Backup with Windows 7

I’ve always paid in the past for good backup software. I use Second Copy for my data and Acronis True Image for image backups of my system drive. It seems that might all come to a screeching halt when Windows 7 comes out with what looks like good backup software. According to Paul Thurrott’s product comparison, all versions of Win 7 will do image and data backups which is just what most people need. The only question I have is whether or not it will do Incremental backups which can be a big time and space saver. Neowin.net has a nice overview of the process.

Watch YouTube in HQ by Default

If you’d like to watch YouTube videos in HQ by default, it’s easy to do. Sign-in, click on the Account button and then choose Playback Setup. It will then give you an option to always watch HQ videos when they are available.

Bye Bye Microsoft Office

Close your wallet – salvation is at hand.

I’m tired of Microsoft changing their software every three or so years and in the process also changing their document format. I’ve had it! I’m going Office free now and in the future and there are lots of options.

OpenOffice.Org is a free and great piece of software to use for documents. They just release version 3.1 and it seems to work great. You can donate if to help them with their development.

Google documents allows you to make documents, spreadsheets and . The only caveat is that it is what they call cloud computing which means that the program is on the internet and not on your computer. If you don’t have internet access – you’re screwed.

Microsoft also just said that Office 2010 will be free and in the clouds, much like Google documents. They will start beta testing it in a month or so.

I’ve also pretty much given up using Microsoft Outlook and instead use Yahoo mail which does a great job. I do pay an extra $20/year for some better features in Yahoo, but it’s worth the money.

PowerPoint is the only holdout on my computer. I’m going to try Impress which is the OpenOffice version and see how it works.

$69 – 1 TB drives

If you’re looking to add a hard drive to your computer or upgrade your 160 GB drive to a 1000 GB drive, now’s the time to do it.

Dell has a great deal on a 1 TB drive for only $69 and it includes free shipping. I’ve heard a lot of good news about these drives, especially if they are used for data. They are a little bit slower than the Black Caviar drives.

Use this coupon code – XTHR0RQRXJHQ12

Here’s the link(click here)

Google Voice – Saved Me $100 Today.

I just signed up and got a new phone number with Google Voice today. I’m still not sure exactly how I’m going to use this new feature of Google, but I’ve figured out how it will  immediately save me $100.

First let me explain that you need a Gmail account and they need to send you an invitation. When you get your invite, you just follow the prompts and you’ll end up with a brand new phone number (you choose the number from numerous listed). The idea is that you can just use this one phone number and it will forward to any number of phones.  It can forward to mobile phones, home phones, work phones etc. One phone number for everything. For people with lots of phones, this feature might be great.

How I’m using it to save money is that you can also make International phone calls to the U.K. for just 2 cents a minute. Currently I spend $5/month phone charge and 6 cents a minute for these types of calls. I’ estimating that I’ll save at least $100 this year.

Google Voice integrates very well with your existing Gmail account. Each of your contacts now has a “Call” button. I did have trouble calling people from my notes page, but you can call from the Call area in the upper left hand corner.

Let me know if you’re using this service and how it’s helping you.

Your Old Locks Are No Good!

I just saw a video on the program “Scam School” which shows how easy it is to open a standard lock that you might use for school or gym. (click here) It turns out that these tips to opening standard locks are all over YouTube also.The bad guys must be jumping for joy.

The solution is to buy a shim-proof lock such as Master Locks 1500iD or  1590D models. The problem is that I went to five stores, called two more and looked on the net, but can’t seem to find one available for sale. The 1590D is a brand new model, but the 1500iD should have been available somewhere. I’m hoping they will be available in August or September. If you know of a source for these locks, please let me know.

No Fax – No Problem

About twice a year I’m required to send a fax to a business, doctor etc. The problem is that I got rid of my fax machine a couple of years ago when I got rid of my phone land line. I then end up going to a friends house or Office Max and while it’s not a big deal, there is an easier solution.

MyFax.com has a free fax service if you have needs are minimal. You are limited to two faxes a day plus the file must not exceed 10MB in size and contain a maximum of 10 pages. Supported files types include Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint, PDF, TIF, GIF, JPEG, etc.

Here’s a link which shows all the ways you can send your message.(click here)

VLC – Watch Any Video

VLC 1.0 is a great program to watch just about any video. It’s open source and free, but donations are welcome. Give it a try – I think you’ll like it.