Showing posts with label tips. Show all posts
Showing posts with label tips. Show all posts

What You Should Know Before Taking Your PC to a Computer Repair Shop

Computer Tips , tips
What You Should Know Before Taking Your PC to a Computer Repair Shop
We have all been there. You finally carve out some time to work on that project, to locate and e-mail some files, or just to browse the internet in order to conduct some research into a possible purchase. But you can’t. Your PC simply will not cooperate. It fights you at every turn. You go right, it goes left. You end up chasing your machine around in circles until, finally, you are left just staring at a circling wait icon, a stack of error dialog boxes, or worse even, a blank screen. The next step seems to be crawling under your desk and fighting the dust bunnies to unplug dozens of cables before packing the whole thing up to be taken to an expert. Stop. That might not be necessary. These are the things you need to know before taking your PC to a computer repair shop.

Five Easy Fixes You Can Do at Home Before Paying for Computer Repair

Before you spend time, energy, and money, sending your computer out, try a few easy fixes. These do not require any technical expertise, so don’t worry.
  • Reboot Your Computer - Hitting Control+Alt+Delete will bring up your start screen and present you with a few options. Select power off. Wait a few minutes and turn the machine back on. Often, rebooting will shut down competing processes and applications causing your issue.
  • System Updates - If you have not been great about allowing updates to your computer to download, it may be running slower than normal, or not at all. Make sure all system updates are installed before panicking and calling for repair. Find your updates by locating "settings" on your home screen and then selecting "updates". This can take some time, but it is well worth it.
  • Check Your Internet Connection - Often, slow speeds are caused by unstable or poor wi-fi connections. This is not your PC's fault. Blame your router, modem and ISP (internet service provider) instead. Power down your router and modem for a few minutes and then start them back up. Wait for the blinking light sequences to finish and then check your performance.
  • Check for Malicious Software (Viruses) - We all know that the internet is swarming with bits of software designed to take over your computer and ruin your life. Did you know that your machine probably has a very capable defense system against this already installed? Locate "settings" on your home screen and then select "security". The pre-installed anti-virus software provided with major operating systems is really quite good. Run a full scan and see what is identified. The software will quarantine anything suspicious and delete the malware upon your request.
  • Clean Your Machine - Most of us take great care of our keyboard and monitor. Those are the things guests see. But what about inside your case? Computers generate heat. To cool the electronic parts air flow is created through a series of fans and vents. If those vents become clogged your machine will run very hot and begin to work more slowly before eventually just dying altogether. The case can usually be opened by removing two or three screws. Carefully vacuum all of the dust you find. Your machine will breathe more easily and perform better when needed.

Maintenance is Important

These are five easy steps you can take before taking your PC to a computer repair shop. Most likely, one of them will fix your problem, saving you money and time. The key is to remember that like a car or any other complicated machine, computers require maintenance to continue to run as quickly as the day they were purchased. Fortunately, this maintenance is free and easy to do.

This was a guest post by Garrett Tate of Don’t Panic IT Solutions - www.dontpanicit.com
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How To Improve Your Online Privacy With These Easy Steps

Online Tips , Security Tips
How To Improve Your Online Privacy With These Easy Steps
The good news is that it's really easy to beef up your online security. These quick and simple steps will considerably strengthen your systems against criminals and snoops.

1. Get a quality VPN service

The quickest and easiest way to improve your online privacy is to get a quality VPN provider. The best services, like ExpressVPN, will secure your internet connection from prying eyes. A VPN will make your internet connection completely private and will keep no record of your internet activity.

2. Use a password manager

It goes without saying that a strong password will protect you more. You should also always use a different password for each account you have online. The best way to do this is with a password manager. It will encrypt and store all of your credentials for every site, so that you don't have to remember them all. Logins will fill out automatically, which means you'll spend less time frantically trying to remember your pet's birthday. Pick a strong master password and let the program do the rest.

3. Keep your system up to date

Setting your OS to update automatically requires minimal effort, and will considerably strengthen your defence against cyber attacks. It's important that you always have the latest security updates on your machine. They are released for a reason - to fight the increasingly sophisticated criminals who are constantly searching for ways to attack you and harvest your data.

4. Don't forget Your Mobile Connections

Connecting from a mobile device is increasingly the way most people get online. There's no point securing your desktop if you leave your iPad connection open. That's why it's important to choose a VPN service which will work across all devices and operating systems.

