Attack of the Viruses!

Along with Death and Taxes, it seems the other thing we are destined to have in our lives are viruses. It is a rare day that we do not get at least one call, usually more, from a customer whose computer has become infected. And it seems there is not an anti-virus product out there that will protect you 100%. Viruses have slipped by Norton, McAfee, Kapersky, AVG, Symantec Endpoint Protection, and Microsoft Security Essentials. One of the reasons viruses slip past your protection is that the people who create them lean the definitions of the protection programs and create a new virus that avoids the protection. The anti-virus companies spot the new virus and write a new definition to protect you from it, but it takes time to write the new definition and then additional time to get the definition dispersed to all the computers in the world. In that gap is where most of the infections occur. So to protect yourself, make sure you have a current update for both your anti-virus program and its definitions. And should you get an infection, call us right away. We can usually remove the virus for between $50 and $100. On a rare occasion, the infection is so bad that we have to take your computer with us, save your data, erase your hard drive and rebuild everything from scratch, which runs about $200. Hopefully you will not experience a virus infection, but if you do, we will be there to help.

Heat - Your Computer's Enemy

Once upon a time all computers were huge and they were kept in air conditioned rooms to keep them from malfunctioning due to over-heating. Today, computers are smaller and they tolerate a wider range of operating temperatures (usually 45-80 degrees Fahrenheit). Serious damage can still be caused to your computer or its components by not providing a cool enough space. Recently one of our customers, not aware of the need to provide proper ventilation for their server, had one of the main drives fail from overheating. The server was kept in a closet with the door to the closet kept shut. To make matters worse, bubble-wrap packing material, not only a good protector of fragile items but a great thermal insulator, was piled on top of the server. Without a proper air flow to remove the heat the server generated and with the further insulation of the bubble wrap, the contact points on the hard drive became so hot that data loss was just around the corner. Fortunately, we were able to recover the great majority of the files on the drive and the customer is back in business. So whether your computer is a laptop or desktop, make sure it is surrounded with as much cool air and air circulation as possible, or you run the risk of a “melt-down”.

Windows 7 Service Pack 1 and Internet Explorer 9

Microsoft has released two major updates for Windows 7 computers. Service Pack 1 provides security updates, OS repairs and speed improvements. We recommend installing it at your earliest convenience. It is rather large, so allow at least 1 hour for the process. Run Windows Update from the Start Menu to initiate the install. Call me if you have any questions or if you would like us to come and perform a complete tune-up on your computers for you. Internet Explorer 9 has also been released, but only for those already running Windows Vista or 7. This program will not work with Windows XP. I have installed it on all of my computers about two weeks ago. Microsoft changed the controls in the program so using different parts of the application will take both a little getting used to and some explorative trial and error. I have not had it crash on me or lock up my computer at all, but two different websites I use did not function the way they were supposed to. We recommend waiting another three months before installing IE 9. As always give me a call if I can help you.

Bad Emails

Hoping to add clarity to which emails you should delete immediately, I would like to address to specific kinds: The Phishing Email and The Dangerous Attachment Email. Both emails usually are crafted with the appropriate corporate logos and official sounding customer service tags. The Phishing Email usually informs you that there is something wrong with your account or the security on your account and that you will need to contact customer service or corporate security. Most often they want you to click on a link which will “help” you make things right. The link, if you followed it and the instructions you receive when you arrive, would take you to a counterfeit website, similar to, but not the same as the true corporate web site. Any information that you voluntarily provide on the counterfeit site would be used to steal your identity. In my experience, corporations almost never adjust customer accounts this way. Delete Phishing Emails immediately. The Dangerous Attachment Emails are different in the process that they will ask you to open the attachment to view the information, which they say is so important to you. Double-clicking the attachment usually will install a rogue virus on your computer, costing you between $50 and $200 to remove. Corporations will almost never send you information this way either. Delete Dangerous Attachment Emails as soon as you can. Remember, receiving these emails in your inbox will not harm you or your computer. They both require you to take additional steps to create a bad situation. As always, if you have any concerns about an email, feel free to call us. We do not charge you to answer a few simple questions over the phone.

To Defrag or Not To Defrag?

Defrag is short for defragment. Basically, the defragment process takes files that are split into various fragments on a variety of locations (sectors) on your hard drive and rejoins them in one contiguous path. The theory was that if the read/write head that is retrieving the information you requested doesn’t have to skip to another part of the hard drive to complete the task. In the olden days (before the year 2000) when hard drives spun at a slower rate, were smaller in size (we kept running out of storage space for our files), had less read/write heads and the computer operating system could only address so many files, defragmenting the hard drive was a regularly recommended maintenance item to allow us to store more information and retrieve it faster. In 2011, not so much. The drives are faster, bigger, have more read/write heads and the operating system is more savvy about finding files. Many technicians (including myself) feel that there is little or no value to defragmenting your hard drive today. You probably would not be hurting the computer, but you would likely see very little improvement in the computer’s function. So save yourself time and effort by not defragmenting your computer.

