In the past, malware authors were very proud of the fact that they infected you and made it a point to let you know that they 'gotcha'.

Today, malware code is specifically written to be silent and lurk in the background so as to go undetected. Even if you are diligent in keeping all your software updated, all it takes is one poor decision (clicking on a fake link, opening an infected e-mail attachment, downloading files from file sharing networks, etc.) to have a silent thief slip into your computer.

The whole idea is to find a way to gain access to your computer in a way that allows a remote hacker to silently run programs on your computer. It used to be Windows that was the primary target, but today virtually everything you use on the Internet (browsers, PDF readers, Flash players, e-mail programs, etc.) is being targeted as a way into your precious hard drive.

So, before you jump into doing your taxes on your computer, take a few minutes and do some spot checks for signs of silent intruders.

A common sign of malicious programs is a computer that takes an extraordinarily long time to start up. You can certainly have this problem and not be infected, but if you have this problem, you should do some snooping around.

Windows users should check the Task Manager (Ctrl-Alt-Del) to see how many processes are running on the computer (look in the bottom left corner). Make sure you do this spot check right after restarting the computer so that nothing is running yet.

When we perform our overhaul cleanup service, we strive to get the running processes on Windows XP systems in the 30-40 range (Laptops tend to require more processes) and Windows 7 & Vista systems in the 35-45 range.

If you have 60, 70 or 80+ processes running, you want to make sure that none of those excess processes are hidden malware programs.

While you have the Task Manager open, click onto the Performance tab and check to see what the CPU Usage & History look like. On a clean machine, your system should be idling, which means the CPU Usage should be very low and stable (4%-8%) and the graph showing the CPU Usage History should be fairly low on the graph.

If your CPU Usage is jumping up and down or is running at a much higher number and the History graph shows wild swings up and down, something is running in the background of the computer and should be identified.

Have someone you trust do an inspection of the various startup areas in Windows to see if there are obvious signs of malware (blank entries in MSConfig, strange keys in the Registry, etc.)

Even if you aren't infected with malware, getting these indicators back to normal levels will rejuvenate your computer and make everything run faster and smoother for everything you do, not just your tax return.

Another danger for households that have teenagers (or anyone that tends to engage in file sharing networks) is the accidental sharing of your tax records or other sensitive files on your hard drive.

Many file sharing programs automatically share certain folders on the hard drive with the rest of the file sharing universe, so make sure you check your installed programs to see if any strange programs have been installed before you get started.]]> ken colburn, brandon disney, data doctor, ktar Thu, 2 Feb 2012 18:26:09 +0700 http://www.datadoctors.com/help/question/21861 http://www.datadoctors.com/help/question/21859 Today's laptop batteries are generally lithium-ion based (look for 'Li-ion' on the battery itself) which is far less susceptible to the traditional 'memory' and idle discharge issues that older NiCad (nickel cadmium) and NiMH (nickel metal hydride) suffered from.

Li-ion batteries represent the best power-to-weight ratio and life cycle for your personal electronics, but all batteries lose their storage capacity over time based on how they are used and stored.

Because you are using your laptop as a desktop computer, you are plugged into the wall all the time posing the question: should I remove the battery when I'm plugged in?

(Note: some older laptop designs won't power the laptop at all unless the battery is installed which makes the question pointless.)

The upside to keeping the battery installed while plugged into the wall is you get protection against a power outage. If you remove the battery during general operation, you would want to make sure that you are plugging the laptop into an external battery backup system that would keep you from losing your unsaved work in the event of a power outage.

If you leave your computer plugged in for more than two weeks at a time, the conventional wisdom is to remove the battery and store it in a cool, dry climate.

If you plan on storing a battery for an extended period of time, make sure it has been discharged to 30-50% of capacity and store it in temperatures between 70-75 degrees. Avoid storing rechargeable batteries fully charged or fully discharged as either can cause permanent capacity loss or deactivate the built-in protection circuit.

Some folks have heard that you should store them in your refrigerator, but I would recommend against it. Humidity will reduce the life of the battery and keeping it in the fridge can introduce humidity, especially when you pull the battery out to be used.

You should always avoid using a battery when the battery itself is really cold or really hot (wait for it to return to room temperature). Heat is the #1 cause of reduced battery life, which takes us back to you using your laptop always plugged in.

If you keep the battery installed while you are plugged in for extended periods of time, it will keep the battery in a heated condition during that extended period when it could have been resting in a calm, cool, submissive state (with my regards to Cesar Millan!) thereby extending its life.

