A recent study has shown there are now more smartphone users in the US than basic phone users. That means that now more than ever people are using their phones for more than just making calls, but is a smartphone right for you? Even if you easily feel overwhelmed by technology or don't think you'd use all the functions, it's still easy to feel the pressure from friends and family to "get with the times" and buy a smartphone.
First of all, what makes smartphones "smart?" Generally speaking, a smartphone is a handheld device that can make calls and run programs like a computer. This means that on the same device that you call your friends with you can write an email, play a game, check the weather, and almost anything else you can imagine. If this sounds like something you'd be interested in, you might be a candidate for buying a smartphone. On the other hand, there are plenty of people who aren't interested in doing anything besides talking on their phone, and if that sounds like you, a smartphone might be unnecessary.
The other major consideration when contemplating getting a smart phone is your budget. Many smart phones nowadays are free or close to when you sign up for a contract. If you don't want to sign up for a contract, many smartphones will increase in price since the cell phone provider will not help subsidize the cost of the phone then. Either way, you want to make sure you look at the cost of adding data to your cell phone plan. Smartphones access the Internet often, and if you don't have an adequate data plan your cell phone bill could go sky high. Check with your cell phone carrier to see which plans and options they offer, and look at others available in your area as well to get a good competitive solution for you.
Practical Tip of the Day:
When in doubt, try them out! Head down to a store you can try smartphones out at and play around on them. See if you can easily figure out how to do all the things you'd want it to do, and make sure it "feels right" to you. There are a plethora of smartphones on the market now, and each one is slightly different. Picking out a smartphone is like picking out a car- make sure you read reviews, ask your friends and family, and do your research before spending your hard-earned money on a new phone.
Wednesday, May 30, 2012
Tuesday, May 29, 2012
What is Twitter?
It seems that almost everyone nowadays either has a Twitter account or is vehemetly against them. News organizations have them, companies and non-profits have them, famous and not-so-famous people have them, but what is Twitter and should you get an account as well?
Before you go and sign up for anything I always recommend reading up about it so you have a good understanding of what it is you're getting into. In this case, Twitter is another social networking site that lets you keep up with what people around you are doing, similar to Facebook, but each post is limited to 140 characters. Characters are things you type into the message, including spaces, punctuation, numbers and letters. For example, "I got 3 new hats!" is seventeen characters long.
This limitation keeps things short and sweet, allowing you read more, less detailed, information quicker. While everyone's Twitter habits are different, most people follow ("follow" is the Twitter version of Facebook's "friend" status.) a combination of the aforementioned "Twitterers". Much like Facebook, this makes it easy for information to travel quickly to many people. A humorous example of this was made by a web comic called XKCD. (Click here to see it.)
Practical Tip of the Day:
Just like Facebook, you want to look at the privacy settings in your Twitter account, especially if you're using your real name. If you don't have your privacy settings set up properly, everything you "tweet" will be viewable to the world and will come up if someone looks you up in Google.
Before you go and sign up for anything I always recommend reading up about it so you have a good understanding of what it is you're getting into. In this case, Twitter is another social networking site that lets you keep up with what people around you are doing, similar to Facebook, but each post is limited to 140 characters. Characters are things you type into the message, including spaces, punctuation, numbers and letters. For example, "I got 3 new hats!" is seventeen characters long.
This limitation keeps things short and sweet, allowing you read more, less detailed, information quicker. While everyone's Twitter habits are different, most people follow ("follow" is the Twitter version of Facebook's "friend" status.) a combination of the aforementioned "Twitterers". Much like Facebook, this makes it easy for information to travel quickly to many people. A humorous example of this was made by a web comic called XKCD. (Click here to see it.)
Practical Tip of the Day:
Just like Facebook, you want to look at the privacy settings in your Twitter account, especially if you're using your real name. If you don't have your privacy settings set up properly, everything you "tweet" will be viewable to the world and will come up if someone looks you up in Google.
Thursday, May 24, 2012
Should I Use a CD or DVD?
