The Stango Blog

Can no longer backup SBS 2011. VSS error 22155348129

2011-11-20T15:49:00.000-08:00

Did you get your SBS2011 Standard SharePoint update ?
Did your forget to run PSCONFIG on your SBS 2011 Standard Box?
If you did, you just tanked your NT Backup jobs.

By not running PSCONFIG, the VSService can no longer create snapshots until PSCOFIG is run.

Sharepoint will operate. It will throw errors, but it will run without the PSCONFIG update.

The Official SBS Blog on how to perform the update:

1. Open an Administrative command prompt.
2. Change directory to C:\Program Files\Common Files\Microsoft Shared\Web Server Extensions\14\BIN
Copy and paste the command below
3. Run PSConfig.exe -cmd upgrade -inplace b2b -force -cmd applicationcontent -install -cmd installfeatures

Microsoft TechNet Link on Updating SBS2011 SharePoint Patch
Actual VSS error #: 22155348129

Hacked Gmail Account Sending Malware Links

2011-06-08T13:53:00.000-07:00

My sons GMail account was recently hacked. It was an account he never uses or hasn't used in quite some time. This hack is probably connected to GMail/RSA hack against Lockheed Martin which was recently hacked using compromised RSA tokens.

The account will send you an email with a YouTube link, of which my son does to tell me about the latest technology he has seen.

When you open the email and click on the link, the malware pops up and with one click from the computer user, will try to install.

If possible, open task manager, CTRL+ALT+DEL, and close the web browser. This occurred in Internet Explorer.

Once the browser closes, then reopens - IMPORTANT - do restore the web page as you will be directed back to the same infected link.

Being knowledgeable is the best defense against these attacks. More will be arriving in the coming weeks.

Chrome catches the offending web page.

Mozilla 5.0 catches the offending web page.

Malware Pop Up Tips:

Change the mail account password or close the offending account if no longer needed.
Do not click on any offering popups.
If possible use Task Manager to close the browser if the malware offering pops up.
Do not have the browser restore the web page if using Internet Explorer.

Is this Apple's New Billion Dollar iCloud Location

2011-05-31T17:43:00.000-07:00

Is this Apples new Billion Dollar iCloud in a really quiet part of North Carolina. Looks pretty good to me. Google Madien North Carolina and tell me what you think. (35.587806,-81.261835)

Would you put your music in the cloud? I tried Amazon cloud and the novelty wore off real fast. Why do we need to move our data to the cloud? I see Sony getting hacked. I see RSA getting hacked. Now I see Lockheed Martin getting hacked and that's no big deal I guess, but they use RSA. Am I missing something here.

A few weeks back I saw Epsilon get hacked , the keeper of marketing emails for customers of 50 large corporations and now in our shop I see more PCs and now Macs being infected. So you tell me, why put it in the cloud?

Nothing is safe. Keep it in your house. Get a RAID NAS device and store the stuff yourself. you'll thank me for it.

Our First Mac Malware Infected Computer

2011-05-26T19:05:00.000-07:00

Our first Mac infected computer arrived in our shop this week. The IMac was infected with the Mac Defender malware program . With market share and smugness running rampant in Apple land, it was only a matter of time.

The included photos show the user trying awful hard to download the malware. The owner supposedly said his children were using the PC.

Some prevention tips include :
PLEASE BACKUP your user directory if you're not sure of what you are doing, or if in the area, stop by the shop if you need assistance.

Turn off Open Safe Files after Downloading in Safari
Do not type in your password when asked.
And if you get past all that and the bell still doesn't go off, please don't type in your credit card info when asked by the malware program. If you did, call your credit card company and dispute the charge or cancel the card.
Download Sophos for Macs and Virus Barrier. Update each and scan your computer.
Delete the found quarantine of each anti-virus program.
Delete your browsing history
Check your DNS settings in system preferences, networking, your connection, properties, DNS tab to see if they're not compromised. If possible, change them to OpenDNS. add the following 208.67.222.222 and 208.67.220.220 for better more secure surfing.

This type of malware is of the social engineering bunch. It scams you into installing itself on the Mac computer, then asks for money or invites other nefarious programs into the compromised system. The MacDefender Malware we encountered adds a nice variety of porn pop-ups in the browser. This will rattle parents and cause Apples phone to ring off the hook.