Another way to reduce the battery life is to use the wrong power pack to charge it. If you use a third-party charger that charges your battery at a higher rate than the factory charger, it will diminish the life of the battery.

For those that like to use their laptop in bed or on a pillow in your lap, you will likely be restricting the airflow which increases the operating temperature and will also reduce the life of the battery if done often.

In the end, if you simply focus on reducing the heat that your battery is exposed to whenever possible and make sure you store the battery properly, you will extend the useful life of the battery.]]> ken colburn, brandon disney, data doctor, ktar Fri, 20 Jan 2012 14:44:47 +0700 http://www.datadoctors.com/help/question/21859 http://www.datadoctors.com/help/question/21857 If you fall for this very common scam, you could end up with a real mess on your hands (especially if you are running Windows Vista) and in some cases, the best cure is a complete reload of your operating system, but it should never be the first choice.

In most cases, a diligent technical person can remove the malware and fix the corruption that often remains after the disinfection without having to wipe everything out and start over.

The 'easiest' way for a lazy technician to fix the problem is to wipe everything out and start over again, so if this is the first solution suggested by whoever is helping you, I would suggest getting a second opinion.

While this fix is easy for the technician, the amount of grief and frustration and the potential lost data that comes with having to start over again for the user can be overwhelming.

Improper or incomplete removal can also render a computer useless or so unstable that the only recourse is to start from scratch, so be cautious with DIY fixes you find on the Internet.

In our repair facilities around the country, only 10-20% of the computers we service require that we wipe out Windows completely, so the chances are good you can avoid it in most cases.

When this scam first started appearing years ago, it was relatively easy to download and run a cleanup program that would disinfect your computer, so the bad guys stepped up their game.

Part of the problem with cleaning up the current crop of malware infections is that the developers build in a very strong set of defense mechanisms that prevents your computer from running or accessing any resources that could be used to clean it off.

For instance, many folks find that when they try to go to a known Internet site that hosts tools or cleanup resources, they are redirected to the scammer's website that offers to sell 'the cure' instead.

With some infections, your Internet connection and ability to access diagnostic resources built into Windows (such as regedit and msconfig) are cut off completely to keep you from cleaning it off.

In a lot of cases, in order to properly disinfect the computer, you must boot to a clean device (CD, DVD, flash drive or another hard drive) that already has a set of the proper cleanup tools loaded on it.

If you start a computer that has an infected operating system, it makes cleaning it difficult or in some cases, impossible because the defense mechanism engage as soon as you start the computer. We generally remove the infected hard drive from our customer's computer and connect it as a second hard drive on a clean computer to perform the disinfection.

You should never pay any online resource that is associated with any type of pop-up warning, no matter how convincing it is unless you know for sure that it's the brand of security software that you purchased and installed on your computer.

If you don't know the name of your security program or what it looks like, take a minute to learn now so you don't get fooled in the future.

If you have fallen for this scam and gotten ripped off in the past, the FTC is in the process of reimbursing some victims based on a settlement agreement with a number of the scam companies: http://goo.gl/o5Iuz]]> ken colburn, brandon disney, data doctor, ktar Fri, 6 Jan 2012 16:31:39 +0700 http://www.datadoctors.com/help/question/21857 http://www.datadoctors.com/help/question/21856 Fresh off our trip to the Consumer Electronics Show in January, we addressed the question 'Do any new tablets compare to the iPad? ( http://goo.gl/nO9q8 ) and after the launch of the iPad 2 in March we addressed the 'Which Tablet PC should I buy & when' ( http://goo.gl/G5WWV ).

Motorola's Xoom got a lot of praise during CES and once we had a chance to play with it, we shared our thoughts on the 'iPad 2 vs XOOM' ( http://goo.gl/WEvky ).

Since so many folks were first time owners of expensive mobile devices, we shared our 'Tips for tracking your laptop, smartphone or tablet PC' ( http://goo.gl/R2psR ) so you knew what to do if your device got lost or stolen.

Since the iPad continued to be the dominate tablet platform, we shared our 'Tips for new iPad users' ( http://goo.gl/3zZgy ) with our recommendations on security, accessories and apps.

As the vacation travel season approached we addressed the 'iPad vs Kindle vs Nook Color' question for those that love to read ( http://goo.gl/wE85v ) and with many new tablet owners contemplated travelling lighter, we shared our 'Travel Tips for Leaving the Laptop Behind' ( http://goo.gl/Sy5OE ).