Now you know what kind of CD to get if you need to buy a CD, but do you need to buy a CD? What about DVDs? DVDs (Digital Versatile/Video Discs) are also discs that you can buy in most electronic stores and share the same versatility in R/RW & +/-, but are generally used for different purposes.
CDs do not hold as much information as DVDs. If you only need to store a small amount of information like a dozen songs or a few hundred pictures a CD will work just fine. If, on the other hand, you have a large collection of data to share, DVDs are best. The most common files found on a DVD are movie files. Movies are very large files since they are both a sequence of photos (think back to how videos were made way-back-when) as well as an audio track as long as the video.
One of the nice things about DVDs is that you can also get-- if your DVD-burner has the capability-- dual layer (DL) DVDs. Dual layer DVDs are like a layered cake. You have two layers of information on the disc so you can fit even more information on it. This is helpful if you have a particularly long video you wish to share.
So which should you use? DVDs are more expensive to make, and therefor buy, so I tell people to use CDs for everything they can, reserving DVDs for he special occasions you need to store a large amount of data on a physical disc.
Practical Tip of the Day:
Not sure if your computer can burn DVDs? If you have it, you can check the owner's manual, but if you're like most people and have no idea where that is, you can also check the front of disc drive on your PC. Often times it will tell you if it's able to read and write certain type of discs, and which variations it can handle. If you're using a Mac, going into "About This Mac" under the Apple menu (in the top left corner of the screen) will give you all the information about your computer, including a full listing of all the types of discs it supports.
CDs do not hold as much information as DVDs. If you only need to store a small amount of information like a dozen songs or a few hundred pictures a CD will work just fine. If, on the other hand, you have a large collection of data to share, DVDs are best. The most common files found on a DVD are movie files. Movies are very large files since they are both a sequence of photos (think back to how videos were made way-back-when) as well as an audio track as long as the video.
One of the nice things about DVDs is that you can also get-- if your DVD-burner has the capability-- dual layer (DL) DVDs. Dual layer DVDs are like a layered cake. You have two layers of information on the disc so you can fit even more information on it. This is helpful if you have a particularly long video you wish to share.
So which should you use? DVDs are more expensive to make, and therefor buy, so I tell people to use CDs for everything they can, reserving DVDs for he special occasions you need to store a large amount of data on a physical disc.
Practical Tip of the Day:
Not sure if your computer can burn DVDs? If you have it, you can check the owner's manual, but if you're like most people and have no idea where that is, you can also check the front of disc drive on your PC. Often times it will tell you if it's able to read and write certain type of discs, and which variations it can handle. If you're using a Mac, going into "About This Mac" under the Apple menu (in the top left corner of the screen) will give you all the information about your computer, including a full listing of all the types of discs it supports.
Monday, May 21, 2012
What's the Difference Between CD+,CD-, and CD+/-?
Last week we looked at the difference between CDRs and CDRWs. If you're standing in an electronic store, eyes wide at the vast choices of discs, you're not alone! Today we're looking at what all those +'s and -'s are about on the discs, and how to pick the right one.
Back when making CDs at home was new and computers only started to come with CD drives that could also write, there were two different types. + and -. The exact differences are not of great importance anymore as they both make a disc that can be read in 99% of CD readers (be it your car, computer or other device). It was very important to make sure that you got a disc your computer could write on, otherwise it wouldn't work.
Nowadays most CD drives in computers are +/-, which means it can write in either format. This is very handy because it means when you go to a store to buy CDs you can get any of the three aforementioned types. What should you do if you find yourself needing to buy discs for a computer for which don't know the type of drive though? In that case, the best thing to do is buy a CD +/- because they can work in any kind of drive.
Now that you know the difference between CDRs, CDRWs, and +,-,+/- you're ready to tackle the CD section of the store! But... should you use a CD or a DVD? Most people think DVDs are just for videos, but they can be used for storage too! Next time we'll be looking at which type of disc to by for your unique needs.
Practical Tip of the Day:
Once you've burned a disc, I highly recommend you use a permanent marker to write a short description or title on the non-shiny side of the disc. If you leave your disc unlabeled, you may later think it's an unused disc and try to write over it, or you'll have forgotten what was on it in the first place. Never use a pen or pencil to write on your disc since it may scratch it, and don't write on the shiny side since that's where your data is held.
