This question was asked by Paul Prior. Paul wrote saying, “Out of curiosity, after updates I get a message saying to restart my computer, which I always do. What’s the reason for this?”

Transcription begins:

This is a pretty simple thing to understand when you think about it the right way.

First off, the updates he’s talking about are Windows updates, or software updates as they’re called on the Mac. These are fixes and improvements that have been issued by Microsoft, in the case of Windows, or, in the case of Mac OS X, by Apple.

Generally, on the Windows side, they’re almost exclusively fixes for problems. On the Mac side, they are maybe 50% to 75% fixes for problems, and 25% to 50% are actually improvements and enhancements they’ve added in.

You want to do these updates pretty much any time they come out, especially on the Windows side. It’s not just on the Windows side. I should be fair. Any time there’s a security update on the Mac or Windows side, you always want to do that as soon as you can. Most updates are security updates on the Windows side, generally speaking.

It’s never a bad idea to do a backup first just in case. Occasionally, some people will have problems with these updates. It’s a minority, but some people have run into problems. As a precaution, it’s a good idea to do a backup first.

Doing the updates is a really important thing to do because it fixes problems and security issues. If they’re not fixed, they can cause your computer to get invaded by a hacker, malicious program or what have you. You don’t want to have that happen.
By doing the updates, in many cases, the computer has to restart. Paul was wondering why this is.

Think of it this way. The files on your computer are like a rug. If you’re standing on a rug, can you take that rug, pick it up and clean it? Probably not because you’re standing on it. It’s in use. Files are much the same. If a file is in use, it can’t be picked up and replaced with a new version of the file just as you could not replace the rug with a new rug until you get everything off of it.

Essentially, what happens when you restart the computer after the update is it’s getting all the stuff off the rugs, picking the rugs up and replacing them with new rugs, so to speak. That’s why you have to restart the computer after you do an update.
Basically, it’s just a matter of getting out of the way of the files so they’re not in use and they can be replaced.

Hopefully that makes sense and answers your question.

Audio and video lessons also available via computer training podcast.

In this audio lesson & transcript, I’m going to take a question from Mark. He writes and asks, “What’s a flash drive?”

Transcript of computer lesson begins:
A flash drive is a type of storage device for a computer. A storage device is the broad or general term for anything that is used to store data or files.

A hard drive in your computer is a storage device. An old floppy disk is a storage device. A CD-ROM or DVD is a storage device, and so is a flash drive.

A lot of people call flash drives by specific brand names. They think that is the correct name for them. Sometimes they’ll refer to them as a thumb drive, jump drive, go drive, key drive or any number of things. These are actually all brand names or partial brand names that people have mistakenly thought was the correct general term for that type of device.

A flash drive is a little piece of solid state storage. That means there are no moving parts. From the outside, it looks basically like a uniform block.

If you dig inside of it, there’s what’s referred to as a disk, but it’s not a disk shape, unlike a hard drive. Inside of a hard drive, there is a physical disk that looks like a disk. Even with floppy disks, I’ve heard people over the years say they aren’t disks. Technically they are. It’s square on the outside, but if you rip open an old floppy disk, you’ll find a disk inside. It would actually flop. It’s not rigid.

Basically, a flash drive uses something called flash memory. That’s solid state, so there are no physical moving parts unlike with a hard drive. That has a physical disk, like I mentioned, which spins much like an old record or a CD does when it’s playing.

That has a little thing called a read/write head that moves around and reads information from the disk and writes information to the disk. There are a lot of physical moving parts.
That uses more electricity than something that’s solid state. It also usually takes up more space than something that’s solid state. The big advantage of flash memory is that it’s very small and lightweight, and it doesn’t use much power.

You get these little devices that can store an increasing amount of information, or data, on them. They only take up a very small amount of room.

Any mobile device like an iPhone or any smartphone typically has some kind of flash memory in it. It wouldn’t make any sense to try to put a miniature hard drive in them. While there are hard drives that could fit in there, it would use way more battery power and run the battery down really fast.

There’s also an increased chance of damage to the disk and loss of files by impact. One of the liabilities of the hard drive is that because it has spinning and moving parts, if something hits it or it gets dropped, it can damage the drive, and you can lose files.

There are safeguards in modern hard drives that make it so they very rapidly will stop the disk spinning to minimize the risk of that damage, but it’s still one of the downsides of them and one of the reasons they’re not used in mobile devices.

The big advantage with flash drives is that they’re very small, light and portable.

In terms of dollar per megabyte or dollar per gigabyte, they are significantly more expensive than hard drives. The difference in price is getting less and less as time goes by, and you’re getting more and more storage space on these little flash drives.

I remember probably in 2002, I spent something close to $400 on a 1 gigabyte flash drive. These days in 2011, not a decade on from them but getting close, I don’t think you can even get a 1 gigabyte flash drive because it’s such a small amount.

The smallest amount you can get is at least 8 gigabytes. I’m not sure. I haven’t looked at this recently. It may be 16 gigabytes by this point. You can get that for a few dollars. That’s just how it is. It’s pretty crazy, but that’s a pretty typical thing with computers.

I hope that makes sense. It’s basically another method of storing files. Typically, you can just plug flash drives into a USB port on your computer and drag and drop files. You’ll be able to then unplug it, plug it into another computer, and it’s a way of transferring files back and forth. It also is a way you can back up your files to make a spare copy of them to protect them.

