Computers for Charity

Moving Day

2012-01-11T05:42:00.000-08:00

We will have access to the church on Sat the 14th from 10 to 4 PM to move our equipment. I don't foresee it taking that long but depending on who shows up and what vehicles we have for transportation I wanted to make sure we had a big enough window to get it done.

Please contact me at 419-807-8015 or email jeffbkill@yahoo.com if you have any questions.

Need Help Moving The Charity!

2012-01-07T06:40:00.000-08:00

OK here is the new scoop. The charity has been given 'notice that by the 21st we need to move out the rest of our equipment. What we have left at Turing Point is all of our good equipment.

If we fail to move it out by the deadline they have informed me the will take possession of our equipment and dispose of it. This will effectively kill Computers for Charity as we will have nothing left to work on and no computers to provide to anyone in the future.

A friend of mine has offered to allow us storage space in his garage and I plan on taking him up on it. I'm planning on making the move on Saturday the 14th as this is the only Saturday I have off work before the deadline.

This will be no small undertaking as we have a lot of stuff to move in one day. We will need people to load as well as vehicles to transport.

I can't stress the importance of this enough. If we cannot make this move the charity will end and all the computer requests we have waiting will go unfulfilled.

This is not a definite plan yet as I have to confirm that we will have access to the church on that day and set a definite time-frame. Please respond if you will be available to help or email me at jeffbkill@yahoo.com

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Attention!

2011-12-19T21:40:00.000-08:00

To all partner organizations, clients and donors:

At this time we cannot honor computer vouchers or take donations of equipment until we have secured a new location to operate out of. We apologies for the inconvenience this may cause you. Please check http://computersforcharity.webs.com for updates on this status.

For volunteers:

All meetings are cancelled until further notice. Check your email for updates on volunteer activities and the status of Computers for Charity.

Computers For Charity Newsletter-Issue 2, Nov. 2011

2011-11-13T02:33:00.000-08:00

How can we serve you today?

2011-11-01T18:20:00.000-07:00

First of all recognize that we are limited in our time and ability to meet all needs. We are all volunteers and none of us get paid to do this.

Second of all recognize that it's in our hearts to do all we can to assist you in any way we can with your computer related needs. Free of charge or for a donation if you can. We are here to help.

Our technicians are highly trained, many of them working in the IT field and many of them are students of computer science. Our vision is to provide them with valuable experience in the realm of computer repair and network administration.

Of course when they work on your personal computers, I oversee the entire operation. I've had over 18 years experience in computer hardware, software, and networks and am working towards a degree myself. I am also a Microsoft Certified Professional as well having the Computer Technology Association A+ certification. I also have obtained multiple certifications from independent vendors and certification authorities in the field through the years.

Computers for Charity has obtained the Microsoft Registered Refubisher status which ensures you that we employ tactics of secure data deletion and are bound by strict licensing guidelines as well as environmentally sound disposal practices. Without following these industry guidelines we would lose this status.

Our charity is a 501 (c)(3) nonprofit. We help all, within our guidelines, regardless of religion, creed, race, gender or economic status. It's important for you to know that though we are based in a church, we are not here to convert or evangelize you. We are here to serve your needs. My motive for starting this effort had its Christian origins, but our volunteers and clients are from all walks of life and all different places. No one who wants to serve and learn is turned away and no one who needs help is turned away. I personally love this diversity of background and yet unity in the purpose of the charity. This is why we have such a motley crew of people. But they are all people who I love and care about very much.

We also serve an integral purpose to other charitable organizations in the community. We provide vouchers to them so that their clients their can obtain computers from us directly without any questions or hassles.

We partner with the Salvation Army, Goodwill, Cocoon Shelter, Behavioral Connections, and many others. It is integral that we get back in the business of working on computers ASAP because these clients are currently being turned away as we are only able to focus on preparing for the move.

We are still meeting every Tuesday from 4 to 8 PM and every Saturday from 12 to 4 PM and longer hours as needed. Please consider helping us out at this crucial time.

Check us out at http://computersforcharity.webs.com/ or email us at computerforcharity@gmail.com and I will get back to you!

thanks to all who currently are helping, and thanks to all who have in the past. Thanks also to all who will be helping in the future!

Waiting For Superman....To Fix Your Computer?

2011-10-20T00:27:00.000-07:00

Does this villain look familiar to you? If you have seen this guy or his band of not so merry men popping up on
your computer trying to extort your hard earned money, then beware.

This is the classic extortion scheme. The gangster who IS the threat, offering you 'protection' from the bad guys, when in reality, it is his own goons who are the real threat.

This guy not only steals your cash from your wallet to clean non-existent threats off your computer but if you give him a credit card number, an email address or other personal information, you are likely to lose a lot more than just your money.

You could lose your identity altogether and be absorbed into the criminal Bot-Net and Hack-Nets around the globe. Below are some other tell tale signs that your computer may be infected with villains in this cabal of evil; Bloatware, Crapware, Trialware, Malware, Spyware and Viruses. All working in collusion to compromise your privacy, data security, and peace of mind!

So, when your trying to simply browse the web are your searches getting redirected to sites that look like this?

Is your operating system failing to install critical updates and when you try to enable automatic updates it fails?

Is Windows Security Center reporting security problems with your computer such as not monitored or disabled security features?

Do you have an internet explorer toolbar overload?

Have a registry or system error scan reporting it can fix or speed up your computer for a price. You did not install it and it pops up out of the blue but requires payment to fix your computer.

Getting pop-ups for an antivirus program you never heard of telling you, that you have to pay money to clean infections? It could even be popping up a fake Windows Security screen like the one below.

These all are signs of a system infected by the evil Cabal. At the least, you have been annoyed by these programs. The endless popups and the inconvenience of having your searches and browser redirected to site that you know are not good. At the worst you could be losing personal data and more. In any case, you just want to get back to work. This is making you nutty and you just want your computer back! Superman, where are you?!?!

Instead of waiting for superman, why not contact us instead? You wont be getting a buffed out hunk with true x-ray vision in spandex pulverizing the bad guys, but you will get expert and professional assistance from our super techs who have the right super powers to deal with these diabolical programs that seek to dominate and destroy your PC.

We can offer assistance in everything from virus removal, hardware and software issues, data backup and recovery. We can even handle a lot of issues remotely, so you won't need to have a service call or bring your computer to us. If you frequent this blog you will know that we have a whole arsenal of free programs at our disposal that we can set up on your computer so you can avoid falling prey to the forces of evil in the future.

A little preventative maintenance will go a long way so your never stuck waiting for Superman again. The best part is your hard earned money will help to support Computers for Charity in our mission to provide computers to people in need right in our community. That makes you the true super hero!

Check out our website at http://affordableconsultant.webs.com/ for more details and rates for our services.

Computers For Charity Is Homeless

2011-10-08T22:12:00.000-07:00

Homeless? Yep. You might ask yourself that 'If you helped so many people, why can't you help yourself?'. Well the answer is simple. We were preoccupied with the needs of others and before we even know what had happened our host church had evicted us.

This was after three years of us serving, strictly as volunteers. no one received a paycheck here and yet we put in sometimes 20 hours per week or more. Most of us had full-time jobs too! So it's a given that some of us are very upset at the way we got 'handled'. But we need to handle that in the same spirit that inspired us to volunteer our time for this effort. With charity and love and respect for our fallen fellow man.

We shall bless those who curse us and if they wanna keep hitting Jeff Kills cheek, he will turn the other to be smacked round too. We all need this lesson. My Dad always said that 'No good deed goes unpunished'. Now I ask you, the reader of my unconventional blog, what the heck does that mean? Well, it just means this, every time you attempt to do something good in life you will face adversity.

Adversity comes from various places. It can be internal: Your own soul telling you something is amiss in life and you gotta change it. It can come from God: you may be resisting something and He wont let you stray to far from his ultimate plan if you stick with him. It may be from Hell: Satan don't like your spiritual progression, so he will hinder and discourage you wherever he can. Or it can just be people; being human, trying to do the best they can. Sometimes the best they can do is the worst for you (or your cause).

Our volunteers have given quietly and selflessly for three years to a cause that they believe in. We have seen all the above factors come against us before. We had a hard road to begin with and I love you guys (and gals) for sticking with us. We have an unconventional charity but yet we have succeeded in so many ways. We are still the only place in NW Ohio that provides functional computer systems to people free of charge. We've done a lot in 3 years and I can't wait till we can meet in that new place and reconvene this awesome endeavor!

In the meantime, we currently have 58 days to move and we have no place to go. We need help with this move so if any of you can offer it in the form of boxes or a truck or most importantly connections that will allow us to find a better place to reside. One more in tune with charity hopefully. then lets get to work on it!

For the reader of this blog who has not been around I say, please come by, check us out. we are a diverse and accepting kind of people. We help all, and show love to all who come to us. This is why we volunteer our computer skills to anybody who needs them. Heck your just really missing out if you don't hang with us at least for an evening. It's always an educational experience, even for seasoned computer gurus.

So, If you can help us to find a new place or help us to move to a new place please don't hesitate. Now is the time to help. If not we may not be around when someone else needs us!

for more info go to http://computersforcharity.webs.com/

Top 10 Free Antivirus Programs (and more!)

2011-09-22T06:38:00.000-07:00

After exhaustive research and painstaking evaluations I have come up with a list of the best antivirus programs money doesn't buy.

Researching this article was as hard as I thought it woulds be. Not only is it hard to find truly free antivirus programs for your PC, it can also wreak havoc on your system to install bad antivirus programs and then try to remove them. Some of them hook into the registry and won't let go. Others installed software drivers that were a pain to remove. One crashed my system and caused me to have to do a startup recovery. I endured all this to save you the trouble of having a horrible experience trying to find a free antivirus program that would both meet your needs and offer you the best protection without trashing your OS.

I was also surprised by some of the programs that I had previous shunned that now are actually a good option for protecting your system. It was a difficult task to actually find 10 programs that offer real-time protection and don't kill system performance. In the past I've had some bad experiences with certain programs that now have been streamlined and fixed and have made this list. My hats off to the programmers who heard our tears of frustration and worked hard on getting it right.

You need to be aware that companies that offer free antivirus software are not just benevolent souls trying to protect you. You need to pay attention so as not to install things like extra tool-bars or changes in your search engine during the install. Many of these programs have nag screens and recommend that you upgrade to enhance your protection. Many tout extra features that you are missing by not installing the full version. In the case of the software in this list you need not worry. What your looking for here is real-time protection that runs in the background. This means that it not only can scan your system either on a scheduled basis or on demand, and protects you from harmful executable files before they are executed.

I have excluded certain factors from my tests like scan times, and resource usage during full system scans. These are irrelevant measures of a products ability to protect you from malware and these types of scans can be configured by the user to occur during times that the computer is not in use anyways. Heck, I set mine to run when I'm in bed and don't care if it takes it 6 hours and uses 100% of my CPU to scan the system! Factors like virus detection rates and features are also complex and I used my own arbitrary research to check these out. All of these programs will provide you with decent protection from the most prevalent malware out there.

I will also provide a list of programs that you can use in conjunction with your free antivirus program to enhance your security. Even if you pay top dollar for the so called best antivirus program as I have in the past, you still want to have companion programs for on demand second opinion scanning and even additional real-time scanning.

So on with the list. I will start from 10 being the least desirable but still viable program to 1 being my top pick and rest assured i will be using my top picks on my own system.

10. ClamWin AV: ClamAV has been around for a long time. It's main strengths are that it is an open-source product that can be modified to meet your needs. It's weaknesses are that it has a high false positive detection rate and sometimes misses adware and spyware that other free AV's readily detect. For the basic computer user I would steer clear of this on as a stand alone solution to your antivirus needs. But for experts, this is a great program. ClamAV is integrated into many other security tools and is no slouch in this lineup, but it just does not have the muster or the features to stand on its own.

9. Moon Secure Antivirus: Moon Secure AntiVirus is a free antivirus software download which claims to the best free and open-source antivirus solution for PC. My first impression of it however was not so positive. Under windows Vista it crashed after the installation. Once I clicked on the shortcut though it launced itself into the system tray and updated flawlessly. Being open-source, the program does not have a ton of bells and wistles and the graphics are somewhat arcane, almost feeling windows NTish. But it is a lightwieght, real-time antivirus solution that updates itself frequently. With the right companion antivirus, I could almost see myself trusting this one to provide fast and fair protection. But not with other free offerings out there which offer much more functionality.

8: Digital Defender Free: Never heard of this one before? Neither had I but I was pleasantly surprised by a well rounded antivirus product that is lightweight and efficient. Digital defender took a while to install and even longer before its virus database was updated, so my security center kept telling me my computer was unprotected. I had almost uninstalled it and then out of the blue it updated itself and wanted to run its first scan. This program has a clean simple interface and is free of nagware. It falls behind others in virus detection and only garnishes a fair level of protection in my book. Still it is worth your while though as opposed to having no protection.

7. PCtools Antivirus Free: If your looking for basic protection for your PC this will suffice. It has a lot of disabled features that unnerve you when you open the interface so you won't feel very safe with this one. It feels way to much like the fake antivirus programs that are all over the net. Everything you click on offers to sell you enhanced protection! However it does have real-time and on demand scanning so you will be protected. I just am not a fan of all the nag screens to upgrade. I have also worked on computers with the full version of this program as well as Spyware Doctor, its close cousin and neither impressed me as they slowed down the computer considerably and I still had to remove viruses with Malwarebytes or SuperAntiSpyware from these computers. You'll even notice your computer lagging a bit with just the free version but as I said it does work for basic realtime protection.

6: Kingsoft PC Doctor Free: A partially cloud based antivirus that you can use as a companion program or a full fledged antivirus application. This program features a pretty, tabbed user interface with a lot of extras like system repair, optimizer and cleaner. I have other favorites for many of these tasks but it is nice to see them all in one clean package. You will enjoy not only having decent antivirus protection but the wealth of other system cleanup utilities at your fingertips. Kingsofts strengths are also it's weaknesses however. As you are well aware in life, if you try to do everything you can't be the best at everything. You end up being mediiocre at most tasks (My own curse in life!). Overall I was impressed by this program but the virus detection rate and removal are only fair and I would not trust this program alone to protect my PC.

5. Avast Antivirus: In the past I have called Avast crapware. It's installation and removal were complex and it was a hog of system resources. It also had an annoying interface that looked like a media player. The last thing I want is my antivirus program concerning itself with being hip over protecting my system! The latest version however, surprised me with it's simplicity, new streamlined interface and the level of protection it offers. Not my top choice but still a viable real-time antivirus solution. Loaded with lots of features under the hood including a sandbox mode. Note to Windows 7 and Vista users: You will want to do a custom install to avoid installing the desktop gadget and WebRep browser addon.

4. Avira Antivir Free: Avira was a top contender at one time as it had the best detection rate in the industry, at some point in 2009 its competitors caught up with it. Avira also added a nag screen popup during scans that can be a real annoyance. The program however is simple, quick and and unoffensive otherwise. It does what it advertises and does it well and it has some other slick features like rootkit scanning, cracking locked files and spyware detection, but other programs on our list do that too.

3. AVG Free: An old standard that used to be our top pick. They have added some nag screens and and the virus detection rate has fallen behind other free products. AVG also has had some issues with corrupt updates in the past that ended up leaving your system vulnerable. these issues are fixed now but took AVG down a notch in our trust level. Just the same this is a solid program that gives you a better than basic level of protection. Millions of users swear by AVG and we do to or it would not be on our list.

2. Comodo Internet Security: For a free program this one is feature rich as well as powerful, almost too powerful. Installation was simple although I could do without the additional links to Geek Buddy that it installs by default. Thankfully you can uncheck that during the install. I would recommend allowing Comodo to change your DNS to their secure DNS unless you are using your own custom DNS settings. It's a nice feature that will help you to avoid even going to those poisoned websites in the first place. This is by far one of the most complete free antivirus programs available for free that I have used. I actually switched to this at one time because of AVGs update issues but it does not make the top of the list because of its level of complexity, and its virus detection rate. Although the virus detection rates should hardly be an issue with all the other features at your disposal including HIPs and Cloud protection as well as it's sandbox feature.

1. Microsoft Security Essentials: Iv'e been using this for over a year now and after uninstalling it and installing all these other programs could not wait to get back to it. Microsoft hit the nail squarely on the head with this one and the main reason is 'simplicity'. MSSE has the best detection rate of all the free products I have reviewed here as well as being easy to install and unobtrusive to the end user. It does not require the user to give their email address and personal information to work. It does not nag you to buy the full version and it does not expire, nor does it hog system resources, even diring a scan. It simply runs in the background and lets you know when it catches a bug. It's what antivirus programs used to do in the old days. It just works. All you need is a valid copy of Windows XP and up to install this one (Sorry Windows pirates). I still use a combination of Microsoft Security Essentials as well as a companion antivirus program. More on that in the next section.

So now that you have the choice of some free antivirus programs to protect your PC what else do you need? No matter how good your antivirus porgram is you should have a companion antivirus program. This will provide a second layer of protection for your PC in case something happens to your current antivirus program or it simply fails to detect a new piece of malware. I'm going to giver you my top choices for these in the same order as the antivirus list.