Back when making CDs at home was new and computers only started to come with CD drives that could also write, there were two different types. + and -. The exact differences are not of great importance anymore as they both make a disc that can be read in 99% of CD readers (be it your car, computer or other device). It was very important to make sure that you got a disc your computer could write on, otherwise it wouldn't work.
Nowadays most CD drives in computers are +/-, which means it can write in either format. This is very handy because it means when you go to a store to buy CDs you can get any of the three aforementioned types. What should you do if you find yourself needing to buy discs for a computer for which don't know the type of drive though? In that case, the best thing to do is buy a CD +/- because they can work in any kind of drive.
Now that you know the difference between CDRs, CDRWs, and +,-,+/- you're ready to tackle the CD section of the store! But... should you use a CD or a DVD? Most people think DVDs are just for videos, but they can be used for storage too! Next time we'll be looking at which type of disc to by for your unique needs.
Practical Tip of the Day:
Once you've burned a disc, I highly recommend you use a permanent marker to write a short description or title on the non-shiny side of the disc. If you leave your disc unlabeled, you may later think it's an unused disc and try to write over it, or you'll have forgotten what was on it in the first place. Never use a pen or pencil to write on your disc since it may scratch it, and don't write on the shiny side since that's where your data is held.
Thursday, May 17, 2012
What's the difference between CDRs and CDRWs?
At some point, you may wish to make a physical copy of something you have on your computer. Maybe you want to make a backup of some of your photos, or burn a playlist of music for a special occasion. Whatever your reason, it's easy to get overwhelmed by all the different options given to you by your local electronic store's disc section.
CD stands for "compact disc". CDR means "compact disc readable". This means that once you burn the disc with your information it can't be altered. Think of the kind of CDs that you get from the store either for music or programs. You can't write over the disc to put your family photos, you can only read the information put on the disc by the manufacturer. These are CDRs. These are ideal for instances where you don't want the disc to be altered like for business or school presentations.
CDRWs stand for "compact disc re-writable". These discs can be burned, and reburned, and reburned. These are more like flash drives or your computer's hard drive. These are ideal for making backups as you can use part of the disc now, and then add more information to it later. You should be careful though. CDRs, just like your hard drive, do get worn down from being written and rewritten on, and thus do have a "lifespan". (Click here if you're not familiar with this concept on hard drives.)
So which one should you use? That's entirely up to you and what you want to use the disc for. Next time we'll discuss what all the plus and minus signs on CDs are about, and which one to use. Once you have that, you'll be able to pick your compact discs like a pro!
Practical Tip of the Day:
Discs often come on what's known as a spindle, one right on top of the other. Once a disc is burned, it should go in a type of case. This can either be a small plastic case or a paper sleeve. The reason for this is that the disc has tiny grooves on it that is read, much like a record player, and if it gets scratched it may not be able to be read and you've lost the information on that disc. When handling a disc, I recommend holding it by it's edges, putting a finger in the hole for added balance if need be. This helps prevent finger print smudges and scratches from ruining your disc.
Quick side note: I've already made reference to the phrase "burning a disc", and will continue to do so. "Burning" simply means the process of putting information on the disc from the computer.You'll see discs in electronic departments separated three ways. DVDs vs. CDs, CD+ vs. CD- vs.CS+/-, and CDRs vs. CDRWs. I'll be taking each of these factors into it's own seperate article, so be sure to stick around and read the subsequent articles on the following Tuesday/Thursday. First to tackle CDRs vs. CDRWs.
CD stands for "compact disc". CDR means "compact disc readable". This means that once you burn the disc with your information it can't be altered. Think of the kind of CDs that you get from the store either for music or programs. You can't write over the disc to put your family photos, you can only read the information put on the disc by the manufacturer. These are CDRs. These are ideal for instances where you don't want the disc to be altered like for business or school presentations.
