Author: Janet Riley

The most difficult thing is the decision to act, the rest is merely tenacity. —Amelia Earhart

Déjà vu? Remember last month when I told you about the horrors of hard drive recovery? We had another distress call in February.   This time the data recovery process was complicated by the sensitivity of the data. Apparently, if you are working with sensitive data you are not allowed to send your failed hard drive to just any data recovery specialist. And you might need permission from all the people in your database to even start the recovery process. Getting permission is near impossible when the only copy of the data is on a dead hard drive. So, if you missed last months newsletter about how to do a backup, I would suggest you scroll down to the previous post: No Backup? No Problem!  Posted on February 7.

If you are good with keeping current backups, then I would also remind you to check the backup occasionally. Automating backups is a true life saver but if the automation goes wonky it is no better than no backup. Assuming, the backup is good, I suggest doing a sample restore occasionally. You don’t need to do a full restore, just pick a file or two and restore to a new location (so you don’t overwrite the existing files). Having done a practice restore a time or twice, will also give you confidence, if and when the time comes for you to do a real life restore.

Other things that crossed my desk last month:

https://haveibeenpwned.com/ Have I been Pawned? Type in your email address and this site will list the data breaches and what personal information has been exposed for your email address.   The rule of thumb is: if your email address has been exposed, it is a good idea to change passwords. Which is a real pain in the rear, and brings us to the second thing that crossed my desk last month:

https://www.dashlane.com/ DashLane is a password manager, form filler, digital wallet and more. It’s free for use on a single device and for $40/year it will sync your passwords across multiple devices. It has some wonderful features, one of which is the ability to change passwords at multiple sites. It also allows you to share select passwords and give emergency access to someone you trust.

In the past I have recommended LastPass. Available at: www.lastpass.com. It has similar features and is less expensive at $24/year. Both platforms have business editions as well.

That’s all for this month. If you need a good belly laugh watch this 10 second video of a toddler feeding a pigeon: https://youtu.be/T9JudgrUsEI. If you need assistance protecting your data, call Comp-U-Talk. (541-756-8770)

Keeping the New Year Happy!!

Janet

 

Because it made me laugh:

If you treat your wife like a thoroughbred, you’ll never end up with a nag. ~ Zig Ziglar

It happened again this past week. The phone call came in. The person on the other end was anxious. One miss click and an entire life time of photos was gone. Nothing left to recall the happy memories. No images of loved ones, now deceased. No financial data available. No more saved documents. And that collections of favorite kitten videos? Just a memory. Too make matters worse: money is tight. Age and health problems prevent finding a better job or a second job. Please, Please, Please? Can you help?

My mother always preached that an ounce of prevention was worth a pound of cure. When it comes to data backup, this is very true.

Data loss can happen in any number of ways. There’s a song running through my head, something about “let me count the ways….”

First, there is hardware failure. How many appliances work forever? That’s right! NONE! Why would you expect your computer to work forever? It’s not going to happen.

Second, is user error. Similar to the individual mentioned above, all it takes is a single confirmation click on the wrong button and what was supposed to be a revert to what the computer was doing last week, suddenly reverts the computer to what it was when brand spanking new.

Third is malicious intent. Everyone is running virus software now days, but did you know, virus software typically doesn’t stop malware? And malware is everywhere. It has infiltrated Yahoo ad servers, it hides on random, unpatched, web sites. You can’t escape it. The idea that you only need to worry if you are surfing porn sites or hate sites, hasn’t been true for years.

Want to know what it costs to recover valuable data? If the data loss is caused by hardware failure, the drive will have to be sent in to a data recovery site with a “clean room”. They typically charge $75 just to open up the drive and evaluate whether or not they can do anything with it. If they can, recovery costs start at $700 plus the cost of new media to put the recovered data onto. Years ago, I was called to an office to assist with rebuilding a server that died. The data recovery charge was $7000 (not including my labor). Have an extra $700 -$7000 burning a hole in your pocket? I would love to help you recover your data!

