Where is my mail?
What - no mail client in Windows 7.
The answer is yes there is no mail client in Windows 7 and there is reason to be glad. That reason is Windows Live Mail. A separate software suite that the user has to decide to download and install. In the package comes the mail client, movie maker, photo email, Silverlight and a few other bells and whistles to choose from. Yes - I did say choose. You can download all or none.
Many of our clients are involved with their families and the advent of social networking sites have made the number of pictures available to me - the budding grandpa - simply amazing. So many that keeping up is tough and finding a way to share them with others tougher yet. That is but one of the reasons that Windows Live Mail is so much fun. Yes I said fun.
The auto connect feature pretty much makes setting up the account a breeze. Better yet is so far it handles all eight of my email accounts in one client. All I did was click add. Insert email address provide password and then click finish. Email accounts added and Windows Live Mail syncs all the clients and presents me with the unread mail in a straight forward easy to find list. So every email I used to access different ways each time are each right there at my fingertips. Read, reply, forward or save.
Contacts are just as easy. Each email client tends to collect its own contact list. My yahoo mail is my main one and has all my family and many friends. Along with each email client it is just as easy to import the contact list into Windows Live Mail. Now yahoo still wants to be converted to comma separated values and the option to build the contact/address book is not as easy as setting up the email. But pretty close.
Mail - who to send to from where and how. Windows Live Mail keeps track of it for you. Each of my mail accounts are designed to help me. Yahoo is friends and family. The address rarely changes and makes it easier to keep up with them and older friends. G-mail is more modern and I tend to use it for the business stuff I do on the web like registering software and the like. Of course AOL has been with me as long as the internet has and it is a throwaway address I just use to track things and junk mail. The cool thing is that when you reply to an email, Windows Live Mail sends the reply via the mail address you received the mail from and in the same format - that means your friend can get your email from an address they know and in the format they are used to reading it in. Previous clients assume a default mail server and all outgoing mail is processed thru that server. Only new mail - that you generate is automatically sent via the default client. So with this new feature, the bells and whistles associated with your mail are still there. Your signature, footnotes, emoticons and stuff automatically stay with the client.
The fun in this is that everything you save is there on your computer. You can save password emails, license keys, inspirational thoughts - whatever category you choose, you can save the email and it is there. In Windows 7 - it is automatically backed up and so if a crash happens those emails are still safe. Many of these features were included in Microsoft's Office Product but face it what average person buys Office for their home PC. Live Mail incorporates the best of all Microsoft email clients into one place.
Let's talk about Photo Mail. Attaching photos to send to Aunt Rae or Me Maw was a daunting task. If you made the pictures too big they might not go through. If you sent too many then they might get lost. Then of course on the receiving end there is the question of how to open them, why can't I see them or how do I save them. Way too many questions. Sometimes you felt lucky if you got to see the pictures at all. In Photo Mail you can select the pictures you want to send. Live Mail makes it easy to decide what size you want to send. If you want to send print quality then big is better. If you want to show and tell then something smaller will work.
How about a slide show. How about an interesting frame or enhancement. What about captions and descriptions, not just a file name. All neat things to include with a picture. Now Live Mail will now do all that and more. In a matter of minutes you can send two to twenty pictures to Me Maw and she will get to see them - exactly how you intended. Even if you choose to send slideshows and the receiving computer is not able to do slideshows, your recipients can still see them the way you intended. If the computer on the other end needs help to do the slide show then the help is there. If the receiving computer needs help then the slideshow you worked so hard on is automatically ported to an open browser window using Silverlight and your slide show is right there ready to go.
Better still Windows Live Mail does not run on just Windows 7. Windows XP and Vista are supported too. So your email friends and family can also use Live Mail while accessing all those wonderful features you are discovering.
Windows Live Mail is just this: The advantage of a web based mail client that is not limited to one email address. Give Windows Live Mail a try and I bet you will be sending a link to Grandma in no time. If nothing else click the link and read the headline - like they stole it from me.
Just so you know - I don't get one cent from saying this. What I do get is that if you try it, like it, and bring a smile to someone's face with that cute picture that is lurking in your My Pictures folder then it is all worth it.
Thursday, September 24, 2009
Tuesday, September 15, 2009
Is Software in the OS Important
Officially the website is up and running a week now. The good part is that the basics are done and now there is just the details to fill in. Thankfully things on the internet tend to hang around so you can likely find us anytime you want. The question for the day is what to add to the tips blog.
How about the answer to a simple question that has no simple answer. That is: Do I want to move to Windows 7?
The simple answer is a resounding YES!!!
