Tech Blog

Used Printers Very Affordable Locally

6/10/2021

If you are looking for a printer, this is a GREAT time to find a quality used one in the Metroplex. All my Facebook Marketplace groups and Craigslist are FILLED with used printers and constantly marked down prices...the market is flooded. This HP LaserJet Pro M400 401n pictured above is one I am trying to sell. It can be purchased on Amazon and eBay for $199 and $99 respectively, but I've marked down my price to $30 and it still hasn't sold. The toner tank is full and I can verify it works well. If you're interested, feel free to reach out. If you prefer an inkjet printer, let me know as well and I'll point you to some good ones from other sellers on local FB Marketplace sites. Like mine, their printers have been listed for a while and the price has dropped to too-good-to-pass-up.

If you're in the DFW area, now's a great time to buy a used printer. If I can help point you in the right direction, let me know!

Easily Archive Book Notes/Highlights To Access Later

7/29/2018

I don't know about you, but when I read a book, I like to highlight. You know, it's stuff that I want to refer to later. And THAT was always the problem for me. I would get a book, make 50-100+ highlights in it and then what? It's not like I am going to come back, pick up the book, scroll through hundreds of pages and then find the particular note or quote I was looking for. Three times that I can think of I actually sat down with the book, opened up Microsoft Word and typed in all the stuff I had highlighted. Wow...talk about time-consuming!

And THIS is why I bought my first Kindle. I discovered I could make highlights (and notes) in a book I read on a Kindle, but the best part is, Amazon saves those highlights for me on a my own personal "Your Notes and Highlights" page. (You can see the Highlight page in the graphic above).

When I first started the process, I would highlight and copy all the notes and then paste them into a Word document. But then I discovered Evernote, and my system got even better. Evernote would take another LONG blog post to explain all of it's features, but here is a short version of what I can do now with my Kindle and Evernote working together.

Obviously the first thing to do is read my Kindle book (almost always cheaper than its printed counter part) and highlight the stuff I want to keep. Then I go to my "Your Notes and Highlights" page to see my all my book notes. I select the book I want (from the list on the left) and all my my highlights for that book are shown. I use my Evernote Web Clipper to highlight and save my notes. Using the Web Clipper, I can direct Evernote to save my text into an individual note for that specific book and then file it with the tag "Books I Have Read - Notes". Now, within Evernote, I have tag which I can select and see all the notes I have highlighted from any book I have saved from my Kindle. And because it's in Evernote, I can search by key word. (You can see my web clipper in the upper right corner of the graphic above).

Evernote also saves the web page address of my highlights in each individual book note, so I can go back quickly to the page where my original highlights are stored and click a link to see my highlight in context within the book (helpful for quotes, stories, etc that I may be using for public speaking or writing). This whole process takes me maybe 60 seconds per book.

I know reading from a Kindle is not for everybody. I personally love the fact that I have 1,200 books (literally) that are not taking up space on a bookshelf (here's the Kindle I am currently using, purchased used on Ebay for $50). (Note: I subscribe to a number of Kindle book email lists so I pick up TONS of free and super-discounted books. And no, I will never read all of these books before I die...it's just hard to pass up a free book!). But the reason I started reading from a Kindle is because I wanted to keep and access all of those highlights...and now I can!

If you have a handy/unique way you use the "Your Notes and Highlights" feature of your Kindle, feel free to share in the comment section below. I'll do a post another day on Evernote...that's another whole goldmine in itself!

A Way To Speed Up Your Computer You May Not Have Considered

4/15/2016

There are three ways to speed up your laptop: 1) more memory, 2) a faster processor and 3) upgrade to a SSD (solid state drive).

When it comes to laptops, it has been my experience that a memory upgrade usually makes a noticeable difference in performance and upgrading your processor is not usually a good/viable financial decision. The third option is becoming more and affordable and that is upgrading your hard drive to a solid state drive.

Without going into technical detail, the reason this upgrade makes such a noticeable performance increase for your computer is because a solid state drive is roughly similar to a large flash media card (like you use in your phone or camera). The hard drive does not have to search to find bits of your program or file here and there on a one of a number of spinning disks and then put it together for you to use/view. The short version, it is just faster...NOTICEABLY faster. Perhaps the biggest speed increase you will notice is in how long it takes your computer to boot. Since upgrading my Dell laptop, I have seen a 75% faster boot time. I upgraded a MacBook Pro recently and their boot time increased by more than 50%.

