We field a lot of questions about the internet and browsers from many of our clients so I thought an article about this would be helpful for some of the very confused.

All of the above software products are in a family of browsers.  Browsers help you find and get to locations on the internet.  Browsers can be broken down to four functions that they serve.  Two functions are consistent with all browsers; the search bar and the address bar.  The other two functions are the actual search results returned and personalization such as saving your favorites and passwords.  Let’s review these functions.

The search bar – this is used for the stuff you want to find but don’t know where it is, (a list of churches 50 miles from your house, or how many cups in a gallon, or barns and noble’s exact website) You put your information in the search bar, hit enter and a list of search results appears on your screen.  That list would be different but most likely have many of the same results depending on which browser you use.

The Address bar – this is for the stuff you know the web address of, like www.abc.com.  You don’t search for that, you simply put it in the address bar.  If you searched for ABC you could end up with what you want but you could also end up with school supplies, ABC plumbing, wooden blocks and a host of other responses from your search engine (browser).  You will know the address bar because when you open up your browser it will already have something populated there and it will take you to that place.  For many of you that is AOL.  AOL is a location on the internet, it is not THE internet.

Your HOME PAGE is the web address your browser is set to take you to when it opens.   That can be AOL, internet e-mail of any variety, CNN, MSN, Fox, Road Runner home page, your company website.  The list is as long as the number of internet addresses

To go to another page, an address that you know, you simply type it in the box that has your home page address in it.  The search box will be blank.  And, you no longer actually have to type the www, it is assumed in the most recent versions of all browsers.  Try it and see.

If you open your browser and you have more than two (2) windows – you are doing it wrong and slowing down your computer in the process.  The more open boxes on your browser home page, the more programs are running in the background.  See this picture of over a dozen boxes – I promise, this machine is running slow!  Browser’s themselves are a frequent cause of slow-downs and one that people never think of.

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We hear all the time “I need to clean up my PC, it’s running slow “.  Many times it is all the add-ons to the browser causing the slowness. To fix that simply right click on a part of the address bar that is blank.  You should get pop up window of options for tool bars.  Remove all but what you really want.  Where did all those tool bars come from?  Every time you put software on your machine it tries to put a toolbar on there.  And it will if you are not vigilant.  Look for the small boxes that are already checked during installation, if they say add anything, un-check that.  Even Anti-virus companies do it to you!

If you have more than 6 boxes on your IE browser tab, you just need to come in for a tune up!  That is a true indicator that your machine probably needs some help and it might just run faster when we are done.

So browsers are nothing more than tools to get information to you.  Here comes the analogy – browsers are like forks.  All forks bring you food (information) some are better suited to certain tasks than others.  So, Firefox, Internet Explorer, Chrome, Safari, are all just tools to bring information to you.  The search results that come from each browser will vary as they use different criteria to search for you.  All browsers get better at searching for you over time.

Internet Explorer, or Internet Exploder as it is often called, was one of the first mainstream browsers since it came with your computer’s operating system.  Safari comes with Macintosh though you can also download that to your Microsoft PC.  Does anyone remember Netscape?  That was around during the dial up days released in 1994.

Today you have a choice of what browser to use for what information.  Features of a browser are saving your favorites, your passwords, security protection, pop-up management and things like that.  When your browser “crashes”, stops performing and shuts down suddenly, it might not save your last information or it might lose your last favorite places.  A la “Internet Exploder.”

OK, now here is the other half of the story.  When a browser connects with a website it trades information such as what browser it is, who your Internet Provider is (Time Warner) your general location (SE NC), your IP address, your operating system and so on.  Sometimes it leaves information behind to be used later, cookies.    Banks use cookies to recognize your normal computer and its location as a positive security sign.  If you log into your bank from another state, it may ask you your additional security questions because it knows you are not in the Wilmington area.

So, back to browsers, when a web designer makes a website they have to code for all browsers currently supported.  The browsers have to code to all Operating Systems supported.  This is why XP is going away, software companies do not want to support more than 3 systems back.  It is just too expensive to do so.  With the introduction of Windows 8, Windows XP is no the 4^th Operating System back.  Windows XP users already cannot upgrade Internet Explorer to the most recent  release.  To get around this problem, XP users can download Chrome which will continue to support them into next year.

Because different browsers are developed independently, some have capabilities within websites that others do not.  For example, in my on-line schedule system to see inside an appointment that has a large amount of text, I have to click to open with IE to get a pop up window.  In Firefox I can drag open the box on screen big enough to see all the text.  This just proves that sometimes a salad fork really does do a better job than a dinner fork.

