Frequently Asked Questions
Q. 8/15/10: I'm buying a new computer, should I get Microsoft Office pre-installed?
A.No! - Well, maybe we can modify that to "If you want to, but be careful!". Here's why: Many computer manufacturers and retail stores won't give you the original installation media (CDs or DVDs) when you purchase software to be pre-installed. Instead, you get a card with your license number on it, and the ability to presumably download the software if you ever need to re-install it. This wouldn't be a big deal if you never needed to reinstall software, but the fact is, you do. Hard Drives can fail. Software can become corrupted. It happens. Without installation media, you may be setting yourself up for a long, frustrating process if this happens to you. If, on the other hand, you purchase the same software retail, from the shelf, for essentially the same price, you're protected. At least until they stop selling software this way altogether. Hopefully this will be another few years at least.
Q. 8/5/10: I need a new computer - Do Apple computers get less viruses?
A.Yes! - But not because it's impossible or even hard to write a virus that runs on the Apple operating system. The virus writers of the world spend their time creating infections that run on PCs because almost everyone HAS PCs. If you're out to steal people's money, you would target the 95% of folks running PCs, not the 5% running Apples. It's that simple. While this advantage is accidental, it is still an advantage. There is a higher buy-in price to get an Apple, but one of the definite advantages is not having to worry so much about spyware and viruses. You can't ignore it altogether, but getting infected is a much smaller worry.
Q. 7/15/10: Can I upgrade my XP / Vista computer to Windows 7?
A.It depends. Before you do ANYTHING, you have to ascertain whether Windows 7 drivers are available for your hardware. Go to your computer manufacturer's web site, search for support, then drivers / downloads. Enter your serial number or model number or service tag or whatever is required to get to the drivers for your particular computer. There will be somewhere to select which operating system you have - choose Windows 7. If you have the 64-bit version of Vista, be sure to choose the 64-bit version of Windows 7. Once there, look to see if there are drivers available. If there are, you should download all available drivers and store them on a flash drive or CD. This way, after the upgrade, you will have the drivers ready to install. If you can't find drivers, you should NOT proceed with the upgrade.
Q. 5/15/10: I'm infected! Now what?
A.The best defense is to a) HAVE both an antivirus and antispyware application, and b) keep them updated. This way, if you get an infection, you're prepared to remove it quickly. When you think you are infected, disconnect your computer from the internet, and immediately run spyware and virus scans. When the scans are finished and (hopefully) the bug is gone, reboot your computer and re-connect it to the internet. If the virus reappears, disconnect the computer from the internet again and call for help. Continuing to use your computer and access the internet will most certainly make the infection worse over time.
Q. 4/19/10: How often should I be defragmenting my hard disk?
A.Not as frequently as you think. :-) Unless you edit video files or work extensively with pictures, a couple of times per year is probably good enough. It takes a while for fragmentation to get to the point where it is causing a perceptible degradation in performance. Also, if your computer is older (5 years or more, for example), be cautious, since defragmenting works the disk really hard. Defragmenting too frequently can wear your disk out prematurely.
Q. 3/8/10: My computer's clock is losing time. Is this a problem?
A.Every computer has a little battery inside so it can remember things like "what time is it?" when it is turned off. These batteries usually last about 5 years. Once they start to wear out, your computer will start losing time, or forgetting it altogether. Replacing the battery and resetting the BIOS defaults will usually fix the problem. It's not hard, but feel free to call us if you need help or don't want to worry about the details.
Q. 2/23/10: My laptop keeps shutting off all by itself - what do I do?
A.It is probably overheating. Laptops, because of their design, are hard to cool. There is very little air space inside, and it's easy to accidentally block or partially obstruct the vents. Get some compressed air and blow it into the vents, being careful not to over-spin the fan. Also, when you are using it, don't set it on a soft surface that might block the intake vents (in other words, despite the name, it's hard to actually use it on your lap). Lastly, Check to make sure the fan is still spinning when the computer is on. If the fan dies, it needs to be replaced.
Q. 1/15/10: Should I leave my computer on all the time?
A. The short answer is "No", and the long answer is "It's Ok, as long as you understand the consequences." In the "old" days, there was a good argument that the act of turning a computer on and off caused stress to the electronics. This is no longer true. It IS true, however, that as long as your computer is on, anything that is moving (fans, hard disks, CD Drives, etc) is slowly wearing out. So if you choose to leave your computer on 24/7, you’ll wear out the moving parts faster than if you didn’t.
Q. 12/29/09: Should I load the Windows, Java and Adobe updates that are offered in the little pop-up notices by my system clock?
A. For Java and Adobe, the updates are never "emergencies". You should keep your installed version relatively current to avoid problems, but you don’t have to always have the latest version. Update these occasionally, when your schedule permits.
For Windows updates, the answer is more difficult. In general, yes, you should load the updates when they are offered. Microsoft typically offers new updates every two weeks, although items deemed critical may be offered more frequently. There is always a risk that an update will break something, but this risk is small and you can always uninstall the update if you run into this problem.
A special case involves the latest version of Internet Explorer, version 8. Microsoft recently changed this from "recommended" status to "critical", meaning it now will load as part of the "automatic updates" with the yellow shield icon by your system clock. Internet Explorer 8 contains many security enhancements, which is a good thing. Unfortunately, it also contains changes that require some websites be rewritten to render correctly. If you load it now, you may find that some of your favorite sites don’t display or function properly. If you have sites that you depend on, ask them if they have been modified to work with IE8 before you install the update.
Q. 12/15/09: What is the best anti-virus / anti-spyware software?
A. I’m sorry, but there really isn’t a "best" one. It is an ongoing war between the virus / spyware makers and the antivirus / antispyware makers, with new challenges every single day. There is no single software that can guarantee it will stop all viruses and spyware all the time. It just doesn’t work that way. Your best protection is to keep your antivirus and antispyware softwares updated and running, and to be skeptical of everything and everyone when online. For antispyware, it’s a good idea to have more than one software. A main one you use every day and a backup one you can scan with if you suspect something has gotten through your main defenses.