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Tips

Simple Tips To Keep You Out Of Computer Trouble

As you can imagine, we see a lot of computer and network issues . Sometimes, they’re pretty difficult to diagnose and repair, but in some cases, a simple fix is all you need. Here are some tips you can refer to the next time your computer goes a little crazy, and some advice to keep you out of trouble.

Reboot!
Nine times out of ten, rebooting your computer and connected equipment will solve the problem you’re having. Do a full restart, which means go to your Start menu, shut down the computer, and power down your peripherals and computer. Then, restart it fresh.

We know what you did
A good computer consultant can tell if you’ve been bad or good on your computer, and usually pretty quickly. Tell us what you really did right before the computer crashed – this will save time and aggravation. Your consultant will figure it out eventually – why not make the repair quicker?

There is no free lunch
Downloading free music, movies and games from the Internet can open holes in the security system of your computer, making it easy for other people to access your files. Be safe… Only use legitimate sites like iTunes and Netflix for your downloads.

Use strong passwords
We walk a fine line in recommending passwords. If they’re really easy to remember, that means they’re also really easy to guess. If we make the password very hard to guess, it’s also going to be very hard to remember.

Here’s a suggestion: Create a “main” password which you then modify for each site you use. A good main password would consist of numbers and letters (but not your birth date!).

Try using your first dog’s name combined with the address of the first house you lived in, and then add to the password for each site. For example, buffy1944 could be a good base password. Then, you’d add AMZ at the end for your login to Amazon.com – buffy1944AMZ.

Update your antivirus
Hackers don’t care that you’re too busy to renew your antivirus and anti-spyware software – in fact, they hope you don’t! Set your software to update at least once a day and run a full system scan at least once a week.

Public wi-fi is public
If you don’t have an urgent need to check your online banking or private e-mail at the coffee house, don’t do it. While you’re on a public network, even if it is encrypted, a nearby hacker can capture your passwords and other personal information.

Tired Of Cell 411 Charges? Check Out Google’s 411

If your cell phone bill keeps creeping higher and higher because of calls to directory assistance, we’ve got a time and money saver for you. Google’s at it again. They are known for easy and free, and GOOG-411 is no exception.

This time they’re eliminating those expensive cell phone calls to 411 directory assistance. Their free service helps you find what you need fast and easily, and they’ll even connect your call or send you a map to the location.

It’s completely voice-activated. Program 1-800-GOOG-411 into your cell phone favorites and you’re ready to go. When you’ve found the business you want, say “text it” to send full details to your phone, or say “map it” to get a mobile map (assuming your phone has mapping capabilities).

For full details, visit the 1-800-GOOG-411 Home Page at http://www.google.com/goog411. Or just program in that number and give it a try.

The Wrong Things?

Close your door. Turn off your computer monitor. Sit quietly and look out the window. Now – ask yourself the following question: “How much time do I spend on the wrong things each day?”

Don’t lie to yourself. Answer it as honestly as you can. 5 minutes? 15 minutes? 30 minutes? 60 minutes? 2 hours? 4 hours? More?

Now, turn on your computer monitor. Scan your inbox, even if it’s 4,137 messages. Bring up the weekly view on your calendar and look at it. Look at your todo list (if you have one).

Turn off your computer. Answer the question again.

Are you spending your time on the wrong things?

Looking Ahead: What’s In Store For Your Company?

Thomas Fox is president of Tech Experts, southeast Michigan’s leading small business computer support company.

Our clients are typically small and medium sized companies, and while some of them are putting the brakes on and slowing down, most are still going strong.

We’re feverishly working with many clients to plan out their IT projects for 2009. Several clients are looking to upgrade their infrastructure with new servers, workstations and higher speed networking equipment. Even more will be enhancing their Internet speed and security and upgrading their websites (look for an incredible web and e-mail service promotion from us next month!).

These clients understand the importance of keeping their network and critical business systems update to date and in great operating condition.

What Is Your 2009 Plan?
By now, you’ve undoubtedly got the framework of your 2009 plan put together. What’s on the agenda?

From our corner of the world, as your computer guys, we’re seeing many companies looking for ways to decrease expenses and increase sales. We think some of the key technologies you’ll see helping with that include virtualization, unified communications, and cloud computing.

