Would you turn down a free tune-up for your car?

Anyone for a free tune-up? I'm always amazed when I examine a customer's computer and find that they haven't downloaded and installed any of the many bug fixes and security patches provided by Microsoft. I can understand not wanting to spend a lot of money for security but this stuff is absolutely free. Microsoft has a vested interest in keeping their customers happy. So they invest millions of dollars in an effort to plug all of the security holes in their software. It seems incredulous that many people choose to ignore what could be the single best way to avoid computer melt-downs.

Microsoft makes it very easy. You can choose to update on your schedule or you can let your computer update itself automatically whenever a new patch is available. Microsoft even offers a tool which will download any new patches and to install them when its convenient.

You can access Microsoft Update from a number of locations:

1) The Control Panel (Add/Remove Programs > Add New Programs)
2) Internet Explorer (Tools > Windows Update)
3) The Start Button (Start > All Programs > Windows Update)
4) The Microsoft Website (microsoft.com > Microsoft Update

If you don't have the latest version of Update, you can download and install it from the Microsoft Website (number 4 in the list)

Microsoft lists the benefits of their Update software as the following:

* Improve your computer's health and security.
Regularly update your computer with the latest software from Microsoft to boost the security and reliability of your Windows PC.

* Easy and flexible.
Microsoft Update is easy to set up and use. Download and install updates automatically, or customize the choices that are right for you.

* New features, better performance.
Every month, Microsoft releases new drivers and software that increase the performance and functionality of your Windows-based computer. Get enhancements as soon as they are available using Microsoft Update.

So take advantage of Microsoft's generosity and get Update today. Its free, it offers more security against pernicious hacker attacks and it will make your computer more stable.

In our next post, we'll discuss preventive maintenance and what you can do to keep your computer running smoothly.

A timely backup can help you move forward

If you use a computer in your work, you've probably experienced the upheaval in your work day when a serious computer malfunction occurs. It's happened to most of us - a program that suddenly stops responding, an undecipherable computer error message or even the infamous "blue screen of death".

When it happens you can basically throw the day's schedule out the window because your job has suddenly morphed into computer troubleshooter and repair technician.

It's almost impossible to avoid these problems altogether but you can take steps to minimize their occurrence. Over the next 2 weeks, The Hungry Horse Blog will present a series of posts designed to help you keep your computer running smoothly. Today's post: "A Timely Backup Can Help You Move Forward" is the perfect first step in common sense computer maintenance.

Why back up? The answer is pretty obvious. Lost data can kill or seriously cripple your business. A few minutes a day, or week, could save your bacon in more ways than one. If a hard drive crashes, your data could be simply unrecoverable. Are you prepared to loose all of the information on your computer?

Doing a backup is easy. In fact, you can use the Microsoft Task Scheduler to have backups done automatically. Backing up your computer should be done at least weekly and more is better.

Since 1.44 Floppies can no longer hold enough data for backing up today, I suggest that you purchase a recordable CD-ROM Drive. Make sure the CD drive you buy says "R/W" which means "Read/Write". Otherwise you won't be able to record or "burn" data onto it. You can purchase a good name brand CDR/W for $30 to $60 retail. One reason CD's are popular backup devices is because once the data is recorded, it can't be accidentally erased or corrupted and can be stored almost anywhere (except in the back window of your car in which case they turn into warped useless plastic :0{> ).

Another option is an external USB hard drive. They cost about $100 for 100 Gigabytes. This is a better method than a CDR/W Drive if you have a lot of data to back-up. You can also build your own external hard drive very easily. Just buy a standard hard drive plus an enclosure kit ($25) with a USB interface. It takes just a few minutes to install the hard drive into the enclosure and to plug it into your computers USB port.

The first time you backup your computer, be prepared to wait several hours (depending of course on the amount of data). Microsoft gives you several backup options (documents and settings; everything on your computer; or choose what you want to backup). The first time through, choose everything. This process will also create a bootable floppy disk with all you need to rebuild your computer if your system disk crashes.

For subsequent backups, you should specify the drives and folders you want to back up. If you choose "everything", the backup will also include the previous backup files which can be very large.

You should also choose the "incremental" backup mode which only backs up those files that have been added or changed since the last backup. Choosing these options will result in a much quicker backup.

Of course backing up your computer is just the first (albeit most important) step in proper computer maintenance. In our next post "Would you turn down a free tune-up for your car?", we'll discuss ways to keep your computer current and safe.

Using Google AdWords

Do a search on Google and you're sure to see a column of sponsored ads running down the right hand side of the results page. Notice that each ad seems related to the search results? That's because Google has created technology that leverages their vast web site index into a pay-per-click advertising engine. The best part is that using Google AdWords is very easy and represents one of the best advertising bargains for companies of all sizes.

Creating your own Google AdWords campaign is very simple. Here are the steps.

1. If you don't already have one, create a Google Account. It's free and it opens the door to all sorts of Google services. Start here: https://adwords.google.com/

2. Once you have your account, its time to create a campaign. A campaign is a set of ads plus a list of keywords and phrases. The ads are simple affairs – about 10 words on 2 lines, plus a link to your web site. You can create several ads for a campaign and Google will test them for effectiveness and display the best ones. The keyword list can be as few or as many as you can think of and Google also provides tools that allow you to pick good ones.

3. The idea behind AdWords is a simple one. When someone uses one of your key words in a Google search, your ad appears. If they click your ad, Google charges you a small fee.

What’s a small fee you ask? Think of Google as an auction. Each keyword in your list might also be in someone else’s keyword list. So Google lets you decide how much you’re willing to pay for that click. That can be as little as 5 cents and as much as several dollars. The more you’re willing to spend, the better your chances of having the top AdWords ad. Your goal should be to be in the top 5 or 6. For really competitive markets – say real estate – that can be expensive. For other markets, it can be very inexpensive.

4. Have a limited budget? Google lets you set a daily budget for your clicks. That can be as little as $2.00 and as much as you’re willing to spend. Once your daily budget has been exhausted, your ad no longer appears for that day.

Google also lets you localize your ads. Your ads might be for service only in your metro area or state. Or you might want to reach only certain countries.

Google provides copious tools to monitor your campaigns effectiveness and a reports feature that lets you get a good handle on what works and what doesn’t.

All-in-all, AdWords can be a very effective and inexpensive adjunct to your other marketing efforts.