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26 July
Big Savings Ignite Feel Good Factor
by
SoftwareGuru
In life, we make choices every day whether
to focus on the positive or the negative.
Maintaining a positive outlook can be difficult with all of the
challenges that life throws at us.
Even when we experience something life-affirming, we may not
embrace it fully for fear of the unknown that lies around the
corner.
So what's the first step we should take in an effort to
reinvigorate our outlook?
One phrase that springs to mind is the idea that we should "enjoy
the little things in life".
Admittedly it's a cliché but the reason why is because it
happens to be true. Even hardened cynics will agree that it
feels good to save money. We all love a bargain.
Knowing that we have saved money on a purchase is a good
feeling, one that we shouldn't be afraid to indulge ourselves in
a little bit more.
Over 4,000 people on our Facebook profile would agree with this. |
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Sunshine On A
Rainy Day
Here's just a few of the things Software4Students does to keep the
feel good factor going.
Low Prices:
eligible students and their
families can get more for less on official software from our
partners Microsoft, Adobe, Kaspersky, Nuance, Notion Music and
Sibelius.
Official Software Downloads: we introduced
official software downloads so customers can enjoy their
purchase as soon as the download is complete.
Free Delivery: if you order your software CD /
DVD from us there is no charge for postage.
Free Software info: we discuss free software to
enhance your Windows 7 experience in our blog and article
sections. This includes:
Integrating
OfficeLive.com with Office 2010 for online access anywhere.
Windows Live Essentials: includes free programs from
Microsoft for photos, movies, instant messaging, e‑mail,
blogging, family safety, and more.
We've also written about Dropbox, Wordpress and many other
fantastic free online downloads.
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Keep It Going
Software4Students has done everything
possible to provide that "what a bargain!" moment and
feel good factor to our customers.
It's up to you now to keep it going!
Tell your friends how much money you saved and
why Software4Students should be the first place they look for
cheap software deals.
Adding a link from your own website, blog or
social media profile to S4S is another great way to share your
knowledge with others.
Show your support for this student software UK
discount scheme by clicking the Facebook Like button over on our
profile.
The more fans we have, the more visible you all are, the easier
it is to convince more software companies to offer similar
discounts - as well as maintaining the current ones.
Don't underestimate the power of your own online voice.
It's a great feeling to find a bargain online and see how much
money you've saved.
You could even call it the feel good click of the Summer.
Visit our
Windows 7 Upgrade section now and enhance your laptop
or family PC.
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13 July
Can Kaspersky Maintain Lead?
by
SoftwareGuru
Regular readers will be aware of my "software
is not a sports team" mantra.
If you're reading this Kaspersky Internet Security 2011
review with a bias towards your own preferred security
brand, please leave it aside for a minute.
To evaluate the Kaspersky Internet Security 2011
download, it's vital that you identify what your needs
are.
The average home user doesn't require, use or understand all of
the many options that all security packages now offer. That's
OK.
Your should have one simple objective: to take preventive steps
against the most likely source of trouble you may encounter
online.
This way no matter what security software you
use, you will get what you need from it.
For students: many strapped for cash students will be
familiar with torrent or peer-to-peer download sites. It's not
uncommon for hackers to target these sites with the aim of
installing malware on your computer through the browser, often
using javascript and bypassing your current security.
Browser and password security should be your top priority.
For parents and older users: you probably still use
email a lot in a non-work capacity and are more likely to open
email attachments and forward them to friends. Your priority
should be to have at least an antivirus solution which
scans all email as soon as it arrives in your inbox.
Parental control options over web content may
be useful too.
For both: if you use online banking,
an anti-keylogging monitor is a must to protect anyone from
finding out your login details.
Kaspersky 2011 can meet all of these
requirements as well as offering much more.
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Financial &
Personal info protection
So as we've discussed in this Kaspersky 2011
review the real time protection features provided are both
practical and comprehensive.
Kaspersky internet security 2011 is constantly monitoring your
PC for incoming threats, whether they arrive via email
attachments, instant messaging, downloads or infected websites.
3 Quick Tips About Security:
1. If you use Facebook,
turn off all (or the majority) of your email notifications,
especially if you log in most days anyway. This will make it
easier for you to identify
Facebook phishing emails from spammers.