CDRWs stand for "compact disc re-writable". These discs can be burned, and reburned, and reburned. These are more like flash drives or your computer's hard drive. These are ideal for making backups as you can use part of the disc now, and then add more information to it later. You should be careful though. CDRs, just like your hard drive, do get worn down from being written and rewritten on, and thus do have a "lifespan". (Click here if you're not familiar with this concept on hard drives.)
So which one should you use? That's entirely up to you and what you want to use the disc for. Next time we'll discuss what all the plus and minus signs on CDs are about, and which one to use. Once you have that, you'll be able to pick your compact discs like a pro!
Practical Tip of the Day:
Discs often come on what's known as a spindle, one right on top of the other. Once a disc is burned, it should go in a type of case. This can either be a small plastic case or a paper sleeve. The reason for this is that the disc has tiny grooves on it that is read, much like a record player, and if it gets scratched it may not be able to be read and you've lost the information on that disc. When handling a disc, I recommend holding it by it's edges, putting a finger in the hole for added balance if need be. This helps prevent finger print smudges and scratches from ruining your disc.
Thursday, May 10, 2012
How Fast is 4G?
Now that you know what 4G LTE is (click here if you don't) let's take a look at how fast it is. Is it really worth upgrading your phone to get it? Will you get it everywhere? Will you actually notice a difference in speed?
The biggest problem with answering "How fast is it really?" is that it changes. There are several factors that could affect the speed of your wireless data, regardless of whether we're talking about 4G, 3G, Edge, or any other kinds. While 4G is often said to have speeds of about 100 Mbps (Megabytes per second), it's still subject to the same limitations as all cell phones. First, do you have coverage? There's not much point in having a 4G enabled phone if you live in the country and rarely go to major cities for example. At this point most cell phone carriers are just starting to have 4G coverage in major cities.
Second, if you do happen to be in a major city that has 4G coverage, your speed could also be affected by how many other people around you are using 4G. If you've ever gone to a convention, sports game, or any other large gathering of people, you may have already noticed that it's difficult to access the Internet on your phone when you're in a crowded place. That's because your phone is only one of thousands trying to connect to one tower.
Lastly, there are differences in speed based on the carrier you're using. Some carriers claim faster speeds (but less coverage), and others claim more coverage (but slower speeds). It all comes down to if you're actually going to be able to use it to it's full advantage. Is 4G really that much faster than 3G? In a word, yes, but that's only in theory.
Practical Tip of the Day:
When looking at a new cell phone, also make sure the provider is right for you. Most cell phones are available at multiple providers, so looking at your provider's coverage map for both phone and data plans as well as their advertised speeds can help you decide if a provider's right for you. If you live in a major city, speed might be more important since coverage is almost guaranteed, but if you live in a rural area, coverage may become an issue.
The biggest problem with answering "How fast is it really?" is that it changes. There are several factors that could affect the speed of your wireless data, regardless of whether we're talking about 4G, 3G, Edge, or any other kinds. While 4G is often said to have speeds of about 100 Mbps (Megabytes per second), it's still subject to the same limitations as all cell phones. First, do you have coverage? There's not much point in having a 4G enabled phone if you live in the country and rarely go to major cities for example. At this point most cell phone carriers are just starting to have 4G coverage in major cities.
Second, if you do happen to be in a major city that has 4G coverage, your speed could also be affected by how many other people around you are using 4G. If you've ever gone to a convention, sports game, or any other large gathering of people, you may have already noticed that it's difficult to access the Internet on your phone when you're in a crowded place. That's because your phone is only one of thousands trying to connect to one tower.
Lastly, there are differences in speed based on the carrier you're using. Some carriers claim faster speeds (but less coverage), and others claim more coverage (but slower speeds). It all comes down to if you're actually going to be able to use it to it's full advantage. Is 4G really that much faster than 3G? In a word, yes, but that's only in theory.
Practical Tip of the Day:
When looking at a new cell phone, also make sure the provider is right for you. Most cell phones are available at multiple providers, so looking at your provider's coverage map for both phone and data plans as well as their advertised speeds can help you decide if a provider's right for you. If you live in a major city, speed might be more important since coverage is almost guaranteed, but if you live in a rural area, coverage may become an issue.
Tuesday, May 8, 2012
Should I Get a Laptop or Desktop?
