This week’s first question comes from Theresa who asks: “My laptop takes forever to start. What options are there so I can get online faster?” Theresa, there are a couple options which could make your laptop startup faster and make it easier to use. Although I am a fan of Windows, I do appreciate that it could take more than a minute to start.
Many netbooks are now shipping with a product called Splashtop from DeviceVM. Splashtop is a Linux based application which installs through Windows. The benefit to Splashtop (and similar products) is that it starts almost instantly – usually in about 5 seconds. Immediately after starting, the user is presented with a half dozen ‘most used’ applications like an internet browser, music player and Skype. The upside is that it is very fast, the downside is that users can’t use applications like Office.
Only a handful of machines are configured to work with Splashtop; however, there are a handful of ‘instant on’ operating systems which will perform similarly to DeviceVM’s offering. Of these, I’ve only played with a couple. My favorite is the Presto operating system from Xandros. Presto offers a similar experience to Splashtop – in that it loads almost instantly and provides users with Office compatible software, browsing, and Skype within a few seconds after powering on the computer.
The neat part about any of these add-ons is that they install through Microsoft Windows and offer Microsoft-content users a Linux based experience without the headache. Users who are comfortable with Windows but who do not want to learn a new operating system can add convenience without learning something new.
For those who are interested in trying Xandros’ Presto product can download a free seven day trial at www.prestomypc.com. If it works for you and you would like to purchase it the cost is under $20.00. I use a similar product on my own netbook and have found it is extremely convenient.
This week’s second question is from Tom who asks: “How can I tell if my software is pirated and what can I do if it is?” Software piracy comes in many forms and is more common than one might think. A very common form of software piracy is operating systems which were wrongfully installed on a computer.
It can be very difficult to tell if your software was pirated and it could be extremely expensive to properly eradicate the problem. Microsoft Windows operating systems are accompanied by a serial number which must be used to properly install the software and perform its authentication. Perhaps the best method of checking your Windows operating system is to rely on the Microsoft Genuine Advantage update. Microsoft does a very good job of preventing piracy through their Genuine Advantage initiative.
Picking up titles like Adobe Photoshop and Microsoft Office that have been pirated are somewhat more difficult. Obviously if you did not purchase the software and it’s installed on your computer than it’s most likely pirated. The easiest way to rectify this is to simply uninstall the software. Of course, if it’s a title you like than you should consider purchasing it.
In my business software piracy is extremely common. Many shops and technicians believe that installing pirated software will bring them more customers. Let’s face it, if I visited a business and paid $75.00 for something and received $500.00 in products I’d tell my friends. Within the last year I fired a technician who I discovered was installing pirated software on machines. Unfortunately, piracy is easy to do and the repercussions are minimal.
Tech-Tip of the week: Installing a firewall like Comodo or ZoneAlarm is pretty simple and will keep many of the current infections off your computer. You can get either one free at FileHippo.com.
(Jeromy Patriquin is the President of Laptop & Computer Repair, Inc. located at 509 Main St. in Gardner. You can e-mail him at Jeromy@LocalComputerWiz.com or call him directly at (978) 919-8059.)