James E. O'Brien

It is a painful and irrefutable fact of computer technology that no antivirus software can protect your computer from 100% of all viruses or malware. It happens from time to time, that a virus does get past your currently installed antivirus program. When this happens, your installed antivirus software might not be able to remove it.

That’s where an online antivirus solution comes in handy. They are always up to date with the latest virus databases, and they are quite affective at removing most known viruses. Using an online virus scanner is like getting a second opinion from your doctor. If your installed antivirus missed detecting an infection, an online virus scan may detect it.

There are a number of online virus scanners; some good and some bad, some are downright scams. I have compiled this short list of industry-known and trustworthy online virus scanners.

Bitdefender QuickScan uses in-the-cloud scanning technology to detect active malware on your system, in under a minute. Because it focuses on active e-threats, the product uses just a fraction of the system resources needed by a regular virus scan and requires no time-consuming virus signature updates, as the detection process is performed by remote Bitdefender servers.

Trend Micro HouseCall – HouseCall can quickly identify and fix a wide range of threats including viruses, worms, Trojans, and spyware. It is now faster, more powerful and browser independent!

Kapersky has two tools of interest. The first tool, the Kaspersky Virus Removal tool, is a utility designed to remove all types of infections from your computer. The Kaspersky Rescue Disk is designed to scan, disinfect and restore infected operating systems. It should be used when it is impossible to boot the operating system.

Panda Activescan – ActiveScan 2.0 is a free antivirus that detects threats currently on your computer.

Now, none of these services replace the effectiveness and security of having an installed and up-to-date real-time virus scanner running on your computer. Keeping your computer safe from virus attacks not only helps to keep your data safe, it also helps viruses and malware from spreading to other computers. Do your part, and keep your computer up to date and protected.

If you need help finding and implementing a virus security solution, let me know, I’ll be happy to help

Ferndale Adult  Family homes is a privately owned, state licensed assisted living facility in Renton Washington. Ferndale Adult Family Homes combines 24 hour certified care and support with comfortable and pleasant home-style living. 

I have developed and maintained Ferndale Adult Family Home’s website since 2004, when we first launched ferndalefamilyhomes.com. The first website was created in HTML, and was difficult to maintain because any little change to one page had to be manually changed throughout all pages. In 2009, I redesigned the website in PHP and using WordPress as the backbone. This made creating content and maintaining the website much easier. So easy, in fact, that I was able to train users with moderate computer skills how to easily  create, upload, and manage content.

All the graphics and layout  for FerndaleFamilyhomes.com was custom created in Photoshop. I took the pictures myself. The design for this website was based on a brochure that Ferndale Family Home provides to promote their facility and services.

Visit FerndaleFamilyHomes.com

First, it should go without saying, but I’ll say it anyway. I am not responsible for any damage or consequence should you choose to use the following information for your own use. you, and you alone are solely responsible for your actions and the consequences thereof.That said, I’ll tell you how I use a microwave to destroy CD and DVD data.

First, you need a microwave oven. Any microwave oven will do, but I suggest using one that no one really cares about. Nuking CD’s and DVD’s does produce an unpleasant burnt smell that can linger in the microwave for a day or two. Using the family microwave or the workplace microwave could get you yelled at. However, I think it’s perfectly fine to use your mother-in-law’s microwave, but only if you are planning on nuking a large stack of disks.

Both commercially manufactured and burnt CD and DVD disks have trace amounts of metal in them. There is just enough metal to react with microwaves in the microwave oven, but not enough to cause any significant damage to the microwave oven in short bursts.

Place a CD or DVD data-side down on a paper or microwave safe plate inside the microwave. Use only one disk at a time. Set the microwave on high, and set the time for no more than 15 seconds per disk.

When you activate the microwave, you will see an interesting little light show as the metallic components of the disk disrupt. When you are done, your disk will look something like this one:

Completely Unreadable!

Video Clip:

Last month, I started a poll to find out what you think a fair price is for onsite computer and network support is.  I’d like to thank everybody who replied. Your vote was heard, and I am with you 100%. I think $50 an hour is a fair rate for onsite service in King County, Washington.  Here are the results of your vote:

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Anytime you can get family together is a perfect opportunity for a photograph, even when it’s a company holiday party. But does the picture have to look like it was taken at a company holiday party? No!

