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April 4, 2008 - Special Report on Downloading by Jerrold Schiff The Emergency call: "My computer is infected with a virus that I can not get rid of" But first --- Legal stuff: It is not my intention to offend anyone nor to imply anything bad about your interent habits, intentional or accidental be it viewing, searching, downloading or installing. My intention is to make your computer experience a bit safer if you are downloading or viewing content on line. THIS IS NOT A "NEWSLETTER". This is a 'one of' email regarding downloading files from the internet. It is not necessary to unsubscribe. FEEDBACK IS WELCOMED. You have consented to emails from COMPUTER VIRUS REMOVAL by opting-in by giving us your email address. =============================================================== ONE: DEFINITION: ---------------- The Emergency call: "My computer is infected with a virus that I can not get rid of" How it happened: Viruses tend to come from viewing pornography on bad web sites. Videos tend to be 30 second to 3 minute streaming video. Examples of web sites (not necessarily infected) redtube.com youporn.com Assume: Viewing pornography on the internet opens your computer to virus attacks. How the attacks occur: A video may have a virus attached or embedded, which activates once downloaded onto your computer and played (viewed). Or the web site states a plug-in or "video add-on" is needed to view the video. Aside: While this article targets pornography, any downloaded file, be it video, music or software can be infected with a virus. TWO: YOUR NEXT STEP: -------------------- Tutoring Session: As the "librarian" I can teach you: 1) how to set up your computer for file sharing. 2) how to find files (videos, music, software, movies) 3) how to store the files for easy access 4) how to scan for viruses 5) how to "unpack", to "run" or to "install" the files The session should last about one hour. And is billed at my normal hourly rate. Back to Top of Page ========================================================================= November 9, 2007 - News by Jerrold Schiff Headlines: 1) WEB 2.0 - Social Networking 2) Web Hosting - Downtime - Back up 3) Vista - Is it gaining support? 4) Latest viruses 5) Busier - but always time for you! (response time) ======================================================= DETAILS of above headlines -------------------------- 1) WEB 2.0 - Social Networking By now, you've heard this buzz word "WEB 2.0". It refers to something called "social networking". (insert humour: by definition, to be "social" means to "network" - Social means to connect with other human beings - thus the word "Society") But in the Web 2.0 context, it means to find a better way to connect to each other, using the Internet - by computer or by mobile device (phone). What is happening is that normal one-sided or biased opinionated reporting is now open to more people. Instead of one newscaster, or reporter (with a degree in journalism and some ability in English and spell check) you now get to hear multiple sides of a given story, closer in "real time" - as it happens. The Lemming approach to reporting does not ensure fair or accurate reporting, but if it has a value, it would be to offset the current media approach (be it "liberal" or "All American" or gender based). Whew. The above definition may be a huge turn off!!!! Back to the HOW of Web 2.0 There is a browser (remember that Microsoft's Internet Explorer and Mozilla's FireFox are browsers) that embodies a BUNCH of WEB 2.0 applications: FLOCK www.flock.com (disclaimer: may be as prone to viruses as IE or FireFox) Once you download FLOCK you can then get a bunch of "social applications" - instead of going to each web site individually (the following add-ons have been over simplified) del.icio.us (book marks, news articles) flickr (video, pictures) ma.gnolia (book marks from contacts) twitter (tracking friends and texting) facebook (photos, blogs, notes) piczo (your web page, with pictures, notes...) youtube (videos) photobucket (pictures) Its all about communication and sharing. Connect to me: by username virusremoval or email j1076366@hotmail.com Warning: When signing up for these sites, please refrain from using any personal information. Your name, address, age/birth date, gender, phone number and other information may be required to sign up. But there is no requirement to answer honestly. The worry holds true for adults, but it is especially disconcerting how teenagers and children approach WEB 2.0 - the world of computers can be a terrible place. ======================================================= 2) Web Hosting - Downtime - Back up Well, my web site was down for 4 days (Saturday thru Tuesday). The upline hosting company fumbled the ball. If you tried to email me, and did not receive an answer - now you know why! I did not get your email. Luckily, only one of my customers noticed. His web site was down for 4 days as well. And he thought that I had left town, gone out of business or didn't like him anymore. I am still gung-ho on web hosting. For about $130 a year, you get your own web site and your own email address ex: jerrold@schiffkey.com BUT: This shows a different need for "backup". Have you backed up your web site? Do you have a copy of your web site somewhere safe? Do you back up your DATA, PICTURES, EMAILS? Is that back up located in the same building / house? In a bank? With a friend / family member? In the same city / state / country? There is nothing like the loss of services (loss of a web site, internet, computer etc) to teach you a strong lesson on "what to do when bad things happen to good people" !! By the way: If you have not backed up your computer within the last month - isn't it about time? ======================================================= 3) Vista - Is it gaining support? No. In a survey of Businesses, over 80% said they have no intention of moving to the latest operating system. In fact, with new purchases of computers, VISTA is wiped out, and Windows XP is reinstalled. As usual, COMPUTER VIRUS REMOVAL will do this for you. With each new computer, my "decrappify service" will create a VISTA recovery disk, wipe the computer clean, and reinstall Windows XP. $180 same price as always You get your familiar operating system on a super fast computer without having to worry about a computer that wouldn't be able to run a lot of your programs (ie acad, voice activation, old proprietary software). ======================================================= 4) Latest viruses How do you know if you have a killer virus or just a little bugger that annoys you? Sadly, there isn't much difference!!!! Unlike the viruses of years ago - which were meant to annoy and pester you - example: wipe your computer, stop access to the internet The viruses of today are mostly of CRIMINAL INTENT - they want your financial information, passwords, access numbers, bank accounts, contact lists. If you have been infected with a virus, consider contacting your bank, credit card and other financial institutions. Name a few viruses: winantiviruspro, virus burster, storm Name a place to get a virus: safeonlinetoday.com (the free software comes with free viruses) ======================================================= 5) Busier - but always time for you! (response time) If you have called me recently, you may have noticed that I've been swamped with calls. I consider every call an emergency, and will try my best to help you as soon as possible. In order to NOT raise my rates (and no one would like that!), here is something you can do when calling: a) Try to call on a THURSDAY, FRIDAY or SUNDAY. These seem to be my least busiest days. b) If you are calling and want a quick question answered: use email. - When I am with a customer, I can't really chat with you (no offence). State what you need done, and set up an appointment. - any time I am on the phone, I have to give back this time to my current customer. c) Brain Drain: My service is my brain (all joking aside, please!) What you may think is an easy question - it's something I bill out! Bundle up your questions, make an appointment for a "tune up" or "clean up" - and ask your questions then! Heck - ask for a class on "computers" ! see http://www.schiffkey.com/schiffkeytopic.htm Back to Top of Page ========================================================================= September 10, 2007 - News by Jerrold Schiff Headlines: 1) Types of SPAM (revealed - examples of redirection) 2) VISTA's (operating system) first deadly virus! 3) Keep you computer longer: Defrag, update, backup, add RAM 4) The need for ENGLISH. Be "computer literate." - How to install a program. What to click on. - How does it work - What if it goes wrong 5) Disembodied PC (Taking the place of a computer) 6) Connecting to the Internet (broadband - cable or dsl) 7) Phone support pricing (paid by the honour system) 8) Web Hosting 9) Publicity (Search Engine Optimization) Footnotes (statistics) ======================================================= DETAILS of above headlines ---------------------------------------- 1) Types of SPAM (revealed - examples of redirection) Medication/Pills Mortgage Money Transfer Schemes E-Card Banking Verification Credit Reports Password Reset WHAT IS REDIRECTION (phishing etc) What you SEE is a called the "visible link" to a web site How it works: Web pages and emails use HYPER TEXT MARKUP LANGUAGE (html). Below is an example SHOWING a good LINK -- (www.torontosun.com) So, if you click on it, you THINK you are going to see a Toronto Newspaper. But, the HREF (referral) link is where you ACTUALLY go. (www.redirect...) Example of an attack: WHAT YOU SEE (mouse over BUT DO NOT CLICK ON) www.torontosun.com WHAT YOU DO NOT SEE a href ="http://www.redirectedBadWebSite.com/" >www.torontosun.com (the html brackets have been removed so that you can see what is going on!) Recommendation: If you can not trust a web page, you SHOULD click on VIEW and SOURCE then look at the TEXT - and see where it would take you. For EMAILS - only view TEXT - do not view HTML. Its the only way to be sure! I recommend purchasing MAILWASHER - which pre reads emails in text form. Only emails you trust will go into your Outlook program. Unhappy with the lack of control using aol, gmail, yahoo or hotmail? For $130 a year, you can have your OWN EMAIL DOMAIN NAME ! Examples: jerrold@schiffkey.com info@3973cds.com info@heersflooring.com info@kellymccrackencounseling.com ======================================================= 2) VISTA's (operating system) first deadly virus! Run - shut down your computer - scream - but don't go there ! www.safeonlinetoday.com/soft claims to have 3 "great" free downloads to rescue your computer. WRONG. These programs place variations of Win Fixer on your computer. And VISTA is not immune! It sends your computer into a reboot loop. The good news is the virus (VISTA or XP) can be removed without ruining your computer. The bad news is that the virus brings in OTHER viruses - that MAY mess up your computer badly. Please be careful. ======================================================= 3) Keep your computer longer: Defrag, update, backup, add RAM Ask a car owner to change the oil and rotate the tires, they KNOW it has to be done. Ask a PC owner to defrag or do Windows Updates, and they answer "Doesn't the computer do it on its own?" James asked: "Don't you have a maintenance plan? I have a lawn service, a pool service, I even take in my car on a regular basis." I would LIKE to offer a "warranty" service, but I am too busy fighting emergencies from people who SHOULD HAVE taken better care of their computers! I hear this a lot: "Fixing my computer costs $180? For that price, I could buy a brand new computer!" True, the price of computers is coming down. But the cheapest computer is over $350. And it comes with VISTA - which barely runs with 512mb of ram. Transferring your data adds $60 to the bill. It also comes with freeware, trialware and spyware. Tracking your every move and slowing the computer further. Decrappifying a new computer costs $180. Use this equation: If your computer is over 3 years old... Then getting a new hard drive ($80) power supply ($40) or RAM ($40 to $100) may not be worthwhile. That's why a decision to fix or to buy can really burn up some brain cells! What do you think? Send me an email and I'll post your answers without your last name, of course. DATA BACKUPS: 2% of all hard drives fail each year. If its YOUR HARD DRIVE - then it matters! Back up your important files to a CD / DVD or external hard drive. If you need help, or you've bought something (need instructions?) or don't know which files to back up - set up an appointment. The lesson is 30 minutes. Another approach is set up a "maintenance call" - where I take your computer over night. That includes a backup AND clean up /speed up of your computer ($180). ======================================================= 4) The need for ENGLISH. Be "computer literate." [ Take this with a large grain of salt, please ] I am attempting to write a "book" (to be published on my web site) that explains "HOW TO USE A COMPUTER - For people without the time to read this" Email in your questions. Your qualms. Things that BUG you about computers. Want to know a short cut? Want to figure out how to do something? Email it all to me. (Unless you ask, your name will never be used) What makes it ok to just "click on anything and hope for the best?" Yet that is the approach most adults use with computers. Ask them "how did that tool bar get there?" What does that ICON do? When did you install that program? The answer is usually a blank stare (or "Someone else did it") And yet, knowing what you are doing, what is running on your computer, why is it so slow, how to UNINSTALL a program... These are good things to know! Is this a bad thing? "If it ain't broke - don't fix it!" Imagine you are at a restaurant: "Will you read this menu for me, its in English, and I never bothered to learn to read." - not acceptable, right? But: "I'm computer illiterate?" - and that's ok in the year 2007? ======================================================= 5) Disembodied PC (Taking the place of a computer) Are you getting ready for the next level of computing? That's where the old desktop computer because just a storage device - and everything plugs into it - if at all! Think of a PALM Pilot - it would HOTSYNC (transfer) your emails between the computer and the hand held device. Now think of iPods, iPhones, mp3 players (music), and 'jumpsticks' (flash memory on a USB card). Funny thing about this trend towards a "Dick Tracy" world: It tests your EYESIGHT and FINGERS as everything gets cramped into a tiny space. Strangely enough, speaking on your cell phone about the most embarrassing things, in the most embarrassing places is now acceptable.... And why isn't there a push for voice activated devices? (Look up Dragon Naturally Speaking, and Microsoft Speech Recognition) ======================================================= 6) Connecting to the Internet (broadband - cable or dsl) If you can not get online, and you don't think it is because of a virus (virus = obvious popups and warning messages) then, please use this guide to save yourself some time, and cost! a) Unplug Unplug your modem (and router). Turn off your computer. Wait 30 seconds. Turn on your modem, wait. Turn on your router (wait). Turn on your computer. Wait until your anti virus software is loaded (3-5 minutes). Now try the internet - and see if you are back online. b) Cable / DSL company "if the light on your modem and router are on..." It is a free call to your Internet Provider or to your router manufacturer. Provided you have 30 minutes to be on hold and slowly repeat your phone number etc. But since it would take me 30 minutes to get there... Phoning these guys should be your second line of defence. c) Me - Computer Virus Removal If all else has failed, I should be available within 30 minutes (if not currently with a client). I will debug your computer and connection problems. Please note: There is an automatic $10 fee if you get connected before I arrive, as I will have to rearrange service calls for you. Note: A router DOES slow down your computer. The net on MY system goes thru a modem, wired router and wireless router. Yes, its slow, but it feels safer. WIRELESS SECURITY Is your router SAFE? Are you sharing your internet connection with your neighbours or the guy parked in front of your house? You can be charged if they illegally download movies and music! Call me to show you how to lock up your router! ======================================================= 7) Phone support pricing (paid by the honour system) Because of the number of repeat customers I support (I'd like to think its because of good service, friendly, timeliness and ability to explain things in English), I can no longer offer phone support "5 minutes for free". New rates (to be paid on the honour system - mail in a check). Questions are $10. Answers are $20. Because it is hard to know if a question can be answered over the phone quickly, or if a service call is required; Phone, ask your question - and as long as I am not with a customer at the time - I'll tell you upfront whether the question warrants a service call. Seems the fairest approach! Remote assistance is available (if you can still get online). How: You sign into Windows Live Messenger using orlandojennycraig@hotmail.com - and I can fix your computer from my house. It is slower over the net, but there is a discount since it cuts down on my driving time! Computer pricing research: $30 (waived if you order the pre-install and setup decrapifying services for $180) ======================================================= 8) Web Hosting Get your name on the internet! $132 per year gets your own domain name (availability permitting). example: www.3973cds.com You also get your own email domain name example: info@kellymccrackencounseling.com ======================================================= 9) Publicity (Search Engine Optimization) Google apopka virus Recognize anyone? Your business may NEED this type of exposure Your customers may use the internet FIRST ! Only 1% of my customers have used the internet to find me. That's because they can't even get to the net on the problem computer! Pricing varies on "search engine optimization". Starting at $500. ================================= Footnotes: Study by Indiana University: Men are more likely to click on a link sent by a woman, than sent by a man. People on the FAR RIGHT or FAR LEFT of the political scale are more vulnerable. They will trust emails from their OWN BANK (etc) to click on links, but immediately ignore banks they do not know. Custom name attacks are more successful (code inserts your name into the email). People know NOT to click on a link. But they will CUT and PASTE the link into their browser. (Instead, open up the browser and TYPE it, ie: www.suntrust.com) Credit card numbers STARTING with the first 4 numbers are based on the organization, so it only LOOKS legit. (ending with the last 4 - is what they seek). Study by CONSUMER REPORTS: ("study" does not mean facts, more like opinions) Viruses prompted 1.8 million households to junk their PC's older than 2 years. 17% of PC's have outdated or no virus protected 650,000 people have acted (bought) spam related products (from emails). 5% responded that children under the age of 18 have been exposed to internet pornography (only 5%? and what percentage did this on purpose too?) Spam, by Country and percentage United States leads by relaying 19.6%. Followed by South Korea 6.5%, Poland 4.8% and Germany 4.2% Spam is up 9% overall from the same quarter a year ago. Broadband Speed: USA lags behind in average broadband speed: 2 Mbps, Japan 61 Mbps, South Korea 45, France 17. Americans with broadband: 47% ("Digital Divide" defines low income Income less than $30k - 30% broadband. Rural areas 30%) Back to Top of Page ========================================================================= August 6th, 2007 - News by Jerrold Schiff Headlines: 1) Why Hard Drives Fail 2) Outlook/Express - autocomplete names missing! 3) Web pages have viruses too. 4) Vote for "French Quarter Exchange" - Best Vintage and Resale 5) Vista? You CAN have XP instead - on brand new computers ======================================================= DETAILS of above headlines -------------------------- 1) Why Hard Drives Fail Badly fragmented (data is not sequential) Solution: Defrag Dust/Dirt Solution: gas duster How to: open up the side panel of the desktop on fans - use a pencil when blowing out the dust be careful that "iced air" does not spray water 2) Outlook/Express - autocomplete names missing! When creating a new email message, SOMETIMES names go missing. This is a function of "auto complete" where Microsoft "guesses" at the names of frequently entered email addresses. Sorry - they don't use your address book (that would be too smart). Instead, they use "nicknames" (open up the address book, click on a person's name, and click on details - look for nicknames). Odd: But Microsoft uses the last 1000 names (replies). This can be reset. (Easiest way? Email everyone in your address book). Second easiest way? Schedule a service call, and have this included. 3) Web pages have viruses too. According to a survey by Sophos, back in May. 304,000 web pages contain malicious code. An increase of 9,500 pages from April. 65% of threats came from Iframe which inserts code into legitimate web pages. Top country China (53%) followed by USA (27%). Note: Opening email in html (web form) is the same thing as actually going to the web page using Internet Explorer. Use text only. 4) Vote for "French Quarter Exchange" - Best Vintage and Resale Tammy Upson proprietor and my client (fixed an old computer) wesh.com/alist or wesh.cityvoter.com 5) Vista? You CAN have XP instead - on brand new computers Hate Vista? Worried that all your old programs wouldn't work? Or cameras and printers? If you are buying a new computer, and as part of the "decrappify" service - hire me to backup and save Vista, and to install Windows XP, instead ! Another reason? The new machines are faster - they HAVE TO BE to support Vista. Removing Vista and putting on XP means you have a major speed improvement - because XP doesn't need Gigabytes of Ram. Replacing an old machine with a new computer (which costs less than $500) because a very attractive alternative. Back to Top of Page ========================================================================= June 8, 2007 - News by Jerrold Schiff THIS JUST IN PARTS - HARDWARE - COMPUTER STUFF Click on the HARDWARE FOR SALE menu item in the upper right Wireless Router / Adapters, Hard Drives for storage or replacements Even a working older computer - keep your email away from the good computer! 0) SPECIALS Its back! Request 2 hours of my time, get the 3rd hour free! 1) List and Describe "Computer Virus Removal" services 2) Other computer services: Safety and security. BACKUP CLEANUP SPEEDUP UPDATE. Sharing the internet, files, and printers. Wireless set up. Routers. Pictures, scanning, Internet usage (tutor/teach) 3) Web Sites. Web Hosting. Your own web mail address! 4) Business Services: Get NOTICED. Get higher rankings in GOOGLE etc Save money. Gain customers. Keep the rating going. ======================================================= DETAILS of above headlines -------------------------- 0) SPECIALS Its back! Request 2 hours of my time, get the 3rd hour free! This is great news for people who have questions, and who are watching the clock while I fix their computer. Also great for making sure that ALL viruses are removed, not just the nasty one that forced you to pick up the phone. - Does not include data backup or system restore services. 1) List and Describe "Computer Virus Removal" services - Virus Removal (bread and butter of the business) Viruses can be easy to spot: They lock up your computer. You can not get to the internet. Popups (small browser windows). Your HOME PAGE is gone. Blank pages, or searching gets very wrong results. Your computer does not boot up, or you get the famous BSOD - Blue Screen Of Death !!! Name the worst ones: Spylocked, Winantivirus, Brave Sentry, Haxdoor, Spybot How long does it take? A "good" virus can be deleted within an hour. A "bad" virus may disable the registry and wipe your computer! Is there a way to be truly "SAFE" on the internet? No. But there are ways to be "safer". Things you should never do, or do with caution. How often should I have my computer looked at? Every six months at a minimum. Every three months is optimum. Computers should be professionally scanned and cleaned and data files backed up. Be prepared to lose everything on your computer at any time. 2) Other computer services: Safety and security. Installing, updating, scanning ANTI VIRUS SOFTWARE. What to purchase. What NOT to purchase! BACKUP CLEANUP SPEEDUP UPDATE. What needs to be backed up? What files and folders? How do I GET to these? How do I make a LIST of things I need? How often do I need to do this? Where do I store things? Sharing the internet, files, printers. If you have a high speed internet connection then you are open to sharing your computer on the internet! If you have more than one computer in the house, you can share files, folders and printers with those other computers - BUT DO IT SAFELY. What do I need? Hardware to purchase. Help installing it. Help protecting my computer and the other computers from each other, from my neighbours, and from the internet! Wireless set up. Routers. Along with high speed internet, did you know you can connect computers wirelessly? Routers can be hard to install. Even harder to figure out when they stop working! Get a lesson on what YOU can do - and save yourself many hours of "free telephone support" with the cable or dsl company (and then the router company after learning cable and dsl will not help you!) Again: Security is an issue. Don't believe me? Hire me to test your security from your driveway! Pictures, scanning, internet usage (tutor/teach) Using a computer CAN be difficult. We may never get to the stage where the computer does exactly what WANT it to do - in English! But computer usage CAN BE LEARNED - and it isn't that hard to do! When you have someone beside you, to answer questions you CAN learn HOW to do stuff and how to LEARN TO LEARN. Since learning can be a slow process.... ask for my "tutoring rate" - you'll be surprised at the discounts! 