Virtualization
Virtualization technologies go back all the way to the 1960s and IBM’s M44 mainframe systems. In essence, virtualization lets you create and run more than one server “system” on a single piece of server “hardware.” The obvious benefit is that you’re able to run distinct servers on one piece of hardware.

An example application for small business would be a company that uses a specialized piece of software that requires a dedicated server. If the company is smaller, chances are a lot of that server’s horsepower is going to sit idle – because not a lot of people are using it. With virtualization, we would simply create another virtual server and install the special business software on that virtual server, saving the cost of an additional server.

Unified Communications
During the next few years, you’ll see the number of different communications vendors you work with reduced considerably. The technology already exists to check your e-mail from your cell phone, and to receive voice mails in your e-mail.

Cloud Computing
“The cloud” is a metaphor for the Internet. In general terms, cloud computing is the concept that your computing resources are no longer located in your office, or on your server, but rather, purchased as a service and delivered via the Internet. More and more, the services your company relies on every day will move to cloud computing applications, eliminating the need for hardware at your office.

The initial cost savings of cloud computing are obvious; the longer term cost savings will come from reduced operating expenses (employees can work from home, or anywhere, lowering the need for expensive office space) and access to higher quality services that are traditionally too expensive for small companies to implement. Salesforce.com is the perfect example of an enterprise-class application made available to small companies through the use of cloud computing.

Thank You!
As we wind down 2008, I’d like to thank the clients and friends that support Tech Experts. The trust and confidence you place in us as your IT company is invaluable, and everyone here is very thankful for your business. Happy new year!

A Great Book To Read
Panic: The Story of Modern Financial Insanity (edited by Michael Lewis) is a brilliant book and a good start to our new “Recommended Reading” list.

Panic covers five modern financial crashes: The Crash of 1987, The Russian Default / Collapse of Long Term Capital Management, The Asian Currency Crisis of 1999, The Internet Bubble and The Subprime Mortgage Disaster.

Each section has a perfect setup – a few articles preceding the actual crash followed by articles that are written as the crash is happening. Lewis finishes off each section with at least one post crash article.

There are some interesting characters throughout the book, but my favorite example is from The Internet Bubble section: Bernard Madoff – yes, the one that’s been in the news lately.

 

 

Seeing the Sites – Telemarketing Scam Defense

by T.J. Lee
The connected age we now live in has brought us both great wonders and significant evils. What’s interesting is that the same technologies are often used for both.

One tool that can, and is, often misused is the telephone. Once the most annoying thing you were subjected to was a call, always at dinner time, which turned out to a telemarketer sales call. But the number of scams, spams, and serious whams that can come from seemingly innocent telephone calls has skyrocketed.

Ever get an odd call in voicemail or on your answering machine with instructions to call back right away? Do you call, not call, is it real, a trick, a trap? Before you dial check with this interesting site to see what’s what with the return number.

http://800notes.com/

You can type in a number and find out if it’s a known scam, or if others have been getting the same calls as you. You can also tap into the latest news on Do-Not-Call lists, telemarketing scams both domestic and coming from overseas, as well as articles about your telephone rights, what to do if you are getting harassing phone calls, how to file complaints with the appropriate government agencies and more.

What’s nice is that all of the pages provide for reader comments so you can benefit from the experience of others with the topics being discussed.

Technical Terms Confusing? Here’s An Explanation!

As a technician for over 20 years, I have heard a variety of terms being thrown around and I am sure a lot of these are terms you have heard at one time or another and never knew the true meaning of the word. I thought that a list of terms most people have heard along with the definitions would help to understand the variety of things that can happen to a computer, but hopefully not yours.

Hang: A totally unresponsive computer is said to be hung, or hanged. You could also use the term frozen, though hang is the accepted term used by computer nerds for generations.

This very thing happened to me just the other day. I was home on my personal PC and I needed to view a webinar on Windows Server 2008. I got ready for the webinar and when the webinar started my computer just froze. I checked with a co-worker to make sure there was nothing wrong with the website. I had to reboot my computer and when I did I was able to view the webinar. My computer had totally hung. But once the PC came back up I discovered I had a glitch…

Glitch: Whenever the computer does something strange or unexpected or behaves in a manner inconsistent with normal operation, that’s a glitch. Glitches happen to everyone.

