Lisa Hendrickson is the owner of Call That Girl. She is an Outlook Expert and Microsoft 365 Consultant.
Is your computer acting up or being strange lately? Do pop up boxes now show up half regular and half missing? Are you having intermittent internet issues? Or is your computer just running slow and it’s brand new?
In the past few weeks, I have fixed at least five computers that were having issues due to Bluetooth device complications or as an add-on in Outlook. Not sure why the problems are coming now, but it’s something I want to alert everyone of. If you have Bluetooth enabled on your computer and don’t need it, maybe it is time to disable it. Now, of course you are probably hoping I will list it here how to disable it, but with 4 different versions of Windows being used and many ways to disable it, this technician is just going to ask that you call in for help. I have had to finagle many ways to get those five clients disabled.
Call 612-865-4475 for help today!
Attention all Windows 7 users! Microsoft will no longer support security and performance fixes on your computer if you don’t have Service Pack 1 installed by April 9. Service packs contain Microsoft’s software updates, and typically are part of the updates that many people have their computers set to automatically receive. Since Service Pack 1 came out nearly two years ago, there is a good chance it is already installed on your computer, but if it’s not, the update will expire April 9.
To find out if SP1 is already installed on your computer,
If you do not see it listed,
BEFORE YOU UPDATE, back up your files! If you need help or have problems with the update, give us a call at 612-865-4475.
Please email me for help Lisa@callthatgirl.biz
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Just a heads up to all of our followers, Comcast had a port switch some time ago… that may cause your email to stop working properly. You probably received a notice from Comcast on this issue and for many people, it will work. For some of you, the instructions DO NOT WORK.
If you have an older version of Outlook or some other host, you may be having problems sending email. First, close and re-open your email, then try sending again to make sure Comcast is the root of your problem. If it’s still not working, check out this site for instructions on how to fix it, .
Today I did a tune up on my computer at home and I upgraded to the new Internet Explorer 10.0 browser. It looks the same, except my menu bar is gone; that’s all I really noticed. My favorite bars were intact and favorites stayed put. Thank goodness! You can just never tell when an upgrade happens if your stuff is all gone. (btw..this is an option in your updates you don’t have to upgrade yet)
Now you ask, what is the benefit of getting new upgrades? For Firefox it’s sometimes necessary to get it to work. Firefox is the most finicky of the browsers and the one we repair the most here at CTG. If you get a change, do that upgrade asap! But for IE, it’s sometimes not a good idea to upgrade, but if you are not in the corporate world, you don’t have too much to worry about.
Here are some of the new features for IE 10.0
Nice addition!
Websites you visit receive a Do Not Track request when you use Internet Explorer 10. To learn more about this setting, including how to turn it off, see More info about Do Not Track. Now this seems like a step in a good direction, we’ll see if it makes the browser less vulnerable to toolbars, add-ons and extras we get bothered by (extensions, junk, etc.). Since I am virus-free, toolbar-free and extension/plug-in free, we will see how well this works.
Spelling Correction
Finally, without further ado, IE has spelling correction. WOW, how long did that take? I don’t get why that took so long, but whatever. I am a big fan of IE and will be for a long time, so that’s a bonus for me not having to edit everything in Word first, then copying into a website LOL. (Now can they have an auto-save? So if I’m drafting up some big reply in a post and the browser crashes, my work is auto saved???)
Cons
According to PCMag.com, there is no flash installed or built in PDF reader. Boo. Well, I am still using Adobe on my computer so I will live. I update Java as recommended by of course, Oracle (Java).
While I know Chrome is doing a good job of kicking IE’s butt in the browser run for the money, I still have issues with Chrome. Mostly because I do more repairs in that browser due to their lack of security for allowing extensions and add-on’s to be installed automatically. So, if you’re looking for something with a little more security try out the new IE 10.0.
I got two Facebook emails this past week. Both looked legit, but luckily they were in my junk folder and I could see the spam underneath. I thought it would be fun to share with you all how sneaky these email spammers can be.
Now if you notice in the 2nd picture (click on the pictures to enlarge), it states in my Outlook program that it might be a phishing site. But would you notice that? Like most people, we just see that we have a problem with our email and our precious Facebook account. This is just one of the many ways hackers get into your account. But the question is…how did they get my Facebook email account in the first place to send me this information?
Hackers can easily make fake emails that look like they’re coming from Facebook with legitimate-looking credentials; after that, all they need is your email…
Your email address may be visible in the contact information section of your profile or it might be downloadable by ‘Friends’, so make sure it is inaccessible. Go to Account Settings > Email and make sure the appropriate boxes are selected. Another suggestion is to change your primary email address to one that only you know. If you have to, go make a free email account specifically for Facebook.
Also, make sure the password for your email is different from the password for your Facebook account (and all of your accounts for that matter)- and make them complicated! It makes hacking more difficult.
Another possibility is that the security of your browser is making you susceptible to hackers.To make sure you are using Facebook securely, go to Account Settings > Security > Secure Browsing and make sure that this is enabled (https). For general protection on the internet, type in https instead of just http in the URL when going to websites. The “s” in https stands for secure!
It is also important to make sure that your browser is up to date. If the version you are using is old, you may have missed some important security updates, so don’t ignore those browser update notifications.
The hackers will always be out there trying to make our lives more complicated, but if you take the time to make sure you are being safe, it will be much more difficult for them to attack you.
I think so! As a technical consultant, most of my clients call in for help with issues such as buying a new computer, new software, what should I use for email, how can I manage my work with my team, efficiency needs and of course…tech support. Many of my clients find us via LinkedIn and the majority of them complain that technology is moving too fast. I have to agree! I have found that even working in technology, it’s all too fast for me, too. I think what’s moving too fast right now is all the smartphone and Windows 8 changes. Even though I work in the field, I too have a lot to read up on. I can’t spend my days surfing Tech Crunch or those hyped up techie sites to keep up (Just like you all, I run a business!). Some days I find myself drowning in technology.
Even as a social media enthusiast, I can’t keep up with the ever changing social media apps and fun stuff. I noticed this years ago after I wrote my eBook about social media; everyday there was something new to learn and figure out. I get a lot of information from of course LinkedIn and Facebook, but feeds are hard for me to keep up with there, too. I catch probably 5% of what is being pushed out. When my friends ask, “Didn’t you see my update”….I usually say, “No, when was it,” because I only see what comes up when I log in (usually a couple of times a day).
The iPhone is a lot to keep up with for me, too. Everyone talks about this app and that app, and to be fair, I use my phone for 5 things – phone, text, check my email and my calendar on the road, and do Facebook messenger because my best friend is completely addicted to it. Yesterday I unplugged my phone during an update… not the brightest idea I found out. But luckily my computer did a backup before it had to restore to factory (UGH). So I ended up losing all my apps, but my data was safe. I didn’t even care. I never used the apps.
What are your thoughts on technology moving too fast? Or are you keeping up? And if so, how much time do you spend on the upkeep?
