There are many reasons that your tech guy might need to reformat your computer but it is important to know what is going to happen to your computer after he or she does it. Some argue to reformat once a year, your computer may have had files deleted, wont start, or infested with spyware but when it comes time to do it, you need to be ready.

The main thing to remember when reformatting your computer is that it is going to put back into the same state as when you bought your computer. It will work fast and new but every single peace of software you installed and every file you created will be gone. It is extremely important to backup your data and be prepared to install software that you added after your computer was purchased. If you no longer have the software, you will have to buy it again or steal it again if you are a creep with no morals. You will have to reset your settings, like bookmarks, desktop background etc. Basically, anything that has changed since you purchased your computer will be gone. So be prepared! The last and very important issue is the fact that your computer will be behind in critical security patches from both either Microsoft or Apple if you are using a Mac and they need to be downloaded and installed before you do anything. Again! Backup data! Re-Install Software! Update Security Patches!

If you have been waiting to buy a wireless Internet card from Sprint, wait no more. I just purchased the Sprint Novatel Wireless Ovation U727 for use with many of my computers and my new Personal Hotspot Router from Cradlepoint.

This card uses your USB connection of any computer you have, a USB card reader for mini SD up to 4 GB, and has a mini version of the connection software.

Configuring of the card is relatively easy for people who buy the card brand new. I however, purchased the card used at a discount price which makes setup a little harder. For some reason, I could not install the light software on a Vista Ultimate 32 bit machine but was able to install the full version.  Previously owning a Sprint card, I am familiar with their connection software and how to re-program an Internet card. For some reason nothing worked and I had to manually re-program the card with the help of Sprint Customer care. Sadly, it took me about an hour with typical reps who know nothing while reading a script till I got someone who transferred me to their tier 3 tech support. Tier 3 took 5 minutes with a rep who actually knew what she was doing. Once I finished, the card worked perfect and worked like a dream with my Cradlepoint Personal Hotspot Router.

In conclusion, buying a Novatel U727 brand new should be easy enough for anyone to setup and it works like a dream. If you buy a used card, prepare to do a little work to get it working. This card works with Windows and Mac operating systems.

I just picked up my CradlePoint PHS300 (Personal Hotspot 300) which is a very small battery operated router that works with my Sprint EVDO Novatel Wireless Ovation U727 USB Mobile Broadband card. The USB card allows me to get wireless Internet to my computer via Sprint’s cell network. Traditionally, you could only use a wireless card with one computer until mobile routers started appearing. A router’s basic function allows you to share your Internet connection with other devices. There are many other uses for routers including big security protection but most people use them to share their Internet connection with other computers.

I have had different connection cards and wireless routers before but I have to admit, this is the best I have come across. In the past, I have spent days trying to get things that don’t work with each other to work with each other but today that did not happen. Programming the Cradlepoint with my Internet card was as simple as plugging it in and creating a password. Yes of coarse I did a little more things for security of the network but someone could literally plug in their Internet card, create a password, and surf the net. The Cradlepoint PHS300 allows a wireless connection for up to 16 devices but that is not the amazing part. The router works plugged in or via a battery that boasts around 2 hours of operation. This now means I can tuck this wallet sized router with absolutely no wires in my truck and everyone with WiFi enabled phones or computers can surf the net while we a driving down the road.  This means that when I go over to friends or customers houses, we can use the net if needed very easily.

I am so happy with this practically zero config device and I urge anyone with a USB compatible Internet card to look into getting this device. Be sure to make sure you have a compatible connection card!

Have you ever burned a CD only to find it does not work or part of it is missing? If so, the fact that the CD does not work is generally not your fault. The problem is with Buffer! Most burning software these days like Nero and Roxio automatically set to burn full speed which may be spitting data too fast at either the disc or filling up the buffer and causing errors. One problem this could be is using CD’s rated at a lower speed than your burner is burning at.

To fix this, don’t go out and buy new DVD’s or CD’s just set the setting to burn slower. Generally, you can set the speed just before you hit the burn button in most programs.

This tip is for Windows Vista Home Premium and above. Sorry Basic…

If you have ever wanted to change the color or appearance of Windows Vista? With some simple steps, you can personalize the look of your computer and the slick transparency in Windows.

Right-click on your desktop and select Personalize. A windows will pop up, then select Windows Color and Appearance where you will find an array of colors, enabling of transparency, and options for intensity.

