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.