3. Panda Cloud Antivirus: Panda Cloud Antivirus protects you while you browse, play or work and you won't even notice it. It is extremely light as all the work is done in the cloud. Panda Cloud Antivirus provides you with the fastest protection against the newest viruses thanks to its cloud-scanning from PandaLabs' servers. Panda Cloud Antivirus is truly install and forget. Don't worry about updates, configuration or complicated decisions ever again.

2. Threatfire Antivirus: Will your antivirus software catch the latest malware that just came out today? In most cases, no, because it simply does not know how to detect it yet. But ThreatFire's ActiveDefense technology does, and has proven to provide up to 243% more protection when combined with traditional AntiVirus products.

1. Immunet: Immunet Protect Free Antivirus is a free companion antivirus solution that combines the speed of cloud computing with the benefits of Collective Immunity to protect entire online communities against real-time virus threats. Immunet Protect adds an extra layer of fast antivirus protection that is always up-to-date using real-time cloud-based detection, so it won't slow down your PC.

There are Many other programs that could be included in this list. We still have on demand antivirus programs and update checkers to discuss. I would say if you are protected by one of the top three programs listed here that you are pretty much safe. If you add the additional level of a companion antivirus program to your protection all the more so. If you buttress that protection with on demand scanning, firewall protection and secure browsing as I discussed in my previous post then you really don't need to sweat a virus infection.

If you think you currently have a virus, please don't hesitate to contact us. Removing an embedded virus can cause irreparable system harm! We can back up your data, remove the bug and have you on your feet in a matter of no time.

Check out http://affordableconsultant.webs.com/ for a list of other great services we can provide you. Affordable Computer Solutions is a part of Computers for Charity that helps to raise funds to continue in our mission!

Don't Trust Anyone...But Us!

2011-09-21T09:34:00.000-07:00

While doing research on antivirus programs I decided to compile a list of top ten free antivirus programs for you. My criteria is that the programs must truly be free, not free 30 day trials or crap programs that will not fully protect you and will bog down your system with bloat.

What I found was appalling. Top blog sites and trusted authorities recommending trial-ware and crap-ware antivirus programs as if they were free! They lure you in with a title that makes you think they are reviewing free software, when in fact the list is populated with junk that will expires and require you to pay $$$. You know they must have got paid for the post.

I THOUGH MY HEAD WOULD EXPLODE as I read post after post recommending crap like Avast Antivirus, or trial Versions of Norton Internet Security. Some of the items on these list were good, but the top selections are ones that true computer geeks wear garlic and carry crosses and wooden stakes to avoid at all costs. Were not here to sell you crap, and we wont! Shame on the rest of the experts for being bought out. Problem with being bought is you get sold too!

I don't get paid to advertise or review any product here and I will only give you a list of software that I have actually installed and used and found it to be top quality and actually free for your personal use! If not I will explicitly tell you! This means it will take me a but longer to review, test and consult with my team of expert computer gurus before I recommend software for your computer. We don't want you to get stuck with junk that leaves you open to infection and data disasters down the road.

So my top ten list will take a little more time and research as I examine all the software recommended by the 'other' sites. Just wanted you the reader to know that you are in good hands with us. We are thorough. We don't take money from advertisers, and will never recommend something to you we have not actually used in real world scenarios.

So be prepared to get an honest list, free of crap and truly free! Read through my previous posts for some honest evaluations of software and the best way to use it.

Of course were always here on Tuesday form 4 to 8 PM and Saturdays from 12 to 4 PM if you have any questions or computer issues beyond your ability to fix!

http://computersforcharity.webs.com

Viruses and Trojans and Worms, Oh MY!

2011-09-11T16:25:00.000-07:00

VIRUS.....Is there anything more feared in the computer world than the virus? OK , nowadays we don't really fear them all that much. Most commonly we get annoying virus variants that are known as Malware. Some of these programs use virus code and can incapacitate your computer, therefore your antivirus program should pick them up and eliminate them.

A virus by definition is is a computer program that can replicate itself and spread from one computer to another for instance because a user sent it over a network or the Internet, or carried it on a removable medium such as a floppy disk, CD, DVD, or USB drive.

Viruses are sometimes confused with Worms and Trojan Horses, which are technically different. A worm can exploit security vulnerabilities to spread itself automatically to other computers through networks, while a Trojan horse is a program that appears harmless but hides malicious functions.

Worms and Trojan horses, like viruses, may harm a computer system's data or performance. Some viruses have symptoms noticeable to the computer user, but many are surreptitious or simply do nothing to call attention to themselves. Some viruses do nothing beyond reproducing themselves.

In the old days many viruses were written by programmers to show their skills in the exploitation of the code. Many of these coders have since emerged from the underground and are top security experts for major corporations.

For many of them the challenge was not to seek and destroy but to prove themselves in a community of underground rouges by writing the most sophisticated code available that could thwart even the most high tech security measures of the time. In many cases, the viruses payload would simply be a cryptic warning and some really cool graphics affects, in other cases the viruses would have a destructive payload such as formatting the Hard Drive, or corrupting files and folders.

These days computer viruses tend to have much more nefarious purposes such as stealing private information like credit card, social security numbers and even your identity itself. These viruses can direct you to websites, spy on your browsing habits and even use your computer as a bot to send email and other spam and copies of itself to your unsuspecting friends. Many of these viruses originate overseas, mostly in China, Latin America and Russia. So as Viruses originally came from enterprising young computer hackers, they are now predominantly a profit making enterprise.

Evgeny Kaspersky (Creator of Kaspersky Antivirus), said in an interview with Der Spiegel that the internet could become a war zone; "Everything depends on computers these days: the energy supply, airplanes, trains. I'm worried that the Net will soon become a war zone, a platform for professional attacks on critical infrastructure. " He also cites the Power outages in North America in August of 2003 as an example; "Do you remember the total power outage in large parts of North America in August 2003? Today, I'm pretty sure that a virus triggered that catastrophe. And that was eight years ago."

With this in mind, how do we then end users ever feel safe? Should we go buy the most expensive firewall and antivirus programs at a heavy price? Should we ditch our Operating Systems for something that is more secure and not as vulnerable to infection? Or just pull the plug on our computers, keep off the internet altogether, shrinking back into our caves in fear?

Realistically we don't have to be that drastic. There are very secure methods of avoiding infections altogether and there are ways of keeping your existing system protected and they are not costly or too technically difficult to master.

Of course always follow safe practices when visiting websites, opening attachments, and stay away from the illegal file sharing programs! You all know this, right? I thought so. So I wont go through the lecture your mom should have given you with your first computer. Lets move on bigger and better security matters and I will give you some free ways to keep your computer as safe or safer than if you only used the paid alternatives

Primary Antivirus (Your basic defense): Use the best rated one. Use one that is not a hog of your limited system resources. Use one that is Free? Look no further than Microsoft Security Essentials for this basic and crucial antivirus protection. Yes, Microsoft has this one right. They have a great team of 'coders' who put this one together.

Use it as your primary antivirus. I highly recommend this program if you have a Windows operating system. Also make sure you have the latest version of the Malicious Software Removal Tool form Microsoft (It should come as part of your automatic updates or you can download it here if you think you have an infection). These two tools will ensure a basic level of protection for your computer.

Secondary Antivirus (additional protection for your PC): You can't have more than one antivirus program running on your computer can you? Well, technically you can, but if you have two full fledged antivirus programs running they are likely to conflict and cause system slowdowns.

There are products however, that can work alongside your antivirus program and provide additional protection. For computers that have teenagers downloading music and video I would recommend having this additional layer of protection. I personally use either Immunet or ThreatFire in cases where I know the user is likely to return to dangerous sites and practices.

On Demand Antivirus (for on demand scans): When your primary antivirus reports a clean system and you still have weird things happening on your computer like pop-ups, extra tool-bars you can't get rid of, or antivirus programs and registry cleaners you know you did not install that are showing up in your face all the time, it's time for a second opinion.

At Computers for Charity we rely on specific programs to clean an infected system: Malwarebytes Antimalware and SuperAntiSpyware.

These programs change and sometimes finding the free version and not the trail version can be difficult. My links will take you right to the free download. Use the free versions of these programs to check your system on an as needed basis. You don't need the trial versions or the paid versions to do this. And trust me, these are industry standards. All computer geeks and even most repair shops rely on these programs.

Firewall (the brick wall between you and the internet): My advice, use the Windows Firewall. Check your firewall settings to make sure that you do not have exceptions to programs you don't trust. Just go to Control Panel, Security Center and then Firewall, then to the Exceptions tab. You'll see a list of programs that have the ability to surpass your firewall. Uncheck anything suspicious and check back frequently. Many programs will create exceptions to your firewall to access the internet. This access can be for legitimate or nefarious purposes. So with the knowledge of what is breaching your firewall, you can decide.

If you install any additional firewall protection it's on you. Many if them are complicated and can block your access to the internet entirely. If you are computer astute you may want to play with Zone Alarm or Tiny Personal Firewall. Personally, I found no need to have this program other than to monitor inbound and outbound IP addresses on my PC. I can get all that info from my router log. So it is up to you the user.

Safe Browsing (your web browser that actually displays the text and graphics on the web-pages you visit): The browser has become the tool of the hacker. They not only can exploit the browser itself but any programs that you use to view that information. Examples of these programs are multiplicative. Adobe, Flash, Java, and a lot of other programs are plugged into your browser to enable you to view content on the WWW. So if your browser or any program on your computer that helps you to view data or do the things you do can be exploited, then be assured, hackers and virus writers are working on exploiting it.

This is why we have poisoned web pages. Web pages that can send infected code to your browser or to a plugin on your browser that is vulnerable. Then the code can use that exploit to further compromise your system. Often spyware can redirect you to poison site that can infect your system. For example, I often get emails from friends who are telling me to visit a website. I know the email is uncharacteristic of my friend, mainly because they have never offered me cheap Viagra, or Penis Enlargement, or meeting hot singles to me before.

What has likely happened is there email address as been compromised and taken hostage by the Hack Net. This is not uncommon today so be aware. In any case if you click on the link it may take you to a poisoned website where your computer could also become infected. Either through a plugin or through your browser itself.

Avoid this in a couple of ways. Don't use Internet Explorer. It is the main target of the Hack Net. I prefer Chrome, but others may prefer something different there are plenty of free ones that you can download. These alternative web browsers are not as vulnerable simply because the hackers are targeting the most popular browser. a list of options can be found 'here'. I would steer clear of Firefox as well because its popularity has made it a target too.

Super Secure Browsing (for when you are doing sensitive transactions): For those times you feel really insecure about either your computer or the location you are connecting to the internet at you need incognito options for browsing the web. In these cases I recommend simply using a Linux based Live CD to boot your computer. This will provide you with a secure Operating System that is not going to be vulnerable to viruses. It will also leave no trace of your activities on the local computer for a hacker to backtrack.

You can also run Linux or a version of Windows in a Virtual Machine using Virtual Box. This gives you a virtual sandbox that is segregated for your Computers OS to play in. You can even install a version of Linux alongside Windows in a dual boot configuration. Check out Joli Cloud OS for a very simple Linux distribution that can also synchronize your programs, applications and files on multiple computers or even in the Chrome web browser.

There is also the option of using a virtual browser such as Dells Kace browser. When using the Secure Browser any changes or malicious files inadvertently downloaded from the Internet are contained within the Secure Browser, keeping the underlying operating system safe from infection. If the Secure Browser gets infected you can simply reset it and save yourself a system restore.

Updates (keep your programs up to date with all the latest security patches): Windows updates itself a lot. These updates and service packs patch known bugs and holes in the OS and you should always allow Windows Update to automatically download and install updates. But what about your other programs?

To start with you can allow Windows programs to be updated through Microsoft Update. This will take care of most of your Microsoft Programs.

Programs like Adobe Flash, Java, and QuickTime can also be an open door to Viruses and Trojans and should be updated on a regular basis. How will you keep track of all this additional software? You could allow it to auto-update but that can hog your system resources.

For a comprehensive approach to updating the rest of your programs I rely on Secunia Personal Software Inspector. Secunia will scan your programs and give you a security rating based on its findings. In most cases it will also provide easy to use links for updating insecure programs. Secunia will also give you recommendations for programs that are obsolete or end of life. This is an awesome program that sometimes finds insecure programs I did not even know were on my PC. In those cases I can remove the program and avoid any insecurities.

My rating right now is 98 percent because I choose to keep a few legacy apps that are no longer supported by the company.

Other Useful Tools (for recovering your computer after an infection): If your computer got a bug and you have removed the thing but your system is still behaving badly you can use these utilities to do some cleanup.

You can restore your browser and start-up to default settings by using HijackThis. A small but powerful utility that will remove pesky add ons to IE.

Combofix is designed to remove the nastiest of the known Malware infections.

Revo Uninstaller to remove programs from your computer. Even the stubborn ones who's uninstaller is broken.

CCleaner for cleaning up crap files on your computer and fixing your system registry, especially after removing Viruses and Malware.

So there you have it. This is by no means a full tutorial on how to use these programs but I can promise you that if you master these programs, your computer will be cleaner and more secure than ever before.

Use these programs at your own risk of course. Virus removal can sometimes break your computer depending on the nature of the infection. And of course if you have any doubts, come see our highly trained crew at Computers for Charity. We will always give you a free evaluation and recommendations and if need be can provide you with Affordable Computer Solutions for a small donation to the charity!

Bloatware, Crapware, Trialware, Malware, Spyware

2011-08-30T05:54:00.000-07:00

First off you may be wondering about all these distinctions. These are all programs that end up on your your PC that have adverse affects on performance and security or are essentially worthless and just taking up valuable space on your hard drive. Though not technically viruses some of the categories such as Spyware and Malware are close cousins to the old destructive computer viruses.

Lets simplify the lingo with some quick definitions.

Bloatware: This is usually software installed on your new PC by the manufacturer. This would include software hotfix or update clients, help features, or even the latest news streams about products that might relate to your machine.

This software fills up your taskbar, increases startup and shutdown times, increases background disk activity which promotes system lag, and greatly reduces battery life. Knowing about software updates is usually a good thing, but little software on your new system outside of some drivers needs its own update client. The Windows update manager handles the majority of the system patches, and usually includes driver updates.

Do you really need Compaq's security center when Windows has one built in with the same features? Rid yourself of needless programs that duplicate existing existing features. In some cases I even refer to Windows as Bloatware itself! A default installation of windows s filled with programs and services that run in the background, sap system performance and are rarely if ever used or needed by the average end user. Disabling these features can give you a big performance gain, but most end users have no idea where to start.

Crapware: Not everyone agrees on what is and what isn’t Crapware because a piece of software that one person wants might be something that another person doesn’t. Some software will fall in the Grey area where people want certain features of the software but it causes problems and can cause system slowdown or instability.

Crapware might come in the form of a driver CD that installs additional software with of the required driver. It might be software that came with a router, printer, or broadband service that the typical user unwittingly installs. Crapware is essentially something you did not ask for, don't need and is taking up your computer memory and hard drive space for no purpose other than to annoy you.

Often times you try to install something to play a simple video and it installs a massive music library manager or you install a piece of software and you get an extra toolbar added to your web browser even though you had never asked for it. These are all forms of Crapware, a close freind of Bloatware.

Trialware: At Computers for Charity we steer clear of installing Trialware on a clients computer or even recommending it. We are philosophically opposed to the idea of getting you used to software that will self destruct if you don't 'renew' your subscription.

Trialware often comes installed on a new PC. It is especially destructive when a PC manufacturer installs a trial version of antivirus software on a PC. The customer becomes accustomed to the protection provided by XYZ antivirus and when the trial expires, feels obligated to renew to protect the PC!

I will name names here; Norton and McCaffee are in bed with the PC manufacturers and it is a gratuitous orgy as money flows in both directions. In the meantime the end user who allows the antivirus software to expire will find themselves unprotected and infected.

The other issue we often see is that these AV products are loaded with bloat in and of themselves. They hog system resources and limit the end users freedom to compute, while not even providing the best level of protection.

There are free alternatives to this pay to play software that are in many cases more effective, require fewer system resources, and did I already mention FREE. In some cases these programs have limited functionality unless you buy the 'professional' version but don't despair. We would not be using them if the functionality they provided was insufficient. If you really like a program you can always pay for the full version and I would recommend that (programmers have to eat too, even if they only eat code)!

So lets uninstall all the stuff that requires you to renew a license annually and get some long term software that does the trick without asking for your credit card number or asking you to go through a complicated registration process.

Malware: Short for malicious software, consists of programming (code, scripts, active content, and other software) designed to disrupt or deny operation, gather information that leads to loss of privacy or exploitation, gain unauthorized access to system resources, and other abusive behavior. The expression is a general term used by computer professionals to mean a variety of forms of hostile, intrusive, or annoying software or program code.

It can hijack your browser, redirect your search attempts, serve up nasty pop-up ads, track what web sites you visit, and generally screw things up. Malware programs are usually poorly-programmed and can cause your computer to become unbearably slow and unstable in addition to all the other havoc they wreak.

Malware often comes bundled with other programs. These Malware programs usually pop-up ads, sending revenue from the ads to the program's authors. Others are installed from websites, pretending to be software needed to view the website. Still others, most notably some of the CoolWebSearch variants, install themselves through holes in Internet Explorer like a virus would, requiring you to do nothing but visit the wrong web page to get infected. The vast majority, however, must be installed by the user. Unfortunately, getting infected with Malware is usually much easier than getting rid of it, and once you get Malware on your computer it tends to multiply.