For first time vacationers abroad, we offered up our 'High Tech International Travel Tips' ( http://goo.gl/bNt4M ) to share some of our experiences in traveling with electronics.

As the Back-to-School season rolled up, many students were trying to convince their parents that they could use an iPad for college, which prompted our advice on 'iPad vs Laptop for College Students' ( http://goo.gl/umqpz ).

If you've ever heard strange noises coming from your computer, you would be wise to read our advice on 'Computer Noises You Shouldn't Ignore!' ( http://goo.gl/5oP4U ) and if you are still using the same password for all of your online accounts, our 'Data Breach Protection Tips' ( http://goo.gl/Kpbax ) and 'Perfect Password Tips' ( http://goo.gl/8uFhG ) might help you change that dangerous habit!

Social Media continued to be a hot topic in 2011, so we shared 'Our Favorite Social Media Tools' ( http://goo.gl/OgFHG ), our '5 Facebook for Business Starter Tips' ( http://goo.gl/HL2Ho ), discussed 'Using LinkedIn to Find a Job' ( http://goo.gl/BnMch ) and when Facebook completely overhauled their interface we answered the question of the day: 'Can I go back to the old Facebook? ( http://goo.gl/7rFmZ )

As more folks started seeing those funny looking square puzzle-like images popping up all over, we wrote 'How to use & create QR codes' ( http://goo.gl/mGl9d ) and with online reviews becoming a huge part of how we make purchasing decisions, we shared our 'Tips for evaluating online reviews' ( http://goo.gl/ODlyZ ).

In the smartphone world, Google's Android became the most popular platform so we provided guidance on 'Extending Android Smartphone Battery Life' ( http://goo.gl/vFQVf ) and for those without an unlimited data plan, we gave our 'Tips for using less data while mobile' ( http://goo.gl/12CNr ).

With the uber-popular iPhone 4S becoming available on three different networks, the natural question arose - 'iPhone 4S: Which Network Should I Use?' ( http://goo.gl/WFI7E ) and for all smartphone owners we chimed in on 'Can my Smartphone get a Virus' ( http://goo.gl/lmO71 ).

In 2011, Remote computer support became both commonplace and a clever scam, so we addressed both in 'Is Remote Computer Repair Safe?' ( http://goo.gl/ECMk4 ), addressed a common threat with our 'Tips for Sidestepping Fake Security Pop-Ups' ( http://goo.gl/L7sRR ) and shared our 'Lessons from the LulzSec Hack' ( http://goo.gl/D1tgy ).

2012 will be filled with a plethora of new technology, new threats and new complications, so keep those tech questions coming by posting them on our Facebook page: http://facebook.com/datadoctors !]]> ken colburn, brandon disney, data doctor, ktar Fri, 30 Dec 2011 16:00:10 +0700 http://www.datadoctors.com/help/question/21856 http://www.datadoctors.com/help/question/21855 Your web surfing is only as fast as the slowest part of the chain, so increasing the speed of a component that is already the fastest part of the chain will make no difference.

If we use the old 'information super-highway' analogy and think of this as traffic flow, the basics become a little clearer.

Your home network is like the roads in and around your neighborhood while your Internet connection is like the freeway system.

Netflix and Hulu Plus are like your place of work some distance off that you travel back and forth from on a regular basis.

As with most of our commutes, the 'bottleneck' when trying to go back and forth to work is the freeway, not the surface streets in our neighborhood.

The speed difference between an 802.11 G and N router is really only beneficial for those that want to transfer large amounts of data between two computers on the same network, or in our analogy only if you have lots of traffic congestion in your subdivision and you travel mostly in your own neighborhood.

Since your primary need is to get back and forth to work far from your neighborhood, expanding the number of lanes in your subdivision won't appreciably improve your commute since the 'bottleneck' is the freeway system and not your neighborhood.

The real value of the 802.11 N MIMO (multiple-input, multiple-output) technology for most consumers is the extended range capabilities and higher resistance to outside signal interference not the 'theoretical' speed difference.

If you look at the data speeds of typical residential Internet connections vs the various Wi-fi router technologies, it becomes even more obvious.

Most residential Internet connection speeds range from 2-20 Mbps with most in the lower ranges (you can test your Internet speed with the tips in this previous post: http://goo.gl/2MtHl).

The theoretical upper limit of 802.11g is 54 Mbps and 802.11n can go as high as 600 Mbps with all 4 channels pumping data, but neither will change the fact that your Internet connection is likely significantly slower.