In this case, my sound did not work. As far as I knew it was working. The sound may have not been working for weeks but you notice it missing only when you otherwise would expect it. Such is the agony of the glitch. When I asked my wife if she had any problems with the computer I got the classic “Oh yeah, I meant to tell you I think the sound is out.” Often, you fail to notice a glitch unless it does something that directly affects what you’re doing.

Bug: A bug is an error in a computer program. Despite the efforts of the best programmers, most computer software is riddled with bugs. Bugs are what cause computer glitches. Bad bugs can cause a computer to hang or crash.

Note that most of the worst bugs happen when you mix two programs together and they interact in some new and unexpected way. The term comes from the early days of computing, when a real bug (a moth) got stuck in the circuitry.

Crash: Crash is another term for a dead computer — specifically, what happens to a hard drive when it ceases operation. A crash is typically more sensational than a hang.

Remember that a hang is a freeze. A crash is typically accompanied by spectacular warning messages or weird behavior (and may indicate more than just a dying hard drive). In fact, a crashed computer may still be teasingly functional. Only the foolhardy continue to use a crashed computer.

If you have been experiencing any of the bugs, glitches, hangs or crashes make sure to visit a professional at Tech Experts as soon as possible so we can do our best to protect your vital information from disappearing forever. You can reach us at (734) 457-5000.

How To Keep Hackers At Bay

No one wants to have their network “hacked,” but what exactly can a hacker do?

Plenty, and you are right to be afraid!

One common way for hackers to access your network is through spyware or viruses, which are malicious programs written to imbed themselves into your network to gather private information, steal financial data, access passwords, e-mail addresses, and spread themselves to other users. But one of the most common ways for hackers to access your system is through e-mail, or spam e-mail to be more specific.

Phishing is when a hacker sends you a legitimate looking e-mail from a trusted source — like PayPal, your bank, eBay, or any number of other legitimate business web sites. These e-mails will tell you that your account is expired or will be closed if you don’t go to a designated web site and update or verify your account information.

Although you may have seen these e-mails before, be very careful! Hackers are brilliant at making not only the e-mail seem legitimate, but also at making the web site you go to look like the real thing.

If you fall prey to their scam, the site will gather your private information and then use that to access your bank account or to charge your credit card. To protect yourself, install a spam filter and NEVER open or respond to any e-mail requesting account verification. Instead, call the company. If it is a legitimate request, you can verify that with them over the phone.

Is Your Computer Acting Scary? Try These Tips!

Has your computer been acting strange lately? Has it been popping up with funny messages, running slower than normal, missing buttons or cannot get on the Internet? All of these things can be caused by malware and can do so without the computer user even knowing that they are being targeted.

Most effects of malware are just annoying to the user but some can attack your PC and cause the computer to be unusable or even to lose data.

The use of the Internet has caused an increase in this type of infection. What exactly are viruses, spyware, Trojans, worms, and adware?

• Viruses are computer programs that can copy itself and infect files increasing memory usage and slowing down the system. Viruses can be opened by launching a file that has .exe on the end. Other people can be infected by contact to the file that was originally infected. The virus can do harm by attaching to an application, application file or by residing in the memory (RAM).

• Spyware collects information about the user’s Internet activity or changes the configuration of the computer. They can change the home page that opens up when you start Internet Explorer or add buttons to Explorer. Also called adware.

• Trojans are, many times, a form on a web site that misleads you in believing that a program is used for a helpful purpose but instead has a malicious intent. You can be downloading a paint program to make artwork but instead you are really being infected by a Trojan that may harm your computer .

• Worms are like a virus but spread through a network of computers without a user doing anything. These will corrupt files and cause the Internet to run slowly on your computer.

• Malware are any of the above types of infections.

Now that you know exactly what these pesky pieces of software are, it is time to modify your Internet habits. These are some tips to help avoid risky behavior on the Internet.

• Use a firewall. This will help block unwanted transmissions to your computer.

• Update your operating system when needed. Microsoft routinely releases updates for security fixes.

• Use an anti-virus software.

• Never open e-mail or attachments from anyone that you do not know.

If you have questions about computer viruses, or think you may have an infection, call the Tech Experts 24 Hour Computer Emergency Hotline at (734) 240-0200.

