On Friday our server died. This meant we had no emails as our server is also our email server. All the configuration went pear-shaped and disk block errors started appearing in the event logs. All was not lost as we had a new server installed with SBS 2008 ready to be configured. I was just waiting till we return from our overseas trip to configure it and install everything including some new backup software called Shadow Protect. This software will allow you to have your server back up and running in about 30 minutes. Good idea …… except it was not installed on our old server. BUT we still had our normal backups so even though it has taken some time to be back up and running we were able to just copy all our data to the new server and load the programs and all was good. The moral of the story is …. ANY BACKUP IS BETTER THAN NO BACKUP AT ALL.

At Computer Troubleshooters Toowoomba East we have seen many instances of virus infections which manifest themselves as a fake virus alert screen. These seem to infect PCs/Laptops regardless of the type of Internet Security product installed. This has occurred with TrendMicro, Norton 360, ESET, AVG and even Sophos being installed on the PC.

So ……….. How do you stop this sort of thing from happening. To start let me say that there are occassions where nothing you have done has caused the problem – it is just unfortunate. But there are steps you can take to minimise the risk.

1. ALWAYS be aware of what you are doing and what screens may pop up on your screen. DO NOT just click something to get rid of it so you can continue doing whatever it is you were doing.
2. Obviously don’t go to disreputable website. This can include free software sites that can be notorious for malware/virus issues. When on Facebook be alert to who is sending you links and what those links may be. Free download sites, particularly music can cause issues.
3. Always make sure that the Internet Security program you are using is up-to-date. They should be configured to update automatically and several times a day.
4. If you do get a fake virus alert screen stop whatever you are doing and turn off the PC immediately. We have had occurrences were taking this action has been enough to stop it in its tracks. DO NOT try and click any buttons associated with this fake virus alert including the red ‘X’ in the top right of thew window.
5. Call Computer Troubleshooters immediately.

For those out there not familiar with the terminology – Cloud Computing is all about storing data and/or programs online so that you have access to them whenever and wherever you are. The downside is if you have no internet access you have no access to your data.

Amazon is one company that provides these services. You may not be aware that they had an outage recently and there are indication that some businesses may not fully recover from the event.

Find out more …….

Cloud computing is not for everyone. If you have been exploring this option in may be worth getting a second opinion. We would be happy to sit down with you and discuss some options.

The scammers are still out in force. Computer Troubleshooters is receiving 1 – 2 calls per week from people who have received calls from peeple purporting to be from Microsoft or Windows. Let there be no mistake – these calls are from scammers wanting to gain access to your PC for the purposes of:

1. Finding out private information to peretrate identity theft.
2. Find username and password to financial institutions.
3. Plant viruses and then charge exorbinant fees to supposedly remove them.

Don’t be fooled by any of this. We at Computer Troubleshooters have been rung by these people and they do sound convincing. The simple fact is Microsoft will NEVER ring you.

If you are the recipient of one of these calls just hang up. If you have allowed these people remote access to your PC bring that PC in to us immediately for a checkup. In some instances nothing untoward has happened but better to be sure that sorry.