The first step in making your own website is to decide on a domain name (ie pcbitsandbytes, google, yahoo, etc…). After you decide on the name you need to check and see if it is available. Once you have a unique website domain name you need to decide on where to have your website hosted. Most of the businesses that provide your domain name have an option to have your website hosted through them. Go Daddy is pretty competitive. If you are an experienced computer user then using software like Adobe’s DreamWeaver might work well for you. If you are somewhat experienced with computers then software like Microsoft’s Front Page would be good for making a basic website. I have tried using both of the website building software that I have suggested so far and have made working websites. For this website I wasn’t sure how I was going to make a professional looking website. I work on computers for a living and had no idea how to make a professional looking website.  I was introduced to WordPress by a friend and found it so easy to use.

There is also the option of hosting your own website.  I tried this option for awhile as well and I will tell you it was not easy. Finding the directions to set up IIS took a long time because there are not too many websites out there that give good, detailed, step by step directions on how to set it up correctly. Plus you have to make sure that you are keeping IIS up to date because of all the hackers out there that are trying to do harm to whomever they can.

So, my suggestion is you get with a website like WordPress or Blogger or something like those two if you are like me and have little to no website creating experience. The easier you can make it for yourself the less frustration you will face.

There are a lot of great free downloads nowadays and one that I often don’t recommend enough is the Open Office software. Open Office is software that has almost all the feature of the Microsoft Office Suite. There is a word processor, spreadsheet, presentation, database, and email program within the Open Office suite just like in Microsoft Office.

If you would like help installing this software then please give me a call at 678-720-4288 or email me. I can make a service trip to any of the listed places: Dallas, Douglasville, Hiram, or Villa Rica.

Trying to decide between a desktop and a laptop really has more to do with the reason why you want a computer than anything else. If you want to just have a computer for home use and have no reason to leave the house with the computer then it would obviously be better to get a desktop computer. Desktop computers are less expensive on average and perform better on average than a laptop. I have also noticed now that more and more tech stores are making desktop computers cheaper and cheaper by the quarter. Hardware prices have gotten less and less so it is easier to find better deals. If you live in the area, I build computers and actually building your own PC is even cheaper than buying it from a company like Dell, HP, etc…

Laptops are good for users who are going to school, does business on the go, pretty much anything mobile. A lot of people like to have laptops at home so they can sit in front of the tv, lay in bed, eat, or whatever and work or play on the computer. There is nothing wrong with that. A laptop would be a good option for that person. Like I said before, though, laptops do not perform better than desktops that have comparable hardware specifications. All computers produce a lot of heat and when you compact the area of which that heat can escape then there is always a chance of overheating leading to hardware failures. Laptops have a shorter life span than desktops mainly for that reason.

I have been using Windows Vista for almost two years now and I have had Windows 7 Beta installed for about 5 months. Vista to me was has done poorly mainly because the operating system came out too early compared to the price of the hardware that it required. A PC running Windows XP more than likely could not run Windows Vista. The graphics are too heavy by default and the amount of RAM it uses to run the OS made it really hard for the average person excited about upgrading to Vista. On a machine built for Windows XP Vista feels very bloated.

Windows 7 seems like Microsoft finally got it right. The difference seems to be in the way that Microsoft developed the way Windows handles the desktop graphics. Windows 7 still feels a lot like Vista. A user that has never been on Windows Vista will have the same trouble getting used to 7 as if they were to go to Vista. The option menus are almost identical and the administrative portions of Windows 7 are basically identical to Vista.

If you are trying to figure out when to buy a new PC or laptop I would suggest waiting until you can get a machine that comes with Windows 7 pre-installed. It will cost you more if you buy a machine now and then upgrade later on. Plus as Windows 7 comes out there will be less and less support for Vista so the sooner you can get it the better.

MagicJack is a nice home phone alternative to the monopoly phone company. It doesn’t matter where you live as long as you have an internet connection you can use magicjack as your source of a telephone. It is only $20 a year and $20 for the device and works with pretty much any standard home phone. I have a wireless phone hooked into mine. I have heard of sound quality issues with the phone which I would attribute to people using PC microphones and speakers as their source of sound. As long as you have a normal home phone connected up to it the sound quality sounds like any other land line phone call. Like any other computer device it can malfunction but 95% of my issues have been easily been solved by either rebooting my computer or removing the device and plugging it back in. The only issue I had to have help with was logging into my magicjack page on their website. Their support is all instant messaging and they were able to fix my issue in about 15 minutes. Their call forwarding is something I am not too impressed with because when the call is forwarded rather than getting the voice mail in the magicjack inbox it goes to my forwarded phone’s inbox. I do like their voice mail though because if you have an email address associated with your account then you can get emails with the attached voice mail if one is left.  There is also the fact that if your power goes out then your phone will not work unless you keep your modem, router, and computer all on a UPS (uninterrupted power supply). Others have complained about their 911 service but if you follow their directions when you first are installing MagicJack then you should not have a problem. They strongly suggest that you do not depend on their product for emergency use. So, on a scale from 1-10 I would give magicjack an 7 because of the call forwarding, the fact their is no phone support for their product, and the small 911 issue that can be avoided if set up properly.

If you live in the Dallas, Hiram, Villa Rica, or Douglasville area I will be able come to your house and help you install the product (standard rate applies). If you want to try it out for free then just visit their website and sign up for the free trial.