You and Your USB Printer, Scanner and Web Camera

Many of our customers hire us to connect external devices to their computers, which we appreciate. If you feel strongly that you would like to do this yourself, here are a few items to keep in mind. The first rule, which you should almost NEVER break, is never physically connect the device to your computer until the software that came with the device is installed. In most cases, during the software installation, at some point the software will ask you to physically connect the device to the computer. If the directions are clear enough so that you are able to follow the instructions, you should end up with a fully functional piece of equipment. If for some reason you receive error messages, call us and probably do not try and fix the error messages yourself. On at least two occasions in the last 5 years, our customers have had installations they attempted go badly to the point where the only recourse was a $200 reinstall of the operating system to get everything to work. As always, we are ready to help you in any way you would like us to help you.

Which Internet Browser Should I Use?

We live in America, the land of choice. Internet Explorer (48% market share), Firefox (30%), Chrome (13%), Safari(6%), and Opera (2%) are the current generation of browsers to pick from. Your new computer will only come with Internet Explorer preloaded on it (Windows PCs) or Safari (Mac PCs), but any one of the five can be added from their respective company's websites (except there is not an IE for the Macintosh). Yes, Firefox and Opera may be a little faster. Yes, IE is hacked a little more often than the rest. But all browsers offer pretty much the same features, so no advantage there. Also, IE is going to be the most compatible browser, since people who create special options on their websites are going to do so for the browser with the largest market share. The continued life of a browser is a concern, too. Firefox and Opera have limited revenue streams and could go bankrupt tomorrow. Chrome and Safari do not have the programming muscle that Microsoft does. What do we recommend? Most of you know that we are minimalists when it comes to adding software to a computer. We think you should only add programs that you absolutely have to add. There are not any truly compelling reasons to use a browser other than the one that ships with your computer. So, in most cases, we believe you should stay with Internet Explorer or Safari.

Keeping Your Computer Healthy

Mr. Tech Support had a booth at WTVR Channel 6’s Health fair this past Saturday where Dr. Oz was the featured speaker. About 6,000 people attended the event. In the spirit of the show, we prepared a flyer outlining the 7 Tips To Keep Your Computer Healthy. The flyer covers in detail the steps we go through when we perform a tune-up or periodic maintenance on a computer, which you can read below. For a printable version of this flyer, click here. We also handed out 4 coupons to save you money in your pursuit of a healthy computer. To receive these coupons, click here. As always, we are happy to answer any questions or tune-up your computer if you would rather not or cannot do the work yourself. We are here to support you and your healthy computer.

The Healthy Computer

A Seven Point Tune Up

Following these steps could save you an average of $240 a year.

1. Proper OS and Program Updates a. Check once a month. b. Must be connected to the Internet. c. Start > Windows Update or Start > All Programs > Windows Update. d. Select the Custom Button or Check For Updates. e. Repeat until High Priority, Software (optional), and Hardware (optional) are 0’s. f. OS Automatic Updates only applies High Priority updates. g. Apple, Adobe, HP and Java regularly will notify you that updates are available. h. Install updates and do not ignore.

2. Proper Antivirus/Antispyware installed, updated and scanning a. Check for OK status once a week. b. Virus definitions should never be more than 7 days old. c. Use a product that provides real-time scanning. d. Set weekly automatic full scan. e. Viruses more devastating, but less frequent than Spyware. f. Symantec Endpoint Protection and Microsoft Security Essentials do not require an annual fee and have a very small footprint/impact on the computer. g. McAfee and AVG do not provide adequate protection. h. Norton, Trend Micro and Kapersky are good but severely impact the computer and require annual fees.

3. Proper Backups a. Store all created files in My Documents b. Consider an On-line backup like Carbonite c. External Hard drives d. Restore a test file once a month to test integrity of back up

4. Peripherals properly installed & working a. For all USB devices, install peripheral software first, then attach device when asked to do so by the software.. b. Replace parallel port devices with USB devices. c. USB hubs should be powered.

5. Reduce Program Conflicts a. Only install programs you absolutely need. b. Remove all trial programs. c. Remove unused games and programs. d. Remove third party utilities (C-Cleaner, PC-Tools, etc.).They rarely work well and sometimes make things worse.

6. Properly Setup Internet and Wireless Connections a. Comcast and FIOS are "always on" and ready to go. b. DSL is 8 to 10 times faster than Dial up. c. High Speed is 3 to 4 times faster than DSL, 30 to 40 times faster than Dial up d. Speed vary, DSL or Comcast not available in all areas e. No service is 100%, all the time f. Firewall security already built into Windows Operating System g. A router provides additional security. Password protect wireless router

7. Proper Email Setup and Use a. Check every 2 or 3 days. b. Empty In Box when checked. c. Consider Web based vs. Program based. d. Most anti-spam software does not work. e. Make sure back up catches program based email data. f. Write down and know your username and password, TODAY! Not sure what it is? Find out from your email provider.

Things to consider: Update productivity applications at least every other major update. Replace any computer that is 6 years old. Replace Windows 98, 2000 and XP. Have proper Surge protection for electrical outlets, network and phone connections. Leave your computer on 24/7. Turn off and unplug when on vacation.  

