Tech Tip: For longer battery life, change this iOS 7 setting

How to turn off Background App refresh in iOS 7
Description: This feature allows apps to refresh in the background when on Wi-Fi or cellular and also use location services. Turning off background app refresh will help preserve battery life.

Go to Settings from the home screen of iPad.
Go to General and then select Background App Refresh.




Move the switch from right to left to toggle off.

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Tech Tip: How to fix Windows Updates for Windows 8

Description: This guide will walk you through the steps necessary to troubleshoot and resolve errors when Windows 8 is failing on installing an update from Windows Update.

First try this Microsoft Fix-It:
http://go.microsoft.com/?linkid=9830262 
 If that doesn't solve the issue try the following:


Right click on the task bar and go to Task Manager. (Alternatively press Ctrl+Alt+Del and

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What's new in iOS 7?

Description: This guide will show you the new features of iOS 7.


iOS 7 now includes a new feature called Control Center where you can quickly access several settings. To access Control Center, Swipe from the bottom of your iOS device to the top. This will open the Control Center from here you can play/pause music, adjust the volume, turn on/off Bluetooth, access a flashlight (iPhone), turn on/

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Tech Tip: How to emulate a different version of Internet Explorer in Internet Explorer 11

Description: If you head to a website that requires a lower version of Internet Explorer you can emulate that version so the website works correctly.


When in Internet Explorer, press the F12 key on your keyboard. This will bring up the developer screen.


Click the Maximize button in the upper right hand corner of the window, this will put the developer screen into a window.



Once in

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Tech Tip: How to connect a smartphone to an HDTV

Description: Most smartphones made within the past few years have the capability to connect to external monitors and/or HDTVs. This is extremely useful if you travel a lot and want to watch movies on something bigger than your smartphone's screen. So how do you know if this feature applies to you?

Some smartphones have the HDMI port on the device itself.

The example below is from a Droid RAZR

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Tech Tip: How to fix a Monitor with a Yellow tint

Description: This article will show you how to remove a yellow tint from a monitor.


Open the Control Panel.

In the top left corner of Control Panel, type Color Management. In the list of results click
Color Management.


In the device drop down menu, choose the monitor that has the yellow tint.



Check Use my settings for this device box. Click Add.

Choose sRGB Virtual Device

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Tech Tip: How to install drivers manually for Windows 7 and 8 computers

Description: This is a guide on how to install drivers manually for Windows 7 and 8 computers.

Drivers are software that instructs the pieces of hardware in how to talk to each other. Sometimes a piece of hardware isn't working the way it's supposed to. Either it's a new piece of hardware that isn't installing properly or one that was corrupted by a virus or improperly updated software. In any

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Tech Tip: Benefits of Using Static IP Addresses

Description: Normally, when you hook up devices to your home router (wireless or wired), the router will automatically assign IP addresses to those devices by default (using a DHCP server) using a range that you specify. If you don't specify a range of numbers, the router will have a default range from which it will assign.

A few examples of IP addresses:
Your Router - 192.168.1.1

John's

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Tech Tip: What to do if you get a Blue Screen error in Windows

Description: Here is a how to guide on what to do with a blue screen error on a Windows computer.

A blue screen error is a critical failure on a Windows computer. They will appear suddenly, provide a little information, and restart the computer. And they can be quite scary for people.

Here's some brief tips for what to do when a blue screen shows up:


Write down any Stop error codes that

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What's in a name?

Description: Before you have that recurring nightmare about sophomore English class, let's clarify which "name" we're talking about and how you can create a problem for yourself that almost defies troubleshooting.

One of our customers had a network in their business. The main PC needed to be brought into the shop and, long story short, reloaded with Windows. When the customer took the main PC

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Tech Tip: Troubleshooting Audio

Description: Troubleshooting Your Audio.



Ever since Diamond Multimedia introduced the consumer to one of the first MP3 players about 15 years ago, the digital music scene has become a necessity to the common consumer. Starting at that point, you could take tracks from your favorite CDs and transfer them to a portable media player to enjoy the music on the go. Granted, you could only fit

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New features in the Windows 8.1 Start button

Description: This blog post gives a description of new functions in the Windows 8 start button.

Microsoft has an update of Windows 8 called 8.1. One of the most popular features on it is the re-addition of a Start button.
 
Some of the new features it comes with are:

It's a visible button that takes the user to the Start Screen with a left click.




Right clicking on it will provide a number

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Tech Tip: FBI Moneypak Virus Removal

Description: This technical article explains how to remove the FBI Moneypak Virus.



The Moneypak virus implements itself by filling your screen with an image similar to the one above. You will not be able to clear this screen and they will demand you send them an amount of money (usually $200) via Moneypak which is untraceable and unrecoverable. This is a SCAM and you should never send money to

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Tech Tip: How to clean out the Windows Hosts file if malware has tampered with it

Viruses attack computers not just by posting pop-up ads for phony software. They also cripple the computer's basic functions so that the virus is difficult to get rid of. One of the chief objectives of viruses is to prevent internet browsers from going to web sites chosen by the user. There are several ways that viruses steer a browser away from its intended destination. Sometimes they install a

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Tech Tip: How to fix internet connection problems

Everyone who uses the internet experiences connection problems from time to time. The "Cannot display the web page" message in Internet Explorer, or the "Server not found" message in Firefox, or the "Ooops!" message in Google Chrome are familiar but unwanted sights. In each case, you're going nowhere on the web. Sometimes the connection problem is caused by hardware issues: a computer adapter

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MiniPingBot Construction

This small Arduino obstacle-avoiding robot is an experiment in reducing 

the size and complexity of larger kit and Do It Yourself (DIY) robots.




