Are you still using Windows 7? You’re not alone. Windows 7 is an excellent operating system, but you are probably not taking advantage of all it provides. Here are some tips to get more from Windows 7.

Access videos from the Start menu: You can access your pictures and music from the Windows 7 start menu, but did you know you can customize Windows 7 to enable you to access your videos too? If you’d like to do this, right-click the Start button and click “Properties.” Then, on the Start Menu tab, click “Customize.” A dialogue box will pop up, scroll to the bottom and look for the videos section. Click “Display as a link” and hit “OK” and “OK” again.

Modify your Shut Down button: Did you know you can personalize your Shut Down button to execute an action other then shutting your computer down. For instance, you could have your computer go to sleep, or restart. Just right-click the Start button and choose “Properties.” Then on the Start Menu tab, select the “Power button action” menu. This will give you a menu of actions you can select as the default action for your Shut Down button.

Add some privacy to your online searching: When you search Internet Explorer, your computer will immediately display the latest searches that you have performed. Maybe you would like to not have this information available to other users. Fortunately, you can customize Windows 7 to make this happen. You can switch off the “recent searches” feature through the Start menu. Once you pull up the Start menu’s search box, type GPEDIT.MSC and press “Enter.” This will set the Group Policy Editor in motion. Choose the “User configuration” option. Then choose “Administrative Templates,” “Windows Components,” and “Windows Explorer.” Once you are here, you can double-click “Turn off display of recent search entries in the Windows Explorer search box.” Then select “Enabled” from the screen that comes up next. Then click “OK.” You will now enjoy greater privacy when searching the Internet.

It can be difficult to get important work done while traveling for business. You have to cope with hotel Internet connections that can be maddeningly irregular. It’s tough to chat with your important clients when you’re stuck in business meetings all day, and e-mails that you normally reply to immediately fall through the cracks while you are soaring from one airport to another. The good news is business travelers can depend on several apps and tech tools that make working while on business trips a little easier. If you are taking a long business trip, here are several tools that will make life easier for you. Your co-workers will thank you.

GroupMe: If you have to contact many coworkers at once, possibly to update them about a meeting, the app GroupMe is designed for you. You can create a list of contacts which you can then send a single text or email to all of them; this will save tons of time!

Belkin Mini Surge Protector DUAL USB Charger: A lot of us have a lot of devices we need to charge, and when you’re traveling, you may not have sufficient plugs to charge them all at once. That is where this gadget comes in; it is a surge protector that includes three AC and two USB outlets. This enables you to charge all your devices at once, in one place.

Campfire: What if you have to absolutely talk with several members of your team at once while you’re hundreds of miles away at a business meeting? Simple. Switch on your Campfire app. This app works as group chat room, permitting you, your employees and partners back home to send instant messages to one another on your mobile devices. Everyone connected to the group will see each message. You can even use Campfire to make conference calls.

Does your business stay away from the cloud because you think it’s a short-term fad, too expensive, or that it’s not safe? These are common misconceptions about cloud computing. We explore these further below.

Myth: Cloud Computing Is a Fad

Many companies use cloud computing now-a-days, and not just privately owned small business, but large companies like Amazon, Apple, and Google. In fact, these organizations use the cloud to deliver their services more efficiently and easily to consumers. Cloud computing makes it much easier to share information so companies are jumping on board. Given the amount of large companies who have incorporated it into their service offering, I do not think the cloud will be dissipating any time soon.

Myth: The Cloud Is Risky

Many companies are hesitant to adopt cloud computing for fear that their data will be more exposed to hackers. It doesn’t help that there have been a few instances of high-profile outages, such as one that recently hit Amazon Web Services. These events tend to stick in our memories. Nonetheless, if this is something you are worried about, there are options other than putting all of your important data on a public cloud. Manage Services Providers offer cloud services on a private cloud where your data is extremely secure. One advantage to this is that if your data is stored in the cloud, multiple people in your company can have access to it. Additionally, if your hard drive crashes, you won’t lose all your data.

Myth: Cloud Computing Is Costly

As with any service, if a company wasn’t formerly paying for it, it becomes an added expense. But while a company may pay more upfront, ultimately they will spend less on labor, as being able to share information through the cloud is much more effective. All in all, cloud computing is more cost effective.

Phil Libin designed Evernote to act as a second brain. At its most rudimentry, Evernote is simply several pieces of software that store notes, photos, videos, and web pages on virtual notes. The benefit of Evernote is that as soon as you store your notes, you can search for them. Simply put, you will not be poring through countless files on your computer searching for that chicken salad recipe. Instead, you can just log onto Evernote, search for “chicken salad,” and instantaneously pull up that recipe. The thing about Evernote, though is that it is so simple to operate that some users don’t dig deep enough into the program’s capabilities. Those who don’t take the time to truly explore this program will lose out.

Mobile

For instance, you may not recognize that it can sync with other devices. You can download the Evernote app onto your smartphone, tablet, and laptop. After logging into your account, Evernote will sync your devices, and will sync them routinely, so that you always have mobile access to your information.

Protect yourself

If you are anxious about storing your bank account information or your passwords into Evernote, you don’t have. You can encrypt your information.

It is not difficult to do this. Just highlight the text you want, right click, and select the “encrypt selected text” option. You will then be asked to create a password for your encryption. Now your data is safe and sound.

Outside apps

One of the best things about Evernote is how well it works with outside apps. For instance, WritePad, an app for the iPad that lets users take notes using their fingers or iPad stylus pen. Once they’ve finished their notes, they can then quickly save them in Evernote.

If you’re a conscientious computer user, you make certain to keep your antivirus software up to date. It’s the only way to shield your computer from viruses and malware, right? According to a recent story by MIT’s Technology Review, no.

Antivirus Software: Unreliable?

The antivirus software that we have paid for and long relied on to protect our information might not be effective. The technology is running a race with malware programs and malware is winning. More sophisticated and challenging to detect malware comes out every day and this is very concerning to those of us who access the Internet on a day-to-day bases.

Burned by Flame

One of the most complex examples of malware to date is Flame. Flame copies documents, audio, network traffic, and keystrokes made on a computer that has been corrupted by it. The scary thing is, Flame has been active for a couple years now. During all of this time, no security software has been developed to detect this malware.

An Industry Under Siege

According to the Technology Review story, Flame is not the only malware that gets by popular antivirus software. There are numerous other examples the story covers but one antivirus firm labeled Flame to illustrate a failure in the antivirus industry. All this means is that your computer may be more at risk than you had previously thought. That is not to say that you should not take every measure possible to protect your computer by installing and updating antivirus software. Hopefully antivirus technology will catch up and become as sophisticated as much of the malware out there.

>