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| Everyday Tips from the ComputerMom |
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Looking outside at a light frosting of snow and looking forward to the end of this cold and nasty winter! Hope everybody is staying warm and healthy - I am just recovering from a cold, which explains the delay in my February newsletter.
Speaking of health, I recently published an article about hard drive health in the Medfield Patch. As I see far more failed hard drives than any other hardware problem, and ignoring the symptoms can be a very unhappy experience, this newsletter includes a condensed version of that article.
February is about as grim as it gets, but fortunately it's a short month and the days are starting to get longer. Hang in there, Spring will be here before you know it!
Regards,
Julie Marto
508-359-8176
www.thecomputermom.com
www.facebook.com/thecomputermom
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Hard Drive Health 
Without question the most common hardware problem I encounter is a failed or failing hard drive. I recently published an article about this topic in the Medfield Patch and here are the highlights.
The hard drive is the main storage device on your computer, where both your operating system and your personal data, like pictures, music, and documents are stored. Macs are as likely to have a hard drive failure as any other computer - the hard drives installed in all computers are component parts manufactured by just a few companies such as Western Digital or Seagate.
Fortunately, full hard drive failure usually takes a while, giving you time to act before a final catastrophic failure. Symptoms can be subtle and just seem like a balky computer, but here are some things to look for:
- Clicking or grinding noises while running
- Files that mysteriously disappear
- Programs that will no longer run, or run sporadically
- Locking up during start-up
- Frequent Blue Screens of Death
- A freezing computer that doesn't recover until you turn the system off and on again
- Very slow standard file processes like saving and opening, even for small files
If you have any of these symptoms you should, first, make sure your system is backed up. Then you or I can run a diagnostic test on your drive. If the drive is failing it should be replaced as soon as possible. Fortunately most PC hard drives are easily replaced and not terribly expensive. Macs are different as the ease of repair depends on the model - if you have questions call me and I will point you in the right direction.
If your old drive is still in reasonable shape, it can often be "cloned" - the entire drive contents will be copied to the new drive intact. This is the best possible case, because if your drive can be cloned you should get your computer back exactly the same as before you had any issues, except, of course, it will no longer show the symptoms of a failing drive. If your drive is too sick to clone, you should expect to get your system back looking very much like when you originally purchased it. I will install and update Windows and an antivirus program, and any other software you provide me. If you have a current backup that can be restored i will restore it. I can also often recover your data and settings from your failed drive even if it is too sick to clone, so all is not lost even if you never made a backup. Once you have your system back home you will have to install things like printers and connect it to your network. Since a hard drive failure is an inconvenience at best, and a real tragedy at worst, it's important to be attuned to the signs of impending failure so you can get things fixed before it goes too far. Click here to read the entire article in the Medfield Patch.
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 Windows 8 and You
I'm starting to see more Windows 8 systems out there, and using it more myself. As you've probably heard, Windows 8 is very different from any previous versions of Windows and many of you wonder if you should buy it. So, here is my general advice.
The biggest visible difference between Windows 8 and all previous versions of Windows is the lack of a start button. Microsoft has taken all the information that used to be in the start menu and moved it to a new, graphical, touch oriented Start Screen. It's the first thing you see after you log into your Windows 8 user account.
Navigation in Windows 8 is very different from navigating any previous version of Windows, and it definitely takes some getting used to. However, once you have learned your way around Windows 8 is a faster and less resource intensive operating system, and definitely the future of Windows.
If you have a Windows 7 computer right now, I see no reason to upgrade it to Windows 8. Windows 7 works well and is stable, and should be supported by Microsoft for a long time to come. If you are still using a computer with Windows XP or even Vista on it, your system is at least 5 years old and you should be considering an upgrade to a new computer at some point.
If you are planning to buy a new computer, Windows 8 is the way to go. Microsoft is not going backwards, so I recommend just diving in and embracing the changes. Here are some suggestions to make the transition easier:
- If you are buying a laptop make sure you get one with a touch screen. Windows 8 is meant to be a touch interface and there is an incredible difference in usability between Windows 8 with touch and without. Don't make the mistake of saving a few dollars by going with a non-touch interface.
- If you are buying a desktop consider buying an All-in-One system with a touch screen. Again, these have been optimized for Windows 8, and although the tile system can be quite jarring on such a large screen it will become more natural to use.
Whichever way you go, don't forget that you can drop your old and new system off with me for a very personalized system migration. I will do what I can to ensure an easy transition by attempting to make your new system mirror your old as much as possible.
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