Pamela’s Computer Help for Seniors Blog

Are you having a problem disposing of your old computer or laptop? Here is a solution that has worked really well for me and it will give you pleasure as well as help to save our environment.

Most of my readers know that I am not only dedicated to the computer education of seniors but dedicated to the preservation of our delicate planet. With the importance of recycling foremost in my mind I thought of an idea that would prevent the pollution that is emitted when computers and CRT monitors are stripped and burned on so called recycling facilities. Your old computer or laptop can become a feature in your home that will display all your treasured photos in a constant slideshow and give you and your family hours of pleasure.

If your old computer is really slow and full of unwanted data you will not mind cleaning it out and bringing your old computer back to the state it was on the day it was purchased. This can be done by using the Recovery Discs that came with your computer when it was purchased.

Once you have decided to purchase a new computer or laptop and get rid of your “old faithful” you will need to transfer all your treasured photos onto an external medium i.e.CD, DVD, Flash Drive or External Drive. You may also wish to save some of the important files and folders that you have created and you can transfer these to the same external medium to be ready when it’s time to transfer them to your new computer or laptop. Of course you may have already made a backup of these files and if so you are ready to begin.

Find all the software that came with your old unit when it was purchased. If you saved the “Recovery Discs” place the first CD in the CD tray of your old computer and turn the computer off. When you turn it on again the CD will prompt you to reformat your hard drive and bring it back to the state it was when it was purchased using the software contained on the Recovery Disc. The procedure is easy. You just need to follow the instructions as they appear on your screen.

Once your computer looks the same as it did when it was purchased it is time to load all your treasured photos into your “born again” computer. Connect the external medium where the photos are stored to your old computer and save them in your “My Pictures” folder in Windows XP or your “Pictures” folder in Windows Vista. This can be done by “dragging” them into the “Pictures” folder one by one or as a group. If you need more information on this procedure please contact me.

When you have transferred all the pictures it’s time to turn on the slideshow; you can add more pictures at anytime to bring your photo album up to date. There is plenty of room on your old computer now that it has been cleaned out. Right click in a space on your desktop; there will be a great deal of space now that your computer is “lean and clean.”

For WINDOWS XP: Click on PROPERTIES and then on SCREENSAVER. Set the SCREENSAVER to MY PICTURES SLIDESHOW and set the WAIT TIME to one minute.
For WINDOWS VISTA: click on PERSONALIZE then SCREENSAVER. Set the SCREENSAVER to PHOTOS and set the WAIT TIME to one minute.

Place your old computer or laptop on a table where the slideshow can be enjoyed by all and turn it on. After one minute the slideshow will begin. No need for an internet connection so it doesn’t even need security software. It’s just a very special PHOTO ALBUM that can be enjoyed 24 hours a day. You will be surprised how many photos you can load in place of all those files and folders that you deleted. It will also be a treasured memory for your family especially if you can add some of the photos of your ancestors and name and date the photos before loading. It will be just like a FAMILY TREE.

When you change your old computer into a PHOTO ALBUM you can feel very satisfied knowing that you not only have added an interesting and enjoyable feature to your home but you have also helped to preserve the health of our delicate planet and all its inhabitants.

From the numerous emails that I receive on a daily basis it is apparent that most computer problems are software related. Hardware rarely fails if computer maintenance and security is taken seriously. Computer problems can also be caused by the lack of organization.

In my opinion no one should ever have software related technical problems with their computer if Computer Maintenance (disk cleanup, error checking and defragmentation), Windows Updates, Spyware and Antivirus software are updated and run regularly.

To begin with; clearing the desktop of all icons except the “Recycle Bin” and clearing the “System Tray” of unnecessary icons can speed up the startup and performance of your computer. The icons that appear on your “System Tray” which is next to the clock in the bottom right hand corner of your screen are programs that are running in the background whilst you are working on your computer. The only programs that you need in this “tray” are your “security program icons” and notification icons i.e. sound icon, internet or wireless connection, etc. Others like Real Player – QuickTime – Picasa and other photo or office programs do not need to be running constantly. If you remove them from the “System Tray” and need to use them you can easily access them from the Program List, Start Menu or Quick Launch bar depending where you have placed them.

Keep your frequently used programs on the “Start Menu” by “pinning” them from the Program List and put the MOST frequently used programs on your “Quick Launch Bar.”

Documents kept in your “My Documents” folder (Windows XP) or “Documents” folder (Windows Vista) and pictures stored in your “My Pictures” folder (Windows XP) or “Pictures” folder (Windows Vista) will be quickly accessible. The folder that you are working on can be placed on the desktop temporarily until your work is completed and then filed away in the appropriate folder as described above.

“Lean and Clean” is my motto and “less certainly is better” when it comes to computer software. Install ONLY the programs that you need and do not duplicate i.e. have more than one photo editing program and stay away from free programs unless you are going to use them.

It’s very tempting to download programs if they are FREE but many of these programs come down from the internet with ‘Spyware” attached to them so it is very important to run your Anti-Spy program every day that you surf the internet. Spy files can steal your identity and compromise your security so be diligent and make sure that you not only have the “Anti-Spy” software but you update and run it regularly.

Don’t wait until a catastrophe occurs! If you have used the above suggestions to arrange your folders, copy your “Documents” and “Pictures” folders onto a “Flash Drive” or another external medium regularly to backup and keep these files safe. If you would like to have a complete backup of your entire hard drive an external hard drive can be purchased and used for this purpose. Remember to detach the external hard drive from the computer and from the power supply after each backup to ensure its safety should a power surge or crash occur. Make sure that you use a powerful Surge Protector to connect all your computer peripherals and it’s a good idea to disconnect it from the power source when you leave for holidays or long periods of time or if there is a pending weather alert.

These simple procedures will ensure that your files and folders are easily found and your computer, regardless of its age, is running as fast as it was the day it was purchased.

If you would like a free detailed tutorial on any of the above procedures please do not hesitate to contact me and I will answer within 24 hours; weather permitting.

Request your free tutorial at: http://tinyurl.com/ask-pamela or http://computertutorinc.net/survey/questions_2008.htm

I look forward to hearing from you.