In the three years since Vista hit the market and lots of people snubbed it (thier mistake) for what ever reason - things have changed dramatically. Unless you want to stay in a ten year old world where the new technology and hardware options are not even on the radar. When XP was written there was so much stuff that we could not imagine that are available today. I am not even going to waste time with why you may still be with XP and not in Vista. While what is under the hood is great it is what you see on the screen, how fast it gets there, how safe you are and how much fun you have that are important.
Media
When we first saw Media Center as part of the Windows operating system it was hard to imagine a day when it would become something to embrace. Today we can stream virtually any video content anywhere we want it. Our complaint with Media Center was that it was slow and cumbersome. Today I can set in front of my 42 inch plasma, infared remote in hand wisking through menus to find the photo, song or video I want to play. Stream from Netflix or Hulu with the click of a remote.
In todays world the media is there but can you get it. The answer is yes, but at a price. Processing video to display on a monitor, HDTV, Projection System, or even to a cell phone requires some power. Memory and graphics processors come to mind. New hardware is using new technology such as DDR2/3/4/5/6 memory, GPU's with one gigahertz speeds, Multicore processors are the normal now, and we have yet to address 64 bit technology.
None of the hardware features listed above are addressed by Windows XP. They just begin to be touched on with Vista. Windows 7 embraces each and everyone of them and more that are yet to come. With hardware costs spiralling downward software becomes more and more important. When someone comes to me and wants to build an new computer for them. Requesting all the latest in hardware technology along with the sleekest case and displays only to add: "But I don't want Windows Vista (Windows 7).
WOW
To be honest I am no Microsoft fan. I did not even use Windows until Millenium Editon. It was DOS all the way. I came to realize that progress meant change and the old stuff was going away with the old hardware technology. So I could stay a dinosaur or move with the times.
So the question is really this. Why buy eight gig of memory when only three of it will be used by software. Why purchase a 3.0 SATA drive when the software was written to support IDE and only later updated to SATA 1.0. So you want a BluRay reader or maybe even a burner. Was blue ray even on the radar when Windows XP was the rage.
You need that one gig DDR4 memory graphics card with a 750 mghz gpu to run that new game. You are a smart person so you buy it. Then run home plug it in only to learn that the frame rate you expected is not there. Only to find out that your new technology is hamstrung by a decade old 32 bit operating system.
Features
Saftey, security and stability. The old Microsoft left those parts to third party software and for the user to be smart enough to keep things safe. After a few rough falls Microsoft finally realized it could not rely on third party software to keep IT'S operating system secure. The customer does not want to be boggled down keeping up with and endlessly changing field of rules.
Windows 7 backs itself up - in background. The only time you notice is when you need it. Not only does it back up files, but it backs up a complete system image. Adding spam filtering, pop up blocking, script blocking and many under the hood tweeks. The Windows 7 system is the safest yet. The biggest (in shear numbers) operating system in the world will surely come under attack by those who engage in such things. With modern update proceedures and software operations that do take some getting used to the only unsafe way to get infected is for you to open the door and invite them in.
No longer relying on hardware manufacturers to write drivers, Microsoft Update now updates and posts its own drivers to correct problems up front. To help with this the user can elect to send crash data to Microsoft what allows for faster recognition of software/driver issues and subsequent correction.
Out of the box, add a good antivirus program, Windows 7 is the safest and most secure ever. No trial periods for the end user to forget about and leave the system secure.
Snip it. Now that one little tool is the coolest yet. In this media age we see pictures, texts and other stuff on our screen that is not just a simple picture we can cut and paste. Snip it will let you capture anything - yes I said anything - that you can see on your computer screen. No matter what it takes to make that screen snipit will copy the selected area and save it to any file format you select or to the clipboard to paste where you might choose. No more print screen or screen caps that you have to work around to get to work. Snipit is easy. Simply open the program, draw the box and save. Done
Out of the box Windows 7 plays more media without extra software. Windows 7 will play a retail DVD without installing third party players. Or purchasing a driver pack. If you are one who uses Windows Media Center Classic to play certain files - not now. Windows 7 can do it.
Sum it up!
Give that new computer dream of yours a chance. Go find you a reliable technician who will build your computer from the gound up. If he or she says avoid Windows 7 then I suggest you move on. If you put a high tech fuel injected V-8 engine in a Model T -- It is still a Modle T.
Still have an issue with Windows 7. Hey drop me line with the problem you have or the question and I will answer it. In the end let me help you match the software with the hardware and make your computing experience the best it can be.
That is what it is all about here at Computer Associates of Abilene.
How about the answer to a simple question that has no simple answer. That is: Do I want to move to Windows 7?