You've finally decided that it's time to upgrade. You know what price range you're looking at, what you need the computer to be able to do, and you've saved up your pennies. Time to get serious about looking at computers, but should you look at desktop computers or laptops?
Here are the questions I usually ask people who are in this conundrum:
If you travel frequently, either for work or leisure, a laptop might be better suited for you. Desktops need to be plugged into an outlet to work, but laptops have batteries that can last for hours. I have seen people who get small desktops (like the Mac Mini) to take back and forth to vacation homes, but desktop computers are not as well suited to movement and travelling as laptops and therefor you should take caution when travelling with them.
If you have very easy to meet needs for your computer like web surfing, movie watching, sharing photos, word processing and the like, you can get an inexpensive laptop that can handle those tasks easily. If, on the other hand, you're making videos, editing photos, building websites, etc. you'll end up needing to spend a lot more money to get a laptop computer that's as powerful as a desktop computer. That's because making everything portable and during has a cost, and that shows up on the price tag.
Practical Tip of the Day:
If you do have high demands of your computer, but only travel once or twice a year, more and more people are opting to get a desktop/tablet combination. That way you have a powerful machine at home for when you need to make a movie, but then have something small and portable for your lighter needs while you travel. A desktop/tablet combination usually comes out to being about the same or slightly cheaper than an equally powerful laptop!
Here are the questions I usually ask people who are in this conundrum:
- Where will you mostly be using your computer?
- How often do you travel?
- What will you be using the computer for primarily?
If you travel frequently, either for work or leisure, a laptop might be better suited for you. Desktops need to be plugged into an outlet to work, but laptops have batteries that can last for hours. I have seen people who get small desktops (like the Mac Mini) to take back and forth to vacation homes, but desktop computers are not as well suited to movement and travelling as laptops and therefor you should take caution when travelling with them.
If you have very easy to meet needs for your computer like web surfing, movie watching, sharing photos, word processing and the like, you can get an inexpensive laptop that can handle those tasks easily. If, on the other hand, you're making videos, editing photos, building websites, etc. you'll end up needing to spend a lot more money to get a laptop computer that's as powerful as a desktop computer. That's because making everything portable and during has a cost, and that shows up on the price tag.
Practical Tip of the Day:
If you do have high demands of your computer, but only travel once or twice a year, more and more people are opting to get a desktop/tablet combination. That way you have a powerful machine at home for when you need to make a movie, but then have something small and portable for your lighter needs while you travel. A desktop/tablet combination usually comes out to being about the same or slightly cheaper than an equally powerful laptop!
What is 4G LTE?
It seems that if you want to make sure you get a good cell phone nowadays you need a degree in mobile communication technology! 3G? 4G? LTE? Hot Spot? 16GB? 32GB? Droids? iOS? Anyone else here getting a bit confused and overwhelmed?
It would take far too long and boring an explination to explain all the terms to look at when picking out a cell phone, but since "4G LTE" has been being thrown around without explination a lot lately, I thought it would be nice to humanize it a bit. 4G LTE is a description of how a cell phone accesses the Internet. 4G stands for "fourth generation" and just means that it was developed after the 3G standard.
Each generation of technology (usually) is better than the last, and 4G is no exception. Actual speeds will vary depending on several factors I'll cover in a subsequent post, but it is generally accepted that 4G is faster than 3G. Faster at what? Internet access speeds will affect how quickly you can open up webpages, post photos to the Internet (like Facebook), stream movies from Netflix, and a slew of other things. Think of it as how fast your car can drive; If you have a slow car, it'll take longer to go places and do things.
LTE is just a description of what type of 4G network it is. LTE stands for Long Term Evolution, and if you forget that in two minutes, no one will fault you. There is another type of 4G used in the world called WiMAX, but unless you're planning a trip to South Korea any time soon I wouldn't worry about it, most major countries in the world either have or have plans to roll out LTE networks in the near future.
Practical Tip of the Day:
Some cell phone carriers are starting to offer wireless cards you can plug into your computers. Plug it into the USB port on your computer, and even if you're not connected to the Internet either physically or through a Wifi hotspot, you'll still be able to access the Internet. This is ideal if you travel for a living or go on a lot of vacations!
