Hints & Tips
There are many occasions when we are called out to rescue business and home users where the problem is relatively simple both to diagnose as well as to fix. And the call out costs could possibly have been avoided with just a basic level of knowledge (even for technophobes!).
So, whilst we don’t want to lose out on any work, we offer a few easy to follow hints and tips on what to look out for before reaching for the phone to call an engineer.
Check Your Switch is Flicked!
It might seem daft but just checking that every component of your system is switched on can often be the solution – especially your monitor!
Is Your Virus Protection Updated And Paid For?
It’s easy to overlook doing this despite how many reminders are sent out. Check it out.
Is Your Clock Showing The Right Date?
Power cuts and other disruptions can often cause your computers calendar to reset itself for years ago – this can cause disruption to a lot of programmes (including your virus protection).
Wireless – Or All Tied Up?
Wireless is great - take your laptop anywhere and still get your email (are you really that sad?). However, caveat emptor! If you’re lucky you’ll get WEP encryption - but that’s not all that secure and there’s still every chance that you’re broadcasting all your data to all your neighbours. Since 2001 serious weaknesses have been spotted by cryptanalysts and a WEP connection can now be cracked with readily available software in minutes. What you need is WPA with a pre-shared key, complex enough not to be guessed. You should also hide your SSID and ideally set up a “whitelist” of wireless computers and devices that are allowed to log onto your network.
Confused and unsure? Contact us for a free wireless security check.
You Are That Virus!
The Internet is a big, bad, virus ridden place - so the anti-virus companies would have us believe. The reality is somewhat simpler. Most PC users are now well protected so viruses can only come down one path — You let them in!
When you receive an email from someone you don’t know – don’t open it; delete it. If you open an email that looks OK and you are told to click on a link to download software - don’t click on it. If you visit a website that tells you to download something - don’t do it. Most problems nowadays are caused by Spyware or Malware which some of the mainstream anti-virus products don’t detect. So be careful!
(P.S. best practice hint – don’t let your kids use your work computer).
How Cool Are All Those Toolbars?
Don’t use Yahoo, Google or BT toolbars - all ‘add’ functions to browsers. When internet shopping took off, the search engines quickly realised that directing shoppers to particular retailers was worth a few bucks. The invisible war for your money had begun. Free toolbars from search engines serve only to route you straight to them and then to whoever pays the highest referral fees. Always cross check your search results with another search engine.
Free Office Applications?
Much of the cost of your PC goes into licenses to pay Microsoft. New PCs are now coming “Office Ready” which effectively means that Microsoft get a cut, not just for the Windows license but also for Office. Get ready for the Free Office Revolution. There are several free versions of Office springing up on PC desktops. Star Office and Open Office have both been tested by us for years and we consider them excellent alternatives. It’s a bit like using a Microsoft Office product from about 5 years ago but most people agree this is in fact a bonus!
Not Another Crashed Browser!
With the advent of Microsoft’s latest browser, Internet Explorer 7, we have noticed that many of the features have been around in Mozilla Firefox for a long while – tabbed browsing, phishing filters, pop-up blockers and so on. IE7 lacks the stability you expect from a browser, - frequent crashes are a common feature. You can either uninstall it and go back to IE6, or you can download Firefox. We’ve been using Firefox for a number of years now, and it’s significantly better than the Microsoft offerings. Go on – give it a try!