Cutting the Cable and Streaming Everything

Are you tired of paying high monthly subscription fees to the satellite or cable company fortelevision?  If so, read on!

I often am asked if there are alternatives to satellite or cable television.  The answer is, yes... several.  The first alternative is to watch only OTA (over the air) television.  Depending on where you live, the financial impact of you wallet may be just a few dollars if you live in the city of Chicago, IL for a inside the home digital television antenna and possibly up to a hundred bucks or more if you live in rural Pittsburg, KS for an attic or outside mounted antenna.  Don't underestimate the digital OTA service, there are (depending on your location) quite a lot of stations broadcasting!  Last time I connected a digital antenna to my television and scanned for the channels in my area there were close to two dozen channels!

However, where I live I cannot have an attic mount or outside antenna and an inside antenna has to be power amplified antenna which picks up quite a few stations but not without distortions.  So I opted into to go to Internet streaming for television and here is what I did and the route I suggest when asked for options other than satellite or cable television.

I recommend using a Roku 3 and subscribing to a couple streaming services, such as Netflix, Hulu Plus and USTVnow.  All three streaming services can be subscribed to for less than $50 a month!  And if you don't want to spend a dime there are hundreds of free streaming services available on the Roku.  The Roku 3 has been out since 2013 and it is faster than the other Roku models, has a few more features and while it is currently in beta mode has a mirroring feature similar to Apple TV.  And while I don't make use of it, the Roku boxes also have games that can be added and the remote acts as a gaming remote - it reminds me of a Nintendo Wii remote.

For streaming services, I use USTVnow, Hulu Plus and Netflix.  I have found that Netflix is rarely used in our household, except by my son, so I'm tempted to cancel the service. USTVnow is an excellent website and channel for Roku.  While it is geared for Americans living abroad, I live in a far suburb community of Indianapolis and have never been abroad.  I've used their services for the past three years and have been very pleased with it.  Since a digital antenna doesn't perform well where I live they provide me for my "local" channels.  Ah, you ask..why'd he put that quotes?  Good question and the reason is, they are local if I lived in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania.  This doesn't bother me, it is the same television shows on their system as it would be if I were on an antenna only thing that doesn't apply to me is the news.  Along with ABC, CBS, CW, NBC, FOX, they also, for the same $29 a month (USD), provide some basic cable channels like AMC, History, Nickelodeon, Animal Planet, Cartoon Network, etc.there are twenty-five channels all together for a little over a dollar per channel a month.  And if you are ever away from home, you can use your smart phone, laptop, or tablet to sign into the website and still watch your programming - if you want.

I won't really go into details on Netflix and Hulu Plus because they are pretty well-known services.
Both cost, at the time of this post, $7.99 a month (USD) and each contain a pretty decent library of movies and television shows.

Lastly, I have my own media server running the PLEX media system on an old Dell Optiplex
computer.  With this system I have converted my large DVD library into media files on the computer that I can stream to all four of my Roku boxes, my tablet, gaming consoles, and cell phone.  Meaning I can watch a movie or listen to my music from anywhere with a decent wifi connection or use my data on my cell phone if there is no wifi available.  I won't go into much more on this and will instead make it a future blog post!

All streaming services, of course, require internet access from home.  Whether you keep the cable just for its high speed broadband service or live close enough to be able to use DSL or even better live in a location to get Fiber To The Home (FTTH) you will need the internet.

You might wonder why I didn't speak much of or don't recommend the Apple TV.  This is all personal opinion, but in my experiences with Apple TVs over the last three years I find them not reliable and too closed.  Straight out of the box you don't get a "channel store" so the only channels you get is what Apple wants you to have.  I haven't tried, but I've read that if you 'jailbreak' an Apple TV not only do you void its warranty but you can then add channels that aren't 'stock'.  The Apple TV is also slow to respond and its interface is a rather bit clunky.  The remote is very basic and very small = easy to misplace.  The remote also uses infrared, so you have to point it directly at the Apple TV, where on a Roku the remote uses radio freqency and I can take the remote to the master bedroom closet (about 60 feet away) and still change channels.  Also means I don't have to hold the remote and point it at my Roku.  It'll be awhile before I am sold on an Apple TV.

What do you do with old computers?

You've got a new computer, now what do you do with that old one?  Luckily there are a few options for those who are looking to dispose of an old computer!

You could hand it over to your child/children to use and then setup some rules and guidelines for your younger children on proper use of the computer, Internet safety if you so desire to connect to your home network, install their favorite game(s) for fun, and have it setup so they can use it for their homework when needed.  My child, when in elementary school, every once in awhile needed to use his computer for homework - even when he was in second grade.  Of course, remove any programs or saved files of yours that you don't want your children to have access to. 