2. Windows Defender: if you have a real-time security monitor
program such as Kaspersky then turn this inadequate Windows
freebie off.
Open Windows Defender, click on Tools > Options, select
Administrator Options, and uncheck the Use Windows Defender box.
Confirm that you do indeed want to do this, click Close, and
you're all set.
Sometimes I reckon you would prevent more spyware
simply by
disabling 3rd party cookies in your browser than using
defender.
3. Windows Firewall: if you have a security firewall program
such as Kaspersky then turn this off to avoid conflicts.
Lifehacker.com on Kaspersky:
"Consistently strong ratings in malware protection, worth
the license. Kaspersky also boasts an extremely quick response
time to new viruses, earning it a special place in the hearts
and system trays of its users."
High praise indeed from one of the web's most respected websites.
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Kaspersky 2011 Download
If our
previous Kaspersky review was anything to go by, security
rivals Norton, McAfee, and AVG all had ground to make up.
Norton has definitely improved in recent versions but arguaby
Kaspersky still has the edge in terms of real-time protection
against the latest browser hacking techniques.
In terms of price, look at this example:
Amazon's most popular yet more expensive deal is currently
Kaspersky Internet Security 2011, 3 PC, 1 Year Subscription (PC)
at £40 on CD.
At Software4Students you can buy
Kaspersky Internet Security 2011 download with the same user
licence and use it today for around £25.
That's a saving of £15, no waiting around, and you're not left
with another CD or DVD thrown into a drawer never to be looked
at again.
You can also choose to buy any of the
Kaspersky 2011 downloads with a variety of user licence
options.
Still not convinced? Take a look at this list of improvements:
Improved: Risk-based Application Control restricts
programs’ rights to access potentially vulnerable system
resources or share sensitive data on the Internet.
New: System Watcher - Heuristics-based analysis
monitors, restricts and blocks suspicious program behavior.
Improved: Safe Run mode launches questionable
applications and websites without risk.
Improved: Rescue CD disinfects the system after malware
attacks.
New: Safe Run for websites mode provides added security
for online banking and other similar activities where a high
risk of identity theft exists.
Improved: Advanced antimalware technologies even allows
installation on infected PCs.
New: New System Watcher technology tracks, records and
analyzes suspicious activity and lets you roll back any
dangerous actions.
New: Safe Surf technology blocks malware and phishing
websites for great online security.
Visit our
Kaspersky 2011 antivirus section now and protect your laptop
or family PC.
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08 July
Summer Bargains
by
SoftwareGuru
This week the Software4Students
newsletter was sent out to subscribers and just when you thought
the prices could not get any lower...
Microsoft Office 2010 Pro Plus £40 (PC)
Microsoft Office 2008 for Mac £38.06 (Mac)
Apple Mac users looking for Mac student discount
software enjoy the benefits of both worlds with the
ability to transfer Word docs from PC to Mac via MS Office 2008.
In terms of value both packages are amazing.
If you don't already have the latest version of Office for your
computer, consider it the motivation you need to take control
over your work and life balance.
From a personal point of view, since I started using Office 2010
I've noticed that it's rare for me to spend any time searching
for a particular feature or function.
Everything just seems to be in the right place, and even
something as simple as clicking the 'File' tab to see the
backstage view and pin recent files to a virtual list is a
productivity goalmine.
Combine that with Windows 7's taskbar
right-click-for-most-recent-files function and we're talking
serious speed here people.
You'll spend a lot less time looking for stuff and get a lot
more done if you have both Windows 7 and Office 2010.
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More Student
Discounts
OneNote 2010 in particular is my
favourite part of the whole package.
It's worth £40 all by itself.
By creating notebooks for various projects I'm working on, I've
eliminated the need to constantly use Microsoft Word or Notepad
files which even when saved within one folder, still lack
synergy.
I even prefer the OneNote 2010 screengrab tool to all the
alternatives out there. It is the easiest to use by a country
mile and it always adds a link underneath, handy for remembering
where the image was originally.
Every UK student should make having OneNote 2010 software a
priority.
