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PC
Health
Tips
Nick Green - August 09
Suffering from Pop-Ups?
Do you find that when you go
online that you get little pop-up boxes telling you that your life would be
better if you take some pills or you pc is infected with loads of very nasty
viruses? If so; then you have been infected by malicious ware. This
insidious software gets on to your PC usually via the web. It can also
hijack your home page, and cause your computer to behave erratically.
What can you do to minimise
the chances of catching this type of malicious ware. The most important
thing is not to go to websites that could harbour these villains or download
software from non-legitimate sites.
If you allow children or
teenagers to use your computer, then you are more at risk of catching
something nasty. They have no fear, and as a result they can download
software that could contain harmful software. Warn young people about the
dangers of downloading software from the web.
There are a couple of good
programs that you can use to remove some of the malicious ware from your
computer and they are free. There are: SpyBot Search and Destroy and
Ad-Aware. Both of these companies have a free trial version that will find
and remove most malicious ware from your computer.
Remember always back up your
data on a regular basis, keep that copy safe. If in doubt call a competent
computer engineer.
Nick Green of Chalkhill
Systems is a Gold
Member of RH123
contact details
PC
Health
Tips
Nick Green - June 09
Spam, Spam, Spam, Spam
Are you plagued with unwanted
email, generally on the subject of extending parts of you , reducing parts
of you or improving your sex life?
If you start every morning
with a sigh as you open your inbox, have you considered what you might be
doing to play your part in assisting the automated spamming systems that
operate like unwanted parasites in cyber space? ‘What me?’ I hear you gasp,
I don’t visit unsavoury sites or buy things I oughtn’t to. Well perhaps not,
but it could be more innocent practices that you are guilty of? First of
all, many of you will send on the amusing anecdotes and jokes which do the
rounds on a daily basis. I like a good laugh as much as the next man, but
what are you sending along with it? If you receive an email, and it contains
the adressees of the emailer’s entire mailing list, and you send it on, in
the same way, openly displaying all your contacts, you are joining in a
process of publishing the personal details of many people, both those you
know and those you don’t. These addresses will ultimately find their way
into the hands of unscrupulous mailing list resellers. As a standard
practice make sure you delete the copy history (all the extra stuff below
the joke) especially previous email addresses, and when you send it on make
sure you put all your contacts in the blind copy box. That way, we can all a
share a good joke, without spreading something less amusing to our friends
in the process.
Nick Green of Chalkhill
Systems is a Gold
Member of RH123
contact details
PC
Health
Tips
Nick Green - Apr 09
Bristle while you Work
Now that spring is here, it is
time to think about cleaning your PC.
The way that PCs keep cool is
by drawing fresh cool air over the internal components. Because fans are
used to move the air in and out of the PC, fluff, dust, pet hairs, smoke and
all kinds of airborne partials get sucked into the PC. This in time builds
up in and around cooling fans. The result is over heating of the various
chips and power supply of the computer. This in turn shortens the life of
the components.
Most of you probably keep the
PC on the floor, usually under a desk or in a corner of a room. This is
where most of the dust can accumulate. Because of all the wires at the back
of a PC most people are reluctant to vacuum around the back of a computer.
As Spring is here the best
thing you can do is to run the extension nozzle around the back of the PC
and around the various grills found at the rear of the computer. Please
remember to turn the PC off before you start.
The braver amongst you might
want to dive inside the PC by taking the side panel off. If you do please
remember that there are delicate electronic devices inside. It is best to
use a 1 inch wide paint brush to loosen the fluff and dust, while holding
the vacuum nozzle an inch or so above it. Make sure the PC is switched off
at the wall, but leave it plugged in to allow for any “earthing” that might
occur.
Always back up your data, and
should you have any issues, go to a reputable PC repair company.
Nick Green of Chalkhill
Systems is a Gold
Member of RH123
contact details
PC
Health
Tips
Nick Green - Feb 09
The problem with Service
Pack 3
This is a warning to anybody
who has downloaded and installed Microsoft’s XP Service Pack 3 (SP3), or who
is about to. While it does include some valuable updates, most are available
through the standard update process.
We have found that people who
have installed SP3 can loose internet connection or if you have a wireless
network, this can have problems connecting to the internet or the wireless
router. The installation can also slow down the PC, if you do not have
enough memory.
If you have any of the above
problems, then it is worth attempting to remove the SP3.
You can tell if you have SP3
installed by:
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Click START
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Click CONTROL PANEL
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Click SYSTEM
On the first page you will see
the word “system” under that it will state the operating system, beneath all
that you will see “Service Pack #”. If you see the number 3 after service
pack, then you have SP3 installed.