3) Web Sites. Web Hosting. Your own web mail address! You can have your own web site for only $160 a year. Why would you want a web site? - You can send and receive huge files - (you are probably limited to 5 megabytes right now) A 30 second movie is 3-5 mbs! - With a Personal Web Site - you get your 15+ minutes of fame - Share email addresses with the family (sister@myname.com mother@myname.com father@myname.com) 4) Business Services: WEB PAGE and WEB RANKING Get NOTICED. Get on the first page. Get higher rankings in GOOGLE etc Save money. Gain customers. Keep on that first page for a long time.... Why would a BUSINESS want a discounted web site? How do I get on the first page of GOOGLE (etc)? - You can draw business when people search the internet - You don't want to spend tens of thousands to "look professional" when all you want to do is get people to call you! - A web site is a great first step. - It is great for some businesses, but not all businesses! [ Sure, if you google Apopka Virus, you'll see my name all over. But let's face it, if a new customer has a problem with their computer they can't find me - because they can't even get on the internet! ] - Cost benefit analysis: How much are you spending on the Yellow Pages and other forms of advertising? What is the VALUE for getting a new customer? Do you get repeat business from customers? Word of mouth referrals? - COMPARE other approaches: Pay Per Click (PPC). Provided you learn how to intelligently position yourself/business to be found on the net, you can PAY each time someone clicks on your link (to your web site). Works for real visitors and for "bot" programs! - Now compare the old fashioned, hands on, get linked, get noticed approach... COSTS: I charge $980 (that's why I asked what ONE customer is worth to you. and how many customers do you need to make this work! And that's why I asked how much are you spending on advertising right now. And also do you currently get your leads and qualified sales from the internet?) For $980, I will dedicate 3+ hours a week, for 3 months (yes, it could take that long to be noticed) 3 months because you want the results to last for a long time. Pay Per Click costs about 25 cents per click. 4,000 clicks = $1,000. But when you stop paying, your advert is YANKED from the top! With my services, you will be on the search engines for a long time. How do I pay? All up front before any work is started. Why? Because once I start, you will get noticed. In some cases, within 24 hours. And once I start, the rankings do not easily disappear. [Even web sites that have been deleted stick around in "cache"] It is true that rankings may not last. Search Engine Optimization rules change constantly. Based on my notes, which are part of the package, you too can keep up the rankings - or keep me on retainer at a reduced rate. Back to Top of Page ========================================================================= April 14, 2007 - News by Jerrold Schiff Headline: 1) Vista is here. To buy or not to be, that is the question ! ======================================================= DETAILS of above headlines -------------------------- 1) Vista is here. To buy or not to be, that is the question ! a) If your old computer is working: Should you buy a new computer? Answer: NO If you define working as: fast enough to live with no viruses, porn or popups meets your needs has not changed your life style (ie: slowed down, so now you read the paper before going on line....) Then why buy a new computer? This one will do ! Suggestion: "Tune up" Your computer should be looked at, at least once a year. Visual inspect and remove dirt (yes, dirt!) Update all software programs Remove temporary files and folders Remove programs no longer in use Find and kill viruses and remove or reset resource hogging programs. Suggested time: Two hours ($120 in area, $140 out of area) b) If your old computer is NOT working or it has slowed unmercifully to a crawl and is out of disk space or out of ram (system resources) Should you buy a new computer? Answer: YES The operating system sold in each new computer is called VISTA. It replaces Windows XP. Vista needs more processing power than Windows XP. The major difference with Vista is that it is actually friendlier to use for the average normal person. Why? Well, a "normal" user just uses the computer to read email, to surf the internet, and to take pictures and email them off to family. Vista does a nice job of displaying pictures, documents and folders. But, Vista takes more processing power. Thus the new computer. Its not worth taking an old computer and upgrading it to Vista from XP. Two reasons: The cost of the operating system, and the hardware on an old computer most likely is not "compatible". Suggestion: "Buy a new computer" But which one? What will it cost? Problems? New computers will run between $400 and $1200 The $400 computer will run about as fast, or faster then your current computer - but Vista will not have a lot of bells and whistles. It will, however, be easier to use than the old computer. And, with my help, can be "tweaked" to run as fast as the old computer. Services: "decrappifying" the old computer (remove unwanted programs and make sure it runs as fast as it can) Transfer emails, pictures, word documents and favourites from the old computer to the new computer. Cost: $180 (picked up one day, usually returned the next day) The $1200 computer will run much faster then you are used to ! It will have AERO - which is Vista's new graphics system. This means you can have "gadgets" on the sidebar (I've used mine to show news and family pictures). It will also enable you to run multiple programs, to see multiple web pages, and really be able to search your computer for words and pictures faster and better (Windows XP could search by name of file - Vista can search by keywords when you describe the picture as you store it!) c) Warnings? Would I be doing my job if I didn't tell you about potential problems? 1) Vista computers MAY NOT support your old printers, scanners or cameras. Some programs may not be transferable (assuming you have them on disk.) This means a $400 computer might need a new printer, thus adding to your costs. 2) Learning curve. With each new operating system, there are new concepts to grasp. Vista is no exception. Things you have CLICKED on before - are going to be in different places. In some cases, not even there! 3) UAC - User Account Control. Microsoft in their bizarre wisdom for computer security will pop up a message every time you add or delete a program or hardware device. Its annoying, but it's not that hard to get used to. In some cases, it will actually save your computer. 4) Popup killer. This was my all time favourite program from 15 years ago! It no longer works on Vista ! What becomes very strange, is that Internet Explorer or Windows Defender DO NOT STOP Certain popups ! Really! On a positive note, malicious popups are less likely to infect your computer. However, getting rid of these popups can be a challenge. Try www.whitepages.com to see some tame popups not caught by Vista (or XP). d) Sunday - Your next decision ! Are you going to buy a new computer? Do you need help choosing the right one? Are you worried about hardware support? After purchase telephone support? (Hopefully, you know where to look for all your software support!) I'll start posting, on my web page each Sunday morning, "suggested purchase decision makers and breakers" If you need a "personal shopper", send an email and best time to call. We can set up a time. Cost for purchase decisions? $30 AND if you buy a computer and have me set it up - you can ask for a $30 credit from the $180 - for being a preferred customer! e) In closing: What to do with your old computer? Two choices: Keep it in the family, but have it tuned up. "Network" your house to be on line with 2+ computers at once. OR: Have it wiped clean, and ready to be donated to charity. This service costs $60 (data saved to CD's and returned to you) or, I'll "buy" the computer back from you, by cleaning the computer for free. ps: If your current computer needs PARTS (memory, keyboard, mouse, monitor etc) Please let me know. Include the MANUFACTURER, MAKE and SERIAL NUMBER of the computer, to ensure the new (or used) parts will work on your computer. Back to Top of Page ========================================================================= March 28, 2007 - News by Jerrold Schiff Headlines: 1) BUTTONS - What's new on http://www.schiffkey.com ???? (radio, weather) 2) Emergency Data Recovery of a DEAD Disk 3) Vista - revisited 4) Dell Printer Cartridges at Office Depot 5) Laptop Cool Plates at Office Max - $19.99 6) Win Anti Virus Pro (etc etc etc!!!) 7) Email spam on the rise. (as of 2006) Estimated as 40%. Per person: 6 per day. Daily spam: 12.4 billion Type of spam (high to low) Products, Financial, Adult, Scams, Health Most annoying: Pornography, Loans, Investments, Real Estate 8) Protecting your children. (versus) Monitoring programs for children and spouses. 9) Do NOT let your anti virus software run out. DO get updates - on a weekly basis - if not daily. 10) Memory - a quick way to make your computer faster. ======================================================= DETAILS of above headlines -------------------------- 1) BUTTONS - What's new on http://www.schiffkey.com ???? (radio, weather) LIVE changing content On the left: a) Temperature ! Find out the weather in Apopka, Florida b) Speed Test ! Want to know the download and upload speed of your internet connection? c) AM740 ! Live Music classics. Light listening from the past. From Toronto Canada On the right: Live Radar (http://www.weatherunderground.com/) Is your company listed on the scrolling marquee ? Newest entry and winner best company name: THE YARDFATHER 407.325.8208 Ed Brown - Landscaping, Maintenance, Irrigation Repair, Install Sod -------------------------- 2) Emergency Data Recovery of a DEAD Disk If your hard drive will not spin up, or you hear clanging sounds - then you have a dead hard drive. Economy priced hard drive recovery costs between $700 and $1900 and takes between 2 to 4 weeks. At the risk of repeating myself - Isn't it about time you looked into getting a SECOND hard drive? Or, with a laptop, use an external hard drive. With a Desktop, an internal hard drive is cheaper. Installation is painless. There is a learning curve associated with backing up data. The cost of a second hard drive and one hour tutorial is less than $200. -------------------------- 3) Vista - revisited Well, the woes continue to mount on the newest Microsoft operating system. First off: Will your printer/camera etc work with Vista? Probably not. At least not if you bought it at a store. There is hope that the driver/software may be available online (soon). Second: Java - used in a lot of programs such as file sharing and music downloads. www.java.com has come up with Java 6.0. Have yet to hear a success story Third: UAC - User Account Control The jury is out on what Microsoft was thinking when they installed UAC. In theory, popups control unwanted add-on software/programs, by prompting every install. In practice, not only is this a pain, but the popups do little to instruct or help! -------------------------- 4) and 5) need no details -------------------------- 6) Win Anti Virus Pro Also Known As: Spy Sheriff, Spy Quake, Virus Burst, Spy Axe, Pest Trap, Spy Trooper, Malware, SpywareNo, Brave Sentry, WinFixer or Virtumonde If you see a popup telling you that your computer is infected, then its partly correct. The popup itself is a virus. Clicking on the popup, and paying $39.99 for the "anti virus software", will guarantee that you get MORE and MORE viruses. On a good night, some clients have called the companies and received their money back. Of course, they put their credit card number on "watch" - just in case that info is sold. Best advice? If there is a popup, and you are unsure what to do, take a picture of it, and send it to me. Picture? Sure: Press and hold the control key. Press "print screen". Click on START, ALL PROGRAMS, ACCESSORIES, PAINT. Click on EDIT, click on PASTE. - either save the picture to "my documents" (file, save as, desktop.jpg) - or email it (file, send) - will work with Outlook or Outlook Express To KILL (yes, KILL) the program, right click on the blue task bar, click on TASK MANAGER and APPLICATIONS and END PROCESS. Then call your friendly neighbourhood Computer Virus Removal expert (me). Following the above steps is the difference of a 1-2 hour service call, to a 3 hour+ save-data and reinstall the operating system ($180-$210). -------------------------- 7) Email spam on the rise. (as of 2006) Luckily, everyone has an opinion on what programs stops the most spam. Some like McAfee's Anti Spam killer, while others like Norton's Internet Security. Others use "invitation only" programs from their internet provider (example: Earthlink) I prefer Mailwasher, gives you more control over "false negatives". But it takes more time. There is really only one way NOT to get spam - Give up using email. Try to be careful how you "post" your email address. If it's on web pages, forums, used in online orders, registering products/warrantees, chat rooms etc - then "bots" (robot spider programs combing the net looking for email addresses) will find you! If you must post your email address, try to hide it a little: myname_NoSpamPlease AT cfl DOT rr DOT com (humans will translate @, . . and remove the _NoSpamPlease --- hopefully, eh? -------------------------- 8) Protecting your children (versus) Monitoring programs for children and spouses. Gee - isn't this a hot topic? I am currently investigating software that will help monitor computer activity. Interestingly enough, MONITOR type software is the same thing as a virus. How? Well, if you want to track what is happening on your computer, its important that the (other) person using the computer does not know they are being watched!! In the case of children - Programs such as NETNANNY will block questionable web pages - changing the page to their trademark "This page blocked by NetNanny." That's when you WANT the computer user to know they have done something "bad." But, to create reports, screen shots, to log key strokes, internet chat messages and emails - its necessary to do things "behind the scene". To be invisible these programs do NOT appear in the task manager, the start up (msconfig), and can not be found in any files or folders - by the untrained eye. Please contact me directly for more information. All calls, as usual, will be handled as discretely as possible. 