Wipe an Old Hard Drive
Posted by admin on Jun 25, 2009
Nothing can complicate your life quite as thoroughly as identity theft. So before you well your old PC or return a dead hard drive, keep one important fact in mind: Deleting files does not guarantee that they are gone for good. To erase your hard drive properly, you can’t just toss the files into the Recycle Bin and empty it – you need to overwrite the data on the disks as well. I could get all technical at this point, but instead, just go to www.dban.org and download Darik’s Boot and Nuke, a free boot-disk utility that securely wipes any hard drive using any one of several tried-and-true methods. Once DBAN is done with your disk, you can be sure the data is gone.
Of course, nothing beats smashing the hard drive with a 2 pound hammer, but at least your drive will still be useable if you use DBAN. If that procedure seems a bit too technical for you, and you can always bring the drive to your favourite computer repair shop and have them do it for you.
Windows 7 – Are you ready?
Posted by admin on Jun 24, 2009
So, when Vista was released, most of you decided to wait until the next version of Windows before you upgraded. Was that a smart idea? Maybe.
Basically, Windows 7 is Vista was some enhancements. Our in-house tests have proved that it is much faster than Vista and has some really neat new features. There is a machine here on display with Windows 7 installed if you want to come in and check it out.
Two neat additions is the Remote Media Streaming (allows Windows 7 PCs to share media with the outside world) and Windows XP Mode (is a free add-on that runs a full virtual copy of XP within Windows 7).
To find out if your computer is ready for Windows 7, you can use the Windows 7 Upgrade Advisor from Microsoft.
To find discussions of upgrading from XP to 7 visit find.pcworld.com/62985
To view Microsoft’s plans for rolling out the new OS, visit find.pcworld.com/62987
The Story of Stuff
Posted by admin on Apr 12, 2009
One of my customers told me to check out this site, and I have to admit, it is worth the 20 minutes to view the video.
Check it out at http://www.storyofstuff.com/
It answers a lot of questions, and does a really good job of explaining “planned obselesence” and how come a store can sell something for $4.99, that obviously cost more to manufacture and transport.
April 1st Virus
Posted by admin on Mar 31, 2009
I am writing this blog on March 31st… why did I wait until the eve of the dreaded release of the Conficker virus? Well, basically, because I have not had much to write about. From our research, the only computers that will be affected by this virus are ones that do not keep their computer protected and up-to-date. Since all of our customers keep their machines updated and protected, they should be OK. If you are running an illegal copy of Windows, or do not download and install all of the Windows Updates, or do not have an anti-virus program installed and updated… keep your fingers crossed!
My theory is that the virus is a hoax, and that no one will be affected. We will see in a few hours if I was correct. If this virus does become what the media has scared us into beleiving, then I will admit my error. For a great article about this virus, click here.
Stay tuned…
OK.. so it is now April 12th, and none my my customers have been adversely affected by this so called “April 1st” virus. So, was it just a hoax? I do not have enough information to make that assumption. What I can tell you, is that this scare has just reinforced the idea that it is important for every computer user to keep their operating system patched, and their anti-virus updated.
New Fees on Electronic Devices
Posted by admin on Mar 10, 2009
As of April 1, 2009 the Ontario Government has introduced a recycling fee for computer products. We at ICS will be charged a fee on certain items, and we will have to pass the costs along to the customer. The charges are outlined below. For more information, please check out the Ontario Electronic Stewardship website.
Desktop Computers **: $13.44 per system
Portable Computers **: $2.14 per system
Computer Peripherals **: $0.32 per item
(Mice, Keyboards, Hard Drives, Optical Drives)
Monitors(with no embedded TV Tuner): $12.03 per unit
TV (includes any monitors with embedded TV tuners): $10.07 per unit
Printing Devices: $5.05 per unit
** Computer fees do not cover costs for mice, keyboards etc. Any units
shipping with these peripherals will require the applicable peripheral
fee to be added and charged in a bundled price. Please contact us for further details as defined by the OES as to what is included in the above classifications.
Stuck Pixel on your LCD Monitor
Posted by admin on Mar 5, 2009
It does not happen very often, but some times a lone pixel on an LCD screen can get stuck “on”. When a pixel is stuck on, it usually shines a bright white or green colour. When a pixel is dead, it does not shine at all. A dead pixel cannot usually be fixed, but a stuck pixel can… some times. To get instructions, check out http://www.wikihow.com/Fix-a-Stuck-Pixel-on-an-LCD-Monitor. We have tried these suggestions a few times, and it almost always fixes the problem.
Hack your Wi-Fi Antenna
Posted by admin on Mar 5, 2009
If you want to get more range from your wireless router, and like playing with electronics, then this might be the project for you. It works for petty much any wireless antenna, and costs about 5 cents to make. I have not tried it yet, but it looks pretty nifty!
http://www.instructables.com/id/WIFI-Antenna-Hack!/
Protecting your children on the Internet
Posted by admin on Feb 20, 2009
The Wellington Advertiser has published several articles about protecting your children on the Internet. Click on the links below to read the articles.
Police offer some tips to protect children using Internt…
http://www.wellingtonadvertiser.com/index.cfm?page=detail&itmno=2749
Crime Stoppers puts internet warnings on web…
http://www.wellingtonadvertiser.com/index.cfm?page=detail&itmno=2737
How To Avoid Viruses
Posted by admin on Feb 13, 2009
Taken from Maximum PC, January 2009 Edition
Captain Obvious says that the best way to prevent infection is to avoid viruses in the first place, but what he doesn’t tell you is how to do it. And even though hackers continue to get more cunning in both delivery and execution, you can tip the odds considerably in your favor by practicing safe and sane computing.
If you receive an unknown or unexpected attachment, don’t open it no matter who it came from. Not only are some viruses capable of emailing themselves to everyone they find in an infected user’s address book, but inexperienced computer users are just as guilty of passing along payloads as hackers are of distributing them.
Bit Torrent sites and peer-to-peer networking clients are also common modes of spreading infection. When attempting to download a legitimate program – a Linux distribution, for instance – use the link provided at the vendor’s website. Pirated software is a particularly popular source of malware, so if your moral compass doesn’t steer you toward the straight and narrow, the risk of infection should.
And finally, get in the habit of regularly checking for software updates. New exploits are always being discovered in Windows, Quicktime, web browsers, and other common programs.
Malware Terminology 101
Posted by admin on Feb 13, 2009
Taked from Maximum PC, January 2009 Edition
A computer virus is a piece of software or code capable of reproducing itself and spreading to others systems, but the term is often used to describe a multitude of threats. The effects of malware can range from mildly annoying to completely debilitating, sometimes costing corporations thousands of dollars in downtime and manpower to heal the outbreak. Let’s have a look at the different types of infections.
TROJAN HORSE – Named after the mythological wooden horse used to sneak Odysseus and other Gree heroes into Troy, a Torjan horse will masquerade as a legitimate program but will unleash a harmful payload once installed.
WORM – Computer worms are self-replicating programs that burrow into systems, seeking out vulnerabilities to exploit. The ability to spread without any user action makes them particularly dangerous.
SPYWARE – Ever fell like you’re being watched? If your PC is infected with spyware, you just might be. Even worse, spyware not only monitors your activities but can also hijack your system with redirected web searches and other annoyances.
POLYMORPHIC – To avoid detection, polymorphic malware constantly changes its own code, often using encryption with a variable key. This stealthy technique poses a problem for typical scanners.
