Bay Geeks Computer Repair Services

Three or four times a year I get a virus so nasty I have to wipe out my entire system and start over from scratch. This has gotten to be more than just a minor annoyance; it’s gotten to be a ritual. It’s not like I’ve planned on it and I’ve had a chance to make back-ups, and notify my team that I’ll be off line for while. No, it hits out of the blue. Sometimes I can wait a day or two with a known infected machine, sometimes I have to jump right on it and fix it right away.

The last time, it took out the top 20 programs I use the most. Outlook was the first one to go, which had the last 5 years worth of email I’ve been saving. I guess I’m quite the data pack rat, but still… you never know when you’ll want to send that hilarious joke or find that website that promises men a whole new outlook on life… er.. um… yeah, back to the post..

I make routine back ups, so not all was lost, but still some was lost. That sucks, never to be returned and taken in just a split second. Gone. Even our best data recovery techniques left me hanging.

So, this has happened roughly 3-4 times per year and having gotten used to it, I’ve learned how to be more careful. I’ve learned that backups are extremely important and automated is the only way to go.

Outlook is a great program, but not for keeping your computer safe. Outlook, Thunderbird or any other Pop mail client will pull all of your email off of the server and down on to your computer.

I never really thought about that before. I just used Outlook Express as that was the standard thing to use way back when my family got their first PC. I continued to use Outlook Express, until I realized how cool and how many features Outlook has and then I made the switch.

At least 2-4 times a year, I’ve had problems ranging from a small innocuous virus to a whoa Nellie, where’d my data go, stomp you till you cry virus that really has no sympathy for folks without a decent data back up plan.

What’s the solution? Gmail! It’s great; I leave my email on their web servers. They give me over 6 gigabytes of storage which is 3 times the space I needed for 5 years of email, they scan for viruses, I can access my email anywhere over the internet, and it’s been almost a year since I’ve had to re do my entire computer! It’s still running like a champ!

Gmail is free, fast and it’s kept me from having to re do my computer 2 or 3 times this year alone. What more could I ask for? I’ve recommended it to my family, friends and now clients. Gmail gets my full support and endorsement. I really should be paid for this… hmm…

As a computer repair technician, I find myself constantly trying to remove viruses from my client’s machines. There are many methods we use, but one of my favorites has always been to directly attach the client’s hard drive to my computer and scan away with our professional grade anti-virus programs.

One of the problems with doing this is that the viruses don’t always want to stay on their hard drive. They like to hop on over to my computer and do their best or should I say worst on my machine. This has never really bothered me, but the fact remains that even the best antivirus programs are only 98%-99% effective against malware, spy ware, trojans, viruses and god only knows what else. That’s not so reassuring when you figure that we’re commonly pulling hundreds of viruses off of these machines and removing literally thousands of viruses each and every day.

Many Antivirus programs are only 88%-97% effective. That means that out of a hundred viruses, 3-12 viruses are not found, nor are they removed. Everyone tends to have a false sense of security when they install their Norton, McAfee or what ever…

A strong percentage of our clients are not keeping their anti-virus programs updated, much less keeping their subscriptions up to date or even scheduling their anti-virus programs to run!

So, we see folks who shell out $25, $50 and even $100 for antivirus programs that never run. A simple check can save a whole lot of head aches, lost files and a smiling technician leaving your home with a check written out for your hard earned money.

March 8, 2008 (Computerworld) On the eve of Daylight Savings Time taking effect in the U.S. and Canada, Microsoft Corp. has posted an interactive assistant to help procrastinating Windows users update their PCs to account for the time change.

In most of the U.S. and Canada, Daylight Savings Time (DST) goes into effect Sunday, March 9, at 2:00 a.m. local time. Clocks are to be moved forward one hour.

Microsoft’s Daylight Saving Time Update Guide guides home users, small business and corporate IT administrators, and Windows Mobile users through a Q&A format designed to pinpoint what updates, if any, need to be applied.

Most users running Windows Vista, or those who have had Automatic Updates enabled for Windows Update, will not need to update. Vista, for example, has always accounted for the changes to DST that first took effect last year. Meanwhile, users who have turned on Automatic Updates should have received all DST-related fixes as they were released by Microsoft. The company issued its most recent cumulative DST update in December 2007, for instance.

Even so, Microsoft recommended that users take the time to run though the DST Update Guide. “Unless certain updates are applied to your computer, the time zone settings for your computer’s system clock may be incorrect during this four-week period,” said the text accompanying the guide. “In particular, you must make sure that both your Windows operating system and your calendar programs are updated.”

The guide directs users to the proper downloads for Windows and date-sensitive applications, such as Microsoft Outlook. In some cases, it instructs them to contact their company’s help desk.

Last year, when the U.S. instituted are revised DST schedule that moved the time change up several weeks, early reports said there had been few snafus. Later, however, Microsoft confirmed that in some cases, Windows 2000, XP and Server 2003 wouldn’t update properly, forcing users to manually adjust their PCs’ clocks.

