TechTidBit - Tips and advice for small business computing - Tech Experts™ - Monroe Michigan

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Make Sure You Condition Your Laptop Battery

When you purchase a new laptop, make sure you condition the battery or you’ll end up buying a replacement in the very near future.

The conditioning process varies among laptop manufacturers, so make sure you read the instructions that came with your new laptop. Some manufacturers recommend that you completely drain the battery before allowing it to fully charge, and then repeating that process two or three times before you do a partial charge.

Others have different instructions so, again, be sure to ask your Tech Experts team member, or follow the directions that came with your new laptop.

After you’ve conditioned your battery, we recommend that you allow your laptop battery to completely drain once every 3 to 4 months, and then fully recharge it to refresh all cells.

A well-maintained battery should accept hundreds of recharges and last for a long time.

Spring Is Here… Time To Check Your Battery Backup!

What’s the best way to keep your computer safe during a thunderstorm? Crawl under your desk and unplug it.

While not a particularly practical suggestion, unplugging your PC from AC power, a telephone line if you use a modem, and your network will protect it from surges and power problems.

A more practical solution would be to use a power protection device, such as a true surge protector, or a business-grade battery backup system.

Computer damage from severe weather conditions is surprisingly a very common problem, despite warnings to installl power protection.

When power problems strike, they can cause permanent damage, to either your computer or your data. To minimize the possibility of damage, install a true surge protector – not just a power strip. A true power strip will cost you in the neighborhood of $20 to $40, and most offer specific guarantees if your equipment is damaged after you properly install the power protection device.

Get a surge protector that also protects your network, phone lines or DSL connection. Some even offer a connection to provide surge protection on the cable line that services your cable modem. Remember, the more protection, the better.

Check your protection devices regularly. If you use battery backup systems, use the testing feature at least quarterly to make sure your unit still functions properly.

Batteries in backup systems will typically last two or three years, unless your power environment is particularly troublesome.

Remember, too, that not all power problems result from electrical storms. The every day variances in power quality – from smaller surges, sags, drops and brownouts – will also, over time, cause damage to your electronic equipment.

When you invest in a high-quality surge protector, many of them will also compensate for these minor electrical fluctuations, protecting your equipment at its own expense. These are called line conditioning surge protectors.

Higher end line conditioning surge protectors will wear out and lose effectiveness after a few years, and should be replaced. We always recommend using APC Power Protection equipment because it comes with an equipment insurance policy.

How To Instantly Do Any Job Faster With FREE Done-For-You Templates

Are you tired of always having to reinvent the wheel when it comes to a new form, project or newsletter? Using templates can really speed up any job.

At Microsoft’s website:
http://office.microsoft.com/templates
you can search and download hundreds of free templates ranging from inventory sheets, time sheets, to business cards and envelopes. There’s even templates for fax cover sheets, proposals, memos, meeting agendas, outlines, and client proposals.

You can even find newsletter templates just like the one you are reading!

If you are just getting started with a web site for your business, and would like to use web site templates, check out:
http://www.templatemonster.com
where you can search through hundreds of web site templates by style or category.

You have the option to buy a copy for as little as $62, or buy a “unique” copy for $2,500+.
What’s the difference? A unique copy removes the template from their library so no one else can purchase that template. The downside is that others BEFORE you have downloaded it, and they still get to legally use their copy.

Plus, you’ll need help from a web designer to post the site and make it work. The upside is that you can get GREAT design ideas for nothing, or shortcut the number of billable hours your web designer has to spend on creating a template from scratch.

The Simple Document That Could Save Your Company From Complete Disaster

It’s official: end users are the weakest link in the IT security chain. You can set up a firewall, encryption, anti-virus software, and password protection up to your ears, but it won’t save you from the employee who posts his access information to a public website.

Most security breaches, viruses, spyware, and other network problems are a result of human error—an end user unknowingly downloading an infected file, emailing confidential information, or disabling their anti-virus, to name a few.

