Gearing up for the business expo, a brand new event presented by the Oroville Chamber of Commerce, FRRPD and the City of Oroville, scheduled for Wednesday, April 9 at the Municipal Auditorium in Oroville. The event is all-day, and is designed to promote the Oroville area, spotlight local businesses and provide networking opportunities to both exhibitors and guests. Admission is free to the public. It has been tiring to say the least. One good thing that has come of it is the refining of the services that I have to offer.

I am designing commercials, yes I can do that too, to run in loop for the show that include or touch on each of the services that I offer, a long list I might add. They are 60- 70 sec spots to highlight what I do graphically.

I am also putting together, well ordered already, a newsletter that by the way you can find here: http://nextstepcomputers.net/index.php?p=newsletter. I am including it in the next issue of the chamber newsletter and I will have copies on hand at the expo. In these newsletters we will be featuring one aspect of our services, supplementing our website. This will allow all subscribers to get to know all of the many areas of services we offer. In this issue we are advertising our giveaway at the expo, Free Custom Website or one year Search Engine Optimization.

So if you are in the Oroville, Thermalito, Palermo, Kelly Ridge, Area and are interested in some Free services, stop by and enter.

_____________________________________________________________

Brad Hays, Owner/Technician
Brad@NextStepComputers.net
PO BOX 207 Palermo, CA 95968
(530) 533.8005

www.NextStepComputers.net
___________________________________________________________________

For more information or to register see the attached press release and Exhibitor Agreement, visit www.orovillechamber.net or call 538-2542.

Spread the word: Reading: Showcase

To have your computer change the time for you, just double click on the clock icon (located in the bottom right hand corner of your desktop) and select the Time Zone tab. Under the map that is shown for the different time zones, there is a checkbox that says "Automatically adjust clock for daylight saving changes." Check that and you'll be all set!

You'll then have one less clock to change when you have to spring forward or fall back! Your computer is there to make things easier for you, so why don't you let it do this for you? It's a very cool feature that you can easily put to good use. Of course, the next time change is coming up this Sunday, March 9, 2008, so you might as well get your computer ready now. Do it today!

Spread the word: Reading: Spring Ahead

Statistics have shown that 94% of computer registries have problems that may affect system performance. Many people don’t know what a registry is, much less how to fix one that has become damaged. A damaged registry can lead to slow program performance, frequent error messages, slow start up times, and an unstable system overall. Keeping the registry clean can be challenging but understanding what the registry is and how it is used will bring you one step closer to keeping your system at peak performance. So, what is the registry? Simply stated, the registry is the collection of settings and preferences used by your computer that are stored in registry entries and files. In the registry you will find information about the hardware and software on your computer, including what programs are installed, what hardware you are using, and the customized settings you have defined for each. How do registry problems occur? There are many things that can cause registry problems. The most common is something many users do on a regular basis: install or uninstall software. As software is added or removed, registry entries and files are also added or removed to support the program. Unfortunately, when you uninstall some programs (such as trial download software) registry items can be left behind. These relic files and settings can conflict with other items in the registry, and lead to damage and possible corruption. Other reasons for a damaged registry include embedded spyware and adware, as well as outdated or unused drivers. What do I do if my registry is damaged? Even a new system can have problems in the registry. Most users will experience sluggishness or poor performance. Other users may not be able to start Windows at all. Some users may not experience any outward symptoms until the problems compound, leading to system instability further down the road. Fixing a damaged registry can be done manually by editing the registry entries or reinstalling the operating system. However, the number of registry entries can be huge and editing them confusing and risky. Reinstalling your entire system is very time consuming and not an effective way to keep your system in shape. The quickest and easiest way to protect your registry and system is to use a registry cleaner during regular computer maintenance.

from Trend Micro User News | Spotlight Feb '08

Spread the word: Reading: Optimizing Your Registry

If you have an old computer you're thinking about giving away or just throwing out, STOP!

Think about it - you wouldn't toss paperwork with credit card, bank, or social security numbers in the trash without shredding the heck out of 'em would you? Of course not! However, day in and day out, people toss out old computers and think that just deleting or formatting a drive is going to get rid of all the personal info they had on it - not a chance!