Another element of upgrading your router to 802.11n is that you must also upgrade the wireless devices on all your computers or they will continue to operate on the 802.11g standard.

Even if you are paying for (and actually getting) a really fast Internet connection, the content servers at Netflix and Hulu Plus aren't necessarily going to provide you with the data streams any faster either.

An easy way to see if the router is slowing down your streaming activities is to temporarily bypass it and connect your computer directly to your cable modem or DSL router to see if you notice any difference in performance.

Having said all of that, routers do have a finite life span and to tend to degrade in performance over time, especially if they spend their entire life sitting on top of a heat-generating cable modem.

If you find yourself in need of buying a new router, spending a little more money to get a dual-band N router will prepare you r home network for future devices that will likely benefit from the technology and still work with your older wireless devices.]]> ken colburn, brandon disney, data doctor, ktar Fri, 23 Dec 2011 15:09:15 +0700 http://www.datadoctors.com/help/question/21855 http://www.datadoctors.com/help/question/21854 This form of scamming people started popping up in 2005 and has evolved into one of the more difficult attacks to undo.

This type of attack can hit you from just about any corner of the Internet: e-mail, social media, instant messages, download sites and even if you Google search fast breaking news items or salacious images.

The more you or someone in your home or business engages in sketchy activities online, the more likely you will run into this scourge.

Since it isn't an actual virus, your antivirus program will do little to stop the fake warnings, which is why it's really important that you know what to do when you are confronted by one of these malicious pop-ups.

In virtually every case, they are trying to trick you into buying 'the solution' to the incessant pop-ups and repeated warnings, which you never want to do. Not only will buying 'the solution' not fix the problem, you will have given up your credit card information to criminals (if you fall for this scam, contact your credit card provider immediately to have your card numbers changed).

Most of the pop-up windows will have a 'Cancel' button and something that looks like the X that allows you to close a window, both of which are not what they appear to be.

Most of these scam pop-ups are setup so that if you click on ANYTHING, you will essentially tell your computer to start installing the rogue program deep inside your computer's operating system (often including a root kit to take over control of your computer).

The early versions of this scam could be shut down by clicking on the X, but not any more. The bad guys updated their code to take advantage of this natural user behavior and to exploit the early advice given by experts to click the X instead of the Cancel button.

To make things worse, the rogue programmers will often include code to disable your security software and block access to the Internet so you can't download tools that would allow you to clean the malware off your computer.

As of this writing, the best thing to do when you are confronted with a rogue pop-up is to terminate the session with the Task Manager in Windows or Force Quit in the Mac OS.

The Windows Task Manager can be launched by hitting Crtl+Alt+Del which should show you a list of running applications. Locate the pop-up window in the list, highlight it and then hit the 'End Task' button.

Mac users can hit Command+Option+Esc to launch the Force Quit window. Highlight the rogue browser pop-up in the list and click the 'Force Quit' button.

We've posted a video to show you the process in both platforms on our YouTube Channel if you prefer visual instructions: http://youtu.be/LP09QSwKE5Y .

If you fall victim to any of today's fake security scams, unfortunately, the steps for getting the malware off your computer will vary widely based on which of the thousands of programs circling the Internet hit you.

In most cases, you will need to boot from a clean boot device that contains the proper cleanup tools needed for the specific infection that hit you and lots of time to manually clean and/or reconstruct the Registry (Windows users).

If you don't understand what I just wrote, you should consult a tech savvy friend or a professional so that the malware is properly removed and any associated damage is repaired.]]> ken colburn, brandon disney, data doctor, ktar Fri, 16 Dec 2011 19:45:16 +0700 http://www.datadoctors.com/help/question/21854 http://www.datadoctors.com/help/question/21851 The claims that the Kindle Fire is an "iPad Killer" are grossly overstated as they are in completely different classes and appeal to completely different market segments.

Anyone that has ever spent 10 minutes playing with an iPad will experience the difference in 'user experience' when they pick up a Kindle Fire.

There is no question that someone that's struggling with ponying up $500-$800 for a tablet will want to take a look at the Kindle Fire, but the $300+ price difference is like comparing a Honda to a Lexus. They'll both get you there, but you don't have to be a tech fanatic to feel the difference.

As with any tech purchase, what you plan to consume for content and where you use it have a big bearing on the best choice.

The iPad has the largest screen, is the most expensive and has the best selection of apps and content partners, so for all around entertainment use, the iPad rules. But, if you want a device to hold in your hands while you read books and magazines, the iPad is the worst choice of the three.

