Read All About IT !

I’ve just been called by a very nice lady, with a lovely Indian accent, who told me she had noticed some suspicious activity on my computer. It appeared to her as if I’d accidentally downloaded some sort of virus!

She was offering to access my computer for me, with my permission of course, with some remote access software. She’d then be able to clean up the problem while I sat back and watched.

What a great service that is! Not only can she somehow see that some nasty virus has been downloaded to my computer, she can also fix it for me all the way from India. Sadly, when I asked her just how stupid she thought I was she put the phone down before I could ask for her number.

Be aware that this type of call is very much on the increase. The Guardian newspaper has two good blogs on the subject HERE and HERE

Those Blogs suggests that these callers won’t actually do anything malicious to your computer. They will simply charge substantial amounts of money to set you up with a Remote Support Contract. They may well even find genuine problems and fix them for you.

If you believe a Remote Support Contract is a good idea, (and it is very simple to have your computer checked out from a Technician from anywhere in the world, using your internet connection), then only use a good, reliable company who you can trust.

The IT Dept offers just such a service, with prices starting at £9.99 per PC per month. Rather less than the £185 some of these rogue cold-callers were asking for! See our Support Contract web page for details.

You can always call us for advice as well, if you’re confused about any calls such as these. We won’t charge you for the advice!

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© Michael Donkin 2010

The new web site of The IT Dept. is now fully up and running.

We are indebted to Sue Sharp of Sue Sharp Marketing for the design, and to Heather Carey of font57 for her invaluable help with the words.

To celebrate the new web site we are offering 2 great deals to all new clients until Aug 31^st 2010.

1. Clients who haven’t used our computer support services in the past can claim One Hour Free Support.

As you will know, from reading the new web site, we cover all types of computer problems for businesses throughout Lancashire.

The free One Hour of Support can be used for a simple advice session to discuss your current IT Systems, or to fix actual computer problems that you are having.

This is a completely free, no-obligation offer with no strings attached, so long as you are a genuine new client, in Lancashire, with the type of problem we’d normally cover.

Simply call us and quote “One Hour Free Support”

2. Clients who sign up for a Monthly Support Contract, whether for On-Site or Remote Support, can claim the first month FREE.

Again, this is a genuine, no-obligation offer. So long as we agree to cover your computers under one of our Support Contracts, and the contract is signed before 31^st August 2010, we will give you the first month free of charge!

Read more information on these great Free Offers on the new web site HERE.

The new web site is a great way to showcase the computer services we offer and you may wish to spend some time familiarising yourself with those services. It could well be that we offer some services that you need for your computer systems, now or in the future, that you haven’t realised we provide.

For instance, many clients may not realise that we offer a great Domain Hosting package, as well as fantastic Web Design. If you have your own domain then you need Domain Hosting. Our Hosting packages offer a fantastic level of customer service at a great price.

Our Domain Hosting is fully supported. If you have any problems you simply call us and leave us to sort out the issue. Other, lesser, packages will expect you to deal with the issue using Help Documents from a web site, or possibly via email with Tech Support. We believe in fully supporting you when necessary.

The main service we offer is, of course, great computer support for businesses throughout Lancashire. Whether you call us out for a one-off issue or take out one of our great value Monthly Computer Support Contracts you can be sure you’re getting the very best computer support available at a great price.

(And, of course, you can take advantage of one of the fantastic free offers until August 31^st 2010.)

We cover desktop computers, laptops, Servers and all types of peripherals, (such as printers, routers, backup drives, etc). We specialise in Microsoft Small Business Server.

You can read what many of our current clients think of our services on the Testimonials Page of the web site.

If you have any comments on the new web site please contact us, using the form on the Contact Page.

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© Michael Donkin 2010

The long awaited Apple iPad has launched in the UK today.

Apple are the new darlings of the computer world with the overall value of the company edging ahead of Microsoft this week, and it appears that all they touch turns to gold. We all seem to have an iPod, we all have or are thinking of getting an iPhone, so will the iPad be just as sought after?

Initial indications are that the iPad will be the next BIG thing, despite most people not understanding what it actually does or why they want one. So, what does it do and why would you want one?

With a 9.7 inch screen it is considerably smaller than a laptop but much larger than an iPhone. So it is no surprise that it does more than a phone (except it can’t be used as a phone) and less than a laptop.