If you’re the stingy type, and don’t want to cough up $700-$7000 for data recovery, then I would suggest you learn how to do backups yourself.

Windows 10 makes it fairly easy. You will need an external hard drive, available everywhere. Plug the hard drive in. Open the settings app. (the little cog that appears when you click what use to be the start button). Go to Update & Security. Click Backup on the left side menu.

Click the Plus sign to add a drive and choose the external drive.

Click on More Options to choose the folders to include or exclude in the backup.   Double check the settings for how often to backup and you’re done. How easy was that?

And again… Mom was right. A few minutes of prevention and an inexpensive drive can save you $700+ for a cure.

Want even more robust backups?   Ask about our cloud backup and computer monitoring service.

Keeping the New Year Happy!!

~Janet

 

Because it Made Me Smile:

You can see the complete video at: https://biggeekdad.com/2017/01/little-kids-big-dogs/

 

Two types of voices command your attention today. Negative ones fill your mind with doubt, bitterness, and fear. Positive ones purvey hope and strength. Which one will you choose to heed? ~ Max Lucado

Happy New Year. Is it: Ritual / Routine/ Standard Operating Procedure? Every year we make New Year’s Resolutions. Every year we give it half an effort and give up completely by the 2nd week of January. Some of us do better. Some of us don’t give up until the end of January. Some of us are smarter and don’t even bother to make a resolution. Nothing Ventured, Nothing Gained. Why waste what little energy/time we do have, attempting to achieve something that we really didn’t have our hearts set on anyway? It’s been rumored that only 8% of people actually achieve their resolutions. (https://dailyharvestmarket.com/want-to-achieve-your-new-years-resolution-read-this/)   The biggest slayer of resolutions is tackling projects that are too large. But did you know, if the project is broken down into smaller tasks, you are much more likely to succeed?

 

Hackers have learned this. They learn the trade on little guys, and then move up to medium sized guys, and finally the big guys. Unlike Goldilocks, who finds the little chair just right, they don’t care what size you are! They just want your money/login credentials/passwords/ID. And practicing on little guys is easiest. Little guys are the training grounds. So this is what I would suggest for a doable New Year’s Resolution (assuming you have already given up on the lose weight/exercise more/eat less/quit smoking).

 

Resolution: Protect Your Computer Data (and your ID)

 

Step 1: Download LastPass (https://www.lastpass.com/). IT’S FREE! LastPass will create unique passwords for the various sites you frequent. That means, the next time you read about Equifax or Yahoo or Target suffering a security breech, you won’t have to worry about thieves getting access to all other sites you frequent because you are using the same password everywhere.

Got this step completed? Reward yourself. I suggest Ice Cream!

 

Step 2: If your banks / credit cards / investment houses offer two factor authentication, Implement it! Two factor authentication means you need a password PLUS a security key which will be emailed, texted or phoned to you each time you logon to the site. Is it a pain in the rump? Yes! Is it worth it? Yes!

Got this step completed? Reward yourself. I suggest Moose Crunch, you know, Carmel Corn dipped in Chocolate.

 

Step 3: Backup your data!!! Enough already! Just do it! Buy an external drive and plug it in. Local Backups can protect you against hardware failure and sometimes against ransomware. Want better protection? Try cloud backup. This will protect you against hardware failure/fires/floods/physical theft and ransomware. Pricing starts at $25/month per workstation. Call me. I’ll get you started. When complete, I’ll buy you ice cream!

 

Step 4: Get rid of stuff you aren’t using. All of those browser add-ons have the potential to go rogue over time. There’s a nice site, complete with pictures, that will walk you thru the process of removing unnecessary extensions for each web browser. You can find it here: https://www.howtogeek.com/240090/how-to-uninstall-extensions-in-chrome-firefox-and-other-browsers/.

