Archive for the ‘Software’ Category
Monday, February 28th, 2011
The other day I spoke with a person who was having an issue with Quicken. She had been using Quicken and computers for quite a while.
Before we proceeded, I asked her the when was the last time she did a backup. Her response was,” just a few minutes ago as I just pressed the save button.” When I explored this further, it became apparent she never did a backup, and she has a lot of financial data going back for many years on her computer.
I explained to her how she could backup her Quicken data and suggested she purchase some USB flash drives. As Quicken doesn’t take up a lot of space, almost any current USB flash drive would work fine for her needs.
This article was written by The Boss of HITman Services, a computer and IT company, based in Clifton Park and serving the Albany, Troy, Schenectady and Saratoga Counties of New York.
Incoming search terms:
- quicken save as vs backup
Tags: Accounting, Backup, Business, Clifton Park computer repair, Gigabyte, Hardware, Intuit, Microsoft Windows, Operating system, QuickBooks, Quicken, Storage, Universal Serial Bus, USB flash drive
Posted in Security, Software, Technology | No Comments »
Monday, February 21st, 2011
On Friday, twitter turned off access from software created by UberMedia. The programs include UberTwitter for BlackBerry, twidroyd for Android, and the iPhone/iPad client UberCurrent. It appears twitter is considering buying TweetDeck, a competitor to UberMedia’s software.
So users of UberTwitter, twidroyd and UberCurrent needed to use another program for their mobile needs. While mobile twitter users may not be happy, it really doesn’t have a major impact on them. UberMedia however has a big problem as their primary software and source of income is on hold.
The same thing could happen to companies who’s products are designed for Facebook. While the upside is a built-in user base, a company is dependent on the policies of their host. Kind of like the pilot fish and the shark!
This article was written by The Boss of HITman Services, a computer and IT company, based in Clifton Park and serving the Albany, Troy, Schenectady and Saratoga Counties of New York.
Tags: Android, BlackBerry, droid, Facebook, iPad, iPhone, New York, TweetDeck, Twidroyd, twitter
Posted in BlackBerry, Business, Software, Technology | No Comments »
Wednesday, February 9th, 2011
A while back I wrote about how I used the DataViz RoadSync to synchronize email, contacts, calendar entries and tasks from our hosted Microsoft Exchange server to my Android smartphone.
It was a big improvement over Touchdown and I suggested to some of my technicians that they may want to use RoadSync and one of the guys installed the trial version a couple of weeks ago. As it is expiring today, he attempted to purchase a full copy of RoadSync, but received a message indicating RoadSync is not compatible with his phone.
Talk about a glitch! He was running the trial version for two weeks, we share the same model phone, the Samsung Fascinate from the same carrier, Verizon Wireless and it is not compatible?
As Dataviz no longer accepts phone calls, I had to use their email form. Talk about horrible support and customer service! When I went to submit the information, their site crashed.
What is it about some software companies that they are afraid to talk to their customers? Part of our purchasing policy is to make sure any company we do business with has people we can talk with in the event of an issue. In the case of Dataviz, they did have a phone number but changed their policy and no longer have their phone answered by a person. Now unless you know a person’s name who works there, there is no getting through.
When I attempted to contact them via the RoadSync installed on my Fascinate, the program froze. So as of now, this is no longer on our list of recommended software.
This article was written by The Boss of HITman Services, a computer and IT company serving the Albany, Troy, Schenectady and Saratoga Counties of New York.
Incoming search terms:
- dataviz customer service number
- dataviz phone number
- dataviz support phone numbers
Tags: Android, BlackBerry, Dataviz, DataViz RoadSync, iPhone, Microsoft, Microsoft Exchange for Android, Microsoft Office, New York, Samsung Fascinate, Verizon Wireless
Posted in Smartphones, Software | No Comments »
Monday, August 9th, 2010
How many people download software such as tip calculators? How many of these people are aware that simply by downloading that program, they may have been compromised?
With the proliferation of texting as a primary method of communication, software writers have developed programs which can look like harmless games or utilities such as tip calculators, yet are devious. Once loaded, these programs send out copies of all SMS text messages to another person.
Many are offered as a means to track a spouse or significant other who may not be faithful. Some are promoted to track what children are doing. One partner or the other involved in a divorce could load the software on their unsuspecting soon-to-be ex-partner.
One of the safest preventative measures is to create a password and always keep your phone locked when it is not in your possession. While some may see this as an inconvenience, what would the cost be if the wrong person or people had access to your personal information?
Tags: Business and Economy, Mobile, Mobile Computing, Network Specific, Short Messaging Service, SMS, Telecommunications, Wireless Data
Posted in BlackBerry, Life Management, Privacy, Smartphones, Software, cell phone, email | No Comments »
Wednesday, June 9th, 2010
Adobe Reader. The critical flaw could let an attacker (or attackers) take control of a computer.
Microsoft also released multiple software patches which address 34 flaws in Microsoft Office, Internet Explorer, Microsoft Windows, among others.
While Adobe will not be releasing the fix until tomorrow, our client’s who are using our Family Protection Services have already had a temporary fix put in place and will be receiving the updated fix automatically tomorrow.
Another benefit to our Family Protection Services is that we test the patches before they are applied. Our goal is to Eliminate Frustration, not cause it, and because sometimes the cure is worse than the cause, we test everything.