It would take far too long and boring an explination to explain all the terms to look at when picking out a cell phone, but since "4G LTE" has been being thrown around without explination a lot lately, I thought it would be nice to humanize it a bit. 4G LTE is a description of how a cell phone accesses the Internet. 4G stands for "fourth generation" and just means that it was developed after the 3G standard.
Each generation of technology (usually) is better than the last, and 4G is no exception. Actual speeds will vary depending on several factors I'll cover in a subsequent post, but it is generally accepted that 4G is faster than 3G. Faster at what? Internet access speeds will affect how quickly you can open up webpages, post photos to the Internet (like Facebook), stream movies from Netflix, and a slew of other things. Think of it as how fast your car can drive; If you have a slow car, it'll take longer to go places and do things.
LTE is just a description of what type of 4G network it is. LTE stands for Long Term Evolution, and if you forget that in two minutes, no one will fault you. There is another type of 4G used in the world called WiMAX, but unless you're planning a trip to South Korea any time soon I wouldn't worry about it, most major countries in the world either have or have plans to roll out LTE networks in the near future.
Practical Tip of the Day:
Some cell phone carriers are starting to offer wireless cards you can plug into your computers. Plug it into the USB port on your computer, and even if you're not connected to the Internet either physically or through a Wifi hotspot, you'll still be able to access the Internet. This is ideal if you travel for a living or go on a lot of vacations!
Thursday, May 3, 2012
What is LinkedIn?
Of all the social networks, LinkedIn is often thought of as the highest form. There aren't any 12 year olds, it's not covered in ads for trendy new clothes, and the interface is low-key instead of eye-popping. While I have no reports to support this, I would go out on a limb and say the average age of a LinkedIn user is higher than either Facebook or Twitter. While being a more refined social network, many of it's users don't fully understand what LinkedIn is for and therefore don't use it to it's full potential.
The biggest social networking aspect of LinkedIn is the ability to connect with people you know ala Facebook, but instead of keeping in the know about how their pet turtle is doing, you're able to track their career and job information. LinkedIn focuses less on a person's personal life and more on their work life. Filling in a LinkedIn profile is not too unlike filling out an online resume. You enter your current and past work experiences, awards, certifications, etc. From there LinkedIn helps you find former coworkers you might be interested in business networking with.
LinkedIn also has a job search function very much akin to other job search websites like Monster.com or online classified ads. Once you search for a job, it'll give you a description of the job, tell you how to apply, give you options to save this job so you can read it later, and even let you share this job opening with your friends on other popular social networking sites like Facebook and Twiter. LinkedIn will also look at the people you're connected with, and offer you job opportunities it thinks you might be interested in. Used to work at Circuit City? There's a new Best Buy opening up around you, and they're hiring. Things like that, but not only for smaller retail jobs. They also list high-level copies and high-level jobs. In conclusion, if you're in the market for a new job, or you're thinking of ways you might be able to expand your professional network LinkedIn is a good solution for you.
Practical Tip of the Day:
Whenever you sign up for a new website, even the most well respected ones, be careful how much personal information you give out. Only put on the Internet what you're comfortable letting everyone in the world know. Your parents, children, pastor, coworkers, boss, strangers, I mean EVERYONE!
The biggest social networking aspect of LinkedIn is the ability to connect with people you know ala Facebook, but instead of keeping in the know about how their pet turtle is doing, you're able to track their career and job information. LinkedIn focuses less on a person's personal life and more on their work life. Filling in a LinkedIn profile is not too unlike filling out an online resume. You enter your current and past work experiences, awards, certifications, etc. From there LinkedIn helps you find former coworkers you might be interested in business networking with.