And if the stuff you’re not using includes digital accounts like Airbnb, Amazon, Ancestry, MySpace, to name just a few, then Everplans has directions for you. They have compiled a list of over 200 sites and directions for how to close an account.   The list was originally designed to walk survivors through the process of closing accounts of deceased loved ones, but that doesn’t mean that you can’t use these resources while still living. Access the list at: https://www.everplans.com/articles/how-to-close-online-accounts-and-services-when-someone-dies.

Got all four steps completed? Congratulations! You are in the top 8% of people who actually achieve their resolution! Reward Yourself. I suggest dinner and a movie with a loved one!

 

Let’s Keep the New Year Happy!!

~Janet

 

Because it made me laugh:

Remember that not getting what you want is sometimes a wonderful stroke of luck. ~Dalai Lama

I’m overwhelmed with gratitude for the out pouring of love and words of encouragement that my readers sent my way after Mom’s passing. Thank you!! November was a busy month. Besides the normal rush of getting ready for the holidays, I also had the additional tasks of taking care of Mom’s final expenses. There was a lot of communication going back and forth between myself and my siblings. Some of the communication included death certificates and bank statements. Call me paranoid, but I don’t like to send financial information thru email. It just seems so insecure. So my inquiring mind asked: How can I put a password on this PDF?

Then my inquiring mind asked Google. What I found was amazingly simple and FREE. How cool is that? So, Merry Christmas! I thought I would share.

First step is to put your information into a PDF format. There are two basic ways to do this. If you are creating the document from scratch via any Microsoft Product, you simply choose to save as PDF and Wah-lah, You’re done! And since you chose to create the information in a Microsoft Product, it is simple to add a password. In later versions of Word, I would open the View Ribbon, Click on Properties, Chose Protect Document and then click on Encrypt with Password. Problem solved.

It’s a little bit harder to take bank statements or other existing documents and convert them to PDF. For this you need a scanner. Most printers come with the ability to copy and scan. Hopefully, you already have that piece of equipment. If not, then you will need to race out and buy one, or rent one. The scanner will save your documents as PDF. Once you have the document in PDF format you will need a third party utility to add a password. If you have a subscription to Adobe Acrobat, then you are covered. Password protecting documents is included. If you are like me, and don’t want to pay a subscription for a feature that I will use twice a year, then you will appreciate this gem: PDFMate Free PDF Merger found at: http://www.pdfmate.com/free-pdf-merger.html. Once there, click on the Free Download, and follow instructions to install. The user agreement states they have the right to recommend 3rd party utilities to you. Watch for those optional installs as you click thru the install screens. My install did not suggest additional software, but that doesn’t mean you will have the same experience.

Once installed, #1. Click the Add Files button in the upper left, and then double click the PDF document to password protect.  #2.   At the bottom of the screen, Choose the LayOut size (normally letter), choose if you want 1 to 1 conversion (1IN1) 2 pages reduced to 1 page (2IN1) or 4 pages saved as 1 page (4IN1).  #3. Check the box beside “Open Password” and add the password in the blank box to the right. If you want to give them rights to print the file then you will also need to put a check mark in the Permission Password box , and a check mark in the Printing Allowed Box. Boom, You’re Done! Only problem is remembering the password assigned.

Hope you find this useful. A Merry Christmas to All, and to All a Good Night!

~Janet

Because it Made Me Laugh:

 

Can’t Never Did Anything!! ~ Mom

Mom would have been 92 this month and while she had been ailing for months, it was a surprise when we got the call saying she had passed. Neal and I had just visited her less than 12 hours earlier.

This month, I want to share my mom with you. Mom was a trooper. She was a fighter. She never gave up. She caught tuberculous when she was 18 and spent several years in a sanitarium. When she walked out of the sanitarium, a doctor told her he hadn’t expected her to live and also suggested she not have children. She married, and over the course of 19 years, gave birth to four. I like to believe I’m special (since I’m here and I wasn’t supposed to be). Please don’t try to convince me otherwise.

