Holiday electronics buying guide

Hi there-

Just a quick email before Black Friday and Cyber Monday.

I recently found a werbpage by Mozilla, the foundation behind Mozilla Firefox, that most excellent of web browsers. They ranked various connected ‘smart’ devices according to their security and privacy, indeed…according to their ‘creepiness’! Which is to say, the possibility of them spying on you or hackers breaking into them and doing the same. Here’s the list for your perusal:

https://foundation.mozilla.org/en/privacynotincluded/

A new computer?

Beyond that, if you are going to buy a new computer (perhaps because yours has Windows 7, which is soon to be out of date), here’re some pointers:

1) Get one with an SSD (solid-state drive). Do not buy a computer without an SSD. Period. This component will dramatically improve the performance of the computer yet cost almost the same amount.

2) I offer hardware recommendations as a free service, so it doesn’t hurt to ask. I want to make sure you don’t buy something that I have to pretend to like instead of actually like. I don’t want you to get less than you could.

3) When buying a computer, don’t buy the extended warranty, unless it covers physical damage such as drops and water damage and you are prone to such mishaps.

4) Do not be talked into buying any additional software with the computer unless we’ve discussed it first. They’ll usually try to sell you Microsoft Office and an antivirus. I’d rather recommend a specific antivirus, and we should make sure you actually need to pay for a new MS Office license instead of using one you have or an alternate solution. Talk to me first!

5) Computer hardware is such a tight market that Black Friday deals and such usually aren’t that much better than everyday prices. Don’t feel like you need to get trampled in line at the store this Friday unless you enjoy that sort of thing.

Let me know if I can help further and have a Happy Thanksgiving.

-Chris

Happy to help

Let me know how I can help!

chris@watchdogtechnology.com
952-681-8325

Might be time for a new computer

…if you still have Windows 7.

Windows 7 is almost ten years old, and, well, software ages even faster than dog years. Microsoft supports their operating systems for ten years and those ten years will come to a close in January of 2020 (so you have some time left).

Computers last as long as they last, however…

A few things happen as they age:

1. They gather cruft, both literal in the form of dust and ‘wear & tear’, and figuratively in the form of inefficiencies and bloat in software
2. Statistical chance of hardware failure continually rises; the failures can be subtle and show up as slowness, or they can be abrupt and show up as grinding/grating/popping sounds, orange sparks, and ‘blue screens of death’ (free computer tip: orange sparks mean it’s time for a new computer)
3. You expect faster service from computers, but your old computer just can’t keep up

You should expect about 5 years from a computer

Anything more is gravy.

Sure, it’s not going to immediately fail the moment the clock hits five years, but this is a rough estimate of how long it takes for the slow speed and trouble of maintaining it to reach a threshold. Computers are far cheaper than they used to be, so don’t hesitate to upgrade if it’s time.

So…should I replace it?

 Well, I don’t want to insist that you throw away something that’s working, or maybe you have old software that only works on that clunker.

Here’re the reasons why you wouldn’t want to upgrade:

1. You don’t need a desktop/laptop/tablet computer anymore, as you do positively everything on your phone (congrats)
2. You have an old piece of software that just won’t run on newer hardware and you need this software to function in business (we might be able to mitigate this problem)
3. You want to save money, you don’t do anything financial or otherwise important on the computer, and acknowledge that you will accept the increased risk of infection (risky, but I understand)

So, what should I get?

I offer hardware recommendations as a free service. I can even pick up and deliver the computer to you for a small additional fee. Otherwise, I’ll usually send you to Micro Center in St Louis Park, as they’re the best (and only true) computer superstore in town.

I will recommend you a desktop or laptop that most likely has a ‘solid-state drive’ or ‘SSD’ which is basically the magic sauce that makes any computer blazing fast. Expect desktops and laptops to be in the $400-700 range depending on what specifically you need. I’ll be sure to recommend something based on everything you tell me about how you use your computer.

