Email Etiquette.. what is it? It involves knowing how to communicate properly and professionally via email. This is especially important for business communications, but the home user can benefit from these suggestions as well.

Even if you are newbie email user, following these suggestions will go a long way towards giving an impression that you’re an internet pro. Suggestions for Proper Email Etiquette:

1. Don’t type your emails using all capital letters. Using all caps is the same as YELLING in email land.
   
2. Know your attachment sizes: This is an especially important email etiquette tip!
   
   Check the size of your attachments before you send them. If they are over 200K in size, compress or zip the file, or resize it, if the file is a picture.
   
   This is usually a problem with digital camera pictures. Right out of the camera, most digital pictures are very large, usually over 1Mb.
   
   Use an editing program like Paint or Paint Shop Pro to cut them down to below 200K, or here’s an easier way: install Microsoft’s Image Resizer Power Toy.
   
   Then you can just right click on the picture and choose resize from the menu.
   Sending an email that is over 600K in size makes the process harder for the person receiving it. They have to wait for all that data to download.
   
   If you send a file that big to person who only has dial-up (modem) based internet service, it will really clog up their email, and they will want to hurt you.
   
   Better yet, if you want to share digital pictures, upload them to a photo sharing website. Google offers free Picasa software, and a huge amount of server space for you to do just this, and it comes with an (also) free Google mail account.
   
3. Read your email, and check it for grammar, spelling and punctuation before you send it. Just because you are sending email doesn’t mean you can forget all about proper writing techniques. It’s just as difficult to read bad writing on a screen as it is in a book. Practice good writing along with good email etiquette.
   
4. Don’t forward chain letters. I know some of them say you’ll have 7 years of bad luck if you don’t send them on. Ignore this. Just delete it. It will help out so many people, and you'll be practicing really good email etiquette. :)
   
5. Leave the message thread on your reply. I personally find it annoying to get a reply back from someone without the message thread. Your message arrives and just says Yes. Yes? Yes to what? I send out lots of emails. How am I supposed to remember what we were talking about 6 days ago? google_protectAndRun
   
   If you are writing a long email, here’s some advice that will save your sanity.
   Write long emails in some other word editor like MS Word, or Works, or even a plain old text message window. Then when you are done, and it looks good, cut and paste it into an email message window.
   
   I can't count the number of times users have come to me with a story about how they were in the middle of long email when the computer froze or crashed. They then ask me if they can get the email back, and I hate having to tell them the bad news that all that work is gone, and they will have to start over.
   
   If you use another word editor, you can save your message as you write, and avoid losing it if the PC freezes, etc.. (This assumes that you periodically save a document that you are writing on a computer. "Periodically" means every time you make a large change you want to keep; you do, right?).
   
6. Keep your email format simple. No loud background, no funny colors, etc.. These additions makes it very difficult to read your email message; practice good email etiquette, and just leave the background white, please.
   
7. Don’t leave the subject line blank. This will cause the receiving ISP to target your email as spam, and your email may get deleted.
   
   Also, avoid using all caps, or short, general terms such as Hi, Help or Please Respond in the subject for the same reason.
   
8. If you are sending an email to a group of people who don’t know each other, put all of the email addresses in the “BCC” line of your message window, not the “To” line. BCC stands for Blind Carbon Copy, and it will keep each person from seeing all the other recipient addresses.
   
   NOT doing this opens up all the addresses in the email to someone who could grab and sell them to an spammer. VERY annoying and very bad email etiquette in internet land.
   
9. Never give out your phone number or other personal information without confirming you are communicating with a reputable party. Legitimate businesses will NEVER ask you for your credit card and bank account information via email. And never give out the personal contact information of others without their specific permission.
   
10. Don’t click on any email attachment, especially those with an .exe or .vbs or .com suffix (i.e, christmas.exe) without making sure that attachment has been checked for viruses. It could infect your PC, and you don't want the headaches that would cause you. Most reputable ISPs have virus checking turned on automatically.
    
    This holds true even if the email appears to come from someone you know. If the attachment is virus generated, it's capable of picking up your friend's email address off of another infected computer.
    