Spyware: Another term for advertiser supported software (Adware). It is a way for shareware authors to make money from a product, other than by selling it to the users. This is sometimes in the form of banner ads or a special search toolbar installed on your browser. Advertising companies also install additional tracking software on your system, whitch is continuously using your Internet connection and reporting statistical data to the advertising company.

While according to the privacy policies of the companies, there will be no sensitive or identifying data collected from your system and you shall remain anonymous, it still remains the fact, that you have a hidden server sitting on your PC that is sending information about you and your surfing habits so that you can be targeted with custom advertisements.

Spyware can also be more nefarious. It can include programs that allow a user to monitor all kinds of activity on a computer, ranging from keystroke capture, snapshots, email logging, and chat logging. There are even some that allow a remote user to view and control your desktop! These tools are often designed for parents, businesses and similar environments, but can be easily abused if they are installed on your computer without your knowledge.

Conclusion: So, will your current antivirus program protect you form all these threats? The answer is NO. Antivirus software run in the background and stops known viruses according to its database or it will use heuristic methods to sniff out virus like characteristics in a program.

Many AV products do have the ability to detect Malware. But that is not a guarantee that you are safe. In many cases while installing a program an end user will 'allow' the program to be installed. In these cases the antivirus program will make an exception and then leave the malware program alone to work its evil mojo!

As you may have experienced some programs fall into several of the above categories. In many cases we have to use three or more programs to scan for and eliminate all of the above issues. No one program can detect and remove all threats. Sometimes we even have to manually edit the system registry or even use system restore. It can be time consuming and a lot of work depending on the level of infection. Even though these programs are not technically viruses, many of them use virus like code to hook into your system and can cause you major headaches if not dealt with appropriately.

So If your computer is bloated, crapping out, has to be renewed or is spying on you, we can help. Free evaluation and extensive system tuneup, optimization and junk removal are a specialty for us. For more info go to: http://affordableconsultant.webs.com/.

Don't Fear The Data Reaper

2011-08-22T17:28:00.000-07:00

Loosing important files due to a computer crash, a virus or some other unforeseen disaster can be scary. If your like most people your computer hosts everything from family pictures, videos, recipes, your budget, important business documents and more.

One day you come home from work and turn on your computer to be treated with the Blue Screen of Death or one of your kids has accidentally deleted one of your important folders (accidentally on purpose so he could install his new game that is). Maybe you kept your files on a thumb-drive or external hard drive and somehow you formatted it unintentionally. Perhaps some component on the computer just died of old age or overheating (caused by the nefarious Killer Dust Bunnies). You may have taken your system to a local computer shop. They may have recommended re-installing Windows. Not realizing the consequences of this, you agree and you get your computer back functional, and barren. 'Holy crap, where are my pictures of Johnny in his Halloween costume?'. Gone forever gone?

In all of these scenarios you have been victimized by the Data Reaper. You had it saved on the hard drive of your computer at one point and now its gone. You looked in the recycle bin, scoured the file tree, where told 'Abandon all hope, ye who enter here.' by a computer tech you respect and are girding your loins with the sackcloth and ashes of repentance.

Let me tell you this, I have been there. I had a computer crash after my daughter suffered a brain aneurysm. This computer had several videos of her an I making up fake news casts, before this happened. After all the turmoil surrounding such an event I revisited that computer to find that the thing had died. My videos were gone. I would never be able to relive those normal moments again except in my mind. Had I known then what I know now I could still reminisce with the original videos. Instead I took it to a 'professional' who told me there was no hope.

Is there hope for your data? the answer is a big YES. As long as your hard-drive is still physically functional we can recover a majority of your data. Formatted, re-partitioned, deleted, emptied from the recycle bin, etc. It does not matter how your data was lost we can retrieve it. Don't listen to other professionals who give up when you say you upgraded to Win 7 and now all your files are gone. They are there, just hidden from your Operating System.. Everything you save on Your computer, stays on the HDD. Even in cases where the computer itself is completely destroyed (oops I dropped my laptop down the stairs!).

The way things work with computers is weird. You tell it to delete a file but it does not really delete it. The operating system simply hides the file from you and marks the space on the disk that the file occupied as writable. This is why we use Department of Defense standard data deletion here at the charity. Because with a little knowledge anyone can readily recover the files you delete. If your operating system is functional you can use a program like Recuva to restore the deleted file.

If your computer finally died entirely from neglect or abuse we can simply remove the HDD and place it in our data recovery system to retrieve your wayward data.

In the case of an accidental format or re-partitioning you may think your out of luck but not so. Though the methods are a bit more complicated, they are thorough. With specialized software we can recover files form a formatted drive. Even if the drive has had any entirely new OS installed on it our software pays no attention to the Operating system and simply pulls the 'raw data' off the drive. I wont provide a link to this one because its not for novices (even i struggled with the multitude of options and configurations on it).

We had a client bring a computer to the charity that had crashed and wanted a new OS installed on it. We did so and first saved the clients my documents folder. Then we proceeded to format the drive and installed Ubuntu 10.10 on the system. They client was delighted to have a functional computer again but shocked that an entire directory of pictures was missing from the documents folder. She admitted it was likely due to her kids messing around with the computer which had caused it to crash in the first place.

Well in this case you have not only deleted files, but a format and a different file system installed, as well as an entirely new operating system on top of that. How in the heck can we go back and restore the photos now? Truth is, its not easy and it is time consuming. After selecting the right options and file types in our software and letting the computer scan for three days we recovered over 2,000 image files. Now she didn't want or even know where all these images came from (they were remnants of all the users of the computer over all of its years in service). In cases like this it's up to the client to decide what to do with all the files. We are skilled techs but not psychic when it comes to what's important to you.

So files can be recovered regardless of how they were deleted. But we have learned that the process of data recovery is costly as well as time consuming. Some data recovery services will charge upwards of 500 to 1000 dollars to get your stuff back (We will ask you for a small suggested donation). My advice would be to avoid losing your stuff in the first place.

You can use a number of free file storage sites to do just that. Dropbox is great for your documents. There are a multitude of new sites available to upload and share your videos, pictures and music. Utilizing these services can save you tons of frustration down the road. I use Dropbox to store all of the charities files including business documents, pictures, videos, presentations and more. I also have a local backup of my family pictures on a local USB drive. I go through a multitude of computers and have not lost an important file for years.

So if you've lost your data don't despair just yet. If you bring us your computer we will evaluate it for free and tell you the options we have to restore the data. You don't need to fear the Data Reaper with an ace card like Computers for Charity in your pocket. In the meantime find a good place on the cloud to store your most important files!

Dust Bunnies Kill

2011-08-22T07:31:00.000-07:00

A good system cleanup Isn't just about scanning for viruses and uninstalling bloatware and unneeded services. It's also about physically cleaning the internal components of your system. If your system is behaving poorly or running louder than normal, it may be a victim of the Killer Dust Bunny. In all seriousness Dust is a destroyer of many a computer. Below are images of computers from our shop that were donated as DOA systems. Our autopsy of them gives a good indication as to the probable reason. Click on the pictures for a closeup but be warned: the following images are highly disturbing and not for the faint of heart!

Dust settling on the outside of your computer case may appear to be just a minor cosmetic issue which can be easily addressed with a cleaning cloth. However, the fact that there was dust on the outside is a good indication that there will be dust and other debris within the computer case itself.

There are several ways in which dust and debris accumulation can impact your computers operation and overall performance. Built-up dust can cause two things to occur:

It can restrict airflow by accumulating on and in ventilation holes, slots, and fans.

It can accumulate and act as a thermal insulator like the insulation in your home's attic and walls.

Both of these conditions will cause your computer and its internal parts to operate at higher than normal temperatures, which can cause them to fail sooner than they should.

Dust can also contain conductive material and particles can stick to circuit boards and cause a short circuit. Even home computers if not properly cleaned can succumb to problems caused by too much dust.

A dirty fan doesn't rotate fast enough to keep the CPU cool. This causes the computer's fan motor to work harder - and a harder working motor can raise the electric bill. Worst case scenario: A completely clogged fan just stops rotating altogether. Then the CPU will overheat and fail. No CPU equals no computer!

At high temperature, fail safe software, shuts down your computer to prevent damage. This can happen during boot-up or in the middle of intensive CPU tasks. Blue Screen of Death and frequent memory errors are some of other symptoms of an overheating computer. A simple sign to look out for is constant or frequent fan operation.

If you are afraid to open your computer case to clean out your system never fear. Our techs are well versed in the art of combating the lethal Dust Bunny. Check out the our suggested rates for this service as well as our many other great services here: http://affordableconsultant.webs.com/ratesservices.htm

Install Windows Programs In Linux

2011-02-02T09:15:00.000-08:00

In previous posts I covered how to install and run Windows in a Virtual Machine using the VirtualBox software in Linux. This is one foolproof way of running your Windows Apps. Another option is to use Wine.

Wine lets you run Windows software on Linux operating systems. With Wine, you can install and run these applications just like you would in Windows. Wine is still under active development. Not every program works yet, but it's simple enough to install and run, so if setting up a virtual machine to run a Windows app seems daunting, give this a try.

First of all we need to install Wine. Lets do this by going to the Wine website. Click on the download link to go to the downloads page and you will find a link to the Ubuntu packages.

Follow the instructions on that page for installing Wine. I chose to install the Beta Release but if you want to be on the safe side you can install the Stable Release.

Now that Wine is installed you'll find the Wine entry under your Applications Menu.

OK, so now what? Well for starters when you install a Windows based program you will get the option to open with Wine...

Now you can install this program just like you would in Windows. Using CCleaner under Wine will allow you to clean up the Windows file structure thats included with Wine and not your Linux OS. But it's still a cool proof of concept.

Now for something useful. Installing a free game pack! I installed this one from http://www.free-windows-games.com/. Nice package of shareware titles.

Warning though, running games designed for Windows may cause your Linux OS to lockup just like Windows does! Also many of the games in this pack failed to work properly. I'm sure with some tweaking I could get them working, but alas, I have other projects to move on to. I still prefer using a Virtual Machine but I hear people have actually been able to play WOW in Linux using Wine.

All I can say is, experiment with the software and let me know what you think. Maybe that MS App will run flawlessly for you!

Cool Screens Of My Cube

2011-01-26T09:19:00.000-08:00

For those of you wondering what a desktop cube is, is a way of visualizing your workspaces. If you have Windows you are used to having one desktop that you plop windows down on. In Linux you have that too. But you also have the ability to have multiple desktops or (workspaces to further organize your multitasking life).

This is a shot of my current desktop or 'workspace'.

Below is a panned out view of other desktops I have running. I can scroll through these with the cursor keys to reveal all of my desktops (workspaces). As you can see I can open up different applications in each workspace. I can scroll through these with the cursor keys. This is a handy overview to quickly show what programs I have launched on each of my workspaces.

For another perspective on my workspaces I can pan out into the cube view. I can then rotate the cube too see each workspace. Notice how windows on each face of the cube have their own depth to set them apart from other windows. This makes it easy to identify individual windows and keep things organised the way I like. I can even drag a window from one workspace to another.

One practical application for this is to run my Windows Virtual Machines on different sides of the cube. This way I can rotate to Windows to run my Windows apps. In the screen below I am doing just that. I

actually have XP and Vista running on different faces of the cube. You'll also notice that My cube is no longer a cube but is a sphere. With Linux you'll find a personalized computing experience. I could also make this a cylinder if I wanted. You also can adjust the backgrounds, reflections and transparency of every object on the cube. So the choice is up to you. You can make it as simple or complex as you desire.

For example, below you can see the custom graphic I added to the top and bottom sides of my sphere. Pretty cool/creepy eh?

Its a bit of a learning curve to figure out how to configure all this but worth the effort. With Linux, unlike windows, you are truly the master of your operating system. You don't need to download any spyware and virus ridden programs to enable you to do these types of modifications either. They are all available through the Ubuntu software repositories. In this case I simply installed the Compiz Desktop effects and started experimenting. http://www.compiz.org/

Here's a video that highlights some of the other cool effects you can do with compiz.

Win 7 in Ubuntu 10.10

2011-01-21T15:42:00.000-08:00

Now I have it all XP to 7. But the Mac VM is proving to be difficult. I am also considering virtualizing Solaris and BeOS. Any other Operating Systems of note you can think of that I should try?

XP and Vista in VirtualBox on Ubuntu 10.10

2011-01-20T15:27:00.000-08:00

Now, to get Win 7 and Mac OS X running in a VM on the same computer...

I'll Post the results.

Whats On My Computer? Part 2

2011-01-09T12:39:00.000-08:00

For the first article I covered the software I have installed on my Linux Partition. It wound up being a how to of sorts for installing Windows in a Virtual Machine. Linux pretty much is secure and has all the software you need off the bat so I didn't go into a lot of detail on the software I use on it. However I have installed a few extra programs under Linux and share them with you. Many of these have versions for Windows as well and I'll give you that info too as well as links to the websites to you can do your own investigation. I'll also cover programs for Windows that make your life more secure and easy.

Dropbox (Wilndows, Linux Mac): DropBox is a lifesaver for your data. It creates a folder on your computer that you can drop files in. These files are backed up in the cloud automatically for you. You can also invite your friends to share a folder within your DropBox.

TeamViewer (Windows, Linux, Mac) Don't you wish you could log into your home computer from the office of vice-verse? Team viewer makes it easy.

ClamAV (Linux,Windows) For Linux users this is not a must, but we live in a Windows world full of maleware. It's highly unlikely your Linux system will be affected by it but there is always the possibility that you could pick up a Windows virus in your email and forward it on to your Windows friends. ClamAV will help you to avoid spreading infections to susceptible Windows computers.

CCleaner (Windows) after using windows for a while you will notices your system performance degrading. Windows keeps a lot of junk temporary files and CCleaner can find and eliminate them. Add to this CCleaners handy registry cleaning program and startup manager and you have a lot of useful cleaning utilities in one package. For Linux users this is not as big of an issue but you can use a similar program called BleachBit. It functions a lot like CCleaner in that it allows you to clean up temp files from multiple applications in one convenient interface.

Defraggler (Windows) Forget about using Windows built in defragmentation program. Defraggler zips though the process much quicker. It also allows you to defragment specific files or folders.

Revo Uninstaller (Windows) Ever notice how Windows uninstaller leaves all kinds of files and folders as well as registry entries in on your computer after supposedly uninstalling a program? Revo to the rescue here. Revo hunts down all the junk that gets left behind after an uninstall. Linux users need not apply as the Ubuntu Software Center does a pretty good job of removing programs you install with it. Ubuntu also includes a Program called Computer Janitor that can take care of the rest.

Microsoft Security Essentials (Windows) This was in the Top 10 Free Downloads For 10-10-10 post and it still stands as one of my favorite Microsoft programs. I used to swear by AVG Antivirus and it is still a great pick for free antivirus protection, but this free offering from Microsoft is slick, unobtrusive and outperforms most free antivirus programs as well as the free alternatives as far as detection and removal rates.

Malwarebytes Antimalware (Windows) OK so why would I have another antivirus program on this list? Because you can NEVER be too safe if you are running Windows. Windows XP is actually the most vulnerable OS according to ComputerWorld. Most of the computing community is still using XP. Now I would recommend upgrading to Linux but if you do not, you still need more than MSSE (Microsoft Security Essentials) to be safe. Use this free offering and run it weekly, if not nightly to make sure your system is not compromised.

Pidgen (Windows, Linux, Mac) If your like me you have accounts on FaceBook, MySpace, Twitter as well as email accounts on Google, Hotmail, Yahoo, and other accounts. Pidgnen allows you to get your instant messenger from all these accounts in one place. If you were using Pidgen years ago you were an UberGeek. Now if your not, you are missing the boat. There are other messengers that pull it all together but Pidgen is the most versatile that I've used, and available on all platforms.

SyncToy (Windows) OK you have DropBox to sync your most important files online. But the 2 GB limitation may be a problem if have a ton of pictures movies or music you want to regularly backup to a second or an external HDD. The simple answer is to install SyncToy from Microsoft. Choose a directory on your HDD you want to sync to a directory on your backup drive and sync. Its that easy. All your selected files will be backed up. You can configure it in a few different ways to back up things in the way you like. Plus it is lightweight and simple. Another good offering for free from Microsoft.

Super (Windows) If you work with video files this program will interest you. Sometimes you need to convert from one video file format to another. Super does it all. From any format to any format. But be warned, you need a little knowledge of video file formats in order to use this. In other words this is not a simple program, but goodness, it gets the job done where others fail!

For now my brain is exhausted and there is a lot of other software I could cover in this article. Maybe with your feedback and some more thought I can come up with another post or two in this vein and cover software that specifically interest you. So please give me some feedback and I will expand this blog!

Whats On My Computer? Part 1

2010-12-31T05:34:00.000-08:00

People often ask me for advice on what software they should purchase for this or that purpose. I'm probably the wrong person to ask this question because I'm the working poor and as such, I don't go out and buy the 'latest and greatest (AS SEEN ON TV)' software. That does not mean that I do without.