So, you have the rest of this year to budget for this, but don’t wait til the very last minute. Be gentle to my schedule and avoid the December rush. 

If you have a Mac or an Android tablet or iPad, this is not the email for you! You probably already knew that. We’ll get back to the regularly scheduled educational computer tips next month.

If you’re not sure if you have Windows 7 or you’d just like to talk more about this, give me an email or a call.

-Chris

Happy to help

Let me know how I can help!
chris@watchdogtechnology.com
952-681-8325

Happy Thanksgiving

Here’s a few quick notes on smart Black Friday purchases and credit freezes.

Play it smart on Black Friday and Cyber Monday

This is a big season for getting a new computer. If you’re in the market, feel free to let me know. I offer hardware and software recommendations for free, so don’t hesitate to ask before you jump on that new computer or electronic. I hate to see people buy something slower than what they could have had for the same price.

The name of the game for computers is solid-state (hard-)drives (SSDs). These are the number one part you want to look for in a new machine. Nothing else matters as much as this for the performance of a computer. 

Credit freezes are free now

Freezing your credit with the three big credit bureaus is one of the simplest and most effective things you can do to protect yourself from identity theft damage.

This article goes into much more detail about what this entails. It also has links and phone numbers for you to quickly do this, if you so choose.

https://krebsonsecurity.com/2018/09/credit-freezes-are-free-let-the-ice-age-begin/

A couple computers on offer and a word on upgrades

We talked about SSDs above – If you have a fairly new computer that you’d like to give some new life to, these drives can be added to your existing setup. With parts & labor, this upgrade can be under $200 and will typically make a computer feel like better than when it was new. Just let me know that you’re considering this and I’ll give my recommendation based on your current situation.

We periodically refurbish good, used computers. Currently, there is a Chromebook and two desktop gaming computers. Let me know if you’re interested in these budget options.

Happy to help

Let me know how I can help and have a happy holidays!
chris@watchdogtechnology.com
952-681-8325

Hi there-

Recently, I’ve had a couple clients call in telling me they’ve received a scary, threatening email. What was special about this particular email was that it referenced a past password that they had used (in some cases, a very old one). This immediately gave the email more credibility and thus, they called me with concern.

Long story short, data breaches have happened in the past and many email-address/password combinations have been stolen, usually ones with poor passwords such as single dictionary words with or without capital letters. 

These emails were a SCAM, albeit a very well-targeted one. If you see something like this or anything that seems urgent or scary online, slow down, think about it, and don’t hesitate to ask someone for a second opinion.

Here’s some interesting and/or scary further reading for you:

https://krebsonsecurity.com/2018/07/sextortion-scam-uses-recipients-hacked-passwords/

Unrelated news

I have two used Windows 10 desktop computers for sale for $100 a piece. I’d recommend them for home use rather than for business, but they are in good shape and with good specs. Let me know if interested.

Stay safe.

Chris Petersen
Watchdog Technology
1-(855)-WATCHTECH 
1-(855)-928-2483
chris@watchdogtechnology.com

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Happy America’s Birthday!

Here’re four things you can do to improve the security of your computer, your personal information, and your money.

Reboot your router.

In the news recently, the FBI recommended rebooting your wireless router (and modem). This can simply be done by pulling the power on it, waiting 30 seconds, then plugging it back in again. It certainly wouldn’t hurt to do this monthly or quarterly in the future as well.

Here’s a moderately technical article about the type of threats this aims to mitigate.

https://www.schneier.com/essays/archives/2018/06/why_the_fbi_wants_yo.html

Use a password manager or a paper address book for passwords.

There are three methods I recommend for storing your passwords and post-it notes on the bottom of your keyboard or laptop isn’t one of them.

1) Paper address book – low-tech can often be the best tech for security. The only risk is physical theft or loss. The address tabs keep it well-organized.
Ease of use: trivial.
Convenience: moderate.
Security: high.