11. Set a rule for yourself about forwarding emails to your friends and family. If the subject isn’t interesting enough to print out, put in an envelope, and mail via the Post office, it probably isn’t interesting enough to send via email.
    
    If you do decide to forward an email that has already been forwarded several times, here's a nice thing to do:
    
    Click Forward on the email. On the new message window that opens, remove all the forwarding email address information from the beginning of the message, so that only the joke or actual message is left to send. The next person you forward it to will thank you because they won't have to scroll through all of that extra info to get to the actual message.
    
12. If you use email to market your business and track communications, you might want to look into SMTP services. SMTP stands for Simple Mail Transfer Protocol and there are services that will manage email campaigns for you.
    
    Special Note about Hoax Emails:
    
    If you get an email with some kind of dire warning in it, don't automatically assume it's true. Practice good email etiquette, and check to make sure it’s not a hoax before you send it on.
    
    I hope this email etiquette information has been helpful to you. If you have any questions on this subject, please contact me.

Running Windows Updates is one of the most important things you can do to keep your computer safe. They are patches that Microsoft releases periodically to fix "holes" or security breaches in the Windows Operating system. If you don't install the new updates when they are announced, you run the risk of leaving your computer vulnerable to a hacker who could use the security holes to access your computer.
The easiest is to turn on Automatic Updates from your computer's control panel. To do this:

1. In Windows XP, go to Start, Control Panel.
2. Find the icon for Security Center and click on it.
3. Automatic Updates will be the second choice on the Security Center dialog box. Most likely they will already be turn on. If they are not, there will be a red stoplight and button that says "Turn on Automatic Updates." Click that button to turn Automatic Updates on.
4. When Windows has an update that it needs to install, you will see a yellow Shield icon in the time tray (bottom right hand corner of the Windows desktop.)
5. To install the updates, double click on the yellow shield, and follow the prompts.
6. If you don't have time to wait, Windows will prompt you to install the updates when you shut down your machine. This is an easy way to install Windows Updates, since you can walk away and when the updates are finished, Windows will shut down your computer for you.

Alternatively, you can download updates manually from Microsoft's website.

• Be aware that you should be using Internet Explorer to browse this site, otherwise Microsoft gives you a little lecture about using IE to update your PC.
• Also if you are going to use the manual installer, choose the Custom button so you get a list of what updates are installed. If you don't, Microsoft will download everything to you, including updates you may not want. For example, if you choose Express and you are still running Internet Explorer V6, you'll get the newest version of Internet Explorer, Version 7. V7 is nice, but it looks a lot different than IE V6, so it would be nice to know you are getting that update before you get it.

Windows Updates Will Not Install
Here are some notes and possible fixes to try if updates fail to install on your computer.

Make sure you have internet connectivity. If you have a firewall set up, check to see if it is blocking the updates.

If you can't connect to Windows Updates, click here for a Microsoft page on troubleshooting connectivity issues.

Check your computer rights. If you are not an administrator on the computer, you won't be able to run updates. You'll have to either login with the administrator account or have the person who has administrative rights log in and run the updates.

Check for viruses. Run a full scan of your computer, and verify you don't have a virus or trojan that is causing Windows Updates to fail.

Verify that your copy of Windows XP is genuine. Go to this Microsoft page and click Validate Windows. If your copy of Windows is not genuine, read the information on that same page to learn what to do next.

Re-register the Update program files If you do have a genuine Windows license, try re-registering the Windows Update and Installer files. There's a handy tool called Dial-a-Fix that will easily do this for you. However, BEFORE you run Dial-a-Fix, follow the steps the author discusses on his Wiki to verify your system integrity first.

1. To use the Dial-a-fix program, do this: download the Dial-a Fix program.
2. Double click on it and extract all files. Then double click on Dial-a-fix.exe. It will start the program.
3. Check off all the boxes then click Go.

If you get a specific error when you run Windows Updates, go to Microsoft's Update Support website and click on Errors on the left. Find the technical document that gives the resolution for that error. You'll also find a few more troubleshooting steps on that webpage.

If your Windows update problem is on a Microsoft Windows 2003 server, you can try the steps on this Microsoft tech doc.