So what is a company to do? While there is no surefire way to keep end users from making mistakes, you can dramatically reduce the number of problems by creating an acceptable use policy (AUP) and training your employees on what is and what is NOT acceptable behavior.

But if you want your employees to actually adhere to your security policies, here are a few tips:

  • Keep it simple. A long, confusing policy that looks like a legal document is about as easy to read as the instruction manual for your digital camera. Make the policies clear and easy to read. Give examples and include screen shots where necessary.
  • Provide group training. Many companies make the mistake of distributing their AUP by e-mail and telling employees they must read it on their own. This gives the employees the option of NOT reading and simply signing and submitting. You don’t need hours of classroom training but a simple 15 or 20-minute session will force even the most reluctant users to learn a thing or two.
  • Keep employees updated. To add to the above tip, make sure you update employees on a regular basis to keep the policies fresh in their minds and to educate them about new threats.
  • Explain the consequences of not following the policy. This is both explaining the negative effects to the business as well as disciplinary actions that will be taken if they refuse to follow policy. Occasional violators should be warned, and habitual violators should be disciplined.
  • Monitor their behavior. The best policy in the world won’t work if it’s not enforced. There are many tools on the market that can do this for you automatically.

Need Help In Creating An Acceptable Use Policy and Training Your Staff?
Not only can we help you create a customized acceptable use policy for your staff, but we can also provide training on the topic and even install network monitoring software to make sure it is enforced, and that your
policy is working.

Call us at 734-457-5000 or visit us online at www.MyTechExperts.com for more info!

10 Warning Signs Of Impending Computer Disaster

These Tips Can Help You Avoid Expensive Downtime And Repairs

Computers rarely stop working overnight. In most cases, there are early warning signs that problems are brewing.

Here are 10 surefire signs that you need to get a professional to investigate your network ASAP:

  1. Your workstation or server starts running very slowly, freezes up, or crashes.
  2. Your web browser has been changed to another strange browser you’ve never seen before.
  3. You are getting an unusual amount of pop-up windows, even when you aren’t surfing the web.
  4. You don’t know if every computer on your network has the most current virus definitions.
  5. You don’t know if you have a firewall in place or the last time it was updated.
  6. You haven’t attempted to restore your data from a backup tape or other storage device in awhile, and you aren’t checking your backup log for errors.
  7. You receive e-mails accusing you of sending spam, and/or you find e-mail messages in your “outbox” or “sent” folder that you didn’t send.
  8. Your computer starts making a grinding, clicking, or loud whirring sound.
  9. The fan is constantly running.
  10. You are getting a growing number of error messages, and you are forced to create work-arounds to complete certain work tasks.

If any of these signs are present, you should contact a pro immediately to investigate further!

The old saying of an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure is especially true in the world of computers and all things digital; and if you are like most businesses, your computer network is critical to the operation of your company – so make sure you don’t procrastinate if any of these signs are present.

Ideally, you should perform regular health checks and maintenance on your network to make sure problems don’t crop up. Here’s why:

  • Critical security updates need to be applied at least once a month to protect you from a constant flow of new hacker attacks.
  • Firewall, virus and spyware protection need to be monitored and updated on a daily basis because new attacks are released daily.
  • Your data backup system needs to be monitored and tested frequently to ensure easy data recovery in the event of loss. The rate of tape drive failure is 100%; that’s why you need to frequently monitor your backups.
  • Servers and workstations need regular tune-ups to keep them running fast and error free.
  • Monitoring of disk space is important to avoid data loss, crashes, and storage problems.
  • Server event logs need to be monitored for early alerts to network issues.

One of the biggest mistakes business owners make is taking a reactive approach to network support and maintenance rather than a proactive one.

In other words, they wait until something stops working and THEN they call in the professionals to fix it. This approach not only costs more in the long run, but it also leaves you vulnerable to more devastating crashes such as data corruption and loss, virus attacks, and extended downtime.

