Toronto Ice Storm

HIs Wandering Eye

Hawk Eye

Hawkeye

Eyes Like A Hawk

This Bird Is  Preying

He Spotted Something
These photos were taken by Allan from his office window using the office camera.

Proven Solutions Toronto Computer Service Gift Card Promotion.- New Gift Card Added

A Special Promotion

You can receive this gift card when Proven Solutions Inc. Toronto Computer Service provides you with  a minimum of one hour of service.

See choices below:

$10 Cineplex gift card (for Movie Buffs)
$10 Shoppers Drug Mart gift card (something for everyone)
$10  Presidents Choice PC gift card (food basics to food gourmet)
$10  Panera Bread gift card  (great cafe for soups, salads, pastries & more)
$10 Starbucks or Tim Hortons gift card (for Coffee Lovers and more)

Contact Proven Solutions Toronto Computer Service (phone 416-227-2290) 

This offer will expire on Jan 05 2014.
Please contact Proven Solutions Inc. (416-227-2290) for any inquiries about this promotion.
This promotion is only available to Canadian residents.
One gift card is available per Canadian billing address during this promotion period.
All gift cards are in Canadian currency and must be redeemed in Canada only.
Gift cards are mailed upon receipt of full payment  for services provided.Please allow up to one week for your gift card to be delivered by Canada Post.This offer cannot be combined with any other special offer or promotion.

Do You Like This?

My Wandering Eye Could Not Help But Compare

We Both Love Birds...

and I love flowers...and I love this painting in the home of the office called Bird of Paradise by Ruth Nichols

Not All BackUp Systems are Created Equally!

Now Allan visited a client this past week and he asked her if she wanted her existing computer backed up because she had important photos and other data on it.
She told him that she already had one in place that a previous I.T. had put in.
Allan checked the backup for her and there was nothing on it past 2012.
They checked it together to see if they could find anything current.
It was obviously not doing the job.
She told him that before she was using a Clickfree backup system and it apparently had not been working right either.
It was supposed to be an automatic system that she never had to check once it was installed.

What is the sense of a backup system that fails?
It is a false sense of security.
Your computer might crash.
You might accidentally delete something you really need.
The backup system Proven Solutions Toronto Computer Services provides allows you to retrieve individual files or folders.
You can also restore your complete hard drive in case it crashes.

Since Allan knows that backing up is very important to so many people, he always has a backup system that he believes in with him at all times in his on-site service kit.
His clients can always choose to have Proven Solutions Toronto Computer Service monitor if it is working on a daily basis.
He can check remotely that it is working properly at no extra charge.
He can literally show you that there are current files on it.
It is one thing to put in a backup system but it is another matter if it works!

Allan is up to date on the best affordable backup systems out there.
He researches thoroughly.
He knows what questions to ask.
So far all the backup systems have worked properly.
You can contact Proven Solutions Toronto Computer Services (phone 416-227-2290) about your needs for a backup system today.

The Facebook Logo of Proven Solutions Toronto Computer Services Had A FaceLift!

BACK UP, BACK UP, BACK UP. It can happen to any computer - OLD OR NEW

Another small disaster story from not having a back up in place.

Wow, she thought her Macbook was immune to hard drive failure so she never backed up her stuff. Here is the article in the Toronto Star. Her solid state drive failed abruptly. This can happen to  any Computer, Desktop or Laptop at any time obviously. It is best to always be prepared. There are many ways of backing up your data. If you prefer your data backed up at home, (not in the cloud) you can buy an external hard drive with special software that automatically backs up your computer every day. Proven Solution Toronto Computer Services has helped many people get a back up system in place. It is worth the one time investment to have that peace of mind that your precious stuff is backed up!

 Proven Solutions Toronto Computer Services can also recover your data from a failed hard drive at a very reasonable rate if you had not backed it up.

Contact Proven Solutions Toronto Computer Services (phone: 416-227-2290)  for any inquiries about Data Back up and Data Recovery today.