Image source: ubuntu.com

What I usually do is sell it on eBay!  You should completely erase your hard drive and install a fresh operating system going this route.  If you provide the computer with Windows you will have to be sure to include the proper product key and/or COA.  Before I sold my computer I would download the Ubuntu operating system, which is a free Linux-based OS, have it reformat my hard drive, repartition it and then install the operating system.  You may or may not make a lot of money from selling it but a $100 or more isn't too shabby for some extra spending money.  Also make sure you include any documentation the new owner might need, especially if you create a temporary "administrator" account and password protect it.  Nothing would annoy your buyer more than powering on their new-to-them computer and can't login due to a password.

Another option you can do is recycle it.  There are many businesses out there you can take your computer for recycling and some do it for free and some may charge a small fee.  Go to your favorite Internet search engine and search for "computer recycling near me" for a list of locations.  I haven't used a recycling program for a computer so I can't really recommend a specific company and since this is a blog that is viewed my an audience in multiple countries it doesn't seem to make sense for me to recommend one when it might not be available to someone in Germany.  I will recommend if you are a person who is very concerned about someone else accessing your old data.  Yes, even if you reformat your hard drive it is still possible to recover some old data, unless you use programs specifically created to securely wipe the drive. 

I have seen suggestions in the past where you can

Image source:.mypctechs.com

open your computer case, remove your hard drive and if you have a drill put two or three holes in it - making sure to completely through it. This will guarantee, unless the NSA gets a hold of it, no one is going to access that data!  Yes it is pretty extreme, but for those who have a LOT of concern about it, this will take care of all the concerns.  Doing it this way, you don't even need to bother erasing it.  Then you can send your computer off for recycling and have a good night sleep.

Slow computer?

If you have found that your computer has been running sluggish it might be time to do a minor bit of

Courtesty: openclipart.org

maintenance.  Over time your computer accumulates a lot of "stuff", some of it are documents and programs you have created or installed. However, sometimes it is "junk" that you pick up just from browsing online.

Here are some things you can do to help make your computer perform better.  This post will deal mostly with Windows.  If you are using OS X, check out this article from CNET explaining five tips to speed up your Mac.

First thing to do is scan and remove any malware and viruses that have worked their way into your computer.  A couple programs I would suggest is Malwarebytes and Avast antivirus.  Both programs are free, do their jobs well, and are available for both Windows and OS X.  Download and install each program, then launch them one at a time, perform a full system scan and allow the program to either remove or quarantine anything it finds.  If it requests that you restart your computer after, I would.  I would restart it even if it doesn't ask.

If you have a load of tool bars in your website, removing those completely will often speed up your web browsing and some toolbars may be removed through the malware scan.  If this happens, I wouldn't waste time reinstalling any of the toolbars.  Moving forward, any software installs that give the option for a custom install would be better installed this way.  Why?  Often you have the choice of not installing features that you don't actually need.  I always do a custom install on programs, even if I stick with the default settings I will know what it is doing.  Many times you are then given the option to not install that coupon toolbar when installing a program for doing my finances.  Sometimes you might need to re-run a malware scan after removing toolbars.

Change web browsers.  I never use or recommend the Internet Explorer browser that comes with Windows.  There are many other browsers than can do a better job and not be the number one target for malware.  Personally I use Mozilla's Firefox with some add-ons such as NoScript, which blocks clickjacking attempts, Java, Javascript and other executables from running.  If I need a website to load its scripts, I can click on it and choose to temporarily load them or if it is a site like my bank I can tell it to always allow.  Google's Chrome browser is another excellent option.

Open the computer and do a bit of 'dusting' on the inside.  It is not recommended to use a vacuum cleaner to 'suck' out the dust because it can cause static electricity to buildup and a static discharge can kill your computer.  My boss at a former employer zapped a fairly new motherboard when working on a computer because of static discharge.  Grab a couple cans of compressed air and blow out everything you can.  Underneath the motherboard and inside the power supply (from both directions) using that little tube that comes with the can, drive bays, the cables, the casing, everything.

If you have the money and use your computer for doing more than social media, email, finances, and other basic things. you could also upgrade things like the video card and the hard drive.  Newer technology in video graphics have brought us faster processing power and hard drives have grown in storage capacities and speed.  Today you can get a terabyte of storage space for around a hundred bucks and if you wanted to go with a fast hard drive there are the new solid-state drives (SSD) which  perform very well because they have no moving parts, however,the storage capacity isn't (yet) as large as a mechanical drive and the costs are still pretty higher - in my option - for what you get.