Through the years I've tested, played with and reviewed many different types of software. I've come to the conclusion that free software often is not only a cheaper alternative but in many cases a better alternative to paid software. I'm not talking shareware here, but free software. Sometimes you have to pay to enable extra features but in a lot of cases the features that are offered are more than enough to do the task at hand.

Just so you know I practice what I preach lets talk about my computer. My laptop came pre-installed with Windows Vista. Now I'm not a total Windows hater here but you all know Vista left a bad taste in many of our mouths. So was the answer to upgrade to Windows 7? Not a chance. Windows 7 is Vista fixed basically, so for Microsoft to ask me to shell out another $200 dollars for what should have been a free patch irked me. So I dealt with Vista for a season and eventually decided to go the Linux route.

Linux has a lot going for it but there were still a few Windows programs I wanted to run so I decided on a dual boot. Dual booting allows me to either boot into Linux or Windows. So I have use of both operating systems. Now this is not the idea configuration as this takes up a great deal of hard drive space and you have to reboot the computer to get to either OS. Another option would be running Windows in a Virtual Machine inside of Linux. I decided on VirtualBox for this and started out by installing Windows XP for testing purposes.

Downloading and installing VirtualBox was a snap as it is in the Ubuntu software repositories. So you go to Applications, Ubuntu Software Centre and search for VirtualBox. Then you just click the install button. This is how Windows Add Remove Programs was originally envisioned by Microsoft but there has never been anything to add in Windows. Now they have Windows Live to download some free stuff for Windows 7. It pales in comparison. The Ubuntu Software Centre is amazing and new applications are added every day. Over 3000 titles and counting. You can find everything you need there.

The creation of a Virtual Machine in VirtualBox was easy and installing Windows XP went exactly like installing on a real computer. The next step I took was installing Microsoft Security Essentials because even though I'm running XP inside of Linux, the Windows OS is prone to viruses. I also updated XP to service pack 3. Now if Virtual XP system gets a bug it wont affect my Linux OS. Its like having XP in jail where it can still live and work but it can't harm anything but itself. VirtualBox allows you to take a snapshot of the system at anytime and you can always easily restore to that state.

As you can see from the screen I have a fully functional XP installation running in a window on my Linux box. I can use it to watch Netflix, since this is one application that requires Microsoft Siverlight to run. This s is the best of both worlds because I can launch my windows apps without rebooting my computer to log into Windows. Next step will be to obliterate my Vista partition and install Vista in a VM just like I did XP. I don't have the hard drive space in my Linux partition to do this at the moment.

Linux is the idea way to run Virtual Machines. I have run them under Windows before and the problem is that Windows is a big resource hog. So your VM gets stuck with whatever Windows has left over for RAM and CPU cycles. Usually not much. Under Linux my XP installation ran perfectly with only the 512 MB of RAM I allocated to it.

If you are interested in trying Linux, we would be happy to help you with the install. We will even set up a dual boot or install the Virtual Machine for you if you have the Windows installation disk.

Part two of this series will cover the programs that I run under Windows...

Rebels With A Cause

2010-11-30T18:35:00.000-08:00

Anyone who has known me knows I have a hard time accepting authority. My High School years were typified by clashes between myself and teachers, the principal, parents and eventually the law. I just could not accept that in a free country, there were so many things I was not to do. Now as an adult I realize many if my battles were misplaced. However, when it comes to certain things I still bring the same level of defiance, energy and intensity into the mix. At Computers for Charity we've manged to assemble a whole crew of life's rebels and miscreants together for a good cause.

When someone says "You can't do that", we have to disagree. We've found through trial and error that many things people say you can't are simply limitations of their own mind. That old PC may not be suitable for Windows 7 but our techs are not deterred by that. We prefer not to pollute the world with another Windows operating system destined for obsolescence. We prefer to install something less prone to viruses and more secure and stable anyhow. We prefer to use Linux.

This too is frowned upon by the world. Why not give people something that really works? For one Windows doses not always work. For instance on a Dell laptop that we had the installation disks for, we installed Windows XP. After the install the tech was attempting to install drivers for the computer form Dells website. The computer had no sound, no networking and only basic video drivers. At this point we could see why the user had discarded this computer. Instead of hassling with the drivers we booted to an Ubuntu Live USB to test the hardware. Under Ubuntu the computer worked flawlessly.

It's outside the box thinking to work with an alternative OS like Linux. If we only stuck with the status quo we would be out of luck in a lot of cases. That's why I have become a huge fan of Linux since we started this whole endeavor. It fits my personality. It breaks the rules by offering something for free (a great desktop operating system), that others are paying hundreds of dollars for. And they are not enjoying as good of an experience with the whole Windows 7 upgrade thing either. What kind of person does it take to work with an OS that has only about 1% of the desktop market? It takes a rebel.

The whole Idea of fixing computers that are slated for disposal makes no sense to a lot of people, and for obvious reasons. We acquire a lot of junk along the way. Sometimes computers are discarded for good reasons. It would be nice if every computer we received was the result of an upgrade. Unfortunately we see a lot of bad hardware that takes a lot of troubleshooting and perseverance to pinpoint exactly whats wrong with it. Once we identify a faulty component it can be replaced. In many cases its multiple components. Computer techs are well compensated for this reason. Who would take on this kind of work just to give it away for free? Only a rebel.

Thank God for the rebels. Thinking outside of the mainstream is not always easy or fun in our modern society either. People tend to question your motives and your methods. Our thinking, attitudes and appearance may be outside of the norm but that does not make us bad people.However, when your really in need of computer help do you really want to deal with the snooty guy from the computer store who will charge you $50.00 just to look at your computer? We do that for free. We can save your data, kill your malware, get you connected, fix your OS or install a new one. We are not hindered or easily deterred because we have suffered a lifetime of persecution for honing these very skills that are now a lifesaver to you. We love the challenge as well as the opportunity to teach you a few things along the way. I guess all I'm saying is give geeks a chance. We may not be James Dean rebels, but we are the kind of guys you can count on. If you need a computer or need yours fixed we can help.

Free Computer Raffle

2010-11-19T14:26:00.000-08:00

"What is a free raffle?" - The price of the ticket is simply attending the event at Turning Point Church in downtown Bowling Green on Dec 6th. We will be taking donations of course but there is no obligation.

"What is the event about?" - Computers for Charity is hosting a book signing and a presentation by Travis Breeding the author of the book "I Want Be Like You - life with Asperger's Syndrome."

This event is for families who have been touched by Autism Spectrum Disorders or for those who would like to know more about Autism, Asperger's Syndrome and how they can relate to those with the disorder. It is also about Travis and his struggle and acceptance of the diagnosis of this disorder.

It is also an opportunity for you to meet some of the volunteers from Computers for Charity. We are striving to build connections with other charities and causes in our community to help them to obtain the technological resources they need to support their missions as well as their clients. We will also be serving free refreshments, hosting a bake sale and having the computer raffle to raise funds that will be used to repair more computers for those in need.

"What are the prizes in the raffle?" - We have some goodies from the hard working Techs at Computers for Charity.

Antec Aria Matx Cube Computer: This unit has everything you need in a compact design that makes it easy to fit conveniently any desk or on a shelf of your entertainment unit. This will also include the keyboard, mouse, monitor and speakers.

We've installed the stable and versatile Ubuntu operating system for your convenience. Surf the web, check your email or play games. You could also set this up as a Media Streaming PC and enjoy your favorite movies music and more through your entertainment center.

Panosonic Toughbooks: The Toughbook is lightweight yet durable. Compact yet powerful. Slips easily into a briefcase, handling or carry-on. Built with legendary Toughbook reliability, unparalleled portability and integrated Wi-Fi, . The integrated touch screen works with the touch of a finger or a stylus. This lightweight wonder is perfect for students or professionals.

The Toghbooks will come pre-installed with the Linux operating system for your speed and stability while your on the go. Also included is Open Office, a versatile office suite that allows you to read and modify documents form almost any other office program and allows you to save directly to PDF.

Bootable Thumbdrives. Bring your entire operating system, desktop, applications , files, email, personal settings, favorites, games and more with you. It’s your own personal operating system you can carry in your pocket. You will be able to boot and run from any computer that can boot from the USB flash device.

This allows to work in your own environment, without making any changes to the host computer you are using. Nothing gets installed on the computer, and your files and applications remain safe on your thumbdrive. This gives you added security and privacy when your using a friends computer or are using a public computer. This can also be used for data recovery in case of a Windows Meltdown as you can boot to your thumb drive and restore the data that is not accessible by the host computers Windows installation.

All in all, we hope this will be a fun and informative event for you and our family. We hope to give you the opportunity to mingle and make new friends from a variety of backgrounds and abilities. We hope you will be touched and inspired to face and overcome your own limitations in life. As the father of a child with multiple disabilities I know first hand that the challenges can seem insurmountable, but with faith, hope and charity we can overcome all obstacles in life.

Hope to see you there!

Dec 6th 2010 6PM to 8 PM

Turning Point Church

252 South Main Street

Bowling Green, Ohio 43402

About Computers for Charity

2010-11-06T07:29:00.000-07:00

Computer for Charity was founded in 2008 by Jeffrey Kill who continues to serve as the chairman of the board and the Chief Technology Officer of the organization. Jeff's education and background in computers, employment in the recycling industry and his life experiences led him to start the charity.

Jeff's daughter, Kelbey suffered from a ruptured brain aneurysm when she was 9 years old. This left her mentally and physically handicapped. Before this she was working at 3 grade levels above other children her age and was very adept with the computer. As his daughter struggled through the recovery process, he worked to get her back on the computer, hoping to utilize technology to enhance his daughters recovery. After having to relearn most of what she knew, she eventually became proficient and independent on the computer again. To this day it provides her with a sense of independence, entertainment, and provides a positive source of cognitive stimulation.

These experiences inspired Jeff to find ways to utilize his IT knowledge to help other children and individuals in the community who do not have access to computers to obtain them. He began taking donations of computers and repairing them for members of his local church congregation. Eventually the client base expanded to others in the community and as the word spread others joined the cause. At present time, Computers for Charity serves all of Northwest Ohio as well as some special projects that assist international mission organizations.

Computers for Charity became an official 501 (c3) in 2009 under the West Ohio Conference of the United Methodist Church. Its mission is both environmental and humanitarian as simply stated in its mission statement: “Our mission is to reduce the electronic waste in our landfills by taking donations of computers and related accessories and refurbishing them. These repaired computers can then be distributed to individuals and other non-profits, providing access to computer technology and bridging the 'digital divide'.”

Computers for Charity is comprised of a group of volunteers of various backgrounds who meet weekly to work on computers that are donated from businesses and individuals. We can then place these computers with families and others in need in the community, through other charities that we provide computer vouchers to. We also use our technical skills to provide free consulting services to churches, charities and nonprofits and provide computer solutions that meet their needs when applicable. In the process of this Computers for Charity is able to serve as a place where people from the non-profits (as well as students and other members of the community) can come and learn how to build, troubleshoot and repair PCs as well as gain other computer knowledge.

Diagnosing Windows Problems

2010-11-03T14:42:00.000-07:00

Diagnosing Windows Problems

What is Computers for Charity?

2010-11-02T12:11:00.000-07:00

What is Computers for Charity

Computer Basics

2010-11-02T12:06:00.000-07:00

Computer Basics

Top 10 Free Downloads for 10-10-10

2010-10-10T19:43:00.001-07:00

At Computers for Charity we see a lot of broken computers. Some simply have nasty virus and spyware infections, lost hard disk space do to program overloads, or even registry corruption that slows the system to a crawl. If you use Microsoft Windows you know its an ongoing battle to keep your system clean and running smooth. Here are some powerful and free utilities you can use to maintain your system. This list is by no means exhaustive but will give you some tools to cover the most common problems Windows users face.

SUPERAntiSpyware

This is a great program that can remove even the most serious pests. If you have tried other antivirus programs and they did not cut the mustard, try this one for on demand scans. Its free, fast and effective.

"It detects and Removes Spyware, Adware and Malware, Trojans, Dialers, Worms, KeyLoggers, HiJackers, Parasites, Rootkits, Rogue Security Products and many other types of threats"

CCleaner

For cleaning up all the junk files that Windows accumulates and fixing broken and missing registry entries this is the easiest and best tool we can recommend. Use it before and after removing virii and uninstalling junk programs form your computer to optimize your systems performance.

"CCleaner is the number-one tool for cleaning your Windows PC. It protects your privacy online and makes your computer faster and more secure. Easy to use and a small, fast download."

Revo Uninstaller

The freeware version of this program is a great addition to your arsenal. Use it to remove programs that you can't remove with Windows Add/Remove Programs. Actually use it every time you uninstall a program if you want to be rid of all the files and registry entries that get Left behind.

"The Uninstaller tool lists the installed programs and components for all and current user. With a choice of views, as well as a context menu, information on program components is available: program properties, their registry entries and links to manufacturer's web site, for a start.

The 'Search' option finds installed applications just by typing the first few letters of their name. Revo Uninstaller scans for leftovers with advanced algorithms that are so precise, fast and very effective in search for leftovers of Windows Services, Drivers, File associations, Shell Extensions, COM components, Windows Installer components, program settings and more!"

Malwarebytes Antimalware

Did your antivirus program miss something? Keep this program on hand to run on demand scans of your system for the baddies that get past your regular anti-virus program.

"Malwarebytes' Anti-Malware is considered to be the next step in the detection and removal of malware. In our product we have compiled a number of new technologies that are designed to quickly detect, destroy, and prevent malware. Malwarebytes' Anti-Malware can detect and remove malware that even the most well known anti-virus and anti-malware applications fail to detect."

Microsoft Security Essentials

Running a Windows system and need a real time antivirus program to protect your computer? Sure you can pay and annual fee for Norton or McCafee but its expensiove and a lot of people simply let their AV expire, leaving thier computer vulnerable to Viruses and Trojans. Look no further than MSSE to protect your system from the most common threats. MSSE outperformed even the detection rates of both McCaffe and Norton in a lot of recent test. If you gotta have windows then you gotta have Microsoft Security Essentials!

"Microsoft Security Essentials provides real-time protection for your home PC that guards against viruses, spyware, and other malicious software.
Microsoft Security Essentials is a free* download from Microsoft that is simple to install, easy to use, and always kept up to date so you can be assured your PC is protected by the latest technology. It’s easy to tell if your PC is secure — when you’re green, you’re good. It’s that simple.

Microsoft Security Essentials runs quietly and efficiently in the background so that you are free to use your Windows-based PC the way you want—without interruptions or long computer wait times."

HijackThis

When you get malware, it often will change a lot of your system settings such as your home page, search defaults and other settings. To fix these after you remove the pest use HijackThis. It will show you all your start up items and browser settings and allow you to return them to factory default

"Scan your computer with HijackThis version 2.0.4 to find settings changed by spyware, malware, or other unwanted programs. HijackThis version 2.0.4 is now Windows 7 compatible. It generates in-depth log reports for Windows-operated systems, including Windows 7."

Defraggler

Its a fact of life. Your hard drive gets fragmented over a time. Once you have a clean system your computer will still need a good defragmenting to make it run sweet again. Defraggler will simplify this process with the ability to defrag individual drives, files, folders etc.

"Use Defraggler to defrag your entire hard drive, or individual files - unique in the industry. This compact and portable Windows application supports NTFS and FAT32 file systems."

Dropbox

For quick data backup you cant beat Dropbox. Drobox creates a folder on your hardrive that you throw files into. It backs up these files online, allows you to have web baseds access to them from any computer as well as sync your dropbox folder with multiple computers. 2 Gig of storage for free. Not enough for your music or video collections but more than ample to back up and share important documents. We use it every day to share our charities files between our office staff.

"Put your files into your Dropbox on one computer, and they'll be instantly available on any of your other computers that also have Dropbox installed (Windows, Mac, and Linux too!). Because copies of your files are stored on Dropbox's secure servers, you can also access them from any computer or mobile device using the Dropbox website."

Malicious Software Removal Tool

If your Windows computer does not have this already, you know there is a problem and a possible virus that's preventing Windows Update from Downloading it. It comes with XP Service Pack 2 and updates monthly without you even knowing it. Use the the Malicious Software Removal Tool to clean serious infections and allow you to install important security patches form Windows Update.

"The Microsoft Windows Malicious Software Removal Tool checks computers running Windows 7, Windows Vista, Windows XP, Windows 2000, and Windows Server 2003 for infections by specific, prevalent malicious software—including Blaster, Sasser, and Mydoom—and helps remove any infection found.

When the detection and removal process is complete, the tool displays a report describing the outcome, including which, if any, malicious software was detected and removed."

Parted Magic

Windows wont boot at all or is so messed up you can't do anything? You need more than a windows utility. Linux to the rescue baby! Parted Magic allows you to bypass your windows installation and do recovery operations from the safety of a Linux GUI. Parted Magic is a bootable CD, a partition manager, a disk cloning utility, a file recovery center, and more. It is packed full of handy utilities that will allow you to save your data even if the hard drive has been formatted! Try it if all else fails. Its Linux. Its cool.