When you delete a file, it's not really gone. YES - You read that right! The area where the file sits on the hard drive gets tagged as free space, but until it's overwritten, that data is VERY recoverable. I formatted a test drive and ran recovery software on it awhile ago just to see what would happen. Nearly EVERYTHING was easily recoverable! No problem at all! Recent studies show that 74% of hard drives sold or given away contain data that can be easily read and recovered - and 36% of those hard drives had even been reformatted! Scary Stuff!

If you've ever used your computer to check on your banking, buy a product online, or anything that involves your personal info, then that info might be easily available when you get rid of your old hardware! Yikes!

Don't think it can happen to you? Well, two MIT students did a study. They went and purchased 158 used hard drives for less than $1000 from a web swap-meet type site. When they went through the drives, they found over 5,000 credit card numbers, medical reports, lots of personal and corporate financial information, and gigs of personal e-mail. And get this - 60% of the drives had been formatted!!!

There are people who look for old computers at the curb or in the dumpster just to pull info off the hard drive or sell the drives to others! Plus, if you just "donate" an old computer you have no idea what really is going to happen to it! If this doesn't scare the heck out of you, then you shouldn't be using a computer!

It is a very simple process to wipe your drive. Don't think this wont happen to you.
Spread the word: Reading: Old Computers and Credit Information

Do you know that most of the computer slowdown problems can be resolved by performing a few simple PC tasks?

We will show you some of the common reasons for slow computer problems and what you can do to avoid them and speed up your computer.

Computers usually slow down due to one or more of the following:

*Large, fragmented, corrupt and slow registry.
*Too many startup programs unnecessarily feeding on your system resources and CPU.
*Virus or spyware infections.
*Cluttered, filled up, and fragmented hard disk.

Registry problems usually happen when a large amount of unwanted, invalid, and obsolete data within it. This causes the registry to grow to a very large size, which, in turn, corrupts and fragments its files. A large, bloated and corrupt registry slows down, and as a result slows down your computer. To combat this problem, you may use a reliable registry cleaner tool to regularly scan the registry and remove unwanted data from it. Using a registry tool, you can also defrag the registry which enables you to compress and reindex its files to speed up registry data access time.

Excessive usage of CPU and other system resources by unwanted startup programs is also a major cause of slow PC performance. To decrease CPU usage and speed up your computer, you need to disable unwanted programs to launch at startup. To do this, perform the following steps:

* Run the msconfig command to display the System Configuration Utility dialog box. On the Services and Startup tab, clear the check boxes of all programs and services you do not want to load at startup. While doing so, you must be careful to not disable programs and services that are essential for your Windows system.
*Delete unnecessary program shortcuts from the Startup folder in Start menu.
*Press Ctrl + Alt + Del to open Task Manager. Here, on the Processes tab, close all programs that are running unnecessarily on your computer. (This is a temporary operation that helps you free up the CPU and other system resources while your PC is operational.)

To prevent computer slowdowns due to virus and spyware infections, it is important to take measures to prevent these malicious programs from infiltrating your system in the first place. You can do this easily with the help of reliable antivirus and antispyware tools. You must always keep these tools updated with the latest definitions. It is a good idea to opt for tool that comprises the automatic or live update feature. It is even better, if your antivirus and antispyware tools have the real-time protection feature. Enabling this feature will provide you with real-time protection against virus and spyware attacks.

Finally, you must use the Disk Cleanup tool regularly to remove unwanted files and data from your computer. You can use this tool to get rid of unwanted Internet Explorer and Program setup files, clean the Recycle Bin, uninstall no longer required programs, and delete old system restore points. After cleaning up, you can use the Disk Defragmenter tools to restore the contiguity of the hard disk data and optimize it for high-speed performance.

This information was found here

Spread the word: Reading: Speed Up Your Computer For Free

It is my effort to bring meaningful and relevant information to my customers and the occasional web surfer. Following this blog entry will be topical entries to help you.
Spread the word: Reading: The Beginning