Bot Mechanics:

I started with an enclosed 4-cell AA battery pack. This had an advantage of having a small slide switch mounted in the case, so you don't have to keep disconnecting the power connector.

 


Two mini (9g) continuous

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Tech Tip: How to back up your Outlook local content and archives (.pst)

This article shows how to locate your Outlook.PST* file so that you can backup or transfer your outlook content to removable media, a network location or to another location. Illustrated below is the process for Outlook 2010 with Windows 7 as operating system. There are many ways to locate and backup your outlook.pst archive, but this procedure should be similar for most versions of Outlook or

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Tech Tip: How to fix DNS errors

Description: Sometimes a computer will inform the user that it is having a DNS error and can't connect to the internet. Flushing the DNS can often fix this:

Hold down the Windows key and select the R key once to open the Run window.






Type cmd into the space there and select OK. This will open the Command Prompt window.




In that window, type ipconfig /flushdns and select the Enter key.

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When 2 Terabytes just isn't enough...

Sooner or later, you'll find yourself saying "Ya' know, 2,199,023,255,552 bytes (also known as 2TB) of data on
one hard drive is just not enough for me - I need more, lots more."

Well, first the good news --- hard disk drive prices are running below $100 per Terabyte, and if you REALLY have a lot of data even the 16TB network attached storage (NAS) drives with "data center

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Tech Tip: Obtaining hassle-free SSD Performance

If you were toying around with SSD drives when they first appeared on the market, there were a lot of details you needed to worry about. Remember having to make sure the operating system started on the correct block?

Then there was the problem of too many gigs of OS, apps, games, and media. You had to decide in advance which were the critical applications that got space on the coveted SSD and

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Arduino Workshop - Parallel LCD Project 2: SparkFun Parallel LCD

Hardware Required:

Arduino Uno board

SparkFun 16x2 Parallel LCD






Schematic:




There are several +5v and Ground connections for the parallel LCD. Use the power bus (strip) along the edge to run a single pair to the Arduino, and then break it out to the different pins on the display.
Use different color wires to make connections easier to follow.



Project Steps:

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Arduino Workshop - Parallel LCD Project 1: DFRobot Parallel LCD

Hardware Required:

Arduino Uno board

DFRobot 16x2 LCD Shield





Schematic:

No schematic necessary. All connections are made by installing the LCD Shield directly onto the Arduino's sockets.




Note: The boards tested use different signal and data pins than the default examples in the LCD Library. Our LCD Shield uses pin 8 for Register Select, Pin 9 for Enable, and pins 4, 5,

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Arduino Workshop - Serial LCD Project 2: Parallax Serial LCD

Hardware Required:

Arduino Uno board

Parallax 16x2 Serial LCD





Schematic:



Use the breadboard to connect a Parallax serial LCD module. Insert the three pins on the back into the breadboard, then run patch wires from the data, +5v, and Ground.






Project Steps:

Insert the 3 pins on the rear of the LCD module into the breadboard
When mounted like the photo, the

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Arduino Workshop - Serial LCD Project 1: SparkFun Serial LCD

Hardware Required:

Arduino Uno board

SparkFun 16x2 Serial LCD






Schematic:





Using the breadboard to connect a SparkFun serial LCD module. You can just as easily connect the LCD wires directly to the Arduino.



Project Steps:

Insert the 3-wire cable into the rear of the LCD module

Tightly twist the exposed tips of the wires so they will fit into the Arduino

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Arduino Workshop - Project 06: Traffic & Pedestrian signal

Hardware Required:

Arduino Uno board

LED (x5)
330 ohm (x5), 10 K ohm resistors
Pushbutton switch (N.O.)

jumper wires





Schematic:




Project Steps:


Insert LEDs with their short legs in the ground strip (column).

Insert 330 ohm resisters between long legs of the LED and the next channel row.

Connect wires between LED resistors and the Arduino pins:
Red to D9

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Arduino Workshop - Project 05: Push-On, Push-Off - Part 2

Hardware Required:

Arduino Uno board

LED (x2)
330 ohm (x2), 10 K ohm resistors
Pushbutton switch (N.O.)

jumper wires





Schematic:



Project Steps:


Assemble an LED and pushbutton, following the directions for project 4. Add a second LED:
Insert a second LED in the breadboard
Connect a wire between the ground and the short pin of the second LED

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Arduino Workshop - Project 04: Push-On, Push-Off - Part 1

Hardware Required:

Arduino Uno board

LED (any color)

330 ohm, 10 K ohm resistor

Pushbutton switch (N.O.)

jumper wires





Schematic:




Project Steps:


Insert the LED in the breadboard
Connect a wire between the ground and the short pin of the LED

Connect a 330 ohm resistor between the D13 on the Arduino and the long-leg of the LED

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Tech News: What's new in Microsoft Office 2013?

Office 2013, the next edition of Microsoft’s flagship productivity suite, is available for business customers but won’t go on sale to consumers until the first quarter of 2013.

We got a look at it and here’s what is new in Microsoft Office 2013.


Office 2013 has undergone some drastic new changes featuring a clean new interface, and is more accessible that any previous version of Office.

The

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Arduino Workshop - Project 03: Servo Motor Sweep

Hardware Required:

Arduino Uno board
Servo motor
jumper wires






Schematic:




Project Steps:

Prepare the Arduino with the code (because pin D9 was in use by the LED in project 2):


Connect the Arduino unit to your computer with the USB cable

Open the Project3 sketch into the Arduino software and upload it to your module

Disconnect the USB cable

Connect

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