Share Your Photos on the Web with family and friends …You can sometimes do the editing there as well. Popular websites include fotki.com, flickr.com, myphotobook.com, ovi.com, or galleryme.com. Ultimately these websites make their money by printing photos. Photosharing websites are very useful when travelling and when family and friends are located around the world and can view your photos by computer or mobile phone. Remember though that by uploading your photos, that they are located elsewhere than your computer.

 

Ensuring it does not end in tears when you buy software online – Disaster Struck , a Blue Screen appeared and my hard drive in my laptop started to make clunky noises. So I took the plunge and moved to a new laptop with Microsoft Vista operating system and Office 2007 to do my work. Moving my data went smoothly. But setting up all my programs that I had bought over the years did not. I found when I went to reinstall some of my software that I use to run the business, that some did NOT WORK with VISTA!! For these I had to purchase an UPGRADE, however as I had the original program on a CD and the licence number, I paid a lot less than for the whole new program.A lesson I learnt is that if you buy software online, download it, (ie) SAVE it rather than just RUN it, and make a copy of it on a CD. You will need the program if you ever have to move your stuff to a new computer. Oh, and when you make a copy on a CD, test the CD to see if what you thought was there is really there. Then write on the CD with a CD marker the Program Name, Date purchased, Seriel Number, and Website purchased from. Keep all your program CDs in a box. Should you ever need to set up that software again you have the program!! What a relief.

 

More and More Data Recoveries…

During 2008 the number of Data Recovery cases increased steadily. The main reasons were failing Hard Disk Drives & agressive Virus infections. Ever cheaper PC prices mean that cheaper and sometimes lesser quality Hard Disk Drives are used. Free virus protection isn’t good enough anymore! Cheap protection can turn out to be an expensive data recovery. If your PC has serious problems make sure that it will be repaired by an experienced Engineer. A1 Computers gives a written guarantee for all repair work  carried out. Phone us at 2849715 if you have computer problem.

 

Do You Want to Find Stuff easily on the Web?

 A good way to start is simply to type in a short phrase describing what you want into the place where the website name is usually displayed..(ie) Type in ….cheap car rental in Tenerife… and press enter. Try different phrases till you find what you want. Google is a good place to practise searching. Generally I use www.copernic.com because it saves my old searches easily.

 

Reduce Energy Consumption on the Internet

When your screen is white, be it an empty word page, or the Google page, your computerconsumes 74 watts, and when it is black it consumes only 59 watts. If Google had a black screen, taking into account the huge number of page views, 750 mega watts/hour per year would be saved. SO Google created a black version of its search engine, called Blackle, with the exact same functions as the white version, but with a lower energy consumption. See website www.blackle.com

 

The Electronic Data Explosion

The amount of electronic data we create and consume has exploded over the last 20 years. In 1987 there were less than 50 million computers used worldwide, while today there are more than one billion. In 1987 the average hard drive stored less than 30 megabytes while today 80-100 gigabyte drives are the norm. Currently, more than 90 percent of all business records are produced electronically, and less than 30 percent are reproduced in paper form. What would happen if your computer hard drive failed? It is really important to make sure all your data is backed up. A1 Computers can suggest sensible ways of making sure your photos, music, files etc. are safe.

 

Podcasting – Listening & Learning Whatever Whenever You Want

PODCASTING lets you automatically receive the latest episode of your chosen programme as soon as it’s available. You need to “subscribe” to receive a podcast, rather like you might subscribe to a magazine and get it delivered each week. Podcasts from many radio stations are free, and you can stop receiving the files at any time. To sign up for a podcast you need an internet connection and a piece of podcast software which is usually available free of charge. I use Juice which I find very satisfactory. This software can check for new episodes and automatically download them for you. Once you have your radio programs or talks saved in your computer you can then put them onto your MP3 player, such as Zen. So when you are out walking, on the bus or plane you can listen to music, radio, books, talks etc. that you CHOOSE!

 

Wireless Networking

Use Computers and Printers without Wires
A wireless home network allows everyone in your house to share a broadband internet connection or printer, without the need for complicated cabling. You can surf the web or email from the sofa or swap files between PCs in seconds – plus it’s easy to add extra computers later on.
    Connect the whole household
By simply plugging your router into a phone or cable socket, your entire home can be connected into a wireless network through one central point. It’s quick, easy, secure and most importantly, there are no wires!
•    You can play online games without being next to a socket!
•    You can move to another room and still listen to the same music!
•    You can surf the web while I enjoy the sunshine
•    You can share files or swap them easily from PC to Laptop!
•    You can print from anywhere in the house

CONNECT A DESKTOP PC

You can connect your PC wirelessly by installing a PCI card (you’ll have to fit this inside your computer), by using a USB adaptor that simply plugs into a standard USB slot.

CONNECT A LAPTOP

Many modern laptops come with built-in wireless (Wi-Fi). If yours doesn’t, you can make it wireless with a laptop card (PCICMA) or using a USB adaptor. Both simply plug into your laptop.

NETWORK RANGE AND SPEED

The standard range is known as G. However, if you have a big house, thick walls, or want to share your network over a larger area, look for a modem or cable router with a wider range. These are known as G+ (G plus, G+ MIMO, or Nl), or N.

Network speed is the speed at which your computers connect to each other (it doesn’t affect your internet speed). Speed is measured in Mbps (megabits per second), with the standard being 54Mbps. If you’re transferring a lot of files you’ll need a faster router of up to 300Mbps.

Why not add a printer or other equipment?
It’s easy to add extra equipment to your network. You can buy a wireless print server to convert your existing printer or get a wireless one. You can also add a wireless internet phone – the possibilities are endless. A1 Computers can advise and help you on the what and how.

 

Welcome to A1 Computers

A1 Computers has for over 18 years been taking care of business & home computers for over 8000 customers. This family run business offers a friendly, efficient computer support service. Our experienced Engineers can callout or you can drop in. Our shop stocks over 1,800 computer and printer products. We can save you up to 60% off a selection of printer supplies. Just off the N11 we are easy to find and there is FREE parking at the door. We are open 6 days a week.

A1 Computers includes our Shop, IT Services Centre, IT Support Centre, Drop-in Repair Centre and Data Recovery Centre. We are here to help when you need us. Tel: 2849715