"This is a Linux based boot CD that is primarily a partitioning utility. More than that though it offers a host of other programs that canm be used to rescue a DOA system. The Parted Magic OS employs core programs of GParted and Parted to handle partitioning tasks with ease, while featuring other useful programs (e.g. Clonezilla, Partimage, TestDisk, Truecrypt, G4L, SuperGrubDisk, ddrescue, etc...) and an excellent set of documentation to benefit the user. An extensive collection of file system tools are also included, as Parted Magic supports the following: ext2, ext3, ext4, fat16, fat32, hfs, hfs+, jfs, linux-swap, ntfs, reiserfs, reiser4, and xfs."

And our favorite download site for finding these utilities and more in their latest incarnation is filehippo.com. If you've never heard of filehippo, check it out today! Free downloads of utilities to do just about anything you want to do on a Windows computer. At Computers for Charity, we are all about free!

Why Donate to Computers for Charity?

2010-09-29T19:54:00.000-07:00

There are a host of reasons to donate to Computers for Charity;

Of course, if you donate to charity you will gain certain tax benefits. All of us are looking for ways to pay less money in taxes.

If you donate to Computers for Charity you will be able to help others, and keep more of your own money.

By donating to Computers for Charity, you do not have to worry about selling the computer equipment, whether an individual system or a warehouse full! No expenses for repairs, liability issues, advertising expenses or other costs associated with the liquidation of your assets.

Your generous donations will assist our charitable programs and other charity organizations we have partnered with, a substantial source of much needed educational and vocational assets that will be used to the betterment of those truly in need.

You will also reduce your IT clutter in an environmentally friendly manner.

Who would have thought that such great benefits could come when you donate a computer?

Computers for Charity evaluates each and every donation on a case by case basis. Whenever viable, our volunteer staff will repair, refurbish, and properly prepare donated computers for placement, free of charge, to non-profit organizations. We aslo provide vouchers to chaities so they can send clients directly to us for computer placement. The importance of us giving this kind of attention to improving donated property prior to placement cannot be over-emphasized! This feature of Computers for Charity results in significantly greater income and benefit for the community and you the donor by often dramatically increasing the maximum legal tax deduction.

Sometimes a non-profit will just need some PCs whereas others may need cabling, custom or off-the-shelf software, training, help in setting up a computer lab, technical advice and so on. Often, they have no idea what they want or need and we try to help them determine that. The Computers for Charity volunteers try to meet as many of these needs as we can. As volunteers relying on donated equipment and limited resources this is not always possible. But we give it our best effort and assist them as much as possible.

Thousands of PCs have been given away to various non-profit organizations in the community. We have also helped set up computer labs, provided custom software, provided routers, network cables, printers, and other equipment and served as a place where people from the non-profits (as well as students and other members of the community) can come and learn how to build, troubleshoot and repair PCs as well as gain other computer knowledge.

These are some of the benifits of your donations of computer equipment to Computers for Charity.

Christmas time is fast approaching and we are looking to host another Computers for Christmas program. At this time we do not have the types of donation needed to fufill this. It is imperative for all of you who care about our mission to get the word out to your places of employment and businesses in the community. We can help them to clean up that computer clutter that may be left over form a recent upgrade, and provide them with a tax deduction while helping those in need.

Visit our website for our schedule and contact information.

Enough of Politics, Lets Change the World

2010-09-27T18:01:00.000-07:00

I've had enough of politics for a while. There are more important issues on the agenda. Not that politics is a game that we can play or not play. Because of the growth of government in the last few years, politics are encroaching on every aspect of our lives.

If your like me your not looking for the government to fix our world. Your already working, paying taxes, raising your kids and donating time and money to causes that you feel will benifit the world you live in. It's a pretty funny thing that many of the big, left leaning charities get most of their money from right wingers. Because we believe in helping people help themselves, we give generously and work with people in all walks of life. So much for us being a bunch of haters.

That is the thing that sets conservatives apart from liberals. Conservatives put their time and their money into what they believe. Liberals historically expect the government to do it. Although liberal families' incomes average 6 percent higher than those of conservative families, conservative-headed households give, on average, 30 percent more to charity than the average liberal-headed household.

It is one of the bitterest ironies of liberal politics today that political opinions are apparently taking the place of help for others. People who reject the idea that "government has a responsibility to reduce income inequality" give an average of four times more than people who accept that proposition. Conservatives are 18 percent more likely to donate blood as well. No government program can manufacture blood.

Liberal policies hurt private sector non-profits such as ours. Conservative nonprofits tend not to take taxpayer money; liberal nonprofits often are financed over 50 percent with government money. Liberal plans to reduce tax deductions for charitable contributions will disproportionately hurt charities relying on purely private financing, a political maneuver little noticed except by some liberals, who understand it will ensure government, not private donors, decide how tax dollars are allocated. This is politics in America today and it is ugly.

Also consider that people who have earned their money tend to be more generous with it than those who got their money through welfare. The working poor give three times as much money to charity as welfare recipients at the same income level, and they are twice as likely to give and to volunteer. In essence, welfare tends to make people less self-sufficient and responsible, and creates communities where people have no models of hard-working people striving to improve their lives. In short, welfare programs impede virtue in both the person and the community.

Its up to all of us as individuals to change our world. At Computers for Charity, we do it one computer at a time. Your monetary and hardware donations make it possible for us to help bridge a growing digital divide. Without access to the same tools that many of us take for granted the underpriveleged in our communties will always lag further behind when it comes to education, employement, and information. If not our charity, then donate to some charity. What sets Amercans apart from our Socialist European conterpats is that, we take care of our own. We dont need income redistribution scemes lift up our fellow man. We have always done it best through our private institutions.

This is why I say enough of politics. I welcome all of you who believe in helping other people, regardless of your political stripes, to join us in our mission. If your conservative, don't be discouraged. I know you work too hard and pay too much in taxes already. I do too. But you are our core supporters. If you believe that individuals, not government, offer the best solution to social ills, we need your support now more than ever.

If your liberal, I simply ask for you to put your money where your mouth is. Don't just sit and wait for the government to take action and tax someone else to do what needs done. If liberals were as generous with their checkbooks as conservatives we may not even need the big government bureaucracies that end up wasting valuable resources that could be spent helping those most in need. In fact if you really care about the disadvantaged, donate some blood! If liberals gave blood like conservatives do, the blood supply in the U.S. would jump by about 45%

If your not feeling charitable today I invite you to come to church. Even more so than politics, people who attend a house of worship every week are 25 percentage points more likely to give to charity each year than people who never go to church, and give away about four times as much money. And this is not just a question of religious people giving to their churches, as meritorious as that might be: They also give and volunteer significantly more to explicitly nonreligious causes and charities.

Enough of politics already! Lets change our world instead!

We The Geeks

2010-09-15T16:37:00.000-07:00

I just got back from the Community Partnership and VoluneerFair at BGSU and am still reflecting on the whole experience. As a geek to the core I've been on the outside of society looking in for some time now. That familiar feeling came over me again today. Just how does a charity that refurbishes old computers to those in need fit in to the mix of all the other charities out there. to be honest with you, our table didn't attract that much attention,even though we were holding a drawing for a fee laptop!

Being a square peg in a round hole is nothing new to me. After all, while other people can't wait to get home and watch the game, In can't wait to get home and hone my recon skills in battlefield Bad Company 2. I'm the guy who does not own a Mac but recently received a copy of OS X 10.4 and is fantasizing about installing it in a virtual machine on my windows XP box for no purpose other than to prove I can do it! I got four versions of Linux running on my desktop and bootable Linux and Windows XPE on USB keys.I look at a computer loaded with spyware and viuses as a fun challange, not a job.

I'm really NOT tired of being that guy with his face buried in a computer screen 90% of the time. After all, who else can people call when their Windows box gets a virus, or crashes with a blue screen of death, or they accidentally format their drive and their important data, or they suddenly can't connect to the internet except for some damnable pop ups that tell them they have a spy ware infection. I can fix these things. I've got skills man! But what are we doing with our mad computer skills other than impressing our friends and coworkers?

We have developed our own cultures and subcultures around our favorite, moves/games/software/hardware. We now can frolic with other nerds in various venues and demonstrate that our fandom exceeds theirs. We have Mac Fests and Linux Fests and Microsoft Big Days. We have conventions to celebrate even the most obscure of geek fascinations.We can feel at home for a little bit with like minded individuals before we must return to the normal world of work, family and community.

Computers for Charity was started as a charity to connect us outsiders to the inside of the community. Its an outlet for those geeks with a social conscience to make a difference in our world. It would be much easier to return to my Army of Darkness Directors Cut on a nightly basis and let the world be damned. I know some of you look forward to watching the world burn from the comfort of your terminal window. Consider this though...

At the partnership fair I made connections with a other charities that were very interested in what we geeks do. Many of them are interested in providing computer solutions to their clients. One was interested in helping the disabled set up assistive technology software on their systems. Another wanted to add computers to their computer room in trier nursing home. Yet another wanted to set up a computer to their youth center and many need assistance with things like web development and setting up pages and causes on the social networks and the list goes on.

We have a lot of needs in our community going unmet becasue the right geek has yet to step up to the plate and take on the casue. Thats what were here for. At Computers for Charity we provide an outlet for you to use you God given talents for a good casue. Will you help us to take on these types of projects in our communtiy? The harvest is great but the workers are few. I'm praying that the Lord of the harvest will touch your heart and send you to assist us in this worthwhile endeavor.

Retro Gaming For Linux!

2010-09-14T06:24:00.000-07:00

A new video game emulation based live CD... Based on TurboPup Xtreme (one of the fastest linux distros around).

Puppy Arcade plays: Amiga (500, 1000, 2000), Atari (ST, 800, 800XL, 130XE, 5200), Amstrad (CPC, Plus, VEB), Arcades, Colecovision, Commodore (64, 128, VIC20, PET), GameBoys (GB, GBC, GBA), GameGear, Genesis/MegaDrive, MasterSystem, MS DOS, N64, NeoGeo, NeoGeo CD, NES/Famicom, PC Engine/TurboGrafix, PSX, ScummVM, SNES and ZX Spectrum (16k, 48k, 128k, +2, +2A, +3) & more!

Puppy Arcade 7 can play games from a variety systems, using apps called 'emulators', which load 'roms' (the actual games). To play games: Just load an emulator, optionally choose some settings, and select a rom to play.

No actual game roms are included, just the emulators. However, they do provide links to the top websites where you can find roms in abundance. (Note: I do not endorse use of any of these games without legal license to play them). I assume that these roms are either in the public domain, or that you have to licensed or purchased them for your personal use.

I like Puppy Linux in every form. Puppy is fast and light on its feet. The addition of games is a fun way to take advantage of the nimble Puppy platform. If you are a fan of 80’s style arcade games, Puppy Arcade is probably the best platform for you. Running your games in RAM, without ever touching a hard drive, will be a cinch with the ease of Puppy Linux.

If you are new to Linux, better yet new to emulation, this is your best rout. It makes both subjects painless. Puppy arcade is tiny in size for what its worth. A whopping 105mb.

This thing is light weight and extremely quick. Once you boot up its running in RAM. Its very fast. Running an OS in RAM is like going from 56k to a T3. You can load this bad boy up on a USB stick and carry it around with you if need be.

Puppy Arcade works great on PCs - both new and old. But if you have an Eee PC, you might like to try Puppeee Arcade, which is perfect for your netbook.

Download Puppy Arcade 'Here'

Newer is not always better. Not even in computers.

2010-09-09T08:34:00.000-07:00

Windows 7 is good for fast, newer computers, however, what about your business computers? The economy has forced business to stretch the life of their old machines or to purchase lower-grade new computers. Linux is a perfect candidate. Linux offers software compatibility support where believe it or not some companies have not upgraded their software to be compatible with Windows 7! Windows 7 also takes a great deal more amount of memory and CPU speed. With Linux you can run your favorite Windows app in a virtual machine anyhow and not loose any of your favorite programs from XP.

As for the home user, there will most likely be a split. With the current environment a large population will only upgrade computers as they need to due to component failure. The technology has not advanced enough to warrant considering 5+ year old XP machines obsolete to the point of a necessary replacement. Home users are growing wary of being forced to upgrade both software and had ware at the whim of Microsoft.

This does leave the techno crowd and those who love to have the newest and best and have the disposable income to spend but this population has been smaller as of late. This is also the population where Linux and Mac tends to be competitors. Before you pay a dime for Windows 7, try a Linux desktop distribution. If you don’t like it, what’s the worst that’s going to happen? You spent no money other than for a burnable CD or DVD, a little time, and you just have to wipe your disk again before installing Windows 7.

Windows and Mac OS are like a toy car that you buy off the shelf and play with. Linux is like the same toy car made out of Lego You can play with it as it comes or you can remove and modify components (or the whole thing) and tailor it to your liking. To illustrate the point, Linux comes with many different choices of window managers, desktop environments, file managers, package managers (packages are what Linux calls programs), etc. The idea is to be able to tailor a distribution to exactly what you need and like.

There's nothing in Windows 7 that Linux can't do, and in most cases, do it better. Linux machines are quicker and more efficient. Linux desktops are more innovative and less static. Linux apps are more powerful, cheaper and less partisan, and Linux security has never been better. But best of all, we have complete control over the future of Linux, as opposed to allowing Microsoft to run roughshod over us in forcing the upgrade to Windows 7.

Don't forget that for any operating system, no matter how similar to to a commercial OS it might be, there is a learning curve involved. This is especially true of the software available and how to download it Generally software is downloaded from repositories using a package manager included with your distro. By and large you will not find commercial software in repositories, but will find thousands of free open source equivalents. Most of these are as powerful as the popular commercial ones, but require that you familiarize yourself with them. Take some time to do this and you'll be a really happy Linux user.

So, you think you may want to dip you toe into the Linux waters at this point? Ok, I have a couple of suggestions.

Try a Linux "live CD" first. Most Linux distributions have live (aka bootable) CDs that let you actually use the Linux OS of your choice directly from the CD. It will run slower, due to running from the CD drive, but it will give you a real feel for the Linux OS you may be contemplating. In addition, it will let you know, before you actually install it to your hard drive, whether or not it can support all your hardware. That way, you know beforehand exactly what to expect!

Even if you never get further than a Linux live CD, you will want to keep it around. Linux live CDs make extremely good disaster/recovery tools. One of my favorite uses is to clone my Windows XP partition. Just boot the live CD and clone one partition on one drive to an identical partition on another drive. A good bootable Linux CD like Knoppix should be in everyone's tool box, even if they're a die-hard Windows user.

Here's another last bit of advice. I recommend dual booting only one absolutely safe way: buy a second hard drive and install Linux on it. You can even use a USB thumb drive for this! This is also the easiest way to get into Linux. No tricky hard disk-partitioning to worry about. No way to mess up your current Windows install. Absolutely the easiest and safest way.

Affordable Computer Solutions

2010-03-08T15:55:00.000-08:00

A New Venture for Computers for Charity

Due to popular demand the techs from Computers for Charity decided it was time to broaden their services to be able to offer Affordable Computer Solutions to families, small businesses and non-profits in Northwest Ohio. This is an extension of our goal of leaving no child or family behind in the digital divide.

The great thing is that because of our affiliation with Computers for Charity, we can offer a tax deduction to businesses when we upgrade their equipment as opposed to a disposal or recycling fee. A percentage of all that we earn also goes to supporting the charity and you are assured that your outgoing equipment will be handled in an environmentally safe manner and will help families in our community.

Experience You Can Trust

We offer affordable desktop, laptop, and other computer related electronic repair in the Northwest Ohio area. With over 25 years of experience you can count on our technicians to handle your computer problems. We provide on site technical support for individuals and small to medium size business. We support all aspects of your computers, servers, peripherals and networks. We are committed to providing you with practical solutions for all your technology needs.

Values You Share

We believe that people and organizations are at their best when they are invested in community, actively acknowledging the interdependence of community members and the responsibilities we share for our collective well-being. We are dedicated to providing affordable services to the non-profit sector. While at present the services we offer focus heavily on IT-based consulting, we envision a future where we are able to support non-profits in many other ways.

Giving Back To The Community

Hiring effective computer personnel has become a costly undertaking. Because many organizations, individuals and small family businesses have considerably tighter budgets than other corporations or groups, they are often unable to afford the costs required to secure quality computer support. As such, many of the benefits that may be reaped by appropriate use of computer technology are not available to such organizations.

What We Offer:

* Affordable Computer Solutions to the non-profit sector
* A no cost avenue for for-profit companies to support the non-profit sector
* Meaningful employment to information technology professionals

On an ongoing basis, we provide competitive, high-quality computer consulting to small and medium for-profit organizations at market rates, using the profits from this work to provide affordable services to the non-profit sector.

Contact Us Here or call us at 419-378-5604. Visit our website: http://affordableconsultant.webs.com/

I Want You!

2010-01-16T04:55:00.000-08:00

Calling all geeks in Northwest Ohio...

Have you always wanted to use your geeky talents for a good cause but couldn't find a charity that 'fit' you?
Have you ever thought, 'gosh why is there no one who is providing computer for the less fortunate in our community?'.
Do you have an environmental conscience when it comes to all the electronics leeching toxins into our landfills?
Have you ever wished you could play around with hardware and software and networks without fear of breaking the companies stuff?
Have you ever wanted to hang with a group of like minded individuals and who actually know what terminal window is?
Do you have a desire to learn something new about technology or do you have the desire to teach a willing audience about something you know?
Do you have a ton of computer stuff you've held onto just in case someone may have some use for it some day?