9) Do NOT let your anti virus software run out. DO get updates - on a weekly basis - if not daily. I have tested "CA Internet Security Suite 2007" and found it better than Norton and Mcafee. Along with Anti Virus, it has anti spam, anti spyware anti phishing and a renown firewall (Zone Alarm). I have a few limited copies for sale at $60 each computer / installed. 10) Memory - a quick way to make your computer faster. Try this: go to www.crucial.com and install their "Crucial System Scanner" (it is safe). This will tell you what kind of RAM you have, what you can buy and how much it will cost. Then send me an email, with the specifications. I can purchase RAM from a local warehouse - saving you money. And I'll give you a good break on installation charges, too! Back to Top of Page ========================================================================= February 3, 2007 Headlines: 1) Questions about my new price structure. 2) "How often should I back up my data?" 3) Vista (Microsoft's newest Operating System) 4) Buying Software online - or renewing Norton etc. 5) "Just Cancel My Account" Read about service hassles: Magazine Review PC World. 6) "My internet is down - What do I do?" (Do not Panic!) 7) Advertise - on the net - for free Subtitle: How to hire a local expert 8) More web sites worth watching ======================================================= DETAILS of above headlines -------------------------- 1) Questions about my new price structure The good news: My hourly rate has NOT changed! It is still $60 per hour within area. $70 outside of the area. The decision to keep the rates so low is based on customer loyalty, repeat business, and great referrals. My competition has increased their rates because of advertising, franchising fees and geeky t-shirts, specialty cars and flyers. With my services, you just pay for results! Bad news: Free phone support is severely limited, or stopped. Because my customer base has grown so rapidly, I can no longer adequately offer free "five minute quick questions". - Call and immediately book the next available session ie: 30 minutes to one hour session. - Alternatively, EMAIL questions to jerrold@schiffkey.com - which, regrettably, may take a little longer to answer. Suggestion: Bundle your questions together, and book a MAINTENANCE appointment. Same idea as a dental checkup, a car tune up or pool / lawn service. The advantage of having me show up once every 3 or 4 months, is that you can get all your questions answered, while I update your computer, and keep it running smoothly. And, some problems can be detected BEFORE your computer crashes! -------------------------- 2) "How often should I back up my data?" Answer: Depends on how easy it is to recreate the data. Let's say you are tracking your finances by entering all your receipts. If you back up monthly, then you have to recover from your monthly backup, and re-enter everything from that time forward. That could be a lot of work. In the case of emails and pictures, the loss may not be recoverable. Suggestion: (a) Have TWO disk drives instead of one. Back up your data daily to that second hard drive. (b) Buy an external hard drive. Easier to use on another computer, or to remove in case of emergency. (c) Back up / burn to disk (CD's) - Keep off site, such as a bank vault. (d) Internet Storage - This source is listed as a choice. However, I personally would never recommend leaving confidential information "easily" accessible to the net, regardless of safe guards such as encryption. -------------------------- 3) Vista (Microsoft's newest Operating System) Any new computer purchased as of February will have VISTA as its operating system. This replaces Windows XP. As well, Microsoft is offering Office XP 2007, which replaces Office XP 2003 (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, Publisher) But do you need to upgrade? Can your "old" computer RUN Vista? Answer: In the vast majority of cases, older computers will not be able to handle Vista. Even if your computer meets the minimum requirements, without a really good VIDEO CARD, you will not see any real advantage upgrading - because you will not be able to use AERO. I've been having fun reading all the articles on VISTA. My favourite is "Ten reasons NOT to upgrade". Keep in mind that most businesses waited YEARS before migrating up from Windows 2000 to Windows XP. One reason is the number of bugs. Another is compatibility (will my program RUN on the newest operating system?)The consensus out there is WAIT AND SEE. So, unless you are buying a new computer - upgrading to VISTA is not a priority. -------------------------- 4) Buying Software online - or renewing Norton etc. Here is a suggestion that should be obvious but is easily forgotten! Immediately after downloading software that you have purchased, BURN THE SOFTWARE TO A DISK. And don't forget: PRINT OUT YOUR RECEIPT. Here is an example: You've just purchased Norton 2007. So, you download it, and immediately install it. But WHAT IF Norton (among other such programs) DOES NOT INSTALL CLEANLY? It may even RUIN your computer - facing a total reinstall of your operating system. Instead follow these steps a) Download the software to a folder that's easy to find c:\My Documents\My Received Files b) Print out email or web page confirmation Make sure you note the order number, phone number(s), and re-installation instructions c) Burn the download to a CD. Mark the cd, and put it aside. d) Optionally: Consider backing up ALL of your documents, financials and emails. e) NOW, try to install the software. If all goes well, consider the extra time learning exercise. But if things go poorly (Let's say you tried to install Norton Symantec, but forgot you had OTHER Symantec software) you have half a chance at recovering most of your computer! -------------------------- 5) "Just Cancel My Account" Read about service hassles: Magazine Review PC World. By now, everyone has heard of the guy who taped his call to AOL. In the 30+ minute call, he tried to cancel his AOL account and met a very persistent account rep (since fired, so the story goes). PC World (Feb 07) reports an informal survey of trying to just cancel various accounts - most signed up online. Its a great read. But CUSTOMER SERVICE has now declined past the absurd. Here is a suggestion next time you need to call customer service: a) Look up this web site: http://gethuman.com/us/ This may get you to a human being faster than using all the prompts! b) Grab a coffee and newspaper, start Yoga deep breathing exercises. The first 15 minutes+ will be "press 1 for ... press 3 for..." c) Your name, address, account number... Yes, the next 15+ minutes will be answering questions, thus proving you have an account and the right to ask your question. STOP HERE: Before you actually ask your question - get the account rep on your side. Ask the rep where he/she is, what's the weather like, and are they having a fun day? Crack a joke. If you can hear them relax over the phone - you may actually twist the call in your favour! d) Now, its your turn to try and get help. Be as knowledgeable as possible. State your problem. Better yet, suggest how you'd like your problem resolved. Be prepared to compromise. Remember, the account rep is just following a script. And may not have much leeway. On the other hand, if you've done your homework right, you can "upsell" the resolution. Example from one of my customers: "I had lost my telephone services. When calling the company, I asked: Could I have prevented this by purchasing 'line guard.' The rep said he could add it onto my bill, and THEN report the outage. Thus saving the extra charge when sending a repairman to my house." -------------------------- 6) "My internet is down - What do I do?" Which is it? Email or the net? Its not the same thing. Before you pick up the phone to your internet provider (see above, how to prepare for a long wait)... Try this a) Open up your browser: Internet Explorer, Firefox or AOL See if ANY page shows up. If not, try ANOTHER web site that you have not gone to today. Reason: Some browsers, when a web page is unavailable, will give you the last one it found. Which might LOOK LIKE the internet is up - when it isn't. b) Open up your email (assuming Outlook, Outlook Express or other). If Outlook asks for your password, then the EMAIL SERVER is down. Remember: The server is on a computer on the internet. You may still be able to surf web pages on the net, even though the email server is offline. c) Reboot your computer (turn it off, turn it back on). Reason: Other than being a great stalling device, this resets the internet connection and clears memory. If you are still not on, its time to take more drastic action: d) If you are using cable (Time Warner) - see if the TV is working. If not, then most likely, your internet is dead too. The same may be true with your telephone (BellSouth, Sprint, DSL). e) Release the internet: click on START | RUN | command | then type in "ipconfig /release" without the quotes, in the black box. | then type in "ipconfig /renew" in the black box. exit out of the screen, and try your internet browser again. f) Unplug the modem - wait. (if you have a Router, unplug it too). Plug the modem back in - wait. (ditto on the router). Reboot the computer. See if you are back on line. The above routine will take care of 80% of all bad internet connections. And time wise, its a heck of a lot faster then trying to reach your internet provider! -------------------------- 7) Advertise - on the net - for free Subtitle: How to hire a local expert You can advertise on my web site for free - just send me your information. That’s just the first step a) Got a web site? Discount web hosting is available on the net. For $160, I'll set up a web site, complete with your own email and one free web page - renewable yearly. Imagine: info@yourname.com (if available, naturally!) b) Link to other web sites. The more your name is out there, the easier your customers will find you. Just google (www.google.com) Apopka Virus (or Longwood virus ... etc) See if my name appears! C) Write, blog, post, review, upload, link. These are all ACTIVITIES that you can engage in, on a daily or weekly basis to get your name onto the internet. d) Search Engine Optimization Rules to get your web page noticed e) Search Engine Submission Adding your web site to search engines (manually). Everything takes time. But getting noticed on the internet will bring in business! -------------------------- 8) More web sites worth watching Is your wireless router open to "drive by" snooping? http://www.schiffkey.com/schiffkeyvideo.htm (2nd of the two videos) I've been busy developing and updating a web site for a favourite client. He has written a tribute to the valiant Air Police of 1960's: http://www.3973cds.com/ Find out who is calling you: (popupkiller not included) http://www.whitepages.com/9900/reverse_phone Untested, but fun: Replace buying expensive software with equivalent software http://www.thesimpledollar.com/2006/12/01/30-essential-pieces-of-free-and-open-software-for-windows/ Notes from the Universe -- Another customer suggested this site. She likes the daily personalized messages. May I suggest that you sign up with a (new / different) free Yahoo or Hotmail account first. http://www.tut.com/mmm.shtml This site seems promising - needs more activity! http://www.mywekiva.com/ Back to Top of Page ========================================================================= December 12, 2006 - News by Jerrold Schiff Jerrold Schiff - VISTA - Computer Virus Removal December 12th, 2006 VISTA - Microsoft's NEXT operating system - What is it? - When does it come out? - Do I need a new computer? I have been getting a lot of calls about VISTA. So, its time to address the concerns in a forum that enables you to calmly read and digest "opinions". Opinions? In the same way two computer gurus will argue "Leave your computer on all the time" or "Turn your computer off after you are done".... The same is true about VISTA !!! Question) Will I have to buy a new computer? Answer) Yes. Vista will require a minimum of 1 gigabyte of memory. Windows XP required only 128 megabytes (.128 gig). And when you added Office XP, you needed 256 or 512. Question) Do I have to buy it in January? Answer) No. 10% of my clients are running Windows 98, ME or 2000. Microsoft no longer supports these operating systems. In fact, some viruses do not infect older machines. Most businesses will wait a minimum of 6 months before migrating to VISTA - Waiting till the bugs are out! Question) Will I have