The Death of a Hard Drive

Last week the hard drive of one of our customers died. It wasn’t a surprise. The drive actually had a warning system built into it and it had been telling the customer for a while that failure was imminent, please back up the drive and replace it. The customer decided to replace the 8 year computer with a new one, a good decision. But when we went to move the data from the old drive to the new computer, the old drive died. Not just a software on the drive problem, a physical parts failure. We are working hard to perform a small miracle and recover their data, but the anguish and stress this situation has created is intense. The customer has suggested that Mr. Tech Support was at fault for their data loss. While we care deeply about our customers and their computers, we do not and never have taken responsibility for the viability of their files. Even when we transfer data from drives we know are healthy, the customer is responsible for having a backup. In trying to make me feel bad for the dead hard drive, the customer went on and on about how important the files were on the drive. But in 8 years they had never backed up these “critically, important” files. We think in the long run most of the files will be restored, but please save yourself from this drama. In my January 4 newsletter I strongly encouraged all of our readers to back up their data. At the risk of repeating myself to the point you will stop listening to me, PLEASE back up your files today. If you need help, give us a call.

Update Your Username And Password Log

One of the more time consuming moments of a support session happens when we need to help you make changes to your email, computer, website or server, and we need a username (account id, login, login name, etc.) and/or password to do so. The great majority of the time the response from a customer is “I have no idea what my username and password might be”. Unfortunately, until these are discovered, additional support cannot be given. For email and websites, acquiring the username and password will require an email to be sent to you that contains a temporary password or a link to reset the password. If this is not possible, a phone call to the service provider will usually resolve the issue. For computer and server access, we have special utilities that will frequently help us reset your access password. You should have a notebook you keep near the computer with all the usernames and passwords you use written down and updated every time they change. If you do not have this log, it would be a great idea to start one today. Should you absolutely, positively not be able to learn all of your usernames and passwords, please give us a call and we will help you the best we can.

Why Is My Computer So Slow?

There are three typical reasons why a residential or small business computer is slow: 1. Unnecessary programs running in the background, 2. Not enough physical memory to run the computer (RAM, not hard drive space) and 3 Norton Antivirus Products. First, the great majority of computer users have allowed largely superfluous programs to exist or be loaded on their computers, running in the background while the computer is being used. These programs take up space in memory, space on the hard drive and steal power from the processor or brain of the computer. Unless you are deriving a significant benefit from these applications, you would be better off removing them. Of course you also need to know if removing these programs will hurt the computer. We do and are happy to help. Second, especially with computers 3 years old or older, the amount of physical RAM installed may not be sufficient to allow the operating system and the programs to run when you are using the computer. If you are constantly getting error messages informing you that you are using Virtual memory or Not enough memory to run the application you clicked on, you probably need more physical RAM. Removing files, creating more storage space, does not improve this situation. For Windows XP we recommend you have at least 1 GB of memory, for Vista 2 Gb of Memory and Windows 7 3 GB of memory. And lastly, we love Norton products, but they have become a behemoth and severely impact most computers. The Norton products are invasive, interfering with almost every computer function, and they require considerable processing power to run, not to mention a large portion of RAM to run in. We routinely remove Norton products and replace them with Microsoft Security Essentials or Symantec Endpoint Protection, two products that do not require an annual fee, update their definitions daily, and check for viruses in real time, not just with scans. If you want a faster computer, resolve these three issues. We will do all the above in a periodic maintenance or tune up of your computer.

Do You Really Need a Laptop?

These days laptops are all the rage. But is it really the right choice for you? When you buy a laptop, you give up the choice on what size screen you'll be sitting in front of. At this point you can easily buy LCD screens/monitors that are as large as 24" and if you are getting older, a larger viewing area is helpful. Also, laptop repairs are, generally, 30% more expensive when things do break. Of course, if you are a person who needs to take their information with them constantly, such as a real estate agent, student or reporter, then a laptop is the right decision. Sometimes people have space constraints in their home or office and a laptop is the right choice. So don't buy a laptop just because your neighbor did. Take a good look a your specific needs and make the right choice for you.

Is Your Data Safe?

Five years ago, a national survey found that 90% of residential and small business customers do not back up their data. In last year’s survey that number fell to 78%. Most of us have irreplaceable information on our computers. Pictures of loved ones. Music we have purchased. Our accounting information. Important emails. Items we would miss or be devastated if our hard drive crashed. One of our clients had her product patent information, the pictures from an expensive long awaited trip to Ireland, and all of her customer information loaded on her computer when her drive crashed that was not backed up. The missing information was important enough that she paid $1,800 to DriveSavers in California to have it retrieved. About once a month or twelve times a year one of our customer’s drives crash. One of the most used services for backing up data off site is Carbonite. They charge $55 per year for an unlimited amount of data. I am not aware of any service that cost less. There are some situations for which Carbonite is not the right solution. If you are unsure about what the best choice is for backing up your data, give us a call. Based on your situation, we can recommend the right solution for you.