No PC is immune to a crash.  And at some point during your PC ownership it will happen to you.  Knowing this will happen and being prepared to deal with it are key.  Don’t Panic!

First some terminology:

The term Crash, this is when a program or your entire PC stops working and may also include a frozen screen.

Reboot means to restart your computer.

Control Panel is the windows feature that gives you access to your system utilities and settings.

OK, with that said, the best thing to do when your PC crashes is nothing.  That’s right, I said nothing.   Give it a couple minutes, it could be your computer is working on something behind the scenes and has not crashed.

After a few minutes and nothing has happened try the “3 finger salute”.   The “3 finger salute” is pressing the Ctrl + Alt + Delete keys at the same time.  From here you can either restart your computer or in the Task Manager box you can End Task the program that is giving you the problem.

If your computer is still unresponsive, repeat the “3 finger salute” and click Shut Down on the dialog box.

As a last resort, press the Reset button on your CPU.   But again, this is a very last resort.

Taking care of your PC should cut down on the crashing frequency.  Here are a few thing to watch for:  Always keep about 25% of your hard disk free.  Anything less than that and your hard disk will struggle.  To find our how much free space you have go to My Computer (XP) / Computer (Vista) and right click on the hard disk icon.  Choose Properties from the drop down menu.

If your hard disk is filling up fast, delete any programs that you rarely or never use.  Do that by choosing the “add or Remove Programs” icon from the Control Panel.  This should help free up some space for you.  Deleting large audio or video files will also help.

We at Easy Trucking Software www.easytruckingsoftware.com can’t say enough about backing up your files.  We recommend using a flash drive with our program because it is inexpensive and can save hours of time having to rekey information into the program.  Use a Flash Drive, external hard drive or internet storage.  You decide what is right for you and then DO IT!  Do it on a regular basis and it will make your life much easier in the event something happens to your PC and you need to restore a program or file.  I personally have an external hard drive attached to my computer that mirrors the capacity of my hard disk (i.e. 30 GB computer hard disk and a 30GB external hard drive).   I back up everything!

Programs also need a certain amount of RAM (random access memory) to work properly.  Each program will tell you what it needs by selecting Control Panel and click on System Tools and then System Information.  Toward the bottom of the list is the total available physical memory.  Software with lots of graphics, video or sound usually need the most RAM.

Keep your hard disk (C: drive) cleaned up too.  Some regular housekeeping is necessary to keep your PC running at peak performance.

Defragment your disk by going into System Tools and click Disk Deframenter.  This process may take quite a while depending on the size of your hard disk.  Just start it and walk away and do something else for a while.

Remember – A healthy PC is a happy PC.

Easy Truckin is brought to you by Easy Trucking Software. We hope you enjoy it.

If computer terminology gives you a headache just thinking about it and trying to figure out what it is, keep reading.  Here are some common computer questions to help you better understand the terminology and how it applies to your computer.

What the heck is a firewall?  I know I have one in my car and truck, but what is it doing in my computer?

Your computer firewall is a piece of software or hardware that sits between your computer and the internet that restricts what types of data can flow into your computer or out from your computer.  Viruses can be prevented by using a good firewall.  It will filter or block certain types of network traffic entering your computer.  Things like viruses, worms or unwanted/unauthorized remote access into your computer are blocked at the firewall.  The firewall is built to know the difference between a virus and email and can be configured to allow certain kinds of connections from the outside.

There are two different firewalls, hardware and software.

A hardware firewall would be a broadband router that filters traffic before it even gets to your computer.

A software firewall is a software program that runs on your computer and filters and prevents traffic from getting through to your operating system of your computer.

If you are looking for more information about firewalls, do an internet search on firewalls.

What is the best virus scanner around and will it catch all viruses trying to enter my computer?

There are a variety of virus scanners on the market.  To name one that is the best is subjective and we all have our own favorite program that we swear by.  Pick one and install it on your computer.  Something is always better than nothing.  The advantage of having a real time virus scanner, which is preferred, is it will detect viruses as they they try to enter your computer and are stopped and deleted.  You may notice that your computer runs a little bit slower in this mode but it is worth it if you don’t end up with a virus in your machine and all sorts of computer headaches.  If you feel you need a second virus scanner, run it from time to time to catch anything that slips through the first scan.  There isn’t one anti-virus program out there that will catch every virus.  Each program is a little different from the next.

This is where having a firewall in place is another deterrent of viruses sneaking in and infecting your computer.  Pay attention to warnings you may get from your firewall or virus scanner when downloading anything to your computer, and don’t open an email attachment that is not recognized.

My computer is running slower and slower and where is all this junk email coming from?

