WHAT'S NEW

August 2010

Tricia's Story

By Judy Wane

We know we are a pretty diverse group at SeniorNet Warkworth and this was very well illustrated at the recent Skype workshop when one of our members, who isprofoundly deaf, discovered the joy of communicating via Skype's video call feature, using sign language. She was aided and abetted in this by a hearing fellow member, skilled in the use of 'Sign', who, coincidentally, happened to attend the same workshop on that day.

Two computers were set up to enable students to try using Skype's video call feature - our deaf member sat at one whilst the other was manned by our hearing member. After a brief run through the pair were away, using Sign to communicate with each other via Skype, face to face.

As the world of visual communication opened up for her, the look of delight on the face of our profoundly deaf member was memorable, to say the least. And the best part is that now she will be able to communicate visually and 'talk' with her Singapore - based son.

It was a revelation to all of us and really brought home the limitless capabilities of the modern technology and theendless variety of skills and talents that our members bring to our Society.

June 2010

Is your retirement sorted?

By Diana Crossan
Retirement Commissioner

At each stage of our lives we face a whole new set of financial situations. Being in your sixties is no exception. Whether you're planning for retirement, semi-retired or retired you're likely to be asking yourself a whole lot of questions. For some, 65 is the new 45. These Kiwis are still busy working and have plenty of things to do before they 'retire'. For others being in their sixties or seventies is a chance to spend time with their grandchildren and be a part of the local community through groups like SeniorNet. Then there are many others who do both. Wherever you are on the spectrum it's a good time to take stock of your financial affairs and plan ahead so you can make the most of whatever your 'retirement' is going to be.

Download or order a copy of this free booklet from the Retirement Commission at Sorted.org.nz. You can also pick up a copy from your local SeniorNet branch.

For example, have you worked out how much money you will need in retirement? If you have a nest egg what are your plans for managing it so that it lasts for as long as you need it? Do you plan to stay in the house you're in now or have you got plans to downsize?

You may have already thought about how to look after your hard-earned assets in the years ahead, but are things like your insurance and will up-to-date? For example, your insurance needs may change as your lifestyle changes so it's worth reviewing your cover regularly.

The Retirement Commission's free booklet, Your money in retirement, is a good checklist for working through these issues. The latest version is available from all SeniorNet Learning Centres. It has sections on having a regular income in retirement, where to live when you get older and protecting your assets.

It also has some interesting stories about different people and how they're living in retirement on a range of budgets. These characters are fictional but their circumstances are based on interviews with real Kiwis.

As well as seeing how their weekly budgets pan out the stories will give you some good insights into different options for planning, spending and saving. You might also find some good tips for making the money you've got go further.

The Retirement Commission's Sorted website is also a goldmine of free and impartial information on all these topics.

The 60plus section includes information and easy-to-use calculators to help you live off your savings, protect your assets and plan where to live as you get older. You'll find good, independent information on retirement villages and rest homes and where to go for more information.

Sorted is New Zealand's free independent online money guide, run by the Retirement Commission. You can order Sorted's free booklet, Your money in retirement, online at sorted.org.nz/ordering or by calling 0800 SORT MONEY (767 866).

June 2010

Classroom Computers and System Protection

By SeniorNet Hutt City Inc.

Classroom computers usually need to be restored to a standard condition after use by students. At SeniorNet Hutt City we have used several methods of achieving this.

Initially, we manually restored our computers weekly but then found that GoBack software would do this automatically at every restart. This has served us well for a number of years.

When we moved to dual booting with XP and Vista on some computers, we found that GoBack was not compatible with dual booting.

About this time Microsoft introduced Steady State free software. Installed separately on XP and Vista, it provides system protection by discarding changes at restart. Separate user profiles are required for the Administrator, who has access to Steady State and the student. Each must log on separately. To make permanent changes, the Administrator has to restart the computer several times, particularly when adding new features to the student profile. Microsoft has decided not to upgrade Steady State to suit Windows 7.

We have installed Returnil, free third party software, in several of our classroom computers running Windows XP only and on a trial computer with dual booting XP and Windows 7. They are running satisfactorily and the update process is shorter than with Steady State. There are no separate Administrator and student profiles.

On startup Returnil copies the operating system into a virtual image where all changes are made, leaving the main system intact. On shutdown, the virtual image is deleted and a new image is created on restart. In this manner, the actual operating system is never affected by viruses, Trojans, malware and other malicious threats nor by any student changes.

