Lousy Tech Support
 

Lousy Tech Support assumes you are using Internet Explorer for your browser and Windows XP for your operating system.

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I'm still showing the gossip column from last week. 

Lousy Tech support:
It could be from a wide variety of reasons. The main reason is that you are storing old versions on your computer. We only support Internet Explorer so all our guesses will be for that browser. Here are some tips to view any website that updates daily:

In Internet Explorer>Tools>Options>General Tab>Delete Cookies Button>OK
In Internet Explorer>Tools>Options>General Tab>Delete Files Button>Check: Delete all offline content>OK
In Internet Explorer>Tools>Options>General Tab>Settings Button>Check: Every time you start IE>OK

If you still have a problem seeing the current day's Coconut Telegraph try typing: bigpinekey.com in the address window of IE instead of using a saved link from your Favorites folder.

You can now download Internet Explorer 7. It does everything any other Browser does and more!  http://www.microsoft.com/windows/ie/default.mspx It's definitely cool.
Anti-virus, firewall and anti spyware software for dummies.

(Lousy Tech support:
Anti-virus: AVG by Grisoft, Firewall: Zone Alarm by Zone Labs, Spyware: Windows Defender. Google them and download them and open them and you’re protected for free with high quality software. That is the lineup we use here at corporate headquarters.)
Arrest Record How do I find out about crooks and drunks?
From this great website you can find out dirty little secrets about people who live in the Keys.  Go to the Arrest Records link, then click Today, click Monroe County Clerk of the Courts, click on Public Online Records Search, read Disclaimer and scroll down to Accept, click Official Records, then type in the persons Last Name and click Submit. 
Attaching a Photo. How can I send you a picture to place with my Classified Ad or Kudos and Whiners?
Lousy Tech Support:
I’m assuming that you have already saved the picture to your computer.

At the top of the email that you're sending is a little paperclip. Click on it and a list of all the folders in your computer will open. Double-click (left mouse button) on the folder where you’ve saved the picture (usually My Pictures) and find your picture there. Double-click on the picture and it will automatically attached to your email. The name of the picture will show up in the Attachments line right below the Subject line.
Automatic Scheduling and How often should I run the disk cleanup, defrag, Spybot, virus scan and Registry Pro?  I have managed to free up some space.  I am currently at 28% free space.  What is the norm?

Lousy Tech Support:
The norm depends on the size of your hard drive. 28% on a 160Gb hard drive is a lot, but on a 4Gb HD--it isn't.

We leave our computers on all the time and have our antivirus, spyware, software updates and backups scheduled to automatically run in the wee hours of every morning. We never defrag unless we’re having a problem. You don’t need disk cleanup unless you really use your computer a lot and I don’t mean just surfing the web. Registry Pro should be run and if you see it has helped correct potential problems (it gives a report) than run it more often. If no problems--run it less often. The same really goes for most of the programs you mentioned. It’s all relative to your usage. Automatic scheduling these things is the best way to go. Remember that if you automatically schedule software and don't leave your computer on all the time, when you do turn it on all those programs will run at the same time causing you're computer to run slow or lock up.
How do you block an email or domain name?

Lousy Tech Support:
This works in Microsoft software. From your e-mail Inbox or the list of messages in a newsgroup, select a message from a sender you want to block. On the Message menu, click Block Sender.

To remove a sender or domain from the Blocked senders list, on the Tools menu, point to Message Rules, and then click Blocked Senders List. Select the sender or domain, and then click remove.

I'm almost blind (1)and I have a hard time reading the computer. Any ideas to make it easier for me?

Lousy Tech Support: 
1. Go to Start>programs>accessories>accessibility>magnify. It shows whatever your mouse points to at the top in big size and it's totally customizable.

2. You can go to the Accessibility wizard and the Narrator (translates text to words). Either one will set up your computer for easier viewing.

3. Is your computer screen size set at 800 X 600? (the biggest size)
Right click on an empty area of your desktop (that's the normal window where you have all the icons on before you open any programs) Left click properties>settings tab>slide the arrow under "Screen resolution" all the way to the left until it says 800 X 600 then click OK.
I'm almost blind (2)and I have a hard time reading the computer. Any ideas to make it easier for me?

[Lousy Tech Support] Did you know that with the new Internet Explorer 7, if you hold down the Ctrl key and tap the + or _ keys the print on the screen will get larger or smaller? In the bottom right of the screen there is even a readout that tells you the size you’ve selected. This is really helpful if your eyeballs don’t work like they used too.
Post-its
Lousy Tech Support:
This free plug-in allows you to put virtual yellow Post-it stickers on your desktop instead of having notes all over your real desk. Stickies: http://www.zhornsoftware.co.uk/stickies/
Clock
Lousy Tech Support:
I downloaded a tiny program called TClockEx to always display the day, date and year. When opened, this little plug-in replaces the clock in the bottom right of your taskbar. It's free and infinitely customizable at http://www.pcworld.com/downloads/file/fid,6122-order,1-page,1-c,alldownloads/description.html
How do I set up email so I don't have to go online to get it?

