Five Technology Gifts For Christmas

It’s that time of year again with Christmas just around the corner. As many of you will be working on limited budgets I am providing some suggestions on affordable technology gifts for your loved ones.

Gadgets To Boost Wireless Speed And Signal Strength
Boost Wireless Speed On Your PC/Laptop
Older laptops can benefit from the addition of a wireless N usb adapter. If your broadband router is less than two years old chances are it broadcasts a wireless N signal. Your laptop is probably equipped with a wireless G (54mbps) or worse a wireless B(11 mbps) adapter. The speed difference is dramatic with wireless N(600-900 mbps) providing  more than 10 times the speed of Wireless G and 50 times the speed of wireless B.

Tplink Wireless N adapter 300mbps model TL-WN821N cost around €15)

Add Wireless N To Your Broadband/boost Signal Strength
If your broadband router is not wireless N you can connect a wireless N access point(WAP) to it. The model recommended not only provides 
Wireless N but also a significant increase in the wireless signal strength.
(TPlink Wireless N Access Point: Model WA901ND 300Mbps cost Around €50-€60)

Gadgets To Cool Your Laptop
Overheating is one of the big killers of laptops and you can reduce the temperature on the laptop by using a stand equipped with fans. The fans are powered from your usb ports on your laptop.
(Costing from €15-€25 and available from Trust and Belkin.)

Gadgets To Protect Your Laptop/Desktop
Electrical spikes and surges are another killer and every year I see my share of machines that have fallen victim to electrical problems. A quality surge protector will reduce the chances of a surge or spike causing damage to your computer. Available in single and multiple port models I recommend units manufactured by Belkin. 
(Belkin Single port model cost around - €10, Belkin 4 port model cost around €15)
 
Gadget To Backup Your Data
There are a myriad of backup drives out there but my recommendation is the Adata dashDrive durable. This robust 500 gig usb 3.0 external backup drive is encased in rubber to protect it from accidental falls or knocks. I am a fan of these drives as they work flawlessly with but old and new laptops, which is not the case with other usb 3.0 drives. The drive is both waterproof and shockproof and is designed so that the cable attaches neatly to the drive.(ADATA Dashdrive Durable 500 gig Model HD710 – Around €70)

Protecting Your Data Part 2

This month’s article is part two of Protecting Your Data.

Rule 4. Restrict Access
I am baffled by how easily people allow their computer to be freely used by people they either live with or know.  Allowing access to your computer opens you to virus spyware infections and you have no control over what the person using your machine does. The internet is riddled with web sites that are virus and spyware infected and it takes only seconds, if you visit one of these sites, for your machine to be infected.

No matter what anyone tells you it is virtually impossible to be 100% protected from these attacks. The sensible approach is to avoid these sites completely.

Restricting access also includes preventing anyone from plugging in a usb key or external drive to your computer. Virus and spyware writers wrote viruses many years ago to use these devices as a means of infecting your machine. If you use a usb key to transfer data between machines ensure that you purchase and install a solid anti-virus program on your home machine. The anti-virus program should automatically scan usb devices each time you plug one in. Many of the name brand anti-virus programs fail to meet my criteria as being able to adequately protect your computer. Visit http://www.reidyonline.com/compareav.htm on my website and judge for yourself.

Rule 5. Rules For Multiple Users Sharing A Computer
Where you must share your computer among the family I advise that all users are restricted to standard users with only one account have full administrator privileges.
The administrator account should only be used when you need to add or update software on the machine. Thus don’t give your own account administrator status.
The administrator account should be password protected and regardless of the pleading and begging never give this password out to the other people sharing the machine.

A restricted account reduces the changes of a virus getting a firm hold on the computer but as with all preventative policies it is by no means foolproof. All accounts on the computer should have a password.

Rule 6. Activate The Guest Account Option
All windows machines come with a guest account option and if you decide to allow a guest to use your machine they should only be allowed to login via the guest option.
The guest account ensures you minimize the damage the guest  can do when they use your machine but again it is not foolproof.

Protecting Your Data - Part 1

As promised last month I will cover how to effectively protect your data this month.
With the increased use of technology for everyday tasks valuable data is no longer confined to your pictures and cv and now covers a wide range of data you keep for various reasons. Safeguarding this data should be a priority for everyone but this is rarely the case. In most cases, it becomes a priority, only when a serious technical problem occurs or worse when the data is lost.

