Tech Geek

I have presented a variety of options to using Microsoft Office and, in some cases, other Microsoft products. Generally, Microsoft products are quite powerful, but they require a powerful computer to run them on and a powerful wallet to purchase them with. However, there is a way to legally acquire Microsoft and Adobe products for use at an ELCA congregation or related institution.

CDW (Computer Discount Warehouse) has been authorized by both companies to sell software to ELCA not-for-profit organizations with Section 501(c)(3) status. This program provides substantial savings by purchasing through their Nonprofit Licensing Programs. Our secretary recently received a gift from a member of the congregation and decided that she wanted to upgrade from Microsoft Office 2000 to something a bit newer. One boxed copy of Microsoft Office 2007 Small Business Edition at Amazon retails for $450 and you can get it for $240. There may be other offers available, but they're all quite expensive.

So I went to the CDW page at the ELCA Website and found the contact information for the ELCA representative at CDW, Geoff Carlson. You can reach him at 866-874-3596, by fax at 312-705-0613, or by e-mail at geofcar@cdw.com. Geoff sent me back a comparison sheet of the various versions of Office and the price through CDW. I could get Small Business Edition, which I needed because it includes Microsoft Publisher, for $66 per license. The Standard version of Office was $59 under the same program. You have to purchase five licenses to start with, either five for the same software, or for five different pieces of software, or any combination that adds up to five or greater.

I called Geoff and gave him the church credit card number and told him we wanted five licenses of Office SBE. A couple of days later, I got an e-mail with instructions to log on to a Microsoft Website. I entered my Windows Live ID and linked the Authorization Number and Agreement Number that Geoff had sent me to my account. Then I could see a list of Volume License Keys. I did some more clicking and downloaded the software right onto my computer. There is a download manager, so it resumes if something goes wrong, which is good since it's over 350MB! (If you don't want to download the software, you can purchase it on a CD for $25.) Once it downloaded, I extracted the files and installed Microsoft Office 2007 SBE onto our computers. I went back to the same website for the Volume License Keys, which were needed to complete the installation process.

So instead of one license of Office for $240, we got five for $330. That enough for everyone in our office and a spare computer that our boards and committees use. We could also purchase other products now, one license at a time, for the next two years. After two years, you have to re-up and purchase a five-license pack. By the way, the program is available for the Macintosh version of Office as well and I'm sure all of the Adobe products for Mac.

This is a great way to legally get software at a much better price than purchasing it off the shelf!

I hope to see some of you at the Extravaganza! You can Twitter me at adnyla.

You may have heard the news last week that Microsoft was pushing out an emergency security update to patch a vulnerability in Windows 2000, WindowsXP , Windows Vista and Windows Server 2003 and 2008. If you didn't find out about it through the news, you may have, like me, been surprised that your computer had re-started itself sometime on Thursday night. Usually Microsoft releases patches on the second Tuesday of the month, but this was considered important enough that they released it at a special time. This patch was rated critical by Microsoft for Windows 2000, XP, and Server 2003, which means that a hacker could exploit the flaw to gain control of your computer and make it part of a botnet.

If you have your system configured correctly, these patches should have been automatically (automagically, for some) applied to your computer. However, if you are using an older operating system, like Windows ME or Windows 98, your system has reached its EOL (End of Life) and Microsoft no longer provides technical support, including security updates, for your system. They recommend upgrading to a newer Microsoft operating system. It is, of course, an option to go and buy a boxed copy of a newer version of Windows. In general, however, it is farcheaper to just buy a new, even if very cheap, computer to replace your old one and this computer will come with a newer operating system. Even a $299 computer from a big box store will probably perform better than a computer originally designed for Windows ME!

If you are stuck using an older machine with an older operating system, you may want to be careful about how much private data you store on that system, as it is more likely a hacker could gain access to it than to a fully-patched system.

If you are running Windows XP or later, make sure that you are configured to automatically receive system software updates. Open up the Control Panel and click on Security (Center) to ensure that you are configured to receive updates automatically.