When faced with hard tasks, mom would encourage us by saying “Kent never did anything!” Kent is my baby brother. It was infuriating to hear Kent never did anything. Like I didn’t already know that? Kent had mastered the disappearing act when chores needed to be done.   I was in my twenty’s before I figured out she was saying “CAN’T” never did anything! She was correct (in both instances) . If you think you Can’t you Won’t! You’ve already lost the battle. If you think you Can, there’s a good chance you Will.

Mom taught us if a job was worth doing, you might as well save the time and do it right the first time. Doing the job twice is wasteful and inefficient.

Mom taught us to expect the unexpected. One hot summer day, my sister was washing dishes and I was drying. Mom was outside the kitchen window watering her rose bushes. I don’t remember who thought it was a good idea to spray mom with the kitchen sink sprayer, I will assume it’s Ann’s fault because I’m really too sweet to think of dastardly things on my own. I do remember thinking we would be safe because we were inside. I was confused! Mom drenched us with the garden hose.

Mom taught us to work hard, pray harder, and leave the rest to God.   My family and I would like to say THANK YOU to those who have been covering us with prayers. We feel the love. And interestingly, this video came through my email today. I’m pretty certain my mom could have been a Navy Seal.

Getting Through A Tough Day

 

AS always, if you need someone to work hard or pray harder for you or your business, give us a call. We would love to help.

~ Janet

The most difficult thing is the decision to act, the rest is merely tenacity. ~Amelia Earhart

Definitions, compliments of Wikipedia:
Malware, short for malicious software, is an umbrella term used to refer to a variety of forms of hostile or intrusive software, including computer viruses, worms, Trojan horses, ransomware, spyware, adware, scareware, and other malicious programs. Malware is defined by its malicious intent, acting against the requirements of the computer user.

Phishing is the attempt to obtain sensitive information such as usernames, passwords, and credit card details (and, indirectly, money), often for malicious reasons, by disguising as a trustworthy entity in an electronic communication.
Phishing is typically carried out by email spoofing or instant messaging, and it often directs users to enter personal information at a fake website, the look and feel of which are identical to the legitimate one and the only difference is the URL of the website in concern.

An advanced persistent threat is a set of stealthy and continuous computer hacking processes, often orchestrated by a person or persons targeting a specific entity. An APT usually targets either private organizations, states or both for business or political motives. APT processes require a high degree of covertness over a long period of time. The “advanced” process signifies sophisticated techniques using malware to exploit vulnerabilities in systems. The “persistent” process suggests that an external command and control system is continuously monitoring and extracting data from a specific target. The “threat” process indicates human involvement in orchestrating the attack.
APT usually refers to a group, such as a government, with both the capability and the intent to target, persistently and effectively, a specific entity. The term is commonly used to refer to cyber threats, in particular that of Internet-enabled espionage using a variety of intelligence gathering techniques to access sensitive information, but applies equally to other threats such as that of traditional espionage or attacks. The purpose of these attacks is to place custom malicious code on one or multiple computers for specific tasks and to remain undetected for the longest possible period.

Cisco’s 2016 Annual Security Report states: Attacks are Increasing
The frequency, types, and severity of cyberattacks are continuing to rise. The top reported threats include:
* Malware (68 percent)
* Phishing (54 percent)
* Advanced persistent threats (43 percent)

Verizon’s 2016 Data Breach Investigations Report states: Bad Guys Are More Devious Than Ever
* 89 percent of breaches are motivated by financial gain or espionage
* 89 percent of threat actors are organized crime syndicates
* 9 percent are political actors
The top three data targets are: Credentials, Trade secrets, Banking data

Mandiant Consulting reports: Your People Are Your Top Security Risk
* 30 percent of phishing messages are opened by the target.
Assets (Laptops, Cell Phones, Tablets) are lost over 100 times more frequently than they are stolen.

Got Concerns? We Have Answers! Give us a Call Today!

Life is about using the whole box of crayons.

There’s something about September that makes me want new things. Maybe it has something to do with school starting, and years of shopping for new school clothes and supplies. If computers are on your list of things to buy, we would love to help. Call or stop “buy” soon.