I was amazed how it spread itself into the entire system. We scanned with Virus Barrier which found most traces of the program, but we also scanned with the free Sophos Anti Virus for Mac which also found additional files in the java cache folder. After all scanning finished, we went over the system with a fine tooth comb checking for any remnants of the malware in the file system.

These programs all have an extremely convincing pop up to start the process. The click starts the install, which triggers the password box pop up. Users are so convinced , that they type their password and the rest ins history.

Now from what we're hearing the developers have found away around the OS/X password mechanics. Most Mac users don't have any anti-virus on their computers. This could be trouble for Apple as this is a major selling point for the pricey Apple products.

I still have a gut feeling that Iphones and Ipads with an install base of millions, could be next.

all trademarks respected

Network Admin Pancakes

2011-05-23T17:36:00.000-07:00

I though I'd mix it up a little here, so here we go.

Hey guys, we all know our job can be sedentary, sitting in chair repairing a workstation or in front of a server doing troubleshooting or a drawn out o/s installation.

I created this power packed morning breakfast recipe for us guys on the go. Fast and easy to make. You can even make a batch of pancakes and freeze them for later in the week.

This is a protein packed pancake mix that is absolutely delicious. You can make the mix ahead of time, pour the liquid mix in an old Heinz upside-down ketchup bottle, or just keep the dry mix in a zip lock bag and add the egg, milk and oil another day. This mix is full of protein and has lees carbs than store bought pancake mix. The syrup is absolutely delicious as the agave is great for diabetics allowing for slower absorption of the sweetener into the bloodstream due to its low glycemic index.

Serve them with a side of fresh cut strawberries and blueberries if in season.

Network Admin Pancakes

1 ½ Cup of All Purpose White Flower (King Arthur or equiv) or Bob’s Red Mill Whole Wheat Pastry Flour which has a soft hint of whole wheat. Or combine equal amounts for a nice blend mix.
1 ¼ Cup of Milk - 2% or whole
3 ½ Teaspoons of Baking Powder
1 Teaspoon of salt
1 Egg
2 Tablespoons of Canola Oil
¼ cup of ground walnuts

Serves 4 – about 2 large pancakes each.

In a large bowl mix together flower, baking powder, salt and walnuts

Make a well in the center of the mix and pour in milk, egg and oil. Mix with a hand wisk about 10-15 turns. I don’t like my batter silky smooth. I like a few lumps. Preference here.

Heat a griddle or large fry pan – I use Loge Logic cast iron. Get the surface nice and hot. You can coat the pan with butter, oil or cooking spray, but a light coating should be all you need. Then pour, wait for bubbles and flip. Reapply some non-stick to the cast iron after each batch.

Syrup – Mix the following ingredients together, and then warm in a microwave for a few seconds. Spoon over your freshly made pancakes. Use sparingly

3 Tablespoons of Raw Blue Agave Syrup – Natural Organic.

2 Tablespoons of Natural Grade “A” Dark Amber Maple Syrup.

Slow Phone or Tablet Performance - Check your SD card speed rating

2011-03-27T09:16:00.000-07:00

Speed is everything in memory chips. Recently, SD cards came out with a speed rating based on the original CD-ROM speed (1.2Mbs) being read by the Optical Drive reader. Heres what to look for:

The speed rating

Classes of Speed

Class 2: Rating: 13x Read: 16 Write: 16

Class 4: Rating 26x Read: 32 Write: 32

Class 6: Rating 40x Read: 48 Write: 48

Class 10:Rating 66x Read: 80 Write: 80

Be careful with some chips as the speed rating is loosely interpreted. Manufacturers might rate their speed based on read which is faster. Write is slower and should be the default speed for rating the chips performance. Kingston certifies on their write speed.

Your phone or other device will benefit from the speed difference with the type of chip you purchase. Your phone scans the media for data each time it boots. A higher speed card will result in faster boot times and program load times.

SD Cards were an issue with the release of the Windows 7 phone from Microsoft as the chips were not fast enough for the phone. Article about SD Card limitations in Windows 7 Phone There are some reports a Class4 card will work.