God's blessings in your ministry,
Andy

P.S. - I see that OpenOffice.org has released OpenOffice 3.0. I haven't had a chance to try it out yet, but I'm hopeful that they will have upgraded Impress enough to begin to use it instead ofPowerpoint.

A couple of weeks ago I mentioned that the best way to speed up your computer was to add Random Access Memory (RAM). RAM is the short-term storage of the computer. It is the space that it uses to hang onto things that are being worked on. RAM is analogous to our short-term memory. To keep something around for a long time, we have to write it down or move it to long-term memory. For a computer, that's putting it onto the Hard Drive. Some of you may have been left wondering how you would go about actually adding memory to your system.

If you're queasy about these sorts of things, find a local geek to do it for you. You should not have to pay much because it really is a five-minute job for someone who knows what they're doing. It might be a bit longer the first time you try something like this, but it's not much more difficult than putting a cartridge into a video game system was, back when they used cartridges!

First, don't touch anything. You need to know what kind of RAM your system takes. This is often the most difficult part. If you saved the manual, that's a good place to look. If you can get onto the manufacturer's website, that's a good place to look. If neither of those options work, I recommend a tool like System Information for Windows (SIW), which will tell you all sorts of interesting things. Once you download and install it, run SIW and click Hardware and then click Memory. You will get a screen with a lot of information. Here's what's important and the values on my desktop:

• Memory Slots    2 - This is how many physical slots you have in which to install memory.
• Maximum Memory Module Size    4096 MBytes - This is the largest any one memory module can be.
• Memory Type    SDRAM DDR - Synchronous Dynamic Random Access Memory (Double Data Rate) - just write it down!
• Speed    PC3200 (200 MHz) - Write this down as well.

The other details really aren't that critical. If you're really unsure, print out the whole sheet and take it to the computer store with you. Also, if you have 2 slots and you have memory in each of them, you'll need to remove one of your memory modules in order to install a larger one. My system has a 512MB module and a 256MB module. If I wanted to add a 1024MB (also known as 1GB) module, I would remove the 256MB one. Then, after installation, I would have 1.5GB of memory.

For my system, I need a PC3200 SDRAM DDR memory module. You may find that some stores stock "backwards compatible" modules. These are ones that are designed to run at a higher speed but will automatically "throttle back" to a lower speed if that's what your system needs. Not all modules do this, however, so don't just buy something because the numbers are close!

Once you find the right memory module, installing it is actually pretty easy. Of course, it's good to backup all your data just in case something goes horribly wrong. Once you've done that, disconnect all the cords (or at a minimum, the power cord) that connect to your computer and ground yourself by touching something that's grounded. (Real techs would use a grounding strap on their wrist, but I don't have one of those!) Remove the cover from your computer. Generally, this is the one on the left side, and on most newer systems, it's only held on by a simple thumb screw or latch. Peer inside and look for some strips of computer chips that are about 1 inch by 4 inches and are in a slot. (See the Wikipedia article I linked to above for some pictures of RAM.)

If you've got a blank slot, fit the memory module that you purchased into that slot. Make sure that the notch is lined up with the nib on the slot. If there are clips at the end, they should also click into place to hold the memory module firmly. If you need to remove one of your modules, it's a bit hit and miss. You may find a sticker on the module that tells you which one it is or you may be able to find some silk screened lettering on your motherboard that tells you which slot is slot 0 and slot 1. You can take one module out and then power your system back up and see how much memory it has left.

Once you've got the memory modules in place, put the case back together, taking care not to pinch any of the cables on the inside. Hook up all the cords again and power up. Your computer may report an 'error' because the amount of memory has been changed, but that will go away. Enjoy your faster computer!

Howstuffworks.com has a good article on memory and how to replace it here. They also have some information on how to upgrade a computer that requires Dual Channel RAM. This is a requirement on G-5 Macs and some Intel Pentium 4 based systems.

