Tekwise Computer Support

17/10/2013

07/06/2013

It's been a lovely week of sunny days and warm weather that seemed like it was never going to happen this year. Not everything appreciates the sun though, and I've had a few laptops recently which have been suffering in the heat.

It usually starts by someone phoning to say that their laptop 'just switches off after 20 minutes' and asking if I can repair it. This is almost always a case of overheating, and is often seen in laptops a few years old. The cooling system in the laptop - usually a small fan - just isn't working properly any more and once the critical parts inside reach a certain temperature, they switch off to avoid damage. While this protects the laptop from permanent harm, it's very annoying if you are in the middle of writing an email or updating a spreadsheet and the computer shuts down. Not only is your work lost, but if this happens a lot, Windows can become corrupted and unreliable, causing even more problems in the future.

The problem is almost certainly caused by the cooling system of the laptop becoming clogged up with dust and fluff. Unfortunately this fluff is usually buried deep inside the laptop so that it has to to be taken apart by a professional for cleaning. In the mean time, here are a few tips to avoid the problem, and minimise the chances of overheating your laptop.

1. Always place your laptop on a hard flat surface. Never have it working on a cushion, bed, sofa, blankets, eiderdown or other soft/fabric surfaces that can block fans and air vents.
2. Turn off your laptop before putting it into a briefcase or a backpack. Never place an operating laptop in a confined space where heat can build up.
3. If possible, adjust power settings to use lower energy consumption which will result lower heat generation. Some ideas:-
- don't set screen brightness to maximum
- set the correct power plan in your system:
a) Windows 7 select the " Power saver ";
b) Windows Vista select the " Power saver ";
c) Windows XP select the " Portable/Laptop ".
4. Use a laptop cooler or a something to lift your laptop to allow air to circulate and reduce heat build up (a book?). This is especially recommended when playing games or movies.

If your laptop gets very hot or the fan is very noisy, it's a sign that it's probably in need of some care and attention. Give us a call and we'll soon have it running as cool as it did when new.

31/12/2012

New Year's Resolution - back up your data!

If there is one question I dread when I'm dealing with a computer repair, it is "You will be able to get my files back won't you?". Whether it is precious pictures of the children growing up, the novel you have 'almost finished', or your entire business records, if you only have them stored on your computer, it's a disaster waiting to happen.

Computer hard drives are a miracle of storage and allow us to accumulate thousands of pictures, years of emails and documents and entire music collections which took may hours to transfer. But hard drives break. They ALL break eventually, and it's only a matter of time before yours does. It is not complicated or even very expensive to save yourself the stress of losing everything, you just need to get round to it - and now is the perfect time! Make a resolution today to back your computer up this New Year. It's even better if you can get into the habit of doing it regularly, and I'll be happy to show you how.

Wishing you a Happy and Prosperous New Year (and the peace of mind that your data is safe!)

Neil

13/10/2012

If you're a Skype user, the virus writers have had a busy week trying to trick you into downloading their wares. There have been two scams going around, both of which can be easily avoided if you are forewarned.

The first is a malicious worm that has been spreading quickly among Skype users which can take over your computer and ask for ransom to be paid in order to let you use it again. The worm is spread through a Skype instant message which reads: “lol is this your new profile pic?” followed by a link to the supposed profile pic. When you click the link, it will download a file which opens a back door, allowing remote control of your PC by the scammer. Not only does this worm take over your PC, it also sends the link to your contact list, so all your Skype contacts will get the message as if it came from you. The malware can take over your entire PC, will demand money to be paid within 48 hours to release it, and threatens to tell the authorities that you've been downloading prohibited material unless you pay up.

The second threat arrives by email rather than instant message. The email poses as a message from Skype, claiming that you have changed your password. Here's an example of a typical email (note the clumsy spelling mistake):
----------------------------------------------
Password successfully changed
Your new Skype password has been set.
You can now view your attached call history and inscturtions how to change your account settings.
If the changes described above are accurate, no further action is needed. If anything doesn't look right, follow the link below to make changes: Restore password
Talk soon,
The people at Skype
-----------------------------------------------
Even though the links in the email really do point to the genuine Skype website at skype.com, a file Skype_Password_insctructions.zip) is attached to the email, and if you make the mistake of unzipping and executing its contents (Skype_Password_inscructions.pdf.exe) then your Windows computer will be infected. The malware opens a backdoor onto your computer, giving remote hackers access to your system.

As always, be on the lookout for unsolicited suspicious emails and always be wary of opening attachments which arrive out of the blue.

If you have any questions or concerns about these possible threats, don't hesitate to contact me.

Neil

16/09/2012

Laptops and toddlers don't mix! Fortunately, we can fix this easily with a brand new keyboard so it will soon be as good as new.

14/07/2012

Following what appears a very real risk, Microsoft is advising Vista and Windows 7 users to completely disable the sidebar and associated gadgets. Gadgets are the extra stuff usually on the right of the screen, often including a clock, a new ticker and a photo slideshow amongst many others. The warning from Microsoft is a result of a security report from independent researchers which exposes a number of malware attacks against gadgets, though both intentionally malicious gadgets and vulnerabilities discovered in already published gadgets.

Microsoft has taken both the report and potential threat very seriously and has issued an official Security Advisory (2719662) which includes the following warning: "An attacker who successfully exploited a Gadget vulnerability could run a program as the current user. If the current user is logged on as an Administrator, an attacker could take complete control of the affected system."

They recommended the following action:-
Customers who are concerned about vulnerable or malicious Gadgets should apply the automated Fix It solution as soon as possible. The automated ‘Fix it’ solution is available via a Microsoft TechNet page entitled…”Vulnerabilities in Gadgets could allow remote code ex*****on“… (Link: http://support.microsoft.com/kb/2719662) NOTE: There are two ‘Fix it’ downloads, one to Enable and another to Disable. The one labelled Fix It (50906) disables the sidebar. The one labelled Fix It (50907) reverses that and brings the sidebar back.

Any questions about this problem, don't hesitate to give me a call

Neil @ Tekwise

Provides a link to Microsoft Security Advisory (2719662): Vulnerabilities in Gadgets could allow remote code ex*****on.

09/06/2012

Make sure your change your LinkedIn password just to be sure.

Social networking site LinkedIn is investigating claims that more than six million user passwords have been leaked by hackers.

05/05/2012

One day your computer will stop working. Make sure you don't lose your data! Get a flash drive for smaller, every day data backup or invest in an external hard drive to backup all of your pictures, documents, music. Call or email if you’d like help with this!

30/04/2012

Microsoft has just released the new version 4 of its popular anti-virus software Microsoft Security Essentials (MSE) which includes new automatic features plus overall improved performance and detection capabilities.

The slogan on the MSE home page explains why it's my favourite free AV: “MSE – The anti-annoying, anti-expensive, anti-virus program”

If you are already using MSE and check to see what version is running, it will say version 2. I have no idea where version 3 got to, but the new update is version 4. If you are already using MSE, then don't worry you will get the update automatically as part of the May updates from Microsoft. If you don't use MSE and want to give it a try here is the link:- http://windows.microsoft.com/en-GB/windows/products/security-essentials. Remember to remove your existing AV first though!

17/04/2012

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