So you have a network, multiple, pc’s, shared Internet, the whole nine yards, but how do you share files over the network. When using a Vista and XP machine, there are a few more steps but is pretty easy to set up. The easiest way to network files is use the standard Vista way but then you have to move your files to the shared area if you know what that is and you would not be using Vista’s cool networking features.

The key to networking a hard disk or folder is to plan two things: Where the drive or folder is going to be and the name of your network. You want to pick a place for the shared drive or folder that will be in a computer that is on the majority of the time or always on. If you create a shared drive in a computer that is turned off frequently, the other computers on your network wont be able to access the files on the disk or folder. The other thing that is forgotten frequently is the name of the network. If you are using all Vista PC’s, the name is WORKGROUP and MSHOME is the default for XP. It is important to change the name in a Vista or XP machine if you are going to share files over a network. To make things simple, this tutorial will assume all computers are Vista and not change the name of the network or "workgroup" as it is referred to in Vista. One of the cool things about Windows Vista is its auto sensing network technology which means your shared drive will be seen automatically if the workgroup is the same. Just a side note, there are many ways to share files in Windows, this is just one way.

Once the location for the shared files have been decided, the first step is to right-click on the drive or folder and select properties. From the window that pops up, click the sharing tab, then advanced sharing. Yet another Window will pop up and you need to click the box for share this folder, create a name (this will be the name identified on the network), and click permissions. In the Permissions box, you get some options for your users: full control, change, and read. Most people will want full control which will allow people to copy or read files, modify them, and save them in the shared folder. If you want people to be able to only read the files then select read but they wont be able to save to or modify the shared files. Click "OK" over and over until all the open windows with "OK" are gone. Your shared folder is now ready to be accessed.

Now you will want to be able to access the the files from the shared location to test the shared folder or drive you created. Again, there are many ways but one of the easiest is to click "Network" right from the start menu. Here is where you will be stopped by Vista’s new security features. Once the network window opens, you will see all the computers on your network, click on the computer with the shared drive where you will have to enter the username and password of the computer with the shared drive. When you enter the username and password, you might want to check remember password so you don’t have to do this again. Now you will see all available shared folders available in that computer. Just click on the folder and you will see all your files. You are finished as far as what you can do to share the folder but there is one last step you might want to do to speed up access to your folder. Right-click on the shared folder and select "Map Network Drive," select any drive letter you prefer that is not taken on your current computer, check reconnect at logon. Now this shared drive will show up with your regular drives in your computer area, you can also right-click and create a shortcut for somewhere else in your computer.

Just one more thing! You can also map a shared drive via "Computer," formerly My Computer, by clicking "Map network drive," and follow the steps to find the shared folder or drive as explained earlier.

Depending on what hardware you have, you may have many "Optional" Windows Vista updates you don’t actually want to install. Possibly you just hate seeing all of the language packs available for update. If you don’t want to see these updates, there is a simple way to remove them from the list.

From Windows Vista Update, click View Updates, right-click on the update you don’t want and select "Hide Update." Now when you use Windows Update, you wont have to worry about seeing updates that are optional that you don’t want… That is until there is another unwanted optional update.

If you are like me, you cant live without email, you could do without it because it takes up too much time but you are too invested in it.

Sometimes I find myself looking for email I accidentally deleted and until a few months ago, I was not able to do anything about it. With Google offering tons more storage for email than my current provider and given the fact that Google email storage keeps getting bigger, I had one of those light bulb moments. To fix this accidental deletion issue, I decided to forward every email I get to a Gmail account from Google. My current email service provider allows me to receive email, delete it, or do whatever I normally want but they also allow me to send a copy to another address. So in a nutshell, whenever I get an email at my current address, I get another copy at this Gmail account. If one day my my email service provider deletes my email by accident, I can get all my copies in my Gmail account.

For any Windows Home Server enthusiasts, there is a great site for you to go to for information and Home Server add-ins. Check out the web site http://www.wegotserved.co.uk/windows-home-server-add-ins/

Don’t know what a Windows Home Server is? Check out my review of the HP MediaSmart Server. http://bigpcgeek.com/blog/2008/01/22/hp-windows-home-server-review/

If you are in a household with many computers all with their own iTunes libraries, there is a great way to share the music from one computer to another. ITunes now allows you to share your library over your network. Once configured, you will see the library available in the shared section of the left hand panel in iTunes.

Here is how to set it up:

From iTunes, select "Edit" and then "Preferences." Once the Preferences windows opens, select the "sharing" tab, and finally "Share my library on my local network." You are able to select various types of music, videos, and much more. At the bottom, you can also require a password.

All music should stream fine over a 54G wireless connection but you will want a physical connection for video.