Our range of Mac student discount software also includes
the latest Adobe CS5 student deals.
So whether you're a fan of Dreamweaver CS5 for Mac, Photoshop
CS5 or one of the Apple Mac Adobe packages, there are fantastic
bargains available for eligible UK students.
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Mac Student Discount Software
If you're in a hurry, here's a quick list of
the Apple Mac student discount software currently available from
Software4Students:
Adobe Photoshop Extended CS5
Student and Teacher Edition (Mac)
Adobe Design Premium CS5
Student and Teacher Edition (Mac)
Adobe Dreamweaver CS5
Student and Teacher Edition (Mac)
Adobe CS5 Web Premium
Student and Teacher Edition (Mac)
Adobe CS5 Production Premium
Student and Teacher (Mac)
Adobe Flash Professional CS5
Student and Teacher Edition (Mac)
Adobe CS5 Master Collection
Student and Teacher Edition (Mac)
Sibelius Student Edition 6 (PC/Mac)
Sibelius in 60 Minutes (PC/Mac)
Notion Music Protégé 2.0 Composition (PC/Mac)
Notion Music Progression Guitar (PC/Mac)
Auralia Student Edition (Mac)
O-Generator Learn to Compose Student Edition (PC/Mac)
Microsoft Office 2008 for Mac (Mac)
If there is any other popular software that students would like
to buy, feel free to let us know via
Facebook and
Twitter.
Tip: You can help spread the word about
Software4Students by linking to us from your social media space
or blog!
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23 June
Revamp Your Laptop & Save Money
by
SoftwareGuru
Secondary school exams are underway and when
September and October comes, it will be a time of new beginnings
for freshers' week students.
Many students will be looking to buy new laptops and iPads.
If like me you raise one eyebrow firmly at the iPad's basic
entry model at £429 RRP, perhaps it's time to upgrade that
XP / Vista laptop to a
Microsoft Student Windows 7
monster!
Previously I've written articles containing information such as
how to
revamp
your PC on a tiny budget and you can transform most laptops
simply by replacing:
- Harddrive
- RAM
- Operating System
If you're not technically minded, ask a friend or neighbour who
knows about computers to help.
I recently purchased laptop memory from online retailer
Mr. Memory,
enabling my Vista laptop with 2GB of RAM to become a more
powerful upgraded
Windows 7 laptop with 4GB of RAM.
Your decision to change your harddrive depends on how much wear
and tear you estimate it has been subjected to from downloads.
General use won't do much damage but constant file-sharing and
torrent downloads will wear out a computer harddrive in less
time than you'd think.
Most importantly, investing in a new operating system like
Windows 7 Professional upgrade will have your old
laptop running like a new machine - providing it meets the
minimum specifications!
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Vista's Wireless
Internet Bug
One of the most common problems with older
Vista Laptops is wireless connectivity issues.
You turn your laptop on, it can see your wireless network but
for some reason it won't connect to it. Frustrating, isn't it?
This can occur for a variety of reasons including:
- your household router is not officially supported by Vista
- you regularly access more than one wireless network
Over at
http://windows.microsoft.com you'll find a section dedicated
to troubleshooting network connection problems with Vista.
You may also want to visit the following site as it features
Vista Wireless Solutions from a Microsoft Certified
Professional, Systems Engineer.
The official Microsoft Windows site offers in-depth solutions
which should address the majority of user issues.
You will also find videos on YouTube if you search there for
'troubleshooting network connection problems'.
Many others have had these problems so you are not alone.
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Vista vs Win7 Wireless Internet
Non-techies might be thinking, "Why would
accessing more than one wireless network cause a problem? Isn't
that the whole point of having a laptop?"
The best non-tech explanation I can give is that Vista is trying
to be too clever.
Imagine your TV automatically trying to launch a previously
viewed channel that is no longer being broadcast as soon as you
turn it on, and then it can't switch itself over to another
channel.
In that particular sceanrio, this quick fix guide from Indiana
University in the U.S. will show you
how to
configure your Windows computer to obtain an IP address
automatically.
I've noticed that when this same issue happens in Windows 7, the
latest Microsoft OS can spot the problem and fix it either by
itself or after you ask it to diagnose the problem using the
following:
Control Panel > Network Centre > Troubleshoot Problems.
