Windows 7 has numerous features making it a great improvement over earlier systems. However, like most things, if you are unaware of all these features you could be missing out.

By mastering a few simple tricks, you can get the most out of Windows 7.

• If you would like to move images to outside disks, you can now achieve this quickly with Windows 7. The operating system permits you to burn ISO images onto CDs or DVDs. To accomplish this, you merely have to double-click on the ISO image, tell Windows 7 the drive that holds your blank disc, and then click the “burn” option. Windows 7 will do the rest.

• Discovering issues and repairing them is also simple with Windows 7. To do this choose the “Control Panel” and choose the “troubleshooting” option. This will give you usage of a number of wizards that look for and solve common OS issues. For example cleaning up adware and eliminating clutter.

• Installing a lot of cumbersome software will slow your system down. You can prevent this by using the AppLocker feature. This lets you pre-approve specific programs for installation. Which inhibits any non-preapproved software from being downloaded.

• Another fantastic aspect is its power efficiency service. This lets you keep an eye on how much power your laptop is using. This can be very helpful if you are working remotely and have no access to a power source.

Once used primarily as a blogging platform, WordPress is now probably the most popular website publishing and content management tools on the web. According to Tech Crunch, about 22 out of every 100 new active domains in the U.S. run WordPress. What’s more, one of the most popular publishers in the world uses WordPress.

Here are 7 things you should know about WordPress:

1. Updating your site content is easier than ever using WordPress. With its dynamic page creation you can update your site easily without using a large amount of storage
2. You can get a subdomain for free! If you register with WordPress to obtain a free site, you can easily name your free subdomain like this: www.yourname.wordpress.org.
3. WordPress also provides what they call their ‘famous 5-minute install’, which makes it uncomplicated to install WordPress if you already have a domain and a hosting service. What’s more, no coding skills required.
4. Are there minimum requirements? Yes, if you’re hosting your own website outside of WordPress, there are some requirements to take into consideration. To get the appropriate support down the road, you will need to make sure you have the correct MySQL and PHP versions on your server.
5. To help make your site look nice, there is an wide-ranging selection of templates, called “themes”, available on the internet. Some are free, while others are not. Regardless, using these you are able to easily and quickly personalise your site to your liking.
6. Managing your website, posts, media, and all other materials in WordPress can be achieved easily through their user friendly dashboard. You can even manage multiple users!
7. WordPress is e-commerce friendly. You will find loads of plugins developed by users to allow you to advertise, review, and even sell products. This means you don’t need to find other payment systems or other add-ons, they can be found readily within the WordPress community.

In recent years iPads, smartphones, and Kindles have been a few of the most in demand gadgets on the market. But not all tech is created equal. Companies can’t predict what will become popular, regardless of how much they love it. Here are some that never quite caught on.

Famous tech failures

• Apple TV: This product gives users the capability to purchase entertainment from iTunes then stream it to the device of their choice. Good idea? Possibly, if it wasn’t so limited to iTunes. 

• Sony Mylo: You will possibly not recall the Mylo. That is because it came and went without eliciting much reaction from consumers. This Wi-Fi-enabled mobile device allowed consumers to connect to the Internet, send e-mail, and hold online chats. Additionally, it came with Skype for free Internet calls. Sadly for Sony, the iPhone and its massive app store simply overwhelmed the Mylo.

The Segway peters out

• Segway PT: The Segway PT scooter hasn’t exactly been a flop. However, it never caught on in the manner its manufacturers predicted. This two-wheeled transportation machine was meant to be a must-have for commuters traveling to work and for family members taking short trips to their local grocery store. Unfortunately, the scooter makes people look kind of silly when they’re riding it. Maybe this is the reason the device hasn’t become a mainstream substitute for cars.

The CueCat doesn’t purr

• CueCat: The CueCat was a handheld barcode reader shaped like a cat. Consumers would use it to scan any barcode and it would navigate them to the company’s website. This didn’t catch on but did it pave the way for QR codes?