A little Photoshop magic, and your impromptu family picture can take on a whole new look. With the picture above, I I really like the family and the tree, but I didn’t like the chair full of personal items, and I didn’t like the man walking through the door in the background. There were a few other minor issues, such as light glare off the young man’s glasses.

I the end, we end up with a picture that prints perfectly on 5 by 7 photo paper, and looks good enough for Christmas cards!

I am currently looking for short-term or per diem projects in computer or network support rolls, or in graphic, photographic, or web development. I am available after work hours on  Monday through Friday, and all day during weekends.

Skill Summary:

Computer and Network

I have extensive experience  and skill supporting Windows-based computer systems. My skills include installing and supporting Windows XP, Vista, Windows 7 in desktop,  portable, and mobile computers systems, and installing and supporting Windows 2003 and 2007 server systems. I am skilled with supporting most hardware and software configurations, and I have an extensive background in business and personal computer environments.

I am skilled and have a solid background installing and supporting networks and equipment  in corporate, business, and residential environments. I can resolve communication and connectivity issues, analyze and  lock down network security issues, and install and configure network-based equipment and software. I can install wired or wireless network systems to meet virtually any business or residential need.

Web and Graphics

I have more than ten years of skill and experience developing and maintaining professional and personal websites. I know how to register domains and configure them to point to web servers, install and configure Windows or Linux Apache based web servers, configure Domain Name Services, install and support Content Management Systems (CMS) like Joomla or WordPress, and create and perform basic administrative functions in MySQL databases. I am also proficient at creating and managing server-based POP mail systems and e-mail accounts. I am proficient at creating HTML or PHP website layouts using editors and graphic development software.

I am proficient at using programs like Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator to create custom web or business graphics, letterheads and business cards and marketing material. I have experience working with vectors and creating large-scale signs typically used with 3M vinyl cut on industry class plotters.

Photographic Services

Photograph Restoration – I have experience fixing faded or damaged photographs. Although this is a skill I have been developing for only the past three years, I have become reasonable proficient at producing good quality restoration.  I use high-resolutions scanners and cameras and industry standard applications and processes. Samples of my photograph restoration skills are available on my website.

Photograph Retouching – My background in photograph retouching is along the same time-line as my background in photograph restoration. I can add or remove elements from virtually any photograph, take ordinary photographs and turn them into professional-looking displayable artwork.  I can also take ordinary photographs and create completely new designs from them.  Samples of my photograph retouching skills are available on my website. (Click Here)

 Contact Me

If you would like to contact me for a project, please visit my Contact page. I’ll be happy to provide a current copy of my professional resume and professional references upon request. (Click here for my Contact Page)

Thank you for your time and consideration. I look forward to working with you!

I am launching my Computer Support Service today!

I am happy to provide professional  onsite commercial and residential computer services throughout King County Washington. With over thirteen years of onsite computer support experience, there are not many issues I have not dealt with. My computer support services are available by appointment. If you would like to schedule a service call, please feel free to contact me by phone or e-mail.

Click here for  details:

This being October, the month of one of my favorite holidays, I thought I’d share a little Photoshop magic with you. Most everyone pretty much knows what Photoshop is; a mainstream program used by graphic designers to create and manipulate images. I use Photoshop extensively for retouching pictures and creating my own graphics. I also use Photoshop to create a variety of graphics and do photo restorations, but that’s an article for another day.

In this article, I would like to showcase my infamous vampire pictures that seem to get mixed reviews from people who see it. Some people think it’s cool photoshopping, and I thank them, and others think it’s down right creepy, and I thank them too. So how is it done? Well, you first start off with a photograph. For my vampire, I used a simple picture that my daughter Laurel took of me at the Kubota Gardens in Seattle a couple of summers ago. It’s hard to get a regular, straight picture of me, as was the case in this picture.

(Click on the images to see a larger image)

When I saw the picture Laurel took of me, I thought “hmm, I wonder how I’d look with fangs?” So, I went to my Photoshop, and created fangs. I use layers when I work in Photoshop so I can have complete control of what ever element I am working with. After I made my fangs, I created a couple other layers. One to remove all but the black and white tones from my skin, one for my eyes, and one for my mouth. When I was done, this is what I had.

Cool, but why stop there? A few more layers, and I have snake eyes, bloody gums, a new background, and some shading to intensify my inner evil self.  I’m just kidding about the inner evil self part, or am I?

