Summer Conditions for your PC/Laptop

During Summer End-Users tend to forget that they not the only ones that need to be cooled on really hot days. Your computer is no different, in fact most times your computer runs at a lot higher tempts than the human body. When humans get hot we sweat, Computers heat has no where to go unless you have sufficent heat reducing components, these are mainly fans (cheapest form of cooling) to the Water Radiators, yup you read it correctly water around electronics normally doesn't mix but in this way they dobut the down side is this (cooling systems are very expensive).

The best properties of cooling fans within a PC is Same in, Same out! This causes a neutral area of air  flow within the PC. So for example if you have two fans pointing airflow in then you must have two collecting the hot air and flowing that air out the PC thus {Neutral Pressure}. The other senario is if you have 3 fans pulling air in and only one fan exit you cause a high pressure system {Positve Pressure} in your machine, most of the time it actually doesn't cool your machine, same goes for one fan in and 3 exit fans causes a low pressure system within the PC thus {Negitive Pressure}.

Like a Propeller on a plane the fan has blades that pull or push air:

As well as air flow within the computer, the air surrounding the PC must be unobstructed as well as this can cause the fans to work over their standard working rate (Harder)

A clean environment is also a huge factor when it comes to cooling both your PC and Laptop, if dusty or fluff in the air like say on a farm or in a factory this will hamper crucial airflow both in as it will suck in dust or dirt into PC and will jam up a fan or two, this will cause serious overheating within the PC/Laptop

As soon as this happens the absolute crucial next step is to have your computer serviced to have these vital cooling components cleaned, reoiled and checked for free flowing, if non of these is possible then replace them PROMPTLY

Laptop cooling is minimal

Thus extra laptop fan cooling is needed

Microsoft Oh! Microsoft......

When Microsoft release an update patch, does your windows OS run it automatically or do you have the setting set to you choose. Microsoft released a patch a while back but it seems this is still causing some issues with users. Those affected users were running Windows 7 SP1 or Windows 2008 R2 SP1. Those that are using Windows 8 or 8.1 from reports seem to have got away from the stresses but sadly the others haven't.
There is a fix that Microsoft has release to fix or hopefully fix the updating problems cause by their update patch in the first place.

For further info: http://support.microsoft.com/kb/3024777

At least it give IT guru's out there something to do.....but please Microsoft, PLEASE PLEASE test your patches next time before releasing them live.

Hibernation or Shut-Down! Which is better and more secure!

Most laptop users these days prefer to put their laptop's in to Hibernation rather than turning them off completely by shutting down! But are you safe doing that, okay it help you when you want to work on your machine and all you have to do is "wake it up", but are you thinking about the risks involved in doing this. Lets give a scenario, you've been at work all day and you take your laptop home at night to do some extra work so instead of shutting down, you just close the lid and hey presto it's gone into hibernation. You driving or walking and your laptop is stolen from you, now all the thief has to do is open the lid of your laptop and he has access to all your doc's, important info, etc. Sure you might have a password but still your laptop would be compromised if you don't! Now you have the hassle of changing all your passwords, possibly your banking details and personal data in the hand of someone who could use that for their on means. You probably have pictures of your family, etc these too could be used in illegal ways. Now if you had shut down and you had a password on Start up or even in the BIOS so no one could change them and access your data that would be a LOT more secure and safer in the end. I mean so what if your laptop takes 3 minutes instead of 50 sec's to boot up, is loosing your precious data and more worth the risk. Think about it, I always shut down and never take it for granted that anything will be safe.

Whoosh! Gone before you know it.

Where has January gone? Just the other day around the world we were celebrating the new year of 2015 and already we have lost a complete month - for me anyway. I just hope that the rest of the year doesn't speed along at the same rate.

So what's new? Well there has been the recent launch of Windows 10 as a technical preview, yup another version but I think from the first sightings of the OS, it looks to be a re-injected Microsoft trying to make up for the mistakes of Windows 8 & 8.1. Windows 10 has a good feel about itself, very much like windows 7 Ultimate and seems so far to be very user friendly. Another note is that Microsoft has stated that there is a free upgrade from windows 7, 8 & 8.1 to windows 10 in the first year. Official launch date is not in concrete but could be mid 2015.

Holiday's - Are you protected?

There's something that always amazes me, when people go on holiday what do they do with their computer's, well it's easy with laptops these days, you just carry it with you but is it safe with you. Are you using it on the travels, is it protected in every way possible for example insured against theft, damage if using it outside in the weather. Best too check before leaving on your holiday.

 Another protection is it all up to date with the latest Anti-Virus & Anti-Spyware software and definitions, if not then best you do, if you normally on a network (i.e. work laptop) check with your IT Admins to see what you can do to safely guard your laptop against cyber theft while browse the net via a hotels free wifi connection, you can ask the place you staying for your holiday's if their network is protected sufficiently against cyber crime. The worst thing that could happen is you innocently connect with your work or home laptop to a wireless connection and someone close by manages to hack into your computer and either plants a virus, spyware, rogueware or worst still steals all your unprotected data.