There are two things that make the Kindle Fire compelling for tablet owners on a budget: the price and the content libraries.

The biggest reason so many Android-based tablets haven't gained much traction is that they require the user to track down apps and marketplaces for content. Both Apple and Amazon understand the importance of aligning easy content delivery with their devices for the non-technical masses.

Since Amazon is already delivering lots of books, magazines, movies, music and other digital content, getting started with the Kindle Fire is a snap for existing Amazon customers.

As soon as you register the Kindle Fire with your Amazon account, all your previous purchases pop-up on the device for instant access.

Downloading more content is but a touch away and very intuitive for anyone that wants to discover additional content.

As a gaming console, movie viewer or music player, there isn't anything special to report and certainly doesn't hold a candle to the iPad, but certainly adequate. Those looking for a cheaper device to distract their kids on a long trip will find that the Kindle Fire fits the bill.

The smaller 7" form-factor is actually a bonus from a portability standpoint as it fits easily inside my jacket pocket or in the back-pocket of my jeans.

It is a back-lit device (like the iPad) so if you plan on using it as a reading device in the sun, you won't be happy. There aren't any side mounted buttons to turn the pages like on standard Kindles either, so you have to use two hands to turn pages.

As an avid mobile music consumer, I found the lack of a physical volume control on the Kindle Fire annoying as well. You have to touch the Settings tool every time you want to change the volume (they'll have to fix this in future devices if they want to be taken seriously as a mobile entertainment option).

If you are simply looking for an e-reader that can play music and you plan to use it in daylight a lot, there's good news! Amazon has lowered the price of their entry level e-ink Kindle to $79 (it was $400 when it first launched).

These devices are very 'experiential' and appeal to different people in different ways, so there is no single best device.

The best way to get a feel for which device is the best choice for you is to play with them all, so check with your friends and family to get some hands-on experience of your own if possible.]]> ken colburn, brandon disney, data doctor, ktar Wed, 23 Nov 2011 15:16:22 +0700 http://www.datadoctors.com/help/question/21851 http://www.datadoctors.com/help/question/21849 The PC component industry's track record for using natural disasters as an excuse to artificially inflate prices is legendary, but in this case, what you are hearing is true depending upon what you plan to buy.

Most analysts are saying that major PC makers should have enough inventory in the supply chain to get through the holiday season, but expect major shortages in the first quarter of 2012.

Businesses that generally update their technology because budgets open up in the first quarter of the year should keep this in mind when planning major upgrades.

The primary component that's being impacted by the floods is the all-important hard drive because nearly half of the world's production comes from the ravaged region.

The aftermarket component market has already seen massive price hikes on stand-alone hard drives and an analysts from Piper Jaffray is warning that "we could run out of drives by the end of November".

We are already seeing 75-100% price hikes on certain high-demand hard drives from our suppliers along with limited allocations and expect it to get worse as time goes on. Some of this we assume is the industry taking advantage of the bad news with existing inventory, but it's been going on long enough that the shortage in supply is kicking in.

Piper Jaffray estimates global demand for hard drives in the fourth quarter of 2011 will be 180 million and that only 100 to 120 million drives will ship.

This means anyone thinking about upgrading their computer with a bigger hard drive or buying an external hard drive for backup can expect to pay as much as an 80-100% premium depending upon the size of the drive.

Cutting edge manufacturers that tend to custom-build their computers with the most current technology are also likely to be impacted by both lack of supply and price increases.

Based on all of the predictions and with no real clear idea from Thailand when they will be back up to full strength, this could be a protracted shortage.

CEO Tim Cook expects the primary impact on Apple to be on Mac computers (both desktop and laptop) as "I'm virtually certain there will be an overall industry shortage of disk drives as a result of the disaster."

Another disturbing report is that a company called Nidec that is said to supply 70-80% of the motors used in hard drives manufactured by Seagate, Hitachi, Western Digital and Toshiba will only have a limited supply.

Computer manufacturers typically keep 3-4 weeks worth of inventory on hand, but with the down economy and sluggish PC sales, it's likely that some were carrying less stock which could shorten the cycle leading to price hikes.

The good news is that the holiday season always brings out the deepest discounts and I wouldn't expect this year to be any different from what you see advertised.

What I do expect to be different this year is that you will likely hear 'we are out of stock on that item' much sooner especially on advertised items, so plan accordingly!]]> ken colburn, brandon disney, data doctor, ktar Thu, 10 Nov 2011 17:53:37 +0700 http://www.datadoctors.com/help/question/21849 http://www.datadoctors.com/help/question/21848 Outlook requires that you configure the program for your specific e-mail provider's incoming and outgoing mail servers, which you can generally get the details for by going to the support section of your provider's website.