Even NEW computers and equipment need regular maintenance because new threats are constantly evolving.

Fortunately, there is an inexpensive and easy way for you to completely avoid – even anticipate and prevent – these problems while making your network far more secure, reliable, and problem free.

We call it our “No Problem Network Support” plan, and it’s designed specifically for the small to medium business owner that doesn’t have the time, expertise, or staff to perform this regular network maintenance.

Thanks to advancements in support technology, we can now monitor your network 24/7/365 days a year and provide all the maintenance your server needs for a fraction of the time and cost.

For a flat, monthly fee, you’ll get 24/7 remote monitoring of your network to not only ensure that it is running at peak performance, but also to guarantee that your data is being backed up and secured, that your virus definitions are up-to date, that your firewall is configured properly, that your server is optimized, as well as keep an eye on over 100 system processes and alerts that could spell problems brewing.

If you hired a technician – even a junior one – to perform these basic network tasks, it could easily cost you $40,000 in salary, insurance, and hiring costs. If you were to outsource this type of service, it would easily run you $800 to $1,000 a month in hourly, on-site fees.

However, thanks to the No Problem Network Support plan, we can deliver all of these services to you for as little as $189 per month.

We’re so certain that you are going to LOVE this service we are willing to give it to you for 3 months, absolutely FREE, and without any obligation whatsoever.

If at the end of those 3 months you aren’t absolutely convinced that this service is worth every penny you are paying for the fast service and peace of mind, simply call or send us an e-mail that says, “this just isn’t what I had in mind,” and we’ll stop the service immediately—no payment, no obligation.

That way, you have absolutely nothing to risk. What could be more fair than that?

But if you decide to keep the service, we’ll bill you a flat monthly fee that you’ve agreed upon up front — no surprises, hidden costs, or extra fees.

And, to make it even more of a “no-brainer,” we’re going to offer the first 5 clients a very special VIP discount to create an even greater incentive for you to sign up TODAY.

To take advantage of this FREE 3-month trial, contact us at 734-457-5000, or e-mail info@expertsmi.com.

Hackers Are Now Targeting Macintosh Computers

Until recently, MacIntosh computer users have long enjoyed relative freedom from hacker attacks; however, Symantec says online criminals are now setting their sites on Mac users.

Online porn hunters are the latest target. Visitors to porn sites are led to believe they can download a free video player when in fact they are installing malicious code onto their Macs.

Once the users authorize the transaction, the hackers can redirect the users future browsing to fraudulent web sites and possibly steal the user’s information or passwords.

Sometimes they simply send ads for other pornographic websites. This results in thousands of dollars in income for the criminals.

While common thinking is that Macs are essentially more secure than PCs, security experts argue differently. They believe Macs are no more secure than PCs, and that the relatively low number of viruses, exploits and other cyber attacks directed at Mac users is due to Apple’s relatively small share of the computer market.

With that said, the fact remains that for every single attack on a Mac, there are at least 100 attacks on Windows-based systems.

Going On A Trip?

Here Are 4 Websites You Should Visit!

  • The U.S. Department of Transportation (www.dot.gov) offers airline, highway and rail safety information.
  • The Transportation Security Administration (www.tsa.gov) has advice on
    safe travel by air, land and sea. For example, they post tips on
    dealing with airline security checks.
  • The U.S. State Department (www.state.gov/travel) provides information
    on what to do before, during and when you return from a trip overseas.
  • The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (www.cdc.gov/travel)
    Don’t come home sick! This site offers health-related travel
    information.

Increase Your Wireless Network Signal Strength

If you’ve installed a wireless network at your home or business, you may find your goal of “less desk, more freedom” is hampered by low signal strength, interference, and dropped connections.

You may also discover that your wireless network covers only half of your business, or that the signal barely seems to penetrate into the next room.

Insufficient range is a common problem for many wireless networks, but there are ways to extend your coverage area into the places you need it most.