We have a place for you! Every Tuesday from 4:00 to 8:00 PM (usually till 10 PM cause we just can't pull ourselves away from our computer stuff!), Computers for Charity meets in downtown Bowling Green, Ohio at Turning Point Church.

We take donations of computers from businesses and individuals and refurbish them, usually with Linux, sometimes we fix broken Windows and work with Macs too!

We have a dedicated core group of 8 techs of various backgrounds who lend their talents. We have about 20 volunteers total who help with various community projects we concoct. We are a young and vibrant charity who cherishes innovation and self determination. Speaking in Klingon is a bonus but is not required.

So how do you now if your geeky enough to join our L33T crew? Take a look at the 'You May Be A Geek If...' checklist and see if you have any or all of the following characteristics.

you’re a card-carrying member of the EFF

when you have to write with a pen, you find yourself using the Palm Graffiti characters.

you think (x<<6)+(x<<4) is a perfectly natural way to multiply by 80.

you’ve gutted and rebuilt your computer 5 times since you last changed the oil in your car.

you know what a router is, and you know what a bit is, but you’ve never heard of a router bit.

you know the square root of 65536 is 256 without having to do the math.

you consider 65536 and 256 “nice round numbers”.

…and you *always* put the period outside the quotes, since you’re not quoting the end of the sentence…what the hell do english majors know, anyway.

you see a good-looking girl and you DESPERATELY want her e-mail address so you can get to know her.

you wake up and realize that your sleep pattern has been following an algorithm.

your computer chair has the permanent and stiff indentation of your butt in it.

the only tan you’ve ever acquired comes from your monitor.

you have assembled your own Linux distribution, and re-wrote some of the more inefficient code, just for fun. ( Hmmm… it’s a thought… )

every time someone says “I like iMacs” you get mad and shout out “So you only go for the looks, do you? Superficial guy! The inner qualities are what’s important, not the looks! Beauty is only skin-deep!”

when asked if you have more than one hard drive, you answer “In which computer?”

you postpone your moving date so your computers can set new uptime records.

given the choice between a T3 and a date with a good looking guy/girl, you’d take the T3.

you’ve ever been successful at catching a spammer.

you call sex with your cute girlfriend “CuteFTP.”

you spend more time changing settings in Windows 98 than using it.

you dream of high-end computers instead of beautiful girls.

you get angry when someone says they own a Pentium IV processor.

your friends have a club with the word .com in it.

you almost get in a fight when a small child says there is no internet.

you think everyone should have an opinion about Bill Gates.

you refer to having sex as setting up a LAN!

you refer to going to the toilet as “extracting to the temp folder” and flushing the toilet as “deleting the temp folder”.

you refer to eating and drinking as uploading!

you understand and find www.ircnews.com funny.

you’ve ever passed notes at school in binary.

you regard the “User Friendly” virus as a good thing.

you’ve had an article appear at segfault.org.

you’ve figured out how to crash Windows NT on a 128MB system, using only Internet Explorer and Notepad.

you snicker whenever someone asks how much memory is needed for Windows NT to run smoothly.

you go into a computer store and takeover a discussion for a salesman on the specs and merits of a computer while he site there nodding as you make the sale.

you’ve ever written a useless program just for the “fun” of it.…or you prefer writing useless programs.

a 23 GB HD, color laser, four 128MB DIMMs, and a 21″ monitor would beat out Sarah Michelle Gellar, Cameron Diaz, Heather Graham, and Cindy Crawford.

you can actually read the error message details when a Windows program has a problem.

you spend more time chatting on-line in one day then you do in a week’s worth of actual conversation with people face-to-face.

there are two magazines in front of you, the newest issue of PC Magazine and the other a porno. And you choose the PC mag over the porno.

you refer to using the bathroom as downloading.

the number of computers in your house exceeds the number of relationships you’ve had in your lifetime.

…and you didn’t correct the grammar of that last item.

if (DEC 25 = OCT 31) means true to you.

your computer costs more and runs better than your car

your watch is set to GMT. Always. (After all, it’s the only time that makes logical sense.)

in real life, you tell people to go to http://www.hell.com/

when you’re reading a magazine and you see an underlined passage, you feel compelled to click on it.

you have the Linux Penguin sitting on your monitor… and you know the penguin’s name.

everytime you go to write a note, you put your hands on your desk, as if looking for a keyboard to type it on.

you’ve ever debated the merits of the FVWM95 window manager…

…with yourself.

you’re grossly offended that anyone would want to make their Linux box work anything like Windows 95.

you wake up wondering which directory you’re in.

you set up your old computer next to your new one 2 months ago so that you could transfer files and you’ve been using them “both” since.

you have more computers now than you’ve had relationships in your lifetime.

your wallpaper is made up of Linux code.

your favorite pasttime is IRC on Saturday nights.

your computer is set for Dvorak… but your keyboard is actually a qwerty.

…you know what Dvorak and Qwerty refer to.

you have a PC for every person in the house, and still think you need one more. What if one goes down!?

you salivate when you hear the word, “upgrade”

instead of laughing you say “El-Oh-El!”

you have actually heard someone do this in real life.

…and you actually understood what it meant.

you dream in code.

you not only know what Be OS is, you have an opinion about it.

you want to be the first one on your block to be wet-wired.

you dual boot because you want to be able to play some of them there cool new games.

you bought a super socket-7 motherboard, not because you really needed it, but because you got it for only 40.00 via an online auction. Now you have a reason to build that extra computer you don’t really need.

to you, the word “scuzzy” is sexy.

your girlfriend kisses you on the neck and you think “uh oh, priority interupt!”.

you and the campus Unix Sysadmin have a geek contest.…and you win.

you believe Unix/Linux is the most superior operating system out there

you e-mail yourself notes rather than writing them…

…and you can justify the advantages of doing so.

…or you actually reply to the note.

you can program in more languages than you can speak.

you refer to your computer as a friend.

you can talk to your computer without being sarcastic or raising your voice.

you talk to your computer the way most people talk to their significant other.

you use old CD-ROMs as coasters…

…and you’ve collected a matching set for every room in your house.

with the exception of the blood-sucking part, you have the same basic characteristics as a vampire.

Feel free to respond with your own!

Hey even if your not a true geek and you care about helping people and the environment we have a place for you too. Come see us on Tuesday. We need your help!

At Computers for Charity we are part computer club, part charity, part education and training, and all about having a lot of fun.

http://computersforcharity.webs.com

Do You Follow Jesus...On Twitter?

2010-01-09T08:37:00.000-08:00

Social Networking And The Church

In a lot of ways the church is the home of the original social network. The church has a greater spiritual role than just meeting new people and making friends, but that is the number one reason people return to a particular church. Relationships formed in the church can be lasting and powerful. When it comes to members of the church, social networking can compliment these traditional relationships.

Social networks provide a way to stay in touch, share photos, videos, and thoughts, hopes and prayers form divergent geographic locations. So even if your friends are on a Mission Trip to Uganda, you can still keep in touch with them in an instant. What a powerful tool this provides us! So far the church as a whole has failed to embrace this medium. We all have our church website and we all have our own personal site, be it Facebook or MySpace, or Twitter (just to name a few).

One of the cool trends in social networking is the ability to synchronize content between sites. A person with a little knowledge can link their YouTube content to their blog and MySpace page with ease. This allows us to gather content from various places and have it all displayed in a central location such a feed on our churches main website. Various churches are experimenting with these freely available tools with varying degrees of success.

The problem is you need a few people dedicated to publishing CONTENT. We need pastors to embrace blogging. Ministry leaders willing to post updates about their ministries, church members who care enough about their churches happenings to view this content and post an occasional comment. This is all pretty basic.

You can go beyond this and have someone to post pictures from recent events, video clips from sermons and worship, presentations or exciting outings. A churches newsletter can easily be transferred from its original format to a web friendly format. There are a million ways to integrate the churches activities on the web so there are no excuses for not experimenting and finding out what will fit your churches form and culture.

A Divine Mandate

If the church is the exciting and vibrant place we know it to be then why are we so dull and dead looking on the web? Are we not to preach the gospel to the ends of the earth (Mark 15:16)? Do we have anything positive or encouraging to say to a broken world (Luke 4:18)? In our modern culture isn't the internet the equivalent of the rooftop we are to shout from (Mathew 10:27)? Are we not to pull down the strongholds of the world (2 Corinthians 10:4)? Is it not our responsibility to shed some light in this present darkness (2 Corinthians 4:6)?

We not only have the ability to utilize this medium to its fullest potential but wee have a divine mandate. So how do we start? Do we sign up for an account on Facebook and play online games with our friends or send each other virtual gifts? Although these things are amusing pastimes and how most people use social networking we should always look for ways to express our spiritual values and our causes through our interactions on the web. As we should be doing in all of our daily lives!

The Time IS Now

On many of the social networks you can add Pages as well as Causes. Its easy to go to Facebook or MySpace and set up a site for your church. This does not limit you to those mediums. As I pointed out earlier you can use some easy tools to integrate all of your feeds into one or multiple sites across the internet. But just building a website doses not mean they will come. You have to nurture relationships with people and give them a reason to keep coming back, just like in the real world.

Not only that but we need to use this opportunity to interact with other churches and build bridges, uniting in a way never before possible to pursue our common goals and interests. We have a lot to learn from each other and the unity of the entire body of Christ is needed now more than ever before. Our world is becoming more fractured and polarized in the political and the social realms. We need to let them know the love of God through our love for one another (1 John 4:7)

So do you follow Jesus on Twitter? How about on MySpace and Facebook? Why not follow him in your daily life and make his presence known through your interaction on the medium of social networking? He called us all to follow and in turn lead others into the Kingdom of God. There is a time for everything under the sun and the time for the church to embrace the freely available technology of the social networking phenomenon is now.

http://computersforcharity.webs.com

Who Cares About Charity?

2010-01-03T04:31:00.000-08:00

http://computersforcharity.webs.com/

Charity Changes You

2009-12-19T10:39:00.000-08:00

If anyone had told me that starting a charity would change me so much as a person I would not have believed them. After all I am a Christian and I've always been charitable. I've given a little time to Salvation Army , the Old Newsnboys, Global Connections, Special Olympics, and a number of other charities over the years. I volunteer at my church and put my money in the plate. I've worked hard at showing random acts of kindness to those around me. As I pointed out in a previous blog, every little bit helps.

There is something entirely different about taking on a cause that no one else seems to be championing and trying to make it work. Gone are the days of volunteering for a day or an event and getting on with my life. With Computers for Charity, over the last year I have had to work constantly with every spare moment at my disposal. I have become the CEO, CTO, Marketer, Promoter, Web Developer, Organizer, Speaker, Fundraiser, Volunteer Coordinator, Event Planner, and all around Laborer.

At first there was just me working on computers form my home in Bowling Green, Ohio. Then there were a few other volunteers; namely, Kimberlie Morris and Richard Rowold who helped me with office type tasks. We moved into Turning Point Church in downtown Bowling Green in a little room next to the Sanctuary. It was adequate and we were grateful to be able to provide a service through the church that no one else was providing. As we began to meet needs in our church and beyond one thing became apparent. There was no shortage of needs, rather a shortage of time and talent to meet them.

I started advertising through the internet and joining social networking sites to promote the effort and to solicit computers parts and volunteers. I signed up for environmental, recycling, and technological oriented sites who shared common interests and visions. I joined Techsoup and became a a Microsoft Authorised Refurbisher. I joined several Open Source communities and began to participate in them. I also joined Wood County Area Ministries and other charity organizations that are working to meet diverse needs in our local community.

As the word began to spread and the donations increased we began to run out of room. We also began to get more volunteers. As individuals came to drop off equipment and saw the scope of our vision they wanted to help in some way. As we provided computers for people they too were inspired by our effort and we quickly found a place for them within the organization. The need to move into a bigger space and to get out from under Turning Points limiting tax structure became apparent. We would need to write receipts for donations and do fund raising to be able provide the type of service that we wanted to and to plan for future expansion.

We formed a Board of Directors who's sole purpose would be to handle the paperwork involved in the formation of a non profit. We found it would be easier to obtain a 501 (c) (3) through the Methodist Church than it would be to tackle this on our own so we worked with the West Ohio Conference of the UMC to set that up. The important thing was to remain a non-sectarian/secular charity under a faith based organization. Our vision is to become another one of the great charities that have sprung forth form the church and now have a vital role in the public life of our society.

The mixing of secular and sacred for the cause of charity is nothing new for the Methodist church. Just look at other great efforts such as the Methodist Hospitals, Nursing Homes, food banks, job training, and children services to name a few. With a great tradition of charity and social action, the Methodist church has a longstanding record of meeting people at the point of their needs. That is the part of the gospel I hoped to fulfill through Computers for Charity. Living a life of service to the community is a tall order. As Jesus healed all who would come to him and fed the masses, we hope to meet a very significant need in our modern culture. Access to a computer has become more than just a want.

So we obtained our Non Profit Status and moved into a bigger room, with a separate office upstairs. We now have room to host computer classes which we are formulating now. I also have developed a presentation to demonstrate the reason why refurbishing and reusing electronics is preferable both in an environmental and a humanitarian sense. I plan on taking this message to as many churches and other organizations in our community as will have me.

We've made great strides in organizing our collection and recycling methods as well as our record keeping and office work. We have over 20 volunteers who come on an irregular basis and we hope to soon have a weekly staff of at least 10 dependable volunteers. We continue to reach out to other charities and non-profits who's services we hope to enhance by our own. We also want to partner with the local ISPs to be able to provide a discounted internet service to clients who receive a computer form us.

Living a life of service to others is a tranformative experience as well. God has given us each a purpose in life and the skills to achieve that purpose. Finding a way to meet the needs of others through our God given talents is a fulfillment of the gospel and of our own potential. We begin to think less about the My, Me, Mines, and our own needs become less significant in the face of others struggling with basic and more complex problems than our own.

The 30 year old woman who was recently handicapped and is now living in an assisted nursing facility who desires a computer so she can go to school online and still make something of her life.
The Grandmother who is caring for her granddaughter and wants her to be able to do her schoolwork at home as opposed to walking across town to the library daily.
The newly unemployed worker who lost a lifetime job and needs a computer to search for a new position.
The single mother who is struggling at meeting the basic needs of her family and would like her children to have access to technology so they are prepared for the modern world of education and employment.
The college student on a tight budget who needs to have access to research and educational materials online.
The Elderly person who simply wants to keep in touch with their family the way we do nowadays, through email and social networking.
The mentally and physically handicapped, to whom access to technology can be an equalizing factor and provide a way to connect with others and overcome the limitations placed on them by society.

This is about a lot more than providing computers for people, it is about providing hope. Providing a way for people to obtain an independence as well as an interdependence with the modern communities that are part of our lives. Bridging a digital divide that has shrunk considerably in recent years, but for those behind the divide, how much deeper it has become. My heart aches for all of the clients we help. As we meet the needs of those in our community I had to throw away all prejudice and pretensions. I've had to ask myself what I would do if my most hated enemy came to us for help. The answer is help them in any way that I can.

As the charity has grown, I have grown as a person in ways i never imagined. It is a process that has helped me to heal many of my own personal wounds. I hope to share this experience and this journey with as many of you as possible. We continue to grow and are heading in exciting new directions. As we wrap up the Computers for Christmas project we will move on to the next big project. I'm looking forward to seeing what challenges and opportunities 2010 is going to bring us! You don't wanna miss it!

God bless you and see you Tuesday.

Jeffrey Kill
Founder and CTO
Computers for Charity

Computers for Christmas

2009-10-30T02:16:00.001-07:00

We are introducing a new program for Christmas, where you will have the opportunity to adopt a computer for a child. With an individual donation of $10, you will enable Computers for Charity provide children and families in need in our communities with computers.

We have a limited number of Apple e Mac 1.4 Ghz Computers with 512 MB RAM and 80 GB Hard Disks. These are All in one systems that are still popular in a lot of schools. Donors will have the opportunity to nominate a child of their choosing to receive these very special Computers for Christmas!

What we need the churches to do:

We need two things from the Churches who would like to become Participating Organizations:

Identifiy families in need in your congregation and communities

We need you to host the Family Nomination Request List to have families who would like to be nominated to receive a computer. (The Family Nomination Request List is used to help donors choose a family to nominate.)

Finding donors who will adopt the computers for these families

Find a donor to adopt a computer for that family. You church can do this in any way it sees fit, (announcements, bulletins, Internet, phone calls, etc.) The donor will receive the Certificate of Adoption and the Family Nomination Form. He can then nominate a family or pick one from the Family Nomination Request List

We will provide you with the Certificates of Adoption and Family Nomination Forms. Those two documents are tied together by a Unique ID number. Please do not make copies of these forms! This will help us to eliminate fraud as people come to receive their computers. If a Unique ID has already been used we know that someone has tried to make copies to receive a computer fraudulently.The families will bring the Family

Nomination Form with the signature of the donor and the Participating Organization to pick up their computer at Turning Point United Methodist Church on a Tuesday between 4 and 6 PM. We will have these boxed, wrapped and ready to go under the Christmas tree!

How to become a Participating Organization

If your church would like to participate in the program or would like some more information, please contact us at: computersforcharity@gmail.com We will provide a package of information to get you started!