And lastly, try your best at keeping your computers software updated, both Windows and device drivers.  If you do most of these, you should find your computer performance being a bit better than it use.  There is one more option you can do if you don't mind basically starting over and that is to do a complete wipe and erasure of the hard drive and reinstalling Windows.  Only do this if you have done everything you can do to improve performance and nothing seems to work.  Save everything you can to re-writable CD/DVD if you can or create a Dropbox or Google Drive account and copy your documents and pictures there.  If after a wipe and reinstall your computer is still not working as good as you remember it and you can't live with it like that, it might be time for a new computer.

Shopping for a Home Wireless Access Point or Router?

Is your Internet connection kind of pokey?  Have you just bought your first laptop or other wireless device and need a way to get online?  There are many ways of getting your devices online but the best way to do it is with a home wireless access point.  There are many options to choose from but what you want to buy should be based on what your devices can support and how much you are willing to spend.

Notice I keep saying devices and not computer(s).  The reason for this is because wireless access points can be used for more than connecting your computer and laptop to the Internet.  You can use it to connect your wireless TV, share a printer with other networked computers in your home, media streaming device (such as the Roku and Apple TV), gaming systems and more.

You need to determine what are the standards that your devices at home use.  Is it 802.11b (Fair),
802.11g (Good), 802.11n (Better), and 802.11ac (Best).  An easy way to determine in Windows what your computer has it to open the Control Panel > Device Manager and expand the Network Adapter section.  Double click on the network adapter to open properties and click the Advanced tab.  You'll see a screen similar to mine on the right, I've circled the areas where you can see the standards.  For my computer, it supports three standards - 802.11b/g/n.    On a Mac computer, press the Option key and click on the wifi icon in the menu bar.  It will show you a little more detailed information about your wifi connection, the information listed next to "PHY Mode" is what you are looking for.  For other devices, refer to your documentation or the company website to determine the standards it uses.  It is probably safe to say most devices are at least 802.11b/g.  Even if your computer has a lower standard rating there are ways of "upgrading" by buying a network adapter card.

You will need to determine what is it you are going to do on the Internet and how much money you are willing to spend.  Obviously the better the performance, features, speed, etc. the more it is going to cost.  Let's look at three options from the least expensive to the most expensive.  The basic function of each is pretty much the same no matter the cost.  They get you online either wirelessly or wired and have some web browser-based configuration page to make setup easy.

Netgear WGR614

If you are just going to be casually surfing, checking bank accounts, email, Facebook, maybe some
minor game play, or a little bit of movie streaming, then a router like an 802.11g would be just fine.  Check out the Netgear WGR614 Cable/DSL Wireless Router.  Has four Ethernet ports on the back to hardwire devices that either do not have wireless capability or you would rather have it benefit from the quicker wired speed.  It isn't anything fancy but will get the job done.  It can be found online for under a $70 on Amazon, at the time of this post.

Netgear R6300

If you are into streaming video (movies, tv series, etc) heavily, like to play World of Warcraft like a boss, then I would recommend the Netgear R6300.  This is the router I own.  I stream to at several devices in my home (four computers, three tablets, four Roku boxes, three Android cell phones, and one PlayStation 4.  I also needed the ability to stream at a decent rate when not at home on whatever devices I can stream through. Whether it is a cell phone or Chromecast the ability to stream without slowness or buffering was important.  The Netgear R6300 is one of the near top of the line products, I do believe there are several that are even better BUT for what I wanted and need it to do, it has worked perfectly. This one costs under $140 on Amazon, at the time of this post.

Both of the above routers and the majority of other routers include built-in firewalls, to prevent people on the Internet from gaining access to your computer.  Most also incorporate a small number (usually four) of network ports to directly connect a device that either doesn't have wireless ability OR you want to hard wire for better speeds.  These ports are generally always faster than wireless because unlike wireless a hard wired (directly connected) device does not have to share the bandwidth (speed) with other connected devices.  The WGR614 has four 10/100 ports and the R6300 has four 10/100/1000 ports - yes that is a gigabit connection!  Another note, like wireless, the computer has to have hardware that supports gigabit Ethernet, if it doesn't then it will only run at 100 Mbps.  Again, most computers have the ability to upgrade their Ethernet cards, even if yours is built into the motherboard a gigabit network adapter card could be purchased and installed.

Asus AC2400

If you are one of those people who need to have the biggest, best, fastest thing out there.  Then might I interest you to the Asus AC2400 RT-AC87U Dual-band Wireless router.  This router boasts a whopping 2333 Mbps in bandwidth speed - making it one of the fastest home wireless router on the market and it is shaped rather nicely, compared to the typical rectangle shape of other routers.  It also claims to have the ability to help prevent malware and viruses from infecting your computer.  Check out this c|net review if you want to learn more about it!  It does not come cheap though!  At the time of this post, it could be bought on Amazon for $238.00!

How To Reset Your Windows Password

If you have forgotten your log in password for your Windows computer, fret not there are a few things you can do to get back in.