Additionally, some websites just look and work better under certain browsers.  When using constant contact to prepare these newsletters I always use Firefox.   I also use Firefox for WordPress website work.   Internet Explorer can’t do either of the above jobs to my satisfaction.  It is not unusual to find a website today that looks and operates better in Firefox.  It is the first browser I would try if a website is troublesome to you. To download, follow this link:  http://www.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/new/

Chrome is the browser you should be using if you are on Windows XP.  Google no longer supports Internet Explorer in Windows XP Systems.   As time goes on, websites will become very unfriendly to the XP/Internet Explorer combination.  Support is coming to an end.

Download Chrome at http//www.google.com/chrome

Which browser should you use?  Whichever one you like.  Whichever works best in your situation.

Need a web site?  We got That!

Need a new computer?  We got That!

Need a QuickBooks pro advisor?  We got That!

Need a document edited?  We got That!

Need a smart phone?  We got That!

We are very well connected in the community.  If it touches your computer – we know some great to help you out.  Just give us a call!

910-799-8585

.  Yahoo, AOL, Bellsouth email accounts hacked. Owners of these types of accounts should change their passwords and set up security questions.

.  Fanbox -“The service (of Fanbox) tricks people into giving up their email addresses, passwords and cell phone numbers and then spams them relentlessly. Not only that, they spam everyone in their contact lists. The spam messages have ‘to stop receiving emails click here’ links but it doesn’t do a thing. Instead it just lets Fanbox know that your email address is live,” says Allspammedup.com.

FBI Virus – Your Computer has been locked.  Please send $300.00 (or some other amount) to the FBI to unlock your computer.  This is a virus.  Pure and simple.  The FBI does not send out these messages.

e-mails with links only – these are spam messages and you should never click a link in a blank e-mail.

Smart Phone Viruses – According to Trend Micro, malware targeting Android increased nearly sixfold in Q3 (July to September) 2012 to more than 175,000, up from around 30,000 “malicious” and potentially “dangerous” applications. The volume of malicious and high-risk Android apps will hit one million in 2013, according to a prediction by the security firm.

Microsoft calls – Microsoft does not know if your computer is infected and does not make outgoing calls to consumers about virus issues.

I’ve used FIND before, but until recently never in Internet Explorer – now I use it all the time and you will too!

Find – My new favorite trick.  While in Internet Explorer,  Press Control (CTRL KEY) + F key at the same time while in Internet Explorer.

A small box will open up in your internet explorer browser at the top left of the window. Type a word in that box and hit enter to FIND what you are looking for quickly!  Try it!

Some of you may know this from Word or Excel – you can use the same process to find and or find and replace in MS Office products.

Switch between programs – Alt + Tab or Alt + Esc Will allow you to quickly switch between programs. If you are a heavy user with multiple programs open at the same time, this shortcut might be for you!

Windows Vista and 7 users can also press the Windows Key + Tab to switch through open programs in a full screenshot of the Window.

Copy – CTRL + C – allows you to copy/insert text

Paste – CTRL + V Some people don’t know that you can paste multiple times. That text is available until you select new text. You can copy and paste from one program to another. So you can copy restaurant information from internet explorer into a word document or an email page.

Print – CTRL + P use to print your current page.

Save – CTRL + S Saves the file you are currently working on. A good practice when making a lot of changes to a document.

UNDO/REDO – Ctrl + Z and Ctrl + Y – Undo any change. For example, if you cut text, pressing this will undo it. This can also often be pressed multiple times to undo multiple changes. Pressing Ctrl + Y would redo the undo.

Delete full word – Ctrl + Back space and Ctrl + Left or Right arrow Pressing Ctrl + Backspace will delete a full word at a time instead of a single character. Holding down the Ctrl key while pressing the left or right arrow will move the cursor one word at a time instead of one character at a time. If you wanted to highlight one word at a time you can hold down Ctrl + Shift and then press the left or right arrow key to move one word at a time in that direction while highlighting each word.

Move to beginning or end of document – Ctrl + Home or Ctrl + End

Page Up, Space bar, and Page Down – Pressing either the page up or page down key will move that page one page at a time in that direction. When browsing the Internet pressing the space bar will also move the page down one page at a time. If you press Shift and the Space bar the page will go up a page at a time.

(upgradeable to Windows

Skip all that Windows 8 nonsense!  These options allow you to upgrade to Windows 8 at a later date, should you decide to do so.

The Windows 7 Operating System is more like Vista and XP – you will find it much easier to navigate than Windows 8, which is more like a Tablet.   (Deals change – this is what was available today.)

Desktops

Basic Windows 7 Home - $449.00

Intel Processor G202, 500 G Hard Drive, 2 G RAM. (upgradeable to 8)  1 Year Hardware Warranty.  1 week delivery time or less.

for Most Home Users: $549.00

Intel Dual Core i3 Processor, 500 G Hard Drive 4G RAM (upgradeable) 1 Year Hardware Warranty, Currently 1 week delivery.