~Janet

 

 

It’s good to be back in God’s country. I just spent five days traveling to and from Las Vegas for a trade show. I am fairly certain air conditioning is mans greatest invention! I’m also fairly certain my brain has been boiled, my creative processes have all died, I can’t think of anything new or entertaining to write about. So I’m going to cheat. Here are some fun facts from days gone by:

1948: At Manchester University, the world’s first stored-program electronic digital computer successfully executed its first program. It was called the Small-Scale Experimental Machine, but nicknamed “The Baby”.

1979: The first Sony Walkman, the TPS-L2, goes on sale in Japan. The portable, personal cassette player goes on to sell 200 million cumulative units and Janet Graduates from Marshfield!

1981: IBM introduces its Personal Computer (PC), known as the IBM Model 5150. IBM’s first PC ran with a 4.77 MHz Intel 8088 microprocessor and used Microsoft’s MS-DOS operating system.

1983: Microsoft introduces Windows, which featured pull-down menus, tiled windows, mouse support and more. Also the year Janet graduates from Oregon State University with a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration and dual minors in Computer Science and Behavioral Science.

1993: Directors of CERN release the source code of World Wide Web into the public domain, making it freely available to anyone, without licensing fees.

2000: In only six hours, the “ILOVEYOU” computer virus spreads around the world to over 2.5 million personal computers running Windows.

2001: Apple unveils first iPod for $399. The 5 GB digital music player could store 1,000 songs on its hard drive.

2001: Wikipedia, the free Wiki content encyclopedia, goes online. At the end of year one there were 19,700 articles. As of August 2, there are 5,453,475 articles in the English Wikipedia.

2005: Video sharing site YouTube launches. There are now over four billion video views every day.

2007: Google enters the cell phone market by introducing the Android platform, based on a modified version of the Linux operating system.

2012: Stock value of Apple, Inc. surpasses $500 billion.

2015: Apple, Inc. is the first company to reach a stock value of $700 billion.

2016: Only 20 Fortune 500 companies actually engage with their customers on Facebook, while 83% have a presence on Twitter.

2016: Stock value of Apple, Inc. returns to $523 billion.

2017: Comp-U-Talk celebrates 33 years of providing computer support to Coos County Businesses and residents. We love what we do. We hope it shows. We have one request: If you appreciate us, please keep us in business and tell your friends. If not, please tell us, so we can make it right.

Enjoy the dog days of summer and surf safe.

Janet

Because it made me laugh!

Question?: I heard about a virus going around wiping out computers-is this anything I need to worry about?

Answer: YES!!

This question, or some version of it, lands in my in box every week. This past month, the WannaCry Ransomware, made lots of companies cry. And just a few days ago, a variant, Petya, joined the barrage. It was just a matter of hours before NotPetya emerged. The really bad news: NotPetya is consider cyber war. Even the author of Petya doesn’t want to take credit for this attack. This attack doesn’t seem to care about money. It just encrypts your data and throws away the key. It’s sole intent is to cripple.

So how do you protect yourself?

Keeping your system updated is critical. Besides updating Windows, you also need to keep current with your anti-virus software, malware detection software and all utility software.

Making regular backups is a must.

I like to have backups on-site and off-site. When bad things happen, it’s nice to have the speed and ease of an on-site backup. But there are no guarantees the next version of Malware won’t wipe out your local backup. After all, if it is attached to the infected computer then it can become compromised just as easily as the system itself. To protect against that, I also send backups offsite. People will fuss about the added expense saying, “It just doesn’t seem necessary”, or “I can’t afford it”. But you need to change your thinking: Off-site backups are like fire insurance or car insurance. You buy it. You never intend to use it. But if you have ever experienced a house fire or a car collision, you know how thankful you were to have it. Even with a large deductible, it was still a blessing.

So what makes offsite backups different? A quality backup, will include versioning, keeping two or more copies of the same file. This is critical. No one wants the heart ache of discovering their system is encrypted and the backup software replaced good files with encrypted files. That would make you WannaCry!