Be sure to check out with the local's which is the best IT support in the area you staying if you happen to have issues with your computer while you on holiday. Nothing is worse than having your laptop crash while all your saved holiday photos and memories can never be recovered. It is also not nice to spend your holiday savings on dodgy IT repairs that in the end cost more to fix than your original holiday cost.

Finally have a safe and pleasant holiday season. All the best for 2015

The Do’s and Don’ts of the Internet!

 

The simple ways of using the internet for it’s main purpose is fun but can also be fairly hazardous. Now don’t get me wrong and discourage your staff from using the Internet as a tool to further find things of interest.

Best practice if you unsure ask! Your IT Support will be more than willing to help you out if you think you have been infected or something odd is happening!

But here are some really important DO’s and DON’TS of Browsing not only Internet but also E-mails too!

Right first the DON’TS

Those who click on links and open attachments in emails run higher risk of encountering viruses.

Those who download all the neat stuff they encounter while browsing the Internet will install adware (pop-ups that NO popup blocker can stop), malicious software and potentially viruses.

Most toolbars are spyware These come in the form of MySearch, googlebar,  etc, they are commonly called BHO or Browser Help Organizers, but more often than not they are spyware promoters.

Don't click on a link or attachment in an email unless you were expecting the link or attachment. DO NOT click on a link or attachment just because you recognize (or think you recognize) the service or person the email is from. That is a lure for the nastiest of viruses... they only need you too "click" to start messing day up

Don't click on the "Congratulations! You are the Millionth Visitor! Click Here to receive you FREE IPAD!" The end result will very disappointing and can mess your PC up.

Stay away from FREE; screen savers, simile central (free smiles), wall papers, free mouse coursers, coupon printers, etc. Most of these will install Trojan Viruses or Malware (sometimes just poorly written software) that can cripple your computer or put a strangle hold on it.

DON’T go to porn sites, if you think you won’t be caught or found out trust me it is easy to find where you have been, there is software to find that out. Oh and before you think mmm! I’ll delete, that’s not good either, as the software checks even the hidden tracks your browsing leaves behind.

DON'T...respond to any e-mail asking you for personal information, such as social security number, bank account numbers or PIN number. Banks, credit card companies and other legitimate businesses will not ask you for personal information in an e-mail.

Finally the DO’S

Update and scan with your spyware removers and anti-virus programs relative to your computer usage. Scan at least once or twice every 2 weeks for light Internet use and perhaps once to 3 times a week for heavier Internet use.

DO have fun on the internet, that is what it was designed to do, for information and leisure, and dare I say games! But only during free time (lunch time only people)

If something odd occurs on your PC/Laptop which you haven’t seen before, unplug from network and call your IT support immediately it might be minor or major but let them decide! They are after all the experts in the field.

Weather!

In recent times weather has played a roll in making life for the computer quite dangerous, how may you ask! Well in terms of the following:

Living near the Coast: Unless you replace your computer on a regular basis you may notice that even your PC casing is subject to rust, there is little you can do to stop the rust, except you can go the Acrylic route but unless done properly it can become expensive. Of course it's not just your casing, the moisture in the air also plays havoc with the dryness of the air mixing with dust forming a sticky form that is circulating around your machine, it can cause damage to components within. A cover is the best solution, sheet or plastic to protect the valuable equipment.

Those living inland are not clear of dangers either, you have the opposite to the coast, the dry dust clogs up fans and sits on the motherboard, too much of this dust and your machine never mind how cool you think it's running will eventually stop working as it will over heat and possibly blow components. Laptops are at the worst for fans clogging up from dust or moisture, once a laptop fan stops, it will damage more than a PC. Thus causing a major expense possible even complete replacement.

Natural disasters: Lightning, floods are two of the most damaging forms for computers! If you in areas where you have frequent storms best you find a safe place to house your computer out of reach of possible flooding. Make sure that no water can get anywhere near the machine. In terms of Lightning, if there is a storm brewing anywhere near by, unplug your machine from the network if it's on one, disconnect any cables leading into the machine especially power, network, telephone/modem cables. These despite what retailers of surge protectors say, I have a belief that if it's unplugged then it's safe, and to be right and safe or wrong and have an expensive bill on your hands to replace the costly equipment, well I know what I would choose. You could also buy a UPS - Uninterrupted Power Supply) which would help in smoothing the power to your PC/laptop through a surge protector but that would only be okay if it is protected from the Natural causes otherwise it would fall into the same conditions as mentioned above. Still the best policy is to unplug everything (even inputs to a router, modem) as these too are expensive replace if damaged.