If you want or need to remove
the update, then go to control panel and click on “add remove programs”,
making sure that the box “show updates” is ticked, then scroll down to the
bottom and click “remove” Wait until it prompts you to you remove and click
ok.
When the process is finished
restart your PC. When you get your desktop back, restart you PC again. Then
you should find that all your old wireless connections are back and you can
connect to the internet.
When you see the little yellow
update shield in the bottom right hand corner of the screen, it is best to
double click on it and select the “custom” install. This will show you what
you are installing. If you see “service pack 3” un-check the button and
choose “close”. You will then be asked “do you want to be reminded of this
update again”. Click no and then finish.
Always remember to backup your
data before you start any systems work on your PC. If you have any doubts
call a reputable PC engineer.
Nick Green of Chalkhill
Systems is a Gold
Member of RH123
contact details
PC
Health
Tips
Nick Green - Dec 08
A New PC is not just for
Christmas
Is your PC slow, affected by
annoying pop ups, slow to start up, hijacked home page, or software telling
you that your PC is infected by loads of viruses.
Is you PC older than 3 years?
Now is the time to consider a
new computer. WHY, because some repairs and upgrades are not cost effective.
With today’s multi core processors and large hard drives, running most
programs is now possible. You can now watch DVDs or listen to music, without
the need to wait for the PC to catch up. Graphics are smoother and games
play faster.
Those of you who like to use
Windows XP will be dismayed to find that you can no longer buy a computer
from the high street shops with XP installed. You can buy a Vista computer,
but before you do, is it compatible with your printer, camera, etc or with
your older software? The chances are that it is not. So please be aware when
buy a new PC or laptop that it will run all the things you want it to run.
All is not lost if you want an
XP computer, some independent companies can still get you branded computers
with XP installed, and it uses the latest technology.
Remember always purchase you
computer equipment from a reputable company. They should make sure that you
new PC does what you want it to do and that your precious data is saved to
you new computer.
Nick Green of Chalkhill
Systems is a Gold
Member of RH123
contact details
PC
Health
Tips
from Nick Green
September 2008
Watch out if you have a pop-up
on your computer screen claiming that your PC is infected with loads of
viruses and malicious ware. It might say something like “XP Anti-Virus has
found X number of viruses, click here to remove”
This is not a genuine virus
removal tool, but a malicious program that will take over your computer and
cause all kind of problems such as: desktop icons disappearing, PC shuts
down after a few minutes, unable to get Internet Explore to work or connect
to the internet. Plus a load of other issues.
This is a fairly new threat
and is not easily removed. If you think that you have this nasty then it is
important that you get in touch with a reputable computer repair company. It
is not an easy threat to remove, so it is best to back up all your data and
call an engineer. On most occasions it is only possible to repair the damage
to the computer is by restoring the computer using the factory restore
disks. Please do not try and use the Windows restore to an earlier time, as
this does not work and can cause other issues.
Nick Green of Chalkhill
Systems is a Gold
Member of RH123
contact details
PC
Health
Tips
from Nick Green
July 2008
Now that summer is with us and
the kids are on school holidays, this is the time to take special care that
all of your anti virus and anti malicious ware is up to date.
Every body likes to get
something for free and with pier to pier file sharing (LimeWire, etc) you
can do just that. You can share files, music, and videos, all from the
comfort of your own PC.
However be warned there is no
such thing as a “free lunch”. The problem with downloading files from a
strangers PC is you do not know what you are getting.
If you share your files with
the rest of the world, your broadband line will get slower the more people
download files from your PC.
When downloading music always
download music that has a recognized music format, and that the file is
about the right size for type of music/ video. If the file is very small
then it is likely to a malicious advertising file, that will try to sell you
something. Please be aware that even then there is a chance that the file is
infected with a virus or malicious ware. This is true of the more
contemporary music or videos. Do not be tempted to download files ending
with “.ZIP” or “EXE”, this usually contains viruses or pornography.
If when downloading a file
your anti virus or anti hijack software warns you that the file you are
downloading is dangerous; take note and cancel or delete the file. Get this
wrong and you are in for a very big repair bill.
ChalkHill Systems does not
condone the downloading of files that are copyrighted or were royalties
should be paid.
Nick Green of Chalkhill
Systems is a Gold
Member of RH123
contact details
PC
Health
Tips
from Nick Green
May 2008
Are you having problems
connecting to broadband . . ?
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Check your ADSL
(broadband) router or modem to make sure that the light that shows that
you have a connection to the broadband service is alight. This is
usually marked as “ADSL, DSL, or line”. If it is showing a solid colour,
then you are in synch with your broadband provider. This is good.