Cost of infection is always more than just the ransom you pay. There is also the cost of lost production. PLUS the added expense of Anti-Anxiety Meds!

Worried about your antivirus? We recommend Avira. You can purchase on line for $45, or take advantage of our dealer special for $35/each.

Need a quality backup plan with versioning? We can get you started for as little as $20/month.

Want someone to keep tabs on your software patches? Whether you want it done annually, quarterly or monthly, we’ve got you covered. We also offer an affordable monitoring service that will report back anytime something looks suspicious.

If any of these ideas make you tingle, give us a call. It is much more pleasant to prevent chaos than to reverse chaos. And as the above quote says: Survival is not mandatory!!

~Janet

 On a more pleasant note and because I eat kale and coconut oil and this made me laugh!

I have a passion for web developing, so I started out with Comp-U-Talk to bring my services to the world. I’ve been making websites and programming for 3 years, and along the way I’ve found that it’s truly what I enjoy doing in life. It is both my hobby and my job to make your website as amazing as possible.

Meet Michael. Michael is working with Comp-U-Talk this summer thru a state sponsored internship program. He has a passion for creating websites. We are hoping to keep him busy and keep him in the area. If you have been considering building a website, but just haven’t found the time to make it happen, we would love to help.

Things we are available to help with include registering the domain name if you haven’t already secured one plus domain hosting on fast, secure and reasonably priced servers for your website and company email.

All web sites are designed to be responsive. That means they are just as readable on a smart phone or tablet as they are on a full sized computer monitor.

The contact email address used on your website is protected from spam generating robots with the use of email forms and an optional Captcha algorithm. Captchas are those horrible “Enter these random, barely readable letters and numbers” before submitting your form procedures. While no one like to use a captcha, they have proven to be very valuable at keeping spammers at bay.

We can design a website to include a blog, or not. We can link to your social media sites like Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, or not. They can include an opt in for Email Newsletters and Marketing. And we can create sites to handle various styles of ecommerce with links to PayPal or a merchant service provider of choice. Need a merchant service provider? We can make recommends there too!

Take a look at some of the sites we are working on.
http://comp-u-talk.com/
http://medical-outfitters.com/
http://wildfood.farm/
http://www.shouldnotbe.com/
http://mounttemmaus.com/

If you would like your name added to this list, give us a call today. (541.756.8770)

 – Janet

 

 

Because it made me laugh and I hate camping!

“It’s not the plan that’s important, it’s the planning.”
Dr. Gramme Edwards

People are constantly asking me: “What’s new in the computer world Janet?” As of April 11, I can say the Creators Update is new!

Pray tell, what is the Creators Update? It’s the second major update to Windows 10 and it has some new & updated features that might be of interest if you are running Windows 10.

First up is the new 3D Paint program (named 3D Builder). It’s an amazing program that reminds me of my college roommate, an engineering student, who had to draw 3D images for a class. She spent hours drawing cylinders. The 3D Builder can do it in a matter of seconds. Once finished, it can print the 3D object on a 3D printer, not that I have a 3D printer. I suspect I will own a 3D printer when it is capable of printing an edible dinner.

Next up is a deep dive into Virtual Reality and improved gaming experiences. Who knew they could improve Solitaire? Oh wait. My bad! That’s not the style of gaming they are improving.

There are some features I do find admirable. For instance, the Edge browser has been redesigned to be more stable, more responsive, can now support 3D content, and includes a preview of open tabs when you hover on the tab. To improve security, Edge now blocks Flash content by default. Embedded Flash from web pages can be a source of malware.

Sticky notes, one of my favorite windows utilities, now comes with a feature called “Insights”. Insights will auto detect phone numbers, web addresses, email addresses, flight numbers, street addresses, and will offer to dial, open a web page, start an email, check if a flight is on time or get driving directions. While it wasn’t able to give me driving directions to my house, it is pretty intuitive.   In its defense, I do live off the beaten path. Which brings me to a much appreciated feature: changes to Windows Updates.

