Welcome to my web site and thank you for visiting! Please take a few minutes to look around. If you have any questions, please feel free to
anytime. I hope to create a useful site for you to find answers to Hardware and Software questions related to Microsoft® Windows® and Computer Technology by linking to some of the best web sites available for troubleshooting computer problems. If you have needs that aren't addressed here yet, please let me know.
My "Personal" web site is located at www.WilliamAFord.us, if you wish to learn more about me. All of the personal information I previously had here has been moved to that site. For those of you looking for information about Marfan Syndrome, you'll find that information located there as well. And please don't forget to visit the National Marfan Foundation web site for the latest Marfan syndrome news and updates.
I had my first introduction to computers in 1991 when I attended college for an A.S. degree in Ornamental Horticulture...I was a landscaper at the time. I had to take an Introduction to Computers class and I went Kicking & Screaming. I had no desire to learn squat about computers.
I have always been a Hands-On type of person and after screwing things up a couple of times and having my instructor come over to fix them, I told him if he'd show me what he did he wouldn't have to come back to fix my mistakes again. He soon realized this was true and would show me how to fix things and was happy to know he wouldn't have to keep coming back to continuously fix things. I breezed through that class with flying colors.
Since I enjoyed that class so much, I decided to take DOS next. The Computer Sciences Head taught that class and he knew that I was unemployed at the time. His Computer Lab Monitor was leaving the next semester and because I was such a fast learner and enjoyed helping others in the class he offered me the job. I was stunned...I didn't know diddly about computers, but he said I didn't need to. All that would be required of me was to open the lab, turn on all the computers, pass out student's floppy disks, and then reverse the procedures when the lab closed. I figured it couldn't be that difficult and I needed the money so I took the job.
It didn't take long for a student to ask for my help and even though I'd never even heard of the program they were using I figured I'd try anyway. It was easy to help them "fix" their problem because I immediately realized they weren't reading the screen as they were hitting various keys. I stopped them and pointed out what was going on and they were able to continue on from there on their own.
I was the Lab Monitor for the next five or six semesters and students swore that I was a teacher because I knew so much. Nothing I said to them would convince them otherwise. I even had students give me cards and small gifts at the end of their semester as a "Thank You" for the help they received from me.
I even received an Outstanding Award for the work I did. Obviously, I "caught the bug" and bought my first computer in 1993. I took one more computer class after that, hardware repair, and have never looked back. Everything else I know today I've learned from screwing up my own computers and having to "find" a fix or from others who've shared their knowledge in Online Forums, newsletters and magazines. BTW, I read a lot these days since I have so much free time on my hands. <g>
I now have a four computer LAN setup in our house and have hand-built these four computers. Luckily for me the Wife enjoys the computers as much as I do and even playing games Online. She's also attending a Tech School for an A.S. degree in Computer Technology. I am so lucky! :-)
So, this web site is my way of trying to return the favor and help others with the knowledge I've picked up along the way.
ALL External Links (...links to other web sites...) Will Open in a New Browser Window. My reasoning for doing this is so that you won't lose your place on this web site. All Internal Links Will Always Open in the Same Browser Window...as long as I haven't screwed up the link that is. <g>
I don't use cookies on my web site. I only use cookies when I have an ice-cold glass of whole milk available and the DW (Darling Wife) baked the cookies for me. Even then I still only use the cookies at home and not on my web site. Besides, we still have two teen boys at home and I'm not sure I could get out the door with Mom's cookies anyway. Please read my Privacy Policy.
And, happily, there are no ads on this web site either. Hopefully, it will always stay this way too...at least as long as I can afford the hosting and maintenance of this web site, there won't ever be any ads here.
There are no affiliate links of any kind anywhere on my web site. All links go directly to the mentioned web site. If I so desired, I could receive compensation from several business owners I know personally if I sent them a new customer, but as of right now there are no referral links to their sites from links on this web site. However, if I ever find myself needing financial assistance hosting and maintaining this web site, I'll go with referral links to people I know long before I'll ever allow any ads on my web site. The referral links would also be easily identified as such as I'll make d@mn sure you can easily find them.
Occasionally you'll see a remark from me about paying for a program or newsletter, even though that program or newsletter is listed as free. This is because I try to support the efforts of others who create these programs and/or newsletters that I use daily and find useful, and sometimes even necessary. I've tried to make it a habit of selecting one site every month that I make a donation of some small amount to, $5, $10 or even $20, in order to help keep those sites, newsletters, and programs free. I hope you'll consider doing the same if you are using a free program or newsletter daily that you just can't do without.
This is an ever growing and changing work in progress. Check back often as I add more regularly.
I have now added a What's New page. I didn't think I would ever need one, but I have friends and acquaintances coming here regularly for information. They won't know what's changed since their last visit unless they check all of the pages they've already visited in the past, hence the new What's New page. On top of that I'm changing a few other things on my site. 11/22/2002
You are a geek liaison, which means you go both ways. You can hang out with normal people or you can hang out with geeks which means you often have geeks as friends and/or have a job where you have to mediate between geeks and normal people. This is an important role and one of which you should be proud. In fact, you can make a good deal of money as a translator.
Normal: Tell our geek we need him to work this weekend. |
This site is, hopefully,
Courtesy of Johannes Hædrich
and the Viewable With Any Browser campaign.
with questions or comments about this web site.
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