Where can I see which Windows patches I already have?

If you want to know whether a specific update has been installed, you can view the list using these steps:

1. Go to Start, Control Panel, Add Remove Programs.
2. At the top of Add Remove dialog box, check the box that says Show Updates. Wait for the list to load.
3. Scroll to the bottom of the Add Remove dialog box. All of the Windows Updates will be listed.

Here’s a list of my best Windows computer tips and tricks to help you optimize your PC, save time, and learn new ways of tackling Windows annoyances.

Having been in the IT business for so many years, I'm usually hip to most Windows tricks. It's so great when I find new ones to add to my bag and share around.

Most of these work for both Windows XP and Windows Vista, but keep checking back because I'll also add specific tips for Windows Vista and will continue to update these as I learn more about Vista's quirks.

I hope these computer tips make you say "Oh, cool!”

 

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Put the Programs You Use the Most On the Taskbar.

I put the programs I use the most on my Windows taskbar, so I can get to them without having to return to the Windows desktop

Here’s an animated picture to give you the idea. (Press F5 to start the animation if it stops).

See how I drag and drop the Firefox icon onto the Task bar?

 

Here are the written steps to go with the picture (works for both XP and Vista):
1.From the Windows desktop, first turn on the Quick Launch taskbar. Right click on the Start button and left click on Properties. Click on the Taskbar tab, and check the box that says Show Quick Launch. Click Ok.
2.Now back to the Windows desktop. Find the program icon for the program you want to put on the taskbar.
3.Drag the icon to the taskbar and hold it there until you see a black cursor line appear.
4.Let go of the mouse button. The icon will “drop” into place where you held it.
5.Repeat for any other programs. Once you are done, lock the taskbar.
6.Right-click the Start button, then click Properties.
7.On the taskbar tab, check the box next to Lock the Taskbar. Click ok.

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Tweak the Start Menu Display


1.Right-click the Start button, then click Properties. You’ll see a Start menu tab.
2.Click on the Start menu tab, then click on the Customize button. On the Advanced tab, make the modifications you want. When you are done, click Ok, then Apply, then OK.

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Set Windows to Show All Files and File Extensions


1.Right click on your Start button and click on Explore to open Windows Explorer.

In Windows XP:

2.Click on Tools, Folder Options, View.
3.Check Show hidden files and folders.
4.Uncheck the boxes next to Hide extensions for known file types and Hide protected operating system files. Click Ok.
In Windows Vista:
1.Click on Organize, Folder and Search Options, and the View tab.
2.Put the green circle next to Show hidden files and folders.
3.Uncheck the boxes next to Hide extensions for known file types and Hide protected operating system files. (Vista will ask you if you are sure - click Yes.) Click Ok.

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Make Sure System Restore is On

System restore allows you to “go back in time” to recover from a change that damages your Windows system. It takes “snapshots” of the Windows system at various time points, and holds them. You can basically “roll Windows back” to a previous time to get rid of any change that caused the problem.

From the Windows desktop, hold down the Windows key and press the Pause/Break key. This will open Windows System Properties. Click the System Restore tab. Uncheck the Disable System Restore box if it is checked.

Note: If you are using Windows Vista, System Restore is turned on by default.


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What do the LED lights on my laptop battery indicate?

The lights on laptop batteries help you determine the battery charge. To check the battery charge, press the button and the number of LED lights that appear will tell you charge status. If all lights appear, you have a fully charged battery. Each light that appears accounts for approximately 20% charge.


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Turn off the "Automatically Restart On Failure" Error

If this feature is on, and your machine crashes, you won’t be able to find out why, because it will just keep rebooting.

1.From the Windows desktop, hold down the Windows key and press the Pause/Break key. This will open Windows System Properties.

In Windows XP:


2.Click the Advanced tab.
3.Under Startup and Recovery, click on the Settings button.
4.Under System failure, uncheck Automatically Restart.

In Windows Vista:


1.Click on Advanced System Settings.
2.On the Permission window, click Continue.
3.Under Startup and Recovery, click on the Settings button.
4.Under System failure, uncheck Automatically Restart. Click Ok and then Ok again.


