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I preach all the time about Backup! Backup Backup Backup! I just had a customer call this weekend whose hard drive had crashed. This was a serious hard drive crash with physical damange to the drive. Needless to say, she did not have a backup. Even worse, her school final papers were on that drive and they were due in one week. So I feel the need to remind everyone about the importance of backing up. Backup is easy as 1, 2, 3. Actually, 3-2-1... 3 - You need to have at least three copies of your information. The original files and two backup files. 2 - Have those two copies on two different types of media such as CDs, USB Flash drives, external hard drives or internet based backup sites. 1 - Finally, you MUST keep one copy offsite. Wheather it is an online copy or one copy at home and one at the office, keep one copy offsite. Please call us if you have ANY questions about backing up or need assistance with implementing up a proper backup system for your home or business.
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Protect your identity – Be careful what information you post. Many thieves use social network sites for identity theft. Set your profile to “Private” – Change your privacy settings so that only your friends can see your profile, photos and wall posts. Keep your location general - Never post your exact address. Be selective with your photos - Manage photos in which you are "tagged." You can "remove tag" on any ones you don’t will to be linked to your profile. Don’t post photos you don’t want everyone to see. Games? – Many people play the Facebook games (Farmville, Mafia Wars, etc.) but most may not know that they are sharing their information and all of their friend’s information with the companies that makes these games. DELETE FACEBOOK EMAIL – Many viruses are being spread as emails that look like they are coming from your Facebook friends. Many of the links in these emails will take you to an infected web page. Instead, simply delete the email and log on to facebook to read your messages or requests.
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There is a virus going around that causes Windows to automatically log off once you log on. After a bit of time messing with it I found the following solution. Either use Remote Registry or startup with a Bart-PE disk or connect the hard drive to another PC to access the HKLM registry. Edit these values and type the correct path of shell :
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Keep up to date on your windows updates. There have been many security issues with Internet Explorer. One of the recent updates resolves seven privately reported vulnerabilities and one publicly disclosed vulnerability in Internet Explorer. The more severe vulnerabilities could allow remote code execution if a user views a specially crafted Web page using Internet Explorer. This security update is rated Critical for all supported releases of Internet Explorer.
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InvisibleHand 1.8Automatically shows a discreet notification when a better price is available on a product you're browsing. Covers over 100 retailers in the US, UK and Germany. http://www.getinvisiblehand.com/
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The holidays are a wonderful time of year…for criminals. Beware of these scams that are prevalent during the holiday season. Dangerous Downloads While the occasional dancing elf, Hanukkah Jingle or winter screensaver may be nice, beware of what you click on. May viruses can be spread through email and infected web links. What's worse, some holiday-themed downloads can leave you vulnerable to identity theft and fraudulent activity. Always be extremely careful about what you click on, install or download from the Internet. Evil e-cards People love to send e-cards, especially during the holiday season. These can deliver more than just the holiday spirit. Some contain destructive viruses cleverly disguised in holiday cheer. As soon as the recipient opens the e-card or a link contained within it — often appearing to come from a friend or family member — a virus could be unleashed into their computer. Auction Scams Every holiday season it seems that there is one hot item that all the kids want. Desperate parents many turn to the internet to find the "it" gift just in time for Christmas. Beware of websites that advertise deals too good to be true. It may sound tempting, but often the gift never arrives and parents are left holding an empty bag. They may also become victims of identity theft by the unscrupulous merchants. To avoid gift scams, only shop at retailers you know and trust, go directly to their Web sites rather than responding to an email or pop-up advertisement, and use a credit card rather than debit card or other form of payment. With a credit card, you're less likely to have to pay for fraudulent charges. Holiday Hackers With the explosion of online holiday shopping in recent years, more and more people are falling victim to hackers who send scam emails disguised as notices from well-known companies. The email usually asks the recipient for their account information in order to confirm an order or shipping address. Once the account details are provided, hackers are free do whatever they want with it, often selling the information to others for a large profit. How to avoid being a victim Be careful of where you go and what you click on. Only use credible online retailers. Check the reputation of an online vendor by visiting http://www.bizrate.com/ or http://www.epinions.com. For more information on computer security visit us at www.PriorityTechSolutions.com
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Netbooks or “Mini Notebooks” are inexpensive mini laptops. They are a fraction of the size of regular laptops and have many limitations. Notebooks/laptops are larger, more expensive yet more powerful. Netbooks have many limitations to them. Their screens and keyboards are small. Most do not have CD/DVD drives. Finally, they have weak processors; so don’t expect to do high end graphics or games on them. So which one is right for you? Netbooks are great for getting on the internet and writing emails, surfing the web or typing letters. Notebooks are great for tasks that require more power such as graphics and games. Finally price is a large factor. Netbooks range from $249 to $499. Notebooks start at $300 and go up from there. This holiday season look for many great deals from the different manufacturers. There are deals to be had, even in this economy.
