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How to access your files from anywhere

March 13th, 2010, 8:34 am by

Stump the PC Club is a free tech-advice column written by members of the North Orange County Computer Club, which has been in existence since 1976. Visit the club’s site at noccc.org. And don’t forget to stop by the Gadgetress’ home for the PC Club, at ocregister.com/link/pcclub, to find out how to ask a question and read past answers.

QUESTION: Occasionally when I’m traveling I’d like to have access to a file on my home PC. The file could be a picture, a Word document or a PowerPoint presentation. What do you suggest?

PC CLUB: Fortunately, there are several options for making files on your PC available to you when you’re away from your desktop provided that you have Internet access. Also, some of the solutions require special hardware including a router.

Here are several options: Read the rest of this entry »

Posted in: Stump the PC Club • Wi-Fi & networking • • • • • • • • • • • • • | 6 Comments »

Crappy Internet? Tell the government

March 12th, 2010, 3:30 pm by

A new mobile app lets consumers test how fast their phone or home’s Internet connection is — or isn’t.

The app’s owner? The U.S. Federal Communications Commission. As part of that National Broadband plan, the FCC wants consumers to be informed about what their broadband availability is and help contribute to the FCC’s Broadband Dead Zone Report.

“Transparency empowers consumers, promotes innovation and investment, and encourages competition,” said Chairman Julius Genachowski. “The FCC’s new digital tools will arm users with real-time information about their broadband connection and the agency with useful data about service across the country. By informing consumers about their broadband service quality, these tools help eliminate confusion and make the market work more effectively.”

The app, called the Consumer Broadband Test, measures speed and latency and reports it back to the FCC. It’s available in the Apple and Android app stores. There’s also a Web version at www.broadband.gov.

No broadband Internet? Consumers can also submit their results to the FCC by e-mail at fccinfo@fcc.gov, telephone, 888-CALL-FCC, or snail mail addressed to:

Federal Communications Commission
Consumer & Governmental Affairs Bureau,
ATTN: Broadband Dead Zone Reporting
445 12th Street, SW
Washington, D.C. 20554

One note: By taking the test, you’re giving the FCC some personal info including your IP address and home address.  Read the privacy statement.

More on the web:

Posted in: Cell phones • Internet • iPhone • • • • • • • • | 12 Comments »

Verizon FiOS Internet upload speed hits 35 Mbps!

January 18th, 2010, 4:39 pm by

Verizon's FiOS TVVerizon just announced today faster Internet speeds for FiOS customers of up to 35 megabits per second upload. That’s faster than any Orange County Internet provider’s download speed.

Faster upload speeds means spending less time uploading photos to Facebook, sending giant spreadsheets and other files to coworkers online or regularly backing up computer files to the great big cloud. According to Verizon, the faster 35 mbps speed means uploading a 20-minute HD video in three to five minutes instead of the half hour it takes with a cable Internet connection.

In Orange County, cable companies upload speeds are a measly 1 to 2 mbps.

But most of Orange County can’t order FiOS. The fiber-optic service is a huge investment for Verizon, which needs city permission to lay cables in the neighborhood. The service has only reached residents in parts of Brea, Cypress, Fountain Valley, Garden Grove, Huntington Beach, La Habra, La Palma, Los Alamitos, Seal Beach Stanton, Westminster and certain unincorporated areas.

Those of us who can’t order Verizon FiOS can, at least, take heart that we won’t be subject to the service’s new early termination fees.

Separately, Verizon confirmed that customers who drop out before their two-year contract ends could be forced to cough up an extra $360. Previously, the fee was $179.  The higher early-termination fee does drop by $15 every month the customer keeps the service, which means by month 23, exiting customers will be charged $15.

The new Internet upload speeds of 25 Mbps up and down, and 35 mbps up and down, upgrade existing plans. Here’s the low down of FiOS TV/Internet bundles:

FiOS plans Price
Ultimate: TV service with 90+ HD channels, Internet speed of 35 mbps up/down, phone $139.99
Extreme: TV service with 65 HD channels, Internet speeds of 25 mbps up/down, phone $124.99
Prime: TV service with 40 HD channels, Internet speed of 15 mbps down, 5 up, phone $109.99

More details on the new bundles HERE at Verizon’s site.

Notable special: Verizon is offering a major FiOS discount to new customers — $20 discount each month for first 12 months for Prime plan, $10 discount for either the Extreme or Ultimate plan.

More on Verizon FiOS:

Posted in: Internet • Video & TV • • • • • • • • • • • | 20 Comments »

AT&T U-verse Internet speeding up to 24 Mbps

December 9th, 2009, 12:17 pm by

AT&T U-verseAT&T U-verse’s Internet service is ramping up to 24 Mbps downstream and 3 Mbps up.

The faster “Max Turbo” service is rolling out first in St. Louis, Mo., and Austin and San Antonio in Texas, but it should reach other markets “in the coming months,” according to AT&T. With special promotions and bundle discounts, the upgrade is $65 a month. Otherwise, according to U-verse’s price page, it starts at $75. Small business customers can order it for $95 a month.

While not quite Verizon FiOS fast, the new U-verse speed is faster than what AT&T offers in Orange County, which tops out at 18 Mbps. Comparably, Verizon FiOS offers 50 Mbps down, 20 Mbps up. The local cable companies are in the 10 to 15 Mbps range.