Alternative Graphic Editors

As you can see, Photoshop gives the ability to create just about anything the imagination can conceive. The only drawback to Photoshop is that it is an expensive piece of software, and it is a complex program to learn to use. If you are interested in trying your hand at creating graphics or retouching photographs, there are free alternatives, that will give you enough capabilities to explore your creative side.

Gimp – This open source Photoshop alternative can do most of what Photoshop can do, such as working with layers and masks, and creating special effects. Like Photoshop, Gimp requires some time and dedication to learn, but it is free, and there are great forums on the web with tons of how-to tutorials to help you get going.

Paint.net – This is one of the best free programs for beginners. Paint.net offers a huge selection of special effects and it is fairly easy to use.

Of course, if you’d rather not spend your time and resources learning how to create your own photographic retouches, you can always drop me a line. My rates are reasonable and my work is guaranteed to satisfy.

CCleaner is a great program for cleaning out junk files on Windows-based computers. If all CCleaner did was clean out junk files, I would still recommend it, but CCleaner does much more than just delete your temporary internet files and dump your system cache. CCleaner also has an excellent registry scanner, a great disk and free space wiper, and a host of other valuable utilities to help you keep your computer tuned and running well.

CCleaner works great on Windows XP and Windows 7, and I would suspect that it will work well on Windows 8, but I cannot confirm that at this time.  For more information, or to download a copy of CCleaner, visit Periform.com.   You can download a free version for personal use. If you have multiple computer, you can buy the Home or Business editions, which also offer technical support for CCleaner if you need it.

Download CCleaner Here

Options and Settings

CCleaner is easy to configure to your specific needs.

Settings – Allows you to select your language, gives you the option to automatically run CCleaner at startup, gives you options for the Recycle Bin context menu, and gives you options for securely deleting files in one pass or up to 35 passes.

Cookies – If you subscribe to websites where you log into an account, or have configured personal settings, then you probably have a cookie for for each of those sites that store your information so that when you log back into those sites, your settings are restored. CCleaner allows you ro select those cookies and add them to a “Keep” list, so that they are not deleted when you run CCleaner.

Include and Exclude – Here you can add specific files to be included or excluded from cleaning.

Advanced – A list of options that control how CCleaner behaves.

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Cleaner

The heart and soul of CCleaner is of course, the cleaner. When you run CCleaner from the clean menu, it scans your computer and deletes junk files like Temporary Internet Files, history, cookies, and a particular file that browser hijackers like to use, the index.dat files. This is especially useful because the index.dat file is a hidden and protected system file used by Internet Explorer and other browsers. It’s a complicated file to delete. CCleaner deletes the index.dat file with any modifications malware might have made to it, and then restores it with a fresh and proper index.dat file.

For most cases, the default options are all you really need CCleaner for, but CCleaner gives you the option to select or deselect in the cleaning process.

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Once CCleaner has finished cleaning your computer, it produces a report of the files it deleted. As you can see in the image below, CCleaner cleaned out 1.7 Gigabytes of junk files from my computer. To put this in perspective, I run CCleaner on my computer about once a month. As you can see, I accumulate a lot of junk! Most people are really surprised by how much junk CCleaner finds on their computer the first time they run it.

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Registry Cleaner

As you install and uninstall programs, move or delete files, open and close files, or make changes to your computer, the Windows Registry gets modified. The registry is to Windows what the nervous system is to the human body. Every process and action that happens in your computer is controlled by the registry. Over time, the registry can “bloat up” with broken or orphaned entries, and this can cause problems and performance issues with your computer.

I want to stress a couple points about the registry, so please read carefully before running the registry scanner. First, you need to be careful about modifying the registry. One wrong move, and you could render your computer unusable or unstable. Definitely make a backup of your current registry before proceeding. You can do this easily by creating a restore point on your computer before running CCleaner. Second, you should only consider running a registry cleaner only if it’s needed. If your computer is hanging or crashing, then maybe run the registry cleaner, otherwise, it’s not really necessary. Finally, all that said, I’ve used CCleaner on hundreds of computers running Windows 98, ME, XP, Vista, 2000, and Windows 7, and I have never experienced an issue with the registry cleaner.  Definitely make sure that you back up your registry before running the CCleaner registry cleaner, but chances are very good that you won’t run into any problems.

