The Computer Wizard

Helpful Tips and Info For Small Business Technology

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Remote Computer Repair

March 5th, 2012 by zam17 No comments »

We often get asked about remote computer repair services. We provide 24/7 remote computer repair support for your small business.

These days, there are more threats to your business computer systems than ever. Malware like virus, but also simply slightly less robust machines being built in the first place (We also build rock-solid machines from scratch, inquire if interested).

We have engineers on call 24/7 to work on your machine remotely, in-shop, or to visit you on site.

Many of our customers love the remote service feature because of a lower charge (no trip fee) , the speed of service, and the convenience.

Call us today at 972.781.0011 to learn more about how our unique remote computer repair service can benefit your business.

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Posted in Computer Speed, maintenance

30% off for new Small Business Clients

March 2nd, 2012 by zam17 No comments »

We are happy to announce our new Small Business Incentive program. New Small Business clients signing up now will receive a 30% discount on selected services. Click here to learn more.

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Posted in Backup, small business

New Mac Virus Steals Your Password

February 27th, 2012 by zam17 No comments »

There is a new virus in the wild targetting Mac uses. It is capable of stealing passwords to such online services as Google, PayPal and online banking.

The new trojan is a strain of the “Flashback” virus discovered last year, and it is rapidly increasing the infection rate.

It works in one of two ways:

1) Using embeded Java in websites (doesn’t even require user interaction). Users should update their Java version immediately.

2) Asking the user to install it using a legitimate seeming certificate (see above). This seems to be the most common way new infections are occuring.

This trend is alarming, because in the past virus makers were much more likely to target windows machines than macs (4 million new Windows malware strains in the 4th quarter of 2011, compared to just 50 for Apple computers). The increased market share of Mac will likely make them a much more attractive target going forward.

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Posted in mac, malware

NSF “all-in” for battle Against Computer Viruses

August 30th, 2011 by zam17 No comments »

New proactive approach and funding will seek to thwart attacks before they begin.

According to University of Texas – Dallas computer scientist, Kevin Hamlen, the future of computer security will not simply be to analyze threats by form and appearance, but also by anticipation of their actions.
The National Science Foundation has begun a 5-year, $500,000k project to do just that.

“Results from the research will lead to powerful new strategies, concepts and practical tools that give defenders a significant new advantage in the virus-antivirus arms race,” he said.

The new approach will still include pattern recognition, but the second part of the equation – anticipating the future – will get a lot of the attention. It will work by deploying algorithms that watch the suspicious code as it begins to spread, and instantly engage it as soon as evidence of impending harm becomes obvious.

“The scale of the malware problem demands such innovative tactics”, he said.

Computer Troubleshooters Partners with Wifi Networks to Provide Public Wifi Access for Downtown Carmel, IN

August 15th, 2011 by zam17 No comments »

Residents, businesses, and visitors of Carmel, IN will now have wifi access when downtown. Computer Troubleshooters, a company providing computer services for the area, has partnered with Wifi Networks to provide a wifi network specifically for the downtown area. Computer Troubleshooters will design, build and manage the network .

“The need for a dedicated, citywide, wifi network was blaringly evident,” says Feras Mash, owner of Computer Troubleshooters. “I’m glad our team was able to step up to the challenge to provide business owners, residents, and visitors to our great city with this feature. This is the first part of this wifi network as we are planning on extending access to other parts of the city beyond downtown.”

Computer Troubleshooters has been helping the city in other ways as well. Because of this new partnership and demand for wifi and other computer services, Computer Troubleshooters has expanded its downtown service center and increased staff. This helps boost the local economy.

Excellent service is synonymous with Computer Troubleshooters. When it came time to launch the downtown Carmel, IN wifi network, staff worked hard to ensure it was done correctly.

“They did a great job. It was fabulous. They were very timely. Everything was completed in less than 24 hours. Everything is running smoothly. Their follow up is fabulous,” states Ms. K. Packard, managing partner at Marketshare Financial.

Computer Troubleshooters provides small business with the support they need, whether it’s with laptops, desktops, and now public wifi.

“Extremely knowledgeable–Computer Troubleshooters explained the technical parts for me in a way that I could understand. He gave advice, but applied no pressure. The tech had a very pleasant personality which I enjoyed,” said L. Bangs of Carmel, IN.

To learn more about Computer Troubleshooters, the computer services they provide and the new wifi network in downtown Carmel, IN, visit ctcarmel.com. For specific Wifi information please visit WifiCarmel.com

src – PRWeb.com

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Posted in PressRelease

New Virus Scam Ripping Through Canada

August 3rd, 2011 by zam17 No comments »

Maybe it’s the polite, trusting nature of the Canadians. Who knows. But yet another virus scam is ripping through Canada.