The Windows 7 Phone will reformat the card and lock it to the phone and assign it a special key. It is not to be removed and is to be treated as permanent storage for your phone. So get a fast big one and stick with it.

I was using a generic Class2 16GB card in my ATT Capivate Android with rooted Firefly 2.5. Booting was slow, typing was sluggish as I used APP2SD with UltraKeyboard. Essentially, My Class2 SD card was killing the speed of my phone. My class 2 was performing like a 4200rpm hard-drive in my laptop. I had enough.

This week, I purchased a Lexar 16GB Class6 card. The card includes a full size SD adapter. I popped the SD card in my PC and copied everything to a temporary directory. I switched out the microSD to the 16GB Class6 and copied everything in my temp folder back to the new card. Rebooted my Captivate Android and the sluggish issues have disappeared. The phone boots faster. The card is scanned much quicker at boot (Media scanner running, Media scanner complete), the keyboard lag is non-existent. Apps now respond much quicker. I now feel like I just installed a 7200 rpm hard-drive. My dream storage at the moment is a Lexar 32GB Class 10 with write speeds of 10Mbps and read speeds of 20Mbps. Lexar gave the card a 10 year warranty! BGR Lexar Announcement.

Interesting Company from Taiwan - manufacturer of very fast memory cards:

Pretec, a Tiapei,Taiwan based manufacturer of small form factor memory cards, just released a Class 16 Speed Card for HD video. The card is a 64MB SDHX chip. They also released the worlds first USB 3.0 card reader.

MicroSD is created by Sandisk. All registered trademarks are respected.

Rooting my Android Phone

2011-03-13T09:30:00.000-07:00

This article is geared to the ATT Captivate, but you can use most of the links and apps for other phones also. Even though it was very easy to root my phone, I take no responsibility in any errors or bricking, should this happen to your phone in the process.

HARDWARE

Need: MicroSD Card – 8GB, 16GB would be better and your phone data cable.

ROOTING SOFTWARE, WEB SITES and ANDROID APPS

SOFTWARE: Galaxy S One Click Root (For ATT Captivate) see below links. Can also be used with other devices.

http://www.talkandroid.com/8835-one-click-root-for-samsung-captivate/

http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=739304

APP: ROM Manager – This can be found in the Android market on your phone. Search ROM Manager. There are 2 programs, the free one is sufficient for this project. After rooting and replacing your ROM, you can upgrade to the paid version. Check out the paid version features first to see if you would like this capability.

Check Koush's site. The developer has list of phones that ROM Manager works with.

ROM of Choice. They can be found at:

My favorite ROMS include Cognition (latest 4.1.1) and FireFly (latest 2.5).

I am using FireFly 2.5 at the moment. This ROM has given my ATT Captivate super powers. Great ROM. Although 2.2 was a little more polished than version 2.5 I have on my phone now. Check out their site as to what they install as standard apps. Here are some excellent ATT Captivate ROM’s

Cognition for ATT Captivate
FireFly for ATT Captivate
Serendipity for ATT Captivate. This site allows you to custom build your ROM which creates the .zip file to copy to your phone.

HOW TO

The almost bricking of my phone

I found if you have your stock ROM in place makes it easier to root. I made the mistake a few months back to upgrade to 2.2 as quick as possible. I used ODIN to upgrade to Froyo. I now had extra capabilities that Froyo gave me. But as time went by, the Rom started to really have issues. Missing shortcuts after reboot. Sluggish performace. I began to hate my phone. Most important I had the Clockwork Recovery error where I could not flash my phone.

So I researched and found I needed to go back to stock and root from there. I found a stock ROM for my ATT Captivate, I used ODIN again, and yes it froze during install. And yes I thought I bricked it.

This article on XDA Developers worked for me.

Excellent articles and downloads for Android bricked phones.

Thanks to Androids openness, I can do what “I “want to my phone. I don’t have to wait for ATT/Samsung’s latest build as they are still on Éclair 2.1. The phone is now very fast. I now have a custom Froyo build. Included is Gingerbreads keyboard, Titanium backup & Superuser. Most of all, I can now download and install ROM’s of choice. I will update this post as needed if additional information presents itself.

