IT Support Has Come A Long Way
Posted by Joseph Brochin
In the past you would have to call a support hot line and perhaps wait on hold for ages to talk to an operator who may or may not be able to help you. In fact, you may not even be able to understand the person that you get on the other end of the phone as many of these services are outsourced to different countries!
Now, you can get all of the hel p that you need for your PC without picking up the phone. Many people are doing away with the old help desk and going the route of remote assistance to repair their PC or see if a problem exists.
Remote assistance or PC repair has become much more common in the last few years. The way this works is that someone at a remote location can log onto the computer using the username and password so that they can see what is going on.
The person at the remote location can then take a look at all of the settings from their location and determine what the problem is. Many times the individual is able to simple change some settings and the problem is fixed.
Many people go this route instead of the typical tech support route because it allows them to get the help that they need for their computer without bringing it into a shop or having it sent off to the manufacturer. The cost associated with this is usually a lot less than if you brought the computer in to be fixed, too.
In addition, many companies offer this service in a way that if the issue cannot be fixed via remote repair than you don’t have to pay! If nothing else, this is a great diagnostic tool that will give people an idea of what’s wrong and how much it will cost to repair it.
With the introduction of Windows XP this service got even more sophisticated and even more so with the introduction of Windows Vista. With Vista there is not even someone who has to get onto the computer to see what the problem is, instead there is an application that can be used to see if any problems exist and what can be done about it.
This has been a priceless addition to the help desk world and most people find that this is the only way that they want to receive technological aid with their computer if at all possible.
The technical support of today is definitely not the same as it was 10 years ago and certainly much different than it was 15 or 20 years ago. The process is still not simple all the time because the products that we are buying are becoming increasingly complicated, but so much can be done from the comfort of your home instead of hauling your equipment into a provider.
Most of the time the solution is simple and the service is free, meaning you can benefit from the technology-based items that you have to the fullest extent, and that’s the way it should be!
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Computer Security Made Easy
Posted by Joseph Brochin
Submitted by: Ryan Ginster
As more and more people begin to use the internet, be it for communication, online banking, investment or shopping, the potential danger of hackers and malicious attackers increase. While some may simply be after information for phishing or identity resale purposes, others are more dangerous, looking for computers to use to launch attacks such as the infamous Denial of Service or other viruses or trojans at other unknowing targets. The list below contains some easy, cheap methods to make your computer secure. While there are other ways to do so, following the ten steps below will help you begin to protect your computer and your private information.
1. Backup your files and store them in a safe place away from your computer
2. Frequently patch and update your operating system, anti-virus, web browser and internet protection in order to prevent hackers from taking advantage of loopholes in software. You can update your windows operating system quickly at www.windowsupdate.microsoft.com by using the update wizard. Microsoft Office updates can also be found at www.officeupdate.microsoft.com
3. Install a proper firewall. With both a proper hardware and software firewall, most viruses, worms, trojans, malicious programs and adware are removed before they cause any major trouble or damage. It is important to update your firewall regularly as well.
4. Configure your browser and email settings for best security. Programs like ActiveX and Java are most commonly used by hackers to plant malicious programs into your system. Cookies can also be used to track your internet surfing in order to build an online profile of you. A good way to overcome these problems is to configure your internet browser to “high” security settings. At minimum, set your security settings to “high” for the internet and “medium” for your trusted sites zone.
5. Automatically update your antivirus software and internet security softwares. This allows you to receive the most current versions to prevent your computer security from being compromised.
6. Only run email attachments from people you know. And even then, only when you know what you are openning. Often, hackers can use a compromised email address to spam viruses or worms to infect other people. It is not enough to recognise the email address but rather you need to recognise the attachment.
7. Do not run unknown .exe programs. This is the most dangerous thing to do as they often contain trojan horse scripts waiting to infect other computers.
8. Disable hidden filename extensions. This allows you to identify and spot any unknown filenames or programs that may be running on your computer. The Windows default option hides filename extensions so you will have to disable this option.
9. Disconnect your computer from the internet and switch it off when not in use. This prevents a hacker from attacking your computer as it is not hooked up to a network.
10. Make a boot disk on a CD before your computer experiences a hostile breach of security. This allows you to recover the data and your system operations after a successful attack on your computer.
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