Returnil password protection allows the TechTeam to carry out Windows and AntiVirus updates in the single user space but prevents permanent changes by students.

We like to provide our members with full access to our computers, in much the same way that they have at home. Returnil lets us achieve this by allowing a single user space.

We have now set up our XP only computers to be dual booting XP and Windows 7 and installed Returnil on Windows 7 also. Next we intend to replace Steady State with Returnil on our dual boot XP and Vista computers and thus considerably reduce the effort required to update software and to add new features.

June 2010

In life, the only certainty we have is that one day we shall all pass away. For nearly all of us, we have little to no idea of when this shall happen. Those who have experienced the passing of a loved one & been involved in the preparation of organising their funeral, will acknowledge that it was one of the most traumatic experiences they have encountered.

Funerals are typically planned within 5-7 days of the passing of a loved one, where emotions are extremely high, with 'shock' barely having time to have sunk in. Typically, families are left to discuss the details of how they wish to farewell their loved one with a complete stranger (namely, the funeral director) who chances are, did not even know the deceased personally. As we get older (i.e. married and start families), most of us will look at having wills prepared and taking out life insurance policies. What is nearly always overlooked, is that perhaps the most traumatic experience your partner/parents/children will experience, will be being left to organise your funeral. Prepaid funerals are geared to eliminate the financial burden from families, however most of the grieving process actually stems from the organising of a loved ones funeral - which Prepaid funerals therefore removes.

www.funeralwishlist.com is a "planning website" - used for members to plan how they wish to be remembered. Members complete an online 'funeral questionnaire' for themselves, and use social networking to invite friends-family to have access to this information. In the event of their passing, their nominated friends and family can simply log onto www.funeralwishlist.com and print up their questionnaire, using this information as a "template" of sorts of how to organise their funeral. As accidents happen every day, nobody knows when their time is up, the site is not specifically aimed at any specific demographic - we have members of all ages across 7 different countries already.

The site reduces alot of the emotional burden left to the family (i.e. personal decisions such as what songs to play, what clothes to dress in, what pictures to display, whether to cremate or bury) are all recorded by the member. Most people still believe that the topic of death is too morbid or taboo to discuss ... until it affects somebody close to them. For the price of 2 cups of coffee per year, www.funeralwishlist.com enables everybody the opportunity to have peace of mind (knowing they have recorded how they wish to be remembered) and ensuring that the huge emotional burden that inevitably will fall upon their family and friends is minimised, via having such information accessible.

We are currently running a special promotion this week only - any new standard member that uses the promotional code DS2115 when joining, will receive a FREE 2 year Premium subscription to the site (worth $33). Standard Memberships will be upgraded to a Premium Account the next working day. Please feel free to share this offer with your friends, family and collegues. It only takes only 30seconds to set an account up, after which you can answer the questionnaire at your own pace.