Eclair to Rooted Captivate Steps:
Odin to remove busted Froyo and install Stock Rom back on phone
One click root for Captivate. (don't mount your SD when you connect to your PC)
Rom Manager - Installs Clockwork Recovery
Firefly 2.5 Rom copied to my SD Card
Ran Rom Manager Cockwork, Booted into recovery and loaded the firefly .zip file.

My Apps:
App 2 SD Free: A Must!
Astro File Manager
myATT: to keep track of the kids minutes, txt's and data.
Barcode Scanner: for Price and Info Lookups
Epicurious: Food Recipe App

Evernote: Great app for syncing notes, & photos.

Bloomberg: Excellent Finance App

Ebay ( the official Ebay App for Android)

Google Finance: Another Excellent Finance App

GTunes: Download any tune w/ lyrics

Handcent: Excellent customizable SMS
Miren Browser: One Slick Web Browser for Android

Optimum DVR Control App

Pandora: Internet Radio

Stitcher: Podcasts

Voice Search: The most recent updated Google Voice Search App

WavPlayer: to play my voicemails.

Weatherbug

SBS 2003 Reboot Error - The system is not fully installed.

2011-01-30T10:49:00.000-08:00

A couple of days ago we could not remote access one of our clients SBS 2003 box we took over from a fairly new client, So we called during the day told him to reboot the system.

About 8:30pm I got a call saying the system has this message on the screen and it reboots to that message and that's it. Sure enough, I went over to his office and there it was.

I could not do anything to the server on site, so I took it back to the shop did some research and found the following KB Article:

.Article ID: 320279 - Last Review: May 19, 2005 - Revision: 4.1

"The system is not fully installed" error message after you run Sysprep and restart

Also this site had similar solutions: techarena forum

“Click File , and then select Load Hive .Select the main drive letter from the "Look in:" dropdown field at the top of the Load Hive window. Double-click the SystemSetupInProgress Value Name, a REG_DWORD data type, and set the data value to 0. Exit the Registry Editor.
Use Control Panel / System / Advanced / Startup and Recovery [Settings] to make the Default operating system your original install. You can also alter the time to display the list of operating systems.”

I followed the KB article, took out each harddrive since we were dealing with RAID1 and placed them in our USB dock. I loaded and navigated to the key and changed the 1 to 0. It is possible that Lenovo used sysprep in their install and somehow the reboot wrenched the registry.

Amazingly, the system booted correctly. I rechecked all log files to see of there was any issue related to the error. None were found.

We now pushed his upgrade cycle a bit closer in time. Also we noticed that we have some surprising issues with servers we did not build or we inherited from previous IT companies.

Windows 7 - Add a Network PC Attached Printer

2011-01-29T13:18:00.000-08:00

Having a hard time connecting a printer attached to a networked PC to a Wndows 7 PC via Share. Set it up as a local port printer with UNC share including PC name.

WHS Remote Desktop Access

2011-01-29T12:12:00.000-08:00

If you need remote desktop access on a Windows Home Server network and don't have a VPN set up yet, perform the following:

Open ports on your router 3389, or other RDP such as 3390. Don't forget to go to the WHS Firewall and add the exceptions. Also click change scope and allow any computer from the internet to have access access. Use a strong password for authentication.

If you need access to more than one PC, change the remote listening port in the registry, such as port 3390.

If possible, its better to set up a VPN to the Server, opening ports 1723 or use a himatchi VPN, then remote desktop to the internal IP of your PC.

Windows 7 Computers - They really are nice. Honest !

2011-01-16T05:31:00.000-08:00

They might not have that same cohesive design that Apple has, but at least your not paying for all that expensive coolness . But pound for pound, you are really getting a great PC for the money today.

For $500 plus bucks, a Windows 7 PC has excellent features that speed up your every day computing for a more productive experience, such as:

Multiple Monitor View: My favorite, It even remembers my home and work set-up.
Super Task Bar: The live thumb nails are awesome. Pin Pin Pin
Wireless connection: A great Improvement for road warriors.
Bit Locker: Go ahead. Encrypt that whole harddrive, so if your laptop is stolen you can sit back and feel a little safer.
Search: You forgot the name of that excel spreadsheet quote you were working on, just type any remembrance in the search and watch in real time as it finds similar xls files.
Security: We've sold em', and we can definitely tell you, they don't come back. You need to work really hard to infect one.

