Fix IT Newsletter Alert May 2009 Issue 0019 News New pages added since last newsletter... Upgrade Your Laptop Solar Power for Backup when the power is out? Component Repair on a Motherboard A special note, I am raising the price for all my products on May 10th, 2009. So if you haven't purchased the one you want now would be the time, save over 20 % Articles This may be of interest if you are thinking of beating the depression by starting your own business: http://EzineArticles.com/?id=2156415 Hello If you look at the list of new pages on my web site you will find one of them that is not computer related. In a way it is because everyone needs power for their computer. One of the reasons I am serious about solar power is I want to have a system that I can use while RV'ing. One of the reasons for going or adding solar to the RV is the cost of fuel now days. And the fact that I will be going places that are far from the beaten track and will need all the gas the RV carries for getting there and back. The generator in the RV uses a gallon of gas per hour to operate, the fuel tanks hold fifty gallons. So to conserve the fuel I am going to install some solar panels and then I won't have to worry about running out of gas! As an experiment and the need to conserve some money I did the research and then upgraded my T-30 laptop. It turned out very well, the laptop has a new lease on life and has increase in speed. And it didn't cost me over $200. You may want to read the article if you are considering buying a new laptop. And for those that can use a volt/ohm meter and want to repair your dead or broken computer component the third article is a tutorial on how to... it is not a full fledged course on repairing a PCB but the tips and tricks type tutorial. On the computer front it is pretty quite nothing new of note. I barrowed a netbook from a friend for a day while I was working from home. The good news - The battery lasted over two hours. The bad news - the screen is very small, even with my reading glasses (yup I am that old) after half an hour it gave me a head ache. Plus (and this is what I was afraid of) even with a higher resolution and scrolling back and forth in the word processor I had a hard time keeping up with making notes while the speaker was talking. I gave up and took notes on paper. The last time I went to one of these seminars I used the T-30 and had no problems. Other news: As the Grand Daughter grow so does the store of pictures. Now if you have a digital camera and you want to send the images to family and friends you know how the camera names the images. Wouldn't it be nice to have a way to rename them easily? Well here is a free utility I use Rename Master you can download the program here RenameMaster. Works well on other similarly named files also. Do you need to make a side show for your business or just to show off your pictures? Here is a really neat and easy to use program a friend sent me, this is 'shareware' program you can download and evaluate, I am considering buying it for $50. Flash Slideshow Maker. www.diy-computer-repair.com Highly Recommends... This is the "kitchen sink" e-book for computer maintenance and repair. A jam-packed 346 pages. As Monte Russell (the author) says about his e-books, "Computers have always been complex, but if a guy that grew up out in the boonies in Wyoming can fix 'em, you can also!" Monte is a 20-year veteran of the U.S. Air Force. Afterwards, he served a long career as a computer repair tech and network administrator (www.pcmech.com). A must have e-book for your computer! Note: The price of this e-book will increase from $37.97 to $47.97 on May 10, 2009 save over 20 %. Get you copy before the price increase! Learn more here... Q and A This site contains a lot of information. As with any publication not all information is available due to space, time, or subject constraints. If you have a question that you did not find the answer on this web site  you a can ask your question here and we will endeavor to get you the most up to date answer possible! Comments? Ideas? Feedback? I'd love to hear from you. Just reply to this newsletter and tell me what you think! Yes, you may forward this email to anyone you want! If you don't have a subscription, and would like one, just go to our Fix It! newsletter signup (and get free sample pages at the same time) Here are some web sites that may be of interest to you: Need help with basic system functions: Computer help - Learn how to use your computer All the best, Monte Russell Webmaster www.diy-computer-repair.com Return to top