Ask Leo! #385 - The software I use. What it means to "Like", social media bars and more... - Confident Computing

The Ask Leo! Newsletter

*** Featured

What software do you use?

I'm trying to do [something] - what software do you recommend?

What's the best [random category of software] program?

What [software] should I buy?

Those are just a few variations of a question that I get often. People frequently look to me for recommendations before spending the money or taking the time to install a particular piece of software.

Looking for recommendations and others experiences is a smart thing to do.

And, in fact, you'll see I have an entire class of article categorized as Recommendations. But because I take actual recommendations fairly seriously, I don't do them as often as I'd like.

So, how about I just tell you what I have installed on my machine?

Continue reading: What software do you use?
http://ask-leo.com/C2838

* * *

*** Answercast

Answercast #48 - Frozen standby, can't shut down, memory stick backups, virtual machines and more...

Does your computer hang when it is coming back from standby or when it shuts down? Do you see annoying popups on websites or disk full messages? And what the heck is this "Like" thing with Facebook? That and more in this Answercast from Ask Leo!

Continue reading: Answercast #48 - Frozen standby, can't shut down, memory stick backups, virtual machines and more...
http://ask-leo.com/C5746

Why do Thunderbird and Firefox hang on return from standby?
Standby can often be unstable, especially on older machines. There could be a fix or you might want to change your power management methods!
Continue reading: Why do Thunderbird and Firefox hang on return from standby?
http://ask-leo.com/C5747

How do I get rid of this social media sharing pop-up on a site?
Social media links that are programmed to float on top of the page are a design element and can't be prevented with pop-up blocking.
Continue reading: How do I get rid of this social media sharing popup on a site?
http://ask-leo.com/C5748

Why does my program report "Disk Full" when saving a file to a disk with lots of room?
Error messages don't always give enough clues as to what might be going on, but they often point the way to start digging for the answer.
Continue reading: Why does my program report "Disk Full" when saving a file to a disk with lots of room?
http://ask-leo.com/C5749

Why are there always programs that don't respond when Windows is shutting down?
Shut down messages can happen for a number of reasons. The solution might be as simple as waiting a minute.
Continue reading: Why are there always programs that don't respond when Windows is shutting down?
http://ask-leo.com/C5750

How do I back up to a memory stick?
Memory sticks are not quite sufficient for regular backups, but you can find step-by-step instructions to backup to any drive here on Ask Leo!
Continue reading: How do I back up to a memory stick?
http://ask-leo.com/C5751

What does it mean to "Like" something on Facebook?
Clicking the Facebook Like button can give you access to business specials. In return, that business can be seen by your friends and allows them to communicate with you.
Continue reading: What does it mean to "Like" something on Facebook?
http://ask-leo.com/C5752

Can I run Windows XP on my new computer with Windows 7?
Virtual machines allow you to run multiple operating systems on one computer. There are several software packages that will help you get started.
Continue reading: Can I run Windows XP on my new computer with Windows 7?
http://ask-leo.com/C5753

What's the difference between an image backup and a files and folder backup?
These two settings help you decide what you are backing up on your computer... and can be the difference between an easy or difficult recovery.
Continue reading: What's the difference between an image backup and a files and folder backup?
http://ask-leo.com/C5754

Why is typing in Yahoo! Mail so slow?
Typing in Yahoo! Mail could be slowed down by interference from your browser. Hopefully, you can speed it up without upgrading the entire computer!
Continue reading: Why is typing in Yahoo! Mail so slow?
http://ask-leo.com/C5755

Why will opening one document sometimes open more than one?
It is common for applications to re-open all the files that were left open the last time the program was closed. Sometimes, this can be a bit disconcerting!
Continue reading: Why will opening one document sometimes open more than one?
http://ask-leo.com/C5756

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-Leo

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*** Last Issue's Articles

*** Comments

Is the Cloud dangerous?

Daniel writes:

I have a huge amount of respect for Mr. Leo Notenboom and he is a great writer but I totally disagree with his opinion on this subject. In this article he didn't mentioned the most important thing - our own privacy. As Leo once stated and I quote "I would like my articles to stay here, on this website" I would also like that all of my documents and everything else to stay here on my computer. I don't want that a government or a cracker to access them someday and use them against me. I am not a criminal, just a regular, experienced user but I don't like the idea of having "everything" located in the cloud - it's not a safe approach. Just my 2 cents.

I'm certainly not insisting you use online services. :-) I do, however, want people to make informed decisions rather than emotional reactions (I'm not saying you are, I'm just saying that's why I wrote this article). In my opinion online services can be used safely - and as I try to point out in the article - many people have been using them for years without realizing that they're in this "cloud". Even your email provider. Others, such as yourself, feel differently, and those are also important points to be heard.

-Leo

Is the Cloud dangerous?

Andrew writes:

Of course, the cloud CAN be safe, when used in addition to other methods of protecting your data.

Often, though, the cloud provides a false sense of security and, as in the article, may reduce the security on your physical devices.

How can I automatically reply to spammers telling them to stop and that I'm not reading their junk?

Mr G writes:

What kind of advice says " There's very little you can say or do that will stop spam once you start getting it."

That is a 'cave-in' attitude. It's an attitude that allows such annoyances to continue. Pretty much the same mindset that got all of us into this bottomed out economy.

Understand that you CAN do something. A Whois search will tell you multiple spams coming from the same location or server or ip. Then you Can and Should file a complaint with either the FTC, or any of several consumer reporting agencies. If we 'turn the other cheek' too often, we only see life through the corner of one eye..

Current spamming techniques such as the use of botnets make the whois approach pretty pointless these days.
I don't consider it caving in. I consider it an extremely wasteful use of your time. There are people working the problem - just last week we heard of another major spamming operation getting taken down. You could spend all day reporting all the spam you get, and in the end it'll be at best redundant information that the various organizations fighting spam already have.
You're obviously welcome to do what you describe, but in my opinion it's a waste of the average computer user's time.

-Leo

Why do my pictures sometimes show upside down when I email them?

Steve Gledhill writes:

I wrote a little about this on my website (http://www.pcresolver.es/The-PC-Resolver-Blog/Why-are-my-iPhone-/-iPad-Photos-Upside-Down.php). I added some guides for the 'correct way to hold your iPad'! Also, a brief discussion of the impact on the quality of correcting the orientation prior to sending. And the strange case of Photoshop increasing the file size. However you look at, for the time being, it is best to make sure your device is the 'right' way up before sending.

*** Leo Recommends

SnagIt - Quick and Easy Screen Capture and Annotation

One of the more surprising questions I get fairly often has nothing at all to do with computer problems, Windows configuration or general computing. It's very simple:

"How'd you get that cool tear-off look to your screen captures?"

I use SnagIt.

By the way, this is what they're talking about:

Upper Left corner of a Command Prompt Window

As with any utility like this, I'm certain that there are many alternatives, but I've been using SnagIt for several years now and have been exceptionally pleased with how quick and easy it is to use.

But I had to be convinced.

Continue reading: SnagIt - Quick and Easy Screen Capture and Annotation
http://ask-leo.com/C3457

Each week I recommend a specific product or resource that I've found valuable and that I think you may as well. What does my recommendation mean?

Share!:

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