FAQ's

Should I keep my PC clean internally?
Is Wireless Networks Safe?
How often should I upgrade my PC?
What is the difference between Spyware & Viruses?
Am I still at risk even though I own an anti-virus program?
How do you secure a PC?
What about Spam and Chain Letters?
What kind of network do I need?
What about personal security?
I have children. What can I do to keep them safe?

 

Should I keep my PC clean internally?

Yes. Computers are a magnet for dust, dust bunnies, dust mites, pollens, allergens, smoke-dust plus many more we haven't mentioned here. What many people do not realize is that a dirty computer can cause problems to your health and the PC's function ability. As humidity changes in your home or office, the dirt inside your computer will collect moisture and begin to adhere to the computers internal components. Moister and some elements in the dirt can conduct electricity. This can cause electrical shorts or reduce the function ability of your PC. Dust mites, pollen and dust in general are well known allergens.  Every time your computer is turned on, these allergens move in and out of your PC from the cooling fans inside the PC. This can cause many kinds of allergic reactions from headaches, stuffy nose, sneezing etc, when you are near your PC.  In fact, for safety reasons we do not clean your PC in your home spreading the internal contaminants back into your air. Our shop is equipped with a high pressure (90 PSI) air compressor with special filters so the air is purified and moisture free before cleaning. A special high volume vacuum unit with Hepa filters (a high efficient particle air filter) collects the dust and debris and traps them for appropriate disposal.  It is recommended that a FULL internal cleaning is done twice a year.  [TOP]

Is wireless networks safe?

Out of the box, they are NOT safe! Wireless Routers and devices are designed to connect with no fuss meaning there are no safety precautions being used such as WEP or WAP encryption.  Without getting into a whole lot of technical jargon, it is essential for you to know the benefits and risks of using a wireless network. Simply put, a wireless network requires no wires to network devices in your home or business. So no holes in the walls or paying high fees for technicians to fiche wires through your home or building. The down side is if you can hook up wirelessly to your network, others can too. This is potentially dangerous. Hackers or the bad guys, drive around with a wireless Laptop hunting for unsecured wireless networks to get into. This is also known as War-Driving. Many clubs have formed and has practically become a sport. In order to keep unwanted users of the network, special configurations has to be made to all your wireless devices to make War-Driving or hacking into your network nearly impossible. We offer a complete security package for those who are considering a wireless network or already have one in place. [TOP]

How often should I upgrade my PC?

This is really a tricky question. Most personal computers and work stations life cycle is about 3 years. In some cases up to five years. Computers over 5 years old are severely outdated. As technology changes and becomes better, faster and new technology is released to the public, many software developers follow suite to keep up. Thus the many versions of software v1.01 - v2.53 - v3.5 and so on. Upgrading or replacing computers really depend on what your needs are. We find in most cases people keep an older PC as second PC or "one for the kids" and buy the latest and greatest for them selves. This can help expand the life cycle for a little while (until the kids realize they have been ripped off and they want your new PC) a general life cycle for PCs is about 3 to 5 years. What is important to remember is when purchasing a new PC, target the latest technology to help expand the units life cycle. Buying sales items and bargain units often have what I call a tail light life cycle. As soon I can't see your tail lights of your car anymore, that's the life cycle.  We offer needs analysis of your current equipment for upgrades and needs analysis for you when considering a new purchase. We also offer sales of new PCs and equipment. Call us for more details. [TOP]

What is the difference between Spyware and Viruses?

In most cases, Spyware and Viruses can be considered as the same. Viruses has a tendency to have a more malicious payload where as Spyware is more geared towards recording your personal information and computer habits. Either way I consider them as un invited trouble. There are more obvious ways people become infected. Most of the time, infections on your PC can be avoided by understanding where they come from. Here are some points to remember to help reduce the risk. (All though this sounds like a sex education but this really helps!) Viruses comes from these P2P sharing applications. These are applications to find programs, MP3s, movies etc. Adult related sites are the same. Many surfers seeking free pornography end up with a virus. Who ever said computer sex is safe? Spyware is common place when you believe you are getting something for free. In example, free game sites are the most popular as well as free music sites. Let's face it, there is no FREE lunch. These game developers free smiley face artists must make some money too. No, they do not make their money from advertising. Only Yahoo and Google are the clear bread winners for advertising. When you download these FREE programs, they come with Spyware. Spyware is a collector or demographics. It monitors your spending habits, surfing habits and sends this information back to the free site owners. They in turn sell your information to advertising groups and other money makers. You end up with pushed advertising to your site (those annoying pop ups) and tons of spam in your email. Be careful sending a free birthday card through the internet because you just gave away your friends email to these Spyware people as well as yours. Nice birthday gift eh?  [TOP]

Am I still at risk even though I own an Anti-Virus program?

Yes you are. The fact is that about 17000 new viruses are unleashed every day on the internet. Only the more prevalent or dangerous ones are put into the Anti-Virus program's definition files to identify them and stop the infection from taking place on your PC. Most Anti-Virus program definition updates contain approximately 100-400 new definitions per month. You can see how much the Anti-Virus programs struggle to keep up. They literally have to pay more attention to the big fish and let the little ones go. So the important fact here to remember that you can get infected even though you have an anti-virus application. Don't get me wrong, it is vital that you have an anti-virus program running at all times and it is up to date with the definitions. But it is still possible that a virus so new that it has not made to the definition file yet and or it is so unique and has small distribution that anti-virus program will not catch it. To help yourself not to get caught by these viruses that pass through, remember a few rules: Never open unexpected attachments in email, downloading pirated software and unlicensed copies of movies and music are very often is infected with unique viruses. Should you suspect that you are infected with a virus, let our experts help. Give us a call. [TOP]

How do you secure a PC or Laptop?

