Category: Call That Girl’s Tech Blogs
Will your Windows XP computer still work after April 2014?
Yes, your Windows XP computer will still work and will not just shut off, nor should it get instantly infected with viruses. But there are some issues you could have or will experience if you don’t upgrade.
Many of my clients have asked if they can keep the computers for money, and music, etc. Of course, taken off the internet…those should be just fine. Some have said, “Lisa, I just surf the internet and I have your antivirus, will I be ok? And I say “Might as well try it, as long as you have your important stuff backed up” As a technician who tries to follow Microsoft (it’s not that easy), who knows what can happen, maybe nothing will happen! But then again, maybe your computer will get all weird and not work. It’s hard to say until the shut off updates in April.
Here is a list of things that might happen too if you don’t upgrade
- Some software might not work if you need to reinstall it
- Windows may not activate if you need to reinstall it
- Outlook Express may not work
- Windows updates will definitely not work
- Security will be less, but if you have antivirus that should still work
Either way folks, backing up is super important! Please remember to back up often.
3 Good Reasons Your Business Needs Paid Antivirus and Security
In today’s blog, Call That Girl is going to talk about the lesson one client learned during a routine Outlook support session on the importance of having a paid anti-virus protection, reliable data backup and secured routers for your business.
Some time ago I was working with a client on a remote Outlook project and as usual…I had them fill out my client agreement form and they stated they had been backing up and had antivirus, good deal….we moved on. If they had not had either, we would have had a short discussion on why having both, a good paid for antivirus program and a solid back up plan is important. Of course, Call That Girl sells both packages, but they were fine.
When Viruses Strike
I went ahead with the Outlook work and during this time, a virus struck one of the computers in the office. It was so bad that Century Link banned them from internet usage. The whole office was then under attack and shut down; no internet. We moved our Outlook project to the side to focus on the virus and getting their internet back on. Luckily the client had a hot spot and we could install programs from a flash drive, but could you imagine the nightmare that could have happened?
More Technical Trouble
After I tried to help them as much as I could remotely, we also found the router was not secured. Whoever installed the router did not put on a security password to log into the router; so, anyone in their building could have accessed it, got on their network and potentially hacked their systems. As far as backup, they are using local external hard drives. After this situation, we will be moving their data to the cloud – mostly because of theft or fire.
In the end, we secured their router, removed the virus, returned the internet and got back on track with the project. Slight delay…but it could have been way worse for this company.
Reasons for paid anti-virus protection!
1.) Free Anti-virus is never a good answer for a company. We prefer paid anti-virus, because it is more reliable, capturing about 90% of the attacks out there, and can be backed up with a free program like Microsoft Security Essentials to get the rest.
2.) If you are not sure about your router being secure, we do spot checks here at Call That Girl. We will remote in, check your security and if you wish, change your Wi-Fi passwords. This is a good idea, too, if you have a lot of guests. We can also set up a guest account, so they don’t have any access to network devices or computers.
3.) Go online backup, that trusty external hard drive you’re been using for years can crash at any moment, any time. Data recovery is very expensive and lightening has struck and zapped too many of my clients computers to not have backup in the cloud. The cloud is not expensive and worth every dollar.
If you and your company need some help with these issues, please call in for an appointment at 612-865-4475. We will be glad to help!
6 Ways to Protect Yourself from Viruses
Did you know that computer viruses can now take pictures of you or worse yet, live video? Well they can, and I’ve witnessed it! It’s a pretty scary thing; who knows what kind of information we are unknowingly giving these people. The question is this…is someone really recording the video or is it in the virus programmed to scare you? Either way, don’t take the risk! Here are a few things you can do to protect yourself.
1.) Tape your webcam if you’re not using it or face it towards the ceiling.
2.) Unplug your microphone when you’re not using it.
3.) Check your add-ons in Chrome, FireFox and Internet Explorer.
4.) Hang up on anyone calling you to tell you that your computer is infected.
5.) When adding new software, beware of the new software they will load on your computer, such as the “Ask Toolbar,” “Mcafee Security Scan,” etc.
6.) If you suspect you may have a virus, have your computer looked at by a professional (like Call That Girl!) ASAP.
Could Bluetooth be causing your computer to freak out?
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!
For Windows 7 users, do you have Service Pack 1 installed yet?
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,
- Go to the Start menu
- Right-click on Computer
- Choose Properties
- At the top of this window, under the label Windows Edition, Service Pack 1 will be listed if you already have it.
If you do not see it listed,
- Go back to the Start menu
- Select All Programs
- Choose Windows Update.
- On the left hand side, click Check for updates.
- After it is done checking, look at the list of available updates. If you see Service Pack for Microsoft Windows (KB976932), click OK.
- Proceed to Install Updates and follow the instructions on your screen.
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.
Review and Meet Your New Browser 10.0 Internet Explorer Fans
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.