That’s pretty much what a flash drive is.

You might have heard of them as jump drives, thumb drives, go drives or what have you, but those are all examples of flash drives. It’s not, in other words, the generic term for a flash drive.

Basically, that’s what a flash drive is. It’s a small storage device that’s easily carried around. You can put it in your pocket, plug it in, move files on and off a computer, unplug it, and put it back in your pocket. I hope that makes sense.

You can learn more about USB flash drives and how to use them on these easy video lesson courses:

• How to Back Up Your Mac
• How to Back Up Your Windows Computer
• Apple Mac Basics Course
• Microsoft Windows Basics Course

Audio and video lessons also available via computer training podcast.

This computer question comes from Mahakali Ramesh Kumar, who writes:

“Dear Worth Godwin,

I want to know what is Bookmark in internet or in computers.

Thanking you,
Yours faithfully Mahakali”

TRANSCRIPT BEGINS:
That’s a pretty simple thing to answer. A bookmark is sometimes also known as a favorite, although originally it was known as a bookmark in most web browsers. Those are the programs you use to navigate around on the internet.

It’s really Internet Explorer that refers to them as favorites. I think they did this originally because they were concerned about avoiding copyright infringement. I’m not positive about that. At any rate, a favorite or bookmark is the same thing.

When the web was created in the early to mid ‘90s, the way we thought about it is like pages like pages in a book. If you have a book you’re reading and you want to get back to a page in that book, what do you do? You bookmark it. It’s the same basic idea.

A bookmark is a way of getting back to a page on the internet that is located on some site on the internet. You just want to get back to it, so you bookmark it.

You do this typically by going to the Bookmark menu. Sometimes there may be a button on the toolbar toward the top of the window that has a little plus symbol on the button. Whatever way you do it, you hit the button or go to the menu that says “Bookmarks” and hit the option that says “Add bookmark” or “Add favorite,” in the case of Internet Explorer.

As a side note, I strongly recommend that you do not use Internet Explorer, for security reasons (instead you could use Google Chrome, or Mozilla Firefox for example).
Basically, you click “Add bookmark” or “Add favorite” as the case may be.

It creates some record of where you were. It will put in the name of that page as the description, although you are usually given the opportunity to change it to a potentially more descriptive or memorable name if you want to.

Then it gets added to that menu. In some cases it gets added to a horizontal bar called the bookmarks bar toward the top of your browser window. By going back to the menu or to the item on the bar, you would click it, and it would take you back to the page.

That’s basically what a bookmark is. It’s not a really complicated concept, but hopefully that makes sense and will help you get back to the pages you want to get back to in the future. It’s very useful.

I have found that there is a fairly surprisingly high number of people who do not use bookmarks or don’t know how to use bookmarks. It’s no criticism whatsoever. I hope that helps.

Audio and video lessons also available via computer training podcast.

I received a computer question by email from a subscriber named Willa Valdez, who is wondering what I think about Ubuntu and Open Source software in general. Here’s her question:

“Dear Worth,

Mahalo Nui Loa for your Newsletters. Your computer lessons have helped me tremendously.

I am thinking of purchasing a netbook. They both have the operating system Ubuntu (latest version) already installed. I am a newbie when it comes to Linux but I am curious about how how this system works. I installed Ubuntu via WUBI along side VISTA, however, my computer would freeze when I chose to boot with Ubuntu. I was able to boot with Ubuntu a couple of times and liked the Gnome desktop. Unfortunately, some of the applications I use were not supported i.e. Skype. I did not delve into learning the Command Line just yet.

I would appreciate your thoughts on Ubuntu and your general opinion on the Open Source concept.

Again, thank you for expertise and assistance.

Aloha,

Willa Valdez”

Below is a partial transcription of the audio:

What do I think about Ubuntu and open-source? There are a few things. Let’s start with some definitions. Not everybody is familiar with Ubuntu. A lot of people think it’s called Abuntu, but it’s Ubuntu. It’s an African word.

Ubuntu is a version of Linux. Linux is a type of operating system that is an alternative to the more mainstream Microsoft Windows and the mainstream, but not quite as mainstream as Microsoft Windows at least in terms of widespread use, Mac OS X. Linux, Mac OS X, and Windows are all examples of operating systems, which is just the underlying software that’s needed to let your computer run and allows everything else to work.

Linux is a project that has been going on for quite some time. It’s what is called an “open-source project,” and it’s part of the open-source movement.

Open source actually goes back to the roots of making software originally. The most widely used software is Microsoft Windows, and it’s developed by a particular company, which is Microsoft. That is not a value judgment but just how it is

That’s what you could call a closed-source program. It’s software that was designed by a particular company, and as a result, it’s guided a bit by the company’s agenda. That’s not some kind of “Microsoft is evil” kind of statement. Every company has some degree of agenda or plan.

Open source is an alternative to that. The way it works is you have a community of people from all over the world collaborating to find ways of improving the software and fixing problems.

They find problems in the first place. Person A finds a problem. Person B finds a solution, and then Person C implements the solution. That is perhaps how it might work. Basically, the whole idea is to work together to make the best software you can.

I think open-source is great. I don’t use it exclusively. There are some people who are very militant about it. It’s kind of cool in a way too, I should say. There are some people who insist on using only open-source software for ethical or moral reasons, but I don’t go that far.