The simple answer is a resounding YES!!!
In the three years since Vista hit the market and lots of people snubbed it (thier mistake) for what ever reason - things have changed dramatically. Unless you want to stay in a ten year old world where the new technology and hardware options are not even on the radar. When XP was written there was so much stuff that we could not imagine that are available today. I am not even going to waste time with why you may still be with XP and not in Vista. While what is under the hood is great it is what you see on the screen, how fast it gets there, how safe you are and how much fun you have that are important.
Media
When we first saw Media Center as part of the Windows operating system it was hard to imagine a day when it would become something to embrace. Today we can stream virtually any video content anywhere we want it. Our complaint with Media Center was that it was slow and cumbersome. Today I can set in front of my 42 inch plasma, infared remote in hand wisking through menus to find the photo, song or video I want to play. Stream from Netflix or Hulu with the click of a remote.
In todays world the media is there but can you get it. The answer is yes, but at a price. Processing video to display on a monitor, HDTV, Projection System, or even to a cell phone requires some power. Memory and graphics processors come to mind. New hardware is using new technology such as DDR2/3/4/5/6 memory, GPU's with one gigahertz speeds, Multicore processors are the normal now, and we have yet to address 64 bit technology.
None of the hardware features listed above are addressed by Windows XP. They just begin to be touched on with Vista. Windows 7 embraces each and everyone of them and more that are yet to come. With hardware costs spiralling downward software becomes more and more important. When someone comes to me and wants to build an new computer for them. Requesting all the latest in hardware technology along with the sleekest case and displays only to add: "But I don't want Windows Vista (Windows 7).
WOW
To be honest I am no Microsoft fan. I did not even use Windows until Millenium Editon. It was DOS all the way. I came to realize that progress meant change and the old stuff was going away with the old hardware technology. So I could stay a dinosaur or move with the times.
So the question is really this. Why buy eight gig of memory when only three of it will be used by software. Why purchase a 3.0 SATA drive when the software was written to support IDE and only later updated to SATA 1.0. So you want a BluRay reader or maybe even a burner. Was blue ray even on the radar when Windows XP was the rage.
You need that one gig DDR4 memory graphics card with a 750 mghz gpu to run that new game. You are a smart person so you buy it. Then run home plug it in only to learn that the frame rate you expected is not there. Only to find out that your new technology is hamstrung by a decade old 32 bit operating system.
Features
Saftey, security and stability. The old Microsoft left those parts to third party software and for the user to be smart enough to keep things safe. After a few rough falls Microsoft finally realized it could not rely on third party software to keep IT'S operating system secure. The customer does not want to be boggled down keeping up with and endlessly changing field of rules.
Windows 7 backs itself up - in background. The only time you notice is when you need it. Not only does it back up files, but it backs up a complete system image. Adding spam filtering, pop up blocking, script blocking and many under the hood tweeks. The Windows 7 system is the safest yet. The biggest (in shear numbers) operating system in the world will surely come under attack by those who engage in such things. With modern update proceedures and software operations that do take some getting used to the only unsafe way to get infected is for you to open the door and invite them in.
No longer relying on hardware manufacturers to write drivers, Microsoft Update now updates and posts its own drivers to correct problems up front. To help with this the user can elect to send crash data to Microsoft what allows for faster recognition of software/driver issues and subsequent correction.
Out of the box, add a good antivirus program, Windows 7 is the safest and most secure ever. No trial periods for the end user to forget about and leave the system secure.
Snip it. Now that one little tool is the coolest yet. In this media age we see pictures, texts and other stuff on our screen that is not just a simple picture we can cut and paste. Snip it will let you capture anything - yes I said anything - that you can see on your computer screen. No matter what it takes to make that screen snipit will copy the selected area and save it to any file format you select or to the clipboard to paste where you might choose. No more print screen or screen caps that you have to work around to get to work. Snipit is easy. Simply open the program, draw the box and save. Done
Out of the box Windows 7 plays more media without extra software. Windows 7 will play a retail DVD without installing third party players. Or purchasing a driver pack. If you are one who uses Windows Media Center Classic to play certain files - not now. Windows 7 can do it.
Sum it up!
Give that new computer dream of yours a chance. Go find you a reliable technician who will build your computer from the gound up. If he or she says avoid Windows 7 then I suggest you move on. If you put a high tech fuel injected V-8 engine in a Model T -- It is still a Modle T.
Still have an issue with Windows 7. Hey drop me line with the problem you have or the question and I will answer it. In the end let me help you match the software with the hardware and make your computing experience the best it can be.
That is what it is all about here at Computer Associates of Abilene.
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