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It’s the holiday time and if you are in the market for a new laptop, keep these tips in mind when choosing.| Comments | 0 | Hits: 34 |
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Stop paying those yearly fees for your AntiVirus software and download Security Essentials from Microsoft today. You won’t be disappointed. www.microsoft.com/Security_essentials/
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That’s right...I said FREE!!! Microsoft has finally come out with their very own AntiVirus software for PCs...Microsoft Security Essentials. From my experience it is very good. It may not be as fast as some of the other programs out there, but that is because it is thoroughly scanning each and every file on your system to keep you safe.| Comments | 0 | Hits: 68 |
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By now many of you may have heard about Microsoft’s next major operating system named Windows 7 due to be released October 22nd. It’s hard to believe that Vista is almost three years old. Most people either love or hate Vista...mostly hate. Well I’m glad to say Microsoft has finally gotten it right this time. Windows 7 is Vista done right! With all the bad press Vista had received, Microsoft listened and fixed many of the issues. Windows 7 is not only faster than Vista, it is more secure. So do you need to upgrade? It all depends on your hardware and software. If you have a machine that is only a year or two old, you will want to consider the upgrade. If you have a machine older than that, you would want to consider waiting until you get a new PC. Finally you will want to look at the software you use and make sure it is compatible with Windows 7. I have been part of the beta test program and have been running Windows 7 for over 10 months now. I can tell you that it is much more stable and much faster than Windows XP and Vista.
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Don’t use PassWords! Yes, I am serious. We all have too many passwords to remember. A big security mistake is to use the same easy password everywhere. I recommend to my clients the use of ‘Pass Phrases’ or sentences. An example would be “Now is the time.” As a passphrase it would be typed out as ‘Nowisthetime.’ Pass phrases accomplish many tasks. Sentences are easier to remember than some long, cryptic password (i.e. 4M51jQ1). They meet the length and complexity requirements of most security systems. They are NOT your birthday, anniversary or kids/pets names. To change your password from site to site, add something to the end (i.e. Nowisthetime.ebay or Nowisthetime.yahoo). It is good practice to change your passwords/passphrases every 3-6 months. Finally, please do NOT write your password down and stick it to your monitor or under your keyboard.
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This week I’d like to talk about how to maintain your computer from the inside out. As computers run all day long, their fans draw air in from the front and blow it out the back. This draws in dust, pet hair, and all sorts of ‘gunk’. I recommend every 6 months or so, to open up your computer case and vacuum out the dust. If this is left to build up, it will cause your computer to overheat and possibly crash. If you live with pets, I would do it every 3 months. For laptops it’s a bit trickier. You can use compressed air and blow out the laptop fan. Please be sure that the computer is not plugged in or turned on while performing this type of cleanup. One of the most often asked questions I get is “How to I clean my screen?”. I prefer to use a soft micro fiber cloth and screen cleaning solution or eyeglass cleaner. Spray a light amount on the rag (never directly on the screen) and wipe the entire screen. Wipe the screen dry with a dry portion of the cloth or a second rag. The outside of the case can also be vacuumed and cleaned with a soft cloth as well. Periodically turn your keyboard upside down and ‘shake out’ any loose debris. Keeping your computer clean is the first step toward keeping it running smoothly.
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Do you have wireless internet access at home or in the office? Wireless networking products are so inexpensive, it seems just about anyone can set one up in a matter of minutes. Here in lies the danger. Many wireless routers you buy off the shelf are inherently insecure; they come wide open for anyone to connect to. What can you do to secure your wireless network?