I think open-source is great. It’s something that people can use in a lot of cases.
I try to recommend it in a lot of cases. Mozilla Firefox is an example of open-source software. Open-source generally, if not in every case, is free. They don’t charge for it, just like with Mozilla Firefox.

Mozilla Thunderbird, the email program I recommend for Windows users particularly, is another open-source program. I recommend using the OpenOffice program for Windows or NeoOffice for Mac.

Open-source is essentially just a collaboration of people from all over just trying to work together in a very altruistic kind of way to just try to make the world a better place through better software. That’s the principle behind it. Linux is an example of open-source software, and Ubuntu is one specific version of Linux, for there are many.

One of the downsides for Linux and one of the reasons that it has not been adopted widely is the fact that, on average, until recently, it has been significantly harder to use than Windows. I think Windows is harder to use than the Mac software.

It has really been something that was mostly used by the techy people who are really into tinkering. They want to be able to tinker with the computer as much as possible, and they’re perfectly happy with things not being set up and ready to go out of the box.

Ubuntu is one of the versions of Linux that has made a lot of strides to improve the situation and make it a lot more accessible to people. It’s not completely there, but certainly if you want to try it, I don’t want to discourage you.

A lot of the really inexpensive and lightweight laptops that have become popular over the last couple of years, and Netbooks particularly, are shipping with Ubuntu or some other version of Linux on it. It cuts down the cost of not just inexpensive hardware but also inexpensive software by providing this free open-source software.

It’s fairly easy to use the basic stuff now. You can get around. It’s usually going to come preloaded with most of the basic software you need, but you’re still going to run into issues.

I don’t have a copy of Ubuntu installed on any of my computers. I’ve played with it before, and it’s one of those things on my to-do list. When I theoretically start having free time to play with stuff like that, I definitely want to try it out because it has apparently become much better. I’ve seen a little bit with a couple of clients, and it has definitely come a long way.

It’s something that may not be for everybody yet, but it’s something that’s very cool. I really like the principles and ideals behind open-source software. It’s definitely something worth checking out.

One really neat thing about things like Ubuntu is that there is an easy way for you to try it if you want. They have something called a Live CD as you can do with a lot of Linux installations.

You go to their window and download an image of a CD. It’s stored in a file, and then you can use disc-burning software. They’ll have instructions on the website on how to do this.
You can burn a Live CD [or make a bootable USB drive] that allows you to start the computer and run Linux. You don’t have to worry about actually installing it, replacing anything, or trying to install it side-by-side with Windows, which doesn’t always work as Willa has discovered.

Those are some general thoughts about it. Hopefully that makes sense and answers some of your questions. Ubuntu and other versions of Linux are just going to keep getting better and better over the coming years.

I am a little bit hesitant about telling people to just rush off and start using it. If you’re a little more of an adventurous computer user and you want to try things out, then it’s definitely something worth trying.

I definitely support the concepts behind it, and I think that open-source software in general is a great thing. I’m actually using some to record this audio. WordPress is blogging software that I use for my websites many times. That’s free. It’s open source, and I highly recommend it.

Open Source is a great thing. I hope that makes sense and answers your questions.

Audio and video lessons also available via computer training podcast.

This time I’m going to take a question from someone who asks, “What is grounding? I’ve heard it phrased in so many places but don’t know what it is.”

This refers to draining off excess electricity. That’s basically what it’s about.

I’ve talked about how it’s important for someone working on the inside of a computer or any kind of electronic device that they be grounded.

If I work on a computer, take it apart and am upgrading or repairing it, any time I have the case open and am working in the inside of it, I’m always making sure that I’m grounded. The way I do this is that I have a special mat. It has a wrist strap attached to it. Then the entire mat and wrist strapped are attached through a conductive cable to an outlet where I plug in.

You may have noticed that with many, but not all, electrical devices, the power plug has three prongs. The third prong is the ground. The other two are the positive and negative poles that allow the current to flow and create a circuit. It goes in a circle. Then there’s the third prong, and that’s the ground.

On any modern building that’s been wired properly, that third prong is a separate wire. They all essentially go together and eventually have some connection that goes down into the ground, hence the term “grounding.” That drains off excess current. That’s basically what’s going on. For electronics to operate properly, they need to have that excess current bled off.

In terms of static electricity as opposed to the electricity you get from your power outlet, static electricity is generated by moving your arms around, for example. As I’m recording this, I’m gesturing with my hands. That makes no real sense since no one is seeing me when I’m doing this, but I’m still talking with my hands. As I’m doing this, it’s generating static electricity in my body.

If I went and touched a piece of electronics that wasn’t shielded properly, like exposed electronics on the inside of a computer, there would be a static discharge. Whatever the difference is between the charge in myself and the charge in the electronics, when I touch it it’s going to go through. If I’m not grounded, it’s going to go through the electronics and could damage it.

One way to think about this is almost like water pressure. Electricity and water are kind of similar. I like to think of them as being very similar, at least in a metaphorical or analogy way.

Water always flows downwards. It goes down to the lowest point. That’s essentially what electricity does. It always goes down the path of least resistance. It tries to go to ground.

