett

Personalize Windows 10

When you have purchased a new Windows 10 computer or you have chosen to upgrade your Windows 7 or 8 computer you may want to Personalize it . This something to consider after you have configured more important things like your email and home page of your browser.

Personalizing your computer is easy. Click the white icon in the lower left corner of the screen then click Settings just above it. When the Settings window opens click Personalization. When it opens you can select a background picture from either Microsoft’s selections or a picture of yours from the Pictures folder. Below, under Choose a fit, “Fill” is probably your best choice.

Next, click Colors. I suggest that you turn off “Show color on Start, Taskbar, and Action Center”. The other 2 selections should be turned on.

The Lock screen can display either Windows Spotlight, a Picture, or a Slide Show. It’s a screen that will pop up before the login screen. Windows Spotlight allows you to provide feedback about the screen. I saw no effect with the Windows Spotlight setting. Click “on” for fun facts, tips, and tricks although I have seen little if any notifications. Under “Choose an app for detailed status” and “Choose Apps to show quick status” you will supposedly place icons for your selected apps on the Lock screen when you boot. I found that this did not work. It looks like Microsoft has some work to do in the above areas. Scrolling down you will see “Screen timeout settings” and “Screen saver settings”. Click “Screen timeout settings” and choose 5 minutes for battery operation and 10 minutes plugged in. A screen saver setting should not be used for modern computers. I see no purpose to the Lock screen. You can turn it off by going into the Control Panel, click Power Options, click “Choose what the power button does”, then click “Change settings that are currently unavailable”. Scroll down and uncheck Lock and click Save changes.

Click Themes then Theme settings and choose one of the Windows default themes or stay with the existing theme in the My Themes space. Avoid the High Contrast Themes.

Click Start and I recommend the following to be turned on. “Occasionally show suggestions in Start”, “Show most used apps”, Show recently added apps”, “Show recently opened items in jump lists on Start or the Taskbar”. “Use Start full screen” should be turned off.

The last item to personalize is to click on “Choose which folders appear on Start”. These are folders you may frequently use and can be made accessible in the Start Menu. Recommendations are File Explorer (file manager program), Settings, Documents, Downloads, Pictures, Music, and possibly others of your choice.

One last tweak or Personalization is to bypass the need to log in to your computer. You created a login when you created a Microsoft account. It serves no security purpose other than to keep other family members from using your computer without your knowledge.

To bypass the need to log in, right click the white icon in the lower left corner of the screen then left click Run. Type “netplwiz” (no quotes). Uncheck “Users must enter a user name and password to use this computer”. Click Apply then fill in your password in both fields.

Click OK, then click OK again.

The PC Club meetings are open to all regardless of computer experience. If you have questions that need to be answered, be sure to attend on the 3^rd Tuesday of each month at 7 PM, upstairs in the Community Center. We’ll cover Windows 10 Personalization on Dec. 15.