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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

For a trucker, a GPS receiver can be a real time saver with finding where you are going and pinpointing a delivery point.  It will even calculate your miles of your trip.  

Of course you can buy any model you want, it just depends on how much you want to spend.  Remember, you get what you pay for, so go middle of the road on cost unless you can afford more.

Cost for a receiver is anywhere from $150 to $800.  Add another $100 for color.   A good middle of the road price for a good handheld is around the $450 range. 

The GPS runs off at least 4 satellites of a string of 24 GPS satellites that orbit the earth twice a day, so it needs direct access to the sky.  The satellites are positioned so that a GPS receiver anywhere in the world can receive signals from at least 4 of the satellites.  

Having the receiver on your dashboard is the best location and there are various ways of securing it.    Some can be mounted with suction cuts onto your windshield where others come with a holder for your dashboard.  The handheld model is the most versatile.

A GPS receiver is also used for hunting, fishing, vacationing, and surveying farm land for crops.

Okay, let’s talk some features of the GPS.

Common brand names are Garmin, TomTom, Lowrance and Magellan.

The more you spend on your device the larger your viewing screen.  These also come in black/white versions but you will probably prefer something in color to look at.

The largest viewing screen I’ve seen is approximately 7” with a base price tag of around $800.  You can also add on traffic, weather and radio to this one.   Again, everything has a price.  It just depends on what you will or won’t use.

All devices run on batteries and some will include a vehicle adapter or AC power cord.

Your GPS receiver can give you sunrise and sunset times as well as your bearing, and distance to destination, even velocity.

Mapping capability will give you general direction or street-level details depending on your path.  Map data can include streets, restaurants, etc.

When a destination has been entered into your receiver, it alerts you when you have arrived at your destination.

You can buy a GPS almost anywhere they sell electronics and be sure to buy from a reputable store.

Remember, all GPS devices are portable and an easy mark for thieves.  If you have this located in your truck or car, be sure to put it out of site in a glove box or under the seat when not in use and remove, if you can, the holder.  This is always a dead giveaway to thieves that you have a GPS device in your vehicle.  

There is GPS software for your computer out there too in Windows and Mac versions.  Again you get what you pay for so shop around to find what will work for you and fit into your budget.

So, bottom line….. when you are in the market to buy a GPS receiver, shop around and do your homework first on what you want and how much you want to spend.  Ask other truckers that use GPS for what brand they have and how they like it.  Getting more information can only help you in making a better decision for you and your business. 

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

Keeping up with your paperwork as you go allows you some much needed time with family and friends when you do get back home.  

But what about your laptop?  Are you doing everything you can to protect yourself against theft?  Sure you may carry insurance on it but what if it is stolen?  Do you have all your data backed up to something else, somewhere else?  Good question, huh!

It is highly recommended that you backup your data to an external source such as a USB / Flash Drive or external hard drive.  Losing all your data can be a nighmare or worse if you have all your personal credit info on your laptop.

In this article I’ll be talking about ways to safeguard your laptop from theft.  Nothing is fool proof, but lets make stealing your laptop something undesirable to a potential thief.

There are several different ways of safeguarding your laptop, whether it’s a Mac or Windows computer.  

First off is a lock and key.   Prices range from $12 – $40 and are an excellent deterrent.  Attach the steel cable, usually 6 feet long, to something permanently part of your truck interior and attach the lock to your computer.  If you are leaving your truck for any reason and not taking your computer with you, be sure it is locked and take the keys with you.  Most thieves want to grab and go.  Not so easy with your computer it attached to your truck.  From what I have read the lock and key methods seems to be the most popular.  There are others with combination locks.  You decide and choose what’s right for you.  If you are taking your laptop with you into a restaurant and want to work while eating, be sure to secure the cable to the leg of the table or something secure where you sit.

Another method of security is alarms and security cameras.  Most of the newer computers are coming with a build-in camera.  So now that you have your laptop physically locked down, you will want to arm your laptop from growing legs say in a restaurant.  Lets say you have stopped for something to eat, stretch your legs and take a break.  While you are at it you want to catch up on some paperwork so you take your laptop into the restaurant with you.  If you walk away from your laptop to visit the buffet or salad bar, who knows if it will be there when you get back.  