See Also: How to manually backup your registry (For Windows XP, but the process is the same for Windows 7)

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CCleaner’s registry scanner first givers you the option to back up your current registry, and then scan the registry looking for those broken or orphaned entries, and presents them in an easy to read list. You can then opt to remove specific entries, or have CCleaner remove them all.

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Program Uninstaller

Honestly, I typically do not use CCleaner’s Program Uninstaller, unless the program I want to uninstall does not have a stable uninstaller or when Windows built-in uninstaller doesn’t display the program or can’t uninstall it. When that happens, CCleaner’s program uninstaller utility generally does a good job removing programs. I think it is interesting that I see programs listed in CCleaner that I don’t see in the Windows program uninstaller. That doesn’t happen often, but when it does, CCleaner to the rescue!

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Startup Programs

You can use Windows System Configuration utility to prevent programs from automatically loading in the background when Windows starts up. But it is kind of nice to have the tool right in front of you when you are giving your computer a CCleaner tune-up.

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System Restore

The System Restore menu in CCleaner shows you a list of current restore points on your computer. The only option available here is to remove the restore point. You might want to use this if you have just cleaned your computer and found viruses or malware on your computer, as they will most likely be stored in a restore point. It would be sad to see you get your computer all tuned up, only to restore it to a previous data and put a virus back in the system.

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Drive and File Wiper

This is a great feature of CCleaner as it gives you a great utility to securely wipe an entire  drive or just the free space. Most people don’t know that when you delete a file on your computer, it’s not really gone. The deleted file just gets a new file name and it is tagged as free space.  A simple utility can restore deleted files. To get rid of a deleted file permanently, you have to overwrite the space where that file was stored.  Even then, files can be recovered. So you have to overwrite them more than once. The Department of Defense states that a deleted file should be overwritten at least 7 times. CCleaner gives you the option to overwrite a drive or free space up to 35 times.

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Official Documentation

I hope you found this guide useful. If you need more detailed documentation, the official CCleaner documentation is available here on Periform’s website.  www.piriform.com/docs/ccleaner

Update: CCleaner Enhancer Add-On

After posting this guide, I found a forum that talked about a CCleaner add-on that reportedly added about 250 programs to CCleaner’s database. The forum is PCHELPFORUM, and it is a great resource for PC users.

Before I could recommend the CCleaner Enhancer add-on, I obviously had to try it out for myself. I went to CNet and installed the update, and then launched CCleaner. I looked at the Application tab and noted that there were more options available.  Then I ran CCleaner again, I had run it the previous day, and CCleaner found a whopping 838 MB more junk on my system, mostly in programs that I use frequently, such as Adobe Photoshop. After running CCleaner with the Enhancer Add-On, my Adobe products and my browsers are loading rocket fast. Very cool.

I can honestly say that I recommend this add-on for CCleaner!

The Web Atom’s CCleaner Enhancer adds support for more than 270 programs to CCleaner, the popular system and Registry-cleaning tool from Piriform. CCleaner Enhancer adds rules and definitions sourced from the Piriform Support Forum and other online resources to CCleaner’s built-in WinApp2.ini system. When you run CCleaner again, the new programs are automatically included and ready to be selected for scanning.

Read more: CCEnhancer – Free software downloads and software reviews – CNET Download.com http://download.cnet.com/CCEnhancer/3000-18512_4-75212385.html#ixzz1bEez4WOL

Have you ever wished you could control multiple computers with one keyboard and one mouse?  To do this, you could spend a lot of money and time installing a KVM switch, which also means that you have to run cables to each computer and connected them to the KVM switch. Or, you could use a free program from Microsoft Garage project called Mouse without Borders, and your existing wireless or wired network, and use your mouse and keyboard to seamlessly control and move files between up to four computers.

How Mouse without Borders Works:

First, you download Mouse without Borders from Microsoft’s website. Here’s the link: Mouse without Borders

Second, install mouse without Borders on the first computer you want to connect. The installation wizard will ask you if you have installed Mouse without Borders on any of your other computers, to which you’ll answer no. When the installation is complete, you will be provided with a Security code, write this down or keep it visible on your screen, and go to the next computer.

As you install Mouse without Borders on your other computers, you simply enter the Security code that you were provided. This will connect your computer to the first computer. Repeat this process for all of the computers that you want to control. And that’s all there is to it. You’ll now be able to control all of your computers from one keyboard and mouse.

This video will show you some of the advantages to Mouse without Borders, and also walk through the installation process.