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Turn Off Error Reporting

In Windows XP:

1.Left click on your Start button in Windows and go to Control Panel.
2.Double click on the System icon.
3.On the Advanced tab, click the Error Reporting button, and then check "Disable error reporting". (You can leave the check box for critical errors checked.) Voila, no more nag note about sending Microsoft a report.
In Windows Vista:


1.Left click on your Start button in Windows and click on to Control Panel.
2.Click on System and Maintenance and then Problem Reports and Solutions.
3.Click on Change Settings and then on Advanced Settings.
4.As you can see, Vista takes error reporting to a whole new level. You can choose to turn it off or on, or choose different levels of reporting.

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This next computer tip is one my favorites..

Turn off the Windows XP Desktop Icon Cleanup message


1.Right click on your Windows desktop, and left click on Properties.
2.Go to the Desktop tab.
3.Click the Customize Desktop button.
4.Uncheck the box that says Run Desktop Cleanup Wizard every 60 days.
Note: This feature was removed in Vista.
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 Re-Sort your Start Menu in Windows XP

In Windows XP, installed software is listed in the All Programs menu in the order it was installed, instead of being alphabetized. Here's a computer tip on how to sort your start menu alphabetically:

1.Click on Start, All Programs.
2.Point your mouse to any folder in the Programs menu and RIGHT click on it.
3.Choose Sort by Name from the menu that appears.

(A sort option is not available on the Vista Start menu).


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Your Thumbnail Pics Don't Match Your Pictures in a Folder:

You have copied some pictures into a folder. When you set the view mode to thumbnail pics, however, you notice that they don’t match the actual picture after you open it. Here's how to fix it.


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Another of my favorite computer tips for Windows XP:

If you have a tendency to accidentally drag items around in the Start menu, you can turn off the ability to drag and drop menu items. Here's how:

 


1.First, make sure items on the menus are in the order you want by using the sort feature I just described. Then right-click the Start button and select Properties.
2.Click the Customize button next to either the 'Start menu' or 'Classic Start menu' option.
3.Click on the Advanced tab.
4.Scroll down and find Enable dragging and dropping in the list of options. Uncheck it. Click OK twice.


Well there they are! The coolest Windows computer tips that I know. I hope they help. Don't forget to check back! I'll add more Vista and XP computer tips as I find them.


SUPPORT@THECOMPUTERHEALERONLINE.COM

 

These computer maintenance tips are well worth the time you will spend on them. It's kind of like cleaning and organizing your house. When everything is put away in the right place, and all the junk and clutter is cleaned up, it makes it much nicer to be there, and much easier place in which to work and play.

Here are the maintenance tasks I think are the most important:

General Computer Maintenance Tips:

• Keep all of your working files in one folder. The My Documents folder is offered by Windows expressly for this purpose. The benefits of keeping all your files in one place are multiple. One, you know where all your files are, two, it's easy to back them all up at once, and three, your machine will run faster.
  
• Don't put your personal files on the root of the C: drive. If you store a large number of files in the root folder, you could corrupt your disk file table which could lead to a "NTLDR is missing" error message when you boot the computer. Very bad. If you have personal files on the C: drive now, move them to the My Documents folder.
  
• Uninstall programs that you are not using. But don’t just delete the program. Remove it correctly so you won’t cause Windows errors. Go to Start, Control Panel, Add or Remove Programs. Find the program you want to remove in the list, and click the Remove button.
  
• If you download a zip file and expand it, delete the original zip file when you are done.
  
• Store your hardware drivers and purchased software installer files off your hard drive. A flash drive works great for this purpose.
  
• If you aren’t already using one, get a good surge protector and plug your computer and peripherals into it. If you live in an area with bad lightening storms, unplug you computer and peripherals during the storm.
  
• Practice safe computing. Don't accept software or downloads for which you didn’t ask. Delete any suspicious email without opening it. And even if the email came from your best friend, don't open any email attachments with the following extensions: * .exe, .com, .vbs, .bat, .mdb, .reg, and .js

Scheduled Computer Maintenance Tips:

Daily computer maintenance tips

• Update your anti-virus scan and anti-spyware definitions, if they aren’t being done automatically.
  
