Have you ever found that after a lightening storm, you go to turn on your computer, only to find it doesn’t power up? Or maybe it powers up but doesn’t fully function correctly? Then you are an unfortunate victim of an electrical storm.

By this point you are probably saying to yourself “Big deal, I have a surge protector..”, and while they can lend a hand to protecting your Computers and Equipment, how do you know they are still functioning properly? Some may have an indicator light, and some may not. The problem with those that do, is they themselves can malfunction too, the indicator lights that is. They may say “Protected” when in reality you may not be fully protected. Some people think they bought a surge protector, but what they really have bought is a power strip, that is easily confused as a surge protector simply because it has a glowing light on the power button.

As a General rule of thumb, you should consider replacing your surge protectors every 2 years. They are cheap enough that it’s not worth taking a risk by not upgrading, or replacing the units.

So, what can you do if you are a victim of an electrical storm? There are options, some to which the public may not know about.

Some Home/Renters insurance policies will cover electrical shortages due to mother nature, and your equipment being hit by lightening. It’s worth checking in with your policy carrier to see if you are covered, and if not, how and if you can get the proper coverages. We see quite a few insurance cases come through our doors. The first thing you should do to file a claim is take your machine to a qualified local computer repair shop. The shop will be able to accurately determine what caused the failure, and how much it is to replace the parts. They should provide you with a written diagnostic, as well as a written estimate for the estimated cost of the repair. You can then take this documentation down to your insurance company, and explain your situation. The insurance company may need to follow up with the shop who wrote the estimate, so be sure to provide them with their contact information.

Your best preventative measure is to unplug all devices from any electrical source, not just turn them off. Check your surge protectors, and replace them every 2 years.

Luckily, if you don’t have a backup, there is a way to recover these files from your hard drive, even if they were deleted or the hard drive went bad. However, like everything else there is a right way to do things, and then the wrong way to do things. Unfortunately, many people do not know what to do next, and fall under the wrong things to do category. Here are some tips on how to do things the right way to increase the chances of successful recovery.

• Stop what you are doing and quickly take notes of what you were doing last, what files you were working on, and from where.
• Leave the computer in it’s current state, If it’s on, leave it on. If it’s off, leave it off.
• Be sure not to handle the machine, especially if it’s turned on. Any bumps or vibrations could cause catastrophic failure to the hard drive and it’s data.
• Call a Certified Professional.

A certified Professional will be the only one who will be able to accurately access your situation and take the best possible precautionary measures to ensure a more successful recovery. Only a Professional will be able to lay out an accurate plan of attack to save your data. Successful recovery is limited to how precise each action is taken after the initial failure. The more times attempts for recovery are unsuccessful, the less likely a successful recovery will be.

In the event that data is unrecoverable due to a severe hardware failure, there are still other companies that are able to disassemble the hard drive in what’s known as a ‘Clean Room’ and attempt recovery there. However, following the proper steps in the very beginning and through out the process will ensure a more likely chance of a successful recovery.

Scareware is a type of Malware that tricks you into downloading it and running it by claiming you have hundreds of infections on your computer. Telling you your privacy is at risk, and other such things that would scare any unsuspecting consumer into downloading this software. However, it’s a Trick. A ploy to get your personal information such as Credit Card and bank information, websites you visit, etc. These scareware infections also cause your computer to download more infections which then download even more infections, eventually rendering your computer and its data in an unusable state.

Most of these infections are Smart. Meaning they possess the intellectual intelligence to thwart off even the best of security software and further compromise your information and system. In most cases the longer the infestation is in your system unattended to, the more damage it will do. There is no ‘easy-fix’ or one piece of software that will rid your machine of this infection. There are however ways to fix the system but requires the skill of a seasoned professional. Most of these infections not only need the cleaning power of multiple pieces of software, but they need to be used in sequence with a manual cleaning as well. If not fixed properly, the infestation could continue, or worse, completely render your data unrecoverable.

For years Go daddy has been a major player in the Hosting industry. They managed to sink many other smaller, more dedicated hosting companies by offering super cheap prices, and ridiculous bandwidth and storage space plans. Slowly, a lot of consumers started to realize the impact of such a decision, and started to seek out smaller companies to host their important sites, our company being one of them. Now, go daddy has a whole new set of problems which revolve around their network security, and the integrity of your websites.