Clean Install Windows in 15 Easy Steps
This is more of a last resort option, completely wipe your hard drive and reinstall Windows.  Obviously, you would want to backup your data but if you can't log in this poses a bit of a challenge.  It can be done though with an inexpensive external USB hard drive enclosure and another computer.  Simply turn off your computer, remove its hard drive, insert it in the enclosure (following the instructions) and connect it via USB to another computer.  You can then browse the drive the same way you would any other USB jump drive and copy off documents, pictures, etc. that you want to keep.  Once done, put the drive back in the computer. 

1. Boot from you Windows 7 DVD
2. Once Windows Setup loads, you can choose your language, time and currency format, and
   
   keyboard or input method.  Once selected, click on Next then click on "Install now" on the screen following.
3. Click the check box to accept the license terms for Windows.
4. When prompted for a type of installation you want, choose Custom.
5. When asked where do you want to install Windows, click the "Drive options (advanced)" link on the lower right of the dialog box.
6. You want to delete all of the partitions shown, click on a disk partition and then click the Delete link.  Just a reminder that once you delete a partition, there is no undo or change of mind.
7. You now should only see one "Disk 0 Unallocated Space", click on it to select it and then click the Next button.  No need to create any partitions, Windows setup will do this for you.
8. Windows will now install itself.  Depending on the speed of your computer and how big your hard drive is, this could take quite some time.
9. Eventually, you will be shown a Setup Windows dialog box and it is asking for you to type in a user name and a computer name.  Fill in both boxes with the information you want then click next.
10. On the next screen, type in a password.  Since the last password was forgotten, you might want to include a password hint - notice how it is a required field!
11. On the next screen it asks for the Windows Product Key, this is often found on a label underneath or on the back of the computer .  It looks something like this:
    
    ABCDE-FHGIJ-KLMNO-PQRST-UVWXT
12. Choose the way you want your computer to handle updates.  Suggest clicking on the recommended settings.
13. Select your time zone from the drop down menu and adjust the date/time if needed then click next.
14. On the location of your computer, most likely you are doing this at "home" (even if you are doing it at a friend's house, it is still considered "home") so click on Home Network.  If Windows prompts for setting up a homegroup, you can skip that for now.
15. Windows setup will do a little housekeeping, and then voila! you are at the desktop.  If you enabled automatic updates back in step 12, it will begin to prompt you about downloading and/or installing them.  I would suggest doing the updates until there are none left.

Congratulations!  You have successfully reinstalled Windows. Only thing left is to install any printers or other accessories and install the software programs you want back on.



Clearing Your Windows Password
Another option you have, if you have access to another computer OR create it ahead of time, like right after reading about it for example, is to use a Password & Registry Editor.  This program will not change the password, it simply clears it so when you boot up your computer it lets you sign in without a password.  After which you can open the Control Panel and go to the User Accounts and add a password.  Again, I would setup that password hint to prevent having to do this again in the future!

1. First thing we want to do is download the "Offline NT Password & Registry Editor" it is a free
   
   program and can be found here. You'll need to scroll down a ways.  There are two versions to pick from, one is to make a bootable CD and the other is for using a bootable USB drive.  Choose the one you want to use and scroll the site down a little more and it will instruct you on how to create the bootable media.
2. Restart the computer and boot from your newly created bootable media.
3. When the program loads and you see "boot:" on your screen, press the enter key.  If Windows loaded, you didn't boot off your bootable media correctly, restart the computer and try again.
4. After a bit of information gets shown on the screen, none of which you have to be concerned about as it is just showing you what the program is doing as it starts up, you will be prompted to "Select partition by number."  Most likely you can just press enter to accept the default partition.  If you have more than one hard drive or have multiple partitions, you will need to type the number for the partition that Windows is installed on.
5. Next it will ask to confirm the location of the Windows Registry.  Most likely the default location that it finds is correct, so press Enter to continue with the default path of Windows/System32/config.
6. When asked to "select which part of registry to load", choose 1 to reset the password.
7. Then when it asks "What to do" after it "Loaded hives" you want "1 - Edit user data and passwords" then press enter.
8. You should now see a list of users from your computer.  Type the username to change and press enter.
9. When the User Edit Menu appears, type 1 and press enter to clear the password.
10. The password should now be cleared.  Type ! to quit editing the user and press enter.
11. Type q to quit. and then answer Y to the "Step FOUR: Writing back changes" prompt to save the changes.  
12. You should then see an "***Edit Complete***" message on the screen.  Press enter to answer no to the "New run?" prompt. 

That's it, all done.  You can reboot your computer and be able to login without a password.  IF you were the only person to use the computer then Windows will boot directly to the desktop, otherwise click on your username from the login list and it will sign you in without a password.  Now would be a good time to set a password and put a hint in just in case you forget in the future.