Many if not most of us have migrated to at least Office 2007, if not Office 2010. The Ribbon interface, which took the place of the standard menu bar, has been a source of constant frustration for many users. Although it seems to be more ‘logical’ in Office 2010, I still have issues finding some commands in Word, Excel, and PowerPoint. Enter the Search Commands add-in to the rescue. It’s from Microsoft, what they call a ‘concept test’, but it works pretty well. It adds another tab to the interface of Word, Excel, and PowerPoint, which allows you to search for the command you’re looking for. It’s English-only at this point, but it does work with both 32 and 64 bit Office 2010, as well as Office 2007. Check it out at http://bit.ly/jwrZtK
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Microsoft ‘Tech Support Scam’?
I hadn’t heard of this, but Woody Leonhard is a long-time industry author and columnist so this certainly caught my attention…there are apparently scam artists out there that call Windows users, say they are from Microsoft, and are calling to help with a problem they reported. The scammer goes through a convincing conversation with the user that ultimately leads to asking the user for their credit card number to complete the problem diagnosis and resolution, since they are out of free support period. You can read about it here….
Two things…first of all, as Woody points out, Microsoft doesn’t work this way! They don’t have the resources to respond personally to each and every user reported technical problem. In certain cases a user could receive a call from Microsoft in response to an escalation or specific commitment from someone at Microsoft. And second, legitimate consulting organizations like Computer Troubleshooters don’t work that way either! In the particular instance that Woody discusses, the (alleged) scammer references a seemingly legit support web site to verify his credentials to the user (kinda like this web site!)….but just like Microsoft, we don’t have the resources to reach out to users that we are not already servicing and offer to fix a particular problem for a fee.
Bottom line – if you get a call such as this, be wary…and if you do have a computer issue, give us a call.
Hybrid drives becoming a reality
Excellent article by Becky Waring on windowssecrets.com…hybrid drives were going to be the bridge between traditional platter drives and much faster solid state drives (SSD’s) a couple of years ago, but with specialized OS support necessary for them to function, and performance that wasn’t so hot, well, they fizzled. Apparently Seagate never stopped developing the technology and now have released 2.5 inch laptop drives that are not that much more expensive than standard platter-only drives….if a disk upgrade for your laptop is in your future, it may be worthwhile to take a look. Becky’s article is here: http://bit.ly/dBBGjt
AVG 2011 Released…..
Mention you saw it here for 10% off the price of AVG when you call in for service!
HTC Confirms October Launch for Windows Phone 7
One should never count them out, and I don’t think it’s destined to be the next Microsoft Bob (or was that Vista?), but this just strikes me as way too little, way too late…where’s the disruptive technology? What’s the compelling feature to make those who left the Windows Mobile platform (like me) for the iPhone or Android, or who were never there in the first place, move (back) to Windows Phone 7? Android-based phones gained 886% (!?!?!) in 2Q2010, according to Canalys. I suppose a 5-10% of a 60 million (and growing) unit smartphone market would be a a nice chunk of change (if they can reach that level), but it’s nothing compared to what Google is going after…..
Widespread Reporting of “Here you have” Virus (aka W32/VBMania@MM)
McAfee Labs is currently investigating a new threat commonly referred to as the “Here you have” virus due to the email subject line the worm uses during propagation. It looks like multiple variants may be spreading and may take some time to work through them all….
Top 10 Misconceptions About SMB Technology Needs
Great article from Information Week….
Our New VOIP Services
Computer Troubleshooters now offers a variety of VoIP phone services! We have specialists for both hosted (cloud-based, no server needed) systems and more powerful digital PBX systems. Here’s a sales video we put together to talk about some of the benefits VoIP can offer:
Welcome to Computer Troubleshooters Blog!
Computer Troubleshooters is now sharing its computer expertise in another medium for its customers. Online! Computer Troubleshooters – Downtown Houston now has its own blog, which we hope will become a valuable resource for you as you navigate the sometimes complicated world of understanding computers.
Looking for networking tips, how to solve connectivity problems? Or even some more basic tips on how to use Excel or Powerpoint? We’ll be posting tips, suggestions and valuable resource material for your convenience.
We might even blog a little about what’s happening inside Computer Troubleshooters, so check back often.
And while you’re at it, feel free to contact us with your own tips and suggestions on what you would like to read on our new Computer Troubleshooters Blog.
