February 26 2007
Q: Is there anything that I should do for my computer since the Day Light Savings change dates are different this year?

A: If you didn’t know, the change to Daylight Savings is happening earlier this year.  Actually, you need to change your clocks on March 11 (three weeks earlier than usual) and end on November 4 (1 week later than usual).  This affects you because all your appliances like your VCR, DVD, DVR, Alarm Clock, Microwave, and even your Computer are affected.  Since I can’t really help you on your other appliances, I will help you on your computer.

If your computer is already set to automatically receive updates from Microsoft, the change will be automatic like in Windows XP or Vista– your computer will make the adjustments without any intervention.  If you use Windows 2000 or if you want to just update other programs like Outlook, click on this Microsoft Link to download the update appropriate for your computer:

http://support.microsoft.com/gp/cp_dst

Even if you are an IT manager, there are downloads available to help manage your network.

If you use XP and do not have automatic updates turned on, click on this link:
http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?familyid=
66F1420C-DF2D-400B-A8A9-EF9061A9A3CA&displaylang=en

That’s it!

February 18 2007

Q: I use Microsoft Outlook to manage my appointments. Is there a way to change the default duration for new Appointments from 30 minutes to 1 hour?

A: Unlike other Schedule Management programs, Outlook doesn’t have an option to change the duration of new Appointments – In my opinion, this is a short-coming of Outlook. The way you can get around it is by changing the time increments of your Calendar, then by default the default for new Appointments changes to 1-hour.

Here’s how:

-In Outlook (all versions)
-Change the default duration of your calendar
1. Click on the Calendar button or your Calendar Folder in your Folder tree
2. View > Day (to change to the Day view if you aren’t already there)
3. View > Arrange By > Current View > Customize Current View >
-In the Customize Current View Day/Week/Month window
4. Click the ‘Other Settings…’ button
-In the Format Day/Week/Month window
5. Change the ‘Time scale:’ to 60 minutes
6. Click ‘OK’
7. Click ‘OK’
Now when you schedule a new appointment, it will automatically be scheduled for an hour.

That’s it!

February 5 2007
Q: I recently bought a laptop that came with Windows XP, but I was wanting to upgrade to Vista.  Do you think this would be wise thing to do?

A: So you think you are ready for Vista?  Do you have a computer that is labeled Vista Compatible?  Well before you take the plunge, be sure you and your computer are ready.

First you can download a handy program from Microsoft that will evaluate your computer's status, recommend which flavor of Vista will be best for your computer, and provide an outline of which of Vista’s new features it will be able to run:  http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?
familyid=42B5AC83-C24F-4863-A389-3FFC194924F8&displaylang=en

Second, prepare to purchase more RAM memory.  Even if your computer is Vista compatible, be sure you have enough RAM.  If you have 512MB that isn't even enough.  You will want to get at least 2GB of RAM (just to start) if not just purchase the maximum amount of RAM memory your computer will hold.

Third, make sure that all your software will run on Vista.  Unlike other software of the past, some programs won't run specifically on Vista:
-ACT! 2006 or older (ACT! 2007 will, but you need a download).  Please see the following from Sage Software:
http://itdomino.act.com/act.nsf/1b3cab81ad2ef30207256bb300662231/
80fc1eeb75b3e71307257272005014ac?OpenDocument&Highlight=2,vista

-QuickBooks 2006 or older with exceptions.  Please see the following from Intuit:
http://www.quickbooks.com/Helpcenter/vista/ProductCompatibility.aspx

-Here’s a statement from Apple regarding iPod and Vista:
http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/bus/ptech/stories/
020307dnbusapplevista.9ae915.html

-Here’s some info regarding Palm & HotSync:
http://promosearch.palmone.com/search/promosearch?sp-q-required-1=
1&sp-a=sp10032ba7&sp-x-1=country&sp-q=vista&sp-q-3=knowledgebase&sp-x-2=
Model&sp-q-2=&sp-t=cat_search&sp-q-1=us&sp-x-3=col&sp-p-2=all&sp-i=1

Check all your software manufacturer's websites to verify Vista compatibility or if any additional downloads may be needed.

This is certainly a lot of areas to cover, but the time you save preparing will save you hours of troubleshooting and perhaps some frustration.