Winter Wipe-Outs

It's winter time and that means storms and lightning.  This creates havoc for computers!  I'm seeing alot of "fried" computers lately and it's remarkable how many don't have decent surge protection.  Sadly, even with surge protection, they can still be cooked.  

It's a little known fact that once a surge protector has done it's job once, it may not be able to continue protecting your electrical equipment.  I'm of the opinion that you should probably replace surge protectors every year or two just to be on the safe side.

So, make sure your computer is protected and better still, back up those photos and other precious data files that you can't afford to loose.  I have had to deliver bad news to a few customers lately.

Viruses and Malware on the rise!!

I'm seeing more and more malware infected computers every week.  Many of them brought on by illegal downloading of music and video.  Other common sources of infection are questionable websites or websites of an adult nature.  

I'm starting to see these infections in businesses as well, so it is important to have a useage policy for your PC's and make sure that you have up to date virus protection.

Having just a free virus scanner doesn't cut the mustart any more, you need to have a complete Virus, Spyware, Malware and Rootkit protection suite.  One such as Spyware Doctor with Anti-Virus.

Paying for Anti-Virus is the way to go, it isn't that expensive and it means less contact with us! (which is good for you, not us).

Got Vista? - You need Service Pack 2

SP2 for Vista has just been released by Microsoft. If you have your Automatic updates turned on then it should come through.  If, however, you are one of those people that turned off Automatic Updates then you will have to go to the Microsoft site and get it from there.

SP2 promises greater performance, stability and all round goodness for your Vista based machine.

PC Slow? Try some regular maintenance!

There are a number of things that can slow down a computer or make it feel sluggish from when you first purchased it.  One of the most common problems is Malware, so a good scan with a known and trusted Malware scanner is the first thing to try.  I like to use Malware Bytes Anti-Malware found over at www.malwarebytes.org.

Second, defrag! An in-built windows disk defragger can be found in the Start menu under Programs, Accessories, System Tools.

Second, make sure you have at least 5Gb free Hard Disk space.  Clean out old music, move and picture files that you don't use any more by burning them onto a DVD or CD or even moving them to an external hard disk.

Keep your PC cool this Summer!!

The heat combined with dust and poor ventialtion can be the very thing that will kill your computer this summer.  Some people take the side of their computer case off as a way of cooling the PC, this actually can have the opposite effect as most cases and fans are designed to create a flow of air through the case to help keep the CPU cool.

Don't place your PC on the floor as this is a great way to collect dust inside the case which will act as an insulator, trapping heat inside.

Unless you are technically minded, I don't recommend opening your computer case to try and clean it yourself.  But giving the PC a good clean out on the inside is important in the summer months so that it doesn't over heat.

Try and make sure that the computer is in an air conditioned room or at least in a ventilated room.

An overheating computer can very quickly become a useless computer so make sure you get yours cleaned by a professional now!

Backups Re-visited 

A while ago I posted about backups being very important.  I also said that a USB Thumb drive would be sufficient.  I would like to correct that!!

USB thumb drives are getting better all the time and can store data for long periods but are never a fully reliable data backup device. 

On the home front, a 500Gb External Hard Disk is appropriate for backing up documents, photos and e-mails.  Perhaps burn a DVD of the same material every month too.

On a business level (no matter what sized business, home or small office) you need to have a robust, daily backup procedure, preferably an automated one.

Please, PLEASE!!!!!! Backup.  The 10 minutes spent backing up those precious wedding or baby photos can save you much heartache down the track.  I've already had to tell a few people that they will never see their beloved photos again.

New Malware - Antivirus 2008/2009

Some e-mails are going around that require you to download and install a "Video Codec" or variations on a theme, in order to be able to view the video that is attached to the e-mail.

You then end up with a fake Virus Scanner that keeps telling you that you are infected and should pay money to remove the infection (varies from strain to strain).

Generally, your computer should be able to play any video file that is commonly sent as an attachement so if you get such an e-mail, just be careful.  It may be best not to open it, no matter how tempting.

I've had a few jobs lately trying to remove this thing and it is a costly exercise!

As always, make sure your Anti Virus and Anti Malware programs are up-to-date.

Is your Wireless Home Network secure? 

I accidently left my PDA on WiFi mode the other day and as I drove home from a job, my PDA kept informing me that it was able to connect to wireless networks.

I realised what was happening.  As I drove past peoples houses, their wireless signal was strong enough to reach my PDA in my car as I drove past! Roughly 50% of these networks were not secured.  I was able to connect to them briefly before I drove out of range.  

The scary part is, these networks would have allowed me to access files and the Internet for free!  No one would know. Are people around you able to access files on your computer because your wireless Internet access isn't secure? 

If you aren't sure then contact me now 9414 5565.  I'll come out and have a look at your wireless network.  If it isn't secure then we can secure it on the spot.  Standard call out fees apply Support Prices.