Dear Geek,

Sometimes while on my lunch break, I like to take my laptop outside so I can enjoy the air while checking my personal email. When I take my laptop outside like this though, I notice that the screen darkens up. Is there a way to increase the brightness? I’m not outside too long, so losing power quicker will not be an issue.

Sincerely,

Making the most of my lunch

 

Dear lunchtime!

There is a way to increase the screen brightness while working of a battery, and you’re right, a brighter screen means more battery power is needed. In the bottom right hand corner of your screen, you should see a little battery icon in your toolbar. When you click on this, it gives you some options for how your computer is going to run off the battery, and the screen brightness. When you click on the screen brightness option, it will open up a window. There is a slider at the bottom of this new window to adjust the screen brightness.

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Dear Geek,

 I got a new promotion (yay)! With this new promotion, I am expected to do more presentations, and marketing strategies to my team. I don’t want to be like the last guy where he would show us slides off of his laptop, which was so small, you couldn’t see. Is there a solution that won’t cost me hundreds of dollars for a projector? 

Sincerely,
Promoted to “Ruler of the Office”

 

Dear “Ruler”,

Projectors are expensive, that’s true, and the I don’t know about you, but I feel the cords from the projector are also a liability every time someone gets up to walk to the washroom.

One product we have found to be very helpful is the Google Chromecast. Chances are, your meeting rooms probably have a TV. The Chromecast makes it very easy to transmit what is on your tablet, iPhone or laptop onto a TV screen with no wires. This means no more huddling around a small screen and tiny speakers.

With a projector, you are spending a good part of your meeting time setting up the screen, the equipment, and attempting to make the cords as least hazardous as possible. With the Chromecast, it only takes three steps. Plug Chromecast into any HDTV, connect it to WiFi, then send videos and more from your smartphone, tablet or laptop to your TV with the press of a button.

Showing off your slides, videos and webpages easier sounds good, right? How about paying $40 for the Chromecase, instead of $700 for a projector?

Want to know if the Google Chromecast is a good option for you? Call Technology by Design for some more information about how we can help with all your technology needs!

 

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Dear Geek,

I currently have one Anti-Virus software program, but a friend told me that there is another one I should use with it to make sure I catch anything. I’m very worried about someone hacking my computer and stealing my Game of Thrones spin-off ideas, with the characters that are still alive of course. Is it okay to have more than one Anti-Virus software program installed?

Sincerely,
The next George R.R. Martin.

 

Dear Mr. Martin,

Having more than one Anti-Virus software program can cause quite a few issues. The most important, and common issue of having two programs installed is that the two programs may conflict, causing both to miss viruses and your computer to become unprotected. It is kind of a situation where both programs are too busy fighting eachother for power (over the computer of course), that they don’t realize someone else is planning to take them down. Because of this, it is not recommended that you have more than one Anti-Virus program installed on your computer. If you are unhappy with the program you have, you should switch to another program completely, rather than downloading another and running both.

Although we recommend that you have only one Anti-Virus program, it’s completely fine to have more than one spyware or malware protection program on the computer in addition to your Anti-Virus software.

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Dear Geek,

This has been bothering me for a good while, but I noticed when my Mom is emailing my Aunt, she is capitalizing my Aunt’s name in the email address. Are email addresses case-sensitive, and does this mean my Aunt will not receive the email?

Sincerely,
Or are we just being ignored for sending Lego Star Wars movies?

 

Dear Lego-Lover,

Sorry to say, your lovely movies are most likely being ignored. Although email providers say anything before the “@” symbol is case-sensitive, typically addresses are not because of the confusion this would cause between users. This means if you needed to email the Geek at Technology by Design, it can be assumed that both GEEK@tbyd.ca and geek@tbyd.ca would send to the same place.

However, when you are logging into your own account, the username associated with your email will be very case-sensitive.

If you have a question for our Resident Geek, send it to: geek@tbyd.ca (or GEEK@tbyd.ca).

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Dear Geek,

I bought brand new speakers for my computer at the beginning of the month, but today they aren’t working properly. They sound like they are only half working. I spent a ton on these speakers! How can they be broken already?

Sincerely,
Beaten by the speakers

 

Dear Beaten,

There could be a few reasons why your computer speakers don’t seem to be working properly anymore. If they were properly working before, it should be easy to fix.

First, check to ensure your cat (or anyone else) has not accidentally partially unplugged the speakers, or unplugged them and plugged them into the wrong spot.

Next, depending on what program you are using, there could be a few spots where you can control the volume. As well as the volume controls on the speakers themselves, there are also the volume controls on your computer. These controls can either be found on your keyboard, or on your toolbar, near where the date and time would be displayed.  The program you are using may also have its own volume controls. On iTunes, for example, there is a volume bar in the top left corner near the play controls. On YouTube, there is a volume control under the video you are viewing.

If your speakers are still not properly working, it could be a hardware issue with either your computer input for the speaker, or the speaker itself.

 

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Dear Geek,

I’ve been hearing a lot about this “RansomWare”. You’ve been posting alerts about it, it’s been in the news, and it’s everywhere! What is RansomWare, and how can I avoid getting it on my computer?

Sincerely,

Not ready to pay ransom.

Dear Ransom,

RansomWare is a kind of malware that is installed by criminals so they can lock your computer from a remote location. It generates a pop-up window, webpage, or email warning from what looks to be an official authority or reputable company in hopes that someone will open an infected webpage or email. Once a user opens an infected file, your computer tells you that your files have been scrambled and encrypted, and demands payment before you can access your files again. Basically, RansomWare is a way for criminals to hold your files and information hostage, and make it inaccessible for you to use, or even view until you pay their fee.

RansomWare is installed in a few ways; when you open an email attachment infected by the malware, when you visit an infected site, or when you click on an infected link through email, instant message, or social networking site.