What could be happening is you have spyware that has attached itself to your computer, gathering information about your internet habits and sending them back to someplace else.  Suddenly you are getting more and more email from places you have never visited making your email a nightmare to wade through.

There is help!  Do an internet search for Free anti-spyware software.  There are quite a few out there.  Read the reviews and pick one and run it to remove the spyware from your computer.  Do this on a regular basis if you are a regular internet surfer and be sure to update your anti-spyware software too.  The first time I did this to my computer it ran over 30 minutes cleaning out all the “junk” that had attached itself to my computer.  Wow, did it make a difference in my computer speed.  If you can set this up as an automatic function on your machine, so much the better.  Then you won’t have to try to remember to run the anti-spyware.

Just as you want your computer to run smoothly when you need it, so should your business.  Tracking all your data is important to know exactly how much money you are making and the expenses you incur.  That’s where Easy Trucking Software comes in.  Easy Trucking Software will keep track of all your income, your expenses, your fuel and mileage, helping you stay on top of your business every day.  But don’t take my word for it, visit our website at www.easytruckingsoftware.com and get your FREE download (don’t you just love that word FREE).  Try it out before you buy it and remember that your trial download can be turned into the real thing with just a phone call to purchase.

Easy Truckin is brought to you by Easy Trucking Software. We hope you enjoy it.

If this sounds expensive it doesn’t have to be. 

Depending on how much computer data we are talking about will determine how much storage you’ll need.  It’s like renting a storage unit.  You don’t know what size to rent unless you know what you want to store.

Your computer data can include all those precious pictures you have taken over time and saved to your computer that can never be replaced for a variety of reasons.

Data can also include all your business files, tax returns and anything else you have saved to your computer that you don’t want to lose.

You can save data as simply as using a flash drive,  burning your information to a CD, using an external hard drive or going to off-site storage on a web server.

Using a flash drive is as easy as plugging it into a USB port on your computer and copying over the files you want to save.  A flash drive can cost you as little as $5 on up depending on the size.  Back to that size thing like the storage unit.

A flash drive is small and very portable and can also easily get lost or destroyed.  They make them pretty sturdy but lets not try standing on one just to test it out with your data on it.  Not a good idea.

Cd’s are also very handy and inexpensive to use, especially if you buy them in quantity.  They are thin but can also scratch.  

External hard drives are my favorite choice, especially for in-house storage of pictures and data I don’t want to lose.  Again, cost will depend on storage capacity.

The rule of thumb I like to use if buying an external hard drive, is to get one that is at least the same size as your computer hard drive.  That way whatever you have on your computer can easily be stored on your external hard drive, no problem.   Cost will vary depending on size and they come with instructions on how to use them for backing up your computer.

 

There is also off-site storage that you can send your files to.  You rent space from an on-line hosting company such as iDrive.com.  They will give you 2 GB FREE if you have less than 2 GB of information to store.  Why pay for something if you can get it free.  

If you want more space, iDrive.com starts at 150 GB of storage for $4.95 a month.   This is just one of many other vendors available.

Start with the FREE stuff before you start spending money.  Be frugal and put your money back into your own pocket every chance you can.

To do your own internet search, bring up your internet browser and search for free online data storage. You decide what is right for you.

Many options to choose from to protect all your family photos and data.  Be sure you hook up with a reputable company if you do the online storage.  Check them out and also look for a Better Business Bureau logo on their webpage.  

Easy Truckin is brought to you by Easy Trucking Software. We hope you enjoy it.

Here is a brief explanation of terms you will see when buying a computer.

Model – describes the type of computer you have.  Each manufacturer may put out several different models of the same computer with different features under different names and different prices.  You decide what you may or may not want to spend your money on. 

 

Mgf -  the manufacturer who has made the computer, i.e. Intel, Asus, Acer, One, Everex, Dell, HP, you get the idea.  Some of the names may not be familiar because they are sold by another company under another name.

Weight – how much does the computer weigh.  Desk top models may weigh more than laptops.  A laptop will be made more durable to withstand being carried around.  A desktop is designed to be on a desktop. 

Disp. Size – the display size of your monitor or screen you are working on.  The larger the screen the more you can expect to pay.  You decide on what your working needs are.  

Display – resolution size, i.e. 800X480, 1024X600, 1280X768, 1280X800, 1200X900.  The higher the resolution the better the quality of images on your screen.  Here again, you can expect to pay more for better quality.

Win OS – type of operating system – XP, Vista.  These are the most common for the average user.  Unless you have an Apple computer, then you are Linux.

CPU – Central Processing Unit, CPU for short, is the logic of your computer that runs the programs.  This is a chip that is part of your computer tower or laptop.

 

 

 

 

Speed in GHz – this has to do with your internet connection.  You can have the fastest connection possible and still be limited by the GHz, gigahertz, size you can handle in your computer. 