If you work in a PC-based company, you more than likely use Microsoft Outlook to handle your email and your calendar.  You probably also take this very dynamic program for granted.  Microsoft Outlook has been around for years it has many hidden features that can help you save time and work more efficiently.  Let’s take a look at a few of those features.

Eliminate the Clutter

You possibly have “Conversation View” switched on in Outlook presently.  This view helps keep conversations neatly sorted into one thread. You can find the desired email without having to search through days of backlogged emails. There is a possible downside to this view however. Newer conversations can become very messy with repetitive quoted text. Turning off this quoted text is very simply with Outlook.  Right-click the conversation thread and pick “Clean Up Conversation.” All the unnecessary duplicate copies will now be eradicated from the individual emails in the conversation thread.

Say it in a Picture

They say a picture is worth a thousand words. Well, if you can include screen shots in your email messages. Just think of how many thousands of words you can avoid typing! Thanks to Outlook, dropping in screenshots of something on your desktop is effortless. From Outlook, click on the “Insert” tab. Then click the “Screenshot” option. This will bring up small pictures of all the windows open on your desktop. To insert one in your email message, justselect it.

Take Out the Trash

Sometimes it is tough to let go of those old emails.  We are inclined to keep them in the trash folder for months or even years.  The fact is that those messages use up a lot of valuable space. Thankfully, setting up automatic trash emptying is easy with Outlook.  Outlook will automatically empty your trash upon leaving the program if you click the  “File” tab and then choose “Options.” From here, choose “Advanced” and look for the Outlook “Start” and “Exit” options. Check the box next to “Empty Deleted Items” when exiting Outlook. Now your trash will be empty every time you exit the program freeing up lots of precious space!

When it comes to data security, many people think they have a good amount of systems and safeguards in place to keep their information safe. Sure, you will have antivirus software and you may even update it on a regular basis. You may even believe that you’re too small of a company to be a target of a hacking attempt. Only big firms that have thousands of clients need to worry about cyber criminals, right? Wrong. Hackers and cyber criminals have in fact escalated their focus on small businesses. We want to help you understand the dangers your small business may be facing.

Small firms: low-hanging fruit

The facts are, hackers have discovered that small businesses are easier targets, and are increasingly preying upon them. They are able to infiltrate their systems at a considerably faster rate, and with a better percentage of success as well. This means a cyber criminal can invade multiple targets in the time it would take them to lay siege to a better-guarded system with a higher level of data security. How can it be worth their while to steal from a mom and pop business? In today’s modern world, virtually every business makes use of digital payment processing methods. Whenever your customers pay using a credit card, this data must run through your system to be validated. This represents a goldmine of data for hackers, as they can lift this information without being noticed. With your customers’ credit card numbers, addresses and names, they can make fraudulent charges on their accounts.

How hackers gain access to your data

Hackers usually take a multiple-point-of-entry approach when trying to breach your company. Don’t be fooled that email is the sole method a hacker will attempt to infiltrate you. While harmful email attachments are the most popular tactics that hackers use to mine data from a company, additionally they use low-tech methods as well. Direct phone calls to lower level employees or perhaps a in-office visit pretending to be system administrator are among the low-tech ways criminals may target your enterprise. You might believe your workers are impervious to these seemingly evident ploys, but it only takes one mistake to open your company up to an attack.

The buck stops with you

If you feel that preserving data security is not essential, take into account that should your systems be breached, your customers will likely hold you personally responsible for any stolen data or property. These types of events cost companies thousands of dollars each year and can damage a company’s name so badly  that they must close their doors permanently.

An ounce of prevention…

So, in terms of your data security, taking additional precautions is a wise move. Not only should you update your programs whenever you can, look at strengthening your passwords as well. Don’t use obvious phrases, and never leave the default password in place. Also, advise your employees not to share their login information or open attachments from unfamiliar senders when checking their email. You may also hire an outside consultant to guarantee the security of your customers’ data. Taking these types of measures can give you piece of mind, knowing that your systems are safe from attack.