It just goes to show sometimes cheaper and bigger is not always better. Shop around and learn to trust some of the smaller companies. After all, you don’t just trust anyone with your data, do you?

Privacy Issues
Let’s face it, most people keep their lives on their computers. Be it business or personal, there are sensitive documents, like pictures, text files, passwords, websites you have visited, and more on your computer. Mostly things that are private, and personal. Things you you don’t want anyone else looking at.

A customer shared a story with us about some personal documents they had on their PC. Our customer (who wishes to remain nameless) is a very savvy user. Upon getting their computer back from a well known local computer repair shop, they noticed that some of their personal documents had been accessed. They knew that because the properties of the files showed the accessed time and date to be the day they had it in for service. Needless to say, that customer in particular is no longer their customer.

Personal Information
Most of us know that when you surf the web, your tracks are saved, logging into websites, your usernames and passwords might be saved, Your credit card or online banking info may be saved, etc. These are some of the most sensitive pieces of information to most people, and the risk of losing them is detrimental to the safety of ones identity.

There are proven cases out there that show computer repair shops are responsible for stealing their customers personal and financial information and selling it on the black market for a huge profit. There are many ways they can do this, from sifting through your computers files and history, to installing a back door Key stroke logger program.

These days it’s hard to trust most people, and we understand that better than anyone. Make sure you research the company you wish to do business with. As them their data privacy policies, and retention plans as well as storage security policies. get things in writing, and don’t accept anything less. Make sure they have insurance, a real registered business with your county or state. And hopefully, you will be able to find a company to which is not only fairly priced, but will be able to protect your data.

- Shaun

Sony has announced that by March 2011 they will no longer produce the ancient floppy technology to which many of have been using since its debut in 1981. Unfortunately for some die hard old schoolers like myself who still use this technology, there will be a tear shed for the loss of a pioneer in portable data storage. Companies like Dell will have to roll out some alternative methods of BIOS flash ROMS, as some of their older machines only have the Floppy Version available.

So, a Farewell, goodbye, and a sincere thank you I, and many old techies bid to you, our friend, Mr. Floppy Diskette.

-Shaun

Facebookers are now at risk to have their personal information shared on non-facebook websites. As I am sure you can see FaceBook’s “Instant Personalization” feature is exploiting your personal information. How a website who promotes itself as a social medium is allowed to do this is beyond comprehension, but it has been happening since 4/22/10.

To prevent this;

Go to Account > Privacy Settings > Applications and Websites > Instant Personalization and uncheck the checkbox at the bottom of the page.

Make sure you double check that you disabled it.

When thinking about computers, networking, servers, and services, keep this in mind: These days your business is only as good as it’s technology allows it to be. For instance, if you skimp on the better technology now, how much will you pay for it later in terms of overall productivity?

We understand that with todays uncertain economic times small business owners are tempted to cut corners where ever they can be cut. The one corner that shouldn’t be cut is your technology systems. In todays business world, companies are run on data; bits and bytes, 1’s and 0’s flying around at the speed of light. What allows for that to happen? Technology, computers, networks, and services — that’s what. You see technology increases your businesses productivity, and higher productivity should mean higher profits. So fi you cut corners and skimp on the better technology, your productivity will suffer, and ultimately so will your profits.

Technology always doesn’t have to be hard to value for your business because while some things are expensive, it really comes down to how your productivity is and will continue to be. It’s really how you value your business. Doing things the right way from the start will most definitely help your business succeed!

Though making the switch seems to be too intimidating for most companies we spoke with. Their biggest worry is that their current IT provider has them held hostage because the provider has been dealing with their systems for so long, that the company trusted them with everything, never asking questions. Basically, they feel that they don’t have enough information to hand over to the new IT provider, and it may cost a fortune and too much downtime to start over, which is understandable.

The truth is that most IT providers do NOT provide ample information to the customers, and in some cases because of just that; they want to lock the customer in by withholding information. It’s unfortunately a very common occurrence in this industry and we have dealt with it head on in many instances.

