Monday, June 25, 2012

Computer Readiness for Hurricane Season

storm ahead warning signDoes your disaster plan include safeguarding your computer?  Getting ready for hurricane season is more than just having fresh water and supplies.  Think about your computer preparation too. What are the threats and what is at stake?  Power outages, surges, and flooding from the storm could cause permanent data loss and equipment damage.  Imagine all your photos, documents, music, and movies lost forever because of a hurricane or severe storm.  It doesn't have to happen that way.  Even though computer hardware is replaceable, there is still time and cost involved in getting your computer system back online.  Saved memories on the damaged computer are extremely expensive to recover at best, and most times lost forever.

Follow these steps to prepare for the storm:
  1. Back up regularly to prevent data loss - consider online, off site, water and fire safe storage
  2. Invest in surge protection and uninterruptible power supply
  3. Unplug your during computer during lightning storm
  4. Create an inventory list complete with photos, model and serial numbers, receipts

Monday, June 18, 2012

Windows 7 Tips How To Change Power Save Options

Do you ever wonder why your Windows 7 PC goes to sleep or screen turns off automatically?  This is controlled by power save options.  By default the PC manufacturer sets these options to save power.  It can be annoying for you when your laptop screen dims or cuts off after a few minutes inactivity.  The opposite could be true where your computer screen stays on all night even though nobody is using the computer.  Let's go over the easy steps to customize the power saving options to meet your needs. 

 First, click on the Start button Windows Icon on the desktop and type "power options" in the instant search box.
Then select Power Options with the icon of a power cord and battery image.
Next, Click on Change Plan Settings for the selected power plan.
Windows Power Options Change Plan Screen


The next screen shows power options for the display (screen).  You can set the amount of time before Windows turns off the display and when to put the computer to sleep.  Be sure to select the "save changes" button after making changes.

Now you know the basics of changing the power options on your Windows 7 PC.