Most Small Business Applications:  $ 679.00

Intel Dual Core i5 Processor, 1T Hard Drive, 4G RAM (upgradeable) Windows 7 Professional . 1 Year Hardware Warranty, 2 week delivery.

Laptops

Laptop – Basic: $419.00 15.6″ screen, Windows 7 Home, Intel Celeron processor, 2 G RAM, 320G Hard Drive, 1 year hardware warranty from Dell.  Ships fast.  For the customer that needs the mobility of a laptop but only uses it for internet and web searching.  Just a laptop with Windows 7.

Laptop – Business $619.00 15.6″ screen, Windows 7 Professional for networking, 3rd Gen i3 processor, 4G RAM, 500G Hard Drive, Dual layer DVD.  Fast Ship – 2 day shipping.

Order your new computer from us.  We specialize is selling you exactly what you need.  The process is simple. If you don’t know what you need some simple questions from us will fit the right system for your needs.

Angie’s List review:

When you order your new system with us, we order it, track it and receive it.  When it arrives, bring in your old computer in day one for data transfer and on day two we bring the machines back to you for final installation and training.  It couldn’t be easier!

Note: These machines do NOT come with Microsoft Office.  Office is $80 – $399. depending on the version.   We can install Office software as well.  Please mention it when you call us.  We also set up your cell phone and tablets to receive and sync your mail.

Other PC options available for your home or business.

It is a recipe for disaster.  It is an unknown epidemic.   Up to 300,000 children, our children, are currently in the sex trade.  It is the second largest illegal activity in America.  Yes.  America.  The sex trade has a better return than drugs or guns; you can sell a girl over and over making up to $600,000 tax free dollars a year off just one child, who doesn’t see any of that money.

The sex trade is big business, there is nothing random about it.  It is a proven method that works.  It starts with “Grooming” a child via internet capable devices.  Phones, and computers.  The stranger is not lurking at the playground, it is not a boy in a bedroom, it is not even creepy guy in some far away state communicating with your child.  It is a real life predator using modern technology and the inevitable teenage bad day to do the unimaginable.

Grooming is about reaching your child via the internet, chat and phone weeks or months before they are taken.  A pimp enters chat rooms and looks for children who are good targets.  He friends them.  He tells them everything they want to hear.  He hooks your sullen unresponsive teen with constant conversation and the start of behavior control and mental abuse.  He tells your child parents and police are bad; that nobody understands and loves your child  more than he does. Before long it sounds like:  “You are beautiful, smart, mature for your age.  I have no rules, I hate your parents and the school and those girls that give you a hard time and I’ll take care of you, come with me we will live in grand style.”  The pied piper has arrived and your child is dancing along to the tune.

The average age of girls going into the sex trade is 12.  This is not because they are following in their mother’s chosen career path, this is because they are getting picked up at our own front doors through the internet connection.  “It appears she willing went with him.”  NO.  Twelve year old girls are not capable of deciding to run off with adult men with sex conviction records.  That needs no more conversation.  These men are systematically luring these girls into prostitution.  They are not going willing with them; it is not possible.

I’d also like to add that Parents are not “Bad Parents” because some nasty piece of filth from the street is out looking for susceptible children and they got their child.  As a society we are more susceptible then ever to what is going on in our lives.  We have work issues, money issues, separations, moves and sour milk.  It is a difficult time for the adults and a difficult time for children and a real shark is in the mix.  Sometimes when I see these news articles they are so slanted from reality it makes me mad!

Because of this busy lifestyle we give our children computers and phones.  It seems every child you see today has a phone, no matter their age.   We give them a phone to stay in touch, to keep them safe, so they can call if they miss their ride or get sick or need us.  Unfortunately the pimp is using that phone and that internet you pay for to get to your child.

After repeated conversations on the internet your child is ready to run away to the glamorous life of the pimp world just like they show us on TV.  Fancy cars, high rise balconies, clothes, shoes etc.   One day the girl has a bad day and she calls the pimp crying.  He says I’ll come and get you, we can run away and be in love.  You’ll have everything you ever dreamed of.  Where do you live?

The pimp pulls up to your front door at 3:30 in the afternoon, in middle suburbia on a Wednesday and takes your child, and whatever she packed, off to a life that she was not imagining and you can’t stop thinking about.  “She went willingly.”

Within a few months the girl is in another city on the street.  She works until she has earned $500 or more per night.  She is beaten, raped, locked in a closet and starved.