You can arm your laptop like some people have a car alarm.  Any movement of your laptop or mouse will start the alarm and bring all sorts of attention to your laptop and whoever is trying to move/remove it.  If you have a build in camera it can act as a security camera that can also activate if someone moves your mouse, touches the mouse pad or keyboard while in alarm mode.  The camera will take a picture and can even be sent elsewhere.  

For window users there is a free application called Laptop Alarm.  For Mac users, there is iAlertU, Gawker or Lockdown.  Check them out if interested.

Worse case is your laptop is stolen.  If you have some sort of security on your laptop it can be tracked the next time the thief tries to use it.  But let’s hope it never comes to that.

A little bit of research and a little money can give you some piece of mind and added security when traveling with your laptop. Easy Truckin is brought to you by Easy Trucking Software. We hope you enjoy it.

In this article I’m going to cover some basics for those that are needing the help.  The rest of you are welcome to read along just in case there is something new to learn.  

I’m not going to get into how to turn your computer on, I’m pretty sure you already know this.

ANTIVIRUS PROTECTION

An antivirus program will protect your PC and data from any virus coming into your machine and messing/erasing/scrambling your data and possibly wreak havoc with your  hard drive on your PC.

Always, always, always have your antivirus program turned ON!  I can’t stress this enough.  Especially if you are out on the internet and surfing from one site to the next.  You can pick up or open the door for a hitchhiker  to enter into your computer and cause all sorts of problems.  Don’t take a chance, keep your antivirus program running at all times and update your program as updates become available.

When you purchased your computer it probably came with Norton,  McAfee or some similar antivirus program.  If not, beat feet to your nearest big box store of someplace selling computer programs and get yourself an antivirus program and install it.

SPYWARE

Spyware protects your PC from downloads (bugs) coming into your computer spying on your buying habits, websites you visit etc.  This is something invisible running in the background as you surf and not something you can see but you do need to protect yourself from.

Do a search on the internet for Free Spyware and pick one.  Download it and run it weekly.  Unlike an antivirus program, the spyware filter isn’t always engaged, you will need to run a scan of your PC manually by opening the program and running a search.

The first time I downloaded spyware to my PC and ran a scan, I had hundreds of spyware bugs that were removed by my spyware from my PC.  After that, I ran my spyware on a weekly basis and had fewer problems with my PC running slow or getting locked up.  It also cut down on spam to my email too.  

SAFE ON-LINE BUYING 

When you are surfing on the internet and giving out your information to make an on-line purchase be absolutely sure that the website you are on is secure.  How do you know this?  Look in the browser window at the top of your screen for the web address and find where it begins http://   If your site is secure it have the “S” in the https://.  You will also see a padlock in a locked position in either the upper right corner of the page or lower right.  Look around the page just to make sure you see it.  Do this before you give out ANY personal info like your credit card number.  Protect yourself as much as possible to avoid identify theft.  Your personal information should be given on on a need-to-know basis ONLY.

If a website you want to order from does not show you the https:// in the browser window and have a locked padlock on the page, DO NOT enter any of your personal information for a purchase.  Any reputable company doing business on-line will have this information displayed.  Anyone else, get off their website ASAP.  There are other vendors out there to do business with that do have a secure web ordering site.

For some of you truckers this information is all pretty basic but not for others.  I hope this has helped and safe surfing!

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

Types of Backup Systems

The type of system you use depends on just how valuable your data is to you. Because I rely on a computer exclusively for my business, I use a backup system that is both redundant and backs up every three hours. This would be overkill for people using a computer for family fun and email. How does the casual user back up their data to insure integrity? Windows XP operating system has a backup utility that works well for this. The backup utility in Windows XP Professional will back up your data to a CD, DVD, external hard drive, or even another computer. Because the file system on a Windows XP machine contains relevant data in your My Documents file, it is always best to at least back this data up. If you are sharing the computer with family, the computer should be set up so that each family member has their own log ons and file structure. That way, using the Backup Utility to choose the files to back up can include everyone’s My Document data.