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In our last column we discussed the importance of backing up and the many options available. This week we discuss how to protect your PC from viruses, spyware and malware. Having up to date antivirus software is a must. Old or outdated antivirus software is as good as none at all. You must keep your antivirus software updated for it to be effective. Viruses and malware can cause your PC to slow to a crawl. Worse yet, you risk your personal information being stolen. Beyond virus threats, there are spyware, adware and malware threats. There are many different types of malware and spyware scanning programs available that will eliminate most of these threats. Below are a few of the most popular (and effective) programs you can use to clean your PC. AVG Anti-Virus Free Edition – www.avg.com Malwarebytes Anti-Malware - www.malwarebytes.org Advanced SystemCare Free - www.iobit.com Having these programs scan and clean your PC of viruses, malware, and spyware can ensure your system is protected.
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I had a client PC recently that was badly infected with numerious viruses. After cleaning most of them, Windows XP finally booted back up but the desktop was missing. I could access task manager but could not run explorer.exe. REGEDIT.exe was also "Disabled by your administrator". The same thing showed up in Safe Mode. Finally, any .exe file I tried to run did not work. After a little research I came across the following articles that were very helpful.
http://en.kioskea.net/forum/affich-9082-explorer-exe-corrupted-or-infected http://en.kioskea.net/forum/affich-8895-regedit-is-disabled-by-the-administrator
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I want to start by welcoming all of our Tech Bits readers and start with one of the most important topics when it comes to computers. It is one of the first things I ask my clients about and yet one of the last things we all think to do. I am talking about backing up our computers. Think about how important the information on our computers is to each of us. For some it’s a lifetime of photos or music, for others it’s sensitive financial and business information. Much of the data cannot be replaced. There are many easy and very affordable backup solutions available. External Hard Drives Pro: Inexpensive, fast, easy to use Con: Hard drives also susceptible to crashes, data in same location as the computer Online Backup Services Online companies like www.mozy.com or www.carbonite.com offer a safe and secure offsite storage of your data. Pro: Easy to use, data stored at a remote site, affordable, automated Con: Slow, the computer must be left on, requires high speed internet Copy to CD or DVD Pro: Inexpensive, easy to use Con: Limited space, slow, disks have limited life With so many options available, there is no excuse not to have a backup. For more information on backup up, email us or call 661.268.4110.
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Microsoft Security Advisory: Vulnerability in Microsoft DirectShow could allow remote code execution http://support.microsoft.com/kb/971778
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Even in the world of broadband, images online should be as small in file size as possible. They mean faster page loading for your visitors -- and thus less chance they'll get impatient and leave -- and less bandwidth used by your site -- which equates to lower hosting bills. Photoshop, Illustrator, and Fireworks can all compress images during export to Web formats JPG, GIF, and PNG. However, Smush.It can really downsize things. Stoyan Stefanov and Nicole Sullivan of the Exceptional Performance team at Yahoo! created this Web-based, open-source image optimizer. Upload your Web-ready images and watch as Smush.It wrings every last drop of space from them, or use a browser bookmarklet to send an entire page of images to Smush.It. Seconds later you'll be presented with the results of the compression, showing how many unneeded bytes were wrung out, and given the chance to download all the newly compressed images in a ZIP archive. Watch out for file format changes, though; Smush.It likes to change GIF to PNG when doing so can save space. http://www.smush.it/ Reference: http://www.creativepro.com/files/story_images/20090413_fg04a.gif
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I was installing a new Palm Tungesten T3 on a client laptop with a Palm Desktop v6.x. Hotsync would fail with an error 8009. The error message stated something with multiple conduits installed. Ran Hotsynccheck.exe to correct the problem. Then did a resync (disabling all applications) and added them back in groups. Sync worked perfectly!
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Thank you for visiting our blog. We will be writing about the problems and most importantly the solutions that we encounter on a daily basis. We hope that you find some of the information here usefull. Priority Technology Solutions is a leading provider of technology solutions and support for small businesses in the Santa Clarita Valley and greater Southern California area.
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