 

Why My Dell Inspiron 1520 (2007) Keeps on Running Smoothly

My Dell Laptop Inspiron 1520  gets a  Maintenance Preventive Tune Up every 6 months. It is almost 7 years old and it keeps running well. Okay I admit, I was the one who cleaned out the crumbs from between the keys and wiped it down really well for the photo shoot, but really.....doesn't it still look like new and it runs like new too! (obviously doesn't run as fast as newer models do)

Here are a few of the 140 items that Proven Solutions Toronto Computer Service will check for:

1. Clean up your registry and temporary files carefully
2. Remove unwanted programs and files
3. Check if your operating system updates are installed.
4. Check if  security programs are installed and properly working.
5. Allan or I will clean your computer so it shines like new (just like mine).

If you have a Desktop, Proven Solutions can vacuum out the dust that has collected inside your computer. If you have dogs or cats, this can be critical. You would not believe the dust and hair that can accumulate and over heat your system
which can destroy your hard drive etc.....


This maintenance program should be performed on new computers too at least every 6 months to keep your computer running smoothly and preventing little problems from turning into bigger headaches.

Contact Proven Solutions Toronto Computer Services  (phone:416-227-2290)
 

Proven Solutions Makes Sense Of Your Network.

Clients will call Proven Solutions Toronto Computer Service when they can't figure out why their internet is not working. 

Allan is a fantastic sleuth. It can be a very complex set up but Allan can break it down into small parts and solve the culprit that is causing the problem.

You really have to know how the network works, and what can cause the issues with it (you would be surprised at what these factors could be)

in order to pinpoint the problem. He truly can call himself a network expert. 

Contact Proven Solutions Toronto Computer Services  (phone:416-227-2290)

My View Of The Day

This is The Cedar Hedge That Proven Solutions Inc Toronto Computer Service has a View of  from the Window. If You Look more closely you can sometimes find Little Treasures that use it For Shelter and Camouflage. See photo below

Hidden Treasures.

My View Of The Day

                                                      

The UNDO Tip

Tips from the Office

MY FAVOURITE COMPUTER TIP-"The UNDO" -CTRL + Z

WOW. The Terminator is so Organized. He can show you the WAY !

Do you need help organizing yourself ?
I know I think more clearly when my space and brain are clutter free.

The Organizer uses a paper tickler filing system combined with a digital tickler filing system to organize himself.

The tickler system can be extremely helpful  for GTD (shorthand for "Getting Things Done" coined by David Allen).

The tickler system can help transform your overwhelming and overloaded workload to an integrated system that will promote productivity.

A tickler file system is a major organizational asset. It's purpose is to literally “tickle your memory” by making certain that each thing you need to do is filed by a specific date. It is often a superior organizational tool. The paper tickler system allows you to keep track of small pieces of paper, like business cards, or invoices, that could ordinarily get lost somewhere on your desk, on the floor or in your pockets. 

The paper tickler filing system  combined with Outlook is The Organizer's First Choice.

The Organizer can show you how to use OUTLOOK (or another program you may prefer)  to help you list everything you need to get done in your life (personal/business) in an organized fashion, prioritize your tasks, get notified when they are supposed to get done, and if they are no longer a priority that day, set them to another day that might work better for you.

(If you are having trouble wrapping your head around the paper tickler filing system, he can help you set that up and explain it to you "all so clearly", that it will be an AHA moment.)


I can tell you first hand, even if you are having an off day
and feeling lazy, The Organizer can still keep you on track,
and help you realize that certain things can really be put off to a later date.

The key really is..to not have to deal with stuff until you have to,
and to be reminded when that is without it all staring you in the face to overwhelm you.

There are so many tricks that The Organizer has mastered to help you GTD.

Contact The Organizer 

of Proven Solutions Inc.Toronto Computer Service. (phone:416-2272290)

Don't Let Your Computer Get Caught Unprotected

We had that terrible Wind Storm Last Night. Some of The GTA's  electricity was knocked out suddenly. Did your computer survive it? Proven Solutions recommends a Battery back-up. 
This provides an uninterrupted power supply (UPS), to your computer and other electrical devises plugged into it ..such as your monitor.