I have two daughters, and I love them both dearly, but I rarely have the opportunity to spend time with them together. This last Father’s day was one of those rare moments, and I wanted to make sure I captured to moment in picture. Unfortunately, while iHop makes great pancakes and omelets, they are not exactly a suitable environment for taking pictures.  On to Photoshop!

I always take pictures in the highest resolution in case I want to crop the image, but still have something I can set up for printing in 5 by 7 or 8 by 10 photographs. With this picture, I wanted to eliminate anything that looked like we were sitting in a restaurant. Then I thought I’d have a little fun and add some oil brush strokes to the picture to give it an artistic flare. After that, a little touch up here and there, add a bit of white veneti, and vuala!   I have a photograph that looks great framed and on my wall (and on my website).

Click here to see the full-sized finished photograph

Now, I use Adobe Photoshop, which is prohibitively expensive for most users. there are numerous free or low-cost alternatives that will give you the ability to edit your photographs and create your own works of art. There is a free open source program called Gimp that does basically everything that Photoshop can do, although there is a bit of a learning curve involved. Another solution is Paint.net, which is also free, and pretty easy to work with.

One of my most popular graphic services is photograph restoration, which works great for me because it’s something that I really enjoy. I love taking photographs like the picture below, faded, torn, and too small to hang on the wall, and restoring them to something that not only looks nice, but makes a great 5 by 7 or 8 by 10 picture to display proudly in your home or office.

When pictures fade, it’s not always a nice even fade across the whole picture. Often, fading is uneven. this makes restoration a little challenging. I take the original image and and make a few high-resolution scans of it. In some cases, I use my scanner to perform some corrections. In the case with this picture, I went straight to Photoshop with it and created layers for the background, the man, and the boy. This allows me to to work individually with each element of the picture.

I worked in order from back to front. I repaired the missing pieces of the background using the elements around the missing pieces, and painted in the missing information.

Fortunately, there was a lot of usable detail in the man, so I was able to restore him pretty easily. I was even able to restore some of the missing detail in his shoes.

With this picture, the young boy was a bit over exposed, so if I tried to correct the exposure of the boy and man together, the boy would have been very bright and missing a lot of detail. To fix that, I created two layers, one for the boy’s face and hands, and another for his clothes. From there, I was able to fix the exposure issue and make a presentable restoration.

By working in layers, I have more control over restoration. The finished product (shown below) looks as though it was just removed from a protected time capsule.

I try to make the finished product large enough to be printed in 5 by 7 format or larger. The original photograph for this restoration was about 3 inches. By scanning in high-resolution, and saving the finished image at 150 pixels per inch, The 8 by 10 print of this picture worked out very well, and my client loved it.

Hire Me

If you have a photograph you would like restores, send me an e-mail. Basic restorations such as fading and exposure corrections cost $10.00 per image.  For torn or damaged photographs, prices will vary depending on the complexity of the repair.  The photograph restoration I used in this post costs around $25.00. If you’d like to contact me, please use the form on my Contact Page.

 Other Restoration Samples

Everybody like to look their best, especially when it comes to pictures. And everyone knows that the camera isn’t shy about capturing every detail, including puffy eyes, blemishes, wrinkles and other signs of aging, and well, you get the idea.  I’ve been learning photograph retouching techniques in conjunctions to learning how to restore old or damaged photographs, and I have been working at it for about a year.

Basic Retouching

The old saying about the camera doesn’t lie is very true. Shadows under our eyes are going to stand out like red flags. the same is true for blemishes, and discolorations. Equally true, a camera isn’t always spot on about getting the lighting and white balance right, along with a few other parameters. That’s where the human eye comes in.

In most cases, as with the above and below pictures, a little smoothing and reshaping is all that is needed to enhance natural beauty.  This type of retouching doesn’t take very long, maybe 5 to 10 minutes per image, but the results are impressive. In the picture below, I took an extra step and dimmed down the white counter-top because I thought it was too bright and distracting.

Another Example: Besides the obvious exposure issue with this picture, this young lady looks like she just got off a very long flight and could do with a few more hours of sleep. I also shifted the position of her right-facing eyebrow a bit, brightened her teeth, and just slightly adjusted her jaw line to make her face look more balanced.

Glamorizing

Retouching is also used to glamorize  photographs, which involves more processes than I would do in a typical retouching process. Glamorizing removes all of life’s little defects and enhances focused elements of the photograph. In the image below, my focus was primarily on the model’s eyes. If you look closely, you also see that I reshaped the model’s face and facial features.

