Category: GeneralHello everyone and good morning! Today’s blog is about the “Think Point” virus that is out and about causing havoc for many people.
Here is what we know about it at Call That Girl.
Most folks that I have asked, have gotten it by going on the msn website. They are clicking on links that are redirecting them to a fake download of Microsoft Security Essentials. They are not downloading that file though, instead they are downloading a fake alert, or rather….annoyance.
The annoyance is a full window screen that has the look and feel of Microsoft products with the words Think Point right in the center of the screen. You basically cannot use your computer at this point. This is a software repair, you should not need to haul your computer to a store to get this repaired! We have taken 6 calls so far since this was virus was released, around Oct 20th.
Please keep our numbers handy so if you get this virus, you can call us and we can remote in and repair it. Since you have no access to your desktop, we will walk you through a short series of troubleshooting to get back to your computer and then move on with the removal….and we throw in a computer cleaning for those folks, so you get a 22pt tune-up done as well!
612-865-4475
->TEXT THAT GIRL
For those that are texters, feel free to add this number 6128654475 to your phone and text us the next time you have a problem! This is GREAT for when your computer goes off the internet/and or just crashes.
I did! I woke up today pretty happy to see my Blackberry already full of celebration, then watched the emails flood in all day. It was pretty much non-stop while I was working and training the new assistant. I thought for a minute that I would have time to thank everyone, but that was not the case. I got so many that it was overwhelming. Exciting in one sense but on the other hand, if this was a real birthday party in person, and all my friends there, I would be dead on the floor from birthday shots!
Well, I can see times are changing for this old lady. Twenty years ago, when I was 22, I didn’t care about phone calls, I just wanted to hit the bar and have a big party. This year, I had dinner with my family, got tons of “Happy Birthdays” on Facebook, LinkedIn and emails and only one phone call from a friend that isn’t on Facebook much (and would be in huge trouble if he hadn’t called). I did also call a friend in Cali after she sent me a Happy Birthday because I knew she was home (some friends are hard to catch).
Would I have been super lonely today on my birthday without Facebook? Or would I have been out on the town with the real faces of my friends? Toss up. I’m 42. I probably would be doing what I’m doing right now, watching reality tv and catching up on emails lol. Then land of the old lady! *gasp*
To close…It was really cool to see people from all over my lifespan of lifestyles, jobs, high school, college, past internet messageboards, and people from all my past stories be in one place, for my one day a year that is my favorite day.
Thank you everyone who made me smile, with every email. Enjoy your fall season folks, it’s my favorite season!
Probably, but should you do anything about it is the question. I had a client yesterday that told me that her computer has been making noises for a long time. I asked how old it was and she said it was from 2005. Well, it’s five years old now. In computer life, that’s about 80 years old. Just like dogs live every 7 for our 1, computers have even shorter lives that dogs. If an average desktop computer runs 7 years without major malfunction (which most can, if taken care of right), then at age five, the computer is showing signs of aging.
Should this client get it looked at? At this point, it could be a simple fix, or an expensive fix. Would I put the money into it to see if it would last? Probably not too much with it being five years old. I just don’t see it worth it when the next thing that will probably go wrong, it the hard drive. And with labor and new hard drive, that’s approx $150 and up. New desktops that are “average” are $300-$400 brand new. But if you are concerned and want to see if it’s a simple fix, you can try a few things.
The computer may be running hot with processes and programs, so the hardware is working harder. A computer cleaning would maybe help that. During a Call That Girl computer cleaning, we also do a few system/memory checks and help you back up your data, just in case that computer does just shut down one day. (Which is worth it’s weight in gold if you’re not backing up or doing it properly!)
We can also walk you through helping you dust out the inside of the desktop unit or blow out the laptop air vents. Many times, the vents just need a good dusting! Or the desktop computer has TONS of dust in it from years of sitting around. I have seen miracles happen with a can of Dust Air.
If you want to try dusting out the computer yourself, here are some simple ways to do it.
If you have a computer that is sluggish and slow/running hard, feel free to call/email us to book an appointment and have it checked out.
That’s it for today, have a great Tuesday!
I get asked this question often, “Should I start a blog”….and you have to ask yourself before you set up a blog (free or not), what do you have to say and tell people about? Are you good at writing stories? I feel I’m a good storyteller, but don’t have the best grammer/spelling skills. Did that stop me from writing a blog? No. Have people corrected my grammer/spelling in the comments area? Yes. Do I care? Not really. I do this for fun. Oh and the big question I get…does my blog make me money? Not really. It’s a marketing tool that I use for the business. Just like advertising, I have the blog. Blogvertising, good idea, but it doesn’t pay off necessarily. Giving value to people does though.
Example: My website gets 3000 hits a month (give or take) and I have wrote up 172 blogs. When people call, they always have a way that they were referred to me, usually via LinkedIn or a friend. Normally, they always say, I read your blog. I don’t count the blog as the way they found me, but the referral source. The blog is what probably helped nudge them to call me for a repair, they read my work, the value I give to people and how helpful I am.
I have not been so good on the blogging as I used to be, but I have committed to getting back on it. I have been super busy with the release of the eBook about social media, but I am excited to get back on and find things for everyone to learn about.
That’s all I had to say today! Have a good day folks!
Lisa
Uh oh…here is a typical conversation, probably had every single day since junk filters were created.
Lisa: “I emailed you last week and you didn’t get it? Did you check your spam/junk folder”
Someone else: “I never check that folder”
Lisa: “Well, you should check that folder, at least a few times a week. Sometimes email gets directed to that folder and it’s not spam/junk”
Someone else: “Hmm, never occured to me. I might start checking it”
As much as we want to trust our spam/junk filters, we simply cannot. I go through mine every day to find the “just in cases” that sneak through. It’s not that my filter isn’t good, but it’s technology and once again, we cannot trust all technology to work all the time.
If you were waiting a on job offer and it was in the filter, and you didn’t respond in time and didn’t get the job, who is to blame? You or the filter?
Many of my clients will email me back saying my email was in their spam/junk folder and it wasn’t because it was from me, it was the subject line that got it there. Is there basic rules for sending out so that the subject line doesn’t get your email to the land of no where?
No, not that I am aware of. I have tried and tested many different subject lines and I think it’s the email program and how it differentiates the sender/subject line. Of course, you can can turn off all filters and then create rules, which is my preferred method. I have the junk filter on “Low” meaning that most everything that is most obvious is moved there. But then again, I see many slips during a work week.
Check that junk mail folder! And if you are seeing too many from one person slip through, add to the safe list or create a rule so that email from that said person goes to inbox.
Hope this helps, have a great Tuesday!
Lisa