LinkedIn also has a job search function very much akin to other job search websites like Monster.com or online classified ads. Once you search for a job, it'll give you a description of the job, tell you how to apply, give you options to save this job so you can read it later, and even let you share this job opening with your friends on other popular social networking sites like Facebook and Twiter. LinkedIn will also look at the people you're connected with, and offer you job opportunities it thinks you might be interested in. Used to work at Circuit City? There's a new Best Buy opening up around you, and they're hiring. Things like that, but not only for smaller retail jobs. They also list high-level copies and high-level jobs. In conclusion, if you're in the market for a new job, or you're thinking of ways you might be able to expand your professional network LinkedIn is a good solution for you.
Practical Tip of the Day:
Whenever you sign up for a new website, even the most well respected ones, be careful how much personal information you give out. Only put on the Internet what you're comfortable letting everyone in the world know. Your parents, children, pastor, coworkers, boss, strangers, I mean EVERYONE!
Tuesday, May 1, 2012
What Should I Do If My Computer Locks Up?
Uh oh. It's happened. It starts with a program slowing down and becoming unresponsive. Maybe it spreads to other programs, but maybe you're lucky and it's isolated. If the program doesn't respond, how can you tell it to quit?
When your computer becomes unresponsive, it's called being "locked up" and it's a source of stress for countless computer owners. I'll give the short answers for two of the most common types of operating systems. (Click here if you don't know what an operating system is.)
Windows (aka PC):
Hold down the control (ctrl) and alt keys, then tap the delete key. (NOT back space!) This should bring up a small window called the Task Manager. It'll show you all the programs you have running, and their status. Look for the one that says "Not Responding", click on the program's name, and then click the "End Task" button at the bottom of the window. That should force the errant program to close, and unlock your computer. If this doesn't work, hold down the power button on your computer for ten seconds, or until it turns off. (The power button looks like a circle with a line through the top, like a clock that's struck 12.) Wait 15 seconds, then press the power button again (you don't need to hold it down), and your computer should be good as new. If it isn't, you may want to contact your local computer repair center.
Mac:
Similar process, except the key command is command, option (opt), escape (esc). I tell new Mac users this mnemonic to help them remember. "When you're in trouble, just tell your computer that you COMMAND it to give you the OPTION to ESCAPE." It'll bring up a window similar to the Windows'
Task Manager. Follow the same steps for trouble shooting.
Practical Tip of the Day:
There are worse things than just locking up. If your Windows computer ever goes to a blue screen with techno-babble on it, or your Mac screen goes grey with a message about rebooting, that means something has gone pretty wrong. Just follow the steps on the screen, but don't worry about it unless it begins to happen regularly. These error screens are called a Blue Screen and Kernel Panic respectively. If your computer does begin to lock up or give the above error screen regularly, take your computer to your local computer repair center for a check up.
When your computer becomes unresponsive, it's called being "locked up" and it's a source of stress for countless computer owners. I'll give the short answers for two of the most common types of operating systems. (Click here if you don't know what an operating system is.)
Windows (aka PC):
Hold down the control (ctrl) and alt keys, then tap the delete key. (NOT back space!) This should bring up a small window called the Task Manager. It'll show you all the programs you have running, and their status. Look for the one that says "Not Responding", click on the program's name, and then click the "End Task" button at the bottom of the window. That should force the errant program to close, and unlock your computer. If this doesn't work, hold down the power button on your computer for ten seconds, or until it turns off. (The power button looks like a circle with a line through the top, like a clock that's struck 12.) Wait 15 seconds, then press the power button again (you don't need to hold it down), and your computer should be good as new. If it isn't, you may want to contact your local computer repair center.
Mac:
Similar process, except the key command is command, option (opt), escape (esc). I tell new Mac users this mnemonic to help them remember. "When you're in trouble, just tell your computer that you COMMAND it to give you the OPTION to ESCAPE." It'll bring up a window similar to the Windows'
Task Manager. Follow the same steps for trouble shooting.
Practical Tip of the Day:
There are worse things than just locking up. If your Windows computer ever goes to a blue screen with techno-babble on it, or your Mac screen goes grey with a message about rebooting, that means something has gone pretty wrong. Just follow the steps on the screen, but don't worry about it unless it begins to happen regularly. These error screens are called a Blue Screen and Kernel Panic respectively. If your computer does begin to lock up or give the above error screen regularly, take your computer to your local computer repair center for a check up.
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