By grounding myself and having this wrist strap on me, the wrist strap is conductive. It conducts electricity, and it’s attached to my skin directly. Everybody’s skin is conductive, so as my body generates that static electricity, it drains right on out of there like water flowing down to the lowest point.

The more static electricity in me, it’s almost like the water pressure building up. Too much pressure in a pipe could potentially burst the pipe. If there’s enough water pressure going through there and nowhere for it to be released, it could burst and damage the pipe.

In our analogy, that’s a circuit. It could be a circuit in a computer or a circuit board that contains many circuits. Those circuits can be burst open by that surge of electricity that comes through from static electricity.

The third prong, the outlet my grounding mat is attached to, is attached to ground or earth. The excess current drains out. Essentially, that’s what grounding is.

How does this relate to the average person? Most people don’t really need to worry about it too much. The typical person is not going to open up their computer and work on the inside of it, I would hope. It’s not usually a good idea.

If you do ever have to do it, particularly if you’ve got a computer tech coming to you or you’re taking it to a shop to have it repaired or upgraded, you want to make sure they follow proper grounding procedures.

Some places will say that it’s good enough that they touch the case occasionally. This particular example really annoyed me when I saw it, but there was a particular place I went one time. The one person was working there picked up a circuit board. It was a motherboard, also known as a main logic board. Before she did, she made a not really valid attempt to ground herself by touching the plastic case.

Plastic, of course, is not conductive. Therefore, it doesn’t work to ground you. They touched the plastic case on a laptop that was sitting on a wooden bench. Wood is not conductive. Plastic is not conductive. The laptop wasn’t even plugged in, which might have provided some pathway for that static electricity to go to ground.

Because the laptop plastic case was nonconductive on a wooden nonconductive surface, when she touched that thing, it didn’t do anything. She did not ground herself. Then she handled the electronic, and that damages it. It may not break it instantly, but it will weaken it and shorten the lifespan of the electronic, so it’s really important.

How does this apply to you? You want to make sure people actually use grounding mats. At the very least, instead of a wrist strap that attaches to a mat, some places will use an ankle strap. That’s essentially the same thing, but it attaches to the ankle instead of the wrist. That’s just as good.

You want to make sure they’re doing something like that. If they’re not, your electronics are not going to be taken care of properly. When you take it in for a repair, they might be doing damage.

The other bit of advice I can give the typical user of a computer is whenever possible, try to use a power adapter with a third prong for ground. This is never really going to be an issue for a desktop computer. I’m not sure I’ve ever seen one, and if I have it’s certainly been many years, that did not have that third prong on it to ground.

Laptops, on the other hand, a lot of times come with a power adapter that only has two prongs on it. I’m thinking of some of the Mac laptops. A lot of times the MacBooks have a power adapter that you can pull off the end. It comes with a little square adapter that a two-prong plug flips out of.

That whole little flip out part you can actually pull off, and they provide you with an alternative cable that’s longer and gives you more length to get to the wall. It also gives you a third prong.

I would strongly recommend that if you have a laptop, whether it’s made by Apple or anybody else, if you have the option of choosing a two-prong or three-prong adapter, always use the third prong. It will also protect your laptop better than the two-prong.

Essentially, that’s what grounding is. It’s a way of draining off too much water pressure, so to speak. It’s a matter of having some conductive path that leads between you and the device to earth, or other words, to ground. It drains off the excess.

This protects electronics. Potentially in some cases, it can even protect the person if they’re working with electronics and happen to touch it. If it’s not grounded properly, it could give them a shock. In terms of repairing and working on the inside of it, it’s the static electricity you’re trying to drain. You’re trying to protect the computer and electronics rather than yourself.

Hopefully that makes sense. We gave you a few tips that can help you avoid potential problems and help you choose a good place to repair your computer.
– Audio computer lesson transcription ends –

Audio and video lessons also available via computer training podcast.

Today I want to answer another computer question, this one coming from Leslie G. who writes:

If you need more step-by-step help with working with photos on your Mac or Windows computer, take use one of the following links to learn more about these easy video lesson courses that cover easy programs for working with pictures:

How to Use Picasa – Course for Microsoft Windows
or
How to Use iPhoto – Course for Apple Mac

Audio and video lessons also available via computer training podcast.

In this audio computer training lesson I answer a question from Vasilis who writes wanting to know just what the computer term “default” means.  Click the triangle play button below to listen to this computer question and my Plain English answer:

As I explain in the audio lesson, the computer term “default” is one that confuses a lot of people.  Basically, it means “what the computer is set to do until you tell it to do otherwise”.

So for example, you might get a brand new computer and have a certain picture set as the wallpaper (background image on the desktop) when you first turn it on. This is the default background image.

If you change that default image to a new one, it’s no longer using the default picture.

Another example would be the “default browser” on your computer.  Windows PCs come with Internet Explorer (the blue “E” icon) as the default browser, just as Apple includes their own Safari browser as the default on their Mac computers.

You can always install a different browser (highly recommended for Windows users) such as Mozilla Firefox, or Google Chrome.  When you install a new browser, it typically asks you if you’d like to make it the default.  If you do, any time you do something which should take you to a web page (like clicking a link in an email for example) it will then open whatever browser you have “set as the default” to display that web page.

But that doesn’t prevent you from opening that same web page in a different browser if you prefer — you’re just not opening it with the default.

So it’s kind of like what the computer “assumes” (so to speak) unless you tell it otherwise.

