Wireless Wednesday for 3/6/14: With Mitch Evans - Myrtle Beach and Computer Mistakes We All Make

Rick is in Myrtle Beach doing a few pieces on Myrtle Beach Golf  - their site www.GolfHoliday.com - a very cool website to plan golf and your trip to Myrtle Beach.

Despite all the advice available online, many of us make silly mistakes when using our computers. Don’t want to be caught acting like a complete newbie? Consult this list of usual slip-ups to avoid.

Have a listen to what ended up bing a "Tech Thursday" this week.

listen to ‘Wireless Wednesday for 3/6/14 on 92.9 The Game Part 1’ on Audioboo

listen to ‘Wireless Wednesday for 3/6/14 on 92.9 The Game Part 2’ on Audioboo

listen to ‘Wireless Wednesday for 3/6/14 on 92.9 The Game Part 3’ on Audioboo

_______________________________________________________________________
1.  Using Pre-Installed Free Stuff - pre-installed software

Don’t get me wrong. Not all pre-installed applications are bad. But for some you may have no use and others may even turn out to be sub-standard and slow down your computer.

Checking your PC for each item you didn’t ask for will probably take you a while. But, this is the only way to make sure you get rid of everything you don’t want. Thankfully, there are some tools to help you with this process. One of these is PC Decrapifier.

2.   Default Installations and settings

Free software is often ad-supported and in many cases the installer comes bundled with additional products or ad-ware, which can slow down your computer. Thus, anytime you download a free Windows application, you must do a custom install. With a custom install, you can opt out of crapware, say a browser toolbar or another application. Check you default settings from time to time and make sure you are running your computer he way you want to.


3.  Not Restarting The Computer

Anytime you notice your Windows machine behaving weird for no clear reason, first try to reboot and see if that solves the problem. Rebooting is considered a cure-all of sorts that fixes a ton of problems. A few examples of problems that can be fixed with a simple reboot include; slow running, programs using too much memory, Internet or WiFi connection problems and the Windows blue screen of death.

 

4.  Back Up Data

There are many reasons for data loss, but some of the most common include: accidental deletion, hard disk damage or failure, viruses, power disruption and improper shutdown.

If you lost your data tomorrow, would you have backup copies of all your important documents? You need a rock solid backup strategy to mitigate the ever-present threat of data loss. There are several ways to backup your data. You can backup to an external hard drive, use a cloud storage service or a network drive. If using Windows 7, you can make use of the backup and restore feature while Windows 8 has a built-in time machine backup.

5. Failure to Keep Your Windows OS & Other Essential Software Up-To-Date

Always run updates

Developers roll out new updates for several reasons. The main ones include; rolling out new features, fixing bugs, patching security loopholes and making the system more secure. Failure to update your OS and essential software leaves you vulnerable to security breaches. The best way to ensure you do not forget to update Windows is to turn on automatic updating.

In Windows 7, go to Control Panel > System and Security >Action Center. Under Windows Update, click Change Settings and select the ‘Install updates automatically’ option. In Windows 8, click or tap Settings > PC Settings > Update and Recovery. Under Recommended Updates select the “Give me recommended updates the same way I receive important updates” check box, and click Apply.

 

6.  Using Internet Explorer

- Don't Use It!
Internet Explorer is the default browser on almost all new PCs. Don't use it! Internet Explorer is the most common point of entry for spyware. Even on a fully updated install of Windows, many websites can install spyware AUTOMATICALLY.

The solution is simple: just download and use a different web browser. We like Mozilla Firefox (free download), and Opera is also good (and free). You can visit all the same websites with Mozilla Firefox without having to worry about spyware. However, please note Firefox won't remove spyware or in any way actively protect your PC; it is simply a safe way of viewing websites.
 


App of the Week  -  MLB At Bat updated for 2014

I recommend this app every year.

MLB At Bat has a new look to millions of mobile devices everywhere, in time for this week's start of Spring Training exhibitions.

The highest-grossing sports app five years running was launched by Major League Baseball Advanced Media for the iPhone, iPad, supported Android smartphones and tablets, Amazon Kindle Fire and BlackBerry 10. A Windows Phone 8 version of At Bat is expected to be available in March. Look for the update if you haven't already.

At Bat, which has been available since it became one of the original 500 apps to launch with the Apple App Store on July 10, 2008, was downloaded a record 10 million times in 2013. That was a 45-percent increase over the previous year.

For the third year, MLB.TV Premium subscribers again will receive At Bat for free, unlocking the app's premium feature set. MLB.TV Premium is $129.99 a year or $24.99 a month, and signups are underway. Fans also may subscribe to At Bat for the one-time annual fee of $19.99, covering the entire season. iOS users may pay $2.99 a month with the recurring billing offering.

With an At Bat subscription, you get multi-platform live audio access for portability to take home, away and Spanish-language audio feeds to desktop and laptop computers. You also can have full premium feature access across all support iOS and Android smartphones and tablets.

Spring Training features
Tuesday's 2014 launch is just the start, as a further At Bat Opening Day update will be coming in March. You can watch more than 200 Spring Training games live with an MLB.TV Premium subscription (iPhone, iPad, select Android phones & tablets, Kindle Fire, BlackBerry 10).

In addition, all the supported devices will let you: listen live to all available Spring Training radio broadcasts; track league-wide scoreboards and batter-by-batter action for every exhibition; get breaking news, schedules and interactive rosters and players stats for every team; and check full-season schedule calendars.