Author Archives: Scott Dimeler

About Scott Dimeler

Scott is writer, a graphic artist, a web designer, and sometimes marketing guy. He has attended Penn State University and has held a number of jobs in the last seven years within the topsy-turvy tech industry. He currently lives with his yellow lab Boomer and the two silliest cats ever, Cheese Curl, and Gizmo in Central Pennsylvania. He has a deep love of everything scientific and technical but also likes to embrace and express his artistic side. He is an avid gamer and enjoys sci-fi and fantasy books and movies. He likes to travel and spend time with his friends that are scattered thorough out the country. Being laid back and always the person his friends and family turn to for technical advice, he has decided to broaden the range of people that he can help here on Families.com. He always tries to stay away from any sort of techno-babble or at least explain it in a way that everyone can understand easily. He would be happy to answer any questions you may have and looks forward to hearing from you all.

Shields Up! Port Scanning!

Hey! Hey you! Are your ports open? Don’t know? What’s a port? A computer port is where data comes in and out of your computer. Port scanning has legitimate uses but port scanning can also be dangerous if a malicious individual runs a program that scans your computer looking for a weakened access point to break into your computer. If they break into your computer they really are breaking into your life. “But I only check my email and the news once in a while!” If that sounds like you, then your exposure to port scanning will be minimal, unless … Continue reading →

Cleaning your Hard Drive Part 2 – Data CD

So you’ve done the computer equivalent of dusting and vacuuming but now you need to clean out the cluttered closet to make room. You have done the three steps I spoke about earlier and cleaned out any old files, as well as anything you don’t need or use anymore. But what about data that you don’t want to lose, but you would like to remove from your hard drive? Or data you would like to have on a back up copy? You can use the basic floppy disk, but the size limitations can be restrictive. Most modern computers have a … Continue reading →

Cleaning your Hard Drive Part 1

“Oh my gosh! My hard drive is full and I am almost out of storage space!” This is one of those thoughts that kick me into “spring cleaning for my computer” mode. If you need room to download those wedding pictures or digital movie you filmed or you just need to clear out some of the clutter so that you can defragment (as explained in this article) I will show you three quick ways to clean up your hard drive some. Delete anything you don’t need to save. This is sort of like throwing out old post-its, memos, images you … Continue reading →

Microsoft Vista – System Requirements

Well it’s getting to be that time again. Microsoft is gearing up for the launch of its new operating system Microsoft Vista available in early 2007. The release date isn’t set in stone and a recent lawsuit by Symantec is trying to block the sale of MS Vista. But what type of computer will you or I need to run the latest operating system? Microsoft has recently updated its website with the system requirements we will all need to have if we want to run Vista. But I wouldn’t rush out yet to buy new components or a new computer … Continue reading →

New Gadget – Loc8tor

If you are anything like me you can lose common items without even trying. Fear not! In today’s world there’s a gadget for everything and today I want to show you a new one that’s about to be released. It’s called the Loc8tor. Ever see a spy movie where the daring agent plants a homing beacon on the briefcase full of secret government documents? If you have then you are ready to use the Loc8tor! With the use of the handheld device the size of an average cell phone and a locator tag that isn’t much bigger than a paper … Continue reading →

Tips to get better Customer/Tech Support

One of the most frustrating things can be calling a company for customer or technical support and getting unsatisfactory service. I’ve had this happen and I’m sure most of us can tell horror stories from our past. I also have a slightly more unique experience with this topic and that is working on the other end of the phone. While in college one of the jobs I had was customer support and then tech support for one of the top three cell phone companies. There are many things that can frustrate us when we are calling for help. Long hold … Continue reading →

What is VoIP?

VOIP! VOIP? What is that? It sounds like the name of a pizza mascot. It’s not really. What it means is Voice Over Internet Protocol. Simply put it allows you to use a high speed internet connection such as cable internet or DSL service to talk to someone else. This type of service has been available for a few years now but with some new technology and more people signing up for high speed internet, it becomes a much more widespread option. VoIP convents your voice into a digital signal that is sent out over the internet and then is … Continue reading →

Electronics Shopping – Refurbdepot.com

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If you are anything like me you are always looking for a good deal. With the power of shopping online we have quite a few tools in our purchasing toolbox to fulfill those needs we have and hopefully not hit our pocket books too hard. Adam has reviewed two closeout sites in the past that you should check out and I’d like to share with you another of my personal favorites that I discovered when it was mentioned on a local news “consumer on your side” segment. RefurbDepot.com And yes, it’s a factory refurbished site. In the past this type … Continue reading →

Free Credit Report Site

Free credit reports? You hear this on the radio and TV all the time. But are they really free? Well yes and no. Under the Fair and Accurate Credit Transactions Act (FACT Act) you can request and obtain a free credit report once every 12 months from each of the three nationwide consumer credit reporting companies. But a credit report and a credit score are not the same thing. Credit file disclosure provides you the “credit report” that contains all the information in your credit file. This information is maintained by one of three consumer reporting companies and may be … Continue reading →

Phishing – How not to get caught

“We suspect an unauthorized transaction on your account. To ensure that your account is not compromised, please click the link below and confirm your identity.” “During our regular verification of accounts, we couldn’t verify your information. Please click here to update and verify your information.” Have you ever opened up your email to get an official looking email from eBay, your bank, Credit Card Company or even the IRS that reads like one of those quotes? I am sure most of you have. It’s an internet scam known as phishing. What is phishing? The scam is pronounced fishing and that … Continue reading →