I'd recommend upgrading to 1 or 2 GB of RAM for Windows XP and at least 2 GB for Windows Vista. Unfortunately, memory pricing is based on supply and demand and it doesn't always make sense. I always think of it like car tires. If you buy a new car with a new tire size, at first the tires are really expensive because no one else is using them. Then, over the next few years, lots of manufacturers make cars that use those tires, and the price comes down. But if you keep the car for 25 years, the tires get expensive again because they're not manufactured as much anymore. Memory works the same way. The newest, highest-speed, memory can be quite pricey. But after a year or two, it will be much more reasonable. But if you wait too long, it will get expensive again! You should be able to get a 1GB memory module for about $50-$75, depending on the specifics. If you're patient, you can watch the rebates at the big box stores and maybe even get something for $20 after rebate!

Again, if this is all over your head, ask your resident high school geek to do it for you.

Domain Name Resolution is probably not a topic many of you have put much thought into. It is one of the many "behind-the-scenes" things that happens while you use the internet. A Domain Name System (DNS ) Server takes a web address that you type into your system and converts it into an Internet Protocol (IP ) address. You can think of DNS as a giant phone book that converts names to numbers. For example, The ELCA Youth Ministry Network's website, www.elcaymnet.org, is actually found at IP Address 204.188.103.6. Most of us just use the DNS Servers provided by our Internet Service Provider. These generally work fairly well and require no configuration. Today I want to share a different tool which I switched to a year or so ago, OpenDNS, which does all that and more, for free!

OpenDNS (http://www.opendns.com/ ) is a free service that handles all the regular DNS chores and also adds some great extra features. In general, I'd say the extra features aren't perfect, but they're sure better than nothing (which is what I'd imagine many of us are doing). Many churches run small office networks. You may or may not allow people to use either computers on the network or connect via Wi-Fi to the network. What happens if they try and go somewhere, shall we say, less than ideal? If you're not running any sort of filtering software, they get the site to come up without any problem. If you're using OpenDNS, they get a page, which you can customize, saying something like "Site Blocked. This site is not allowed by Northridge Lutheran Church on this network. Site categorized as nudity."

Let's say you get a very convincing e-mail that appears to be from your bank. You click on a link and are taken to a phishing site, one which is trying to harvest your personal information to take your money. It looks just like your regular bank website and you don't notice that the address is different, so you type in your login information. Now they have your information and can steal your money and maybe even your identity. But if you were using OpenDNS, the site would have failed to come up and given an error page similar to the Blocked Page above.

Another feature fixes those stupid errors your keyboard makes when you have your fingers on the wrong keys. You, and anyone around you, knows that you meant .com, even though you only typed .cm. OpenDNS will fix this for you, and take you to the .com that you wanted to go to in the first place.

It's all customizable, once you sign up for a free account, and set up your router to use the OpenDNS servers instead of the ones from your ISP. The computers on the network will automatically use them, if the router is configured that way. Visit https://www.opendns.com/start to get started for yourself. The complete list of features is available at https://www.opendns.com/features/ .

P.S. This is all much easier if you have a static IP address. If you have a dynamic IP address, as many ISPs provide, you'll need to follow some extra steps, laid out by the OpenDNS folks at their site (http://www.opendns.com/support/dynamic_ip/ ). Basically, you'll need to run a small program that tells OpenDNS whenever your IP address changes, so they can provide the blocking services described above.

Is your computer not running quite as fast as it did when you first booted it up? Over time, installing and un-installing software can leave behind gunk that slows down your system. This article is going to be focused on Windows PCs, because they're what I know about and because they're probably more likely to have problems than Mac or Linux systems anyways!

There are many different ways to clean up a system and every geek probably has their own favorite tools. These are not necessarily the best tools, but they're the ones that I use and am familiar with. Your mileage may vary, as the saying goes. As you may have picked up from my posts to this point, I am fond of tools that work and that are free to use. But before I get to those, I'm going to make two hardware suggestions.

The first thing to do is to make sure that your system has enough memory. Windows XP needs at leat 512MB to run and really prefers 1 GB, which is equivalent to 1024MB. Windows Vista needs 1 GB and runs much better with 2 GB of RAM. Installing new memory is, literally, a snap. If you don't know how to do it, find one of your students and ask them to do it for you. I was helping an older gentlemen out last week who was thinking he would need to buy a new computer because his was too old. We spend $60 on memory to take his Windows XP system from 256 MB to 1 GB, did some clean-up work, and now he feels like he has a new machine.