to buy new software? Will my old programs (Office XP 2003) work on Vista? Answer) No - No new software. Operating systems are almost always "backward compatible". You can run Windows 95 games on Windows XP! While Office 2007 is a giant leap forward in intelligent word processing, your 2003, 2002 even 2000 can still work. Question) What are the system requirements? Answer) A minimum of 1 gigabyte of memory (2 gigs will cost $130 more) 2.8 ghz pentium cpu/processor (just try and figure out the numbers for dual core, core duo and quad core - I dare you!) Disk space is NOT a problem - the cheapest Dell box will come with at least 80 gigabytes. Question) So, forget the great advice, the real question is: Jerrold what are YOU GOING TO DO WITH YOUR MONEY? Answer) I'm searching for a computer NOW. The deals are now. The demand for computers will start in mid January, and the prices should jump as well. I'm not worried about DRIVERS and hardware, because the industry has always moved to fix problems. Dell STILL has their computers on sale - WITH a 19 inch flat panel http://www.dell.com/smb/gingerbread1 ("Business" purchase) For more information, or more questions, please email me at mailto:jerrold@schiffkey.com WHEN (not if) you decide to buy a computer, remember my "decrapifying" service. Where I remove all the useless programs and viruses from the new computer. Your friendly Computer Virus Removal specialist. Back to Top of Page ========================================================================= December 2, 2006 - News by Jerrold Schiff Headlines: 1) Disaster Planning 2) Computer Show - December 2-3 2006 DETAILS of above headlines -------------------------- 1) Disaster Planning "Prepare for the worst Hope for the best" The media has us worried about Terrorists and Hurricanes like Katrina - but the reality is that minor little disasters are much more likely to happen. Computer Viruses, electrical surges, hard drive and computer component failure, human error (delete the wrong file / folder!).... Backup your data. Do you know how often I hear the cry of "save my data!" ??? 1) Back up to a cd - if you do not have a cd burner, ask me. 2) Back up to another hard drive. Internal hard drives are cheap. Attachable (external) hard drives are almost as cheap. 3) Off site storage - away from your computer. Bank Vaults. 4) Internet Storage. I sell Web hosting for $150 a year. All your data could be stored in encrypted files, and password protected. Its not absolutely safe, but it is a measured safety precaution. 2) Computer Show - December 2-3 2006 This is the last Computer Show of the year. At the Central Florida Camp Grounds. That's on Highway 50 (Colonial) just west of John Young. I'll be there Sunday morning 9:30 to 12. Helping out the CFCS - Central Florida Computer Society. Ask for me - heck - I'll even walk around and answer some questions. Some great bargains can be found. That's where I buy things like CD's, wireless mice, even computers are cheaper there. CALL ME - Your friendly Computer Virus Removal specialist. Back to Top of Page ========================================================================= November 15, 2006 - News by Jerrold Schiff Headlines: 1) Road Runner - Email - Primary Accounts - on the fritz 2) BEWARE of FREE computer diagnostic services! 3) Backup Backup Backup 4) Flash Player not working? 5) Vista - New operating system (replaces windows XP) System requirements will be costly! ======================================================= DETAILS of above headlines -------------------------- 1) Road Runner - Email - Primary Accounts For the third day in a row - and ONLY in the morning (9 am to 11 am) Road Runner is experiencing problems with their POP3 Servers. Very odd - but if you have more than one account (I have 4 sub accounts) - there are NO problems at all both in receiving and sending emails. Road Runner has apologized for the inconvenience. So, if your Road Runner email is messing up - call them. You don't need to call me! On the good side, I answer my phone immediately, and I don't ask you "verification questions" like your name, social security number and address! 2) BEWARE of FREE computer diagnostic services! To my loyal customers, you'll chuckle over the following write up. Because you already know where to get honest service at the best price! I've received even more complaints from some customers who have physically taken their computer to "major chains" to get "free" diagnostic services on their computer, - only to be "upsold" for needless repairs! While it may not sound like a scam, it works the same way! The FREE diagnostic will ALWAYS FIND SOMETHING WRONG. ANY COMPUTER - even if you just bought it today, will have viruses! Its a fact of life. Every computer can run faster. How can this be true? Computers ship with "free" programs. With advertising programs trying to get you to sign up. And with needless programs (sorry AOL devotees). There are tons of useless temporary files, viruses (most minor) and resource hogs. And there are a multiple of ways to speed up a computer. Once you are IN the store - you can be assured the technician will find things to sell you. You've dragged your computer all the way to the store - what are you going to do? Say no thank you? Doubtful. Do yourself a favour - Call up these stores before you go. Find out how much their services cost. Most stores charge a minimum of $250. And the work may or may not be done within hours - let alone the same day. 3) Backup Backup Backup Are you doing backups on a monthly basis? Are you backing up your documents (word, excel, pictures)? Are you backing up your emails? (Outlook/Express etc)? Yes, I realize you think I am a great technician.... And even if your computer is dead (does not boot), if your hard drive does not spin - I can't save your data! And data recovery from "cold room" companies - will cost over $1000 ! Isn't it time you backed up your data? Training and software available on request. 4) Flash Player not working? Heah, even your computer pro has had trouble with the online version of Adobe Flash Player! Finally found a way to get around the problem. BUT DO NOT TRY THIS UNLESS YOUR ANTI VIRUS PROGRAMS ARE UP TO DATE. Careful what you click on, please. There is a web site: www.break.com If Flash Player is not working, this will send you to a valid web site to download and install Flash Player. 5) Vista - New operating system (replaces windows XP) System requirements will be costly! Vista - Microsoft's next operating system (o/s) MAY be out in early January - so goes the rumours, eh? Will your current computer be able to run Vista? Should you upgrade or buy a new computer? Or hold off? Well, to those of you still running Windows 98 or 2000 (or even, god forbid, Windows ME) the answer is "sure, why upgrade?" Microsoft stopped supporting those operating systems. However, most viruses do not target (or even work on) the "lower" operating systems. So, in reverse logic, running Windows 98 can be a good thing! (Strange!) But VISTA o/s will require a better computer. Already they are calling for 1 gigabyte of RAM. (Ram=memory. Sold in multiples of 2 ie: 128, 256, 385, 512, 1024 megabytes. 1024 megabytes is also called 1 gigabyte) If you are planning on getting a new computer, consider the RAM requirements - 1 gigabyte is now the MINIMUM requirement! 2 gigs are better. As for processing speeds? Or Dual Core (two cpu's). That's a whole different discussion - at a latter date! CALL ME - Your friendly Computer Virus Removal specialist. Back to Top of Page ========================================================================= November 5, 2006 - News FLASH by Jerrold Schiff Jerrold Schiff - News FLASH - Computer Virus Removal WARNING: INTERNET EXPLORER 7.0 is now listed as a CRITICAL UPDATE on Microsoft's Update Page! Yes, I hear you asking "How can anything from Microsoft be bad?" "How can an UPDATE from Microsoft be bad?" And indeed, its a rare occurrence when an update may cause concern. BUT THIS IS INTERNET EXPLORER 7.0 [For Windows XP Service Pack 2] And its a "MAJOR RELEASE" - a challenging change to how you browse the internet. While the GOOD news is that IE 7.0 will "fix" a lot of security holes. The BAD news is that a LOT of your familiar programs and web sites have a long way to go to catch up! Example: Real Estate - MLX has already sent out a letter saying to hold off on upgrading to IE 7.0. Mcafee Anti-virus - users have reported problems. There will be others! So, hold off on the update, for now. ps: The good news about IE 7.0 is that it will use TABBED SCREENS (viewing multiple web pages), zoom screens (for visually handicapped), anti-phishing (suspected web sites), and better activeX controls. Sadly, it's these ActiveX controls that will cause problems with web-based products, VPN (networking into a company web site) and Anti Virus online products. "Computer Virus Removal recommends thorough testing with all vital programs and components to ensure a safe upgrade to Internet Explorer 7.0" Back to Top of Page ========================================================================= September 24th, 2006 - Newsletter by Jerrold Schiff Computer Virus Removal - To be posted on the web: www.schiffkey.com (newsletter) Headlines: 1) Hard Drives are failing 2) Backup your data ! 3) Fun web sites sent in by YOU (my clients) -------------------------- 1) Hard Drives are failing This was a particularly bad week for hard drives. When a hard drive dies - your computer will continually reboot, never completely going to the desktop. ps: Why? (a) viruses take out the boot sector, and (b) age and smoke and dirt are the more common factors. When you hand your computer over to me - if the hard drive still SPINS UP - then your data can be rescued to another hard drive, or to cds. But if it does not spin - you lose everything - emails, documents, spreadsheets, quickbooks, bookmarks, pictures - everything! In today's (Sunday) paper, Office Depot has a hard drive for $30! (after rebates naturally). Compusa = $40. 160gb My charge is $60 for installation and instruction. 2) Backup your data ! I tested a version of NovaStor on the web at www.novastor.com This software is easy to use. And very user friendly! You can back up PART of your data (say "My Documents") or your entire computer - and schedule backups weekly too. Backups explained: You can back up to a CD (computer disk), or to a Hard Drive - which could be a SECONDARY hard drive that is in your computer (C, E etc) - or a hard drive on another computer in your computer network. Another method (albeit more expensive) is to back up onto the interent by purchasing web space / storage space. 3) Fun web sites sent in by YOU (my clients) www.slate.com - left wing far out their political views Or is it right wing? Either way, it gives magazines like Utne Reader a good run for their money - and makes you ponder other people's views. www.43things.com - Make a list of the 43 things you want to do in your life time - 1 would be read this list? www.zillow.com - "A mildly frightening invasion of privacy" Find out how much your home is worth - and what others know about you! www.myspace.com - Find out how much your children are "sharing" about themselves on the internet. www.sheriff.org/videos/psa_cartheft.html MUST SEE - Should be labelled "Identity Theft" - from Broward County Sheriff's Office CALL ME - Your friendly Computer Virus Removal specialist. Back to Top of Page ========================================================================= August 17th, 2006 - Newsletter by Jerrold Schiff Headlines: 1) Dell Notebook Battery Recall http://www.dell.com/ (DO NOT click on links - instead, open your browser and type in the link!) 2) Dell 19 inch flat panel on special Yes, I STILL recommend Dells - despite recalls - despite no longer allowing phone support after warranty expires 3) Refer a friend - get 1 hour free tune-up 4) BACKUP your software. NOVASTOR backup software reviewed. 5) GPS receiver ("Tell me where I am" travel buddy) 6) The THREE levels of email "control" (to help limit spam) -------------------------- 1) no details necessary 2) Dell $691 (Business Division only) - 19 inch flat panel on special - 1 gigabyte of RAM - Dual Core (2 cpu's!) - 1 year warranty (more details available) ASK ABOUT MY PRE-INSTALL DE-CRAPPIFIER service - (AOL removed etc) 3) Refer a friend - get 1 hour free tune-up Yes - the special is back! Get a free ONE HOUR tune up for your computer. Guaranteed to run faster without all those hidden temporary files and programs! Just refer a friend (make sure they said you told them to call me) and get one hour free. 4) BACKUP your software. NOVASTOR backup software reviewed. I recently downloaded a demo version of NOVASTOR (Novabackup) and found the product to be extremely easy to use, convenient, and best of all: You can set it for certain folders and to be run when YOU want it to be run. Read more at http://www.novastor.com/ 5) GPS receiver ("Tell me where I am" travel buddy) Saw this listed in "Computer Shopper". Great for people who get lost and need a toy map. Asus My-pal A636n. And on the same page: Space Case - a glossy carbon fiber padded notebook pad. However, there was no mention if it catches on fire from Dell Notebooks. (Just kidding - Although one customer showed me a fried power adapter!) 6) The THREE levels of email "control" (to help limit spam) 1 - Use a totally bogus email account when asked In order to "go to the next page" and get information, a lot of web sites ask for your email address. Why not give them a funny address? Like noemail@noemail.com Have fun. Make it up. If it gets you to the next page - heck - go for it! 2 - FREE Verification email accounts - create 'em - forget 'em Some web sites require an email account to be verified. They will send an email to that email account, and you need to read the email and respond by proving you are a live person. Free accounts are things like: yahoo, hotmail, and gmail (others exist of course). Use these accounts when you don't really care if your email is lost - or if the account becomes a target of spammers. Do not post personal information. Here is an example: funnyemail@hotmail.com Greenville, SC 29615 phone: 864-111-1111 Birth: Jan 1, 1910 3 - Serious email account - for banking, friends and family This is the email account to be coveted. Only give it out to people you trust. And never enter your password on a web site. - IMPORTANT: Do not trust links or favourites to get to a web site. Instead - type it yourself. And test it using your email AND a phony password. If it lets you go to the next page, then the web site has been phished (faked out). There are programs that help move spam to spam folders. ie Norton Anti-spam, Earthlink verification, Mcafee Anti-spam. Even programs to "pre wash" your email - ie Mailwasher. But because spammers are targeting ALL email (1,1,1,1 thru 256,256,256,256) you will always receive spam. Sorry! The advice above helps limit spam. Oh, and if you want to INCREASE the spam emails that you get: - post your email address on as many web sites as you can - post your email address in FORUMS and Message Boards - don't forget Newsgroups - forward emails to all your friends, include your email address - do not use "BCC" (blind carbon copy) - never hide your email address - sign up for newsletters, especially those that highlight distribution lists (the exception is my newsletter, of course ;-) - register your "good" email address on manufacturer's web sites, photo web sites (try snapfish - it SEEMS to sell your email address) - open any email address TO YOU FROM YOU (spammers insert your email into the FROM container - but you may not remember what you sent yourself!) Back to Top of Page ========================================================================= July 28, 2006 - Newsletter by Jerrold Schiff 1) My Computer is Dead - subtitle - Hard Drives Failing 2) Scary Fact: Mcafee reported July 6th passing a milestone: 200,000th virus. It took 18 years to reach 100,000 - Sept 2004. 3) Phishing - Making a web site or email look like the real thing. Take the test: www.siteadvisor.com/spywarequiz 4) BSOD - The Blue Screen of Death BSOD - The Black Screen of Death --- how do they differ? ----- 1) My Computer is Dead - subtitle - Hard Drives Failing There has been a rash - almost an epidemic of hard drives crashing lately. What is a "hard drive" ? That's where your computer stores all your pictures, documents and files. Its where your operating system and programs are located. Its the "storage area" for everything that's on your computer. Think of it this way: When you press the ON button, the power supply unit turns on (yes, these die too!), then the motherboard turns on (gee, what happens when these go?) then the RAM - Random Access Memory kicks in (RAM acts flaky before it dies) and finally, your hard drive is read to bring in WINDOWS - the operating system. All this happens in minutes - while the Microsoft logo appears across the black part of your screen. What can you do to protect yourself against a hard drive crash? The first and most important thing to do is BACK UP YOUR DATA. Back it up to CD's (if you have a CD Burner). Can you still get data from a dead hard drive? Yes, sometimes - if it still spins. Is there a better approach? The easiest approach is to buy a second computer - but that is very expensive. The second "easiest" approach - is to put in a second hard drive. Use it to back up your documents (etc). And if the first one fails, you can flip over from the first and start using the second drive as the primary drive! Do you have an older (unused) computer? You will need 20 gigabytes or more. New hard drives run about $80 for 80 gigabytes. I've got a sale going on installing fully operative 2nd drives. You'd expect to pay $80 for the 2nd drive, $180 for installing an operating system and $80 for transferring data - plus training to keep everything current. My price? $160 ! However, because of the number of calls I expect to get, it may take more than the one day turnaround that you are used to getting! What would it cost to go without daily emails? - Or lose all your pictures, documents and emails forever? - Or to be without a computer for a week or two? 2) this item needs no details 3) Phishing - Making a web site or email look like the real thing. To protect yourself from phishing attacks 1) keep your operating system up to date Open Internet Explorer, click on TOOLS and WINDOWS UPDATE - Do NOT click on the "windows update" icon in the bottom right desktop. Programs like Spyquake, Winantiviruspro, Pest Trap - highjack the icon! 2) Do not click on a link (any link) in an email message. Instead, open up your browser (ie Internet Explorer) and type in the web site (ie www.suntrust.com) 3) To test a link, enter in a phoney password ! If the web site does not challenge the password, something is wrong! 4) Make sure there is a "lock" icon at the bottom of your browser. This tells you the site is secure. (exceptions abound - but its a start) 5) Do not accept emails from strangers. 6) Take the test: Is it a real site or a fake site? www.siteadvisor.com/spywarequiz http://www.siteadvisor.com/quizzes/spyware_0306.html 4) BSOD - The Blue Screen of Death BSOD - The Black Screen of Death --- how do they differ? The BLUE Screen usually happens when you add new hardware - like a printer. It represents a conflict of the software settings. Write down the error message (ie PAGE_FAULT_IN_NONPAGED_AREA) - give me a call - set up an appointment and I will be there ASAP. The BLACK Screen usually means the hardware in your computer has failed. Could be the RAM, a Power Supply Unit, the Motherboard or the Hard Drive. Except for the motherboard, these errors are fixable - but at a cost. After the diagnostics, we can go over the options to see if its time to buy a new computer or if its economical and possible to fix your computer! Back to Top of Page ========================================================================= July 13, 2006 - Newsletter by Jerrold Schiff 1) Warning - watch out for the following viruses (virii?) Pest Trap - THIS IS NOT MY PROGRAM ! - I may have left "Pest Patrol" on your computer Pest Patrol is a GOOD program - that removes 40% of all known viruses, spyware etc. It even removes LIMEWIRE, KAZAA and BEARSHARE (file sharing programs). It does NOT go after good programs like Azureus! Winantivirus, spyquake, spysheriff, spywareNO - these are truly obnoxious programs - they ANNOUNCE that you have 300 viruses, they TEMPT you into buying their program for removal and they OPEN THE DOOR to really bad viruses and of course, do not remove any viruses at all. Cost is usually $39.95 Cost to reinstall your computer is $180 (that's MY charge) 2) Norton renewal. Is it time to renew your anti virus software? Hire me to update your NORTON, and in that same hour, I will clean out the temporary files, find any hidden viruses, and stop any unnecessary programs from loading, running and using resources. 3) Computer Lessons. By now, you've seen my new advertisement (ie: Winter Park Observer). People have told me that, compared to most computer geeks, they can actually understand what I am saying, and they want me to teach them how to get a handle on their computer. Now, this does not mean advanced lessons in Quickbooks, MS Word, Excel etc. (I have a subcontractor who can handle these questions!) But the basics - how to back up a computer (save files, burn to disks or even add a second hard drive for back up and emergency usage) How to network two or more computers - how to share files or share printers. 4) Emergency Services: Special: You can phone your internet provider (Brighthouse, Bellsouth, AOL etc) and stay on hold for hours - and then get to talk to someone from India OR YOU CAN CALL ME - and I will be IN FRONT OF YOUR COMPUTER WITHIN 30 minutes (well provided I am not in front of someone else's computer !) There is no additional charge for emergency repair services. One of my favourite clients asked: "Jerrold - when do you have a day off?" Answer: "Any day I do not get a phone call!" 5) Hardware Sale: Need a printer? I have a brand new Dell Printer A924 - still in the box. Need a fax / printer? Got an older one - that works great (parallel not usb). Need a "slower" computer for the kids? I've got computers priced under $150 that are perfect for "beginners". Heck, I've got a laptop perfect for a little one wanting to learn Windows (internet access can be disabled). Back to Top of Page =========================================================== July 3, 2006 - Newsletter by Jerrold Schiff 1) Best Price for a Desktop 2) Computer Literate 3) List YOUR favourites (Best web pages) 1) Best Price for a Desktop Dell is running a "back to school special". Even if you are not going back to school, its difficult to pass up the following deal: $514.00 - Total price (tax, shipping, can vary a 2-5 dollars more) Includes: 17 inch flat panel monitor pentium 4 2.8 ghz 1 gigabyte of RAM (memory) 80 gigabyte hard drive cd-rw/dvd (cd burner that can also read/play dvds) 1 year at home warranty on hardware (no speakers, no floppy, no word processing, no anti virus software) Computer Virus Removal offers a preinstall and setup and a connect to your existing printer and internet for $180.00. Moving the data over from another computer costs an additional $60. ------- 2) Computer Literate Could you image going to a restaurant and saying to your friends "Here, you read the menu, English was too tough to learn" Yet, it seems okay to say "I don't know how to use the computer. I am Computer Illiterate". WE CAN HELP YOU ! Initially, you hired Computer Virus Removal to get your computer up and running. But are you using the computer to the best of YOUR ability? Do you want to know more? You have questions, but maybe you have been intimidated and afraid to ask? Computer Virus Removal now offers help, on an hourly basis to get you over these minor(!) stumbles. Get all your questions in order, and give me a call. You'll be introduced to our new staffer: Laurel. Less rushed, more relaxed, Laurel went thru the same learning curves you are experiencing. Call today - for a 'general introductory course' or send in your specific questions for a step by step hands on approach to conquering your computer fears! --- 3) List YOUR favourites (Best web pages) Send me your bookmarks >> Internet Explorer, FILE, IMPORT/EXPORT, next, export favorites, next, -browse: ie: c:\my documents-, save the file as "bookmark.htm. Exit out of Internet Explorer, Open up your email program and send your bookmark.htm as an attachment. All bookmarks will be edited. Privacy, security and confidential links will be removed. Only the best and most interesting links will be posted to my website !!! Back to Top of Page =============================================================== May 7, 2006 - Newsletter by Jerrold Schiff 1) How important is your computer? one word: BACKUP 2) Seniors - Free expo - May 9th and 10th 3) What is "angieslist" - How to find Local Businesses Please rate "Computer Virus Removal" (be creating a user account) 4) Torrents - Another way to download music etc Is it any safer? Faster? Better? Legal? 5) ORLANDO SENTINEL - Mission Space - My letter to the editor 6) Web sites - Clients who have purchased web space - They've started creating their web pages.... - And need your business! 3973rd CDS http://maxintro.com Peggy Delaura Rock Springs Bar and Grill http://nfkids.com (not hosted. just teaching web page design) 7) Comments? ---------- 1) How important is your computer? As much as I abhor high pressure sales techniques, for people who DEPEND on their computers.... Here are some things to think about: What would it cost you if your computer died? - lost emails - lost address book (contact names numbers addresses) - lost financials (quickbooks peachtree etc) - lost pictures (digital pictures have no "negatives" to make second prints) - lost down time - being without a computer - without email capabilities - lost bargaining power when trying to buy a replacement computer What are you doing to protect your "investment"? - backing up data on a regular basis - keeping your computer free of viruses, spyware and trojans - deleting ALL the temporary files, folders and programs - uncovering why your computer is slowing down - electrical protection (surge bar protectors are not enough!) - is your internet connection open to your neighbours and other strangers? - are other family members using their own computers, or yours, opening the door for indirect attacks? While it is true that the price of a computer is getting lower and thus more "affordable" and "replaceable", how you actually USE the computer and spend time on the computer is NOT A RENEWABLE RESOURCE. It comes with a price. A price worth protecting. If you would like a professional analysis of your "computing habits", or would like to hire me to back up your computer... call me. Methods: Back up to a CD/DVD. Back up to another hard drive. Offsite storage. 