Tags: Adobe Acrobat, Adobe Flash, Adobe Flash Player, Adobe Systems, Internet Explorer, Microsoft, Microsoft Office, Microsoft Windows, Patch (computing), Security, security flaw
Posted in Business, Life Management, Security, Software, Technology | No Comments »
Monday, May 10th, 2010
We see a lot of computers coming into our Clifton Park computer repair facility running several anti-virus programs. The people who installed them, think if one is good, two must be twice as good, and three triple the protection.
While their logic may be sound, the results are not. Typically it is not a good idea to run an anti-virus program such as Norton along with McAfee or perhaps Trend Micro. While these programs may be good, combining them usually causes unexpected and unwanted issues with the computer.
There is an exception where running more than one anti-virus program can be beneficial.
Incoming search terms:
- pros and cons of using different antivirus
Posted in Software, Uncategorized | No Comments »
Monday, April 5th, 2010
It is my computer’s fault that I continue to get attacked by spyware, malware, and viruses.
In all cases, malware, spyware, and viruses are a result of some action taken by the user (you or a family member that uses your computer). Remember, cyber criminals are incredibly clever and gain access to your computer via some of the most innocent and common activities you are performing; that is why it SEEMS as though it is your computer’s fault.
For example, many of the clients we see simply downloaded an emoticon software program. Emoticons are the smiley faces and action characters that you see at the bottom of many people’s e-mails. In doing so they also (unknowingly) downloaded a payload of spyware and malware and before they knew it, could no longer use their computer due to the instability and pop-ups.
Other deadly programs to avoid are free “enhanced” web browsers, screen savers, and just about any “cute” programs you come across that are free to download. Always read the terms and conditions before downloading ANY program to look for clauses that allow them (the software vendor) to install spyware programs on your computer.
Installing programs is not the only way a hacker or malware program can access your computer. If you do not have the most up-to-date security patches and virus definitions installed on your computer, hackers can access your PC through a banner ad on the web that you accidentally clicked on or through an e-mail attachment that you opened.
Just recently, hackers have even been able to figure out ways to install malicious programs on your computer via your Internet Explorer web browser EVEN IF YOU DIDN’T CLICK ON ANYTHING OR DOWNLOAD A PROGRAM. Microsoft is constantly providing patches to their operating system software and all it takes is one missed update to leave you completely vulnerable.
Finally, you should COMPLETELY AVOID any and all peer to peer file sharing networks such as KaZaa and filezilla. These sites are the absolute WORST online activities you can participate in for your computer’s health because they are pure breeding grounds for hackers, spyware, malware, and other malicious attacks.
Incoming search terms:
- emoticons no malware or spyware
Tags: AntiVirus, File sharing, Internet Explorer, Kazaa, Malicious Software, malware, Microsoft, Security, spyware, Virus
Posted in Privacy, Security, Software | No Comments »
Monday, March 29th, 2010
Part of my job at HITman Services is researching software at our Clifton Park office.
Over the weekend I was trying out some new BlackBerry apps. One which I thought was very interesting was Visible Vote. I signed up for an account and started using the application.
Shortly thereafter I received an email from the company with my user name and password in the email. I was under the impression that the practice of sending passwords in emails ended years ago, but obviously I was wrong.
When I sign up with companies I am not familiar with or whose security procedures I am unsure of, I use a throw-away password. Which in this case turned out to be the right thing to do.
I sent the company an email regarding their antiquated security methods, and have yet to hear back.
Tags: BlackBerry, Clifton Park computer repair, E-mail address, HITman Services, Password, Security, Shareware, User
Posted in BlackBerry, Business, Privacy, Security, Smartphones, Software, Technology, email | No Comments »
Friday, March 26th, 2010
It doesn’t seem that a day goes by where there isn’t some new virus, hacker attack or exploit in the news.
We see a lot of computers come in to our Clifton Park computer repair center, loaded with spyware. Many times it is from children or guests using the computer to surf the Web.
When the computers come in we strongly recommend that every password the user has get changed. While this may be quite a bit of work, the ramifications for not doing so are great. They include impersonation in social media sites, financial ID theft, money transfers and more.
If you find yourself in the position where your computer has been compromised, do not change the passwords from that computer. Make sure you change them from a computer you know is safe.Preview
For more tips, please download our free security guides at HITmanServices.com.
Tags: Clifton Park computer repair, Hacker, Identity theft, Malicious Software, Password, Security, Social media, spyware, Windows
Posted in Life Management, Privacy, Security, Software, Technology | No Comments »
Friday, March 19th, 2010
Spyware and Malware is easy to remove.
Some spyware and malware CAN be easily removed.
However, not all malicious programs can be removed – or even detected – using the above software. Many programs integrate so deeply into the operating system that it takes a skilled technician several hours to fully diagnose and remove the malicious program. In some extreme cases, we have had no alternative, but to wipe the hard disk clean by deleting all of the files on it and re-installing the operating system.
Obviously this is NOT an ideal situation and we do everything within our power to avoid it. Unfortunately there are some malicious programs that are so intelligent that there is simply no other way of removing them.
You can use Spybot or Ad-Aware as a first attempt at cleaning your machine; however, if you continue to notice that your computer runs slow, if you continue to get crippling pop-ups, or any other of the tell-tale signs discussed earlier, you will need to seek the help of an experienced computer technician.
Tags: Ad-Aware, Anti-Virus, Detection and Removal Tools, Malicious Software, malware, Security, spyware, Spyware and Adware
Posted in Security, Software | No Comments »
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