Dec 6, 2010 | internet, Security
It does not come soon enough, this holy holiday, when depression rates soar and stress doubles during a a few months in the winter; yes, Christmas is here!
We all know shopping is done and the gifts are bought for our kids, friends, and loved ones, but this year it seems everyone is going online to shop. This brings up new threats to your security and new ways for those pesky thieves to get your money. Here are ways to protect against them and make sure the season is as jolly as it should be.
If you have kept on the blogs at Geek Choice, you are one step above everyone who has not, because you know about phishing attacks. These are fake websites that grab your info without you even knowing it, usually by clicking on a link that goes to a website set-up by a hacker. During the holiday season, these attacks increase ten fold because people are ignorant to phishing, thus making it easy to hack into your credit or debit card information as they surf and shop. Be careful, be aware, check the URL that loads from a link on website or email-make sure it matches what the address bar says.
While you are looking for the coolest toy or newest video game that your kid just has to have, before you fill out the form of payment with your credit card information, check the website for signs that verify that it is secure. First look at the address bar, look at the beginning of the address: if it has HTTPS you are good. Also look on the bottom of your browser, it usually has a locked padlock to show that it is secure. Most big sites like?Amazon, EB Games, and Best Buy?actually have certificates of security on their sites.
Here is a good one, forget using debit cards unless you are okay with putting information such as access to your bank account. Use credit cards.
There are certain security questions that a site might ask you, like where you have previously lived, answer them. These are designed to make sure you are who you say your are.
Attacks happen all the time on the internet, you may think it won’t happen to you, until it happens and ‘what are you gonna do’ is all you can say. Don’t be that schmuck, take action. Arm yourself with sufficient facts that will keep you safe this holiday season. When you are spending all that money on things that will probably become trash in a couple years, remember that there are people out there with the means and the will to access your information. But they cannot if you know what to look for.
That is our goal, my goal in this blog, to educate the masses of people out there of the risks posed by the internet. It is a scary world today, and today’s world is online, so what are you doing to protect yourself?
Dec 5, 2010 | Computer technology, internet, Security
Turn on the computer, wait a couple minutes for it to load up, click on your internet browser, and enter into a world where anyone can see where you are and what you are doing. Sure, we keep our business and personal life separate right? That is why we have “personal” and “work” computers, but there is a big difference as to how the meaning of “personal” actually is true. You cannot go anywhere now without being taped, you are tracked by purchases and paper trails, and now it seems that the little privacy you had left is gone.
Wish you could put the “History” behind you? After you click on your internet browser and start to surf around the web, everywhere site you visit is recorded and saved, making it very easy for people to find out what you are up to. You might be saying to yourself, “Yes this may be true, but not for me because I am a virtuous person, there is no need to worry about someone finding out my History!” That’s nice, but what we are talking about is the fact that people can get into personal files that could hurt you regardless of the porn sites or other personal adventures that might make you look bad.
Let us say that you use a payment service online that transfers money to your bank account. By the hackers finding out this information, regardless of the fact that reloading the page won’t work, they may have the means to get into that site with your personal log-in information. Feeling scared yet? I am, because I use this very system and preventing something like this is crucial.
Luckily, Google Chrome,?Mozilla? Firefox, and Apple’s Safari have taken these preventive measures by not allowing for JavaScript to run in your browser. Phew!
There is a name for people who snoop around your personal information: history sniffing.At University of California, San Diego, researchers have discovered 485 of the 50,000 of the most popular websites are exploiting a flaw that allows them read your browser’s web history.
Notice how you click on a blue link, revisit the site and the link has turned purple, marking that you have already clicked on this link. What hackers can do is hide links on a certain website, say for example to Facebook or Twitter, then use the spying sites to use JavaScript code to find out the color of the links are.
JavaScript coupled with the use of Cascading Style Sheets, a common website language, make it very easy to track where you have been on the internet. Some of those 485 sites actually download your entire web browsing history! Whether you are doing illegal activities or you are a saint that only uses the internet to write emails, the fact that people can find out this information is kind of creepy. There is no privacy anymore, especially in the computer world, where history hackers are getting into the “trash” and checking out personal files.
Stay protected out there.
Dec 4, 2010 | Computer Repair
Problems are attached to your PC from?the?day?you buy one, it is as natural as nature, but what can you do about them to?minimize??the problem and make it does not turn into one you cannot solve? There are a couple actions you can take to ensure peace of mind and comfort of use knowing that the machine you paid $2,ooo dollars will not be breaking down anytime soon.
Most of the time, it is not being skilled enough or able to intellectually solve the problem yourself, it is not knowing where to look. Fixing your computer should not be such a hard task that leaves you feeling powerless and overwhelmed. When calling the “support” number for the computer, which usually fuels the frustration, does not work and you need help fixing it, read this blog.
If you cannot get out of the program you are running because it is?frozen, stuck and not moving at all, press these keys down in order: Ctrl-Alt-Delete. This little trick will solve this problem like magic. A task manager window will open up, displaying all of the programs you are running with the status of each next to them. You will see different status’ if one is acting funny, such as “program not responding”. Highlight that program, and on the bottom of the task manager, click the “End Task” button. Wait for the magic to happen, and resume your activity on the computer.
Most people in these “modern” times we all live in, amidst all the emerging technology and fast growing trends, are trying to keep up with the?crazy?pace. Not everyone knows about fixing what may seem like simple problems to tech-savvy people, are complicated to those who are not.
That is our goal here at Geek Choice: self-knowledge, giving the customer the know-how to fix problems on their own to maybe save a few bucks in these tough economic times.
Back to problem solving. If you notice the speed of your internet not up to par, there is a quick easy solution for this one. Temporary files are things like history, cookies, and downloads which are saved to your computer. Maintenance is a good idea to keep this issue from happening. I have noticed with some people who let this go, and there internet is so slow I could write a book on blogging before they check their email it is that filled with crap.
Solution: Go to the search box located on the Start Menu and type?’.tmp’, it will pull up all the temporary files. Right click the mouse on each one, or select them all by selecting one and then,?holding the shift key,?going down to the last one. Hit the delete button, you are on your way to faster surfing instantly.
Troubleshooting the PC can lead to even more problems if you go beyond your skill level and end up really screwing things up! Make sure you know the limit of your knowledge, for example if it involves going inside your computer or trying to delete or mess with programs that you do not know the importance of.
Call Geek Choice at 1-800-433-5435 and the nice people on the phone will direct your problem towards the solution!
Dec 3, 2010 | News
In a recent blog post about the browser war going on between Internet Explorer, Google Chrome, and Mozilla Firefox, it looked as if Chrome was winning the battles and taking over. But as in war, the victor only seems to win, thus catapulting us back into the firing lines of these fast and ever-advancing browsers all competing for the top spot on the world’s computer.
Firefox is pumping out these new versions, with this new release being the seventh beta version since its inception a little over six years ago. However, release of the full version has been delayed until 2011 due to bugs and problems that pushed back the release date. It seems this is not the first time Mozilla has slipped up and missed a deadline, but let’s look past the mistakes and look towards the future with all it’s wonders and possibilities.
Can it get much faster? That is one question that seems to be popping up a lot lately as these browsers heat up the race to be the fastest out there. According to people who claim to know something, Firefox 4 is THREE times faster than the existing 3.6.12 version. What is so great about this new browser? Let’s take a look at the record.
The tests came in from both the Kraken and Sunspider JavaScript benchmark, and the V8 benchmark test, to prove just how fast this browser was. There are three reasons for this improved capability of loading web pages:
- J?gerMonkey, an upgrade from TraceMonkey which propelled Firefox 3.5 to the front stage, is designed to do the same again yet keep Firefox on top. JavaScript is very heavy on certain web sites such as Gmail and Facebook, slowing down most browsers because they do not have the speed or strength to keep up with all the code. J?gerMonkey is the future of JavaScript.
- Hardware acceleration, both in graphics and in Windows xp and Mac OS x, is supported enough so that loading the web pages with all those videos and pictures will be much faster.
- 3D capabilities that enable Firefox to skip the question of asking users to download plug-ins to view certain web pages, it is built in.
Together these equal a powerful web browser.
The improvements could make Firefox the number one used browser in the world, right now it is number two behind Internet Explorer. We all know the reason for that right? IE has a deal with all the new computers to have it built in to the system so that when you buy a computer or laptop, you get IE. No wonder they are number one.
Firefox also is coming out with a new feature to get rid of the already old use of tabs at the top of the screen. The Panorama feature is designed to allow the user the ability to customize and create their tabs in any way they would like. With a stroke of the key, you can see an overview of all your tabs and easily maneuver through them to find the ones you want.