The problem with this method of e-mail usage is that you will live and die with this one computer. If the computer malfunctions, you lose it or you are out and about without it, you have no e-mail.

Another problem for mobile users is that if you take your laptop on the road, often times you won't be able to send any mail while you are connected to other networks because your outgoing mail setting won't work on foreign networks.

Using Outlook also means that you have all your important contacts and past messages on that one machine, which means you better be diligent and know how to backup the Outlook data files.

A much better solution would be to use a webmail program so that you can get to your e-mail account from any computer that has an Internet connection and you eliminate the chance of ever losing everything because your contacts, messages and replies all live 'in the cloud'.

You are no longer tied to any one machine when it comes to your e-mail, which has many benefits.

It's especially helpful for users that want to access e-mail from home and work because it becomes seamless; everything that you send and receive will appear exactly the same no matter where you are checking your mail.

This is very handy when you are at work and you want to look up or confirm a message that you sent when you were at home. And all of this becomes even more useful if you have a smartphone because the same seamless use is available on your phone.

My favorite webmail system is Google's Gmail ( http://gmail.com ) , which is free and extremely powerful.

Getting Gmail to connect with your e-mail account is fairly straightforward (again, you should be able to find the steps on your providers support website or use Google's help http://goo.gl/TjzGN ) and the built-in tools are amazing.

Gmail's spam filters are second to none, the Search capabilities are what you would expect from the leaders in search and you even get 7GB of space to store file attachments.

The conversation view, which is now common with many e-mail systems, groups relevant messages together so that you can easily follow a string of messages that occurred over time from multiple senders, even if they weren't all cc'd in the same message.

If you deal with a large quantity of mail, their new Priority Inbox feature may become your new best friend.

Over time, Gmail can start to figure out what you consider important mail based on many signals such as what you open and reply to and separate those messages as they come in so you can get right to the good stuff.

I recognize that change is hard, but I assure you that if you push through the learning curve, you will wonder how you ever lived without webmail!]]> ken colburn, brandon disney, data doctor, ktar Thu, 3 Nov 2011 17:34:57 +0700 http://www.datadoctors.com/help/question/21848 http://www.datadoctors.com/help/question/21847 The way DropBox works is that you download a special program that monitors a folder or set of folders that you designate for synchronization, then whenever you save a file to those folders, it automatically makes a copy of the file on the DropBox servers.

This means that you will have two copies of the file (one on your computer and one on the DropBox servers), but if you delete it from your sync folder, it will delete the file in your DropBox account.

If all you want to do is scan your paper documents and store them online, I don't think DropBox is the right solution as it provides no document management features.

In simple terms, the document management system is how you will find the exact file you need, when you need it, down the road.

Most folks store paper files in boxes by date (monthly, quarterly, etc.) with a substructure of types of documents or customer name, etc., so you will need to replicate that structure with your online storage.

How you want to look up documents in the future will help you understand how you want to name, tag and store the files.

A much better solution for this type of archiving might be a service like OfficeDrop ( http://www.officedrop.com ) that provides you with a basic set of document management tools as you are uploading the files.

The biggest bottleneck you're likely going to hit is your ability to scan every single piece of paper that is stored in all those boxes (this could become a full time job for months if your backlog is big enough).

OfficeDrop has two ways for you to get your paper documents scanned into their system; you or them!

If you have the internal resources to do the scanning, you can download their free ScanDrop 'cloud scanning' software that links your scanner directly to their online storage and management service.

It works with just about any name brand scanner and scans your documents into PDF files. You can preview each scan, change the order of the scanned pages, flip them for proper orientation and even crop the image before you upload the files to your online account.

ScanDrop is not limited to those with an OfficeDrop account; it can also upload to Evernote and Google Docs if you are already using those services.

If the task is too daunting for you to do yourself, you can use their Mail In Scanning service that offers basic scanning of groups of 50 documents to bulk scanning packages if you have thousands of documents to get processed.

You can try OfficeDrop for free (limited to 50 pages per month and no file larger than 250MB) and upgrade to one of the pay services for more storage and features (starting at $9.95 per month) if you find that their system works for you!]]> ken colburn, brandon disney, data doctor, ktar Fri, 28 Oct 2011 16:02:54 +0700 http://www.datadoctors.com/help/question/21847