The main drawback to this upgrade has been the cost of SSDs (solid state drives). Because of the price, an upgrade usually means going to a smaller disk size and using more online storage, but as always happens with technology, prices are coming down. This SanDisk SSD is 480GB (almost half a terabyte) which should be large enough for most home use. The drive is normally $150 but is marked down to $110 until April 21st.

Upgrading to a SSD made more of a performance improvement on my laptop than any other upgrade I have done and I recommend it to everybody. Upgrading a hard drive like this means your current drive needs to be cloned (copied exactly) from your old drive to the new one. It is not too complicated, but More Tech Savvy would be glad to help you with the process if you look at it and decide it's a bit more than you want to tackle. You can contact me here.

In either case, I'm available if you'd like to discuss if this upgrade would be a good idea for you. This drive is on sale for through April 21.

Do You Have a Backup System in Place?

3/31/2016

"My hard drive crashed."
"My computer stopped working."
"My kids spilled a Coke on the computer."

I've heard all of these and the first question I ask in each situation is, "Are your files backed up?" Nobody wants to pay hundreds of dollars to fix or replace a computer, but what price do you put on all of your pictures from the last five years or that Master's thesis or BIG presentation you've been working on for weeks?

March 31st is World Backup Day. Yes, "World Backup Day" is a "real day" just like "Grandparents Day" is a "real day". Both may have been made up by companies that would profit from their creation, but they have become "real days" nonetheless

I have already written a couple articles about the importance of having a backup system for your computer, but in honor of World Backup Day, and because the topic is so important, here are some suggestions and links to help you avoid being an April Fool:

Why backup? Here is a one minute and thirty second video from the World Backup Day website that very succinctly explains why a backup system is a must-have.
Where do I start? Start your backup system with an external hard drive (links to follow). Your external hard drive needs to be larger than the hard drive in your computer.
What do I do once I have an external hard drive? Most external hard drives come with software to help make an original backup of your files (documents, pictures, music, videos, etc). Windows 8 and 10 come with File History and Macs come with Time Machine, both of which are free programs included in the operating system itself. (Here are some other options for your backup system in Windows 10)
Is that all I need? No. A local backup is a great start, but what if there is a natural disaster, home fire, etc that takes out your computer AND the backup drive sitting next to it? The second level of backup you NEED is an online backup. While online storage/sync options like Box, Dropbox and OneDrive offer a level of online protection and are great sync tools (read here why I recommend OneDrive), a dedicated online backup solution is a stronger option. For dedicated online backups, I recommend Carbonite or iDrive. I have used Carbonite for years, and I like the new Carbonite Plus feature where Carbonite will take care of your local backup (external hard drive) allowing you to copy not only the data, but also the programs on your hard drive, as well as the online backup. iDrive has had this feature for a while and they frequently run specials. I am thinking seriously about giving iDrive a try when my Carbonite subscription expires.
What do I look for in an external hard drive? As stated earlier, get a hard drive that is larger than the hard drive on your computer. I would stick with name brands (Western Digital, SanDisk, Segate, Buffalo to name a few). Use Google to check for product reviews and use Amazon to customer reviews of the particular hard drive you are pricing. When looking for a deal, Google "compare prices <specific external hard drive>" and be sure to check EBay (buy from US seller, check seller ratings and be sure to compare prices so you know what is a good deal).
Misc. Links:
- Segate is giving away 3 external hard drives in honor of World Backup Day. Get our name in the drawing here.
- Three Ways to Backup Your Data
- Current sales on external hard drives at New Egg (look for the exact same hard drives on EBay to compare prices)
- Amazon Sales (look for exact same hard drives on EBay to compare prices)
- Locally, check the Fry's ad in the Friday Star Telegram. (If you find a drive you want, take the ad with you to the store, find an associate, point to what you want and ask, "Where would I find this item?")

Don't be an April Fool and be unprepared for the "when" (It's not an "if") you lose your hard drive. Of course More Tech Savvy is always available to help you set up your backup system. If I can be of any service, please contact me. I would be glad to help you secure your data. The first time a hard drive/computer crashes, you will thank me!

Feel free to leave your thoughts, questions or "great deal" finds for external hard drives in the comment section below.

Rob

Why a Computer Tune Up?

11/1/2015

Is your computer running slowly? Does it seem to take a lot longer to boot up and shut down that it used to? Does your computer freeze hang up frequently? These are all symptoms that could likely be remedied with a computer tune up. A computer tune up from More Tech Savvy will do the following:

Optimize boot up and shut down (to speed up how long it takes your computer to turn on and off)
Stop unnecessary programs from running in the background (helps your computer start and run faster)
Clean up unused shortcuts
Delete temporary files
Install Windows updates (keeps your computer safer and running optimally)
Update your anti-virus software (outdated AV software

If you'd like to schedule a tune up for your computer, use the contact form here or email [email protected] and be sure to ask about any current tune up specials!