We will also list Participating organizations on our website so that families will know where to go to sign up for their Computer for Christmas!

http://computersforcharity.webs.com

IF I SPEAK AND NO ONE IS THERE TO HEAR ME...

2009-10-20T02:51:00.000-07:00

Do I still make a sound? My soap box feels like a lonely place sometimes. I have very little input and guidance as I ramble on about the issues that matter to me. Sometimes I wonder, does anyone hear me? Does anyone even care? Am I wasting my time? Whats the point of all this?

The trend today is: "My mind is made up, don't confuse me with the facts." People tend to selectively read what they agree with and tune out the opposition. I know listening to viewpoints you disagree with makes your head hurt but trust me, if you want your voice to be heard you have to be willing to listen to others.

Throughout my life I've sought after truth and when my point of view was proven wrong, I change. I don't expect the truth to bend to my will. Reality just does not work that way! If we all live in the shelter of our own little peer group we fail to grow as individuals.

I know its comfortable living in a bubble. Sometimes I retreat to mine too. but eventually I have to venture out into the world and face reality. Sometimes I'm even wrong and I promptly admit it and feel better for accepting another piece of this puzzle we call life life. The headaches go away when we stop trying to shut out the truth.

Some disagree that you can even find truth. "Whats true for you may not be true for me." OK, so if I disagree with gravity I will float into space and you will remain firmly planted on the earth? I don't think so. If I disagree with driving on the right side of the road I'm gonna crash into all you wrong headed drivers. My opinion on the fact makes no difference to the outcome. I can believe we all should do things my way and still die in a flaming ball of death on the highway. That only qualifies me for a Darwin Award not a Medal Of Honor. Who wants to die just because they are a stubborn idiot? (hey that could be a new game show).

As a searcher for truth you must always LISTEN. Even if you disagree you listen first. Listen carefully and try to discern what the other side is really saying. Not just your canned straw man opinion of what they mean. Pinpoint your disagreements and do your homework. Maybe you are wrong. Maybe your right. Researching and studying the facts will only make you a smarter person either way. Once you've done your homework you will feel an urgency to share what you've learned with others. Careful...remember how the truth hurt you when you learned you were wrong.

If you are right in your opinion then you will have a logical and well thought out worldview or a meaningful rebuttal to the opposition and not just another stupid opinion (The saying 'opinions are like butholes comes to mind). But don't expect anyone else to listen to the truths you've discovered. Once you become a voice for reason and truth you will find others shutting you out to hide in their protective bubbles!

Every Little Bit Helps

2009-10-14T18:10:00.000-07:00

The other day I was eating a Yoplait yogurt and noticed their "Save Lids to Save Lives" advert on the lid. I think its been there for some time now but I never really noticed till yesterday. Here I was all this time eating my yogurt and something so simple to help a great cause had been alluding me. For every lid you send in money is donated to cancer research. How simple this is? Why had I been so thoughtless all these years and thrown out my lids?

For one thing I wasn't sensitized to just how hard it is to raise donations for a charity. For another it was just simpler to throw it out and not have to clean it up and store them and eventually mail them in. Just one part ignorance and one part laziness on my part and I was throwing away money that could be used to fight cancer. I've got family with cancer. I've got friends with cancer. I guess I always figured someone else who had more time could worry about raising funds for cancer research.

We have similar causes at Computers for Charity. We raise money for the Relay for Life through collecting cell phones. We raise money for Ronald McDonald House trough collecting aluminum cans. We collect ink cartilages who's proceeds will go to helping families facing a housing crises. And as you all know we take donations of computers to refurbish and help disadvantages families in the community. It is hard to motivate people just to do that one little thing. How many of you have been going through your life merrily eating your yogurt and missing the simple opportunity to help a good cause?

In the wake of our current economy every little bit helps. If I can inspire just a few people who in turn inspire a few more and so on... think of what we can accomplish for charities who are helping people in need through this current economic downturn. If you reach out to your friends and neighbors and collect cans, cellphones, computers, and even Yoplait Yogurt lids we can change lives!

the current president came into Washington spouting the phrase 'Yes We Can". I think peoples expectation is that "Washington Can". I beg to disagree. Washington is a cesspool of corruption and villainy,beholden only to special interest and out of touch and distant from the plight of the common people of this country. We all know that with their track record, chances are, whatever they touch they will make worse in some fashion.

Federal bureaucracies were never intended to be a charity so please don't expect them to act like one. Government serves its own interest first and not an efficient means to assist in our every day needs and desires. Every facet of our government is currently running a deficit and the our children and grandchildren will be the ones stuck with the tax burdens to fix it (if it can be).

So my answer to this is "Government Can't, but Yes, We the People Can!". It is the small considerations in life that will make the difference. Will you help us by telling a friend about us? Can you help by collecting any of the above mentioned items? Have you considered volunteering for an hour or so and put it off? Many of you have voiced your support for this charity but have you acted on that? It is you as an individual can make all the difference in the world.

So now we are collecting lids to save lives too. For more info on how you can help visit: http://www.yoplait.com/breastcancer_commitment.aspx

There are many ways you can support us and other causes as well. Please visit our website:
http://computersforcharity.webs.com/

I want to thank some dear friends who've made significant donations to Computers for Charity. Denny, Brad, Judy, Ralph and Marcy, Jay and Dianne, Jim, Angie and all of our donors, volunteers, friends and family who have helped us to get this charity started and who continue to support us in thought word and deed. God bless you and your families.

If you know of a family or another charity, church, or non profit that can benifit form our services please contact us at: computersforcharity@gmail.com

You Dont Have To Be a Socialist To Be Green

2009-10-10T05:10:00.000-07:00

I try to steer this blog away from political issues because Computers for Charity is a non partisan organization and we want to keep it that way. I started to write about good reasons to recycle and reuse computers and as I was doing my research it became abundantly clear that the issue of the environment has been hijacked by those with a definite political agenda.

I couldn't speak about the economy and the environment without someone branding me as conservative or liberal. To be honest, I reject both of those ideological points of view. Neither am I a moderate, my views are too far left to be conservative and too far right for the liberals. This post will contain a lot of material that is solely my own viewpoint and may not represent the views of Computers for Charity or its staff and volunteers.

I am not a vegan, I don't practice yoga, I don't drive a hybrid, and I don't wear hiking boots to work, but I am a conservationist, an environmentalist and a proponent of a green vision. I don't seek to impose my lifestyle choices on others through government coercion. I work to spread awareness though my charitable activities and my writing. My environmental consciousness has been born form working in the recycling field as a Hazardous Materials Technician. We take the hazardous materials out of waste, so those wastes can be reclaimed and recycled.

In this line of work we have to have a good understanding of environmental laws and regulations. This gives one a whole different perspective on the politics of these issues. These materials are regulated on every level you can imagine. From how they are labeled, stored, and shipped. All aspects are covered under EPA, ODOT, OSHA and a host of other Local, State, and Federal regulatory agencies. Staying in compliance with current laws is time consuming, confusing and expensive. It requires a lot of training, and is a constantly evolving field.

This is another reason why Green jobs will not be a panacea for the economy. The cost of training individuals to handle this type of work drives down a companies ability to pay a decent wage in this industry. This is not only true for us but is also true for all businesses who generate any kind of waste deemed as hazardous by our government. This includes electronics, light bulbs, batteries, and a whole host of other common items you may not have considered.

Companies consult with and contract with a company such as the one I work for to avoid getting shutdown or fined for violating environmental laws. It's easy to see why some small businesses will never have a chance of even getting a foothold when faced with these laws on top of all the others a business is required to follow to operate in this country. If you are planning on working for the EPA you may have an opportunity for upward mobility but the rest of us can look forward to a longer, deeper and more severe recession.

This is a bad trend that has been ongoing for a long time. The well intentioned government tends to complicate, convoluted and over extend its reach. Some within the current government are moving with an unprecedented zeal and boldness to further their own version of a green economy. This new economy will not look much like the free market system in which countless advances in technology have given us the opportunity for both economic progress and environmental stewardship. This vision of government as the guiding force in the economy that will move all of America, willing or not, into what it considers the best practices to save the earth. This is not a vision I can support.

What they fail to recognize in this equation is that the power of governments is the power of the sword. The government is not just a benevolent Santa Clause to who we write a wish list and it is delivered to us through magical means. Every new law carries the cost of creating a new bureaucracy to enforce it. That means an additional tax on the people and we can't afford to pay for more government bloat and waste right now. I believe in the sovereignty of the individual and have no illusions about the limitations of the government. The Practical experience of history should have taught us by now that the government should have no role in the bedrooms or in the boardrooms.

It is also clear by now that industry left to itself will destroy the rights of the individual in different yet equal ways. Therefore, government being wedded to industry is the scariest of all propositions. We are heading in this direction when the government awards money to industries with strings attached. These strings are used for control. Other companies will lose out in terms of being able to fairly compete against these hybrid government corporations.Those chosen industries will be protected by government and in turn the consumers will lose out in terms of freedom of choice and an increase in the cost of goods and services. Its easy to see how if the government is taking your tax money and propping up a competitor, you wont stand much of a chance in the new marketplace. Government supported monopolies are far worse than private monopolies that are at least governed by market forces.

We are in an economic quagmire right now caused by a meddling government and willing corporations and the results are unemployment, declining wages, higher taxes, inflation, and an overall lower standard of living for all. Its becoming an economy where you either work for the government or one of its chosen entities, or you are poor. This is the new class structure. It's no longer the race going to the swiftest, its the race going to the loudest lobbyist. Those who benefit from this structure encourage the expansion of this type of system. As the governments power increases so does their power and influence. Its not the same as a free market where everyone strives to better their lives and the lives of their families. Obtaining wealth is becoming a matter of lobbying government instead of the normal path of hard work and ingenuity.

Environmentalist have become a part of this system. The new so called 'Greens' are seeking to pass legislation that will regulate their competition nearly our of existence. In order to do so they are proposing a massive expansion of federal power. I don't throw my hat in with this crowd. They seek to destroy the very system that can do the most to fix our environmental issues. In the last 40 years we have done more than at any point in history to clean up pollution and at only a modest economic cost. Proposed legislation such as cap and trade or emission taxes will further hurt our own Industries in this country and further harm our economy. No one disputes this in the extremist green movement. They look forward to the new economy they will forge from the ashes of the free market system.

These people aren't in the same Green movement as I am in. I believe in freedom. I believe in enterprise. I believe in the goodness and resolve of the American people. I believe we have the intelligence and the technology to solve the current crises without destroying the foundations of a free society even further. Awareness and information is the key to motivating the people to do what is right. Not more legislation and constraints on our freedoms.

There is a growing trend in the country that has not come from Washington. Those who donate equipment to us are anxious to find ways to recycle other items as well. People are motivated by causes such as ours because our focus is not just on lecturing and scolding and lobbying Washington to take more and more of our freedoms away. Our focus is on helping people. We are not helping people if we destroy there very livelihoods and drive up the costs of living thorough frivolous legislation. Saving the earth and saving the economy can go hand in hand. If we could take every single so called 'green' lobbyist and have them volunteer for charitable causes instead of vying for government money and power we'd have this issue solved!

I also believe in the importance of clean air to breathe, clean rivers for people to use, and freedom from involuntary exposure to cancer causing chemicals. I think that people should conserve and recycle without government coercion to do so. I think that market forces should be brought to bear against companies that do not follow this common sense approach and this has been proven to be an effective means of changing attitudes. We don't need to take over businesses or the economy but our nation should make polluters pay the real costs that their pollution imposes upon society. That would give polluters tangible incentives to conserve non-renewable resources and to use renewable resources in a wise and responsible manner.

The environment is not a left/right issue any more. All of us have a role in its care. Those in Washington have little to teach us about conservation and efficiency. Our federal government is in fact, the worst polluter. Federal agencies have contaminated at least 61,155 sites around the USA, produce more toxic waste annually than the nation's five largest chemical companies, and have polluted 475 billion gallons of ground water. And the politicians and bureaucrats are immune from the laws they pass, and immune from the criminal penalties ordinary people face.

We all also share in protecting not just our freedoms but the freedoms of all. The Government has nothing to teach us about creation of wealth. Governments don't create wealth. They only consume it. The big government approach to the environment must end. The Socialist world suffers from the worst pollution on earth. You can be in favor of freedom and be Green and you definitely can be Green without being a Socialist.

What New Windows?

2009-09-26T22:29:00.000-07:00

After my last post a friend of mine told me I would be missing the boat by not upgrading to the latest incarnation of Windows and he pointed out that the cost of hardware is dropping every day and in fact I could get an entire media center PC for $1,200 with Windows 7 already on it.

To the first point I have to ask, what is it I will be missing out on in Windows 7 that my Linux distribution does not have? I find that these days I mainly use my computer for web applications and document creation. I also occasionally download music and edit graphics and pictures.

I was already using open source software for those applications. I have used Open Office for years now and for graphics I've grown rather fond of the GIMP. For email I use web based Yahoo and Gmail services. For music downloads I used Ares Galaxy but recently switched to Lime Wire. In fact, for about every basic function on the computer and some advanced ones I've been using some form of open source or free software.

My game playing has taken second stage in my life as the demands of working full time, raising a family and running a charity have taken front stage, so I'm I behind the times with that already and I'm better off for it. I still have my trusty PS2 and X box for those times when I just have to kill something.

So what killer feature does Windows 7 offer that will sway me to switch? When I asked this question I did some research on this and discovered I'm not missing much. One author said the best feature of Windows 7 was the ability to run Windows XP in a virtual machine. Now that's funny! The best feature of the new OS is it's ability to run the old OS. I can do that in Linux too as well as run Vista!

OK, so what else is new in 7? Here's a list of features compiled from Microsoft's Windows 7 site:

"Jump Lists—new in Windows 7—take you right to the documents, pictures, songs, or websites you turn to each day. To open a Jump List, just right-click a program icon on the Windows 7 taskbar." (Looks a lot like favorites. Had that in Linux already and the ability to pin to the taskbar.)

"Snap is a quick (and fun) new way to re size open windows, simply by dragging them to the edges of your screen." (This is a revolutionary feature? See Taskbar section below.)

"Windows Live Essentials. Simply put, it's free software that makes a PC running Windows 7 do more great things. Things like e-mail, instant messaging, photo editing, and blogging." (They took out all of the Microsoft crap-ware from the OS and now you can download them form Windows Live. Do yourself a favor and download open source alternatives that work instead. Compared to the Linux software repository Microsoft's Live offerings look pathetic.)

"Windows Taskbar. Sure, the new Windows 7 taskbar is still the same familiar place for switching between windows. But now it's easier to see, more flexible, and more powerful." (Have you ever heard of KDE? It was a truly unique attempt to rethinking the taskbar. If you want to see a cool way to organize your windows nothing beats Linux multiple desktops. You can even view them in a desktop cube that you can scroll though with your mouse wheel.)

"New desktop themes." (in Linux you can install an entirely different desktop, not just a theme), "some new wallpapers, and some new gadgets ala improved windows sidebar." (Excuse me, but enhancing something does not make it a 'new' feature. In Linux gadgets have been a mainstay for quite a while now in the form of plasmoids.)

There is also improved touch screen support. (That would be nice but wont help me any unless I dole out the money for a touch screen PC. Besides that, Linux has had touch screen capabilities since the 1994 Compaq Concerto.)

Microsoft also did some nice graphics enhancements to the whole OS. (The desktop looks nice. Linux falls short in this area, but with major updates coming every month they are not far behind. Windrows 7 still cant hold a candle to a Mac in this area. To me the new 7 desktop seems strangely reminiscent of PC-Linux.)

They slimmed down 7 so its system requirements are slightly less than Vistas. (This was because of all the netbooks that came out that were running Linux out of necessity. Microsoft had even extended the life of XP to keep windows pre-installed on these new computers! Come on guys, with Linux you can get your entire OS on a bootable CD. Or on a thumb drive you can carry with you to any computer. That is a slim OS!)

There are a lot of other minor tweaks, fixes, etc.all things that more or less should have been fixed in Vista before it was released. (Nothing being touted here convinces me Microsoft should have discontinued Vista or even XP for that matter. If this was a car salesman selling us a new car to replace the old broken car he sold us to replace the previous broken car he sold us we'd figure out we had been ripped off a long time ago.We would just want him to fix the darn car!)

I'm not saying Microsoft software is all bad. My main argument here is that these features are nothing new and should have been fixed in a Vista patch. The whole Kernel of 7 is built on the Vista Kernel so its not a stretch for them to fix what was already there. It is their code and it can't possibly be so inflexible that even Microsoft could not have fixed it . Linux has bugs sometimes too. But with Linux as I pointed out I'm going to get a fix and not a whole new OS. With Linux I'm not going to be paying for that fix either.

That brings me to my friends second point. Tech prices will always drop and $1,200 for that uber-system seems like a steal compared to what it once was priced. I don't even have $500.00 to plunk into a computer, and a lot of families are in the same boat. Why would I pay for something I already have? My existing hardware can do all the same things better and faster with Linux.

For those of you who want to spend that kind of money chasing Microsoft's tail around, more power too you. I look forward to the donation of your old computers and if that kind of cash is easy to come by, I know I can count on you to donate some money to our cause so we can provide even better computers to families in our community who don't have one. Because we are using Linux and open source software that kind of money will go a long way!

