MySunCountry Computer Club Central Florida

Today in Central Florida over 70% of seniors use the internet on a daily basis. The purpose of the MySunCountry Computer Club is to assist and advise Central Florida Seniors in the use of their computers and the Internet. Each month we will be featuring a Central Florida computer expert that will provide valuable advice. A panel of experts will host an on-going feature called 'Ask the Expert'. This will consist of an 'Ask the Expert Message Board' were you may post your questions and comments by subject matter and receive personalized answers. A MySunCountry.com Compute Club Blog has been set up on blogspot.com. Anyone can view the blog but to interact and ask questions of make comments you will need a free Google Account if you don't currently have one. You can view this blog by going to:

My Sun Country has partnered with My Computer Works to provide on-line Computer Support.

Didn't grow up with a computer - but now you need one? Tired of calling your children for computer support? My Computer Works can help make your computer worries disappear! Our U.S.-based technicians are experts in helping our customers understand their computers and even fixing their computers.

Today, for most people having a home computer is a necessity. With the help of the Internet, you can communicate with friends and family via email, research important information, make golf reservations, download pictures of grandchildren, and manage finances.

You know you need your computer but what happens when the computer doesn't work or when you're not sure how the computer works?

This is where My Computer Works can help! Whenever you have a major computer problem, or even just a question, call our techs, allow them to securely connect to your computer and they will fix the problem or answer your question.

My Computer Works provides unlimited, same day computer support! My Computer Works is the preferred on-line technology provider for MySunCountry.com. You can view Presentation at www.mycomputerworks.tv .

All My Computer Works support options include the following valuable services :

Remove and secure your PC against pop-ups, viruses, spyware, Trojan horses, worms, and other undesirable programs and files.
Optimize Microsoft Windows Vista, XP or 2000 operating system and Microsoft Office 2007, 2003, XP/2002, or 2000 software to improve system
Update Microsoft software and eliminate compatibility issues.
Answer "how to" questions related to the Microsoft Windows Vista, XP or 2000 operating system and Microsoft Office 2007, 2003, XP/2002, or 2000
Provide hardware and software recommendations.
Provide troubleshooting and problem identification help for hardware and network issues.
Provide support for software firewalls and Parental Controls.

As a MySunCountry Member you will receive a $ 50.00 discount on the activation fee. This means you can get a complete computer tune-up for just $ 19.95! Login to MySunCountry.com and go to the Member Special Page and retrieve the My Computer Works Discount Coupon Code then call My Computer Works at :

1-800-990-4629

Login to Get Coupon Code

You can contact Taylor Scott at 602-635-6148 or www.mycomputerworks.com if you have any questions.

The goal of this book is to ease the fears and concerns and help you replace them with confidence and knowledge. You'll meet other seniors and retirees who have gone through what you're about to go through and learn from their mistakes and their successes. You'll hear about the computer in simple terms, but also learn the lingo so you'll know what someone is talking about when they babble on about "a gig of RAM" and a "DVD drive." - View Chapter 1

Mr. Modem, aka Richard Sherman, gives lots of computer tips and tricks, answers to oft-asked questions, everything aimed at senior computer users. �Mr. Modem�s Desktop� appears in seniors papers around the country.

Don't know what to believe regarding some of your forwarded internet email. If you have been using e-mail for long, you have probably received forwarded messages with some amazing claims and remarkable stories. E-mail is a wonderfully convenient way to communicate with family and friends, but it is also a great way to pass along misinformation.

Urban legends, hoaxes, requests for help, virus warnings, and funny or inspirational stories pass from inbox to inbox like fire through dry grass. Most are just silly or entertaining, but some spread misunderstanding or make inappropriate requests for information.

Unlike SPAM, these messages often come from people you know. A friend or family member received the e-mail and couldn't resist the urge to pass it along, often prefacing the message with an embarrassed, "I know it's dumb, but I thought it was worth a try."

Here are a few examples of common e-mail hoaxes. All of the following are false.

This picture claims to show a shark participating in British military exercises off the coast of South Africa.

One urban legend currently popping up in inboxes alleges that Oliver North warned congress about Osama Bin Laden in 1987 during the Iran-Contra hearings. Click here to read about this rumor.

Another favorite is an e-mail message claiming that Bill Gates (or Microsoft, or AOL or all three, depending on the version of this hoax you see) will track your e-mail and give you $5 for every person you forward the message to and additional money for each forward the message receives after that. Click here for more on this hoax.

A more sinister e-mail scam claims to be a letter from a wealthy, displaced Nigerian who needs your help (and your bank account) to retrieve some money. Click here to learn more about this scam.

There are many websites that provide more information about popular e-mail legends and hoaxes. Most of them will allow you to search a database of messages by keywords or phrases. You will probably find one site you like more than others, but it may be helpful to check a few sites if you are looking for information on a particular message.

Next time you receive an e-mail that is so good you just have to pass it on, think twice. You may spare your friends some confusion and yourself some embarrassment.

Does your computer seem to be running slower than it did when on the Internet? Does the cursor seem to delay causing the the computer to perform sluggishly? Have you noticed that when going to certain popular sites you experience 'pop-up' or pop-under ads that seem to compete with the content of that site? I experienced the above phenomenon recently and discovered that when installing what appeared to be a 'free' useful software tool I had actually opened my self up to an annoying, and perhaps illegal, practice of 'predatory' marketing. I had installed Date-Manager and Precision-Time both produced by The Gator Corporation (Gator) that provided a quick why to pop-up a date manager and automatically synchronize my computer time with Greenwich Mean Time. Once I discovered what was causing the problem I quickly uninstalled the 'free' programs and my computer was back to normal. I should have known better!! If you are running Microsoft Windows and also got caught in this trap by these programs just go to settings/control panel from your Start menu and select Add and Remove Programs. Go down the list and look for Date Manager and/or Precision Time and uninstall both. Be careful regarding 'Free' programs in the future! You can read an interesting news item relating to Gator at the following link:

You might be Interested in reading an excellent Article by Otis Port that appeared recently in Business Week regarding the future of the World Wide Web - 'The Next Web' . This Article was based on an interview with Timothy J. Berners-Lee, one of the real inventors of the Internet.

For those of you interested in technology, and where it is headed hear are some interesting links:

I was privileged to participate in the the above "Golden Age" - played in small part with IBM and several other Computer firms.

Now for the Future here is a very interesting special report in PC Magazine that covers future technology and what it will mean for computers and everyday life. This article can be viewed by clicking on the following link: