XP Support HAS ENDED

MS Support for Windows XP ended April 8, 2014.   Any security flaws uncovered from this point forward will not be fixed by Microsoft.  If you have not purchased a new PC, the time is NOW  Call me at 732-568-4943 to discuss a new PC.

Dave

Remote Control

I use remote control programs extensively in my PC business.  I find it an easy and convenient way to fix issues.  Even if the client is in my development, it takes a minimum of 5-10 minutes to get to the closest locations, figuring in time to start the car, load my computer bag, etc.  With remote control, I can start fixing the problem or at least get an initial look in about 2 minutes.

I use two safe secure systems.  One installs a "client" program on the customer PC.  Then, if there is a problem, the customer calls me and I can take over control of the PC as if I were sitting in front of it.  The customer can see what I am doing and can drop the connection at any time.  The other system I use runs an "applet" which supports remote control without installing any software on the customer PC.  Once the connection is broken, the "applet" simply goes away, leaving nothing on the PC. 

The system that installs the client program is useful in that I do not have to guide the customer through the procedure to get the remote control system going.  Since it's installed, I only need to log in.  While the other system that does not install a client is not very difficult, it does take some explaining for the customer to start the applet.  Both of the systems are password protected and secure.

If you permitted me to use the system that installs the client program on your computer and you decide to remove it, please send me an email telling me you did.  One of the items the client based system tells me is how long it's been since you last logged into your computer.  If I see that it's been 20 or 40 days, I begin to believe you have removed the client program.  Again, it makes no difference to me.  I decided to write this post only so I can keep my client computer list updated and remove any computer name who's owner has removed the client program.  So if you have removed it, please send me an email at dave@davepickel.com and let me know.

Thanks, and brace yourself for the snow storm tonight.

Dave

PS-Comments Welcomed

Thanks,

Dave 

ANOTHER Snow Storm??

Yep they are predicting snow of 8"-10" Sunday into Monday 3/2-3/3/2014.  Unbelievable!!  Will this winter EVER be over?  Hang in there, Spring Training is underway in Florida. 


Please note:

I will be at a locally held conference from March 12 through March 19, 2014.  I will not available for on-site calls.  I will be returning calls when the opportunities present themselves.  Thank you for your patience.

Who Ordered this Weather??

Will Winter EVER End?

Hello again folks.  I cannot believe how much snow we have on the ground and right now in the air (Sunday, 2/9/2014).  I would guess everybody is as sick of this as I am.

Windows XP Support Expiring

As you might be aware, Microsoft is ending support for Windows XP effective April 8, 2014.  What that means is that there will be no more updates, patches, bug fixes and security updates.  Just as it was with Windows 95, 98, 98SE, Windows ME, and Windows 2000, XP is being retired.  XP is now over 10 years old.  That is a lifetime in terms of Personal Computer Operating systems. 

And computers now running XP may be viable PC's.  However they are too old and lack the "horsepower" to run XP's successors.  Windows Vista was a disappointment.  One of the main reasons XP lasted as long as it did is because few organizations and users migrated to Vista.  Windows 7 turned out to be a stable and worthy successor to XP.  And Windows 8/8.1 with all it's quirks and touch screen tendencies, seems to be a stable system that will get the job done.

So we determined that it makes the most technological and economic sense to buy a new computer.  Here's were I can assist.  I can help with what system to get, transfer files from your old system to the new one, configure anti-virus software, and more.  Computers are not as expensive as they were when XP was first released.  A perfectly adequate system can be purchased in the neighborhood of $ 500.00. (tax & select software are extra, as is installation fee).  There may be a small learning curve associated with the new PC.  I can help with that too.  So give me a call at 732-568-4943 to discuss options for your new system.  If I can't pick up, be sure to leave a message.

Prepare for Spring

Spring will eventually arrive.   It's a good time to clean up your computer as well as anything else you want to clean up.  I can assist with running your "tune up" programs; making sure your anti virus software is up to date, cleaning out temporary files and unused desktop icons, uninstalling any programs you don't use or don't know why they got installed on your computer.  I can do this via a safe, secure remote control session with remote control software that does not install itself.  When the session is over, the R/C software goes away.  Give me a call to arrange a Remote Session starting at the introductory fee of $ 20.00 (additional issues can be addressed for an additional fee).  732-568-4943, Leave a Message!

The Beatles

It was 50 years ago today (Sunday, 2/9) that the Beatles played the Ed Sullivan show.

Peace,

Dave

Thanksgiving 2013

Happy Thanksgiving to all!!

Updates

I have a new iPhone 5S and iPhone 5C.  The 5S is personal, the 5C has my business phone number forwarded to it.  I will soon port my business number to the 5C.

Home Automation

Home automation products are now operating in Wi Fi (IP) home networks.  I have been using the Nest thermostat for about 9 months.  Works great.  I use D-Link IP cameras at my home.  I am going to look into some automated lighting options (some from Belkin and maybe the HUE lights from Phillips).  Note that the Hue system appears to be a superior product but is very pricy at over $ 200.00 for the starter kit of 3 IP led light bulbs, and a bridge to hook up to your wi fi router.