It is very quick to boot up, it is very light (1.5 lbs or 0.68 kg) and it does have great battery life (up to 10 hours use). It will also run all the Apps which have been created for the iPhone as well as specific iPad Apps. But at a starting price of £429 it is as expensive as a reasonable laptop without the functionality.

Apple promote features such as the ability to browse the web, look at photos, read e-books and watch movies. Some of which you can already do on your iPhone and all of which you can do on a laptop. But, you require a computer in order to load these things onto the iPad, unless they are downloadable from the web. If the computer you already have is a laptop, then why add to your gadgetry with an iPad?

The iPad is essentially a NetBook. Useful for taking out and about, surfing the web or sending and receiving emails, but you won’t be able to install Office programmes such as Word or Excel. Web surfing is either through Wi-Fi (which may be available free, depending on where you are) or the faster 3G which requires a separate contract with a mobile provider. And it doesn’t have a WebCam, which seems a surprising omission.

Would I buy one? Definitely not, yet. It is a very expensive toy, but will hopefully improve over time to become more useful than that. Microsoft have been moving us towards renting Office programmes which are then delivered via the web for some time now. Once that becomes a feasible reality the iPad will replace the bulkier laptop as the computer of choice.

Will everyone else buy one? Definitely. Apple can do no wrong and their products are seen as sexy, must-haves.

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© Michael Donkin 2010

How well does your web site show on other people’s computers? This question should intrigue everyone who has a web site.

Your own web designer should have ensured that your web site is shown off at its best in all types of browser (Internet Explorer, Firefox, Opera, Safari, etc) as well as in all popular screen sizes.

What an old computer using a screen size of 800 x 600 sees could be totally different to that shown on a higher resolution screen using something like 1280 x 1024. (The numbers represent the width and height of the screen, measured in pixels. In general terms, the higher the numbers the larger the screen size and/or the better the resolution or picture clarity).

It is likely that your web designer is using a very large screen, due to the Techie nature of web designers, and they may not fully appreciate that many real world users have smaller screens, which may show much less of your web site at once.

Wikipedia has a table showing the number of current users of monitors of specific resolutions:

This suggests that almost everyone now uses a monitor capable of using a resolution of 1024 x 768 or higher, so you should ensure that your website is designed for that resolution. The users of larger screens will still see your web site if it is optimised for 1024 x 768.

By using the innovative Google Browser Size Tool at http://browsersize.googlelabs.com you can see how your web site may look to different people. The main danger is that if you have a “Call to Action” button on your website, can it be easily seen by everybody? People using a smaller screen resolution may find they are unable to see your “Call to Action”, so it may be useful to you if it were placed higher up the page on the left.

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© Michael Donkin 2010

For some time Microsoft has been bundling security updates required by Windows into one batch of updates which it releases once a month. This works well and prevents your computer from constantly updating itself on a daily basis.

If you see a yellow shield icon in the System Tray (the bunch of icons in the bottom right hand corner of your screen, next to the clock) you should double-click it to see if there are updates waiting to be installed. They may not be installing themselves automatically.

In Vista and Windows 7 the easy to spot yellow shield has changed to an obscure blue icon.

Last February the updates that were installed on PCs which were infected with particular viruses caused several issues, leading to the dreaded Blue Screen of Death. This was because the virus had altered some critical Windows files, which the Microsoft Updates then attempted to change again.

To avoid this issue Microsoft has released more intelligent updates this month, which won’t install themselves to computers infected with certain viruses. Instead they will trigger an error message, which can then be investigated.

If you are getting sudden, unexplained error messages it may mean that you have one of these viruses and you should ask your computer support company to look into it. The errors will be accompanied by a message saying, “Your computer might not be compatible with Microsoft Security Update MS10-015″. Microsoft has a web page which explains the issue at http://www.microsoft.com/security/updates/015

If you don’t get any error messages this doesn’t necessarily mean your computer does not have viruses though! You should always use a reliable and up to date anti-virus programme.

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© Michael Donkin 2010

For many years the government has been concerned by illegal file sharing through the internet. Software is widely available which allows you to easily download files (such as music, films or computer software) from sharing websites, or from other willing internet users.

The ever greater broadband speeds we now enjoy make the process simpler, more reliable and quicker. Along with a perception that this is a “victimless” crime, the relatively high cost of buying legal music, film and software also makes illegal downloading seem more acceptable.