The easiest way to avoid being infected is to be aware of what you are clicking on, and what it may lead to. If you are unsure about an email attachment or a website link, do not click on it. It is also important that you ensure your virus protection is up-to-date and will protect you from RansomWare, as many virus programs do not.

The anti-virus programs used by Technology by Design for our clients ensure protection from RansomWare. In event of RansomWare being installed on a computer, payment to the cybercriminals can be avoided if backups are done regularly.

For more information on our anti-virus programs or our scheduled backups, call 204-800-3166 or email helpdesk@tbyd.ca. For more information on the types of RansomWare currently out there, look at the “Alert” section of our website at tbyd.ca.

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Dear Geek,

I had a friend come over to help me on my game because I’m stuck on a level. While he was here, he told me my mouse is slow. When I asked him what he meant, he said it was taking forever to move across the screen, and I might be able to beat the level if my mouse was faster. How do I change this? I need to beat the boss monster!

Sincerely,
World protector

Dear hero,

Yes, a faster mouse speed would allow for you to move your mouse across the screen quicker, and it’s easy to change!

First click on the start menu and go to the settings option, then control panel. In this window, there should be a mouse icon, double click the mouse icon. In this window, there will be a bunch tabs regarding your mouse settings, the one we want right now is the “pointer option” tab. Once this tab is opened, there will be a slider bar. Moving the slider bar to the right will increase the speed of the mouse, while moving it to the left will decrease the speed. Click the Ok button, and try it out for a while. Some people cannot work with mouse speeds that are super fast, and there is no use having a super fast mouse if you cannot work with it.

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Dear Geek,

I think my laptop is haunted by the ghost of a nerd. Who else would be haunting my laptop? Even when I am not touching my touchpad, my mouse moves. Should I be calling Ghostbusters?

Sincerely,

GHOSTBUSTERS!

 

Dear computer user watching too many horror movies,

Ghostbusters should not be necessary for this. There are a few reasons this could be happening.

Check where your hands are on the keyboard. Because the touchpad is so close to where the palms of your hands and your thumbs rest, it could be possible that you are touching the touchpad without realizing it. Take your hands off the keyboard completely, and see if it continues to move by itself.

Is your touchpad dirty? Oils, lotions, and other substances from your fingers can cause the touchpad to not work properly. Try cleaning the touchpad by dampening a cotton cloth with water and wipe the surface of the touchpad.

Do you have any external devices plugged in? If you have a device plugged in such as an external mouse, graphics tablet, or keypad, unplug them and see if this may be your issue. Something on your desk may be nudging these devices causing your mouse to move.

Do you have all the proper drivers? Drivers control how the touchpad, and everything else, works. If the driver contains issues, it may cause some issues, such as the mouse moving improperly. Check your laptop manufacturer website to check if you have the correct driver.

If you have done all this, and you are still convinced a ghost nerd is controlling your mouse, there may be a physical hardware issue with either the touchpad or the interface connected to the touchpad.

Technology by Design can help diagnose your touchpad issues, and fix it, even if it is a hardware issue! If you are being haunted by a ghostly nerd who enjoys moving your mouse, who are you going to call?

If you have a question for our Resident Geek, send it to: geek@tbyd.ca.

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Dear Geek,

I got really excited about the new Spider-Man movie, that I spilled some pop all over my keyboard. By “some”, I mean a whole bottle of coke. I tried cleaning it out, but it’s been a few days since, and my keyboard is still so sticky that it’s almost unusable. I saw on a forum that a few people had put their keyboards through the dishwasher, can you actually do that?

Sincerely,
Your friendly neighbourhood Spider-Man

Dear Peter Parker,

Yes, some people have put their keyboards through the dishwasher, but there are some risks with that. When you do this, there is a chance that you may completely ruin your keyboard, and no manufacturer actually recommends you use this method. If you have warranty on your keyboard, this will completely void it. Also, your keyboard will be out of commission for about a week. It should also be said that this method of cleaning does not work for laptop keyboards, just standard, desktop keyboards.

Here’s some information if this is the road you’d like to take:
– Make sure you’ve got a spare keyboard. You must wait at least 7 days before the keyboard can be used again after it’s been washed, so unless you do not plan on using your computer for a week you’ll need a spare.
– Do not use any dish soap.
If your dishwasher has multiple settings, make sure it’s a rinse only. Do not use a heavy wash, pots, and pan setting, or any heated drying settings. Any extensive heat will destroy the keyboard.
– Wash the keyboard on the top rack only.
– Do not put anything else in the dishwasher except the keyboard.
– Only try this if your computer keyboard is plastic.
If you want a more extensive clean under the keys remove each of the keys and wash just the keyboard.

After the keyboard has been washed, shake the keyboard to allow excessive amounts of water to drain out, lay the keyboard upside down so it is laying on the keys, and let the keyboard dry for seven days.

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Dear Geek,

I’m not sure what happened, but the date and time is off on my computer. Could it be that I have finally found a way to time travel?

Sincerely,
The Doctor

 

Dear ‘Who’ fan,

The chances are that you have not found a way to time travel. Your settings are probably off.

To change the time and date on Windows 7, you click on the date and time in the notification area, which is most commonly on the bottom right-hand corner of the screen. When you click on this, a small window will appear with a small calendar and some different time zones. Under this, there should be an option to “change date and time settings”.

In Windows 8, there are a few ways to open up the settings. First way is to look for the “settings” tab in the Charms start menu (aka the screen that looks like a tablet). To open this up, you go to the start menu, and go to start screen. The other option is to simply press the Windows key + I.

From here, click on the “Desktop” option, then More PC Settings. The General tab is where the date and time can be changed.

If you have a question for our Resident Geek, send it to: geek@tbyd.ca.

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