Even when you can connect wirelessly to the internet, Sky TV
boxes connected to your phoneline along with wireless landline
phones can create interference and slow down your speed.
Therefore, it's important to have ADSL filters on every
phoneline in your home.
Make sure that your router broadcast channel for home Wi-Fi is
not too close to your wireless landline phone channel (read your
phone manual for details of this or even Google the model of the
phone).
For the non-techies wondering what I'm writing about, check out
this Microsoft guide entitled
10 tips for improving your wireless network.
The diagrams may make more sense as they show you exactly what
to do.
If you have any further questions about anything I've mentioned
here you can tweet to your heart's content with us via
twitter.com/studentsoftware.
Take advantage of Official
Microsoft
Windows 7 upgrade at
cheap student software prices.
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09 June
It's Easy To Improve Your Skills
by
SoftwareGuru
Last week I explained how the jump from Office
2010 beta to the full pro plus package is a positive
and rewarding experience.
I firmly believe that you can't truly review a product or
service unless you've paid for it out of your own pocket.
It's the best way of measuring value, especially with what your
gut reaction tells you. We all know how good it feels to enjoy a
bargain!
Having spent the last few days using Outlook 2010 and
Microsoft Word 2010 I can confirm that they are worth every
penny.
I haven't spent as much time yet on the other programs but
certainly ease of use appears to have been at the forefront of
the designers' minds.
Even today I discovered another really useful feature. I learned
that under the 'File' tab of Word 2010 you can pin recent documents to a list.
It's like having a virtual pinboard in Word.
There's also a recent folders menu beside it further to the
right. These are the type of discoveries that won't be apparent
on day one but you'll soon realise how amazingly productive they
can be.
After my first week of clicking on everything to see what would
happen, it's time to take those skills to the next level - MS
Office Ninja Level!
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Level Up
Microsoft have always provided free Office
training materials and videos.
The problem in the past is that these help videos were usually
tedious maximus and became boring fairly quickly.
Thankfully this is no longer the case and Office blogger
Doug Thomas in particular, provides quirky and fun
clips which explain really cool ways to make using Microsoft
software easier.
There are two main types of videos:
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"how-to" Office instruction clips
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video blogs from MS team members who helped create the
software.
It's interesting to hear OneNote 2010 Senior Program Manager
Alex Simmons talk about how the software is shaped
around user feedback.
Both his parents are elementary school teachers and he explains
why the education community will love this new version of
OneNote (included in Software4Students Pro Plus Offer).
It is refreshing to hear Microsoft employees talk openly and
enthusiastically about their work.
They let you get a glimpse of the effort and dedication that
goes into listening to beta feedback during the design process.
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Ribbon Hero
Ribbon Hero is a game for Word, PowerPoint,
OneNote and Excel 2007 and 2010, designed to help you boost your
Office skills and knowledge.
Play games (aka "challenges"), score points, and compete with
your friends while improving your productivity with Office.
You can also connect Ribbon Hero with Facebook to see how your
scores match up with your friends.
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Learn the fun way with Ribbon Hero
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Free Ribbon Hero Download
More Doug Thomas video clips:
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Customise Office quick access toolbar
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What is OneNote?
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How to work from home
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Why F1 key helps
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Add visual spark to Excel 2010
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Why video rocks in PowerPoint 2010
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Preview important stuff in Outlook 2010
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Use Smart Art in PowerPoint
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How to Twitter in Outlook 2010
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The basics of Visio 2010
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Microsoft Translator Widget
It's impossible to resist Doug's enthusiasm as he chats about the
most common issues that users are faced with.
I'm surprised these clips are not more widely promoted by
Microsoft.
Perhaps we are growing more impatient in our always-on, instant
gratification shaped society and we don't want to take the time
to learn new skills.
The internet has given everyone a voice and unfortunately it is
always easier to criticise than to create.
As long as Microsoft keep creating and listening to customers,
we can rely on the likes of Doug Thomas to keep us on the right
track.
Take advantage of Official
Microsoft Office 2010 Download and DVDs at
cheap student software prices.
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