How to Make Your Windows 7 Desktop Awesome: Part 3

Those of you that have been following along and are part way to total desktop awesomeness, here is Part 3 of Ben’s series of How to Make Your Windows 7 Desktop Awesome!  I couldn’t just leave you hanging at Part 2 could I?  Part tres dives into the awesome application called Rainmeter.  This is a free application that adds cool effects to your desktop.  What it will do is add a different skins to your desktop or just add widgets.  There are several different skins and widgets to choose from and more being added all the time.  Check some of these out!

 

Now hop on over to Blank Sketch Studios and learn how to install and use Rainmeter to make your Windows 7 Desktop look Awesome!

Win a FREE iPad 2!

So we have been talking a lot about tablets lately.  Well Fast-teks is giving away an iPad 2!  It’s free to enter and your information is safe, not sold or given out to anyone.  It is pretty easy to do and who are we kidding, the iPad 2 is pretty awesome.  So jump over to this link or click the picture below and enter to win.  But don’t be upset if you don’t win because Fast-teks is giving away something free every month this year.  So just check back next month to see what you can win.  Good luck!

Android Tablet Deal!

So you know how there are a lot of tablets out there to choose from?  Particularly, a lot of Android tablet?  Well, here is one of them.  The ViewSonic gTablet 10.1 is for sale right now at Woot.com for $269.99 + $5.00 shipping.  This thing is running Android 2.2 and has a 1 GHz Dual ARM Cortex-A9 processor, 512MB DDR2 memory, 2D/3D Graphics processing, HD Video encode and decode, Ultra-low power GeForce GPU, 1080p video playback processor, OpenGL ES 2.0, and 32-bit LP-DDR2, DDR2.  For those of you that may not know what all of this means, it’s pretty decent.

If you are on a person that is able or willing to root an Android tablet, then this is the one for you.  Over at Androidpolice.com they explain how to root this tablet and get the full power out of it.  They also have some helpful links on what rooting is and how it could be beneficial to you to do it.

The ability to root this tablet and the power that it has makes it a great buy at the price Woot.com is offering.

Now before you buy, it’s always a good idea to look at some reviews.  Here is a review from Laptopmag.com.  Keep in mind that this review is from December of last year and there have been some software updates since then to help performance.  For that reason I would suggest looking at some user reviews from Amazon.com.  This will get you a better idea of how the people that purchased one feel about it.  It also wouldn’t hurt to look at the reviews on Woot.com either.

Dual screen laptop? Say what?

So some of you may have seen or heard about this before.  But I found on TigerDirect the Acer Iconia Dual Screen Laptop for sale.  This innovative laptop doesn’t have a physical keyboard.  Instead, in its place there is a second screen!  You could probably make all of your friends jealous with this thing.  Check out the Cnet.com review of this crazy awesome laptop and then bounce back over to TigerDirect and pick one up.  Who else do you know that has one of these?  Exactly, so be a leader rather than a follower and get one.                                                                                                                                       

How to make your Windows 7 Desktop Awesome: Part 2

OK everyone.  Ben over at Blank Sketch Studios has posted up Part Dos of his tutorial on how to make your Windows 7 desktop awesome.  If you started with part uno, then you will want to graduate up to the second level of this tutorial and be that much closer to impressing anyone that sees your desktop.  Check him out and follow his easy steps to Desktop Awesomeness!                                                                                                                              

If awesome isn’t what you are looking for, then how about functionality. These steps don’t just make your desktop awesome to look at but, they make it easier to use. It puts everything at your fingertips with less clicks of the mouse.

So many tablets…so little time!

I really want a tablet but, it seems like a new tablet comes out every day.  This makes it impossible to keep up.  Not only are there a lot of options but, I just don’t know how useful a tablet would be to me.  Take the iPad for example, probably the best option out there right now.  This thing is pretty awesome and it just looks good but, it’s nothing but a big iPod Touch.  I can’t download any program I want to it unless it is an app in the app market.  Still a fun gadget to play around on and waste some time.  But still not as functional as a computer.  I know some are going to argue that point and it’s just my personal opinion.  The same goes for all the other tablets except for the Windows 7 tablets.  But these are just not as portable, the battery life is terrible, and Windows 7 is not designed for finger touch input.

Here are some of the tablet options:

1.  Apple iPad (with rumors of a iPad 3 already in the works)

2. BlackBerry PlayBook

3. several Andriod Tablets like the Motrola Xoom

4. the soon to be released HP  TouchPad

5. very few Windows tablets like the Asus Eee Slate EP121

6. and some dual boot options like the ViewSonic ViewPad 10 Pro.  This one is basically a Windows 7 tablet that runs Android in a virtual environment.