Meanwhile the parents started out thinking the girl ran to a friends house and that she will show up in a day or two.  When she doesn’t return home, and when the local police have no clues, reality starts to set in.  The next step for the police is to ask for an order of protection to be signed.  This allows them to widen the search.   If the parents want to keep on looking for the child, and she does appear to have gone off “willingly”, after all, signing this paper is a requirement.   An order of protection basically gives up all your parental rights, says you can’t parent and asks the “system” to take care of your child by continuing the search, especially into other states, now that we realize she is not local.  This is how you get your child on the Missing and Exploited Website.  You sign that paper.  As a parent you will sell your soul to have your child back; you will sign any paper.  But it doesn’t really matter because frankly, the police don’t do a lot.  The child “went willingly” the parents “can’t manage the child” and she is out of the local jurisdiction anyway.  Your child is a teen runaway and the police do not see them as being kidnapped.  Your only hope is that a adult registered sex offender took your child and you can prove it.  Unfortunately most of these types of sex offenders have no record and you don’t have a name anyway.

With the “Endangered Child” papers signed you are now hoping your child is caught in a bust and will be recognized in the “System” and returned to you.  The reality is if you child is caught up in the “System” they will not give their real name.  Parents and police are the enemy – remember?   These kids give fake names get short jail time, and are dumped back onto the street somewhere far from home.   They have been taught by now to fear the police and will not willing admit to them that they are in trouble.   Their first phone call is to the pimp, not to you.

If somehow their real name does come to light then they will be arrested immediately and sent to Juvenile detention because the parents gave up their rights.  After more courts and police; if you finally do get your child back from this nightmare, they are not a child anymore.  Childhood is gone forever.  If the child is now an adult they will be prosecuted as an adult for the crimes they were enslaved for.
It starts in an innocent chat room.    How it ends is with children on the street, forced into prostitution by physical and verbal abuse.  Once the pimp teaches them his lessons, these children don’t run, and they don’t go to the police for help.  They are far too broken to help themselves.

So let us stop treating these girls, and their families as anything but victims.  And let’s start talking about what is really going on.  Bad, bad people are stalking our children and taking them away.  We need a process to pick up the girls on the street and get them home.  We need a process to heal those who have been touched by this in any way.  We need to toughen the laws on slave trafficking.  It’s disgusting that we allow our most vulnerable to be attacked without fighting back in a systematic logical way.

What can you do?  Be vocal.  Be educated.  Be vigilant and SNOOP on your children.  Parents are providing (paying for) the tools that pimps are using to catch children.  You have a responsibility to your child to keep them safe.  Inspect their internet history.  Take the phone without notice and examine the contents.  Talk about the new “stranger danger” with your children.  If they are old enough to be on the internet, they are old enough to know the dangers that lurk there!

First the cheaper it is the less it does.  If you simply want a tablet that you can add Apps to, check Facebook and email and movie times, buy things, get a cheap one for about $200.00 and if it breaks, throw it away and buy another.

If you have particular desires from the Tablet, make sure it can perform them.  How does it print?  How many USB ports does it have?  How does it communicate with other devices, do you need more equipment?  What software can you add to it?

Many customers ask about Microsoft Office.  MS Office is a Microsoft product so that means you need a Microsoft operating System.  Microsoft has the market locked up on that with their product, the Surface.  This Tablet has a  detachable keyboard.  This is the first time Microsoft has gone into the hardware product line, other hardware companies like Acer are not happy about that.  Early reviews of the Surface report design issues.  Like everything, sometimes it pays to wait for the bugs to be worked out.  The Surface is new as of October, just in time for 4th Quarter holiday sales.  Was it pushed to market?  Quite possibly.

If you do heavy keyboarding for your business including Word documents, Financial Programs, Social Media, etc. I think you should wait and see how the tablet market starts to mature for businesses.

What should you buy?

Mac people, buy the iPad.  Nuff said.

Non-Mac People who just want to play and have no objectives of the tablet but games, and email and Facebook, buy anything cheap.

Business People – check for USB ports, communication with your existing devices/network and software needs.

Buy the protective case and if you buy a device and if you buy a high end device, over $500, get the accidental protection plan.  Replacement screens are over $200.00.

For Immediate Release:

Contact: Susan Kadar 910-799-8585

Wilmington NC, December 26, 2012.   Wilmington-based Your Computer Friends,

a computer repair service company, has earned the coveted 2012 Angie’s List Super Service Award.

Only 5% of all companies rated on the popular consumer review site meet the eligibility requirements necessary to be considered for the award, and even fewer actually receive it.  Angie’s award winners meet strict requirements that include an exemplary rating from customers.  This is the second year Your Computer Friends has won this honor.

“It’s a select group of companies rated on Angie’s List that can claim the exemplary customer service record of being a Super Service Award winner,” said Angie’s List Founder Angie Hicks. “Our standards for the Super Service Award are quite high. The fact that Your Computer Friends earned this recognition speaks volumes about its dedication to providing great service to its customers.”

Your Computer Friends is an active small business in Wilmington that also provides re-purposed computers to area non-profits and has collected over 18 tons of e-waste through their recycle events.

Your Computer Friends

3816 Oleander Drive

Wilmington, NC 28403

www.yourcomputerfriends.com