Nate's Computer Services

Many Times I have to go out to a site and do an emergency backup. Usually with those backups I have to use an external hard drive because that is all it will fit on quickly with many gigabytes of data from photos, music and sometimes video. (other options might be a burnable dvd, flash drive, or second computer.)
I sometimes use the Ubuntu live cd (on all their installation cds) for being able to have an operating system when windows is not working properly.

I recommend performing regular backups, preferably automatic.
What I use for my own regular backups is Time Machine on my Macintosh with an external hard drive and MozyHome unlimited.

I’ve purchased the Mozy unlimited two year subscription for 103.95. They also have monthly plans for 4.95. And 2gb free option.

My experience with Time Machine has been fairly well, every time I needed to restore it has worked.  The only downside is it takes a lot of resources when starting up, and one of my programs (NeatReceipts) that has a library did crash a couple times while time machine was running.  The crash corrupted that library once, but I was able to restore it with time machine.

There are several other online backups available, including Carbonite, and Dropbox. Just testing out drop box that lets you share and sync folder(s) on multiple computers.

I benefit by making referrals to drop box or mozy by getting space or credit.

In an effort to go paperless I decided I needed to scan in my receipts for my business.

To do this I searched the web to find information about it.  I found that the IRS accepts organized scanned or photocopied receipts. I also found Neat Receipts a scanner and a program (Neat Works) for organizing receipts, business cards, and documents.  It is available for Windows and Macintosh.  I bought the Macintosh version from a seller on eBay.

I am in a long process of scanning years worth of receipts and documents in an effort to free up space in my apartment. I remove any staples.  I scan them in. If I don’t need the original paper copy I shred it.  The shredded paper is then either recycled or reused.

The program uses optical character recognition (OCR) and recognizes certain items from reciepts,  business cards, and documents.  It finds dates, total amount, sales tax, company.   Many times I do need to edit the information to make sure it is correct.  Of course if the paper is in good condition it works better.  It makes a pdf copy and puts it into an organizable, searchable library.  I am also able to import PDFs and Send PDF files  out in an email.

I have had the program crash on me or hang up, mostly when time machine is running.

Overall I like the program, and eventually hope to have a lot less papers.

(Windows)

Slow computers are often caused by too many programs or processes running.   These programs can be spyware or bloatware.

Bloatware can be removed using the uninstall feature in Windows Control Panel.

Spyware once in a while can be removed in the uninstall, but many times needs to be removed with an antispyware program.

Sometimes programs need to be removed in safe mode.

Running disk defragmenter can also speed things up sometimes, but these days this usually isn’t the problem.

An antivirus may slow down a computer, however it is a must for Windows.   Choose an antivirus that does not have high system requirements and make sure your computer meets those requirements.  Only have one antivirus on your computer.  You may have to tweak the preferences on the antivirus.

Many times the computer is so slow it is best to use the recovery discs/partition/os disc to wipe everything out and start fresh – make sure you back up your important data files first if possible.

Many times on the hardware side, more memory can help speed things up (using any os).   There can be other hardware slowing things down, but this is the most common.