• Back up any critical files that you have changed today to your flash drive.

Weekly computer maintenance tips:

• Make sure your anti-virus and anti-spyware programs have been updated with the latest definitions, and run a full scan from both programs.
• Reboot your computer. (If you shutdown your computer each night, disregard this tip). If you leave your computer on all the time, definitely do this. It will reset the RAM, and your computer will run much better and faster.

Monthly computer maintenance tips:

• Clean up your temp files, your temporary internet files, and other junk files about once a month.
  
• Ensure you have the latest Windows updates installed. Go to Internet Explorer, Tools, Windows Update. Click on the Custom button. (I always use the Custom button so I can check what’s going to be installed before it gets installed). Windows update may ask you to download and install the latest version of itself. Go ahead and do that, then click Close when it’s finished, and then Continue. It will then check again for real updates and offer those. Choose which updates you want to install. Uncheck the ones you don’t want to install.
  

Clean out your email, paying special attention to your Inbox and Sent box. The easiest way I’ve found is to sort your email box by size of the message, and delete the largest unneeded emails first.
Quarterly computer maintenance tips:

• Change your password (Yes, I know this is a pain, I hear you groaning. But it’s really a good idea to do this).
  
• If you have a mouse with a roller ball (non-optical) clean it out. Use a Q-tip and some isopropyl alcohol to clean the ball and the internal rollers. Remove any caked on grease, oil, and dust that may have accumulated.
  
• Check to see if you need to defragment your computer’s hard drive. To do this in Windows XP, go to Start, All Programs, Accessories, Systems Tools, Disk Defragmenter. Run an analysis first by clicking the Analyze button. Go do something else while it runs. Windows will tell you if it needs to be defragmented. If it does, click on the Defragment button, and again go do something else while your computer runs this.
  For Windows Vista, this computer maintenance tip is a little different: Go to Start, All Programs, and click on Accessories. Find Systems Tools, Disk Defragmenter and click on it. Vista will ask you for permission to continue. Click Continue. Vista doesn't give you the ability to choose to defragment, it just assumes you want to and presents a schedule to do so. You can stick with the suggested schedule, or modify it. If you want to kick off the defrag process immediately, click the Defragment Now button. It will then ask you which drive you want to defrag. Uncheck the drives you don't want to defrag, and then click OK.
  
• Check all your computer cables and make sure they are plugged in tight, and not being pinched or pulled in a way that is damaging them.
  
• Check your C: drive (hard disk) for disk errors. NOTE: please make sure you have a current backup of your files before you run a check disk command. (Also, do this immediately if you see a message stating that your Windows “volume is dirty”).
  
  To run a check disk manually on your C: drive, do this:
  1. Click Start, select Run.
  2. In the box, type cmd and click Ok. In the black DOS window, type: chkdsk c: /f (The /f command automatically fixes any errors encountered.
  3. Go to Start, Shutdown, and restart the computer. When the computer restarts, it will run chkdsk automatically. The Check Disk process could take over an hour, so schedule this when you have something else non-computer related to do. On rebooting the PC, you will see a window that shows the progress of the disk check. When it's finished,, it will boot back to the normal version of Windows.

Disclaimer included below. Opening your computer case could void your warranty, and expose you to possible electric shock. Please be careful.

6 month computer maintenance tips:



Go on dust patrol. FIRST, TURN OFF and UNPLUG your computer from the electrical socket. Blow out your keyboard with a compressed air can, and then turn it over and tap it with your hand a few times to shake out any other junk. Brush off the dust bunnies from your PC fan (and any other parts in the back of the PC). Also, open the computer case and GENTLY blow or vacuum out any dust in there, especially around the CPU chip (the big square chip on the mother board).

MAKE SURE you touch something metal to ground yourself before you open the case and reach in there. Even the slightest static electricity zap can ruin a computer chip. This step is especially important if you live in a dusty place like Wyoming.


Annual computer maintenance tips:

• Check to see if you have the latest hardware drivers loaded for your printer, monitor and other peripherals.
  
  I hope these computer maintenance tips help your computer run better and faster.