In this, the first of hopefully many columns I will write for the Long Island biz2biz, I will try to address som common computer Problems. In future columns I hope to address the problems that you viewers submit. To submit a question for me to answer post it in the Computing seciont of the Business Networking Forum HERE>
Is your computer slow, having pop-ups, takes forever to start or restart, or generally is not performing as it used to? This could be caused by Mal-ware. Mal-ware is any form of infection your computer has, and it will cause serious performance issues over time. The more and more you collect, the greater and faster the decrease in system stability and performance will be. Mal-ware can be considered spyware, adware, Viruses, Key Loggers, Browser Helper Objects(BHO) better known in the field as a Browser Hijacker Object, Track-Ware, and many other forms.
How does one obtain such a thing as “Mal-Ware”?
It is fairly easy to get infected now a days. You don't even have to do anything more then surf the Internet in most cases. There are tons of websites that will infect your machine just by visiting the site! These infections can cause damage ranging from, Slow or Poor performance to Stealing your personal information such as, Bank Details, Logins for websites/e-mail, sensitive data stored on your local computer, and many other things.
How does one get rid of such pesky infections?
Well in some cases it can be easy, just simply download some software that will claim to remove such infections. However in my experience, in most cases, it's simply not that simple. There are about 10,000 New Internet threats released into the wild everyday! Yes, Everyday! With technology growing at an unforgiving rate, it's nearly impossible for any one software manufacturer to pin-point every single new infection or threat. That is why it is important to have a professional maintain your computer(s) and network(s). You need the in-depth knowledge and experience to beat these infections. There are combinations of many free tools that I use that have proven track records with almost any infections I have come across in my 7 years of professional experience.
Here are some tips for you!
I strongly recommend that anyone, Home user to corporate users have their machines maintained on a regular basis by a Certified Professional. At the very least, once per month, if not more often, It really depends on your usages and performance needs, as well as your safety you want for yourself and your sensitive data. Your computer technician should sit down with you and go over your usages and expectations, as well as all of your problems. Also, You may want to be careful on what sites you visit. The chances are that a website like myspace.com that has a ton of advertisements is more likely to infect your machine with some sorts of infection, then say longislandbiz2biz.com. Also, downloader beware, Any files you download should be scanned thoroughly with a good Virus scanner. Be careful of e-mail attachments, even if they are from someone you know. Emails can be spoofed to look like it came from someone you know, and even in a lot of cases can really be from someone you know, who doesn't know they are infected. This is a very common problem, because most viruses need to spread to keep going, and they will grab your contact list of your favorite e-mail client, and send attachments of itself to every contact in the list. The idea is that the receiver will trust the e-mail and run the attachments in good faith of security.
But Shaun, Why should I hire A Professional, won't that cost me a fortune?
The answer is No, It will not (or should not) cost you a fortune if you hire the right person for the job. Your best bet is to find a Freelance Computer Technician and/or a local Computer repair Business with technicians that are Certified in the Industry. Places like “The Geek Squad” and “Easy Tech” and “Firedog” are owned by huge corporations. Geek squad is owned by Best Buy, Firedog is owned by circuit city, and easy tech is owned by staples. The issue with these large corporations is that they lack the ability to hire qualified techs, as well as obtain and maintain Customer Relations on a Personal level, You can Google for complaints against these companies, I am sure you will find many. I don't know about how you may feel, But I like to deal with business and people of the business on a personal level, so I feel like I am not getting the usual run-around you get with large corporations.
In closing I would like to Thank Dawn, and You, The community for being such great people with such great ideas. I hope that with this writing, I was able to help you understand more about common issues regarding your computer systems, and How to seek help for such problems. Remember to post your questions here in the FORUM and I will do my best to answer them.
Kind Regards,
Shaun Pleickhardt
Shaun's Computers
631.793.5228
Copyright January 13, 2008 by Shaun Pleickhardt
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