The main problem is that copyright holders (and the taxman) lose millions through such illegal file sharing, if the end-user does not buy a legal copy of the content.

The government are reportedly about to try to rush through a bill, before the coming election, to penalise those who download illegal data in this way. Fast law is almost always bad law and this certainly seems to be the case here.

The government may require broadband providers (ISPs) to cut off users who take part in these practices. But, will the ISPs be willing to risk the potential claims from users who feel their Human Rights are being abused?

What will happen if a hacker has mis-used the broadband connection of an innocent victim? What about the many unsecured broadband routers, which could be used by anyone in the vicinity to access the internet?

The government is likely to say that safeguards will be in place to prevent innocent people being caught up in the proposed anti-piracy laws. But I suspect that the final version of the law will be unworkable and unenforceable, so what is the point of these complex regulations?

If the copyright holders feel so aggrieved at losing so much money why can they not use their money to sue for breach of copyright?

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© Michael Donkin 2010

The Times and Sunday Times newspapers, published by News International Ltd, are set to charge for access to their web sites from June 2010. Sister newspapers, such as the quality titles The Sun and The News of the World, have similar plans for the near future.

It is reported that the cost for access to The Times web sites shall be £1 per day or £2 per week for subscribers to the service.

It remains to be seen whether the great British public is yet prepared to pay for the right to read news that is freely available elsewhere on the internet. Do the web sites of The Times and The Sunday Times offer sufficient benefits for people to pay the money? Or will this move boomerang badly on Rupert Murdoch?

The Times Group itself puts is like this,

“Quality journalism has never mattered as much as it does today. That is why we’re launching two innovative websites, thetimes.co.uk and thesundaytimes.co.uk.

Both will give you the opportunity to enjoy our news like never before. You will be able to ask the questions, engage with the issues, debate with our columnists.

We’ll bring you unrivalled coverage of everything that matters – from the election to foreign news, to arts and culture, to the World Cup – in a more vibrant and stimulating way than ever before.”

Is that enough to justify paying for something we have benefitted from freely to date? Sales of newspapers in the UK generally are in decline, and many titles are now being given away, (such as the Lancashire Evening Post and London Evening Standard on certain days). The BBC is under considerable duress to provide a better service than ever for the compulsory licence fee, which will mean an ever better news web site.

It is possible that The Times may see this as a means to maximise profits, but it is also possible that this drastic change will backfire and result in the diminution of the Thunderer, which has been in existence since 1785.

The ubiquitous Times New Roman font, so beloved of Microsoft Word users throughout the world, was invented for The Times newspaper. How apposite would it prove if the demise of this great journal were to be triggered by the growth in the use of computers?

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http://www.The-IT-Dept.co.uk

© Michael Donkin 2010

It has been widely reported that last week, in the USA, Facebook got slightly more hits on their site than the main Google page. Facebook received 7.07% of all web site visits, slightly ahead of Google’s 7.03%.

These figures show the amazing strength of both brands, but the trend would appear to be away from using Google as the “Front Page” for a browser, in favour of Facebook. Whereas in the past many people have wished to see Google, or another search engine, as the first page they hit, it would seem that they may now have decided that Facebook is their favoured initial destination.

A web user would wish to go to Google first if they were unsure which web site they wished to visit and needed to search for it, or if they simply wanted the option of opening with Google before going to a “Favourite” page. These stats suggest that many users now realise that they want to go to Facebook first.

This is important for Google, who will shortly face additional, and severe, competition from Microsoft’s search engine – the badly named “Bing”. In the UK Microsoft has already launched a £multi-million marketing campaign to promote Bing, as viewers of The Simpsons may have noticed.

Such competition should be good news for users, of course, but could be bad news for businesses. If you have used Google Ads in the past you may now need to start using Facebook and Bing advertising as well. Google and Microsoft both have extremely large cash cows to feed, which is likely to mean that they are reluctant to lower advertising prices, despite this increased competitiveness. Facebook is a much more streamlined outfit, but could well be tempted down the Google / Micro$oft route of trying to be all things to all men, (and women).

On the point of Facebook, (and I’m sure there is a point to Facebook), users would be well advised to check their “Privacy” settings. The default settings were recently drastically reduced by Facebook, so that most information you have posted about yourself can now be found on search engines. You may not want your private details such as email address, date of birth etc., shared across the Internet.