Hope that makes sense.

Audio and video lessons also available via computer training podcast.

The following is a computer question I was sent by ‘AlainAiso’ who wrote with a question about why a new hard drive they bought was so cheap and whether this was because there was a problem with the drive.  Click the player below to listen to this computer question and my Plain English answer:

“Question about my external Hard drivers

I just Bought an external hard drive in Wal-Mart now I am worry about why the price was that low also I worry about companies  who did the hard drive…

The hard drive is 1500GB and cost me only 98$ Canadian. To copy a file from to this  it takes about 35 seconds. It seems quite fast right? If so why was the price that low?

I guess it should be something due to the material this mean the material won’t work after an period of 6 months?

Please tell me if it is possible that an hard drive only ‘live’ few months before expire en then lose all files”.

Listen to my answer to this computer question below, where I not only explain why a pretty big hard drive is so inexpensive, why it won’t seem like a big drive for long, and help you understand this in context, as well as give you some advice on not making a common mistake when buying an external hard drive:

Audio and video lessons also available via computer training podcast.

This latest computer question comes from someone named Morgan who writes:

I have a question for you. My internet seems to be very slow. I am not sure if it is because of the ISP that our family uses or if it could be a problem with the modem or router. Our basement flooded and water got on the router. The router still works but it just feels like it is lacking power and performance. I was wondering if the reason our internet is slow is because of our ISP or because our router has water damage. I also believe our router is getting to be quite old as well. It is really impacting my ability to stream videos and play online on my xbox 360. Any advice you can give on this matter would be very helpful. Thank you for your time.

Morgan

Audio and video lessons also available via computer training podcast.

In this article I’ll answer a question sent in by a student named Daniel McClutchy who writes:

“Hi Worth:  Your CDs have helped a great deal to understand the internet and computer basics.

Thanks.

I have a question for you.  Can you explain what a torrent site is? I followed a recommendation of a co-worker and logged on to one.

My Kasperksy went crazy, not allowing me to access it.  Is this because they contain viruses?

Thanks, Daniel”

Well Daniel, I’m glad you’ve found my lessons to be a help; I always appreciate it when people take the time to let me know how they’re benefiting from my hard work!

So, let’s start off by explaining what a torrent site is, and then I’ll answer your question about whether they’re dangerous.

A “torrent” is short for “BitTorrent” which is a technology used to distribute files over the Internet.  Like any technology, it can be used positively or negatively.

Torrents can potentially speed up the downloading of large files (downloading is the process of copying a file “down” to your computer from another one, usually over the Internet — when sending a file it’s called uploading).

It speeds up downloads by basically chopping up (so to speak) a file into tiny pieces which can be sent in a “swarm” from dozens, hundreds, or even thousands of computers at once, each only having to send a small amount of the file.

While there are many legitimate uses for this, perhaps the most common use for torrents is to share pirated movies, music and other copyrighted files.

Now I’m not going to go into a moral lecture on whether or not it’s right to take other people’s content without paying for it, but I will warn you that there are a lot of risks involved in using the “torrent sites” you’re asking about.

Now as I said, there are many completely legal and legitimate uses for the BitTorrent technology, but when people talk about “torrent sites”, they’re generally referring to the ones using BitTorrent to distribute copyrighted material without paying for it.

Those sites you do need to be wary of. Let me explain why.

First off, many of those torrent sites are hosting ads from less legitimate advertising networks which tend to be used by “shady” sites such as gambling and pornography sites.

These ads are more likely to contain “malware”, which is software (including, but not limited to viruses and worms) designed to cause damage. Malware is written these days to make money by infecting computers, and so shady sites often do this as a cheap way to make money, and they apparently don’t care whether they cause harm!

So many torrent sites are capable of infecting a computer simply by you visiting it, especially if you’re not protecting yourself with good
Internet security software (such as Kaspersky) and by avoiding using the Internet Explorer web browser.

Beyond the potential risk of simply visiting a torrent site, many of the files a person might try to download from those sites are themselves
infected with dangerous malware.

It’s well known that Apple’s Mac computers tend to have far fewer threats than Windows computers do, but the biggest threats for Macs that I recall from the last few years have all come from downloading illegal copyrighted material from sites like these.

And it’s a far bigger problem for Microsoft Windows computers!

One study I’ve heard of says that as much as 47% of all “zero-day malware” (one of the most dangerous kinds) is distributed through BitTorrent!

Lastly, beyond the potential threats to your computer posed by torrent sites and other file trading sites, there’s a very real risk to your wallet.

The recording industry, including the film and music industries have been very aggressively pursuing people who do illegal file sharing and are happy to sue you for a lot of money if they catch you.

And believe me, they can afford better lawyers than you or I!

Internet Service Providers will often shut down your Internet connection if they detect you’ve been sharing files illegally, so there’s that risk too.

So my advice is to steer clear of torrent sites. There are plenty of inexpensive ways to listen to music and watch TV shows and movies online or offline without exposing yourself to the risks of file trading sites such as torrent sites.

I hope that makes sense, and helps.

Until next time, take care, and enjoy,

Worth Godwin
Plain English Simplicity for This Complex Modern World

Audio and video lessons also available via computer training podcast.

