Computer Repair & Sales

08/18/2015

07/23/2015

Ladies and gents, I would like to share an old news that is worth repeating. I don't mean to stereotype any group, so I will not identify any particular group. But, you all have called certain service providers which you do business with; and the call is answered by someone outside of the territory of the U S A. You are speaking with someone who's asking all sorts of personal information to authenticate you before they can assist you.
Have you ever wondered how secure is your personal information after sharing it with someone that probability has no fear of any legal: civil or criminal liability except for being let go for compromising and breaching your privacy?
Secondly, we use our phones more for computing purposes more than ever; and yet, we download more free apps and play more games on the same phones without even knowing how trustworthy are the publishers of certain online contents including apps and games.
Why am I sounding the alarm? I have discussed ransomware in previous postings. I have been working on pc's affected by ransomware at an alarming rate since 2012. I just picked up another one this past weekend. And these guys are getting more sophisticated and bold by the moment. These guys are now calling the unsuspecting next victim to walk them through how to give them remote access to a pc in which they lock the hard drive.
I am sorry to inform you that the type of encryption used to place a password on your hard drive is very high;thus, you risk losing the entire content of your drive.
Now they claim if you pay up with some untraceable type of funds like the moneypak or bitcoin, they will release the content of your drive.
How would you like to get taken twice?

05/20/2015

It wasn't too long ago when Microsoft made the decision to retire Windows XP. Well just recently, I contacted Microsoft and I was surprised to learn that the licensure of Windows 7 product key has been halted.
Truth be told, in light of the near release of Windows 10; it is perfectly understandable. Windows 10 by the way looks like a beautiful hybrid between win 7 & 8. However, it's yet to be determined if its functionality is as masterful as its look.
What's the point? The takeaway is a simple note of caution based on yesterday's post. Should you need to have your computer clean because of viruses and pop-ups, please do so responsibility. Don't let someone tell you that s|he has to reload Windows! You should be asking: where is s|he getting it from? Because you don't want to give up your Windows license for a bootlegged. Frankly, reloading as a first attempt is the lazy man way to do it. Trust me, over the years I've seen customers loosing all their files and families pictures, special memory that could never be recaptured; because someone did not give it proper consideration.
PC Clean-up takes time that's why most tech don't like doing it. And if you go to a big name/national brand to get it done for $20.00 bucks, you get what you pay for. I've had many come to me after they have been at the national brand several times for the same service.
Lastly reloading should be the last resort when everything else fails.
Most pc's can be cleaned and restored!

05/19/2015

I haven't posted anything lately; so today, I am going to share about a new trojan that I came across.
Many are familiar with viruses, malwares and spywares, etc. Simply put, they are all bad for the integrity of your computer and they can potentially compromise your personal information.
The one type I want you be aware of is what is called a ransomware. Ransomware typically sneaks unto your system as a trojan.
You know you get one when you find that thing you've been looking for free of charge on some random website. Or maybe, it is that too good to pass kind of stuffs from nobody you know or maybe from a trusted source.
Well, you know it's a gotcha when you start seeing those pop-ups demanding you do this or that as soon you're done accessing that site or programs.
You know it's a ransomware when it locks you of your computer demanding a payment form that you could never dispute through a financial institution such as your bank.
I have seen demands for The MoneyPak. The last one, I worked on was a demand for Bitcoin. Go figure!
The takeaway here if you are getting pop-ups on your computer, it's time to get it clean.
Next time, I will share some on the do's and don't of cleaning up your computer.

03/11/2015

Years ago while I was still in high school, I wrote a piece called: The Colony.
The premise was based on the real estate boom of gated communities and the advance of security apparatus in the home and how much control someone else could have over when and where you go.
At the time, that was farfetched to most; yet, it was too conspiratorial to others.
Well today, in light of all that we know; we should be asking: Who is looking at what? It recently made news that one particular brand of smart tv was "ACTIVELY " listening and recording whomever was in its environment. And it's not just your TV, think of your smart phones.
I purposely gave permission to some softwares on my phone to access the content of my phone. All of a sudden, I am getting facebook suggestions of every person in my contacts.
The point here is that you should think twice about your devices and learn how to disable features that can compromise your privacy. When in doubt about your privacy settings, always err on the side of caution. Your phone's camera or desktop/laptop's camera shouldn't be taken pictures unless you initiate the action. Your smart tv shouldn't be watching you. Your phone shouldn't be having conversation behind your back!

06/29/2014

Many have transitioned from PC into Tablets only to find out the convenience of mobility comes at a cost. A lot of the things we are used to doing on the windows platform is not readily available on androids. Yes, I love my Samsung tablet and my apple gadgets; but, I can not tell the agony I went thru before Windows RT, trying to do a webinar on the road.
No doubt, you've been there when you get this annoying message that this device "does not support" or "is not supported" the application you are launching in order to accomplish this very important task.
For this reason, students and professionals alike can not yet kick their laptop or desktop computers to the curve. With that in mind, I am making my service available for those with Windows XP, for those who may or may not yet know that Microsoft has discontinued support for the it as of April 8 of this year. Some XP computers can be upgraded to Windows 7 for a reasonable price with the option of keeping your documents. Off course, if you believe that your XP machine is beyond its years - as some are - you may consider recycling it. Please, Please, pretty please do not discard of your electronics thru the municipal refuse service. You may use a recycling center or make an arrangement for me to pick up from you free of charge.
From time to time, I will be posting helpful tips and valuable information. Please come by often and feel free to leave a comment.