All for now folks.  It's freezing in NJ right now.

Happy Holidays to all,

Dave

Hello Autumn....

Fall Clean up time...

Hello all.  We're just days away from the arrival of the Autumn season.  Right about now, I begin my annual declarations of "It's time to go to Florida", "It's time to move south", "We should be in Fort Myers Now", and many similar statements.  Yes, I hate the cold weather.  So I carry on about it.  But here I am.

I want to give a shout out to all the people I have met recently.  Nice people who I have enjoyed helping whenever I could.  It was a pleasure meeting you and I look forward to helping you again. 

Computing Philosophy

I also wanted to write a bit about my philosophy when it comes to computers, their care and their feeding.  My focus is on prevention, prevention, prevention.  It is much easier and more effective to exercise that ounce of prevention in order to avoid the pound of cure.  My wife and I get into some spirited discussions about computer use.

First, I stress to her never open e-Cards.  Even if she knows the sender and even if it comes from a reputable firm like hallmark.  And never open anything from the well meaning friend or co-worker who forwards pictures of cats jumping up and down or a lion yawning.  It's just not necessary and places your machine at risk.  I also find that when you do a search (google, yahoo, bing, etc) the farther you get away from the top 4 websites on page one of the results, the closer you get to a malicious website that will blow up your pc.

I am very careful when downloading free software.  There are a few programs that I have downloaded after much consideration, recommendations from trusted associates, and trials on my "lab" PC's not connected to any of my valued PC's or my Home Server.  I will cover those free programs in another section of this post.

Although many of my colleagues in PC support like those free Anti-Virus programs, I tend to lean more toward Norton products, with McAfee a close second.   I would use Avast, AVG, or Microsoft Security Essentials only if my client voices a strong opposition to buying Norton or McAfee.  And as you may know, some ISP's provide name brand AV Software for free with their subscriptions.  I use Comcast's Norton Security Suite for all my PC's.

I am a firm believer in off-site backups.  Two services to investigate (both pay subscriptions) are Carbonite, and Mozy.  Additionally, there are "replication" services such as Apple's iCloud and Microsoft's Onedrive.  These services are know as cloud computing.  They synchronize your files across several platforms (your smartphone, your desktop pc, your laptop, and your tablet).  By virtue of the replication, your files are backed up.  However if you make changes to a given file, those changes will be synchronized across your platforms  So the concept varies a bit from the traditonal sense of backups.   Onedrive and iCloud both offer free subscriptions; Onedrive is 7gb free storage, and iCloud is 5gb free storage.  In each case you can add storage space with a paid subscription.

I also believe that a computer in this era has a useful life of about 4 to 5 years tops.  This is because Microsoft has reduced the time between new Windows versions considerably.  Along with that, is the fact that the average PC today costs about $ 500.00, some including monitors.  In other words, hardware is very inexpensive.  The result is that after 3 or 4 years one reaches the point where the cost of repairing, reloading or upgrading the Operating System is almost the cost of buying a whole new computer.  Plus, Microsoft only supports versions of its programs for a finite period of time.  If you own a Windows XP pc, Windows XP support will end in early 2014.  At that time, all development of updates, patches, and security fixes will cease.  No vulnerabilities will be fixed.  So it makes no economic sense to spend any money fixing an XP PC when those funds could be better spent financing a new Windows 8 PC. 

In summary, I believe you will be well served by focusing on off-site backups, meticulous attention to antivirus software operation, and cautious web surfing.

Free Software

Here's one to try.  Open Office.  Open Office is a suite of office products (word processor, spreadsheet, business graphics, and database manager).  Each of the programs will read and write files compatible with Microsoft Office programs.  And best of all it's free.  MS Office Home & Student is about $ 140.00 retail.  So you save a significant amount of money.

So I guess at this point I will be quiet for a while.  Check my website at here for updates and news.

Have a good Autumn and get ready for winter.

Summer in the City

Anybody old enough to remember that song? I am guessing 1967. Rascals??

Yep it's hot in the US, not only the city. Crazy weather, tornados, nasty thunderstorms. Time to consider your backup scenario. Take a look and consider if it is adequate for your needs. For example it's great to have a backup, but is the backup media in your house? What happens if your house is damaged or destroyed? Where are your computers or files?

I'd recommend you look into some type off off-site backups or more recently, "Cloud" backups or file synchronization. Cloud systems are set up so that you can have the same files accessible on all of your devices. (tablet, PC, Smart TV, Laptops). If you take a picture, it would appear on all of your devices. Be default it's backed up to "the cloud" so you have "universal access". Your files are stored in a data center with multiple redundancy so your data is safe. And you do not have to maintain an on-site home server unless you are a computer power user or do Network & Server administration for a living.

Two prevelant cloud computing systems are:

-Apple's iCloud

-Microsoft's Onedrive.

Each of these systems has its own client programs that run on the devices you have.  The iCloud client runs on windows, android, and apple Operating Systems.  Windows Onedrive has clients for windows, apple, and android Operating systems.  So no matter which of these systems you use, cloud computing is available to you.


We can help you with your home computing needs. Give us a call at 732-568-4943.

Enjoy your summer.

Peace,

Dave