2a) Seniors - Free expo - May 9th and 10th Price: Free. Senior Expo Where: Central Florida Fairgrounds 4603 W. Colonial Drive Orlando, FL Orlando's 10th annual Senior Expo will feature health screenings, educational seminars and door prizes. When: May. 9: 10 a.m. - 4 p.m. May. 10: 10 a.m. - 4 p.m. [ found on http://orlandocitybeat.metromix.com/ ] 2b) Central Florida Computer Society [ Web site and Monthly Meetings] Its a great place to meet and get free advice among people who may or may not know as much as you do, or specialists who know a lot about certain things http://www.cfcs.org/ 3) What is "angieslist" http://www.angieslist.com/ As listed in the Orlando Sentinel, Friday April 28th by Greg Dawson (Page E2) I'm hoping, that if you liked the work that I did on your computer, that you'd give me a great rating ! Hello Jerrold, Thank you for your interest in Angie's List(r). It is always great to hear from companies that are interested in getting on the list. Angie's List is a consumer-based organization that collects ratings on local companies in over 250 different types of services ranging from plumbers and handymen to movers and mulch. Angie's List members are area consumers, who provide Angie's List detailed feedback regarding their experiences with area service providers. Our members check Angie's List to see what companies other members rate well. It does not cost companies anything to be on Angie's List. The only way companies get on the list is when a member who has used a company reports on them. A company's standing with Angie's List is recorded on an A -F scale (just like a school report card.) If a company maintains an A or B rating then we will distribute their name and information to our members when they inquire about categories in which the company is rated. Companies start out by asking their current clients if they happen to be members of Angie's List. If so, that person can submit a report on their experience with your company. If you run into someone who is not a member and wants to become an Angie's List member, they can do so while reporting on your company. We welcome reports (and memberships) over the phone at, (407) 916-5478 or toll free (888) 822-4345, and via our website, www.angieslist.com. If you have any questions please do no not hesitate to contact us. You, as a service provider, may contact us at 1.866.843.5478 or companyhelp@angieslist.com. Thanks again for your interest in being on Angie's List, and we look forward to helping you serve the community. Good luck getting on Angie's List! Carson Gillespie Company Help Specialist Toll Free 866-843-5478 companyhelp@angieslist.com 4) Torrents - Another way to download music etc We all know people like to download music, software, movies and pictures. Let's face it: Some things you can download are perfectly legal, while others unquestionably illegal. Examples of downloads: Songs (name a song, any song - its somewhere on the internet) Movies (from any year, heck, even movies with subtitles) Software (computer people call this "try before you buy" - sadly, most rarely follow thru and buy) My role is more like a librarian: "Here is how you find the book - but its up to you whether you borrow it or buy it" Programs of yesteryear are fraught with danger - hidden within the seemingly safe files are trojans, viruses and spyware. Its easy to get confused: Something says "baby.jpg" - so you think its a picture - right? Wrong. c:> rename virus.exe baby.jpg (that was written in DOS if you are old enough to remember it!) Programs such as Bearshare, Ares, Kazaa and Limewire - if indeed they still work - are easy and popular targets to rework popular downloads into some really nasty viruses. [ Remember to call me often if you use these programs ] TORRENTS: While not necessarily safer, this is gaining popularity for downloading Concept: Instead of downloading from ONE computer (which may or may not be infected), download PARTS of a file from MANY computers - put it all together and you have your file. Let's say there was a non-copyrighted edition of "Bambi meets Godzilla" And it was say, 500 megabytes (the size of a CD - in other words - huge) Downloading using Limewire would take hours - and if the other computer was turned off, or lost its connections - you would be stuck with a useless partial download - and have to start over again. Instead, if you used a TORRENT (a file seed or pointer if you will) Then, it would find 500 different computers, download all the parts, and then put them all together - you now have your movie. Is it any faster? Sometimes. But the files I download are huge - and would take hours anyway. Is it safer? Vastly safer [ But I still scan all downloads for viruses, trojans and spyware ] Is it easy to do? No !!! - Initially - NO it is NOT at all easy. Setting up a torrent program (and there are lots of different kinds) means giving permission to your firewall program, windows, and router (if you have one). - Once that is done, you are not out of the water: - Now, you need to find a torrent (the seed) There are certain web sites that help you search for torrents. - Once you have a torrent, you can start your download - And once you have your download, provided it comes up clean when scanned, you are set to "run it" If learning about Torrents is of interest, give me a call. The first 20 callers can have a special install price of $60 - flat rate (not hourly). But budget to be available for an hour or three until it works (no charge if it doesn't) 5) ORLANDO SENTINEL - Mission Space - My letter to the editor ps: You can read the newspaper online ! http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/opinion/letters/orl-le06_506may06,0,6374433.story?coll=orl-opin-letters-headlines "While we all can deeply sympathize with families of those who have been injured on or have passed away after going on rides such as Mission: Space, there are many of us who do not believe the solution is to "stop rides from having motion." If Mission: Space can have a "non-motion" version, then it can have a "seasoned veteran" version, where the ride is twice as good as the "standard" ride. I have ridden Mission: Space many times -- and come away wishing it could spin faster, harder and longer. Disney needs to sell a "Mission Commander Times Two" pass. This would certify and set aside one of the four "gravitons" to double the effects -- such as gravity! Keep the tame one labelled "Mission to Mars" -- and sign me up for the super-deluxe "Mission to Jupiter." Beam me up, Scotty!" Jerrold Schiff Apopka Back to Top of Page ======================================================================== April 2nd, 2006 - Newsletter by Jerrold Schiff Local - On call - On site - Computer Support Specialist Topics: 1) Fun Links 2) Pay ONE PRICE for YEAR ROUND SUPPORT 3) Dial up? Go broadband and save money! 4) What to do with old computers 5) Hardware services now offered 6) Running Slowly? Out of Disk Space? 7) Share files/printers in the same house 8) Get your software updates 9) Free phone/email support (in "Jerrold" English) 1) Fun Links Email your bookmarks - to share with others Canadian TV Humour http://www.cbc.ca/22minutes/video.html http://www.cbc.ca/mercerreport/backissues.php?season=1 Ancient DOS games (may or may not work on XP...) http://www.abandonia.com/index2.php British Best for Children http://www.bbc.co.uk/cbeebies/ War Driving - Want to know the latest software that can break thru your Wireless Internet Connections? http://www.azwardriving.com/software/index.php 2) Pay ONE PRICE for YEAR ROUND SUPPORT Hedge against the cost of individual service calls! Computer Virus Removal now offers a One Year Maintenance Contract that includes: --- one full reinstall of the operating system including data backup (limited software reinstallation) Regular price: $180 (data restore not included in price) --- two hour service call every other month for regular maintenance (defrag, virus scans) Regular price $120 *per* visit TOTAL PRICE of the service contract: $300 3) STILL on Dial up service? Call me - you can be on Broadband (about 50 times as fast as dialup) for about $10 a month more than you are paying for dial up! AND, if you have more than one computer, you may be eligible for a FREE WIRELESS ROUTER and receiver! SPRINT call centers do NOT offer the same sign up deals! Call me directly. 4) Old computers on "trade" If you have an old computer that either is not working or that you no longer need, why not use it as credit on a service call for your current computer? We will pay you a $30 credit for your old computer. Then turn around and have a quick "clean up" - ie: deleting temporary files and removing resource hog programs that slow down your computer over time. If the diagnostics show more serious work is required, you will be informed and given a written estimate. 5) Hardware specialist joins the team ! Please welcome Martin to Computer Virus Removal. Martin's expertise is in computer hardware. Hardware upgrade? DVD writer? Second disk drive? More memory? Here is an example of how Martin and I have worked together: A customer had a computer that had so many viruses, it went into a reboot loop and windows never came up. Saving the data, and reinstalling the operating system was my task. But on opening the computer case, Martin found that the cable to the disk drive was badly worn/torn. Also, the cooling fan was missing and cables were incorrectly wired for speed (going from zip drive to C drive!) 6) Running Slowly? Out of Disk Space? [Especially laptops] Sure, you bought a great computer with a huge hard drive - but now its running out of space - How? Well, in their infinite wisdom (for example: Sony Vaio said "To protect users from putting too many video files on their computer"), computer manufactures split the hard drives in TWO Partitions (C and D drives). And since all documents etc go on C - guess which drive gets filled up and clogs to death? How do you know if you have a problem? Have a look at your hard drive (right click on 'start' bottom left corner, left click on 'explore', click on 'my computer'). If you have a 'C' drive AND a 'D' drive - then look at the 'free space' column. If it is too low, then you are running out of space. Low space will cause your disk to get corrupted, losing data and worse: the computer will continuously reboot when you try to start it up. Give me a call BEFORE the hard drive fails! 7) Share files/printers in the same house If you have more than one computer - why have more than one printer? I can set up printer and file sharing - and teach you how to keep it up and running! 8) Get your software updates Is your software up to date? Are you getting all the updates you need to keep your computer running smoothly? Have you upgraded to Service Pack 2? To many, these questions are BORING - but this is NORMAL MAINTENANCE to me! You have your car serviced regularly - What about your computer? 9) Free phone/email support (in "Jerrold" English) As always, a quick 2 minute question is always free. As long as I am not with a customer [so please ASK first: "Are you free?" - its not just a pun, it is a British introduction in the long running situational comedy "Are You Being Served"]. Better still - email questions - and after researching - you'll get a reply back - usually within one day. In fact, I might just start posting questions and answers on my web site (your name will not be disclosed). Back to Top of Page ======================================================================== March 13th, 2006 - Newsletter by Jerrold Schiff INDEX of Articles 1) Don't Panic [ That's what I am here for !] ---------------- 2) Free and useful programs 3) Web site of the day 4) File sharing. File downloading. Music 5) Maintenance, backups, updates - IT IS TIME! 6) High Speed connection for slightly more than the price of Dial up? Or in some cases LESS! 7) Buying a new laptop / pc ? Fears of VISTA (the NEXT Windows Operating System AFTER XP?) 8) Orlando Sentinel - "The Last Resort" My name in print (bad news is good publicity?) 1) Don't Panic [ That's what I am here for !] ---------------- How to handle computer problems a) Stare at the screen [ It will calm you down. Figure out the next step ] b) Write down the EXACT message - if the screen is Black with White lettering it may be a hardware problem. But caused by....? - if its a Blue screen with White lettering BSOD - the Blue Screen of Death These are treated very very seriously! write the message on the second line (ie "unsupported_boot_disk") write the numbers (ie 0x0000033) AND CALL ME IMMEDIATELY You'll need to shut down the computer by pressing and holding the ON OFF button. - if the message is over top of your desktop (normal screen) - if its in a Blue Box (terminology "dialogue box") - write down what it WANTS you to do (DON'T Do It!) - is there an X upper right? - if not, select TASK MANAGER and Stop the process c) write down WHAT you were doing at the time. (internet explorer, email program like outlook, instant messaging etc) write down WHAT programs you last installed on your computer (adding a game, updating windows etc) d) Depending on just how serious the error may be.... And you'll love this answer.... Shut down the computer, reboot it, start it back up again, and the message MAY have gone away. Sadly, if the message relates to a virus, this advice could actually make things worse (it finishes installing the virus and wipes out important files). The other option is to press and hold the ON OFF button and force the computer to shut down. You will, of course, lose any data and changes (say you have a word processing program open or you're in the middle of an email). e) Call me. If you can give me all the info above, I may recognize the problem and give the best advice. [ ie: can I fix it over the phone or need to be in front of the computer to try a few tricks ] f) The very last thing to do is take a hammer to the computer. While that may be on my LOGO - Don't do it ! Besides, the parts within a computer are saleable. And I do have a service to help you select a new computer, and help with the pre-install (removing free demo garbage). 