2) LastPass – a password manager that resides ‘in the cloud’, in other words, online. The benefit of this method is that it will autofill any password fields on sites as you use them. It’s fairly easy to use and very convenient, it even can sync from your computer to your phone to your tablet, etc. The drawback to this method is that you are trusting the company’s security and if they are breached sufficiently badly, you’ll need to change many passwords.
Ease of use: moderate.
Convenience: very.
Security: moderately-high.

3) KeePassX – a password manager which resides on your computer and stores all of your passwords behind a single master password. This password list stays on your computer and thus doesn’t require trust in a 3rd party. However, this means it will not easily sync between your different devices.
Ease of use: moderate.
Convenience: moderate.
Security: high.

If you have your passwords in a text file, Word doc, or Excel spreadsheet, there is an easy step I can take to make that more secure if you don’t want to move to one of the above systems. I would urge you to have me do this as an unencrypted password file on your computer is a big risk.

I am happy to help set up any of these solutions, so just give me a call.

Avoid scams.

This is a topic that I’ll revisit over and over. Today, I’ll share a couple links to related reading, then state by basic rules for avoiding scams.

https://www.cnbc.com/2018/03/07/millennials-fall-for-financial-scams-more-than-other-age-groups.html

https://www.ncoa.org/economic-security/money-management/scams-security/top-10-scams-targeting-seniors/
 

My simple rules for avoiding scams are these:

1) If something seems to be urgent or scary, red flag. Slow down, think about it, ask another person for their opinion.

2) If you get a call or email that wants you to click and enter credentials or confirm information, STOP. Find the actual phone number (like on the back of your credit card) or website (via Google) for this organization (if legit) and go into it that way.

Block unwanted phone calls.

Block unwanted phone calls.Related to avoiding scams – if you receive a garbage call from a number that you’d like to block, here’s how to do so on Comcast and Centurylink phone lines. This is not perfect at stopping unwanted calls, as it’s based on Caller ID and such numbers are easily fakeable. It is, however, a useful step you can take.

https://www.xfinity.com/support/articles/call-screening

https://www.centurylink.com/home/help/home-phone/calling-features/use-call-rejection-to-block-calls-you-dont-want.html

Happy to help.

Let me know if I can help ensure your computer security and disaster recovery systems are in place and working right or if I can help solve any of your computing woes.

Also, please share this email with anyone whom you think would benefit from it. Thank you.

Have a happy 4th of July.

Chris Petersen
Watchdog Technology
1-(855)-WATCHTECH 
1-(855)-928-2483
chris@watchdogtechnology.com

And now, here is your computer news for this month!

Vista’s kaput

First of all, we would like all our clients to know that support for Microsoft’s Windows Vista operating system has come to an end. Microsoft won’t publish public security patches, so it is absolutely time to upgrade your computer if this affects you.

New computers don’t need to be expensive so let us know if this is your case. Please don’t wait on this.

A couple useful hints

Passwords! DO NOT use just a single dictionary or proper noun word as your email account password. People tend to underestimate the importance of the data that can be found in emails and just go for an “easy to remember” password that is not secure enough.

You can use programs like KeePass or LastPass, which generate passwords that include caps, numbers and combinations that can’t be guessed and are stored securely by this program, so there’s no risk of forgetting them. If you want something even simpler, just keep a book or notepad with all of your passwords together, so you don’t have to go hunting in multiple places. Cross out old passwords and date the new ones as you change them.

Hotkeys!

There’s sometimes faster ways to do things than using a mouse. You probably have seen that when we are supporting your computer we don’t really use the mouse as often as most people do. Power users can use keyboard keys to complete many actions that would take longer by using the mouse. This saves time and effort once you get used to it.

So, a Hot Key is a key or a combination of keys providing quick access to a particular function within a program. Here are some of the most frequently used ones:

Ctrl + C or Ctrl + Insert: Copy.
Ctrl + X or Shift + Delete: Cut.
Ctrl + V or Shift + Insert: Paste/Move.
Ctrl + Z: Undo
Ctrl +Plus : Zoom in
Ctrl +Minus : Zoom out

Have an old cellphone?