To check your settings open your Facebook page, click “Account” in the top right hand corner of the page, click “Privacy Settings” and start wading through the various options. You should definitely remove the tick from “Public search results – Allow” to keep some of your details away from the search engines. In “Contact Information” ensure that your email address is only visible to you.

Now, get back to work – and close down that Facebook page you’ve got open in the background!

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http://www.The-IT-Dept.co.uk

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© Michael Donkin 2010

In the next few days you may start up your PC and unexpectedly see a screen which says, “Information regarding web browsers”. The screen is shown here:

Although this appears at first glance to be a virus, it is actually a legitimate part of Microsoft Windows.

For many years Microsoft have been arguing with the European Courts about the fact that Windows ships with Internet Explorer built in. It is not possible to uninstall Internet Explorer and you don’t get a choice as to whether or not it is installed. The European Courts feel that this is anti-competitive.

As part of Microsoft’s answer to the European Courts they have brought out this scary screen, which will be automatically shown on your computer through Microsoft Updates, (if you use M$ Updates and Internet Explorer is your default browser.)

Sadly, they seem to have chosen to give as little information on the screen as possible, which is likely to lead to a lot of panic. It looks and smells like a virus, not like a normal Microsoft Update. (This may, of course, be a deliberate act by Microsoft, in order to thumb their corporate nose at the European Courts.)

Click OK on this screen and another will appear which offers you the opportunity to choose other Internet Browsers. So far as I can tell you must make a choice by clicking an “Install” button under the browser of your choice, otherwise the screen will reappear every time you start the computer until you do make a choice. That is the case even if you are happily using the browser of your choice.

My advice would be to choose either Firefox or Google Chrome. Both are faster than Internet Explorer, and reportedly more secure, (although that would be denied by M$).

A long-winded explanation from Micro$oft is available here – http://microsoftontheissues.com/cs/blogs/mscorp/archive/2010/02/19/the-browser-choice-screen-for-europe-what-to-expect-when-to-expect-it.aspx

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http://www.The-IT-Dept.co.uk

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© Michael Donkin 2010

My own laptop suffered a fatal motherboard failure yesterday morning, as I was happily using it, meaning that I was suddenly without my main computer. Have you considered what it would mean to you if your computer were to suddenly die? No warning signs, no nasty noises; it simply dies. Could you recover from such a situation, and if so, how quickly?

In my own case I have a Next Business Day hardware warranty with Dell, so I simply waited for the engineer to arrive at my office to carry out the repair. I was only without the computer for about 24 hours altogether. If I didn’t have such a warranty I could have been looking at a bill of about £180 and a delay of up to a week for a repair by a company other than Dell.

Most computers are only covered by a 12 month manufacturers warranty, which is invariably on “Return to Base” cover. That means the user must post the computer back to the manufacturer, who will repair and return it. Turn-round time in that case is usually about 3 weeks.

Because the issue with my own computer was the motherboard, all of my data, which is held on the Hard Drive, is still there. As soon as the new motherboard was fitted the computer simply worked again, with everything the same as before. But what if it doesn’t? What if it had been the Hard Drive which had died? Or if the laptop had been stolen? How would you recover from such a situation?

IT geeks always go on about Backup. How often do you backup your own data? How do you know what you are backing up? Do you ever attempt to restore data that has been backed up? You should consider how you would recover from the total loss of one, or more, of your computers.

How long would it take to get back to where you started? Do you have a reliable and robust backup in place? Do you know what your hardware warranty terms are and how you are covered? Does your insurance need to be updated to cover your computer equipment?

In the few hours that I was without my laptop I felt as if my right arm was missing. This is despite the fact that I have other computers that I can use – but they aren’t as efficient and I would have had to restore the data backup, which can be a hassle. (But can also be a life-saver)

Backup and Disaster Recovery Planning are boring subjects, which most people choose to ignore. They believe it will never happen to them – but it does happen to the best of us. And it can happen very suddenly. I meet many clients who look at me with disbelief when I break the news to them that their data has gone forever, because their hard drive has collapsed. They look at me blankly when I ask if they have a backup.

I’m good, but I’m not that good! BACK IT UP!

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http://www.The-IT-Dept.co.uk

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© Michael Donkin 2010