This site is primarily for my Charlotte County, Florida, customers & friends and compliments the training and repairing I do. I make house calls in the Port Charlotte area and I try to help on the phone as much as I can. My pricing is very reasonable and I do not purposely try to undercut anybody. I just really enjoy helping others have a better computing experience and do not see the need to charge 'an arm and a leg' for my time. I also have very little overhead costs and this business is not my sole 'bread and butter'.

I thought this would be a good place to post my tips, hints, techniques, suggestions, or whatever you wanna call 'em, because you probably forgot all I told you during our visit together!!

There are many great websites with terrific computing advice. I will not duplicate these, but will link to some from time to time. While I may not be able to answer all your questions, I hope to at least point you in the right direction.

 

Training

I conduct computer-related classes at Faith Preparatory School.  There is a computer classroom with 10 Windows' PCs.  Wi-fi is available if you wish to bring your laptop, tablet or smartphone.  Classes are normally held Tuesday and Thursday afternoons, 2:30pm to 3:30pm.  $10.00 per person, per class.  What  a deal!!  Classes are often repeated throughout the year, so, if you miss a class, there's a good chance you can catch it the next time around. You pick and choose which classes to attend, as often as you wish!  I do not provide notes or handouts, as any of this information is freely available on the Internet.  Send me an e-mail to get on my e-mail class schedule (published every other month).

Below is a sampling of the topics I can help you with (other topics are available upon request!):