In this computer question & answer audio lesson I’m taking a question from user brandang17 who asks:
“So because I have wireless internet an stuff with my phone when I turn WiFi on does that mean I am getting free Internet or am I still paying for it though my plan? Thank you”

Use the player to listen to the audio computer lesson where I’ll not just answer the question “Is WiFi free?” but give my usual Plain English explanation of what I’m talking about so everyone can understand the answer, even non-technical people.

Bottom line is, someone always has to pay for an Internet connection somewhere along the line, so whether you’re using a computer or a mobile device like a smartphone it’s not “free” even if you’re not paying to use the wireless signal. And while using WiFi on your phone may not count against any monthly limits on data that your phone plan offers, it doesn’t mean you won’t get charged the regular monthly fee for phone data (Internet) connections.

You may be able to cancel the data part of your phone service, depending on the details of your contract, however. If you do, keep in mind you’ll be limited to *only* using WiFi signals and so will be much more limited about where you can go online with your phone.

Audio and video lessons also available via computer training podcast.

A reader named David Friedberg writes in with a computer question, asking:

“how do i download emails that have been sent to my Mac using Adobe etc…?

Dave”

Dave,

thanks for the question — you can use the audio player above to listen to my full response, but the basic gist of the answer is this:  any Mac made in the last few years has a built-in program called Preview which should open Adobe PDF (Adobe Reader files) just fine.  You can still go to Adobe.com and download the free Adobe Reader, but Preview should do the trick.

As memory serves, Preview’s PDF capability was included in Mac OS X “Tiger” (version 10.4 in other words) — if your computer is using an older version of OS X, I really recommend upgrading as the older software will leave you “out in the cold” in a lot of ways.

On a Windows PC you also could use Adobe Reader, but honestly I’m not a big fan as Adobe’s software has a lot of security flaws and has some annoying spyware-like tendencies these days.

What I suggest using is Foxit, which you can find by googling “download foxit” — it’s free and lets you read PDF files without some of the problems of Adobe Reader.

I hope that helps.

If you need more help with the basics of using email safely and easily, take a look at my Safe & Easy Email Course which is available for either Windows or Mac computers by using the links below:

Safe & Easy How to Use Email Course for Windows

Safe & Easy How to Use Email Course for Apple Mac

Audio and video lessons also available via computer training podcast.

In this computer question and answer audio lesson, I answer a question from Joy Rosales, who writes wondering about getting her website found by people on the search engines. She said:

“Hi, good day,

Thank you for sharing your knowledge through sending me more information regarding basic and technical issues about computer, I’ve learned something about it. This time i want to share with you my technical problem where i believe that you can help me solve this very simple problem.

I am creating a blog and social networking site and i want it to be searched by people in Yahoo or Google search. I hope you can give me procedures on how to do it. I hope you understand my question…
Thank you very much for giving attention.

jOy”

Joy, thanks for the question.

You can use the audio player above to get my full answer, but the basic fundamentals to helping your site be found by people on search engines is:

1) have a site with good quality content on it (preferably updated more regularly than I’ve been having the time to update this blog which is on-topic to whatever the “theme” of  your site is

and

2) get links to your site from other sites.  This is the tricky one, or can be, and is a very big topic.  My personal favorite method is to simply put good quality material out there on various sites in exchange for links.

A few examples: an article on an article site such as EzineArticles.com which provides you with a “bio box” where you’re allowed to place links back to your website.  Your articles may not only appear on the article site but might be picked up by other sites through the main article site.

Another option is YouTube — you can post a video and in the description put a link to a relevant post on your blog.

There are a lot of options here, but the formula in my mind is put good things out there and get links in return.

If you’re someone who needs to understand more of the basics of how to use the Internet and search engines, I include video and audio lessons explaining a lot of the basic concepts in Plain English — once you watch, listen & learn, you can feel more confident and give yourself the basis you need to move forward with your computer goals.

Find out more about my easy Internet course by using one of the links below:

Windows PCs: How to use the Internet basic skills course

Apple Mac: How to use the Internet basic skills course

Audio and video lessons also available via computer training podcast.

This latest computer question & answer comes from Mavis Wood who writes:

“I have PeoplePC news in my Bookmarks, and I read that news every day.  But each category headline has the words “Back to Top” super-imposed on it.  That makes the headline very difficult to read.  My computer geek doesn’t know how to erase that or how to move it up or down so that it isn’t on top of what I want to read.

Also, each time I read a news story and click the “Go Back One Page” arrow, I always end up back at the top. I wish it would come back to where I had been when I clicked on a story I wanted to read. There are always many stories I like to read about at that site.

Thanks so much for your time and patience.

Mavis”

I’ve seen that kind of thing before, where the text is overlapping like that, and it usually means the webpage was not written well for compatibility with whichever web browser you’re using. Sometimes you can fix the problem by making the web browser window wider or more narrow.

If you’re not already using it, I strongly recommend using Mozilla Firefox instead of Internet Explorer.  If you’re using Firefox or any browser which supports “tabbed browsing”, one thing you can do is right-click the headline (control-click for Mac users) you want to read and you’ll see a menu pop up which includes the option “open in new tab” or words to that effect.  Use this to open the headline in a new tab in the same window and then just close the tab when you’re done and you’ll still have the original list open.

Listen to the audio for the more complete version of this computer question & answer lesson.