Three Rules To Safeguard Your Data

Rule 1. The Two Copy Rule
This is a very simple rule and if you implement it then it is virtually impossible for you to actually lose data. The two copy rule states that “must have at least two copies of your data in two different locations.” For the typical user this means keeping a valid up to date backup of your data on any device other than the original device. For example if your photos are on the internet a copy should also exist on your computer. Cloud backup and storage is the current flavour of the month and many software suppliers are touting this as the answer to safeguarding your data. I do not recommend it and in practice, from an Irish internet prospective, it simply is too slow to be usable.

Rule 2. Practice Safe Computing
It’s tempting to download the latest movie or get that song you’ve just heard and it’s even more temping not to have to pay for it. This temptation, if succumbed to, may well cost you your data as the internet sites providing these illegal services are riddled with viruses. Gone are the days when viruses simply made your computer unusable and the modern virus writer is concentrating on obtaining your money. I’ve written numerous articles concerning this so by now you should know better than to use these sites!

Rule 3. Repairs And Maintenance
Regular checks and maintenance are required on any computer and if you get this done early then there is a good chance a qualified technician may spot a problem before information is lost. In the 32 years since I graduated from computer school I’ve repaired countless computers after they have been serviced or fixed by alleged “experts” in computers. I advise you to take the same attitude to your computer that I do with my car and that is if there is a problem I call my trusty qualified and experienced mechanic. This simple rule has never failed me yet, I rest my case on this issue.

Next month I will continue on this topic

Buying A Computer For School Or College

It’s that time of year again and many of you will be heading back to school/college and deciding on what to do about a computer. If you are buying a new computer the news is both good and bad as you now have a mind boggling choice of computing devices. To quote a very old saying “The devil is in the detail” so before buying I would suggest you consider the contents of this article as an aid to making your decision.

Which Device – Desktop Laptop Tablet ?
Desktops
By far the best value for your Euro is still the desktop computer but you will need to do some work to get your hands on a decent model. With the shortage of cash in the economy and poor sales, the  computer shops are offering low quality cheap desktop computers. These machines are dog slow and the performance is dreadful. To add to the misery most are now installed with Windows 8, which so far is proving very unpopular. The response has been so bad that just months after it’s release Microsoft is due to release a major update to address the bugs. This latest offering from Microsoft is designed to work with a touch screen and unless the desktop comes with a touch screen forget buying a desktop pc with windows 8 unless you can also install windows 7. 

Laptops
90% of the computers I repair originate from three manufacturers. For legal reasons I cannot mention their names but if you talk to a couple of your friends about their experiences you’ll quickly know which ones to avoid. In my opinion the best laptops on the market are from Lenovo and Toshiba.  As with the desktop do not get a model with windows 8 and ensure that the laptop has at least 6 gigabytes of ram.

Tablets
If there is one thing you take away from this article it should be this “do not buy a tablet as a computer”. These devices are great for on the go computing but if you store information on them you are very likely to lose it when it gets damaged. The honeymoon with tablets is in full swing at the moment as sales are rocketing. The Apple ipad and Samsung models lead the pack in this area. 


Protecting Your Data
Next month I will discuss how to effectively safeguard your data no matter what device you buy. Good hunting.

Computer Jargon Explained - Part 4

This month’s article is part four in the series to understanding, in simple language, “computer jargon” 

Overview

Since my last article the news has been full of the details of how it is alleged the American and British governments are spying on internet activity. In relation to this article it is important to note that it is also alleged that these governments are also engaged in wide scale hacking on the internet. The methods of hacking into systems are widely known by computer programmers and are also available to cyber criminals who are targeting your computer. This article explains some of the programs in use and what their primary objectives are:

 What Is Malware

Malware, is short for malicious software, and covers virtually all types of viruses, trojans, hijackers, ransomware, or any software that seeks in some way to harm your computer, compromise your security, and/or defraud you. Here is a brief explanation of each of the most common malware programs:

Virus: The original and most often used term for malware meaning any or all of the types outlined below. Initially these programs were designed to cripple the computer but this is seldom the objective these days as a crippled machine is of no use to cyber criminals.

Trojan: As the name suggests this is a program which gets onto your computer disguised as something else or hidden within something else. This can be a video, music file, or a software program that you believe to be legitimate. The term Trojan refers to how it gets into your computer. Trojans behave usually like any other virus which may include stealing information from you or providing access to others to your computer.

Hijacker: Designed to allow use of your computer by others, to either spread viruses or in more recent cases crash website and computer systems. Hijackers are now commonplace on the internet.

