Christmas is upon us and there are so many things to do. One thing to releave some of the stress is to do some of the shopping online. There is everything from great gifts to great gift ideas. Every store imaginable is on the net. Try comparing a gift from 10 different stores in a matter of minutes. If there is not enough time to go grocery shopping look up Vons or Albertsons on the Internet. They either deliver or will keep it at the store for pick up. It is truly a time for giving and saving time.

The best place to get answers on the web.
Do you know what the term RAM, USB port, Packet or PS2 connector is? At one point I could not. There is a site on the Internet that can help. Webopedia, www.webopedia.com is a great place to start. It is the dictionary of technology terms that anyone can go for answers. With literally hundreds of definitions and corresponding websites with great information. You can be in the know of what is the latest and greatest lingo and buzz words out there.

To “Save” or to “Open from this location” that is the question.
How many times have you downloaded a program or file and received the window that states, “Save” or to “Open from this location”. That is tough question and there is no hard and fast rule.

If you select “Save” when downloading a program, the next box will ask where to save it. The good thing is that the program will be on your hard drive for later use. The best place to save it is in a folder that you create called “Temp”. Make a folder underneath “Temp” with the same topic and then save the file. If you download a file that is for a video game, name the folder “VideoGame” and so on. If there is a time when you need it then it is there for the picking.

If you select “Open from this location” the program will start to install itself. If you ever have to reinstall the program it will have to be reinstalled from the same website again. Unless the website is bookmarked it will be hard to remember where the website is. Many times the program will download to your computer before it will install anyway and delete itself.

Pro and cons of both. When the program is downloaded it will take up space on the computer in the temp folder. When the program is not saved to the computer it is difficult to download again. The best rule of thumb is if the program is for something that will be used again such as a printer installation program – yes, save it to the hard drive. If the program is a one time shot such as a version upgrade do not bother to save it to the hard drive.

Tech tip Loading a USB device
There is only one way to install an USB device such as
a printer. The best way is to make sure the USB
printer is not plugged into the computer. That is the
kiss of death for most installations. Second, install the
CD and wait for the program to tell you plug the printer
in. It will run through a small installation and that is that. Your USB device is installed.

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