Archive for June 2011
The Bad Guys are Getting Better at Fooling Us
If you’re running Windows XP, then you know probably (and hopefully) know what the Windows Update web site looks like. Well, the bad guys are trying to convince you that their site is the same thing, but it’s not. Strangely enough, you only see this if you’re using Firefox (and the REAL Windows Update only works with Internet Explorer – clue #1.) Clue #2 is a pop-up that tells you that you need to update your copy of Windows. That’s NOT how Microsoft notifies you. You will see the typical yellow shield in the lower right task tray if you have updates. So if you click the pop-up and download the “update” from their website you’ll actually be downloading a virus.
So the same advice that I’ve always given still applies, if you get a pop-up that says you’re computer is infected, DON’T CLICK on it. The only warning you should be getting is from your own anti-virus software. If you don’t know what your anti-virus software looks like, then it’s time you opened it up and take a look. Run a manual scan so you know what it looks like. That’s the best to not get fooled by fake anti-virus software. If you’re using No-Script in Firefox as I recommend in my November article, you probably won’t even see the pop-up and be tricked into clicking.
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Who Should You Call When You Need a Geek
When I say that “Everybody Needs a Geek in Their Life”, you of course know that I’m talking about you (the “Everybody”) and me (the “Geek”), but in case you were thinking about calling some other geek at some big store with funny cars, you might want to read this “confession” of a former member of the “squad”. http://bit.ly/TekChic0359
DEAL: Ready for a New Desktop? Dell Vostro $319
If you’re desktop PC is getting rather old (you know, old Dell medium grey – dark grey PC’s) or maybe you have an old HP running an Intel Pentium or worse, Celeron chip. Here’s a HUGH improvement and a great price. Dell has their Vostro 230 mini-desktop on sale with an Intel Core2 Duo processor running almost 3GHz for only $319. It comes with only 2GB of memory (enough if you’re just a basic user with email, web browsing, etc.) but memory is really cheap so you can always add more later (too expensive to buy it directly from Dell.) The 250GB hard drive isn’t HUGE by today’s standards, but if you’re upgrading from a 5 or more year old computer, it will SEEM huge to you and again, adding a bigger hard drive is really cheap. For $35 you can double it to 500GB, which isn’t bad, but DON’T pay $120 to upgrade to the 1TB drive (that 1,000 GB) because you can get a drive twice that large for less money.
The nice thing about Dell support with their Vostro line is that if they can’t fix it over the phone, they will send someone out to your home (or business) the next business day to fix it. AND, if you really don’t want to have to deal with support personnel whose primary language ISN’T English, you can opt for a reasonable amount to get their “Pro” support which will get you North American support over the phone.
Here’s the link to Dell’s site: http://bit.ly/jvXZrJ
If You Can Even Spell Sony – Change Your Password
The hacker community is really upset (to put it mildly) with Sony and have just decided to go after anything Sony on the web. It goes back to Sony suing a guy known as “GeoHot” for posting on the web how to modify a PlayStation3 to do more than it did coming out of the box – nothing illegal mind you, but just more – like play games made by individuals, or “home brew” games that DIDN’T come from Sony.
So in retaliation, the hackers have gone after Sony with a vengeance, starting with their PlayStation network which was down for nearly a month and going all over the globe seeking Sony sites with poor security. Well, as it turns out there are a LOT of Sony sites with poor security sites, so if you have even so much as purchases a Sony product and registered it online, then just figure that sooner or later your personal information will be revealed. And IF you’re like more people, you probably use the same password for most web sites and logins, then you need to go through and CHANGE those passwords.
Some sites don’t even store your passwords (those are the most secure,) many store your password but they encrypt it so at least it’s hard to impossible to retrieve if stolen, then there are sites that Sony probably falls into and even your password is in clear text and available for anyone to steal.
You don’t even have to own a Sony product, maybe you registered at a Sonypictures web site, like the “Summer of Restless Beauty” web site. Yep, they’ve been hacked too.
My best advice is to stay away from Sony, not because they are evil or anything but because others are gunning for them and you might get caught up in the cross-fire.
DEAL: Lenovo ThinkPad with Core i5 for $540
Here’s a high performance laptop for only $549 from Lenovo with free shipping. This 14” ThinkPad comes with a fast 7200 rpm 320GB hard drive (most “deal” laptops come with a 5400 rpm hard drive, faster rpm equals faster access to the data on the hard drive.) When you click on the link, it defaults to a Core i3 processor, click on the upgrade to the Core i5 2.3 GHz processor, stay with the remaining standard picks unless you feel you need the webcam, more memory (you don’t) or something else. The only consideration is the type of display you like. Lenovo gives you the option of their default anti-glare screen or their glossy “Vibrantview” screen. If you’re going to use your laptop much outdoors, it’s a no-brainer, get the anti-glare screen. If you’re mostly going to me indoors, consider the “Vibrantview” screen. Glossy screens look so much better than anti-glare screens WHEN there isn’t a lot of bright light behind you to reflect off the screen. The print is easier to read and the colors are more vibrant. But if you’re outdoors that won’t matter because it will be real tough to even see the screen, so give it some thought – most manufacturers don’t give you the choice, take advantage of the opportunity. Be sure to add the code GOOGLESHOP at checkout to bring the price to $540. Go here for the deal and DON’T FORGET THE CODE AT CHECKOUT: http://bit.ly/TekChic0358