Because I live in the sticks, my only source of internet is Satellite Dish. Satellite dishes are metered connections. Once I’ve consumed my allotted 20 Gigabytes of data for the month, I’m stuck. My choices are to purchase more Gigabytes or suffer with speeds reminiscent of dial-up days. Originally, Windows 10 automatically downloaded critical updates. That became a huge problem when the critical updates consumed all of my data for the month. There was an option to set a time to download if you were on a metered connection, but the metered connection only worked with wireless connections. (My house is wired for networking.) With the new Creators update, I can turn on the metered feature for wired or wireless internet connections. And, because I’m running Windows 10 Pro, I can pause installation of updates up to 35 days. (Home version can pause up to 3 days.) That’s definitely worth the price of the upgrade (which is free).

Free does come with some caveats. Free means view advertisements or figure out how to turn them off. To find the magic OFF switches,

Click on the Windows Menu

Choose Settings and then System and then Notifications and Actions. This page will list a variety of options that can be turned off or on.

It would also be a good idea to review your privacy settings found at Settings->Privacy->Manage my Microsoft advertising and other personalization info (a hyperlink at bottom of page)

And that’s what’s new in the computer world!

Enjoy and Surf Safe,

~Janet

Just once, I want a username and password prompt to say, “Close Enough”

~anonymous

 

Well, I’m not much in the mood for writing a newsletter this month. A good bout with the flu will do that to ya! In good news: I lost 4 pounds thru the ordeal. Five more bouts with the flu and I’ll be at goal weight! (Think I’d rather remain fat.)

Good friend and business colleague Kristen at Higgins Business Services has suggested I remind you that the IRS doesn’t believe in calling you or emailing you regarding your outstanding tax liabilities. The IRS believes in using the postal service for collection purposes. If they contact you via any other method, it probably is a scam. However, if you are uncertain and want to verify, individuals can call the IRS at 800-829-1040, businesses can dial 800-829- 4933.

We are still getting a rash of users who have fallen prey to pop ups claiming they need to call tech support to solve some random problem. Please don’t call the number. That number is a guarantee someone is going to take advantage of you and your credit card. Instead, close the web browser. If you have lost use of mouse and keyboard, pull the power. If the page reappears when the browser is reopened, then you should call Comp-U-Talk’s tech support (541.756.8770). My dehydrated brain cells want to break out and sing the super chicken song, right about now. They also want to paste Michael’s and Laura’s head onto chicken bodies. (Michael and Laura are my super techs.) In case you are wondering what super chicken has to do with computer problems here are the words:

When you find yourself in danger,

When you’re threatened by a stranger,

When it looks like you will take a lickin’,

There is someone waiting,

Who will hurry up and rescue you,

Just Call for Super Chicken!

 

 

 

In case you have never heard the Super-chicken theme song (it was part of the animated TV series, George of the Jungle back in the 60’s) you can play it here:  https://youtu.be/FKss2pBYQ6Y.  If you can sing it to us when you drop off the computer for repair we will discount your service $10.

And now back to the regularly scheduled program: If you haven’t already done so, it is a good idea to install additional web browsers. Windows comes with Internet Explorer and Windows 10 has added Edge. Other browsers available for download include Chrome, found at www.chrome.com (part of the Google empire) or Firefox at www.firefox.com (will forward to Mozilla.org).

If you suspect the message might be legitimate and want to check with tech support at that particular company then follow these guidelines: NEVER, call the tech support number on the pop up page. Instead look for the tech support number on the companies web site. You might need to switch to an uncompromised browser (downloaded above) to find that number. NEVER, Google the tech support number. The first listings on Google responses are paid advertisers and typically they have no connection to the company you are looking for and some have been known to cause more damage. Instead, go directly to the company web site. Most websites have a support menu or a contact menu. If the technical support number isn’t readily available, call the sales line. You will disappoint the sales rep by not purchasing anything, but they will gladly give you the phone number to tech support.

If you’re still stuck, then come sing with us. We’d love to lessen the agony and help you smile.

We’re not your normal nerds!