Ransomware: This is the latest type of virus in use by cyber criminals and is designed to panic the computer user into paying out money. The first versions featured a notice from the german police that your computer had been locked due to illegal activity but since then the authors have modified the software to use the local police logos. Hence if you get infected by this virus you can expect to see the Garda Siochana logo appearing on your screen.  The notice asks you to pay between 80 and 100 euro to unlock your machine.

Free Anti-Virus Trial

You can download a free trial of anti-virus software at the following address if you suspect a malware infection. http://www.reidyonline.com/products.htm

Computer Jargon Explained - Part 3

Viruses

This month’s article is part three of a series to understanding, in simple language, the myriad of “jargon” associated with computers.

Overview

Quite often after I break the bad news to customers that their computer is infected with a virus/spware/malware program I am asked –“How did this happen?”.

The answer, painful as it may be, is that the responsibility for infection lies squarely on the shoulder of the owner of the computer. If you read this article in its entirety and heed the advice there’s a good chance your pc won’t land on my or some other technicians’ desk with a virus infection. Let’s start with a basic understanding of these programs.

What Is A Virus

A virus is a computer program whose primary aim is to achieve one or more of the following goals when it infects your computer:

1. Damage or destroy the information on the machine
2. Secretly take control of the machine to use it to attack other machines or websites. 
3. Steal information from the computer to be used for fraud purposes. 
4. Lock the machine and frighten the user into paying out money (Garda Virus)  
5. Download additional viruses and infect the machine with additional viruses.

The above are the most common uses of viruses but these programs have also been used for espionage and attacking and disabling military and commercial computer systems. A recent virus was specifically written to attack equipment being used by Iran in their nuclear program. The authors although still unknown are likely to have been a government. Paypal and visa have both been targets of attacks which originated from computers which had been infected by a virus designed to crash their websites.

 

Defending Your Computer

There are several key steps to ensure you do not become a victim of a virus and of these the most important is to ensure you have a working valid and capable anti-virus program. The free versions, and we all like something free, simply do not have sufficient features and strength to adequately protect your computer. Put another way, if you use a free anti-virus you put your computer at risk of virus infection and you have only yourself to blame when and if it occurs.

Free Trial of Anti-Virus Software

On my website at http://www.reidyonline.com/compareav.htm you will find videos comparing some of the most popular anti-virus programs in use against what I believe is a far superior product. You will also find a “free” 30 day trial of the software (click here To Download The Trial). My next article will continue with this topic.

Oliver Reidy is a computer technician and has been in the industry since 1981.You can contact him by Clicking here or visit  http://www.reidyonline.com/contactus.htm

Computer Jargon Explained – Part 2

This month’s article is part two of a series to understanding, in simple language, the myriad of “jargon” associated with computers.

Broadband

Of all the issues I deal with internet connectivity is by far the most misunderstood by computer users. Over and over again I see the same mistakes being made due to lack of understanding about broadband and the method used to provide it. This month I will begin to address this topic.

Fixed Line Broadband

This method of receiving broadband is delivered over your telephone and is currently by far the most reliable solution. Not everyone can get it as the distance from your home to the local telephone exchange is a factor.

Fixed line Broadband Providers

It is very important to understand that while there are many companies selling broadband services such as Vodafone the broadband network is owned and operated by Eircom. They maintain the entire domestic telephone system which includes the telephone line and exchanges. No company other than Eircom has physical access to these lines or exchanges and any repairs required are carried out by Eircom.

Before selecting a broadband provider you should seek professional advice and also consult your friends and family in the locality to see their experience with the broadband provider. Most if not all of the providers will lock you into a 12 or even 18 month contract so before you agree to change providers you should be 100% happy that you are making the right decision.

Fixed Line Broadband Connectivity

It is also important to understand how you pc actually connects to the internet.

Each broadband provider, be it Eircom Vodafone or someone else, operates their own DNS servers. These servers are your computers index to the internet and if these servers are unreliable or over subscribed you broadband will suffer severely.

Broadband Speed

On your bill or contract you will find the speed of your broadband connection.

You should periodically check that you are getting what you paid for. Towards this end I provide a page on my website http://www.reidyonline.com/broadband.htm that links to three broadband speed tests. I recommend you watch the video on this page and do the tests.  

Broadband Modem/Router

Your broadband modem is key to good connectivity and I advise all customers to consider purchasing a good quality modem. This will not only give you more reliable internet connectivity but will also provide better wireless networking within your home. I will continue with this topic next month.

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