Sometimes clients ask us about options for backups. A good starting point is the 3-2-1 rule. Basically it states the following;
If you need help with this please reach out to us.
Recently I was contacted by the Victoria Park Lions Club about the computer recycling project who are continuing the project. You can find updated details here:
Save your computer from going to landfill – Lions Club PC Refurbishment Project
Recently I’ve helped a few clients recover their lost/forgotten/mistaken passwords preventing them from logging into Windows. One of the problems came when a client linked their windows account to their microsoft account when trying to setup email, this is a common problem on windows 10. Microsoft likes to link user profiles to their Microsoft profiles but you can avoid this if you know where to look in windows.
When you go to setup your email account in Microsoft Mail on windows 10 it will try to connect your account causing you to need to enter your Microsoft password every time. Look out for the “switch to a local account instead” text almost hidden under the user profiles.
Along with this there are two methods to recover your account if you no longer know the password in Windows 10 or Windows 8 (also Windows 7), one method uses the command prompt and ‘net user’ commands and another method uses a boot cd found here; https://pogostick.net/~pnh/ntpasswd/
Getting lost keeping track of alot of passwords?
You can manage your passwords with a program like http://www.lastpass.com – this gives you the advantage of using ‘2 factor’ authentication which usually means you log in via your computer and confirm with your phone to get into your password vault. This makes it easier to use different passwords for different sites and they are managed for you in a secure space without needing a password file on your desktop or for you to find a special note pad.
If you aren’t sure how secure your passwords are or if someone might have it, I recommend checking if your email address has been compromised at some point, you can put your email address into this website and see if your account details may have been hacked somewhere https://haveibeenpwned.com/
Today I received some updated information around the Lions computer recycling project, please see below for more info;
Save your computer from going to landfill – Lions Club PC Refurbishment Project
Recently I was setting up a yahoo mail account for a client and required the settings, these are the same with the yahoo.com.au (yahoo7) email addresses, for reference;
IMAP is the best way to connect your Yahoo7 Mail account to a desktop mail client or mobile app. It allows 2-way syncing, which means everything you do remotely is reflected in your Yahoo7 Mail account no matter where or how you access it. Here are the settings you’ll need to configure your mail client or app.
Incoming Mail (IMAP) Server
Incoming Mail (POP) Server
Outgoing Mail (SMTP) Server
Your login info
Yesterday I arrived at a client’s place to help with missing myob & email files. It turns out the computer had been having problems including a cryptolocker virus and someone had re-installed the operating system using the system recovery mode for the Samsung all in one screen based computer.
It was tricky one because when a system recovery is done through the Samsung software it wipes out all existing files on the disk. Fortunately my data recovery software was able to find the important files, I actually started the process on the PC and then later finished off the job using remote support. I was really glad I was able to help this client find the missing files because after a complete system restore there is a chance that these files would have been gone for good, often this happens when the drive is re-formatted.
Here are some good links to download the Windows 10 Install files. You will usually need to be a technician to understand how to use these to upgrade your computer and you will need a valid windows license, but here they are for reference;
http://www.microsoft.com/en-us/software-download/techbench
When new operating systems are released often there are imperfections to be ironed out and flaws that come to the surface. Over a period of time these get patched and fixed with windows updates but it takes some time for this to filter through to fix alot of small issues. If you have a brand new computer, it will be fine to start with Windows 10 but with an older computer it is possible that your hardware drivers have not been updated and or are buggy or not fully functional.
The way the windows upgrade process works means that it will be difficult to go back to your old Windows once you have started the process. Along with this the windows 10 upgrade is a pretty large download and will use more hard drive space on your computer.
Recently I had a few support call to Marmion to help with an old computer that was just upgraded to Windows 10. At first it worked, but then it stopped responding altogether. I assisted by extracting the data off to a new computer and the client was up and running again. In this case the computer was on its last legs anyway and upgrading to windows 10 pushed it over the edge. I’ve also seen some computers in Duncraig and Hillarys dealing with Windows 10 upgrade issues. Overall I would advise to stay away for now if you have an older computer running Windows 7. However you can click on the link and claim your free upgrade for later. You don’t need to install it just yet.
If you are already running Windows 8 or 8.1 the windows 10 upgrade is a more reliable idea, but I would avoid it if everything is running well. There is a chance that upgrading will make your computer run better and be like a bit of a clean up, but you will most likely need to re-install some things.
One of the greatest things about Windows 10 is the familiar start-menu interface, which is a breath of fresh air to people who enjoy the old familiar windows look and feel. But this can also be applied to windows 8 with the help of some third party software (We have installed the start menu for a bunch of computers running windows 8 around Perth).
I’ve been glad to have some new computer repair clients around my local area in Sorrento, Kingsley, Duncraig, Woodvale, Marmion, Watermans Bay and Whitfords lately – if you need help with Windows 10 or any other issues – you can call me on 0401 229 104
Hey all,
Recently I’ve been using this tool to transfer large files – usually from clients old computers when they are upgrading to a new computer and transferring everything across, or backing things up for safekeeping – or even from pc to mac or mac to pc. When dealing with many gigabytes of files, its a real pain of the windows Copy feature gets stuck. This one can resume and it is much quicker when copying files through xp or vista and probably faster for windows 7 too. Windows 8 apparently is alot faster with its internal copy function so depending on how many files you have top copy or transfer it may be worth it.
Anyway the program is called “Teracopy” and you can find it here:
http://codesector.com/teracopy
One of the jobs I completed recently in Applecross (near Perth) was Setting up some wireless web cameras for a client. After setting up the cameras I found some software which can record video based on motion detection. I then set it up so the three wifi cameras were on stand-by and at night the infra-red light would turn on in the software. We set it so when motion was detected between midnight and daybreak infront of these cameras it would start recording and send an alert email which is viewable via iphone/ipad or any other computer remotely over the internet.
The video security software programs I found for recording and remotely monitoring web cameras are these;
Blue Iris (Paid)
I Spy Connect (Free)
Wifi cameras are pretty cheap these days, so its a nice solution for extra security in your home. One thing to note though is that the Infra-red light coming from these cameras can be pretty strong, so you probably don’t want it switched on when you are around even though you can’t see it, it may damage your eyes. Also its important to setup passwords on these devices and be aware of the security issues around having internet-connected cameras.