So go ahead. Improve your productivity, and speed up your life with a new Windows 7 PC.

Blackberry Enterprise Server Express 5 Controller Service does not start after reboot

2010-10-06T19:46:00.000-07:00

We have a nice situation on two SBS03 boxes with Blackberry Enterprise Server Express 5 Installs where the Blackberry Controller Service does not start after a reboot. This did not occur after installation of BES5. It has developed after a few months.

The BES5 can possibly throw a 5010 or 5003 error.

The temporary remedy is to stop the DNS Server Service. Once you stop the DNS Server Service, you can then start the troublesome Blackberry Controller Service, then restart the DNS Service. All should then be fine with BES5 sending mail to the phones.

Link to Blackberry Support article describing port binding issue and resolution.

AT&T Samsung Galaxy S Update 1 Available

2010-09-26T20:28:00.001-07:00

AT&T has released firmware update 1 for the Samsung Galaxy S Android phone.

For those that posess this phone, you can download the update on your phone at Settings>Software Update>Check For Update.

The actual update should take ten to fifteen minutes to perform once downloaded. Be paitent after the reboot as the Samsung Galaxy logo can sit for 5 minuters or more before the update completes.

After the update has completed, you will be pleasantly suprised to see that you phone is very snappy. Moving between screens is more fluid. Battery life seems longer. And more importantly, the GPS seems to actually work. Locking on Sat's is much quicker. GPS use in 2.1 it was almost non-existant. The wait to lock on a Sat took what felt like an eternity.

Next update to anticipate is Froyo 2.2. At least now I can chill waiting due to update 1 really improving the overall quality of the Galaxy S

Published with Blogger-droid v1.6.0

Flash is ported to iOS iPhone-iPad

2010-07-04T11:12:00.000-07:00

Mr. Jobs will need to settle for Flash on his new toys after all.

I would love to be in his Cupertino office to watch this one play out. As far as I'm concerned, this is a great end around by the jailbreak community. Apple has been in a dictating mood of late due to their success of products and stratosphere sock price. Adobe must be feeling pretty smug right now.

The work is called Frash for iPhone. Check this this article via Engadget and Geeksmack. It shows a nice play by Comex. Great job Comex. GeekSmack.com Link Engadget.com Link

Your iPad and iPhone must be jailbroken for this to work.

How to jailbreak your iPhone4-iPad via Spirit

IE 8 back button stopped working, other parts slowly malfunction

2010-04-25T08:09:00.000-07:00

I am a big IE8 user. I have 20-30 sites on my favorites bar. I use the Norton 2010 Identity Safe toolbar. At times I have open 10-15 tabs doing research on a product, ordering supplies and market watching.

I noticed a few weeks ago the back button stopped working as I would open a large amount of tabs. It would be random in the amount of tabs I would have open, but its safe to say 8-10 tabs. I would shut the browser and open it again. All would be fine. If I was doing research with quite a few tabs open, I would try to get back where I was. It as a pain. I did not want to save my whole list of tabs.

Then just recently, IE8 really started to get into a funk. The search box returned an error as I typed. And soon afterwards, the forward button stopped working. Time to do some research.

There was all sorts of resolutions for this issue. To save time, in our Network Support Shop we sometimes repair client PC's with slight Malware infections. After some infections, IE8 just isn't right. So we run IEFix . Solves alot of issues after a Malware Infection. Heavy infections get R&R (Reformat&Reinstall).

This tool worked on my IE8 malfunctions. I am browsing a week so far and no issues at all. Thank Ramesh for this great little tool.

Actiontec M141WR Port Forward for SBS 2003

2010-03-25T18:15:00.000-07:00

We had a tough time getting SBS VPN woking with a Verizon FiOS Actiontec MR414 Router. Some clients can't splurge on a Sonicwall TZ or Cisco Firewall. In this economy we just need to make work with what clients have. No complaning, no belly aching. Working with unfamiliar hardware can cause exessive setup time so its a trade off with clients. Keeping them informed of the issue and documenting the time involved can keep installations from getting out of hand.