Check out the following video to see some Linux eye candy in action!

http://computersforcharity.webs.com

For more comparisons here is a great in depth article: http://www.tuxradar.com/content/linux-vs-windows-7?page=1

Upgrade and Dispose or Reduce and Reuse?

2009-09-19T16:16:00.000-07:00

Microsoft has come out with another new OS, Windows 7. Since Vista turned out to be about as popular as Windows ME was, the software giant has followed the same path with Windows 7 as it did going from ME to XP. Windows 7 isn't really much more than a fixed version of Vista with some of the annoyances missing and new ones included.

One thing is for certain, the XP operating system that most people prefer is dead in the water and you can't even upgrade from XP to 7. I was a fan of XP from the beginning but then I had more disposable income to upgrade my system to meet XPs requirements. In today's economy though I am not in the same position I was then.

Also since then my values have changed. I was oblivious in the past to the environmental impact that all these hardware upgrades were causing worldwide in the form of e-waste. The carcasses and entrails of our old equipment polluted our landfills first, and then as local regulations tightened, were shipped to third world countries and dumped on the poorest of the poor.

Microsoft illustrates that neither it nor the big computer manufactures have changed their attitudes much in regards to their core business principals. Sure there are new initiatives announced every day by them but their hearts are still only on the bottom line. Keeping us enslaved to the Upgrade and Dispose mentality that lines their pockets is truly the only green initiative that they believe in.

Form what they are saying the minimum system requirements to run Windows 7 will be more modest that Vista. That is great news for computer refurbishers who have to work with the older hardware from peoples previous Windows upgrades right? Lets look at the facts. At minimum you will need:

1 GHz or faster 32-bit (x86) or 64-bit (x64) processor

1 GB RAM (32-bit) / 2 GB RAM (64-bit)

16 GB available disk space (32-bit) / 20 GB (64-bit)

DirectX 9 graphics processor with WDDM 1.0 or higher driver

The requirements recommended by Microsoft are insufficient; these are minimums, which means your experience will be minimal. If you load Windows 7 on a PC that does not have enough processing power, operating memory, hard drive space and the right combination of video and sound cards Windows 7 will work, but at a much lower capability than its optimum performance.

These are fairly high end requirements for those of us who shelled out the money for a new PC less than 5 years ago. I just got my desktop upgraded to 512 MB of RAM to run XP comfortably.

Then there is the cost of the OS, Were talking $200.00 for the Starter Edition. Add to that the cost of licensing Microsoft Office. Also add an anti virus program license annually, to protect your Windows system form the inevitable malware that it will be infected with if you don't. Theses are all considerable costs in addition to whatever hardware you have to invest in to do things the 'Microsoft Way'.

I'm writing this post from my laptop which used to have Windows Vista on it. Even with a Pentium Dual-Core processor and 1 Gb of RAM it was running like a limp turtle when running more than three applications and Vista. Now its running Mac Pup (a lightweight Linux distro). I'm currently only using 200 MB of memory and I have applications running in two other desktops. The entire OS is running in RAM so it is FAST.

Even the requirements for running a typical full fledged version of Linux are not prohibitive:

Processor: Intel—Pentium 1-4 or Xeon; AMD—Duron, Athlon, Athlon XP, Athlon MP, Athlon 64, Sempron or Opteron

Memory: 256 MB

Hard disk: 500 MB for minimal system; 3 GB recommended for standard system

Sound and graphics cards: Supports most modern sound and graphics cards

At Computers for Charity we advocate the use of Open Source software as an alternative to the commercial bloatware that will be discontinued in a few years and force you to upgrade your whole system. We may not be able to provide you with a system capable of running the latest Microsoft OS, but why would we want to?

For more information Please go to: http://computersforcharity.webs.com

Mixed feelings Dells partnership with Goodwill

2009-08-29T17:49:00.000-07:00

If you haven't heard, Goodwill and Dell recently teamed up in a new computer recycling initiative. "The program’s goal is two-fold: divert nearly one million pounds of used computers and computer equipment from area landfills over the next year; and provide consumer education on the importance of environmentally-responsible computer disposal. Reconnect also can help create job opportunities for individuals with disabilities and other employment barriers."
This is right up my alley right. Yes and um...not so much. I'm happy to see large corporations getting on the bandwagon with e-cycling initiatives and I'm glad to see that some of the proceeds will go to help handicapped children. My daughter is handicapped and though we've never utilized goodwill's services, its nice to know they are there. But the question I have to ask is, WHAT HAPPENS TO THE COMPUTERS? I emailed the reconnect program rep and asked just that. Will they come back into our community as refurbished systems to help families and charities? The answer is no.

In fact Dell is taking these systems, at least the ones that are Dells and refurbishing them for profit. Profits a good thing, but not when its taking computers form people that need them. That is why at Computers for Charity we never, never sell a computer to anyone., We give them away for free. We provide the free training as needed to individuals and organizations to help them to get the most out of the computers we provide.

Dell is also taking the equipment that is not refurbished (which will be a lot!) and recycling it. Recycling in this sense means SHREDDING PERFECTLY GOOD COMPUTERS for the metal. The only sin these computers committed was not being a Dell. We have an inside joke at our shop when a new computer comes in. I look at it and say "Don't be Windows!". But we care not if it's a Dell or a Compaq or a Gateway. Computers can be refurbished for reuse no matter what the brand name. Reuse consumes 20% less energy than Recycling. That's why we only send equipment to be recycled as a last resort. We are not in this for a profit. Were in it to do the most good for the environment and for the people we help too!

The Dell representative told me that they can only work with Goodwill in this initiative and there was no way a local organization such as ours could benefit from this program. The refurbished systems still go form $450.00 and up still placing them out of the price range of a small non profit or a disadvantaged family (I know I can't afford that type of expenditure personally, especially not in this economy).As a supporter of Goodwill industries and a supporter of Dells initiative as a whole I see this as a positive trend. As a charitable computer refurbisher I fear the downside will be less computers available to local families and organizations who desperately need them.

My recommendation to those who want to see their outgoing equipment be put to good use would be to first check for a local non-profit charitable refurbisher to see if they will take your donation. There are plenty of them around in the big cities like Computers For Communities and Free Geek to name a few. Locally in Bowling Green, Ohio Computers for Charity is the only 100% charitable organization that is providing computer systems to people in need for free. We hope to be able to serve all of Wood County as the word gets out that we are taking computer donations for charitable purposes.

You can contact us at computersforcharity@gmail.com or visit our website http://computersforcharity.webs.com to see if we can take your donation. If we cannot take your donation Id be happy to recommend taking it to Goodwill as this is another environmentally safe and charitable way to dispose of your unused equipment.

100 Incredible Philanthropy Blogs

2009-08-02T04:36:00.001-07:00

Made number 69 on this list. Check it out!

100 Incredible Philanthropy Blogs

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Just Owning Green Techology Dosen't Make You Green

2009-07-15T17:49:00.000-07:00

In today's world many of the gadgets we use advertise that they are environmentally friendly. In some cases this is a clever advertising ploy meant to sway those of us who are environmentally conscious to purchase their product. Since there is no single international standard for eco-lables, these are considered vague and meaningless distinctions by the International Organization for Standardization. In other cases it is because of features built into the product such as power saving features in Energy Star compliant lighting, office equipment and appliances.

All of these are great Ideas but the burden is still on the consumer to use these products appropriately to maximize the benefit on the environment. Just owning green technology doesn't make you green. You still have to use good judgment in the way you consume resources. For instance the advent of the computerized office was supposed to eliminate paper waste. You remember the slogan the 'paperless office'. Well that was coined in the 1975 in Business Week Magazine. You'd think by now we'd be there. To the contrary the introduction of computers into the office increased paper use, doubling it from 1980 to 2000. The ability to print multiple copies without typing a document which are in turn easy to email and be printed again by the recipient accounts for some of the increase. Couple that with the ever growing paper trail that offices now keep to cover themselves from the IRS and other regulatory agencies as well as the ability of individuals to print documents at home as well as pictures, web pages, emails you can understand how the increase happened. To help minimize paper waste it is best to share documents online, write them to a disk or thumb drive to take with you or email them. You can also use recycled paper for those documents you have to print.

Energy Star compliant computers and monitors are nice but are rarely used to their fullest potential on desktop PC's. Instead we opt for screen savers that show off our computers graphic capabilities or our favorite family photo album. A computer running a screen saver causes our monitor and CPU to consume just as much energy as if you were actively using the computer. Computers and other appliances draw energy even if they are in sleep mode albeit not as much. It is still better to turn it off when its not in use. Even when the computer is turned off it consumes energy unless it is unplugged or turned off on a power strip. The best practice is to have all of your electronic equipment on power strips that can be turned off at the strip when not in use for prolonged periods of time. This will eliminate the vampire load drawn from the equipment which can consume 15 to 30 watts of power for each piece of equipment.

We all like to have the biggest and best monitors and television sets. With the advent of LCD screens at an affordable price its easier to fit that big screen in your home or office. This is good because Flat Screen monitors consume about 50% less energy than their CRT counterparts. This is also bad because a 17 inch LCD consumes 30% more energy than a 15 inch. Its best to have a screen that fits your needs instead of opting for the biggest screen you can squeeze into your workspace.

When looking for a printer consider buying an ink jet printer. It will consume about 80% less energy than a laser printer. Its also a good idea to share a printer on a network as opposed to having one in each cubicle or room of your home. A shared printer prints just as well and will use less energy as well as take up less space in your home or office than multiple printers.

Another important thing to consider is waste management. Do you have receptacles for recycling paper, aluminum and plastic in your home and office? These are some of the easiest items to collect for recycling , yet many never bother with it. When items that can be recycled go into a landfill everyone loses. Its more costly and takes more energy to produce the raw materials for these products than it takes to recycle them. There is also the cost of the city managing waste that could have been recycled. It cost taxpayer money to have municipal workers to pick up the trash, transport it and manage it in a landfill. Those garbage trucks are not exactly energy efficient vehicles either. Not to mention all the heavy equipment at the landfill like bulldozers, cranes and compactors that are required to bury these easily recyclable items into your local landscape.

Another factor to consider in waste management is how to dispose of your electronic equipment. Computers in particular contain many hazardous substances that are regulated by the EPA. Here is a list of just some of them:

Lead in cathode ray tube and solder

Arsenic in older cathode ray tubes

Selenium in circuit boards as power supply rectifier

Polybrominated flame retardants in plastic casings, cables and circuit boards

Antimony trioxide as flame retardant

Cadmium in circuit boards and semiconductors

Chromium in steel as corrosion protection

Cobalt in steel for structure and magnetivity

Mercury in switches and housing

Americans junk over 3 million tons of electronic waste every year and it is the fastest growing category in our waste stream. One solution is to pay to have these items properly managed by a recycling facility. Another option is to donate your used computer equipment to a non-profit computer refurbisher like Computers for Charity who can provide you with a receipt for a tax deduction. We can then use this equipment to help individuals and other charities and non-profits. If we can't take it we can point you to an recycling facility that will properly handle your e-waste for you.

Being Green isn't just about saving the environment. It makes economic sense too. It also feels great to help someone else in need with what would have more junk in our landfills.

http://computersforcharity.webs.com/

What is a Green Church?

2009-06-11T12:48:00.000-07:00

From a biblical perspective the environment is actually a part of God's creation - of which humanity is also a part. Therefore, caring for God's creation does not just mean caring for nature, nor does it just mean caring for humanity; it means caring for both.

Most major environmental problems such as air pollution and water pollution, hurt people. These problems fight against Christ's reconciliation of all of creation. In many instances they hit the poor, the children, and the elderly the hardest.

The United Methodist Church realizes and affirms the responsibility of every United Methodist to care for God’s creation. We are called to participate not only in the redemption of individuals and all of humanity, but in the healing of creation itself. Therefore, ministries that encourage care for God’s creation are significant in our mission as United Methodists.

Here are some ways to help:

Reduce office paper waste by implementing a formal policy to duplex all draft reports, and by making training manuals and personnel information available electronically.

Plant flowers and shrubs that are well suited to your climate. The benefit: You'll use less fertilizer and pesticides.

Donate unwanted supplies to local schools or nonprofit organizations.

Donate cafeteria food scraps for use as animal feed.

Advertise surplus and reusable items through a commercial materials exchange.

Donate excess building materials to local low-income housing developers.

Employ energy-efficient technology.This can help reduce emissions (air pollution) from power plants that produce energy. Energy-efficient lighting products offer warm, bright light with the added benefit of using 75% less energy and lasting up to 10 times longer than traditional bulbs and fixtures.

Recycling from aluminum cans, and glass and plastic bottles, to paper and printer toner cartridges. Recycling reduces the amount of waste materials that are put in landfills or incinerated while decreasing greenhouse gas emissions and deforestation.

Take care when dealing with lighting and electronic waste. The disposal of some of this waste is regulated, since both electronic and lighting waste may contain potentially harmful substances, and these products need to be separated from your other garbage. The best way to dispose of this waste is to recycle it.

Computers for Charity can recycle your old computers and accessories that are no longer in use. We refurbish the systems and provide them to underprivileged families and other non-profit organizations, here and abroad.

You get the advantage of not only getting rid of your unwanted computer equipment, but you get the satisfaction of knowing it will be used to help someone else in need. We can also provide you with a tax deductible receipt for your donations!

So, if you care about the environment and care about people too, please contact us:

computer.support.guru@gmail.com

http://www.wix.com/jeffbkill/computers-for-charity

http://computersforcharity.webs.com/

Computers to benifit Balay San Columbano

2009-06-06T05:15:00.000-07:00

Balay San Columbano is a Christian Foundation in the Philippines. It's purpose is to provide safe shelter, food, clothing and education to needy young people who come from a variety of family backgrounds. Some of the young people have been rescued off the street, some from abusive alcoholic homes. Others come from desperately poor families.

The Foundation also works to spread awareness of the needs of young people in this area of Philippines where poverty, violence drugs and alcohol threaten their lives and futures. Through the efforts of Father Donald H. Kill who is known as “Lolo” or Grandpa to these children and the support of sponsors here in the United States, the Balay San Columbano Foundation is providing a brighter future to the these students, as well as a glimmer of hope for the future of our world as a whole.

In support of this great Missionary effort, Computers for Charity is hoping to provide enough laptop computers so that each student will have a computer available to them. We recently picked up over 600 older laptops and are in the process of testing, cleaning, sorting and packaging these systems to be shipped to the Philippines.

This is no small undertaking and will take the dedicated effort of many volunteers. We are requesting the help of other churches to join us in helping these truly disadvantaged young people. We hope to have these laptops ready to be shipped by the end of this month if possible.

Father Don has told us that the students will be thrilled to have anything we can provide for them. It is our desire to make sure that we send them functional systems that will meet their needs. These computers are older and people here in the United States may not see any value in them but Father Don has a Linux technician on staff who will install and manage Linux on these systems. These older laptops will help to connect these children to a broader world of technology that will open doors of opportunity for them in the future.

This will be the first international venture for Computers for Charity. Once we have a process and a protocol in place for an undertaking of this magnitude we will be able to provide computers to other regions of the world that are in desperate need of information aged tools.

If you've been thinking about donating your old computer to a worthwhile cause now is the time! If you don't have a computer to donate but would like to volunteer your time to make this project happen please email me at: computer.support.guru@gmail.com or visit our website: http://computersforcharity.webs.com/

For more information on the Balay San Columbano Foundation please visit:
http://www.balaysancolumbano.net/

Microsoft Authorised Refurbisher Status

2009-05-26T18:20:00.000-07:00

Computers for Charity is now an official Microsoft Authorized Refurbisher! No, Microsoft hasn't taken over our operations (thank goodness) or given us a budget (don't I wish). In fact, I still prefer to install Linux operating systems on the computers I rebuild but out of necessity I sometimes have to install a Microsoft OS on the systems due to software compatibility issues.

Unfortunately most equipment that gets donated to us doesn't come with the original operating system media and my standard workaround for this has been to install Ubuntu or Open Suse Linux on the systems with Windows emulation software enabled to make the systems compatible with Microsoft software. In fact , after working with Linux for a while it became my OS of choice for refurbished systems. I've covered my thoughts on that in a previous post thogh.

To make a long story short MAR status gives us the ability to install genuine windows software on a computer that originally had Microsoft software on it for a small administrative fee from Microsoft (of course they gotta make some money). But this is then a legal copy of Windows on the system and I don't risk entanglements for infringing Microsoft's software license.

Its also an assurance to our donors that we meet the eligibility requirements required to qualify as a Microsoft Authorized Refurbisher:

• The technical competence required to preinstall Windows operating
systems
• Appropriate security measures in place to ensure the safe storage and
handling of COAs
• Adequate systems for data wiping and reporting, including
conformance to Department of Defense or similar standards on all hard
disks being reused through the program
• Conformance with applicable local health, safety, and environmental
regulations

As this effort keeps growing I'm looking forward to hearing from all of you as you do your spring cleaning and find all that old computer stuff your not even using anymore!

Please consider donating today and you will be doing a small part to help the environment and a big part in changing someones life. Because we a a non profit refurbisher you can get a tax deduction for your donation too!!

So whats holding you back form making your donation?

Contact me at: computer.support.guru@gmail.com or visit one of our websites:

http://www.wix.com/jeffbkill/computers-for-charity or http://computersforcharity.webs.com/