Watch out everybody, the browser war has only just begun…
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Nov 30, 2010 | Computer technology, News, Software
Image of Recuva program
At one point in the life of computing, everyone has mistakenly deleted a file. Does that mean the files we delete are permanently gone for good, with no chance of ever seeing them again? Not necessarily.
There are ways to recover the deleted files. Sometimes the file is still in the Recycling Bin, in which that is easy to recover.?When you “remove” a file from the Bin, it is still on your hard drive, just not accessible from the folders that you use while on the computer. Using a file recovery program will get back what you lost in no time and no worry at all. The best chances of recovering a file as with saving a life, is the sooner you get to it after you delete it the better.
Recuva is the best program out there for recovering lost or misplaced data. It is also free, and real easy to use as it gives you a?wizard that guides you through the process while it does all the hard work behind the scenes. The maker is a trusted source of computer helpers, Piriform also made CCleaner and Defraggler, which are recommended programs to keep your computer running fast and smooth. What Recuva does is go into the place where all the “permanently” deleted files are, or free space on the hard drive, and brings them back to used space. The only catch is that if you do not get there in time, Windows 7 or your Operating System might have already written over the file it saw as free space, in which data recovery is impossible.
What often is the case is that you did not even delete the file but your hard drive was or computer was damaged in some way, making it hard for you to get all those music files from iTunes or the business contacts saved on the hard drive. This is where the data recovery comes in to save the day. The easiest way to describe the process of recovery is the use of a live cd, or bootable operating system that mounts the system drive and moves it to a backup disc.
Examples of physical recovery procedures are: removing a damaged PCB (printed circuit board) and replacing it with a matching PCB from a healthy drive, performing a live PCB swap (in which the System Area of the HDD is damaged on the target drive which is then instead read from the donor drive, the PCB then disconnected while still under power and transferred to the target drive),?read/write head assembly with matching parts from a healthy drive, removing the?hard disk platters from the original damaged drive and installing them into a healthy drive, and often a combination of all of these procedures. Some data recovery companies have procedures that are highly technical in nature and are not recommended for an untrained individual.
If you are faced with such a problem, you know who to call. The Geeks at Geek Choice: 1 800 433 5435. We can recover what is lost, and make sure you have an easy and stress free day by solving the problem for you.
Nov 24, 2010 | Computer technology, News, Software
There is a new cloud on the horizon, and it is in the shape of an office. It is called Google Cloud Connect for Microsoft Office, and it is going to be a huge advancement in how people conduct their business and personal lives. DocVerse is a startup company that was bought by Google last March, and now is getting a chance to shine through integration into a widely used application for email.
The combination of a program like Google Docs and an email powerhouse like Office is deadly. One of the coolest features of Google Docs is the ability to access a document and edit it simultaneously with co-workers or other people. Forget about attaching the documents, that takes too long and is a thing of the past.
This is an amazing tool that will make life so much easier, no more having to wait for your client to look over changes in the document you just emailed and send it back, with Google Cloud Connect all you have to do is share the email and you are closer to finishing before you even start.
Another great feature of Google Cloud Connect is that you can connect to it from anywhere, just like Google Docs, all you have to do is save it. Once you save it, the document is given a unique URL(Uniform Resource Locator), allowing you to get it on your smart phone or office computer.
It is really a beautiful thing, this new “software of a service” office suite will be offered for free WHEN IT COMES OUT. Right now it is in the stage of testing.
The main reason Google is using MS Office as its platform to launch this new software is the fact that there are millions of people using Office, and it is not likely they will move to Google any time soon?unless?
Google Cloud Connect is targeting Microsoft Office and is taking over. With this new service users will also be able to work on PowerPoint presentations and Excel documents as well. The ones who need this are small business owners or companies that communicate throughout a large office that is otherwise hard to get things done.
Don’t worry, it will work with all existing Office versions, from Office 2003 to Office 2010.
Perhaps the best feature of Google Cloud Connect is the ability to access it from anywhere in the world with a computer and internet access. This is the cloud feature of the software. Personally I am an editor for a newspaper, so this tool is perfect for a person like me that needs to have constant contact with editors and writers on stories. When I am away from the computer, anything can happen where if I do not get to a computer, the whole operation could be compromised due to the fact that I could not see the article before it went to press. Google Cloud Connect will help a lot of people, including me.
Stay tuned to Geek Choice Blog for cool news and awesome updates that are sure to keep you informed and in-the-know.
Nov 23, 2010 | Computer technology, News
Having a computer means you have everything, the ultimate tool to connect to the places you want to go while sitting at home or at the office, so here are some tips to help ensure that the tool does not break.