What To Backup To?

I personally use an external hard drive that is equal to my internal hard drive capacity for backup.  I do this along with running Time Machine on my Mac.  Time Machine updates any changes to my external hard drive every hour.  During my Windows years on a computer my data was automatically set to be backed up weekly to my external hard drive.  You can’t back up your data too often.  Better to do it twice than not at all.

How To Schedule Backups

Backups can be set to run automatically through the use of the Widows Task Manager. This can be accessed by going to Start -> All Programs -> Accessories -> System Tools -> Backup. Here, a wizard walks you through the task of backing up your data, including files and setting, cookies, and contacts. It allows you to choose what to back up, and then asks where you wish to back up to. Choose the appropriate media, and the backup utility does its thing.

A much better way to do this is through Scheduled Tasks, because you never forget to do the backup. With the regular Backup Utility, you must manually do the backup, and with the Scheduled Tasks module, you can have the task performed automatically.  If you use the Scheduled Tasks module be sure to leave your machine on for the backup to run as scheduled.

Backing up personal data is your responsibility. Use the utilities on your operating system, and never lose valuable data again.

Your Personal Data

Credit card numbers, banking information, home addresses and a lot of other sensitive data are typically stored on the home PC. People often see identity theft as someone stealing their wallet or pocketbook, or unscrupulous desk clerks at hotels scamming their information from an entry card. Actually, it is the computer that is the biggest offender. Let’s look at ten different ways that a determined thief can steal your identify.

1. A computer that is hooked to a DSL internet connection that is always open and connected to the internet is just waiting for a hacker to break into and steal your private data. When you are finished with your internet connect, close it, log off.   If your business needs to keep an internet connection open, there are many free firewall programs, available at such places at http://download.com and http://shareware.com to help protect your information from hackers.

2. Always use secure sites when making any internet purchases. You can determine this by checking two things – the address bar on your web browser, and an identity icon that must appear in the form of a padlock in the task bar. A secure site will begin with the prefix “https” to alert you to a secure site, and the padlock in the task bar will be in the closed, in the locked position.

3. Never give out any information to any site unless you absolutely must for a secure transaction. Suspect any site that asks for personal information when it is not necessarily needed for using the site.

4. Always keep a “throw away” email address to do business with any site or individual that you do not absolutely trust. This protects you from spammers, who harvest email addresses from the web. 

5. Never reveal any information to people who you meet on forums or in chat rooms unless you are absolutely sure you can trust them. Don’t put personal information on a public home page.

6. Always reject unnecessary cookies. Cookies are a necessary evil for some site which you do business with or are taking such things as training from, but do not allow other sites to set cookies on your hard drive. Use the privacy section of the web browser options to set cookie security to a high level.

7. Always be sure to read any privacy policy on any website you do business with, and be sure you agree with their policies. If you don’t, move on.

8. Educate your children. Insure that they never give out personal information online, such as name and phone number, or home address. A law was passed in 1998 requiring companies to gain parental consent before collecting personal information from children under 13 years old.  Give each child their own personal sign-on and restrict where they can & can’t go on the web with security controls in your computer.

9. Use an encryption method to send and receive email. Email can easily be rerouted and read by unintended persons. Outlook Express, Netscape Messenger and Mozilla thunderbird use encryption, as should your internet provider. You can download Pretty Good Privacy (PGP), a popular encryption software, free for non-commercial use.

10. Never reply to spammers, for any reason. Also, never reply to the message asking to be removed from their list. All this does is confirm that you have a legitimate email, opening yourself up to even more attacks.  In some email clients you can “bounce” the email back to the sender so it appears as though your email is not good.

The ultimate in computer security would be to have two computers – one that connects to the internet and contains no personal data, and a second computer that has no internet access to use for personal data. Although this may sound extreme, it is the only real way to know that your computer is safe from prying eyes on the internet. Consider using a hub that allows you to use the same monitor and keyboard for both computers.  Better safe than sorry.