May 2010

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May 2010

Mesothelioma Mesothelioma - The Mesothelioma Center is an up-to-date resource for all mesothelioma (What is Mesothelioma?) issues ranging from mesothelioma statistics to diagnosis options. April 2010 Sorted website the place to go By Diana Crossan Retirement Commissioner When we first began using home computers, most of us used them more like a word processor than a research tool - although the ability to play games on them was a novelty embraced by children and adults alike! Today many of us use computers to run many aspects of our lives. The ability to manage our finances online is my particular area of interest. I’ve met with two SeniorNet regional meetings recently so I know there’s high awareness of the Retirement Commission’s Sorted website. One in four Kiwis have visited sorted.org.nz and are regularly using Sorted’s information and calculators to help them with a wide range of financial tasks from managing the household budget to planning for retirement. It’s a very user-friendly site and a safe place to become familiar with some of the interactive features that websites use today. Take a look at the Retirement section on the Sorted website to work out, for example, the various options for managing your nest egg over the course of your retirement years. You may like to try the new feature called “My Sorted” where you can save all the results of the calculations you do on the website. It only takes a couple of minutes to join and once you’re signed up it’s like having your own personal, confidential filing cabinet online. You can use the My Sorted calendar to set up events and reminders. It gives you the opportunity to note down big events, like when it's time to fix your mortgage rate or set up reminders so you stay on top of monthly bills. We guarantee that the information you’re storing is confidential to you. Our web tools tell us only how people are using the site – which pages and calculators they’re going to – but we cannot identify individuals or their profiles. So you can be assured that sorted.org.nz is a secure, trustworthy place to manage your money. Sorted is New Zealand’s free independent online money guide, run by the Retirement Commission. You can order Sorted booklets online at sorted.org.nz/ordering or by calling 0800 SORTED MONEY (767 866). Diana Crossan, Retirement Commissioner Addressing the Regional Meeting in Lower Hutt In Photo (from left to right): Diana Crossan (Retirement Commissioner) Fred Vansoest (Kapiti SeniorNet) Charlotte Luxford (Online Manager, Retirement Commission) Grant Sidaway (Executive Officer SeniorNet Federation) Ruby Fraser (Hutt City SeniorNet). Photo by Mark Coote. April 2010 New Short Courses Proves Popular At a recent Regional meeting held in Auckland, Bruce from Papakura presented two new courses that have proved very popular. Course notes are available to other SeniorNet Federation Learning Centres by contacting SeniorNet Papakura via email BruceLH@xtra.co.nz. iTunes and iPods. This is a two hour tutorial on the features of iTunes and iPods. The tutorial concentrates on setting up iTunes, downloading music, and finding free music sites.It also covers loading songs into the iPod and other features of some iPods. March 2010 Sound advice from the Retirement Commissioner It pays to investigate before you invest By Diana Crossan Retirement Commissioner Trust and confidence are fragile commodities in the commercial world. Easily shattered, it takes time to rebuild them. Recent turbulent times in the financial world have left many wondering who to trust and where to place their confidence. We need a trusted financial services sector so New Zealanders can manage their savings and invest with confidence. We need this sense of security because we are living longer and there are more of us. The quality of life for the over-65s will be increasingly influenced by the quality of their own retirement planning. So there's a high level of obligation on the financial services sector to rebuild the confidence damaged by collapsing finance companies and unreliable investment advice. But as individuals we can also take steps to ensure we're making decisions which give us the best chance of retirement security. The Retirement Commission is working with groups like SeniorNet to make sure we're getting information about investment choices to people who are in or nearing retirement. There's lots of information, tools and calculators on the Commission's website sorted.org.nz to help you make informed decisions. Have a look at the following sections. Your investment profile You can use the information in this section to work out your investment profile. Try Sorted's risk recommender to work out how much risk you can tolerate in your investments. Then try the investment recommender to see what types of investments might suit you. Comparing products Once you've decided what sort of investments suit your plans, use this checklist to help you tick off all the important factors you need to consider to make decisions. Getting the right advice Most people with funds to invest seek professional advice from some quarter. However, there are no guarantees of good financial advice. You may like to shop around until you find an adviser you feel confident with. Use Sorted's advice checklist to help you. Tips for safer investing Before you leap into any investment decision, there are some important rules you should follow. Have a look at Sorted's eight rules for investing. You can order Sorted's free booklet, "Investing - Making your money work for you" at sorted.org.nz/ordering or by calling 0800 SORT MONEY (0800 767 866). March 2010 Need A Nerd The Federation of NZ SeniorNet Societies Inc has successfully created a preferred supplier relationship with Need A Nerd for its members. Need A Nerd is specialist onsite computer and technology support company that sells, supports, and provides advice on anything techie from computers to mobile phones. So in basic terms a Nerd or Nerdette comes to our customers to support: a residential customer who has a simple problem such as a loose computer cable, needs a new computer or their current computer to run faster, or their video / dvd set-up, or to a small / medium business who requires a review of their computer infrastructure, a new Server installed, remote access from home, or even a fax machine set-up. The Nerds are specialist mobile technicians that