5. Don't trust Free and Public Wifi.

In many cases, it's free because they are harvesting your data. And that's just the provider. Criminals and snoops can also use the same connection to gain access to your files.

Getting secure online is more common sense than cost. A few straight thinking minutes can have your systems operating far more securely. VPNs are worth more than their weight in gold.

VPNs Weigh Nothing

Literally. There's no bulky equipment, It's just software. It's also lightweight software that won't hog any resources. In fact, it can often speed up your system. ISPs increasingly throttle traffic to certain websites. They do this without telling you, or even admitting it. They may use phrases such as "Traffic Shaping", but don’t be fooled. It's throttling. A VPN hides the sites you are looking at, so it's impossible to have your connection "trafficked".

Honorary Mentions: What about Tor?

There are other methods of securing your data online. Perhaps by using the Tor network. And while it is not as tricky (or dangerous!) as some make out, it just isn't as simple as a good VPN service.

ExpressVPN will get you browsing safely within minutes. A quick install and a few clicks is all you need to increase your online security and protect your privacy. And with a 256 key encryption, it is near impossible to hack.
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How Private is Google's Incongito Mode?

Online Tips , Security Tips
How Private is Google's Incongito Mode?
How Private is Google's Incongito Mode?

With the increase in the number of users of internet globally cyber crimes have also increased remarkably and people should try to be more careful while using the internet than ever before. In the age where almost everyone has access to the internet privacy is one of the most important things that you should worry about while browsing on the internet.

If you are using a public computer for general search like for the schedule of the football world cup fixtures or look for the weather report, privacy is not entirely necessary. But if you are booking a table in a restaurant online, shopping online by using your credit card, checking your bank account, logging into your social media profile or checking your email you need your browsing to be private.

If you are browsing in a public computer you need to be aware that the data you search can easily be accessed by someone else who uses the same computer after you. Mostly people who want their browsing to be private and don’t want anyone to see what they search on the internet remove the history manually after they are done. The traces are removed by clearing the cache and cookie files to completely remove the history. It can also be used specifically for the sites you want to be cleared. They can be removed selectively and the process which does not take much of your time.

Privacy on the internet is now taken very seriously and most modern browsers ship have a private browsing mode that you can be start independently. This helps to avoid keeping the record of the sites visited and the information browsed in that session cannot be restored once the browser is closed.

Private modes of browsing of all the browsers are the same. A new window opens that is independent from the main session. Just like the main session users can open as many sites as they want to open.

There is however a difference between the functioning of Firefox private browsing mode and google chrome's incognito mode.

In google chrome when you close the browser after using the incognito mode the data cannot be restored. Not everyone needs the private mode of browsing as If you search of a website of something that you need and after finding it you close the window than this information that you searched cannot be restored and if you do not remember the exact site that you searched you cannot reopen it as the data is not saved.

But in Firefox this feature is different. In Firefox data can be restored in the same way just like in the normal browser which is by using ctrl+shift-t. It can also be achieved by right click on the tab bar and undo close tabs from the context menu.

Other browser like opera and internet explorer also use private browsing. Opera is chromium based so its private browsing mode is just like that of google chrome’s incognito and the closed tab cannot be restored while internet explorer handles private browsing just like Firefox.

Comparing these browsers and their private browsing a question arises that is why these applications are different in re-opening the tabs once after they are closed. There is no official answer to this but an appropriate and logical reason can be that the browser that can re-open the closed tabs holds data on a window level while the browsers that cannot re-open the closed tabs in incognito mode like google chrome and opera hold data on tab level.

It makes google chrome’s incognito mode more private as there is no restoration of a tab once after it is closed.



Author Bio:
Brooke fill in as Parental and Tech expert and writer has earned her an exhibited accumulating of readers who are needing for the most recent news and audit about Tech updates. Her work turns around the most recent in spy app for mobile phones like Mobile Tracker.
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Seven Ways to Prevent Software Viruses from Infecting your Personal Data

Security Tips , tips
Seven Ways to Prevent Software Viruses from Infecting your Personal Data

Seven Ways to Prevent Software Viruses from Infecting your Personal Data
Computer viruses are manifested through software programs that replicate and infect other computers. Normally these are spread through emails and data transfer devices such as flash disks. Other than infecting your computer or laptop, viruses can be transferred to your cell phone, e-reader or tablet. So long as these gadgets can get into contact with the internet, they are always at risk. A viral attack can lead to a malfunction or expose your personal data such as the passwords you use. If an intruder gets hold of your password he/she can hack into your phone or emails.

