Why use an Online Backup site?

Online Backup sites offer a great (sometime free) way to protect your computer from losing files and data. For example:

1) Viruses can wreck your files
2) Hard drive failure - Hard drives wear out. They are a complex mechanism of moving parts. They are eventually bound to fail. Not trying to scare anybody, just stating a fact.
3) Lightening can drive your computer nuts. I can't tell you how many hard drives I've lost over the years to due lightening. Even with the greatest of surge surpressors they can still lose their mind.
4) Other weather disasters such as a flood, earthquake, etc... Everybody has some natural disaster in their area to deal with.
5) And yes... even the most skilled computer nerd can accidentally delete files permanently. It does happen.

Consider what would happen if your data was comprimised. Or if you simply lost it due to an accident or disaster. You need protection. You need an online backup site.

What are the benefits to using an online backup site like ClubBackup.com?

1) They are cheap. Sometimes free. At clubbackup.com you get 1 GB of free space and 20 GB for $4.95/month. That's enough for most people.
2) You don't ever have to worry about swapping out CD's or tapes. Your data just gets uploaded securely and invisibly to you.
3) It's a "set it and forget it" solution. Once you set up the software you never ever have to worry about it again.

I hope this has helped educate you on the need for online backups. Please consider using ClubBackup.com for your online backup needs. It's free until you decide you need more than 1 GB. Then prices start at $4.95.

Have a good weekend!

Capturing logos and images on web pages

I spoke with a customer today on the phone who is a medical doctor. He is creating a Power Point presentation and wanted to copy a logo off of a web page, size it and place it into Power Point. So he calls asking how to do this. Here is the answer:

1) In Print Screen Deluxe make sure you have the "What am I capturing?" set to Rectangle.
2) Hit the key on your keyboard.
3) Draw a rectangle around the logo or image you want to copy.
4) The Print Screen Deluxe window will appear (if you have "Auto Popup" enabled) containing your logo that you just captured.
5) Click Resize, and size it for your needs.
6) Click Copy, then go to Power Point and click Paste.

That's it!

Also we received a very nice email from a customer this week. We sent a few emails back and forth solving a problem he had with EZ Macros. He eventually did get his macro to work the way he wanted. But in the process I gave him a refund for his troubles.

Brad P. in Salt Lake City, UT writes:

"It's great to know that there's other people out there who have integrity. Sometimes good integrity is difficult to find these days.It sounds like you have good morals and that you strive to do what's right. "

Thanks Brad! We really do try. I'm a firm believer in the Golden Rule. It's just good business.

Have a great week!

"Now Hiring", plus Print Screen Deluxe on the Mac? And an EZ Macros question

Yes you read that right. We had a customer write in this week telling us about running Print Screen Deluxe on his Mac. He's running the XP virtual machine on his Mac. So he can run the Mac then switch over to XP and back. And he's printing screens with Print Screen Deluxe. Pretty cool huh?

We've had several inquiries over the years about creating a full scripting language for EZ Macros. The truth is - yes we've developed one. It has everything you could ever want in a language. We are trying to determine the best way to plug this into the product. If this is something you are interested in please send me an email. We can put you on the beta tester list. We'd LOVE to have your feedback.

Finally, ClubBackup.com - our online backup service - is going well. We are very pleased. In fact we are looking to hire some sales and marketing people to help spread the word about ClubBackup.com. If this is up your alley give us a call and send me an email or a fax with your resume. Our fax is 817-485-2193. If you don't have a resume, just type something up and send it to my attention.

No restrictions here folks. All ages and all walks of life are welcome. You can work 40 hours or 4. You'll be paid based on what you produce. Our main number is 888-892-4310. This can also be a good job for a stay at home parent. So don't be shy. We'd love to hear from you.

New version of ClubBackup

Today we are releasing a minor update to ClubBackup.com. We now include File Encryption. When you store your files on our server they are encrypted with a password that you provide. This way NOBODY - not even employees of ClubBackup.com and American Systems can see your files.

Why is this important?

To protect your data from prying eyes. It's just one more layer of protection for you. Some companies need their files encrypted to keep their financial records secret. Social Security numbers, bank account numbers, etc. are now completely scrambled on our servers.

Now you can rest easier knowing that:

A) Your data is backed up and protected on our site
B) NOBODY can peek at your data but you.

The only time your data is not encrypted (scrambled) is on your PC or on your network. Once it's downloaded to your system, it is decrypted (unscrambled). Any time your data is in transit to or from our servers, it is encrypted. And it is stored on our servers encrypted.

Please consider using ClubBackup.com to keep your files backed up. It's really cheap, and it's a very reliable service. Never again will you have to worry about tapes, switching out CD's. We have been in business since 1994, and we don't plan on going anywhere. So give us a try!

EZ Macros Testimonial

Arnold from Edmonton, Alberta Canada writes in today to tell us how he uses EZ Macros. I thought I would share it with you. It's a very smart way to use it. And you'll see how much time it saves him.

"I use this program both at work and at home all the time. I work in a call center in Edmonton, Alberta Canada and the EZ Macros program is a wonderful tool for the help desk industry...I made up macros of all the questions thatneed to be asked on the incoming calls. At the beginning of the call I usethe shortcut keys to pull up the macro, let it do its thing, then edit the questions as needed to fit the exact call. GREAT TOOL!! I recommended it to everyone that I meet at work."

Thanks for writing in Arnold!

We would LOVE to hear your story too. And if you say it's ok with you I'll share your story in this blog.

EZ Macros and IE 7

If you use EZ Macros and IE 7 you may have discovered that your first keystroke in your macro vanishes. What do you do about this?