Lousy Tech Support:
Call your Internet Service Provider (Bellsouth, Yahoo, AOL, Earthlink, etc) Have them help you or ask them your User Name, Password, POP3 Server and SMTP Server
Outlook Express 6 is the email program most Windows computers come with.

1. How to find the Internet Connection Wizard:
Open Outlook Express > Tools (at top) > Accounts > Mail (tab) > Add (button, upper right) > Mail (drop down list) > (and the wizard will open)

2. Start filling in the wizard:
Name: youremailname@bigpinekey.com > Next > E-mail address: youremailname@bigpinekey.com > Next

3. Now you must point to the server that your internet service provider will tell you.
My incoming server is a POP3 server
Incoming mail (POP3) server: mail.bigpinekey.com
Outgoing mail (SMTP) server: mail.bigpinekey.com > Next

4. Internet mail login
Account name: Provided by your internet service provider. Give them a call if you don't know it.
Password: Provided by your internet service provider > Finish

5. Close (X) all windows

END OF PART I

1 Open Outlook Express 6
Tools > Accounts > Mail > Highlight: youremailname@bigpinekey.com > Properties > Servers > (At the bottom) Outgoing Mail server > -check in box- My server requires authentication > Settings > Logon Info > -dot in circle- Use same settings as my incoming mail server > OK > OK > Close

2 All done 
I have too much music.  Can music be stored on a little plug in, I think they are called  thumb drives?

Lousy Tech Support:
Yes you can, but it’s not practical. Buy yourself an external hard drive. They cost about a hundred dollars for a big one and it just plugs into a USB port. When you click on My Computer it will show up as just another drive. You will have something like: Local Disk (C:) and below it, CD-RW (D:) and below that your new external hard drive: Removable Drive (E:)  or whatever. So when you download music just direct it to your new HD and you should copy all your existing music from Local Disk (C:) to your new HD. You can even take your external HD with you and plug it into other people’s computers. Cool! I use a Maxtor 160Gb external HD for my backups and music storage and still have plenty of room left.
Mug shot photos Change:  For some reason, when I copy and paste a photo and email it to friends, the right arrest info appears, but with the wrong mug shot. 

Lousy Tech Support:
The MCSO mug shots have a link attached to them. In order to keep the correct picture you have to save the picture on your computer and change the name as you save it. That will get rid of the link.
Should I turn my computer off every night?
Lousy Tech Support:
Half of the experts say yes and the other half say no. There is no strong argument to turn it off. We leave ours on all the time. It's so convenient and we set all our auto updates and downloads for the middle of the night so we don't have to mess with that chore every time we turn on our computers.
Is it possible to have one column of "I have something to say" on the left of the screen instead of two. 
Lousy tech support:
You're seeing the web page incorrectly; possibly from an older saved link from you Favorites list. You should type bigpinekey.com in the address window of Internet Explorer and then you can create a new favorites shortcut and the problem will disappear.)
Safe Web Sites. How can I tell if a website is safe or not?
Lousy Tech support:
Download McAfee Site Advisor. This is a handy little free plug-in from the McAfee anti-virus people. It puts a green mark next to web sites that are safe and red marks next to dangerous sites. I love it. http://www.siteadvisor.com/download/iemedia.html?cid=21638&gclid=CO_isJKFj4cCFR17UAodN07Cug
Video How can I send you a video from a web site on the internet?
 Lousy Tech support:
Please send us the web link instead of the whole enormous file. It’s easy. Just open the page with the video on it on the internet and the address of that video will be way at the top of the browser where is says “address”. Drag your mouse over it to highlight the address then >File>Copy. Then click on an empty space in the body of the email that you have already opened and click File>Paste.
What about Anti Virus Protection?
Lousy Tech support:
There's no need to pay for anti-virus protection when there are such good free products out there. The highly touted AVG and Avast are two of the tops. We use Windows XP Home and have never had a virus either. We get about one or two a week, but the free software has always quarantined them. You must have auto-updates enabled for any anti-virus software to work properly. Tip: when downloading click "Open" when they ask.
How can I stop Spy-ware?
 Lousy Tech support:
there are two excellent free programs. Lavasoft's Ad-Adware SE and SpyBot Search and Destroy. You do need to run both of them as one isn't enough. Another free program is Windows Defender. WD is the only anti-spyware software that we use at corporate headquarters. It scans our computes automatically every morning at 2am.
How can I prevent my neighbor from accessing my computer by remote?
Is there any software which can definitely confirm where this remote request is coming from? 
Lousy tech support:
This is an easy one. Download ZoneAlarm, the highly rated, free firewall. It notifies you when someone is trying to access your computer and usually tells you who it is. You can set it to block any source you want. We use Zone Alarm at headquarters for all our computers.