The scam involves the dupe getting an unsolicited call from someone claiming to represent an official sounding computer technology firm. The representative then convinces the victim to give him access to his/her computer remotely in order to remove a bad virus on the machine. Once in, he installs software which will let him remotely connect to the machine at any later time of his choosing, thus giving him access to every file on that users machine, and potentially, their network.

Tips to keep safe if this hits your town:
-Beware of unsolicited calls from any organization wanting access to your computer.
-If the person recommends that you keep your computer on at all times, even afterwards, ask why. If they respond that it is the only way to make sure the virus doesn’t come back, or something similar, you know they are selling a lie.

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Posted in cybercrime, malware, scams

Tags: scams virus

Japanese man arrested for having a virus on his PC

July 27th, 2011 by zam17 No comments »

He could get two years!

Yasihuro Kawaguchi, 38, of Gifu Prefecture, was arrested at his home after police located a virus on his PC.

The virus copied worked by copying graphic files on a computers that also contained certain peer-to-peer file sharing software.

Kawaguchi at least wisely selected his victims. He named it so that it appeared to be illegal, under age pornography. Users would attempt to download it, and then open it, would be infected.

Evidently in Japan it is illegal to not only infect other computers but even to have a virus on one’s PC that could potentially be used to infect other computers (how it is determined if one got infected on their own is unclear. Read more here.)

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Posted in cybercrime, malware

4 Computer Performance Tips

July 5th, 2011 by zam17 1 comment »

Every wondered why your computer ran really fast when you purchased it, but over time slowed to a crawl? There are some simple maintenance items you can do yourself to help keep your machine fast. Below are 4 computer performance tips.

Remove all programs on your machine, that you installed, that you no longer need.
Install proper anti-virus and malware protection software. Malicious software is often one of the biggest contributing factors to slow PC performance.
Stop unnecessary services. Some programs run in the background without your knowledge. These are generally “services”. Stopping services that not required to run your computer can have a huge impact on speed. Not sure which ones to stop? Bring your machine in and we give your machine a computer diagnostic.
Run a registry optimizer and cleaner program, such as the free CCleaner.

If after performing these actions (And they should be done regularly), you still are having issues. Give us a call at 972.781.0011 and we will diagnose all issues, and make your computer run like-new again.

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Posted in Computer Speed, maintenance, performance

Tags: computer performance maintenance registry

Computer Terminology Explained

June 29th, 2011 by zam17 1 comment »

Computer jargon can sometimes be intimidating. With this in mind I present a brief guide to some commonly used, but not completely obvious, terms that some of our clients ask about. Hopefully, when surfing the net for information about your computer, this will help you make better decisions.

Router - A physical device that can join multiple network devices together (computers, printers, mobile devices, and more). If you have a home network with multiple computers operating on one Internet connection, you are probably using a router.

Cat 5 cable – The standard wire of choice for most computer network connections, including Ethernet. The thick wire that goes from the back of your computer to your Verizon. Time Warner, or other modem, is probably a Cat 5 cable.

Ethernet – A standard technology for computer networking. Others exist, but this is generally all the typical person will encounter.

CPU – Central Processing Unit. Essentially, the “brains” of a computer. It is the CPU that performs calculations and interprets instructions to be carried out by the computer.

Gigahertz – or GHz is a unit of measurement for CPU “clock speed”. The higher this number, the faster your CPU can perform calculations.

Dual/Quad Core Processor – Multiple cores allow a CPU to carry out multiple instructions simultaneously. For example if a dual core has a clock speed of 3.2 GHz and a single core has a clock speed of 3.2 GHz one can expect better performance from the dual core machine.

Worm – Like a virus, in that it is malware that sends copies of itself to other machines on a given network. It is different, though, because it doesn’t have to corrupt or alter existing files in order to do its damage.

Let The Computer Wizard to be your guide. 972.781.0011

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Posted in education, malware

Mommy, how are computer viruses “born”?

June 27th, 2011 by zam17 2 comments »

Often when I get an infected computer in the shop I am asked where did the virus come from. The client often says “I never open e-mails from people I do not know or trust.”

These days, your web browser is the most frequent means used to infect your machine. The virus can infect your machine simply by looking at a web page and clicking an image or link on it. According to a recent report from Cisco systems, most virus activity in early 2011 came from GIF injection attacks (hidden command code contained inside of an image).

Search engine related attacks were also common. These happen when you perform a normal search on Google, Bing, or Yahoo, and then get redirected to another page of search results from some unrecognizable search engine. Often, the results on this page will take you to an infected web page.

Facebook “likejacking” is also common. This is where you are made to “like” a page you didn’t intend to when clicking on an image on Facebook.