 Coming Soon!

I will be adding more content to this post very soon. This will include changing backgrounds, and removing and adding objects or people to photographs.

The following programs are recommended for home, home office or small office users. I selected these programs based on recommendations and reviews from my industry peers and my own personal experience, and research based on user rating and complaints. The programs in this list have excellent user satisfaction ratings and are well known and respected.

 Antivirus and Malware Protection

 AVG 2011 Antivirus (Free Edition)  – The free edition of AVG Antivirus offers good virus protection for most general use computers. AVG Antivirus automatically updates its virus signatures daily, and runs quietly in the background and uses very little system resources. It scans your e-mail and web-traffic, all of your drives, and programs and files. You can schedule system virus scans to fit your schedule, and the user interface is intuitive and easy to understand. AVG also offers a complete Internet Security Suite for $54.99 that also provides a firewall, and other tools to enhance your computer security.  You can try it free for 30 days. Download the Free version of AVG Antivirus here

Comodo – Comodo is another popular antivirus application that does a good job at detecting virus and malware threats, and either blocks them from infecting your computer, or destroys them. If you need more than basic protection, Comodo does offer a paid version that offers stonger protection, and a $500 virus-free guarantee and a $15,000 identity protection coverage.  Download Comodo Free Version here.

Microsoft Security Essentials – I’ll admit that I was sceptical when I first heard about Microsoft Security Essentials, but after runing it through its paces, it’s not a bad program, especially for free software. Microsoft Security Essentials provides real-time virus and malware protection. Microsoft Security Essentials is available for small businesses with up to 10 computers. Download Microsoft Security Essentials

Malwarebytes - Malwarebytes is probably the most downloaded and used malware scanner on the market today, and it is one of most recommended programs I recommend for malware control.  Malwarebytes is very effective at detecting and removing malware.  The free version of Malware does not offer real-time protection, if you need real-time protection, you will have to buy the Pro version. Download Malwarebytes (Free Version) here

System Cleaners

CCleaner – I recommend this must-have utility to all my clients. CCleaner, short for crap cleaner, 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.

File Security

Eraser – Eraser is an advanced security tool for Windows which allows you to completely remove sensitive data from your hard drive by overwriting it several times with carefully selected patterns. Eraser is currently supported under Windows XP (with Service Pack 3), Windows Server 2003 (with Service Pack 2), Windows Vista, Windows Server 2008, Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2. Eraser is Free software and its source code is released under GNU General Public License.

File Shredder – File shredder securely deletes files from your hard drive by using a process called shredding, which is a method of repeatedly overwriting files with random strings of data. this process makes it virtually impossible to recover any part of a shredded file.

TrueCrypt – Truecrypt creates a virtual encrypted disk within a file and mounts it as if it were a real disk, and can even encrypt the entire hard drive that Windows is installed on. The encryption allows you to safeley and securely store your sensitive data and keeps it safe from unauthorized access. TrueCrypt also supports hidden volumes.

FBackup – I haven’t used FBackup myself, but I have heard enough good things about it from my industry peers, and I feel pretty safe recommending it to users. FBackup is a free backup software for both personal and commercial use. It protects your important data by backing it up automatically to any USB/Firewire device, local or network location. The backed up data can be either compressed (using standard zip compression) or an exact copy of the original files.

About this list:

this list will continue to grow and be modified from time to time.

Let me introduce this post by saying that it is primarily aimed at young people. After all it’s you guys who will be called for help. And it’s in your best interest to help your relatives and show them ways to keep in touch with you through ways other than the occasional family meeting.

Computers are definitely not just a toy for the young generation. In fact, computers are a lot more useful for people who have problems with mobility and keeping in touch with the world in the first place.

At the same time, people with reduced eyesight may have severe difficulties using computers because technology is still created to be attractive for the young. For example screen resolutions have become enormous, providing more desktop space, and as a result smaller icons and text. Everything is smaller, faster, and more sensitive. A nightmare for a slow person with bad eyesight and stiff hands.

Fortunately, Windows provides a lot of options to revert these “features” and make computers accessible for the elderly. Windows also comes with tools that enhance visibility and accessibility. Let me show you some of them.