Second, if you are using a built-in video card, you might also surprise yourself at how much more responsive your system is if you switch to an add-on card. This helps in two ways. It moves the processing of graphics data from the CPU to the card and it also releases whatever shared memory you were using for graphics back to the system. I'm not a gamer and don't think you need an expensive card, but even a lightweight card can make a difference.

After the hardware is performing well, it's time to take a look at the software. The first program I would suggest running is CCleaner. You can guess what the C stands for. This tool, available for free with donations requested, scans your computer for temporary files that have been left behind. You do want to make sure that you know what you're deleting, especially when messing with the registry, but this tool will most likely speed up your system slightly.

Next, make sure that you don't have spyware that's causing things to run slowly. There are lots of tools out there, some available for free from Yahoo and Google, and some of which you may have already purchased as a part of your anti-virus solution. There are also some online scams that promise to scan your system and then offer to sell your a program. I'm just guessing, but I think they never fail to find something! I have had good luck with Microsoft's Windows Defender. Run a scan when you install the program and then set it up to scan each evening so it will work to keep your system free of spyware.

Finally, defragment your hard drive to help programs load and run more quickly. Windows has a built-in defragmentation program, but I've found that UltraDefrag, an open source program, tends to work better. One of the things I like about it is that you can set it to run on a boot, so it can defragment system files before they are in use.

Don't forget that I love to receive questions so that I'm talking about things you're interested in hearing about!

So, you got a new computer for Christmas, or with that end-of-year budget surplus? Congratulations! But now you've spent the whole budget and you've discovered that your new computer comes with a trial version of Microsoft Office, which is going to stop working in 60, 59, 58, 57...days. You could spend a substantial amount of money in order to convert that trial version to a full-fledged version of the program. Perhaps you could take advantage of an educational or non-profit discount, which is a good way to acquire Microsoft products. (I'll write about this option in the near future.) You may also be able to use alternatives that are free and, in some ways, better. I would like to suggest a few of them.

Open Office is an open source office suite. It includes a word processor, presentation program, spreadsheet program, database program, and drawing program. All of these are able to open and save the corresponding Microsoft Office files. Open Office is developed by many people around the globe and there are new versions released frequently. While it cannot do absolutely everything that Microsoft Office can do, it is able to do everything that most people actually need to have done. It will run on modest computers, of both the Windows and Macintosh flavors. I think it is a good solution for those who are running older versions of Microsoft Office because it is patched and more secure than they would be. Open Office may be downloaded from www.openoffice.org at no cost.

Another option is Google Docs, found at docs.google.com. You need to have a free Google Account in order to use these services. Google Docs includes a word processor, spreadsheet, and simple presentation program. All three of these are able to open and save the equivalent Microsoft Office files. While not nearly as robust as Microsoft Office, these tools provide most of what people need on a regular basis. They also provide a great solution for those who routinely work from multiple machines. Once you sign-in to the website, you can access your files from any internet-connected computer, running any modern operating system and web browser. Another noteworthy feature of Google Docs is that you can collaborate on files with multiple people at the same time. It is very interesting to be editing a file and watch text in another portion of the document get changed as someone else edits the file simultaneously. There are easy ways to e-mail files, download them as Adobe PDFs, and to share Google Docs files with website and blogs.

There are some other options available as well. For a "vintage" computer, Abiword is a free word processor that runs well with minimal system requirements. It can be downloaded from www.abisource.com. It will also open and save a variety of file formats. Some people will need to use Microsoft Office, but for many people, it is over-kill and over-priced and one of these other options will serve their needs quite nicely. I'm writing this article using Google Docs, because I can easily work on it from different computers. If I really wanted to, I could even view it on my cell phone!

Don't forget, if you have questions or topics you'd like me to address, e-mail at techgeek@elcaymnet.org