Here are two examples of them 

When the power goes out, a battery back up will protect the computer from shutting down suddenly. You might lose your data or your programs and  operating system might get corrupted if this occurs.

Most battery backup devices also ensure that the electricity flowing to your computer and other accessories is free from any electrical surges at anytime.This is important as it can prevent damage from happening as discussed above.

Allan had a call from a client that had an electrical surge in their factory and he had to spend many hours resetting their server because they had not thought it was important to have a battery back-Up. They not only had to pay Proven Solutions for the time spent, but Production had to stop while the repair was done. Now they realize that the money invested into a proper UPS system is much more cost effective.

It is not always easy to know what type of UPS your computer and network may need. There is special software to install too.
You can go and check this site which is way too technical and complex for me or you can contact Proven Solutions Toronto Computer Services (phone: 416-227-2290) to help you out.

Is Paper Best For Privacy?

After reading this Article today, I am really nostalgic for private information on Paper.
I love paper. I think you can keep stuff on paper way more private with much less tampering too. The problem is that paper marks fade and paper can go up in smoke!

I am not sure, but I still prefer paper.

Though, if I wrote my memoirs on paper...someone could interpret them anyway they wanted, since my writing is
totally illegible for sure. I bet they would write a great story about me!

The Terminator Rules Again!

Okay, I have to remind you about the success of Proven Solution's Super Hero "The Terminator" in removing Viruses from your computer without having to reinstall your operating system for a great price too! He has his ways like no other. No one can beat him at his game. He has been called to action to remove this Vermin many times over. It is the Antivirus Security Pro.

 

The Antivirus Security Pro can be very tricky but The Terminator can outsmart it every time.

Don't play with fire !

Contact Proven Solutions Toronto Computer Service 

to Remove your Computer Virus Today

We Took A Nice Break....A Lovely Quiet Scenic Walk Today.............

Do You Know Where We Walked ?

Shimmers in The Sun

A Downy or a Hairy Couple Come To Visit The Bird Feeders

Pointed My Camera To The Sky and Caught These 2

I found this image on a memory card that I had not taken the photos off of yet. What month of year do you think this was taken? Are these geese or ducks?

Mixing Business with Fun

We were having a snack in the office talking about Computer related issues. We looked over beside us and saw this. Oscar has a way of always getting into the act. He has a natural talent to get our attention in the most humorous ways.

Well who could resist feeding this little fellow who was trying so hard in such a creative way to win us over for some of our snack.

Oscar had jumped up on top of this computer in the office on his own. Do you think he should be in a new
  Proven Solutions Inc. LOGO?

After all, Oscar always Steals The Show!

Promoting Proven Solutions by Printing on Paper

Yes we do advertise on/in paper. Here is a link to the ad on the internet that we created and it is also printed in The Post City Magazine in the October and November issue of 2013. 

 Proven Solutions Inc Toronto (North York) Computer Service has helped many people and many small businesses (and not so small) solve their problems with technology for over 20 years. Allan has the intuition and expertise that only comes with experience. Allan is amazing at diagnosing issues that leave others scratching their heads in defeat. He comes prepared with the best tools of the trade. He can usually fix your problem on the spot. Sometimes parts need to be changed and Allan keeps many in stock so you can have your system up and running right away. Proven Solutions Inc. allows you to have your computer issues attended to without you ever leaving your home or office at your convenience at an affordable price. 

PS: Conrad Black is much more interesting than Rob Ford.

On One Wall Of The Office Of Proven Solutions Inc. Toronto Computer Services

Art Work On One Of The Walls of The Office of Proven Solutions Inc. Computer Services

Remembrance Day

The Poppy
This photo was taken in the spring of 2013 in North York, Ontario

Is There A Solution To A Very Thirsty Printer?