Rule number one: keep your stinky finger away from the power button, do not switch it off until Windows has shut down. The only exception is when your computer freezes and there is not alternative but to hit the button to reboot. The problem with hitting the button is that it damages the hard drive, and also loses all your data and work you saved on the computer that you were working on. If you can, hit Control-Alt-Delete in that order and hold it for a second to get the taskbar, which will allow you to end any task that is “Not Responding”.
Don’t wait until it is too late, back your system up now! There is no reason why you should lose important data from your computer, the tools are right there provided for you to save a copy to a flash drive, a CD-RW. or a zip disk. All these will store the data and be ready to use if in the event your computer freezes and the power off button destroys your files, the backup will be right there.
System Restore yourself to sanity. This tip will save your life, it has saved mine and countless others because of its capability to recover what was recently lost. I had an old Dell desktop that I needed for business, it was 5 years old and in computer years that means the Dell was 50, time for a new computer right? Wrong. It was slow because of all the programs and P2P software that was bogging it down with viruses and downloads. So what did I do? I had a mental breakdown and prayed to the computer gods. My prayers were answered in the form of system restore.
- I clicked on Start Menu, All Programs, Accessories, System Restore. I was asked to pick a date on the calendar when the computer was saved, before it all went sour, and like magic the computer was returned to health as if nothing ever happened.
- System Protection makes this possible with regular restore points as a fail-safe back up plan for us stupid computer users.
Give your C: drive some space. If you decide that you need every last MegaByte of your C: drive, let me tell you what will happen…I will need to wait 10 minutes to type out this sentence because the computer is so slow. Leave at least 300 to 600 MB of space to prevent it from data to your hard drive, rendering your computer unusable.
Leave it up to the professionals. Do not try to be a hero and save the computer from peril, you can end up becoming a villain instead. Realize your own powers are not good enough to solve the problem if all you have tried does not work. Call us at Geek Choice, we will be there for you when you need us, right on time.
Nov 22, 2010 | Computer technology, internet, Security
This threat has been an on-going concern for web browser developers and security experts for the past five years. It is a very serious threat because it involves you and me, the victims when a hijacker takes over the computer without us even knowing what hit us.
Hackers can easily snatch up all the cookies in the jar. HTTP cookies are the reason we have anti-spyware, malware, and weaknesses in the wall against attack from invaders. They leave a trail of information, since they are basically text files saved by the web browser, a hacker can follow the trail towards sensitive, personal information saved from the internet. Here is a couple tricks the hackers will use to pull your pants down, no one wants to be caught with their britches hanging out in the wind, so Geek Choice will tell you how to prevent this from happening too.
Session Fixation: A session is when you log onto the internet, either through LAN or Wireless. The fixation is sending a link that will set the user’s session id once the user logs in. Once this is done, the hacker has easy access to that user’s computer.
Sidejacking: This is a common attack from hackers where they sniff out the packets of information being sent back and forth between two parties and steal the session cookie. While many sites encrypt the login password at the homepage, the rest of the site is often unrestricted, allowing hackers to intercept the information that the user might think is secure yet little does he know…a hooded, sniveling little junior high genius knows this is his in, his entrance into your computer. WiFi are vulnerable and are perfect for hackers to run around hijacking your browser and stealing all the files you thought were safe.
Cross-site scripting: Another widely used and widely damaging attack by hackers who want to hijack your computer is by a trick. The trick is by fooling the computer into thinking the code is trusted, meanwhile it is malicious and once in your computer-devastating.
Man-in-the-Middle: The worst one of all. Let’s set the stage for this attack: Two people are involved in a private conversation online about matters that do no need to be heard by anyone else. On the side is a third party, an unknown party that could benefit from the information being said between the two people. All the third party has to do is wait for one of them so send the public key, and once that is intercepted, the third party can impersonate the two people and take complete control of what is talked about. Scary. The best way to prevent this is to put passwords on public keys so that when you are using WiFi, it is not open for hackers to jump right in.
We talked about the different types of hijacking, now let’s talk about preventing them.
Use a long, random number as your session key, this stops the hacker from guessing the key through trial and error. Encrypting your session is a good way to waylay attackers by creating complicated algorithms that will make the sensitive information only readable to you and others who have the key.
One simple and easy tip that Geek Choice will leave you with: log out when you are done with a session, it will save your life.