Before Starting Your Upgrade to Windows 10

10/4/2015

Before doing any operating system upgrade, it is ALWAYS a good idea to do a complete system backup of files and programs on your computer (create a system image). If you do not have an external hard drive large enough to do this, here is what I suggest as a MINIMUM for anybody thinking about doing their own upgrade:

Back up each user account on the computer (this will save your documents, music, pictures, downloads, contacts and favorites).
Make sure you have the original media (usually a CD) for all the programs you would need to reinstall if you run into difficulties during your upgrade.
Create a Recovery Drive (click the link for detailed instructions) if you are using Windows 8.1. This will allow you to do a factory reset of your computer if you run into difficulties.

Number 3 above would be VERY important if your upgrade hangs up during installation. This Recovery Drive (easily created on a USB stick) is the equivalent to your "Windows Disc" which must have to re-install Windows.

So far I have not experienced major issues upgrading computers to Windows 10, but if your installation hits a snag, you will be GLAD you followed these three steps before beginning your upgrade. As always, if you would like help, More Tech Savvy offers these backups when doing a Windows 10 upgrade. Feel free to use our contact form to ask questions or use the Comment section below.

One Drive, One Terabyte, One Great Deal

10/3/2015

There are a LOT of articles about the best online storage options. Google gave me about 88,400,000 results in 0.49 seconds. While I have tried several options (including Drop Box, Box, Carbonite, Google Drive, iDrive and One Drive) I am currently using One Drive and here is why I would recommend it to anybody for home use.

One Drive is priced competitively (see this PC Magazine article for price comparison).
Backing up to an external hard drive is a good idea, but if your computer is destroyed by a fire or natural disaster, the backup hard drive you have sitting right next to the computer is gone, too. A local backup is not enough.
One terabyte of storage costs just $7/month and includes the latest version of Microsoft Office.

That's right, with a subscription to Office 365 Personal, for just $6.99/month, you get the latest copy of Microsoft Office (I just downloaded Office 2016) and one terabyte of storage. You can configure One Drive on your computer to back up any files you want...not just your Office files. All of my music and all of my photos are included with my documents in my backup folder so if my house was leveled in a tornado, all of my files are safe. I chose the Office 365 Home option and I get 5 licenses for Microsoft Office so I can legally share a copy with my mom, a friend, my daughter and two of my computers.

Here's a few other reasons I like One Drive.

I can get a link to share any file or folder full of files. Maybe a file is too large to email. No problem, I simply right-click, select "Share a One Drive Link" and a link is created that I can send to a friend via email, instant message or even text. (Windows 10 gives me the right-click option and Google Voice gives me the option to paste that link into a text).
I can sync folders across multiple computers. The way I use this: the laptop I am using now is both my work and personal computer. If it were to go down and I had to mail it in for repairs no biggie, I just grab my backup laptop (currently being used by my daughter...sorry sweetheart), do a One Drive sync and all my files are instantly current on the backup laptop and I am ready to go.
There are ways with each version of Windows (7, 8 and 10) to choose which files stay in the cloud and which files sync to my computer. I have some files that I do not need on a regular basis, so they are not on my main computer's hard drive. Others I need, so I work with them on my hard drive and keep a back up copy with One Drive. ALL of these files are available from most any Internet connected device (my phone, iPad, friend's computer, etc).

With five licenses for Microsoft Office (always the latest version) and one terabyte of storage for $9.99/month (1 license for Microsoft Office and 1 terabyte of storage for just $6.99/month), I think One Drive is a great option.

If you have any questions about a backup system (local and/or cloud based) for your computer, please feel free to contact me. As always, if you'd like some assistance setting this up, More Tech Savvy would be glad to help!

The New $50 Kindle Fire

9/23/2015

The new Kindle Fire 7" tablet is set for release on September 30th. What's so special about this Wi-Fi, 8 GB tablet? It's price...Amazon is selling this tablet for $49.99 with free shipping.

Here's a few reasons why I think this would be a GREAT buy for somebody who is considering getting a tablet but not sure if they will use it or not:

It's just $50!
It's an Amazon product so it's not going to be poorly made like the cheap, no-name Android tablets that are too easy to find.
SD card slot so you could add up to 128 GB of additional storage.
Mayday screen sharing...it's how Amazon can remote into your tablet to help you fix problems or show you how to do stuff.