For step-by-step video lessons on how to use tabbed browsing and a lot more that makes your web browsing experience safer & easier, take a look at my

Basics of How to Use the Internet CDs for Apple Mac

or

Basics of How to use the Internet CDs for Windows

Audio and video lessons also available via computer training podcast.

In this audio lesson I’ll be answering a computer question from Gold Club member Peter Proud, who asks:

“Good morning,
Having subscribed to your tutorials I now am having a problem of my own.
I am using windows xp on my laptop and when go to use Internet Explorer get “navigation to webpage was cancelled”.
I can still use Google for the net but would appreciate any advice you can offer to solve this problem. Regards,

Peter”

Well Peter,

It sounds to me as if your Internet connection is working just fine since you’re able to use Google, so my guess is that whatever webpage you are using as your homepage (the first page that opens when you open up your web browser window) is having a problem.  This may resolve itself, or you may need to change your homepage.

On a different but important & related note, I strongly suggest you do not use Internet Explorer for your web browser as it is not the most secure program in the world; you’re much better off using Mozilla Firefox which you can download and install for free from Mozilla.com.

As a side benefit, installing this may fix the problem you’re having too.  One thing to nearly guarantee it will fix it: when you install Firefox, during the setup it will ask you if you want to import your home page from Internet Explorer or use the one provided by Mozilla — if you choose the option to NOT import the one from IE (it’s OK to have the program import/bring over the other stuff such as your bookmarks) it will move you to a new homepage which has the Google search built right in and should avoid the problem you’re writing about.

I hope that makes sense.  Listen to the audio lesson to get the more detailed answer to this computer question.

For easy, step-by-step lessons on using the Web take a look at my

Basics of How to Use the Internet CDs for Apple Mac

or

Basics of How to use the Internet CDs for Windows

Audio and video lessons also available via computer training podcast.

In this computer question & answer audio lesson, I’m answering a question sent in by subscriber Patt Davis who writes:

“Hello Worth,
I have been enjoying your advice for some time now and I appreciate the help.

My computer just recently has been hijacked by a so called Windows Security Alert that wants me to purchase their anti-virus software and it will not let me access any other program other than the internet.

No exe programs will run. Not even my magicjack phone. Keep getting a warning pop-up. Has a green sheild with a check in the middle. Keeps looping back to their site for me to purchase it.

Is there anything I can do on my own to stop this? Or will I have to take my hard drive in to have a professional clean it? I do have AVG but of course this virus will not let me run it… any suggestions?

Thank you,
Patt Davis”

This kind of problem is very common these days, and is caused by something called “hijackware”. Listen to this audio computer lesson to hear my suggestions about what to do if your computer is infected, plus tips on how to avoid getting infected in the first place.

Computer security is a complex topic and is an issue not just for Windows computers but also Apple’s Macs, despite what many people think. If you need more help, you’re not alone.

I suggest taking a look at my Safe and Easy Internet course CDs, which are available for either Apple Mac or Windows PC. Both versions include lessons on recognizing and avoiding problems like these, including one lesson which safely lets you see a common example of the tactics used by malicious sites which try to trick you into infecting your computer.

You get to see step-by-step exactly what to look for, and what to do if you encounter a site like that, including the BIG mistake most people make and how to avoid making it yourself. And that’s just one of the dozens of quick, easy lessons you get.

Take a look at one of the two links below, depending on which type of computer you use:

Basics of Using the Internet Safely & Easily for Microsoft Windows PCs

or

Basics of Using the Internet Safely & Easily for Apple Mac OS X

Audio and video lessons also available via computer training podcast.

I heard from a reader named Phyllis who wrote with the question:

“Could you please tell me why I can’t print from Microsoft Office?”

In this audio computer lesson I answer the question based on what information I’m given. Chances are, this is caused by using a “trail version” of MS Office (which includes the programs Word, Excel, PowerPoint, etc.). A trial version of Microsoft Office is often included with new computers, but some critical features have been disabled until you pay for it.

Listen to the entire audio computer question and answer lesson to hear what I have to say about this, including a tip on getting a 100% free alternative to Microsoft Office and save hundreds of dollars when you do.

For more help with Microsoft Word, use the links below (one for Windows PCs, the other for Apple Mac)

Learn how to use Microsoft Word course for Windows

or

Learn how to use Microsoft Word course for Apple Mac

Audio and video lessons also available via computer training podcast.

I’ve recorded a new audio lesson to help warn you about a pretty common email scam which is going around these days. It’s not brand new, but not everybody knows about it so I wanted to post this new computer lesson to help you protect yourself.

I received an email which appeared to be from a newsletter subscriber named John, but I spotted it as a scam as I’ve seen this type of thing before.  It was clearly sent from an email address which had been broken into, and the criminal who did so used the address to try to fool me and everyone else they sent it to into thinking they were the actual owner of the email account.

I’ll post the audio lesson below and then quote the email below that so you can take a look to help you recognize and avoid similar scams in the future:

Here’s the email I received (full name and details removed for privacy) :

“Hello

Audio and video lessons also available via computer training podcast.

This audio computer lesson departs from the usual computer question & answer format – I recorded this lesson to help you stop wasting time and clogging up inboxes with those virus warnings everyone likes to forward around.