Here is a question that we find our clients posing on a regular basis. The truth of the matter is that after a whole bunch of research, we’ve learned that Kaspersky Anti-virus is one of the best. We feel it’s worthy of our endorsement for several reasons. First, many commercial desktop management tools will use the Kaspersky antivirus engine to remediate viral threats. What does that mean? That means that the high-end corporate computer management solution providers are choosing Kaspersky to cure the viruses they find. Take LANDesk Antivirus for example. They’re using the Kaspersky antivirus engine and they’re ranked among the best desktop management solutions according to Gartner. We’ve compiled several other documents for your review on why Kaspersky’s Antivirus has become our antivirus program of choice for both business and personal uses. We stand behind Kasperskys, but let’s face it. No antivirus program will be 100% effective.  Then again, 98% effective is about as good as you’ll get. I tried G-data. Had to pay in pounds or euros and that about doubled the cost. I had a virus that wiped out all of my programs I used most within a week!When you look at Norton’s antivirus’s code being added to and added to over the years without so much as one rewrite… it’s no wonder their code is bloated just like all of their other programs. That’s one of the problems with growing by acquiring other companies. You have to patch together all of the code and ultimately you are creating weaker software.  Take that into consideration that it’s 96% effective against 500,000 viruses… that means that there were 20,000 viruses it didn’t protect against!I’d argue that the best software Symantec has ever written was the Norton removal tool! I wish I could take credit for that, but I can’t. I also wish I could give credit to that one!Computer Associates Antivirus is free with Road Runner. Why do I pay $60 per year for a subscription to Kaspersky’s? It just works. Computer Associates has bogged down my clients computers to the point that I had to stop recommending it. It’s just using too many resources like Nortons. I’ve never been very fond of McAfee. With a shameful 91% effective, they’re horrible and I can’t see how they’re still in business. I figure it must be from paying off the big hardware vendors to install their software on their boxes. When it comes down to it, the best antivirus program is Kaspersky’s hands down. You can pick up a copy here.  

One of the most common things we run into are out dated antivirus programs.

I bought this really great antivirus program. I’m safe, right?

Well, you’re on the right track. Surely you’re better off than you would be if you didn’t have any virus protection. The problem is that there are new viruses every day. Less often, there are newer and more sophisticated viruses that are lesser known or just more tricky. There are new vulnerabilities in new software and other vulnerabilities in older software that may or may not be known. I remember the first vulnerability service I ever subscribed to. There were a dozen notifications in less than an hour. Pretty scary reality.

To be protected to the best of your ability you’ll need to keep up a subscription to a high quality anti-virus program. I know, that’s good money you keep throwing into this technological black hole of expenses.

So you’ll need to keep an antivirus program updated and current. What else?

You’ll need to schedule it to run! If your antivirus program doesn’t have a scheduler just remember to run it regularly. We can also point you in the right direction of which programs will have a scheduler and be most effective and efficient against detecting viruses.

Effective and efficient?

Yes, that’s right! Several antivirus programs are good (96%-98%) effective. The downside is that you can’t do anything else when it’s running! That means no email, no surfing the web, no… whatever!

Effective antivirus programs will do what they’re supposed to do. We keep our eyes on the statistics of several antivirus analysts who keep track of these kinds of things.

One of my favorite places keeps track of a dozen antivirus programs. They’ll take a clean machine, load it (on purpose!) with somewhere in the neighborhood of 500,000 viruses.

Then they’ll let ‘er rip with the antivirus programs! The very best programs are only 99% effective. That means 5,000 viruses were never detected! On the lower end of the antivirus effectiveness scale is 88% effective. How would you like to have an expensive antivirus program that leaves your computer exposed to 60,000 viruses?

If your computer has been running slowly or acting funny in general, give us a call. We’ll be happy to check it out with a Bay Geeks Computer Checkup. We’ll analyze your system and make sure we get it running to the best of it’s ability. We’ll recommend upgrades if you like and teach you along the way so you can do some of the things that we do, all by yourself!

The other side of the story is a managed service. We can provide a reactive service desk as well as a proactive monitoring service. We’ll gladly monitor your computer’s performance and make periodic adjustments as needed. We also offer a flat rate for all of your remote computer needs. No sense breaking down your computer, unplugging all of those wires and carrying it to your car to take it to some overpriced retailer with an arrogant staff of high school kids. We’ll gladly free you from that burden and come to you on your terms.

That’s a great question and its one of the most common questions we receive! You know, back in the day… computers only needed an anti virus program in order to continue running it’s best. It really is a shame that is not the case anymore.

So, when we get this question we have to stop and ask ourselves… when was the last time a magician gave away their secrets? Does a mechanic tell you how to change your oil? Well… mine never has. Ok, so I never asked… but it seems like it fits here.

Okay, I get it… you want the answers… bottom line, right?

Sounds good. Need a list? Okay!

1.      Antivirus program.

a.       You know it’s not enough to just run the anti-virus program. You have to update it too!

2.      Spyware program.

a.       Just like the antivirus program, not only should you run it, but you should also update it too!

3.      Know what you’re installing

a.       Only install trusted programs.

Okay, that’s a good start. There are also several other areas that you’ll want an experienced technician to help you out with which are beyond the scope of this article.

Over the years, we’ve been fortunate to answer many of our client’s questions and offered advice on a wide variety of computer repair related topics. One thing about this industry is that it never seems to matter how much you knew, it seems like there are new technologies, new products, new software, new specifications to run the new software… whew! 
 

We’ve found that some of the questions tend to have a recurring theme. We’re saying similar things to different clients and if we’re duplicating our efforts, why not have a place where we can talk about some of the happenings in our business?

This blog was designed to be a place to communicate company happenings, common issues, tips and tricks and be a place for us to share and hear back from the folks we’ve come to know and love, our clients and friends.

If you have a topic you’d like to see us write about, please don’t hesitate to let us know. We may be able to write an article about it!