Storage size in GB (gigabytes) This is how memory is measured.  The more GB you have the more storage space that is available to you for programs, pictures, videos, whatever you are saving to your computer.  This is a picture of what memory can look like

 

RAM in GB (gigabytes)  Random-access memory, RAM, is measured in gigabytes (GB).  This is thehorsepower you have in your computer to process data.  If your computer seems to take a long time to logon, move from place to place or screen to screen, you may want more RAM in your computer to process your commands quicker.   This picture is of a RAM card.

Battery Life – If you are using a laptop, the battery life is something you will be interested in unless you plan on always having your laptop plugged in to an electrical supply.  Battery life is the amount of time you have to use your computer working strictly from the computer battery.  Your computer will alert you when you are running low on battery time, advising you to plug it in soon.

Is your head spinning yet?  This is just a little background info for you so the next time you are in an electronics store to buy a new computer (or just shopping around), you’ll know just a little bit more about what the salesperson is talking about.  

Buy the best computer for your needs based on product & manufacturer reputation, word of mouth recommendations, warranty and bang for your buck.  Don’t buy it because it’s the right color, you like the name or it’s the cheapest you can find.  You sometimes get what you pay for and if the deal is too good to be true, it probably is.

Word of mouth is also a high recommendation coming from trusted friends, co-workers or relatives.  Everyone will be more than happy to share their nightmare stories.  Look for the stories where your informant was very happy with the service and knowledge base of the sales staff and performance of the product.  Nothing like word of mouth to make or break your business.

For a cheap fix to get more more memory or faster response out of your current computer, consider adding more memory or RAM.  Check with a knowledgeable computer person for their input before having this done.

I hope you have found this information helpful.   

Easy Truckin is brought to you by Easy Trucking Software. We hope you enjoy it.

 In this article I’ll talk about security measures that are available to you to secure your laptop against theft and unwanted users tampering with your files.   No one wants their “stuff” being tampered with or their computer stolen.  So take some action to safeguard your “stuff”.

Okay, first lets talk about the term Operating System and exactly what it means.

Operating System – Also abbreviated as OS.  This is referring to Windows Vista or XP, or Mac OS X, or Linux Distributions such as Ubuntu and SUSE.  This is what all your programs operate in, your operating system or OS.

If you are like most truckers and have your laptop with you in the truck, you will want to set up an OS password on your computer.  This will protect anyone from being able to enter your computer without the correct password including you.  Also be sure to change this password from time to time.  Don’t just create the password and then never change it.  To protect your information, you should be changing your password at least once every 6 months unless you are paranoid.

To set your password in the OS

As your computer is booting or starting up, begin mashing F8 very quickly.  This should gain you access the Admin account in Windows.  This is also booting into safe mode.  Set your password and be sure to pick a password that you will remember or jot it down someplace safe in case you forget it.

Now that you have your password set, train yourself to lock the computer every time you are away.  For those of you running Windows, it would be the Windows key + L (selected at the same time).  This prevents anyone from messing with your laptop while you are at the buffet getting yourself something to eat.

There are also physical measures you can implement to keep your computer safe such as locking cable tethers or computer safes that would be mounded to your truck.

A cable lock will cost you about $40.  Locking your computer with a cable that attaches to your truck seat or something permanently part of your truck insures your computer isn’t going to grow legs if left in your truck.  Unless the thief really wants your computer and comes prepared with bolt cutters, the cable can pose as an obstacle to a quickie grab-and-run thief.

 

 

 

 

Then again a computer safe that is mounted to your truck protects your computer and is out of sight of would-be thieves.  These can cost you about $100 plus time to install.

 

There are also vehicle laptop mounts that hold your computer in place, provide access to your computer while you are behind the wheel, help cushion the motion of your truck for your computer, and mount to your seat bolts.  Something bolted to your truck is again less likely to walk off.   There is also added security in having your computer attached to this type of system, locked tight and bolted to the floor of your truck. Cost will depend on the style, your computer brand and security features you want.

 

 

Any measure you decide on will help safe guard your computer from growing legs is better than nothing.  

And remember, your laptop can always be replaced and your programs reinstalled on the next computer.  Your data that you have on your laptop concerning your business is sometimes a little harder to reproduce unless you faithfully back up your data.  There are several methods to backing up your data.  One is an external hard drive with enough capacity to handle all your data.  Another method is to a flash drive, again large enough to handle your data.  These can be found anywhere electronics are sold and will vary in price.

Do yourself a favor and do something, anything you are able, to safeguard your computer and your data.  After all, this is your business data you are protection and your livelihood.

Easy Truckin is brought to you by Easy Trucking Software. We hope you enjoy it.