1. Center your router. Setting up a wireless network is all about location. Unfortunately, it’s hard to know exactly what your coverage area will be before you install the equipment.

If possible, place your wireless router in the center of the area you wish to cover. The omnidirectional antennas on most routers radiate in a doughnut-shaped pattern around the pole. If your router is located in a corner of your office building, much of that radiation pattern will fall outside your home. Also, consider mounting your router high on a wall or ceiling far away from furniture and shelving that can impede or block Wi-Fi signals.

2. Add antennas or repeaters. You can use a wireless repeater to extend your range. Repeaters receive data packets and retransmit them at full power. Repeaters can also be difficult to install, especially if you’re new to networking. Keep in mind that repeaters tend to rely on proprietary solutions that are vendor specific and work only when you use the same brand of router and repeater.

Still, a repeater can significantly increase the range of your wireless network and is well worth considering if you want to add a few rooms to your coverage area.

What Is A Website Certificate, And Why Is It Important?

If you ever make purchases online, you must know how to quickly determine if the website you are about to buy from is secure.

A secure connection is an encrypted exchange of information between the website you are visiting and the browser you are using. Encryption of data is simply a process of converting the information you type in (your name, address, and credit card number) into an unreadable format that only the receiving website can decipher.

Encryption is done through a document the website provides called a website certificate. When you send information to the website, it is encrypted at your computer and decrypted at the website to prevent hackers from intervening and stealing your credit card information.

So how do you know if a site has a certificate and a secure connection? There are two things to look for. Just note that these two checks only apply to the web page where you actually enter your credit card information, NOT the entire site itself.

Once you are on the actual order page, look for a tiny yellow padlock in the bottom right corner of your web browser. Depending on your browser version, the Security Status bar may be located on the top of the browser and to the right of the Address bar. The padlock should be closed (locked).

Next, look at the actual URL. It should begin with “https” rather than the standard “http.” If you are on a website and you see these two things, the site will have a certificate.

Another way you can view a site’s certificate is through your browser’s menu options. In Internet Explorer, go to File, Properties and then click on the Certificates button. The same dialogue box will then come up for you.

If you ever get a warning that there is a problem with the website’s certificate, it could be due to a number of problems such as the names on the certificates don’t match up with the website or the certificate has expired.

If this happens, you may want to call the company and place your order by phone rather than going through their website.

Finally, make sure you check out every company’s Privacy Policy. Even if they have a secure checkout process, they could give or sell your information to third party companies.

5 Ways To Make Your Old Computer Faster & More Reliable

If your computer is a few years old, but your budget just doesn’t allow for a new computer, some simple upgrades and maintenance tasks can help get another year or two out of your machine.

#1. Add Memory. One of the most inexpensive and effective ways to improve a computer’s performance is to install more RAM (random access memory). This will speed up the applications installed on your computer and allow you to open and run more programs simultaneously.

#2. Upgrade The Processor Or Add A Graphics Accelerator. If you are just looking for a little more “zoom,” upgrading the processor or installing a graphics accelerator will give your computer the ability to process information faster and improve its overall speed.

#3. Perform Regular Maintenance On Your Servers and Desktops. Computers, like cars, need regular maintenance to perform at top speed and reliability. At a minimum, you should run ScanDisk and the Disk Defrag Utility on your machines once a month. This will make your applications and files load and run faster.

#4. Run A Spyware Scan Once A Week. One telltale sign that your computer is infected with spyware is slow, unstable performance. Spyware sucks up your system’s resources to carry out its evil intent, slowing down your computer and even causing it to freeze and crash.

#5. Disable Or Remove Unnecessary Programs Running In The Background. Many computers have pre-installed software programs that use up system resources and slow down your computer.

While these recommendations will certainly speed up your system, they isn’t a miracle cure for a seriously out-of-date computer network. If your computer or network constantly crashes, freezes up, or runs painfully slow, then it’s time to give us a call at (734) 457-5000 for an upgrade.