That really is a loaded question because there are so many steps that can be taken to secure a PC. Let us first look at one important fact about securing a computer.  As the computer owner it is your responsibility to make all the necessary steps to secure your computers. It is not the responsibility of the software manufactures or Microsoft's operating systems. Securing a PC means many aspects of security. Is your data backed up? Are you running anti-virus and Spyware applications? Are you using a firewall and what kind of firewall? The list can go on and on. Security should be foremost an important part of owning and operating a computer device especially if it is connected to the Internet or a network. Security is also one of our best assets we have as a consulting company. Let the experts help you  secure your computers and or networks. We are those experts and we are very affordable. A small price to pay for peace of mind. [TOP]

What about spam and chain letters?

Many chain letters are not as nice as they may appear. Cute stories, religious miracles, missing children promises of sending to ten people will make you an instant winner etc, are not true. They are used to collect active email addresses for spammers even worse they are used to attack people. One very well known chain letter was about a girl named Jenny Brown that was missing and please send it along to all your friends and call the police if you spot this missing young girl. You have seen this and thought the worst for this poor missing girl as even I did. The truth is that Jenny Brown is a young girl that dumped a 11 year old boyfriend. He was so mad at her that he made this email up and started sending it out. The family had to move and change their identity because everywhere they went, someone would recognize her and call police. This letter is still being passed around and it took place over 4 years ago. We would like to think that through the miracle of email we can help out missing children and catch mean criminals. Although that can be true, use Google or Yahoo to search out the subject line of that email. If it is a hoax, there will be many postings in the search engines to that effect. If you are going to pass along a story to your friends (the chain letter) place your friends and associates email address in the BCC field so spammers cannot see them. Send the email using the To field to a bad email address like idontwantspam@nospamplease.info This way no real email addresses are revealed in the sending process. Importantly, be careful using your email address to sign up for special features on the internet. Often your email address is shared or sold to spam warehouses. Lastly, choose an email address that is difficult for email address generators to guess. In example, john.smith@rogers.com would be an easy one to guess unlike an address of 10tigers1988@rogers.com would be harder to guess. Although there are spam filters are there to buy and use, spam companies are spending more money on how to get around them. Spam can be frustrating but remember you have that DELETE key.  [TOP]

What kind of network do I need?

Networks can be simple or very complicated. It all depends on what your needs are. Many people try to choose between a wired network and a wireless network. No matter what kind of network you end up with, it should be expandable and securable. If you are considering on making a network at home or the office, we are specialists when it comes to analyzing your needs and planning the best network for you. Let us discuss with you the benefits of professionally designed network before you buy and make recommendations for your existing network.  [TOP]

What about personal security?

Personal security is often overlooked when it comes to computers and the internet. Personal security primarily covers your identity. You may have heard that identity theft is on the rise and has become a very serious issue. In the computing world it has become very easy to steal your identity that is very attractive to criminals. We offer an extensive training session for protecting yourself from identity theft and from becoming a target. We also offer seminars to larger audiences such as workplaces to help companies protect their employees and their intellectual property. This is an affordable service that we will make a difference for the rest of your life. Call us today for details.
 

I have children. What can I do to make them safe?

This is a very sensitive subject for everyone. If you have children that are on the internet, they are at risk. Pedophiles and criminals alike feel comfortably safe behind their keyboard and monitor at home while doing their dirty work. Children are not as educated or life experienced as adults are. We all know that. Caution is often thrown in the wind when the lure to your children from these criminals is so attractive. Children are unfortunately very vulnerable. Here are some FREE tips to help secure your children.  [TOP]

• Never allow young children (mostly preteens) to have their own computer in their bedrooms or any other place where you are not there to supervise. Wherever you spend your downtime with your family (i.e. family room, TV room or Den) is where the children's computer should be. You should be able to see what your child is doing on the computer at a glance.
• Do not allow your children to have chat names or email addresses that uses their real names.
• Encourage your children to choose a nice nick name instead. 
• Tell you children they are not allowed to give out their phone number or their address without your permission. Encourage them to tell an online person, I have to ask my parents first. Children often make friends on the internet that they wish to meet in person. If this is likely to happen, be sure to chaperone the event.
• Purchase a software like NET-NANNY to filter out adult content.
• Participate in your children's research on the internet for school projects and homework. Sometimes a simple search can expose them to unwanted or adult material. In example I have a client that has a preteen girl researching a book-report project from school on a book called "Little Women". Many of us may remember that book from school. Well, type in that book title into a search engine and you can imagine what the results would be.
• Parents must govern the use of the computer and the internet and must set the rules. Done wisely, you can reduce the risk to your children dramatically.

If you would like more information on this subject, please call us. As part of our security packages, we include the safety of all your family when using computers and the internet. [TOP]


We thank you for taking the time to read our FAQs. There are so much more to come. Visit here frequently to see the updates. If any of these FAQs did not address a question you have, click on the Contact button at the left side of the page and send us a question.  [TOP]