We tried connecting to the SBS03 VPN through the Actiontec router. The connectiont just hung at the username and password: Error 800. We knew it was a port issue, but with the Actiontec, you had to open the ports in just the right sequence. At first, we opened all ports as custom. Error 800. Then we created a custom port package with 1723, GRE and 4125 all rolled into one. No go still. We stumbled on the pre-made PPTP (GRE & 1723) in the ports list and then created the custom 4125 and bango, it worked. Now we can shut down 3389 and VPN in.

Wheres my DHCP Server

2010-03-18T06:34:00.000-07:00

We run a Network management PC Upkeep/Deploy shop in Wall, NJ. At times, we have quite a turn over of PC's in the shop. The other day we couldn't get a machine to grab an IP Address on our fix-net. Deeper examination revealed our SBS DHCP server leases were all used up.

We had it set at 50 leases and a 24Hr expire. We changed the lease settings by adding 25 more leases and cut down the lease time to 8Hrs. This will work better at our shop due to the quickness of our operation here. ;)

Here are screenshots of the leaseout error in the DHCP MMC. And dont forget to check your logs .

SBS 2003 Exchange DB Offline Defrag

2010-03-14T09:31:00.000-07:00

SBS 2003 has been around for a few years now. I'm sure some of you admins have some pretty large email boxes. You should have archiving enabled to loop to a safe place on the server, if you didn't purchase an archive solution.

If any of you set up some kind of journal account, you also know this account can fill up quick with mail. We export this box each year, then recreate it fresh. After the recreation, we do a dismount of the exchange database and a full offline defragmentation with a backup of the database before defragmentation.

Here is the screenshot of the defrag command using the ESEUTIL command and the completion of the defrag after it's done. Good old DOS Progress Bar.

Link to Microsft KB explaining the defrag process in their words.

Depending on how big that journal account is, you should see some space gain in the database. Don't forget to do your reg fix to extend the DB over 18GB. Mail will just stop when it hits over that limit. It should start up after the fix. Start Task Manager/Performance Tab and check the memory climb during defrag. If your .edb file is not healthy you could get an error during defrag, which are too numerous to list here. I got the 2102 error once. The defrag hung at 10% and errored out. It was 1 GB over physical memory when it errored out. I just shut down some unneeded services and the memory climb stayed under physical memory (4GB) the next try and the defrag completed.

Here is the link from Microsoft explaining the 18GB limit fix. Its quick and easy. Dismount the store before the defrag, then remount the store and restart the Microsoft Exchange Information Store in services after the fix and your back in business.

Opera Mini 5 Browser for Blackberry is slick!

2010-01-02T09:47:00.000-08:00

Our postings have been a little dry of late due to the office move. We are now settled in to our new dig's. Thanks to all who assisted in the move.

Opera has the best browser at the moment for the Blackberry. I am using it on my Bold 9000. This browser is currently in beta v2, but so far, I havent had any bad experiences with the O5Mb browser. If you have a Blackberry Storm, this is a double must have as full screen browsing with Opera Mini 5 is a killer combination.

The multiple tab browsing is fabulous along with full screen and multiple page view. The browser makes surfing on the blackberry very efficient. Pages move side to side in a very fluid manor with forward and back viewing. Pressing your bb tab reveals a toolbar with url typing, google search and a pulldown tab that includes favorites, history, saved pages, options and downloads access. Download it now and watch how surfing on the blackberry went from a chore to total fun and enjoyment.

Blackberry Browser Opera Mini 5 Beta 2 Download Link: http://m.opera.com
Opera Mini 5 Beta Info: http://www.opera.com/mini/next/

Just keep an eye out for battery drain. If you see the battery draining faster than normal, pull it out and reset the phone.

Here are some great blackberry keyboard shortcuts for the Opera Mini 5 Browser.Most used shortcuts will be 2 and 8 or page up and page down. Here are the rest.

