Its about my favorite subject! Graphic Design.

Many of us are self employed or freelance artists and musicians. Marketing is usually not in the budget. Learning a new skill while trying to run a business is just ridiculous!

So I will bring to you...what I know, learned and researched over the years! Let me do for you what I do best, so you can do what you do best!

This first newsletter will start with general computer tips. I know it may seem like a slow start but understanding how your computer works is the base you will need to make your computing experience less frustrating.

I will try to not get to wordy, but let me warn you I can talk about this stuff forever!!!! LOL!

My own site is a great practice site for me. You can browse the site here: www.larsengraphicdesign.com

1. Back It Up!
One of the most important things you can do is back up the information you have on your computer.

• Believe it or not your computer can be as fragile as a dandelion gone to seed. One gust of wind and everything is gone! Especially now that we are approaching spring storms, it is even more important to do this practice. I once had a hard drive fry during a thunderstorm in the middle of the night!.
  
  
• We don't realize how much of our lives reside in our home or office computer! Our family photos, movies, calendars, projects etc... things that may not be replaceable! The data may be retrieved if you do loose it, but at a very, very costly expense and this is not a guarantee that you will get everything back!
• So, for a few dollars you can purchase CD's or even an external hardrive to copy your most important files on to. This way they are off your computer and safe!

2. Surge Protect!
Very Important! Make sure your computer is plugged into a surge protected outlet or extension cord. This will help protect your computer during electrical storms.

3. Shut It Down & Uplug!
Shut down and unplug your computer during electrical storms. Even with a surge protected outlet, there is still a chance of lightning hitting a line and sending a current to your computer. (This is how I lost my hard drive!) Also storms with high wind and lightning can cause power outages which can cause you to loose data on your computer. If your computer is on and a sudden power outage occurs, your computer could crash causing you to loose important data!

Also be sure to unplug your computer if you are leaving for a long period of time. You never know what can happen. Unhappy pets can chew electrical cords, power outages, flood, etc... Better to be safe than sorry.

4. How Much Cache?
This term is pronounced like "cash". There are many different types of caches but they all serve the same purpose.

• A cache stores recently-used information in a place where it can be accessed extremely fast. For example, a Web browser like Internet Explorer uses a cache to store the pages, images, and URLs of recently visted Web sites on your hard drive.

The Benefit: With this neat strategy, when you visit a page you have recently been to, the pages and images don't have to be downloaded to your computer all over again. Because accessing your computer's hard disk is much faster than accessing the Internet, caching Web sites can speed up Web browsing significantly. Most Web browsers allow you to adjust the size of the cache in in browser preferences.

The Problem: If that cahed website has been updated or changed, you will not see the changes untill you clear your history. I have had clients tell me that they can't see their updates, when in fact they needed to clear their history to see the new pages. Restarting your computer will also clear out the cached history.

• Another common type of cache is a disk cache. This stores information you have recently read from your hard disk in the computer's RAM, or memory. Since accessing RAM is much faster than reading data off the hard disk, this can help you access common files and folders on your hard drive much faster.

• Another type of cache is a processor cache which stores small amounts of information right next to the processor. This helps make the processing of common instructions much more efficient, thereby speeding up computation time.

All of this cache can play havoc on your computer if not cleared out periodically. So it is wise to shut down regularly to clear out your cache, for a smoother computer experience!

If you have any specific topics you would like covered or any questions please just email here: bev@beverlylarsen.com with your request. I will be happy to cover it in a future newsletter!

Cheers,
Bev