Answser:

Add a space to the beginning of your macro. This will be the first keystroke that IE "eats" then your macro will play out like it normally does.

Have a great weekend!

Sincerely,
Matt Porter
American Systems & ClubBackup.com
Blog: http://clubbackup.blogspot.com
http://www.americansys.com
http://www.clubbackup.com

Quick Capture question for Print Screen Deluxe

In version 6.3 we introduced the "Quick Capture" button. A button that floats on your screen with the words "Print Screen" on it. When you click that button you trigger the screen capture process. The advantage is that you don't have to even take your hand off the mouse anymore to print your screen. Pretty lazy huh? Life is good!

The question is "My Quick Capture button disappeared and I can't get it back. What do I do? I really miss it."

Answer:

1) In the Print Screen Deluxe window, click "Options".

2) At the bottom there is a check box called "Show Quick Capture button".

3) Check it and click "OK" .

That should do the trick.

ClubBackup.com:

We are building in a wonderful new feature this week. File Encryption.

A CPA customer of ours wrote in explaining why he needed it so bad. He said his firm stores SSN's, bank account numbers and other sensitive info that must be protected. Even from hackers.

So, what we are doing is implementing what's called Encryption. You provide a password that only you know, and we use that to encrypt (hide) the data in your file. The only person that can decode (decrypt) your data is you.

While your data is stored on our site it is encrypted.

What is "encryption?" Basically it's scrambiling your data in such a way that it can only be retrieved using a special passkey (password). Remember the days of cable TV when you would go to a scrambled channel and the picture looked wierd? Then when you ordered that channel the picture would clear up? Same difference.

It's all done by the system. It's nearly impossible to beat this type of encryption. It's the same form of encryption that banks use.

We will go to absolutely every possible length to protect your data. If there is something that you need in ClubBackup.com, just ask!!!!

Have a good one!

Sincerely,

Matt Porter

American Systems & ClubBackup.com

Email: matt@americansys.com

Blog: http://clubbackup.blogspot.com/

http://www.americansys.com/

http://www.clubbackup.com/

Print Screen Deluxe Q & A

We don't get that many tech support questions about Print Screen Deluxe to be quite honest. Especialy when you consider just how many clients we have using it. The single most common question we get about Print Screen Deluxe is something like this:

"Whenever I hit the "PrintScreen" key on my keyboard the program gives me an error. What do I do?"

Solution:

99% of the time this is a printer driver issue. Determine the make and model of your printer. Then go to the manufacturer's web site and download and install the latest driver.

That really is all there is too it.

Print Screen Deluxe is by far the simplest screen capture tool available. It's cheap, very handy, and you only have to press one key on your keyboard. The program does the rest. Print Screen Deluxe really does bring your "PrintScreen" key to life.

On another note: I am the resident computer geek in my family, and my circle. I get asked questions that I bet many of you have. As these questions come up I'll share them in my blog along with the answers (of course.)

I get everything from hardware problems, to how to take a VHS video, make a DVD or an online video, stuff like that. So look forward to those in the near future.

I hope all is well with you and yours.

Sincerely,
Matt Porter
http://www.clubbackup.com/
http://www.americansys.com/

Another EZ Macros Q&A and a ClubBackup.com feature

First of all, how about that Super Bowl? That game was exactly what I hoped for. Close to the end, Peyton cheering for his brother, and Eli getting his ring. Couldn't ask for more.

We've had an EZ Macros question coming up that I wanted to answer. Some of you who run Vista are getting an error like "Unable to set hook". Here is the solution:

Turn off the UAC (User Account Control). (See instructions below.) Microsoft views macro programs as a potiential risk because it takes control of your keyboard and mouse. I sincerely hope none of you would use EZ Macros for evil. Most companies disable the UAC when the get a installation of Vista. It simply generates too many help desk calls and it's just not worth the time it takes to support it. Here's how you do it.

A) Click Start...Control Panel
B) Click "Change your Windows Password"
C) Click "Turn User Account Control On or Off"
D) Clear the check box called "Use User Account Control (UAC) to help protect your computer."
E) Reboot your computer.After you do this, EZ Macros will work perfectly.

This is a temporary "workaround". We will be fixing this in the next version of EZ Macros.

A new ClubBackup.com feature coming soon - File Encryption. You will be able to type your own password, and the software will use that password to enrypt your files on the server using Cryptography. If you have files that contain sensitive data such as social security numbers, bank account info, etc., you will want to enable file encryption. Look for that in your next Live Update.

Have a good week!

Today is the Super Bowl

Search our Blog (at the top/left of this page) for EZ Macros and Club Backup Q & A.

Like most of you I'll be watching the Super Bowl today. I really don't care who wins. I grew up a Dallas Cowboys fan. So it's really difficult for me to cheer for the Giants. However that being said I've always liked the underdog.

The Patriots on paper should win obviously. But if you recall the Giants gave New England all they wanted a few weeks ago. So the Pats will remember that and know that they are vulnerable. The Giants know it too. So it will be a great game to watch.

I'm watching the game with about 20 7th grade boys. It should be wild! Hopefully there will not be any wardrobe malfunctions. I can't imagine what they will do if that happens.

I'd also like to see Manning do well. I'd hate to live in the shadow of Peyton Manning. As a father of sons you don't want that kind of competition and resentment betweek your kids. Hopefully they Manning boys are more mature than that. But knowing men, probably not.

I really don't care who wins. I just hope for a good game. I'd love to see the Giants give New England all they can handle. It should make for some high drama and a fun game to watch.

Enjoy it folks! After today there's not any football until Arena season. (If you've never seen Arena football, you should. It's a hoot!)