Interestingly, in cable news today, DSL Reports writes that Cox Communications is launching 50 Mbps Internet service in Las Vegas. It offers faster service via DOCSIS 3.0 technology and has rolled out similar services in Rhode Island, Arizona, Northern Virginia and Lafayette, LA.

Time Warner Cable has also launched 50 Mbps Internet using DOCSIS 3.0 in other parts of the country, most notably in New York.

Recent AT&T U-verse stories:

Posted in: Internet • Video & TV • • • • • • | Comments Off

What’s this website bit.ly all about?

November 18th, 2009, 4:57 pm by

Stump the PC Club is a free tech-advice column written by members of the North Orange County Computer Club, which has been in existence since 1976. Visit the club’s site at noccc.org. And don’t forget to stop by the Gadgetress’ home for the PC Club, at ocregister.com/link/pcclub, to find out how to ask a question and read past answers.

QUESTION: In your OC Register newspaper articles, you have links that are not understood by this PC user. In a recent article, for example, you give “File and printer sharing in Windows Vista” (link bit.ly/2DZiib). I have never seen a link like that and never saw an explanation of it and I am sure I am not the only one that does not understand it.

PC CLUB: In the article ”How to transfer files between Vista and XP PCs,” published online on October 6, 2009 and published in print on October 13, 2009, there was a link to get help on “File and printer sharing.”

You are correct in that the link was specified as bit.ly/2DZiib. If you were to type bit.ly/2DZiib into the address bar of your Internet browser, you would be taken to the Microsoft page that provides information on file and printer sharing. You could also have entered http://bit.ly/2DZiib and gotten the same results. Read the rest of this entry »

Posted in: Stump the PC Club • • • • • • | 2 Comments »

How to get rid of Windows temporary files

November 11th, 2009, 4:47 pm by

Stump the PC Club is a free tech-advice column written by members of the North Orange County Computer Club, which has been in existence since 1976. Visit the club’s site at noccc.org. And don’t forget to stop by the Gadgetress’ home for the PC Club, at ocregister.com/link/pcclub, to find out how to ask a question and read past answers.

QUESTION: I receive many e-mails with attachments which I download to a folder called Temporary Files.  How do I delete the Temporary Files? I know it’s slowing down my PC.  Thanks.

PC CLUB: I don’t believe that Windows XP, Vista or Windows 7 normally has a folder named Temporary Files. If you have a folder with that name, either you or perhaps some program may have created it. However, there are folders named Temp and Temporary Internet files.  That doesn’t mean that you don’t have such a folder, however. To delete the contents of that specific folder it’s necessary to first locate it. Read the rest of this entry »

Posted in: Stump the PC Club • • • • • | 8 Comments »

Free games for Verizon Internet customers starts Friday

October 7th, 2009, 12:28 pm by

Verizon free game weekend

If you’re a Verizon Internet customer and have kids, or like to play games yourself, set an alert for Friday, Oct. 9, when Verizon offers free access to 1,500 games on demand. After the free weekend, ending Monday, Oct. 12, the price goes back to $4.99 to $14.99 per month.

That’s four full days of free games.

The offer is for Verizon’s FiOS Internet and DSL customers. Go to verizon.net/freegames to access the games.

This is a mostly casual collection of games, which include Boggle, The Secret of Margrave Manor 2, SpongeBob Teaches Typing, Zoo Tycoon, Bejeweled Twist. You can scan the list of  games available on Verizon’s main game page at gamesondemand.verizon.net.

The catch? You can play the games on a computer as much as you want all weekend but after that, you’ll be locked out. If you do decide to pay for the service, you’ll get two weeks free. Or just head to other Web sites that offer free casual games all the time, like AddictingGames.com or EA’s pogo.com.

Like deals? Check out the OC Register’s Deals blog.

Posted in: Internet • • • • • • | Comments Off

Time Warner’s Internet hits 50 Mbps … but only in New York

September 25th, 2009, 2:54 pm by

Time Warner CableNoted: Time Warner Cable began offering 50 Mbps downstream Internet speeds to New Yorkers on Thursday. Upload speeds are 5 Mbps. Dubbed Time Warner Cable Wideband Internet, the service targets business users but a residential option is available for $99.95/month. That includes 5 Mbps upstream.

According to MultiChannel News, the service for business users is more expensive: $298/month for the 50 Mbps down, 5 Mbps  up; and $200/month for 20 Mbps  down, 2 Mbps up.

This week’s launch was in Manhattan. The company’s entire New York area will get the speeds by Spring 2010. New York is the same region that Verizon has made a huge push for its FiOS Internet service. FiOS is still faster though, with the speediest plan offered at 50 Mbps down, 20 Mbps up for about $150.

No one has had any luck getting the cable provider to say what lucky city is next. A spokesman told MultiChannel News that Time Warner “expects to roll it out to additional markets in early 2010.”

Time Warner is using Data Over Cable Service Interface Specification (DOCSIS) 3.0 technology, which requires an equipment upgrade.

In Orange County, Time Warner’s fastest Internet speed is 15 Mbps downstream, 1 Mbps up. I, personally, am a customer and manage to see almost 2 Mbps upstream speeds most of the time.

Recent Time Warner News:

Posted in: Internet • Video & TV • • • • • • | 9 Comments »

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