Over the weekend my laptop broke. These days much of our lives depend on our computers. Business, social communication and entertainment are now all served up on a digital platform and we tend, foolishly, to put all our documents, data, pictures, music, video, mail, chat, contacts so much of our lives in one digital basket. Laptops and even desktops are perceived as high value products (Even when they're old and slow) and are often the target of theft. they are also highly sensitive electronic devices and can easily be damaged by power surges or outages. This said - It's important to make backups! Making Backups There are many different options and services when choosing how to back up your data: You can manually copy files you want to back up to external media (USB hard drive, flash disk, CD or DVD) You can sign up for free (or paid) online storage and manually upload your important files to them. You can sign up with an online backup provider like www.mozy.com who ma

These days it seems every site wants you to register and log in, every password has different rules, and every username is based on some other of my personal information, I can't even remember my new cell number, how am I supposed to remember the myriad of login credentials that are demanded of me each time I venture onto the internet? The Taming of the Passwords. Usernames and passwords protect our online identity, they are the face and voice by which we are recognised by the many different sites we visit and interact with. As I am sure you can imagine, it's important to keep this information secure, not hand it out freely to anyone you encounter on the internet. keeping in mine - that each and every time we type it - we are giving it to someone. here are some rules (explained) to guide you to a safer and easier online experience: Keep your most important passwords private. If you register with a website, often times you give them your email address as part of the reg

RapidStudio Tip Number 2: Keeping up-to-date In the fast changing world of the internet demands we keep up with the latest software updates to ensure we have the best surfing experience and keep safe on the internet. Keeping up-to-date Our web browser is our vehicle with which we navigate the internet, browsers come in many shapes and sizes, most free. Internet Explorer is Windows default browser, but Firefox, Chrome and Safari are preferred by many web users. Many new advances in technology make web pages faster, easier to navigate and more content-rich. Developers are able to use a variety of new ways to allow users to interact with their websites in real time. Unfortunately these advances also open up new vulnerabilities in our browsers that can be exploited by skelms to gain access to our browsing habits, or even install unwanted and dangerous programs on our PCs. In order to - 1. Protect ourselves from the perils of the internet and 2. Have the most enjoyable, hassle-free

RapidStudio Test Tip: Shopping Carts Being in the RapidStudio support team gives me first hand insight into the needs of the new up-and-coming South African internet users. I often feel that our business is pulling South African computer users kicking and screaming into the world of e-commerce, and need to be responsible in assuring, educating and helping them in as many ways as possible. Being on support duty every Sunday from 10 till 3, I've finally decided to use some of that time to work on a few "tips" for new internet users to both help them stay safe online, and have the best possible online experience. These are written by me personally, RapidStudio support can't explain, take responsibility for, or support any of the things I've put up here for you. I am sure other internet users besides RapidStudio-ers will find them useful too! So here's the first tip, a test tip to see if this helps anyone and if I should consider doing one a week: The S