1. Screen Resolution

A high screen resolution is wonderful because more things find space on your desktop. However, a high-resolution also reduces the size of everything and text becomes very hard to read. Hence, it may help to reduce the screen resolution. It’s not a very elegant solution, but it’s quite easy.

Right-click onto a blank area of the > desktop and select > Properties. The Display Properties window opens. Switch to the > Settings tab and reduce the screen resolution to 1024 x 768 or 800 x 600 pixel. If you’re using a flat screen, you’ll see that decreasing the screen resolution will also reduce the sharpness. You’ll simply have to find the right balance for yourself.

To retain sharpness and visibility, you can also increase the DPI (dots per inch). Note that this step may require rebooting or the Windows setup CD. Within the > Settings tab click the > Advanced button, switch to the > General tab and under > DPI setting select > Large size (120 DPI) from the pull-down menu.

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2. Contrast

Besides larger text and icons (we will come to that), a good contrast enhances readability. Fortunately, there are some Windows default solutions.

We’re still in the Display Properties menu from the previous point. Switch to the > Appearance tab. Under > Windows and buttons select > Windows Classic style. Now you can select a > High Contrast > Color scheme from the respective pull-down menu.

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3. Sizes

We already touched on that in the first point. Size matters. And while we’re in the Display Properties, let’s see what else we can do here. For example you can increase the > Font size.

Furthermore, you can click the > Effects button and check the > Use large icons option.

Finally, back in > Display Properties, click the > Advanced button and look at the > Items you can edit here. For example you could increase the font size in menus or the size of caption buttons or the text size in message boxes. Font styles and colors are also under your control.

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Before we leave the Display Settings, let me give you one more piece of advice. You can save all these settings as a theme. This way you can easily restore or share them. Within the > Display Settings window, switch to the > Themes tab and click > Save As. I’m sure you can figure out the rest.

4. Start menu buttons

Through the start menu you can quickly navigate to frequently used or standard programs. You can customize the start menu to display large icons.

Right-click onto the > taskbar, select > Properties. Switch to the > Start Menu tab, click > Customize and select > Large icons for programs. Here you can also change your default Internet and E-Mail programs.

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5. Magnifier

Windows comes with a tool that lets you magnify things you can’t see despite all your settings.

You will find the tool under > Start > All Programs > Accessories > Accessibility folder > Magnifier. In the same folder you might also find an Accessibility Wizard, a Narrator, and the On-Screen Keyboard.

The magnifier will reserve a bit of screen in the top and open a > Magnifier Settings window.

Through the settings you can increase the magnification level and change the tracking and presentation. Inverting colors can enhance contrast and readability.

The magnification window itself can be moved around the screen and you can change its size. Since it will push away your open windows when launched, you might want to select > Start Minimized for the next time you need it.

6. Keystrokes

Hitting the right keys or several keys at once may be a problem when fingers are stiff. Windows provides some relief.

Go to > Start > Control Panel (classic view) > Accessibility Options and switch to the > Keyboardtab. The options you see here are > StickyKeys, >FilterKeys, and >ToggleKeys.

When > Use StickyKeys is checked the keys [SHIFT], [CTRL], [ALT], and [WINDOWS] are stuck once pressed, which will allow you to press one key at a time. For example to produce a capital A you can press [SHIFT], release the key and then press [A].

Clicking > Use FilterKeys results in a less sensible keyboard. Brief or rapidly repeated keystrokes will simply be ignored. This should reduce the amount of mistakes. However, it’s a bad choice for touch typers.

Check > Use ToggleKeys to be notified of hitting the [CAPS LOCK], [NUM LOCK], and [SCROLL LOCK] keys with a sound.

The respective > Settings buttons provide even more options to fine-tune the behavior of your keyboard.

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Within Accessibility Options you can alter many other settings, for example translating system sounds into visual warnings, increasing the display contrast and cursor blink rate and width, and more.

7. Mouse

The mouse another important item to be considered.

Open the > Mouse Properties through > Start > Control Panel (classic view) > Mouse and switch to the > Pointers tab. Changing the scheme and selecting a large pointer will increase its visibility. Within the > Pointer Options tab you can further adapt its visibility and speed. Don’t forget the adjust scrolling with the mouse > Wheel.

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With these default Windows options you can do a lot to make computers accessible for elderly or handicapped people. What is the oldest person you know using a computer? Is your grandma online yet? I think it’s about time!

This article comes from MakeUseOf.com. The original article can be found here.