If you've been considering a tablet but have been unsure as to whether you want to fork out the $$ for one, this would be an excellent investment to see if you would use a tablet. If you REALLY like it and decide you want to go with a nicer tablet this one would be great to give to the kids or sell on EBay and easily recover 50% or more of your cost.

A couple things you should know/keep in mind:

It will be better than the cheap Android tablets currently available, but it's not a Sony tablet or an iPad.
It will run on Fire OS 5 which is a "handicap version" of Android. Your apps will come from the Amazon app store, not from the Google Play store. Lots of available apps, but not as many as the Play store or the App Store. (If you're a geek, or if you know one, you may be able to side load some non-Amazon apps or root the device and make it a true Android tablet).
The resolution will not be the same as the higher end Amazon tablets, Android tablets or iPad. Resolution is 177/ppi 1024x600).
The price is kept low through un-obtrusive advertising on the tablet (unless you pay more for the upgrade). On my older Kindle, the ads were not a bother to me.

You can read the full specs (and order your tablet) here. Bottom line: it's gonna be hard to go wrong for $50 even if you only use it as an eReader. If you've been wondering if you'd use a tablet, the Kindle Fire might be a worthwhile investment.

Great Deal on an Online Backup Solution - Today Only

9/23/2015

If you don't have a backup system in place for your computer, this would be an EXCELLENT option for you and it's at a great price today only. iDrive software backs up your files to the cloud, schedules your backups to a local backup drive if you have one and allows you to sync files across multiple devices. $5/month for your first year.

Some have asked, "I have a backup hard drive for my computer. Why would I want to pay to back up my files in the cloud?" First of all, if you have a backup hard drive and you schedule regular backups...good for you because you are in the minority of computer users. Most people discover their need for a backup when their computer or hard drive crashes and then they may be stuck paying big bucks to have important files (documents, family pictures, etc) rescued from their old hard drive. But to answer the question, the reason an off-site back up is a good idea is in case of disaster (fire, tornado, home burglary, etc). that takes out both your computer and your backup hard drive. Yes, you will have to buy a new computer, but your data is still secure and available for you to download to your new computer.

iDrive software offers a lot of flexibility for both local and off-site (cloud) storage. At just $5/month for the first year, you really should give it a try. As always, if you have any questions, let me know and More Tech Savvy will be glad to help you with this or any other computer questions.

Click on the picture above to be take advantage of this one day deal. 09-23-15

Upgrade, Don't Hate!

9/9/2015

I completed another Windows 10 upgrade for a customer over the weekend and when I took the laptop back to their place of business, their employee who uses the upgraded laptop was beside herself to be rid of Windows 8. She particularly did not like the tiled Start Screen on Windows 8 and did not know how to search easily for programs and files. She was very excited to have the Start menu back with Windows 10 and to be able to pin her programs and apps there.

A second happy Windows 10 upgrade customer is a pastor friend of mine. One of his church laptops was "accidentally" updated by someone there. The pastor called me in a panic and said he needed help quickly because after the upgrade, one of the two projectors run by this laptop was not working correctly in their church sanctuary. It worked fine before the Windows upgrade and it worked fine with another Windows 7 laptop, so he knew the upgrade is what was causing his problem. I scheduled a time to remote into his computer today to trouble shoot his issues, check settings, drivers, etc but when I called, I could not reach him. I left a message and 10 minutes later I got a text, "I fixed it! I love Windows 10!! I was able to find and figure out the settings I needed and thought I was good to go. Then I discovered I had no sound, but again, I was easily able to find some settings that I messed with and got my own computer fixed."

If your computer is running Windows 8 and you don't like it...upgrade, don't hate! If you don't like techie stuff or if you're worried about your upgrade, let me help you. I posted this to help you prepare your computer before upgrading which would be good to read if you want to attempt the upgrade on your own. If you'd like some help, please contact me and let me give you a quote to upgrade your particular system to Windows 10. My services include:

Backing up your current system before starting the upgrade
Upgrading your operating system to Windows 10 (this upgrade is free from Microsoft for most Windows 8 users)
Making sure your computer is working and you can find your programs and data
Making sure your printer (1 printer) is working after your upgrade
Sharing a few Windows 10 tips to get you started

Author

Hi, I'm Rob and I run More Tech Savvy. You won't find me behind the tech desk at a major retail store...I come to your home and help you remove a virus, install a printer or show you how to better use your computer for your home business. If I'm able to help you and you're pleased with my work, I ask you to tell your friends about my services.

This blog is dedicated to tools/sites that I use and I believe are worth sharing with others. I hope you will find something here that will be useful to you.

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