In my experience, these virus warnings are usually either mostly or completely false, and don’t help protect anyone, because they’re hoaxes.  There’s a saying that a good lie is based at least partially on truth, and I guess that applies to virus hoaxes too.  Listen in as I separate the lies from the truth in one common email hoax, using it as an example to help you recognize the patterns of these fake emails so you can avoid being taken in by them.

You can read the full text of the email hoax below and read along as I pick it apart and explain why much of it doesn’t make sense, and show you some of the telltale signs it’s yet another hoax:

> **HUGE VIRUS COMING ! PLEASE READ & FORWARD !
>
>
> This has been checked with Norton Anti-Virus, and they are gearing up
> for this virus! and also checked Snopes, and it is for real. Get
> this E-mail message sent around to all your contacts ASAP.
>
> PLEASE FORWARD THIS WARNING AMONG YOUR FRIENDS, FAMILY AND CONTACTS!
>
>
> You should be alert during the next few days. Do not open any message
> with an attachment entitled ‘POSTCARD FROM HALLMARK,’regardless of
> who sent it to you. It is a virus which opens A POSTCARD IMAGE, which
> ‘burns’ the whole hard disc C drive of your computer.
>
> This virus will be received from someone who has your e-mail address
> on his/her contact list. That is the reason why you need to send this
> e-mail to all your contacts. It is better to receive this message 25
> times than to receive the virus and open it!
>
> If you receive a mail called’ POSTCARD,’ even if it is sent to you by
> a friend, do not open it! Shut down your computer immediately. This
> is the worst virus announced by CNN.
>
> It has been classified by Microsoft as the most destructive virus
> ever. This virus was discovered by McAfee yesterday, and there is no
> repair yet for this kind of virus. This virus simply destroys the
> Zero Sector of the Hard Disc, where the vital information is kept.
>
> COPY THIS E-MAIL, AND SEND IT TO YOUR FRIENDS. REMEMBER: IF YOU SEND
> IT TO THEM, YOU WILL BENEFIT ALL OF US**

Audio and video lessons also available via computer training podcast.

This latest computer question comes from Taj Abed who writes:

“Hello, thanks for information. I want to know about PC safety, please describe it to me. I really need to find out about it.”

This is a kind of general question and there’s just a ton of information I could cover that could help you keep your computer running more securely. What I did was give you four basic steps you can take to help increase your computer’s security.

This is by no means a comprehensive list, but I’ve taken the time to explain everything in Plain English with some comparisons to real-world things which should help it all make more sense to you.

For step-by-step video lessons covering Internet basics as well as safety and security, you might consider my easy video lesson CDs:

Apple Mac How to Internet Skills CDs

or

Windows PC How to Internet Skills CDs

Audio and video lessons also available via computer training podcast.

In my answer I, as usual, don’t just quickly answer Edy’s specific question but give you a complete audio lesson that helps you understand some of the basic differences between a few of the broadband options, and how they contrast in speed to dialup (which may be the only option in many rural areas).

Audio and video lessons also available via computer training podcast.

In this computer question & answer audio lesson, I answer a question from “Nitromesupporter”, who asks:

“does having lots of things in your hard drive slow computers too?
my computer is really old, still Intel pentium 4 with 512mb of ram.
the bright side is that its 2.80ghz well its fast for the stuff i do ”

Use the audio player to listen to my answer to this computer question — in it I’ll help you understand in plain English how and why low drive space can slow your computer, and a few tips about how to deal with it if this is true for your computer.

Audio and video lessons also available via computer training podcast.

In this latest audio lesson I answer a computer question from a subscriber named Frazer Ames who writes:

“Hi Worth,
I just read the article on your website regarding modems and video chat. One of the things I have never understood about computers is this; what exactly is a modem and what does it do? I thought they were an essential part of all computers and had something to do with the speed, but I’ve never really understood.

Thanks in advance

Fraser Ames”

To hear the complete Plain English answer to this computer question, just listen to the lesson using the player below. As usual, I’ll not just give a rushed answer to the question but make sure I explain the computer terms and concepts in a way that will just make sense, regardless of your computer skill level.

Audio and video lessons also available via computer training podcast.

This latest Plain English computer question and answer (audio lesson below) comes from subscriber Brenda Carr who writes asking:

“Worth, I am considering purchasing my own computer, I am now using a computer at the public library. Best Buy is recommending the Asus, but I have never heard of that brand.  What do you think?”

Well Brenda, this is a good question, and I have a few thoughts. I’ve recorded this audio computer lesson which will share my advice on what type of computer to buy whether you’re thinking of buying your first computer as Brenda is, or planning on your next computer purchase.

I personally think there are two main options for most people; in this lesson I explain what those two options are, why I think they’re the best choice, and how to decide between them. I also throw in a few other simple tips and explanations of computer concepts along the way.

Click the player below to listen:

Apple Mac Basic Computer Skills CDs
or
Windows PC Basic Computer Skills CDs

Audio and video lessons also available via computer training podcast.

In this latest of my computer question & answer audio lessons, I’m answering a question from an email subscriber named George.

George asks: “Can you take Internet Explorer off your laptop and still use Mozilla Firefox ? I was told that you needed IE to access the Internet.”

Well, George, the short answer is that removing IE is much more complicated than removing a normal program, and doing so might cause you some problems. Fortunately, it’s not necessary to do so.

To hear my complete, Plain English answer to this computer question, use the player below:

Audio and video lessons also available via computer training podcast.