Recently in Computer tips Category

The Royal Mail web site lets you work out how much a letter packet or parcel will cost to post.

Just weigh the item on the scales in the kitchen, then log on to the Royal Mail site and type in the weight. You then get the prices of the various options.

Then of course put on stamps, or go to the Post Office and buy them knowing in advance how much to pay. This will save time in the queue at this busy period.

You can of course buy the stamps online to print yourself, but much better to support your local post office!

If you are fed up of your computer running slowly then please take time to read this article closely as I am sure it will help you with your problems.

Does your internet access include telephone calls, or do you have a pre-paid bundle for landline phone calls?

If you do you probably still have to pay for 0870 and similar numbers. However help is at hand at a web site that you can search for alternative landline numbers to those advertised by companies, government and so on.

Just go to http://saynoto0870.com  and search for the organisation you want to call. You can also add landline numbers yourself to the web site. We used the service to get a no extra charge call to National Express East Coast customer services.

 

Are you connected to the internet by Virgin Media, BT or Talk Talk? The you had better watch out.

Apparently all three have contracted to extract the details of every web page you look at and sell this to an 'advertising broker'. So you can get 'targeted advertising'. If you don't like this idea, Talk talk will let you opt out. 

The company doing this is called Phorm.

There is a lot more on this, and a chance to take action here.

You really should read all about this. 

Do you use Google to search the internet?

If you do then you should take a look at the new Ethicle search engine. Ethicle is a service that uses the Google system to create a web browser that raises money for charities (or NGOs as the web site calls them). The web site says:

Just go to www.ethicle.org and select one or several NGO(s) amongst those displayed on the webpage. By selecting them, you indicate that those non-profits are the beneficiaries of the donations generated while using Ethicle.
Enter your query in the Google search bar. Click on "Search". The obtained results are those provided by Google, with the same efficiency and speed as the original search engine.

You can also customize your Web browser search engine to be configured as a Ethicle search toolbar; this option is made available to you at www.ethicle.org. This will allow you to use a Ethicle toolbar supported by Google search engine on your default web browser.

In both cases, the money generated by your search goes to NGO(s) you've selected. The chosen NGO(s) remain(s) selected automatically, each time you use Ethicle to browse the web. You are 100% free to change your selection at anytime. Please note that each change on www.ethicle.org is automatically saved on the Ethicle toolbar as well. 

You can always add your own charities, and we have requested that the Millennium Trust is added to the list of charities you can nominate to receive a donation. Each search you make produces $0.001 for a charity. 

Some people won't use a computer - they say they are too old to learn something new. Others however, particularly as they get older, might find using a computer inpossible due to sight impairment.

Now available is a great piece of software for blind people that reads out the screen.

Called Thunder, it has been developed by blind couple Roger and Margaret Wilson-Hinds, and is offered free of charge. As it says on their web site

Thunder is a reading aid and restores the ability to write, keep up to date with information, learning and work, while remaining within the mainstream of Society.

Download the software and read more at http://www.screenreader.net/. It would make a great present for a friend or relative.

ITsafe is a government service, launched this week by the Home Office.

ITsafe is designed to provide both home users and small businesses with proven, plain English advice to help protect computers, mobile phones and other devices from malicious attack.

It consists of both the advice on its website, and a low-volume Alerting Service.

A good way to start protecting yourself is to follow the ITsafe Four Point Guide to better information security.

You can sign up to a free e-mail and mobile phone texting services:

* Bulletins - e-mails that describe current IT security issues
* Alerts - e-mail bulletins about only the most urgent dangers
* ITsafe News - a quarterly in-depth publication sent by e-mail
* Text Messaging - alerts sent to your mobile phone number.

Log on here for more information.

Here are a few links for keeping your systems secure from Viruses, Spam, Spyware, and also a link for Internet Safety.

For Anti Virus software that is free to download for the home user, called AVG, go to http://www.grisoft.com/us/us_index.php.

The next link is for a Firewall for your home computer, again free to
download off the Internet: go to here and click on the link for Shields Up.

Adaware is a free programm that scans your computer and removes all sorts of unwanted stuff - if you have not used it you may be surprised what is lurking there!

You can also use Spybot Search & Destroy on your system that does what Adaware does but without the deep scanning.

The following link is for Internet safety. The World's Oldest and Largest Internet Safety Organisation is at http://www.cyberangels.com/.