If you are a new user to the Google Chrome browser, here is a helpful tip. Clicking on the   button, which is the “Customize and control Google Chrome” button, in the upper right hand corner of the page – gives you several options and tools. For instance, you can open a new web tab, create and manage bookmarks, print, view source code (HTML, etc.), access Internet downloads, tweak some of your Chrome settings – like startup, appearance, and homepage, and do much more. 

It’s important to protect your personal information, and to take certain steps quickly to minimize the potential damage from identity theft if your information is accidentally disclosed or deliberately stolen: 1) Place a “Fraud Alert” on your credit reports, and review those reports carefully. Notifying one of the three nationwide consumer reporting companies is sufficient. 2) Contact your bank or other financial institution(s) and close any accounts that have been tampered with or established fraudulently. 3) File a police report with local law enforcement officials. This is an essential step for protecting your rights. 4) Report your theft to the Federal Trade Commission, online, by phone, or by mail. Visit http://onguardonline.gov/idtheft.htmlfor more information.   Source: SANS Institute

We have all heard the numerous reports of how many people are not happy with Windows 8 – it’s confusing, frustrating, where is the damn Start Button, etc. Yes, there are many changes since Windows 7, but the good news is, with the release of Windows 8.1, Microsoft has fixed many of these issues and with a few pointers and a little practice it’s not that hard to learn! So here we go.

·         *Or, you can click on the Desktop tile and you go straight to your desktop – complete with the holy Start Button and more of a normal Windows look and feel.

·         *The   at the bottom left of the Start Screen takes you to your installed applications, i.e. MS Office, Adobe PhotoShop, etc. – similar to what clicking Start, All Programs in Windows 7 does.

·         *From the desktop, to access your local hard drive (C:) or your network drives, click on the Windows Explorer icon and you will see these drives available.

As an alternative to using the Alt key & Print Screen/PrtScn Key to capture a screen shot, you can also use the Windows Snipping Tool.  It’s a built-in feature of Windows 7. To use the tool – launch it by clicking Start, All Programs, Accessories, and Snipping Tool. When it opens – your screen will go pale whitish and you will see a crosshair tool. Then simply put your cross-hair where you want to start and then left- click/drag the tool over anything you want to snip (cut out) – then release. It’s similar to the cropping tool in photo-editing software. You can snip error messages, text from the web or documents, pictures, etc. There are also tools that cut in different shapes. Once your snip is captured, you will get a pop-up window that gives you the option to copy the snip and send it via email or copy and paste it to a word document, email, etc. It’s a very handy tool to have!