-
If the light is flashing
or is non-existent then you may have a faulty router or one of the
micro-filter that go onto every phone socket in the house may be faulty.
-
If the broadband light is
on, but you can not connect the, start by removing the power cable from
the back of the router for 20 seconds. Do not be tempted to switch the
router off at the plug. Plug the power cable back into the router and
wait until all the light come back on. There are usually 3 or 4 light
depending on the make of the router. Those who have a USB modem router
can unplug the USB cable for 10 seconds and re-attach the cable. Wait
for the operating system to tell you that the device has been seen and
is ready.
-
Check and see that all of
the micro-filters are attached in the right order. The very first item
in the phone socket must be the micro-filter and not an extension cable
or socket doubler. All of these go into the filter.
-
Re-start the computer and
see if you can connect to the internet. If you can not connect at this
point, call your service provider to carry out a line check, if this
comes back as OK, then it is best to call a professional computer
engineer.
Remember always back up your
data.
Nick Green of Chalkhill
Systems is a Gold
Member of RH123
contact details
PC
Health
Tips
from Nick Green
March 2008
By now you should all be
familiar with you old or new PC, but did you know that every time you switch
on the PC or laptop Window creates temporary files. The worst offender is
Windows Explorer. Every time you arrive at a web site your computer take a
copy of each page, so that when you return to the page it loads more
quickly.
However all this actively
produces hundreds of megabytes of no-longer needed files. In some cases it
can slow your computer down, but all take up valuable hard disk space.
The good news is that you can
remove some of the temporary files for yourselves. (Always back up your data
before you carry out any kind of maintenance on your computer.)
Here's how:
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click start
-
click search
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click “all files and
folders”
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click “ all or part of a
file name”
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type “ *.tmp” DO NOT TYPE
THE ( “)
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click search
-
once the search has
finished, you can select the files that you want to delete and remove
them.
This is a great way to remove
unused files cluttering your system. For a more in depth Spring clean always
contact a reparable PC engineer. They can remove the hidden files at
sometimes contain hijack ware and other nasty’s.
Nick Green of Chalkhill
Systems is a Gold
Member of RH123
contact details
PC
Health
Tips
from Nick Green
January 2008
Happy New Year to you all. By
now, those of you who are lucky enough to have a new PC should be happily
connecting to the internet and receiving emails
But think for a moment; have
you installed your anti virus or anti hijack ware software package, if so
have you updated all the patches and definitions? If not, then do it now,
BEFORE you start to explore the web or receive emails.
If you have a PC or laptop
already, is it slow or locking up when you have a few software applications
running? If it is slow and your computer is more than 2 to 3 years old then
you might want to think about increasing the internal memory to 512mb as a
minimum. Most new computers come with 1gb of memory, more than enough to run
all the current anti virus software.
If your computer is running
slowly and possibly shutting down when you least expect it, and you are
having “popup” boxes stating that “your pc is infected with a virus or spy
ware click here to clean”. Do not attempt to run this software as it is most
likely to be malicious. Call a reputable PC repair company.
If your computer is already
infected with malicious ware or a virus, then no matter how hard you try to
install your new anti virus software the chances are it will not find or
remove it. If you are in any doubt, call a professional computer engineer.
Nick Green of Chalkhill
Systems is a Gold
Member of RH123
contact details
PC
Health
Tips
from Nick Green
November 2007
When buying a new computer,
most people forget to buy anti virus protection. Some PC manufactures bundle
some sort of AV software, but sadly this is usually only a 3 month trial.
The manufactures of the AV software then expects you to upgrade when the
trial period comes to a close. Most people will renew the software online.
When you do this the cost of downloaded the program could cost one third to
a half more (when compared to the over the counter price)and you do not
always get a disk should you need to reload it. The practical way to buy AV
software is to purchase a new full retail product when you by your PC or
laptop.
Most people think that if they
have anti virus software on their Pc then they are safe. Think again!
More computers come through
ChalkHill Systems workshop contaminated with what is known as “Hijack ware,
malicious wear, and Spyware”. This type of threat is far more damaging to
your computer than most viruses. Your anti virus program does not see the
Hijack ware as a threat and lets it through.
If you notice your PC running
slower, unable to start your home page, or my be your computer just stops
working or turns it’s self off, then the chances are you have Hijack ware on
your PC.
Once again when you are buying
your new computer ask the sales person to supply you with some anti Hijack
software. By investing in anti virus and anti Hijack software when the PC is
new, you are protecting your computer as well as all your precious
documents, pictures and music.
Nick Green of Chalkhill
Systems is a Gold
Member of RH123
contact details
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