Proven Solutions current printer

Allan had noticed for a long time that his printer went through ink cartridges like they were going out of style. It is a colour ink-jet printer with individual cartridges for each colour. He was hardly using it for colour printing but it was asking for one colour cartridge after another way too prematurely considering how little colour printing he was doing.The thing is....it won't work at all even in Black and White if any of the colour cartridges are empty, so you have to feed it colours that it wants. He can go for weeks at a time and not do any colour printing but it would run out of a colour. He was complaining to me about this and how costly this was becoming and it seemed to wasteful. He swore it didn't used to do this and that he could get so much more printing out of his old Cannon Printer before it asked to be refilled with ink. I also noticed the printer was complaining for ink much sooner too,but I thought it was both our imaginations and we had so many other things to think about, that we didn't look into it any further.

Then,this past August, I heard him shout out  "I KNEW IT" Allan gets the Consumers Report Canada subscription (Yes he does like to read magazines and I enjoy this one too-some fascinating little tid-bits and articles) and he happened to come across a piece called

 "The Case of the Disappearing ink"

in the August Edition, and in fact it talked about just this...about how some printers use more ink than other printers just for maintenance alone. For example if you were to print 30 pages in a row you would use much less ink, then if you were to print 30 pages one at a time intermittently over 3 weeks. Each time the printer prepares to print, it goes though a little ritual using ink to clean the print heads and other things that are so called maintenance necessities. It seems that if you print 30 sheets using the second scenario and base it over one year's time, you can spend up to an extra $125 a year on ink on some printers. Even though Allan's was not one of the printers mentioned in the article, it was in the series that used quite an excess of ink so it does seem more wasteful to spend all that money on ink that only gets used up in between the printing process.

Here is a closer look at the "Ink Guzzler" Printer That Allan uses 

It seems that Printers like this might be here to stay unfortunately, since building them like this seems to be a Great Money Grab.They used to be built more efficiently and they produced Great Quality Colour Printing too.

So Is There A Solution?

1.There are printers that use less ink and supposedly this one used no extra ink.

It is a very inexpensive Ink-Jet printer but it has other downsides that won't work

in the office.

2. Some people are buying their own ink and filling the cartridges themselves. I have to admit, we have not gone that route yet and not sure it works well for all the printers.

3. Another solution is to have a designated Black and White Laser printer for printing your Black & White and Greys only, and use the colour Ink-Jet for when you need it.

4. I read that the type of paper you use can make a difference in how much ink you go through also. I read that you should use paper made for ink-jet printers only since they will not absorb as much ink as paper made for photo copying. Again, not sure we have tried that trick recently to see if it does make a difference? Have you?.

I found this interesting article "I'm Sick of Ink Sucking Printers......" while doing research in order to write this blog entry, that mentions some of the above solutions and more.

If you have anything to add, please comment here.

And Then There Was Three

Stylized Bird Chart Of The United States

Found this from Pinterest.

I Hate Walmart But Sometimes We Need To Go There

The Perfect Kind of Day To Go To Walmart.....but not the perfect time!!!!!

It is just that I like to go closer to 11:00 pm when there is hardly anyone in the store  :-)))
or when it first opens.,,but we got a late start today..since it was Sunday, and we felt NO RUSH to go.

We usually go to Walmart to get our supply of Bird Seed...and some other things....that are staples there and might be at a better price than other stores. I usually don't get any of Our food there. I somehow find it unappetizing to shop at a Department store for Food.

Anyone know which Walmart we are going to? This MacDonalds used to be at the City Limits....years and years ago.

The sky looks ominous, but there was never a really bad storm but it did get quite windy.

Ohhhhh a break in the grey. I hope it does not get too sunny because I would rather be walking...

We are almost there..

I usually don't like anything at Walmart, (I don't even look at the clothes) but this was very different and we needed a new one anyway. I couldn't resist this little purchase...The price was right! I wonder if everyone got one of these.

Welcome To Proven Solutions Inc. Toronto Computer Service Home Office

The trip to Walmart was worth it just for this!