• Amazon.com
  • What is Amazon.com?
  • Is it safe?
  • Creating an Amazon account.
  • What services does Amazon offer?
  (Prime, Music, Movies, TV shows, Books, Alexa, etc.)
• Applications (Apps)
  • What are apps?
  • Where to get apps? (Mobile: Google Play; Amazon Appstore for Android; Apple iTunes) (Desktop: Windows Store; Mac AppStore) (Web: within browser)
  • Free or paid?
  • 3 main types: desktop, mobile, web. (Adobe Photoshop - desktop; Adobe Photoshop Sketch - mobile; Adobe Photoshop Express Editor - web). (MS Word another example) (Gmail only mobile and web).
  • Installing and uninstalling.
• Browser Basics
  • Learn short history of the Internet
  • Definition of "browser"
  • Browser versions (i.e., Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, Apple Safari, Opera, Microsoft Internet Explorer & Edge)
  • Differences and similarities between web addresses and email addresses
  • Search engine versions (Google, Yahoo, Ask, Dogpile, etc.)
  • Search basics
• Buying A New PC/Phone/Tablet
  • Desktop vs. Laptop vs. Notebook vs. Netbook
  • Android vs. Apple vs. Windows
  • How much should I spend?
  • Does it matter which brand name I buy?
  • What do all those giga and mega numbers mean?
  • What basically do I look for when shopping for a new device, without being overwhelmed with the geeky terminology?
• "Cloud" Services
  • "The Cloud" explained
  • Cloud computing
  • Cloud storage
  • Pros and cons
  • Is the Cloud necessary?
  • How to use the Cloud?
  • How much does it cost?
• Comparing Different Computing Devices
  • PC vs. Laptop vs. Netbook vs. Tablet vs. Smartphone
• Download Speeds
  • What is "download speed" and "upload speed"?
  • Why do these speeds matter?
  • What is "bandwidth" and why does it matter?
  • How to check my Internet speed to see if I'm getting the speed I'm paying for?
  • How do the ISPs differ in their technology?  i.e., cable vs. DSL vs. satellite vs. dial-up
  • Who are the main/popular ISPs in this area?
  • Getting the best deal from my ISP (Internet Service Provider)
• eBay - Buying and Selling
  • What is eBay used for?
  • How to create an eBay account?
  • Is it safe?
  • Can sellers be trusted?
  • Checking seller ratings and reviews.
  • Buying on eBay.
  • Selling on eBay.
• Email Basics
  • Desktop/software email vs. webmail
  • Review popular software email programs (i.e., Outlook Express, Outlook, Windows Live Mail,  Thunderbird, AOL)
  • Revview popular webmail (i.e., Gmail, Outlook (including Hotmail, Live and MSN), Yahoo, CenturyLink, Comcast)
  • Common features of all email programs
  • Setting up email
  • Explain format of email addresses
  • How to add and download email attachments?
  • Where are contacts/addresses?
• Facebook Basics
  • What is Facebook?
  • How to create a Facebook account?
  • Define:  Comment, Like, Share, Upload, Post, Tag, News Feed, Notification, Status Update
  • What are Friends for?
  • Adjusting privacy settings
  • Review the Homepage and Timeline
  • Following people and groups
  • Creating events
• How To Search On The Internet
  • "Search engine" defined
  • Different Search websites (Google, Bing, Yahoo, Dogpile, Ask, etc.)
  • How to search for information on the Internet?
• How To Setup A Home Network
  • Cat5/6 cable
  • Ethernet
  • Modem
  • Router
  • Switch
  • Hub
  • DSL vs. Cable
  • Wired vs. Wireless
• How To Setup A Website
  • What is a "domain name" and how to obtain one? (Registrar, "WhoIs.com")
  • What is a "web host" and how to obtain one?
  • Costs involved
  • Importance of maintaining ownership of  your domain name and web site if hiring web developer
  • Creating customized e-mail addresses to "brand" your website
  • Programs used to create web sites
  • On-line 'web editors'
  • What is HTML?
  • Uploading edited web files and on-line editing
  • Using keywords to place higher in search engines
• How To Tell If I'm Getting Best Deal From My ISP (Internet Service Provider)
  • Comcast vs. Centurylink vs. Verizon vs. Satellite vs. Net-Zero, etc.
• How To Use OpenOffice
  • What is OpenOffice?
  • How does OpenOffice compare to Microsoft Office?
  • What is  LibreOffice?
  • Advantages of using free open-source software
  • What to be aware of when sharing OpenOffice files with others
• Organizing Photos Tips
  • Photo files & types explained
  • Where are photos filed?
  • How are photos "organized" in a computer, phone or tablet?
  • Renaming photo files
  • Photo editing apps & programs
  • Photo organizing apps & programs
  • How to move/copy photos between devices?
• Passwords
  • What makes a "good" password?
  • Dangers of using one password for all your accounts
  • How to create a strong password?
  • How often should you change passwords?
  • How to keep track of multiple passwords?
  • How to change your password in various accounts (email, bank, Facebook, etc.)?
• "Printer Offline"
  • Why does this happen to my printer?
  • Steps to get printer back 'online'
    • Clearing print queue
    • Removing printer
    • Adding printer again
    • Test prints
    • Uninstalling printer software and drivers and reinstalling
• Scams and ID Theft
  • Identity theft defined
  • "Scam" defined
  • Ways your identity can be stolen
  • Some common schemes and scams
  • Beware phone calls from "Microsoft" or  other "techs"
  • What is "keylogging"?
  • Warning signs of scams
  • How to protect self from identity theft and scams?
  • Senior citizens more vulnerable
• Shortcuts and File Management
  • Short history of Windows Operating Systems
  • OS (Operating Systems) Versions
  • Desktop defined
  • Shortcuts defind and how to create
  • Folder & file management
• Smartphone Basics
  • "Smartphone" defined
  • Android vs. Apple vs. Windows Operating Systems
  • Manufacturers of different smartphones
  • Difference between "smartphone" and "dumbphone"
  • Discuss different models
• Spreadsheet Basics
  • Spreadsheet versions (MS Excel, OpenOffice Calc, Lotus123)
  • Parts of a basic spreadsheet. (Cells, row numbers, column letters)
  • Entering data into cells. (Text, numbers, graphics, formulas)
  • Sorting data
  • Adding/deleting rows and columns
  • Worksheets vs. workbooks
  • Preparing a budget in a spreadsheet
• Tablet Basics
  • iPad tablet, Android tablet and Windows tablet explained
  • Buttons and ports
  • Sleep mode vs. powering off
  • Charging your tablet
  • Apple ID & Google ID
  • Screen protection
  • What is iOS?  Android?
  • Latest iOS and Android versions and how to upgrade
  • How to navigate your tablet?
  • How to setup Wi-Fi?
  • What is a "data connection"?
  • Accessing the Internet (hint: browser); email; contacts
  • Adding or deleting "apps"
  • Taking and emailing pictures
• What Are All Those Pieces and Parts In My Computer
  • CPU (Central Processing Unit)
  • RAM (Random Access Memory)
  • HDD (Hard Disk Drive)
  • USB (Universal Serial Bus)
  • Moboard (Motherboard)
  • PSU (Power Supply Unit)
  • CMOS (Complementary Metal Oxide Semiconductor)battery
  • Fans
  • SATA (Serial Advanced Technology Attachment or Serial ATA)
  • IDE (Integrated Device Electronics)
  • CD/DVD Drive (Compact Disc/Digital Versatile (or Video) Disc)
• What Are File Extensions and How Do They Know What Program To Open
  • How do they relate to email attachments?
  • pdf, .doc, .docx, .xls, .txt, .dat, .jpg, .bmp, .gif, etc.
• What Programs To Use For Typing Letters
  • MS (Microsoft) Word
  • OpenOffice Writer
  • MS Notepad
  • MS Wordpad
  • MS Works
  • Corel Wordperfect
• Why Is My Computer Running Slow and How To Speed It Up
  • Cleaning Files
  • Avoiding and Scanning for Infections
  • MSCONFIG (Microsoft System Configuration utility)
  • Startup Items
  • Adding RAM (Random Access Memory)
• Windows 10
  • How does Win10 differ from other Windows versions?
  • How is it similar to other Windows versions?