School is Back in Session

How to Keep Your Kids Safe Online

With school back in session, thousands of children will be surfing the Internet to conduct research, chat with their new classmates and complete homework assignments.

Although the Internet provides a tremendous learning tool for children, left unchecked it can also expose them to inappropriate material and unscrupulous individuals looking to exploit innocent children.

The Statistics of Online Abuse Towards Children Are Alarming

According to a survey conducted by NetAlert, nearly one child in every five has been approached online by a stranger, and 45% have been exposed to material that is pornographic, sexually explicit, violent, racist, or that encourages them to participate in dangerous or illegal activities.

One of the biggest threats are social networking sites like MySpace.com.

But MySpace isn’t the only threat.

According to Highlights of the Youth Internet Safety Survey conducted by the U.S. Department of Justice, one in five children received unwanted sexual solicitations online. There are a growing number of pedophiles using the Internet to gain a child’s confidence and arrange face-to-face meetings.

These cyber criminals are using everything from spam e-mails to online messaging, kid’s chat rooms, and misleading domain names to trap children. If your child uses the Internet, you must take measures to protect them from these dangers.

As part of our back-to-school newsletter edition, we’ve outlined 3 things you should be doing now to keep your kids safe online.

3 Things You Can Do Right Now To Protect Your Children Online

1. Install web and e-mail filtering software to prevent your children from viewing inappropriate material. We recommend using www.bsafeonline.com. Not only will this prevent your children from visiting inappropriate web sites, but it will also stop inappropriate spam.

2. Talk to your kids about online safety and proper Internet usage. Set limits and guidelines about when they can go online, what they can do, and how long they are allowed to be online. Explain why it is dangerous for them to “chat” with strangers online or download suspicious looking files.

3. Give your children specific online guidelines or rules to follow when using the Internet. It’s not enough to warn them about potential risks; pedophiles know how to cloak their identity and gain a child’s confidence to arrange face-to-face meetings.

Require Your Kids To Follow These Rules Online:

  • I will not give out personal information such as my address, telephone number, parents’ work addresses, or our e-mail address to anyone online.
  • I will tell my parents right away if I see a web site, e-mail, or message that makes me feel uncomfortable.
  • I will never send my picture to anyone online or upload my picture to any web site without my parent’s knowledge and permission.
  • I will never agree to meet someone face-to-face whom I met online without my parents’ knowledge and permission.
  • I will not respond to any messages that are mean or that make me feel uncomfortable in any way.
  • If I get a message like that, I will tell my parents right away so that they can contact the online service.
  • I will never give my parents’ financial information to anyone, especially their credit card information, bank account information, or social security number.

If you want more information on how to keep your children safe online or to report illegal, violent, or explicit acts towards children, go to www.cybertipline.com.

This site is run by the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children and is a great resource for parents, teachers, and guardians.

 

Computer Slowing Down? Try A Memory Upgrade!

I just turned a little older, and as anyone my age can attest, the first thing to go is your “memory.”

It is no different with your computer. I recently upgraded our workstations here at Tech Experts, from 1gb of RAM to 2gb, and I could not believe the difference in the way our stations run. Programs that I use on a daily basis run unbelievably fast.

I’ve been asked over the years, “What exactly is RAM?” RAM (Random Access Memory) is the temporary working memory that the Windows operating system, programs such as Microsoft Word and Excel, and documents use when your computer is running.

Don’t confuse RAM with hard drive storage, which is where all your files are stashed. For years, processors and software have been growing increasingly RAM-hungry. Even just a year ago, 512mb was considered enough. We started out at 1gb, and upgraded to 2gb in our stations, which seems to be the “sweet spot” for Windows XP.

If you are working in Word, have a couple of websites open in Internet Explorer, and Outlook is open for your e-mail, inside your computer, each of your programs is competing for RAM. Windows is juggling which program gets priority at a given moment.

If you don’t have enough RAM, Windows will use the hard drive as virtual memory. The problem is, though, that swapping programs back and forth between RAM and your hard drive is much less efficient than keeping everything in RAM.

If your system seems sluggish and you notice lots of hard drive activity, chances are good that adding RAM memory will rev your system up. Programs that you run in a business environment need to process information RIGHT NOW. That’s why we’re recommending all of our clients upgrade to 2gb of RAM in their workstations. The speed improvement is incredible!