have all the tools required to perform any techie task at a businesses or in the home. Our Nerds have people skills and they talk in terms you can understand! Need A Nerd has company owned and franchise territories in Auckland, Hamilton, Tauranga, Rotorua, Taupo, Napier, Hastings, Gisborne, Palmerston North, Wellington, Christchurch and Invercargill. We already have existing relationships with SeniorNet in some of these locations. March 2010 Initial Offer As a special offer to mark the commencement of the relationship Need A Nerd will come to your place to provide a complementary review (warrant of fitness) of your computer system and provide recommendations on how to improve what you have. Just call 0800 63 33 26. The benefits that Need A Nerd will provide all SeniorNet members are: Need A Nerd is sponsoring The Federation Of NZ SeniorNet Societies Inc Need A Nerd offers all SeniorNet members a preferred rate of $89 per hour (incl GST). Provide technology articles for your newsletters Local managers will love the opportunity to be guest speakers at your local meetings Need A Nerd will provide flyers for each training centre so it is easy to find us You can contact Need A Nerd using the following methods: Call 0800 63 33 26 (0800 Need a Nerd) E-mail service@needanerd.co.nz Click on the banner advert on the www.seniornet.co.nz site and this will take you to a quick form on www.needanerd.co.nz Your local Need A Nerd manager will be in contact with your local training centre. Please note the areas that Need A Nerd is located in. Need A Nerd is very excited about assisting SeniorNet members with their technology needs. Have a Nerdy Day! March 2010 Windows 7 - How to do a fresh install from an Upgrade version of the software. This information is sourced from a newsletter received from WindowsSecrets.com - John Selby from Whakatane SeniorNet is a subscriber to the Newsletter and has made this information available to SeniorNet members. To avoid any suggestion of violating the newsletter copyright I have paraphrased the information rather than copy and paste it, and I've added some comments of my own. WARNING: The usual cautions apply about backing up all your data to some place outside the HDD you're working on, before doing anything major such as upgrading or re-installing an operating system. Can you do an "in place" upgrade from Windows XP to Windows 7? (This question included simply because there was some misleading information circulating which led people to believe that you couldn't "upgrade" from Windows XP to Windows 7). Answer:- Yes, you can just go ahead and use the upgrade disk and it will "probably" install without any problems. If you start the Windows 7 installation while you already have your existing Windows running, (using the upgrade key that came with the upgrade disk), it is highly likely the installation and on-line validation will proceed without any trouble. BUT: The technical gurus warn that installing a new operating system on top of an old one is like building a new house on old foundations. There's a risk that the new system could be undermined by stuff left over from the old one. Many of the reported problems people are having with Windows 7 installations are associated with in-place upgrades over existing XP or Vista installations. Some of your existing applications may not behave properly afterwards. Best chance of reliability is from a clean install. But, a clean install means you then have to re-install all the applications you need on the new operating system. Better check first that they will run on Windows 7, and that you have the original installation disks. Can I do a "clean" install of Windows 7 from an upgrade disk? Answer - Almost certainly Yes. If you want to do a clean install, using the HDD containing your current version of Windows, proceed as in 1) above, but you can reformat your HDD at the beginning of the installation process. (Remember the warning about backing up all your data, as the reformat wipes out everything on the HDD). If you want to play safe and keep your existing HDD aside in case something goes wrong, you can install a new HDD in its place, and disconnect or remove the old one. In this case you won't have Windows running, and will need to boot from the upgrade DVD and follow the on-screen instructions. It's highly probable that the installation will proceed smoothly and validate, even though you had no existing copy of Windows on that drive. What do I do if the installation won't validate? If your try to use the validation key and then see a pop-up message saying "The product key is not valid," just go ahead and do the installation without the validation key, choosing to validate later. There's a choice of methods to achieve validation. Phone Microsoft for assistance. They are apparently keen to help people having problems with installing Windows 7 and are likely to sort it out for you over the phone. The number to call is 0800 676 334 or ... Use Windows 7 to validate itself. Once you've finished the install, shut down and re-boot the new installation. Once it is running, insert the upgrade DVD again as though to re-start the installation all over again. This time, don't choose "Custom" as you are upgrading to Windows 7 from Windows 7. Put in the validation key when prompted and the installation should proceed OK, and validate itself next time you go on-line. Is it legitimate to use the upgrade disk like this? Answer:- It appears to be so. The newsletter points out that Microsoft have made it very easy for people to use the upgrade disk in this way, and that their system happily goes ahead and validates such installations as genuine. The newsletter also quotes the following relevant part from Microsoft EULA:- "To use upgrade software, you must first be licensed for the software that is eligible for the upgrade. Upon upgrade, this agreement takes the place of the agreement for the software you upgraded from. After you upgrade, you may no longer use the software you upgraded from." So, if you're happy to give up using your existing copy of Windows in favour of the new Windows 7, it appears you will be in the clear. For more information contact John Selby selby@xnet.co.nz Advanced Computers is your one stop shop for computers, laptops, computer parts and mobile computer support. We also specialise in computer repairs and TV repairs. Please visit our website www.advancedcomputers.co.nz or call us on (09) 444 8823 to find out more.