Can you make sense of it all?  Well, the iPad is a good choice.  But I still can’t get myself to buy one.  Android Tablets are getting there but, still not what I’m looking for.  The BlackBerry PlayBook is pretty nice.  Especially when they open up comparability with Android Apps like they mentioned they would.  This is a nice feature because the last thing we need is another App Market.  The HP TouchPad seems like it will be pretty awesome but, we just don’t know yet because it isn’t out.  For me, a Windows Tablet makes more sense and I am holding out for Windows 8, which is going to be optimized for touch screens. 

My ultimate choice would be a Windows 8 tablet that is capable of running Android and has access to the Android Market.  The best of all worlds.  Again, I’m sure some will argue and say I must have mistaken and wrote Android instead Apple.  But no my friends, Android it is.

Which tablet do you choose?  And don’t skimp on the details.  I need answers!

Need or want a new laptop?

Woot.com has a great deal on a pretty awesome laptop today.  This thing has everything you would ever need.  Plus, it’s made in an aluminum case to make it durable and really light weight.

Samsung 14” Core i5 Aluminum Laptop with WiMax, WiDi, HD LED Display and Edge-to-Edge Glass

I would suggest checking it out if you are in the market for a new laptop.  Or if you don’t need one but just really want one.   It doesn’t really matter…having new tech to play with is fun!  But you have to get it today.  And thats if they don’t sell out before the day is over!  Check it out now and get yours!

A Little Virus and Malware Protection.

A Light Punch in the Fight Against Viruses and Malware.

Are you using Windows Vista or Windows 7?  Do you constantly have that box popping up asking your permission to open or run a file or program?  Well, as annoying and tedious as it may be, those little boxes are actually protecting you from viruses and malware.  In Windows this is known as the User Account Control (UAC).  The purpose of the UAC is to block malware for running automatically.  Ideally, if a malware or virus was going to run or install on to your system the UAC box should pop up asking for your permission to continue.  If you are not familiar with the program that is asking permission or it is a program that started on its own, then it is probably best to click cancel.  This may not always be the case because malware and viruses are constantly evolving, and their may be a few that slip between the cracks.

As annoying as this box is every time you want to open something it is a good safety net to catch and stop some malware from infecting your computer.  Windows 7 gives you different levels of UAC protection whereas Windows Vista just gives you the option to turn on or off the UAC.  I recommend leaving it on.  And in Windows 7, it may be best to turn your UAC to the highest setting.  You will get more box pop ups asking for permission to run or open things but, this is your safest option for not getting a virus.  You have to weigh the pros and cons.

Turning on or off UAC in Windows Vista:

1. In the Start Menu, open the Control Panel.

2. Type “UAC” in the search box.  This will bring up a link that says “Turn User Account Control (UAC) on or off”

3. Click the link and make sure that the box is checked (or not checked if you want it off) next to “Use User Account Control (UAC) to help protect your computer”

Changing UAC settings in Windows 7:

Windows 7 makes it a little easier because it gives you different levels of UAC security.  This gives you the option of how much protection you want (or how many windows you can tolerate popping up asking for your permission).  Unfortunately, more windows asking for your permission means more protection.

1.  In the Start Menu, type “UAC” in the search box.

2.  Then Click “Change User Account Control Settings”

3.  This will bring up a slider that changes the UAC settings.  Sliding it all the way to the bottom disables the UAC completely.   Sliding it all the way to the top of course gets you the most protections.

This is just a portion of your virus protection.

This by no means should be your only defense against viruses and malware.  I can not stress enough the importance of having a good, up-to-date antivirus program installed.  Even with an antivirus program installed, you need to be actively involved and make sure you update and run scans regularly.  Even if the antivirus program is set to update and scan automatically, I would recommend updating and scanning manually.  Viruses and Malware are always updated first.   So you have to stay on top to be updated as soon as possible and not wait for your antivirus to update later that day.

Want to make you Windows Desktop look Awesome?!

Do you have a pretty boring or icon cluttered desktop?  Well I have a friend that has just the thing for you.  On his blog he is doing a series of entries to show everyone how to make their desktop look awesome.  He has some great customization tips.  Check him out here!

This is just one example of what you can do.

Hello World!

So I decided to start a blog.  I hope that the information that I post will help people better understand and better use their computers.  Our computers should be a tool to help us do what we need to do, not hinder us.   Check back with us for Tips, Ideas, and Help.  Feel free to ask questions in the comments area.

Thank you for checking out my blog and I will try and keep you updated with new information and new technology.

Check our my website at www.fastteks.com/charleston

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