The numeral keys on your full-QWERTY BlackBerry are used to page up, down, left and right within Opera Mini 5, as well as to zoom in and out on a page. For example:
• 2 = Page Up
• 8 = Page Down
• 4 = Page Left
• 6 = Page Right
• 5= Zoom In/Out
Your Enter key works to confirm selections, or click a link, just like a tap of the trackball.
The letter "Q" is the main Opera Mini 5 "shortcut key." Various numeral keys can be pressed along with the letter "Q" to activate browsing shortcuts. For instance:
• Q + 1: Clear Page of Cursor, Selection Box
• Q + 2: Show Blank URL Field to Navigate to New Page
• Q + 3: Search for Specific Text on a Page
• Q + 4: Access "Speed-Dial" Home Screen
• Q + 5: View of Add to Bookmarks
• Q + 6: View Browsing History
• Q + 8: Access Browser Settings
• Q + 9: View or Add to Saved Web pages

We're moving to our new location by Dec 1st

2009-10-31T05:46:00.000-07:00

Dataserv has grown out of our Brielle location. In the coming weeks we will be moving into our larger location at 1985 Hyw 34, Wall NJ. It is a great location with a nice amount of space for us to work with.

I look forward to the move. It's like a new beginnning. So much to do before December 1st. I thank all who are a part of this: Our clients & our employees.

There's alot of stuff to move. Technology companies are a little more involved than your average office. Servers, Racks, & Cabling to name a few. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that all goes as planned. No bets please.

Best Buy Poor Business Practices

2009-09-15T09:32:00.000-07:00

The condition of this economy will cause people and businesses to reach in different ways to stay in business or keep market share. Some good, some not so good and some downright questionable.

A small story out of Best Buy recently shows that the big electronics retailer is trying to push additional services (sometimes unneeded) to consumers. Best Buy sees this as another stream of revenue to make up for a decline in traffic in their stores. Services are good if needed and for the correct issue on hand. But, this story proves otherwise.

Link to the official story from one of my trade magazines CRN
http://community.crn.com/blogs/TheRealChannel/2009/07/29/best-buys-bad-business

Wife buys husband Dell laptop for birthday at Best Buy ($700)
Wife buys BlackTie Warranty for Dell Laptop ($300)
Hinge breaks on laptop 6mo later.
Wife returns laptop to Besy Buy for repair.
Best Buy quotes 3 Week turnaround or the repair (So much for the BlackTie Service - This should be a 2-3day repair)

Now the really bad part
Best Buy replaces the harddrive on the laptop w/o notifing the owner.
Geek Squad calls owner and asks if he would like to purchase data recovery services because the clueless tech sees a harddrive w/ no personal data, not knowing what the other tech did.

I am in the service business myself. We fix PC's, manage and maintain peoples networks and technology. I do this day in and day out. Its a grind that I have endured over the past 15years and enjoy. It is without hesitation I always say to my techs "listen closley to the customer, grasp the issue at hand and with some common sense, solve the issue within the quickest time at the lowest cost."

This is the best possible way I know how to assist my clients. This has been working well for me since my business inception. Listen, Act, Follow Up.

Big Security Issue Targeted to Small Businesses

2009-08-28T19:06:00.000-07:00

I always felt these guys would get more creative and go smaller. This is a story of Internet security issues affecting small business now and in the foreseeable future.

Now you know some of us small businesses are just getting by, with regulation, taxes, health care, legal, insurance along with the contracting of credit. Unable to afford a full time IT guy, the owner allows some computer smart employee to handle most if not all PC/Network issues.

We now have a major phishing scam specifically targeting small businesses. The perpitraitors are Eastern European in nature, but let’s not rule out Russian, Chinese, and Nigerians. They craft an email specifically targeting the bookkeeper, controller or treasurer. That email, "IF" opened, either sends you to a virus infected site or the site installs malware using key logger technology to steal passwords and bank account information from the unsuspected financial worker.

They recruit individuals in the US to setup bank accounts to wire funds back to Eastern Europe. Here is an excerpt from the Washington Post article By Krebs Washington Post Staff Writer

Many have begun to come forward to tell their tales. In July, a school district near Pittsburgh sued to recover $700,000 taken from it. In May, a Texas company was robbed of $1.2 million. An electronics testing firm in Baton Rouge, La., said it was bilked of nearly $100,000.
Article Link

Please watch closley for thsi distributed email linking malware. Plain and simple, think before you click. That has to be the number one security advice I can give anyone. Because no matter how much protection you have, this one email will come through, and believe me, you will get fooled and bang! You are owned. Companies that bank online are regulated under the Uniform Commercial Code, which holds that commercial banking customers have roughly two business days to spot and dispute unauthorized activity if they want to hold out any hope of recovering unauthorized transfers from their accounts.