Nov 21, 2010 | Entertainment, News
We all know about heroin, cocain, alcohol, reefer and how addictive they are, but what about computers? Does not the big glowing screen give the user a sort of euphoric feeling in a?hypnotized state? Look around you on the subway, or at work, or in homes(it’s okay to peep a little) and notice the screens effect on people.
The eyes are wide open and glossy, transfixed on moving images and lights that create a special feeling, one of escape. For is that not what today’s world consists of? The hopeless reality of life seems too depressing so we turn to distractions like sex, drugs, T.V. and computers to forget about your nagging girlfriend or crazy parents and just sit there.
There is a new term out that?characterizes such a state. It is called computer stoned, and it is the result of too much computer. The Webopedia definition is: “A?slang term used to describe a person who has spent too many hours in front of a?computer resulting in a drug-like induced state of being. Symptoms of being computer stoned includes fatigue, headache, sore eyes, bloodshot eyes or a lack of energy.” Funny, and I mean funny like peculiar.
It is peculiar because I am stoned right now. I have been staring at this computer screen for two hours straight, the symptoms are starting to show, and this is not right. Looking at myself through someone else’s eyes, I am basically wasting time sitting and staring when I could have been doing something outside or more productive and active.
That is the way the world is now: online, plugged in, and booted up. It is not heroin I am booting up, no, I am booting up the CPU and getting high off the new features, the constant updates, the feeds that never end. So what are some ways to get myself out of this potential?hazardous?to health problem?
Well, that is common sense: get away from the computer. Take a break, go for a walk or work out, or just close the eyes and meditate for a little while. If you do not believe in relaxation, then read a book or perform some other task that does not involve staring at a screen. Right now I need to take a break, my eyes are watering and my neck and back is cramped from being in the same position for two hours. I mean, it cannot be good for my body and mind to sit on my bum, not blink for hours on end, all the while wondering why I have a headache all of a sudden, or why people think I just smoked a doobie because my eyes are shot.
It is important to take care of yourself while you are working or just using the computer. It may not seem like a big problem, but it is all about how you want to live your life and if you care about your body. Wake up from the zombie living dead status on your Facebook page! There is nothing worse than a computer addict trying to tell his story about recovery in a meeting, no one really considers the computer a drug. It is a drug, because it changes how someone feels.
To conclude this message from the D.A.R.E. program, don’t do drugs, drink your milk, and stay away from too much computer activity.
Nov 20, 2010 | Computer technology, email, internet, News
If you have not heard about this new word processor, then you have been missing out my friend, because Google Docs competes with Office and is completely online. There are so many benefits to this type of document platform that they are too many to write about in this blog. However, I will try to contain it in simple and easy terms that even a layman could lay down and understand.
The centerpiece of Google Docs is the collaboration feature that allows multiple people to look at a piece of writing and edit it simultaneously. I have used this tool I cannot count how many times, and it never fails to?amaze?me as well as save me. My editor could be across the country, yet by connecting via Gmail to the Google Docs folder, we can look at an article together like we were sitting next to each other. Technology shines light on how easy life can be with new tools which make working and writing much better.
Let’s say for example, that you are in the airport on your way to Wichita, Kansas for a big business meeting. On your laptop you have saved the big presentation, all on Google Docs, and there is not a cloud on the?horizon. CRASH! No more presentation because the laptop is infested with a virus. What are you going to do? Head to the bar and drink your anger away? Get on the plane and have a breakdown and end up behind the bar? Or are you going to take a deep breath and?realize?that you are safe, with no fear because you can get onto the presentation from anywhere that has internet access! If you have an iPhone, iPad, or Android, there you go!
More great features include the auto-save and the organisation of Google Docs. When you are using an online application to write anything from school papers to business protocol, auto will save your life if the server goes down and?freezes, making sure that data recovery is simple by saving all the time. As I write this blog, WordPress saves the document every minute, this action has literally saved my life and my blog a couple times when if I did not have this auto-save action? A lot of words would have been lost in cyber space this way, they are floating around out there when they should have been saved.
About?organizing, Google Docs gives you a folder to share with others along with the ability to move folders and files to different locations. This is perfect for people who need to have things just so. Google Docs is perhaps the best way to write, save what you write, and to share what you write, ?organize?it all in a nice package, and live life easy.
I strongly recommend using Google Docs if you are a writer like me, or work in any business related to communicating with the outside world where editing and proofreading are essential to getting the job done. Amen.
In Google Docs We Trust.
