There are a lot of online data backup options out there these days. Mozy.com offers 2 GB of free data storage. All you have to do is sign up, download the software, and select what to backup. It does automatic backups of the data you select to be backed up.
Another option for specific files like pictures is using a photo sharing website like Flickr, or Google's Picasa.
If you have documents like Microsoft Word and Excel files or PDF files, an option for those type of files is Google Docs. Just upload your files, and you can share them with other contacts as well.
If none of those options suit your needs, email the files to your Gmail email account. There are some limits to Gmail though. You can only upload files 25 MB or smaller, but Gmail has over 7 GB of email storage space, and is growing daily.
If you are interested in learning more about using Gmail as an online backup solution, keep checking back to marccrow.com. I will go into more detail about how to utilize Gmail's 7 GB of free backup space.
SquareTrade analyzed failure rates for over 30,000 new laptop computers covered by SquareTrade Laptop Warranty plans and found that one-third of all laptops will fail within 3 years. SquareTrade also found that netbooks are 20% more unreliable than other laptops, and that Asus and Toshiba are the most reliable laptop brands.
I will be out of the office from November 23rd to 27th for the Thanksgiving holiday.
Traveling to New Mexico this year to enjoy the holiday.
The release of Microsoft Security Essentials has changed the landscape of antivirus software. We've finally got a completely free application that protects against viruses, spyware, and other malware—without killing system performance like some of the "suites" tend to do. In my personal experience, it barely slows down the machine and rarely affects my work—and during a deliberate attempt to download some viruses (for testing purposes), it immediately found and blocked them from doing anything.
You don't have to take my word for it, however. Not only did AV-Test.org find that it detects 98% of their enormous malware database, but AV-Comparatives (a widely known anti-malware testing group) found that MSE was one of only three products that did well at both finding and removing malware, including the leftovers. It was also the only free product to grab their "Advanced+" rating—the top honor for an anti-malware solution.
Download and run the Windows 7 Upgrade Advisor to see if your PC is ready for Windows 7. It scans your hardware, devices, and installed programs for known compatibility issues, gives you guidance on how to resolve potential issues found, and recommends what to do before you upgrade.
Download Now
I have a couple of really useful apps on my iPhone that everybody should try out.
Funambol
The Funambol plug-in delivers over-the-air backup and synchronization of your iPhone contacts. Keep you Contacts in sync with your address book, anywhere, anytime. And it is FREE.
DataCase
Turn your iPhone and iPod touch into a wireless drive and file viewer with DataCase!
This app is nice to use when you need a flash drive and don't have one. Just store the files on your iPhone like you would with a flash drive. $6.99
Had a guy bring in a laptop this morning that won't boot to Windows, but powers on.
I tried a bunch of things hoping it was fixable without having to get a motherboard for it. I decided to look up the warranty information on the laptop through the manufacturer, and wouldn't you know it....the warranty expired while I was sleeping last night.
I called anyway to see if they would spot me 12hrs, but they wouldn't.
Going to suck telling this guy his laptop is fried and his warranty went out YESTERDAY! Friday, could have gotten this fixed for free - today, going to cost him a new laptop.
