Tag: Minneapolis-St. Paul IT Support
The “blue screen of death” – is it really your hard drive?
In the next few weeks I’ll be posting some blogs from our archives. Digging all the way back to the beginning, you’ll be getting refreshers of some great information 🙂 Here’s the first oldie but goodie all the way from 2008!
So you get the “blue screen” or “blue screen of death,” what do you do now?
If you call someone, you may get this answer, “It’s your hard drive”
Or is it…
I’ve troubleshooted many of these errors. Sometimes simple troubleshooting is all you need to do.
First I would start by turning off your computer.
Then unplug all your cords including monitor
Let the computer sit for 20 minutes
After 20 minutes, only plug in the ac/dc for the computer and monitor and turn it back on.
If it turns on and goes to the Windows start up screen, you may have a bad keyboard, mouse or USB external port issue.
Once it comes back on, if all seems ok…turn it back off.
Plug back in the keyboard and mouse. Turn it on again.
If it blue screens, it’s more than likely your mouse or USB port. If the end of your mouse has a circular end, it’s probably not the issue. If it has a 1/2″ thin metal end, it’s a USB mouse and could be the issue. Try another mouse if you have one.
If your computer turns on fine again, then test your USB plug-ins. (camera, webcam, printer, etc)
If then all seems ok, go in and back up your information/data right away.
Again….if anything at this point fails, it could be a hard drive issue. I don’t always think it’s a bad drive if it blue screens. Sometimes your computer just has a bump in the road and needs to be “reset”. The troubleshooting tricks above often help figure out what may be causing the issue.
USB ports can fail if you plug in a camera or another “external device” meaning…printers, cameras, webcams, etc.
Are you getting a blue screen and not sure what to do? Fill out the form below and we’ll get back to you!
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Will your internet work on Monday? Take the test to find out if you have malware
Taken from Mashable, (they did a great job on the write up).
http://mashable.com/2012/07/06/dnschanger-malware-removal/
A nasty piece of malware called DNSChanger will kick thousands of Mac and PC users off the Internet on Monday, and there’s a chance you could be one of them.
The FBI is shutting down domains that have been affected by the DNSChanger malware, which has been circulating the web since as far back as 2007. The malware redirected Internet traffic to sites with paid advertisements where cybercriminals reaped profit from unsuspecting visitors.
The trojan’s creators — six Estonian nationals — shut down their services when they were caught and arrested about eight months ago.
Although the FBI has been urging consumers for months to check if their systems have been affected by DNSChanger, about 275,000 computers are still at risk of not having Internet access on Monday, July 9.
The good news is that it’s easy to see if your system has been infected and fix it if needed. The DNS Changer Working Group (DCWG) launched a check tool (Click on the link below to test your internet)
— if you click on the link and the box is green, your computer is clean (If the box is red, your Internet will be dead).
A Note from Call That Girl…
If you are in the “red” zone, feel free to call us and get a virus spot check completed or a complete virus removal.
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Tweet That Girl!
You may have noticed an addition to the sidebar of our website recently. The pink box under the blog sign-up is another 
way for me to share computer tips with my social media followers. I’ve had a Twitter account for some time now, but finally decided to vamp up the usage of it. You can now “Tweet That Girl” your computer problems with the hash tag #tweetthatgirl. If the advice fits in 140 characters or less, I’ll give you the best support that I can for free! Check out what advice I’m giving to others in the “Look Who’s Tweeting That Girl” box on the sidebar of our website daily to get some extra tips, too. Click on the image to follow Call That Girl on Twitter and get your own personal advice, along with regular tech tips! And as always, if a simple answer in a tweet can’t fix it give us a call, 612-865-4475, or fill out the form below to set up an appointment.
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I have a Mac, it doesn’t break. Or does it?
Contrary to popular belief, Macs ARE susceptible to malware and CAN benefit from the occasional tune-up. Yes, Apple’s 
Mac Operating System X does maintain itself well, but with time files pile up on the hard drive and start to drag the computer down. Many Macs may experience freezing or locking up of programs, long startups and shutdowns or just plain old slowness. These issues may be caused by little to no available hard drive space, lack of memory to support computer function or malware (malicious software, which includes viruses and spyware. And yes, although it’s less common on Macs, such software still exists).
If you have a Mac and you are experiencing any of these problems, a tune-up may be just the thing to get your computer running at top speed again. The good news is Call That Girl does Mac tune-ups and virus removals! If you’d like our help keeping your Mac healthy, fill out the form below and we’ll get an appointment set up for you.
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Simple Business IT Solutions for Minneapolis, St. Paul and Duluth
Are you unhappy with your current IT solutions? Do you want to talk?
Or does your company need us if you don’t own the business? Let’s talk!
In the past year, more and more requests have come from my contacts asking if we offer business IT solutions and of course we do, but due to demand of the “Cloud” we have moved to a new outline of offerings for our new clients.
In a nutshell…
- Let’s chat about your current IT needs and see what you need us to do for your company
- Then we will send out one of our techs to do an onsite assessment
- I will figure out a proposal and send to you within a day or so
- You can review and if you have questions, we can talk
- You like what we have to offer and our pricing, we work on an implementation program
That’s it. No monthly fees, no contracts
What we can offer you and your company…
- Antivirus solutions
- Online back up
- Email transitions from your server to the “cloud”
- File sharing software
- Smartphone (iPhone, Droid) device help and calendar, contact synching
- PC and Mac support
- Outlook assistance
- Night and weekend hours (open Sundays too!)
- Remote live helpdesk technicians
- Onsite technicians
- Discounted prepay time available
We have technicians in the Twin Cities, Winona and Duluth.
Email Lisa@callthatgirl.biz today to schedule a phone appointment. Or fill out the form below, thanks!
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Possible LinkedIn hackers leak millions of passwords
First Pinterest, now LinkedIn; it seems like all the popular social media sites are being hacked these days! With LinkedIn,
however, it is not a virus you need to worry about, but your password’s safety instead. There have been reports of a Russian hacker who has leaked nearly 6.5 million LinkedIn passwords. The claim has yet to be confirmed, but LinkedIn has reported that they are looking into the incident. To be safe, I suggest changing your LinkedIn password ASAP and make it complex so that it is harder for hackers to crack. For more information search the internet for “LinkedIn password leak”, it is blanketed across the internet now.
What are the concerns with this reported password leak? In addition to all the private information on these sites becoming available to the world, it is likely that the email addresses connected to the accounts of the stolen passwords are in the hands of the hackers as well. This opens a door of problems for the owners of these emails as the hackers could blast them with infectious spam emails.
To change your password, log into your LinkedIn account and hover over your name in the top right corner. Click on the settings link and find “Password” on the left-hand side of the screen. Click change; you will be prompted to enter your old password and then create a new one. Remember, complexity is the key to safety!