Tag: Email

All IT, Recent Jobs

Recent Jobs

by Colin BowenLeave a Comment on Recent Jobs

Just a random selection of recent jobs I’ve completed for customers.

  • New HP Laptop and printer set-up
  • Windows not booting after using system restore to attempt a fix, and printer problems – fixed. Set up email on Android phone, and set mobile broadband data use warning and limit
  • Same-day-service for business customer to fix “no internet” problem. Also installed and set up Dropbox, and set up and run their first backup
  • Windows Login problem solved, Windows Updates completed, Antivirus installation
  • Non-starting Windows PC problem solved, advice on Windows Updates, and advice and tuition on Kindle Fire Tablet
  • Failing hard disk on a laptop. Backed up data, replaced hard disk with SSD (Solid State Disk), installed Windows 10, restored data
  • Windows XP won’t shutdown. I know, Windows XP! Retro! Also, fixed line, wired phone sometimes can’t dial out.
  • New printer installed and set up so customer can print from PC, iPad, iPod and Android phones. General PC tune-up highlighted Windows Updates were failing (now fixed), and a security checkup (Norton auto renewal).
  • Lenovo Ideapad set-up, Norton installation and activation, Gmail account creation.
  • iPad locked during update and couldn’t access iTunes server on Windows Vista, solved by using another computer and resetting the iPad and installing updates.
  • Computer infected with viruses and malware due to Norton not working – disinfected and fixed Norton, updated Windows, tested emails. Installed ad blocker on another PC. Advice on tablets and phones.

If there’s anything I can help you with please contact me on the numbers top-right of this page or by using the Contact form by clicking here.

Thanks for reading.

All IT, IT Tips

Quick tip to make copied text match the format of the rest of the text

by Colin BowenLeave a Comment on Quick tip to make copied text match the format of the rest of the text

Do you ever copy and paste text from one place to another and find the formatting doesn’t match? Here’s a quick keyboard shortcut to make the copied text match the format of the rest of the document.

Highlight the text with the incorrect format, hit Ctrl-space. Done! Your copied text should now match the formatting of the rest of the document.

It works in email, word processing, websites, and almost all other software and applications.

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For other tips, click the IT Tips on the menu bar at the top of this page. For all IT posts, click All IT on the menu bar. To view the services I offer, click Services on the menu bar. Contact me if you you need IT support or services.

 

All IT, Recent Jobs

Email remote support

by Colin BowenLeave a Comment on Email remote support

icons-842848_640Happy New Year!

It was a hectic first day back in the office with a boiler service (let me know if you need someone good) and fridge/freezer delivery, but I did manage to help a couple of clients with email problems via remote support.

A small business client texted me because he hadn’t had email for a week. He has hosted business email from Fastshosts (meaning a paid-for email service, not free email like those provided by Gmail or his internet service provider), and used Incredimail software to access his emails. I’m no fan of Incredimail but he has used it for a number of years.

He suspected that the problem was with the Indredimail software that he has used for years to access his email (not my recommendation) so he uninstalled it. H couldn’t figure out how to access his Fasthosts email using Microsoft Mail on his PC. I logged in remotely and figured out the correct settings, then did some tests sending and receiving email to make sure it was all working.

The other client was a home user who had managed to lose his email icon after a Windows update. I didn’t know which software he was using to access his email, so I logged in to his computer to figure it out with him. He had been using BT Mail and accessing it with Internet Explorer, so I added a new shortcut to his desktop to make it easy to access his email again.

If you have problems with your email, or would like suggestions on a better email service, or advice on how to handle email more effectively, please get in touch. You can phone me on the numbers above-right of the page, comment below (it will be private if it contains personal information, or use the Contact menu item top-right of the page.

 

IT News

Virgin to switch your email from Gmail to another service

by Colin Bowen4 Comments on Virgin to switch your email from Gmail to another service
I’ve just had an email from Virgin Media saying they’re moving their email service from Gmail to someone else. I did some research and they may be moving to TalkTalk, which most of my TalkTalk customers say is a dreadful email service.
I always recommend that people have an email service that is independent of their broadband provider, so if you ever switch internet providers you can carry on as usual with your own email address.
If you use a virgin.net or blueyonder email address, I recommend that you set up an independent email address as soon as possible so you can let your contacts know your new email address in plenty of time before the Virgin changeover. You will then also have to change the email address used by any banks, Facebook, and any other accounts that use your current email address. I recommend Gmail. If you would like help setting this all up, please contact me.
IT News

BT about to mess up your email (again)

by Colin Bowen1 Comment on BT about to mess up your email (again)

Setting up new BT MailBT is about to move from BT Yahoo Mail (which sucked anyway) to new BT Mail. Most people are going to need to make some changes to their email settings in order to continue to use their BT email services.

If you use an iPad, tablet, phone, Outlook, Mac, Windows Live Mail, etc, you’ll probably have to change the settings. As BT admit, “it’s a bit technical” and they can’t do it automatically.

If you have read this far and don’t relish the thought of manually changing your email settings yourself, contact me now and I’ll make the transition as smooth as possible for you, and save you perhaps hours of frustration and phone calls to BT’s lovely call centre.

If you want to make the changes yourself, look out for an email from BT and follow their instructions. I’ve looked at their instructions, and they’re confusing (even to me) and wordy. Good luck!

My advice is to move away from BT email entirely. In fact, in my opinion, you should not use any email service provided by your Internet Service Provider. I’ll write another blog post soon about this, but contact me if you want to hear sooner.

 

IT News

Sky email moves to Sky Yahoo Mail, and causes problems (no surprise there)

by Colin BowenLeave a Comment on Sky email moves to Sky Yahoo Mail, and causes problems (no surprise there)

So, Sky Email has switched from Gmail to Sky Yahoo email. That’s like switching from car to a horse-drawn carriage, with a dead horse.

Firstly, you shouldn’t be using your internet provider’s email. If you switch providers, you could lose your email account.

Secondly, if you have a Yahoo (or worse, hotmail) email account, well… Call me an email snob, but they’re a bit, er, naff.

If you want with Sky Yahoo Email, or moving any email account to a better service, please contact me.