Friday, January 27, 2012

Scams

I had a customer that fell for a scam yesterday. Someone called him claiming they were from Microsoft and stated his computer was infected with a virus. They wanted to help him remove the virus and convinced him to install a program that gave the caller complete control of his computer. Bottom line: SCAM!!! If someone calls with such a claim HANG UP THE PHONE. Let me just say that Microsoft is not going to call you if your computer has a virus. They don't have a way to correlate your phone number to your computer (at least right now).

Click here to read what Microsoft suggests you do if you've fallen for something like this. If you are unsure you should call a computer expert.

Wednesday, January 25, 2012

Keep Your Keys Secure!

No, I'm not talking about your car or house keys. There are lots of things about your computer that no one tells you. Like when your hard drive crashes you will most like need some information on the bottom of your laptop. I'm referring to the Windows License Key, one of Microsoft's methods to prevent piracy. I have had several laptops come in lately and the Window License Key is worn off. The sticker used to be almost invincible, but not anymore. And when you need to reinstall Windows you need that key. My suggestion is that you either write down the 25 character key, or walk your laptop to the copier and make a copy. This isn't near the problem on stationary computers, the label doesn't tend to fade. Take a minute and do it now.

Here are a few examples of what Microsoft refers to as a CD Key, Product ID, Certificate of Authenticity, and License Key.





Sunday, January 15, 2012

iPhone 4s Siri Doubles Data Usage

I came across an interesting article on data usage for the new iPhone 4s with Siri. Siri is the impressive voice recognition software introduced on the 4s. Basically the article states that the use of Siri doubles your data usage. If you have an iPhone 4s and use Siri you should keep an eye on your monthly data usage to avoid an overage.