Over the course of time, we have developed plans to help small/medium businesses handle such obstacles. Here are a few tips that we have;

• As you realize that you need to switch companies, start asking for all logins for the servers, and desktops. Also any routers, or switches, websites, configurations, etc. You can easily explain that you are required to have them on record in a safe place. Give them a deadline to have the full list prepared for you.
• If your company also purchased any hardware, and/or software from this same provider, require them to supply you with all and any license registrations, warranties, etc., and explain to them this is also needed for record keeping. This should also require a strict deadline.
• If your provider offers remote support, find out what software they are using. This way down the road, that software or technology can be eliminated. This reduces the risk of sabotage.
• Finally, once you are confident you have all the information possible, contact your new IT provider and have them get to work verifying all of the other vendors information, logins, etc.

Once your new provider can verify everything, it’s time to fire the old provider. First make sure that the entire staff realizes not to contact the old provider. Then make sure to have your new IT provider disable all remote logins, change the administrators passwords, and users passwords. Once that is done, you can now safely fire the last provider. This doesn’t have to be a strange moment for you, or your company. In some cases your new IT provider may offer to do this for you. Make sure to allow for some extra time to get your new IT provider with your end users/employees, and the network as a whole.

One other important key aspect to keep in mind are contracts. It is always a good idea to have a lawyer review any contracts you had with the previous provider before you really fire them. Some of the contracts we have seen were cleverly written, and have tied some companies hands while trying to make the switch.

We were inspired to write this post when we acquired a new customer whom stated she had a slow machine, and brought it to the local Staples to have their “Easy tech” computer repair guys take a look at it, and tune it up. You may be asking yourself “Wait, why did she bring it to you, after she brought it to Easy Tech?” Here is why;

The guys over at Easy Tech told her that in scanning her computer for viruses, they found 900+ viruses and trojans. They proceeded to tell the poor woman that since her PC was older, that she should consider buying a new computer from them, and have them transfer her files to it.

Here is the issue: Her computer was not old at all. Maybe 1-2 years. The cost of a new similar laptop would have been around $499.99 plus their cost of $99.99 for the “Data Transfer” to her new PC. So you see, she would have had to spend at least $600 to supposedly fix her issues. Rightfully so, she opted out, purchased some memory for her laptop, and called us.

Upon talking with the client, and hearing her horror story, we started our diagnostic. We found no Viruses present on the system, No rootkits, No malware, just some very small adware, too many start up items opening with windows, and a registry that needed optimization. Our Basic Tune Up Package would cover all of this, and more for only $75.00 flat fee. We also upgraded her memory for her as per her request. After we performed the work on the laptop, she was so very pleased that she promised to use us the next time she or her friends/family needed computer repairs. Her PC was fast again, and trouble free, and has been for 6 months as of the time of this post.

So why did Easy tech fail to accurately diagnose the machine? Here is why;

Let’s inspect what Easy Techs “Free Tune Up” actually Includes:

(Excerpt from their website)

“We’ll boost the speed and performance of your PC by removing trial ware, adjusting key settings that may be slowing it down, and disk defragmentation and cleanup. When done in store, a PC Tune up also includes removal of dust and dirt buildup.”

Now let’s dig down and point out a few things here.

1. Trial ware or, the software installed by the manufacturer will not slow down the PC or impact it’s performance unless it starts up with the computer. Most trial ware is not actually installed until you run it for the first time.

2. They adjust “Key Settings”, well what exactly is that you ask? We will never know for sure. There are multiple settings that can impact performance.

3. They don’t mention it on their website, but in stores we have seen them advertise “Virus Scan” which doesn’t include removal. Removal is an extra $129.99 in store, or $199.99 at your place. The problem with the “Virus Scan/Check” is that by doing so, they will likely agitate the Viruses, and other malware. In doing so, todays smarter viruses will devise ways to infect the machine more and really cause more damage. There is a certain set of techniques we have developed and use on mitigating and removing Virus infections with minimal interaction to agitate the viruses further.

Big box stores tend to hire sub-par “technicians” who lack the real world knowledge and experience that a seasoned tech does. They are a Big Retail chain, whose main concern is usually numbers; meaning sales. Some retail stores have quotas set for each department, and if quotas are not met, there is bad news coming that departments way.

So while it’s easier to sell someone a new computer over fixing their old one, it’s not always cost effective for the customer, or beneficial for anyone but the sales staff and that store. Realistically, there is no one computer that can not be fixed, it’s just a matter of cost comparison.