We might be able to help you sell your old phone and also recommend a new one, if you’re in the market.

Thank you once again for letting us help with all of your computer woes.

Chris Petersen
Watchdog Technology
1-(855)-WATCHTECH 
1-(855)-928-2483
chris@watchdogtechnology.com

Don’t fall for scams!

This month we would like to give you our ever-popular advice on how to avoid having your computer get infected We’ve received SEVERAL calls from our clients in the last weeks telling us how they were receiving scam calls, popups, and emails.

How do you recognize a scam?

The basic rule is: Did you ask for this? If this email, call, or message on your computer is unexpected and scary, STOP. You can always call me to get an answer instead of following along with a potential scam.

If you got an email from an unknown address or sender DO NOT open it. If you get a weird email from someone you know that has attachments or links that you didn’t expect, delete it and let the person know through a different method.

If you load a webpage and suddenly a screen appears telling you you’re infected and you should call this number, STOP. Call me instead and we can figure out how to avoid these kind of things in the future.

I do all that I reasonably can to secure the computers that I work on, but no security is perfect.

Email scams specifically

There’s no foolproof way to determine if an email is a scam, but here are some things to look out for:

Many scam emails would use the name of popular brands you will recognize and their subject lines will have urgent phrases such as your “account has been suspended” or your account had an “unauthorized login attempt”.

Also, don’t believe in “free gifts”, “approved applications”, or people who claim they have a very serious illness and are seeking financial help.  Also, since this is tax season, the IRS is not going to be emailing you, so anything from them is a scam.

When in doubt, if you do business with a company being mentioned, you can always contact them through the phone number on a mailed statement, credit card you have, or the phonebook.

Another very common and serious type of virus usually will pretend to be a UPS, FedEx, USPS, etc delivery notification. Be very careful with any email claiming to be about a package delivery, especially do not click any links in such an email, nor open any such attachments.

Also, no one should ever ask for your password to anything over email.

What do I do if I receive one of the above emails?
Mark it as spam/junk or just delete it. Never open it.

Spring cleaning

Maybe I’m jumping the gun on spring cleaning – doesn’t really feel that springy out there, but it’s as good a time as any.

As always, we would like to thank you for trusting our services and letting us solve your computer problems.

Chris Petersen
Watchdog Technology
1-(855)-WATCHTECH 
1-(855)-928-2483
chris@watchdogtechnology.com

 

Organize your files It’s come to our attention that many people have been losing files that they were sure they had saved in a certain location. They waste time (and thus, money) struggling to find them when it would be so much easier just to have proper organization. These skills are easy to acquire and they will save you more than one headache! Is your desktop covered with files? Need a plan to organize your computer? If the answer to these questions is a resounding ‘Yes’, you may want to check out Gloria Weinblatt’s 1-on-1 training or seminars on organizing files. Gloria’s a client and friend of mine. Gloria says: “Learn how to file and find documents in 15 seconds. This class will spend the first part learning the system and the second part will be hands on, so bring your laptop!”. She will offer this hands-on 1-on-1 training for $30 an hour. Dates are not set yet so please let us know your availability. Before Dec 6 can be onsite and after that, through Skype. In the spring she will be back to do a group class where will come up with a group rate for up to five people. Don’t be a turkey Make sure you get your backups checked. I can’t emphasize enough how important this is. It costs thousands of dollars to recover lost data… and it’s often times impossible to do so. Don’t wait until it’s too late. Prepay with a discount for the new year Let’s be honest: you know you’re going to need computer help eventually. You can prepay for four or eight hours of service. Buy four hours for a 10% discount or eight hours for a 20% discount. These hours will never expire and unused hours are fully refundable! For businesses this will let you put this capital expense on this year’s budget. If this sounds interesting to you, please give us a call or email right away. chris@watchdogtechnology.com 1-855-(WATCHTECH) 1-855-928-2483