2) Free and usefull programs Source: MaximumPC WinDirStat - paints a picture of disk usage (and large files!) http://windirstat.sourceforge.net/ Not reviewed: www.slysoft.com ANYDVD $40 (30 day demo is free) Haven't tried this one - but it says it can let you watch movies or make copies bypassing the "copy protection". Hmmmm... 3) Web site of the day: http://www.madehow.com This is a great web site For old and ESPECIALLY YOUNG (How are Marshmallows made? etc) 4) File sharing. File downloading. Music. Yes, it's still illegal and immoral I'm just reporting on the TRENDS. a) Highly recommend that you stop using Bearshare, Kazaalite or any other file sharing program. Why? Well, they download the WHOLE program / file. Two reasons: 1) If the other guys computer is turned off, you lose your download BEFORE it is finished. 2) Its fraught with corrupt files, viruses and porn. As more and more downloads are mislabeled or "changed out" (rename porn.exe to babypictures.jpg and when you open what you THINK is harmless, guess what you get !) b) Newest method: TORRENTS A "Torrent" uses the "forest is made up of little trees" approach. Take a 500 megabyte program. If you split it into 500 parts - you can have ANY of those parts on ANY computer in the world. TORRENTS - each individual part - is downloaded to your computer. And then "put back together" to make up the entire file. THEN - you can use it (Scan for viruses, run the program, watch the movie, listen to the music etc). Of course, using TORRENTS has a heavy learning curve, not for the faint of heart... But for the patient person, this is the best approach (safer, albeit more time consuming) I've created a "learning class" complete with installing the free software. Two hour class - for the price of one hour. $60 5) Maintenance, backups, updates - IT IS TIME! Its time again to ask yourself: What will you do if your computer dies a miserable death? Have you backed up your hard drive? Got all your pictures, emails, documents and financials on a CD or other backup media? Is your computer getting slower? (Duh, that IS how Microsoft works you know?) - You clean your oil and air filter - have you cleaned your computer? Got the latest updates from Microsoft? If you need help - YOU KNOW WHO TO CALL ! AND guess what? Because this is SOOOO long, mundane and boring I'll give you a special rate: Four hours for the price of TWO hours ($120). Yes, it really takes that long! I know - I pamper my computer - change its diaper once a week! (this analogy has been cleaned up) 6) High Speed connection for slightly more than the price of Dial up? Or in some cases LESS! Got Dial up? Who is your local phone carrier? If its SPRINT - call Alex Del La Rosa 407-830-3646 AND MENTION I SENT YOU! Alex is a Sprint Sales Agent and will answer all your questions (With permission, he can look at your billing and save you even more money). CALL ME - and I can help you install the SPRINT High Speed Internet Connection. That includes backing up your files, preparing your computer, AND BEST OF ALL? Getting you online so that you FINALLY get all of MICROSOFT updates - and Service Pack 2 (finally, the protection YOU NEED) As always, if there are any questions: The first 5 minutes are free ! 7) Buying a new laptop / pc ? Fears of VISTA (the NEXT Windows Operating System AFTER XP?) VISTA is not out YET (except in testing mode). The FEAR is that, to get it to work on your computer, you will need to upgrade the CPU (processing power) and the hard drive (disk space) If there is ANY advice - that may be considered worthwhile down the road (a year, two years out).... Look to DUAL CORE processing - TWO CPU chips are better than one. - especially for watching movies or playing online games More memory is better (bet you've heard that one before). Currently 512 megabytes of RAM is "required". Double it to a gigabyte (1024 - but call it a GIG). Can't go wrong. But, guess what, its still expensive DISK SPACE - Gee. This is the only item that hasn't changed! Certainly, most computers come with 80 gigs of disk space. Heck, I've seen desktops with over 120 or 200 gigs! But guess what? You don't need more than 20 for your pictures etc. Sure, VISTA will take up a lot of space. But at this time I wouldn't worry about running out of disk space! 8) Orlando Sentinel - "The Last Resort" My name in print (bad news is good publicity?) Google (www.google.com) Orlando Sentinel Jerrold Schiff or click on: http://www.orlandosentinel.com/features/lifestyle/orl-dawson1006mar10,0,7892176.column?coll=orl-home-lifestyle [ The article is ABOVE my name "Jerrold Schiff - Apopka" I would have put a LINE to separate the letters and answers!] Back to Top of Page ======================================================================== February 22, 2006 - Newsletter by Jerrold Schiff 0) Active Content 1) Fav Web Sites 2) Move to High Speed from Dial up 3) T-shirts and Calendars 4) Computer Parts 5) Special Pricing on Computer Services ---------------------------------------- 0) Active Content My web site now has "active content". Yes, that's what they call a scrolling marquee - COMPANY ADVERTISING! If you see a yellow bar (Windows XP), then click YES - because this is safe. And if you really trust me (and who doesn't?) then you can make www.schiffkey.com a trusted site: click on Internet Explorer | Tools | Internet Options | Security now click on Trusted Sites and the "Sites" button and enter http://www.schiffkey.com Remember to remove the check mark - require server verification (no https) 1) Favourite Web Sites ! Share your favorite web sites with everyone! I'm hooked on http://marsrovers.jpl.nasa.gov/home/index.html The Rovers were built to go THREE months on Mars, have passed the one year mark and are still going ! Send me your favorite web sites and I'll list them on my web site. Include the link (just copy / paste) and a write a sentence or two on "Why I like this web page" 2) Dial up? Still in slow motion? Ask me how to get high speed internet service for almost the same price as your dial up service! Ask about my SPECIAL on "how to install high speed" and how to get your computer ready - internet card versus dial up modem - removing viruses - how to get updates to all your software 3) T-Shirts and Calendars. I'm almost out of T-Shirts and Calendars. They're cool. They're useful. They are free with a minimum one hour service call. Call now! 4) Computer Parts ! Want to try a Trackball mouse? Need a cleaner keyboard? Anxious to try a router? Give a laptop to your youngster - so they wouldn't mess with yours! 5) Special Special Special. Have you been really bugged by your computer, and you know it would take a really long time to fix all the things wrong with it? Here is a special offer just for you! Get ONE HOUR FREE when you purchase TWO HOURS of my basic "maintenance" services. That's right - have your computer completely tuned up. I'll look at programs that need to be deleted. Programs that you want, but are just sucking up valuable resources. Programs that are running slowly. And all those little things - the mouse sticks - the computer freezes - email loads too slowly - can't send pictures (or how to send LOTS of pictures) - cd burner isn't burning. You name it - I'll find a fix ! Back to Top of Page =============================================================== January 19, 2006 - Newsletter by Jerrold Schiff To be added to this mailing list Send an email with "subscribe" in the subject line. Topics: 1. Dangerous viruses. 2. Your name on a web page: Web Hosting 3. Act! and Outlook (working together, really) 4. "Children" and what is myspace? 5. Passwords - if forgotten - is all lost? 6. News readers - what is rssreader? 7. T-shirts, Calendars, Decals 1. Dangerous viruses. Ok, so I've told you to back up your data, documents and emails. And you are running the latest windows updates and scanning for viruses. Are you safe? No. But you are SAFER. My vote for the worst viruses (current nasties) are: Winfixer, Winantiviruspro, Virtumundo and Aurora These usually appear on your screen as POP UPS. Do NOT click on the X to exit. Instead, use the "task manager" (control alt delete) And remove the offending web page / pop up. Call me if you have any questions. If you are unable to stop these programs, or you are already infected, schedule a service call. 2. Your name on a web page: Web Hosting If you do not have your own web site, and you are running a company, then consider getting your own web page. Mine is: www.schiffkey.com Not only that: You can now personalize your email: jerrold@schiffkey.com Before you get too excited: Not all web names are available. But with a little imagination - you too can have your name in lights (web lights?) It costs $131.90 a year to have a web site. This includes Domain Registration. Note that there are limits on the amount of traffic (hits on your web site). If you need a quick "home page" for your web site, I can make one up for you for $60. Figure out what you need on the page (phone #, pictures..) 3. Act! and Outlook (working together, really) Act! is a "contact database". Great to keep tabs on your sales calls. Outlook is Microsoft's "full service" email handler. It's a bit tricky to keep them in sync, and for mass mailings. I can help you with the basic set up and getting you up and running. 4. "Children" - what is myspace. Too many my calls about computers that have died / frozen / infected have www.myspace.com as the home page. In theory, myspace is meant to let friends find and chat with each other. But - it is used mostly by children (and Adults posing as children!) I set up my own web page to see what it looked like. First off, it asks for AGE and BIRTHDATE - can you say RED FLAG for danger? In fact, anything that you and I know is wrong - is almost "required" here ! A lesson in "when to lie, how to lie" and other Net Safety tips is a GOOD IDEA. I am currently reviewing software programs such as CyberSitter and NetNanny. (a) does the program block objectionable web sites (b) does the program secretly monitor and report to the parent: screen images, web pages and text entered in chat rooms and emails. Its not that you WANT to spy on your kids. Its more like "heah, we need to have something to hand to the police when you go missing." ie To show you care. 5. Passwords - if forgotten - is all lost? Just thought I'd list the types of passwords that can be recovered / bypassed. Quicken, Quickbooks, Act!, MS Word, Excel. Windows XP (etc) logon screen. BIOS passwords. 6. News readers - what is rssreader? Background (history) There are "newsgroups" and news readers. One of the oldest is Forte Agent. But newsgroups amounted to people posting almost random thoughts. As an example: comp.database.ingres - all about the Ingres Database. Latest stuff is "news delivery". RSSreader is a program - based on your selections, will get the latest news. As an example, The Motely Fool (investing). Articles are posted here as if printed in a newspaper. Or found on THEIR web site. For some, it means getting the paper delivered to your door instead of having to go to their web site each day and asking "what's new?" For more information on rssreader, go to http://www.rssreader.com/ Lastly: What's a newsletter without a sales pitch? 7. T-shirts, Calendars, Decals Have you seen my web site lately? www.schiffkey.com I am GIVING AWAY free t-shirts - with a one-hour minimum service call. And IF I get a service call because someone spotted you WEARING the t-shirt - you get a FREE CHECKUP (one hour service call) !!!!! ps: FREE PUBLICITY Send me your web site / business contact information. I'll add you to the "scroll box" of LOCAL FRIENDLY BUSINESSES !!! Back to Top of Page ========================================================================= October 20, 2005 - Newsletter by Jerrold Schiff Index: 1) Hurricane Warnings Computer check list 1a) Data 1b) Electricity 1c) Email In the past, I have used and strongly recommend the following services -- see list below -- 1a) Data - back up your data - write to cds Not sure how? Don't have a CD Burner or software? Give me a call ! Types of Data - financials - Accounting: Quickbooks/Peachtree - Spreadsheets: Excel - Word documents - Personal notes - Word documents - emails (Outlook or Outlook Express) - Pictures - usually stored in "my pictures" files ending in .jpg, .gif - Music - if you use Itunes, you may be looking at a LOT of cds! Where to put the cds you just created? - consider "off site" storage - like a bank safety box - or a trusted relative in another city / state - or mail it to yourself using the post office