Here are a few more tips for small business:

Make sure your anti-virus/security software is running properly, that it’s turned on and not disabled.
If your office has a dumb router, think really hard of replacing it with a Sonicwall Unified Threat Management Router. These things are cool. We sell 'em for a reason. The optional services (Gateway Anti-Virus - checks for viruses at the router even before they get in your network, Gateway Anti-Spam - same as the Anti-Virus, Content Filtering - Ahh those bad infected sites, and Intrusion Prevention) are a must. And Sonicwall's ores a great job of bundling all of the services for a cost effective price point.
Keep your PC up to date with security patches and updates.
Don’t have your kid play with your work PC!
Lastly, the cost of getting owned, far outweighes the cost of a Sonicwall TZ100, TZ200 with the optional services turned on.

That’s a good start to keep you protected. Remember a PC is not something you buy and don’t maintain. That mindset just doesn’t fly in the era of brute malware. If you’re a business in the Central Jersey Shore, there’s no reason to call us for free network evaluation to show your weaknesses against these attacks. Then you can decide on whether you’d like to have our team manage your network for a low monthly fee.

Please, protect yourself and your business.

Nick Stango, Owner, Dataserv

Microsft and Google move closer to gangland style hits

2009-08-24T17:56:00.000-07:00

Google will be releasing their Android mobile phone O/S for the hot netbook market in the next quarter. Android is ready to make the jump from cell phones to the PC platform. I always said things are going to blur between mobile phone operating systems which are basically mini PC’s and the Netbook O/S platform. Intel has an O/S for netbooks called Moblin, Ubuntu has Netbook Remix. So why not Google. Next question, will Apple soon be next. They sure are thinking long and hard in Cupertino.

Knowing that Google will be giving away an O/S for netbooks hits Microsoft right in the pocket. Acer is already signed up with their 12” version. The new larger screen size is a nice sweet spot as I never liked the 8.9” units and the 10.2 inch screens, well they just cut it. At a resolution of 1024x600 that's a little tough on the 45 and older crowd. These Netbook O/S’s optimize screen real estate and create efficiency in using the PC.

Microsoft’s Bing search is hot. I like it. Microsoft knows the platform is the web and the O/S is less and less important. Don't get me wrong, Google is king here, but Microsoft has really put some effort in this. It has a nice mobile version m.bing.com and gives really good search results. Competition on both ends will be good for us consumers. Here is the Bloomberg article on the Android PC Operating System.

This guy did a comparison side by side of each search. Great job. Google vs. Bing
Check it out.

T-Mobile Servers hacked over weekend . Data for Sale !

2009-06-08T17:58:00.000-07:00

As you can see, no one, I mean no one is safe.

No matter how good your IT support is. No matter how much money you spend on security, this can and will happen. What I am surmising here is a possible breach within. Possibly some malware on a PC with a key logger. And if it isn't that, then its some very talented people who collectively did the breach. We’ll keep up on the story and find out exactly how the security breach was made.

In the mean time. UPDATE your virus software. Don't click on any e-mails from people you don't know. Have a good firewall. And read our 13 ways to stay protected. It really helps.
Here's a link to our security web page Link to T-Mobile article courtesy of Tech Crunch

Safe Surfing - Our New Support Site

2009-05-07T17:59:00.000-07:00

As malware evolves into more sinister and stealthier ways to load onto your system, Dataserv has created a support site to keep you informed and protected.

Feel free to visit dataservsupport.com We will be updating the site frequently with information on the lastest outbreaks in malware, viruses and identy theft, Along with information to assit you and your business with network issues and professional support.

Our Servcies include:

DTS Free Network Audit
Total Care Network Support
Total Refresh - Hardware Renew Services
Small Business Server 03/08
Responsepoint Phone System
Off-Site Secure Backup HIPAA Compliant
Blackberry Email Intergration
Bounce Back Server
Unified Communications
HIPAA Compliant Mail Systems
PC Support Services