There are three basic ways to steer clear of viruses:

  • Avoid opening email attachments from people you don’t know
  • Always use sites that are trusted when downloading files
  • Scan suspect documents or devices that you use

Below are some measures you can take to prevent viruses from getting into your personal data:

1. Exercise caution when opening email attachments either from your phone or tablet. The same way you treat suspect attachments with caution when working from your computer should be replicated in other gadgets. If you get an email from someone who is not in your mailing list, don’t open it. Do the same in case the message title or sender’s name looks suspicious.

2. Be on the lookout for links that look questionable. These are normally sent through text or email messages. The people who send them are spammers or hackers. Some do this on purpose with the intention of establishing whether that email address has a user. Once you open it, some trigger is raised on their end and they get an opportunity to either spam your mail box or send viruses. Others may not be aware that their phones are infected. You can try sending a text to the sender to inquire whether he/she sent the link. If the person is genuine and honest you will get a response and an apology. Otherwise, delete such messages instantly.

3. With respect to applications, download only those that are legitimate. You can tell whether a store is legit by reading online reviews about it. Since there are many people looking for mobile phone applications, some malicious people have taken advantage by spreading viruses in form of fake games, social networking applications and financial tracking apps.

4. While using Bluetooth, apply undiscoverable settings. There are viruses that pass through Bluetooth connections. This is a tricky attack. If you walk near a device and your connection is in discoverable mode, the virus in the infected device can easily be transferred to your tablet or smartphone. Currently, there are some malicious viruses that disable your phone and steal your contact details.

5. In order to protect your smartphones, iPhones, e-readers and tablets download anti-virus applications. These can be obtained from trusted providers. Make sure the company you source the app from is well known. Examples include Lookout Mobile Security app and SmrtGuard Solutions’ Snap Secure app. These help protect iPhones as well as provide data backup. The applications are available from Lookout Inc. There are a host of many others.

6. For Android phones, you should be able to get reliable anti-virus such as Kaspersky Mobile Security app. This incorporates spam and virus protection. Other examples are Norton Mobile Security and Bullguard Mobile Security. These protect data during an attack, theft or loss of your phone. You can download them online.

7. Look for anti-virus applications that help secure your personal information from falling into the wrong hands. Some can help keep track of your phone while others rid your phone’s memory from a remote location. This works well when someone steals your phone.
Image Credit: jesadaphorn



Author Bio:
Agency Fusion, located in Salt Lake City, Utah, is an ad agency focused on the intersection of design and technology. They specialize in web design, web development, branding and software development. Learn more about Fusion Agency here.
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Online Shopping Activities to Save Money

Online Tips , tips
Online Shopping Activities to Save Money

Online Shopping Activities to Save Money
When you are on the chase for a great good deal, shopping online can present some eye-catching savings opportunities you will not find at your next-door department store. Shopping online is a suitable way to start your commodity search even if you eventually buy from a retailer in your region. Knowing the rate range from manifold sources on like products is a superior way to be familiar with a deal anywhere you find it. Formerly you begin looking at the choices, you might be amazed at how much you can put aside when purchasing goods online. With a number of clicks in addition to a well-informed strategy, you may be capable to hit the in-store rates around you as well as score a small number of bonus rewards addicted to the bargain.

You must explore fast along with easy ways to find or less build huge online shopping deals. When it appears that, the entire globe is making it online be it advertising or contact, online shopping stays no behind. Be it for business or for personal self-shopping online is the method to go for there are a variety of benefits to it. Online shopping can be speedy as well as convenient, however it can also be costly. Fortunately, there are varieties of activities to assist you cut costs.

In a number of ways, online shopping is alike to shopping at your general market. Many e-tailers offer discount coupons and offers like flipkart discount coupon and snapdeal offers exact items for their customers. As an alternative of cutting coupons from newspaper, despite the fact that, you from time to time have to go on a bargain chase for the finest online coupons, particularly if the e-tailer implicated is modest regarding displaying its coupons importantly. To share the reward, coupon sites collect coupons from the Internet furthermore consolidate them in one simple to look for location.

Some coupon websites might need you sign up for a association, although the service is usually free of charge. Most recently, receiving the best good deal on goods along with services might involve loading coupons with site-specific rewards along with extra strategies. Coupon websites make establishing qualified coupons effortless, so make sure to construct them as a part of your online buying strategy by inspecting for coupons before you fill up your essential shopping cart furthermore be on course for the depart.
Image credit: cooldesign
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