Archive for March, 2009

April Fool’s Virus

Wednesday, March 25th, 2009

April 1st is a day in which malware creators like to have their viruses activate and this April Fool’s Day will be no different. According to this article from Yahoo, the virus named Conficker, will activate itself on April 1st. What this means is that there is a possibility that the virus is on your computer right now and is just in a dormant state. It is vitally important that you have the latest Microsoft Updates and Anti-Virus definitions installed on your machine. Please refer to my “Computer Security” blog post which gives you a list of programs that should be installed on your computer. These will greatly reduce your risk of coming in contact with this new virus. Also, if you haven’t done so recently, run your scans as soon as possible to make sure your system is clean and also make sure to do a system backup of your important data. There is also a free online scan here.

This virus has the potential of doing severe damage including wiping out your hard drive and stealing your personal information so be sure to not take this threat lightly. If you have any doubts feel free to contact Catanoso Computing. We’ll update your computer’s security and make sure it is virus free so you have nothing to worry about.

I will continue to update this post with any new patches and information that may come out in regards to this virus. Please continue to check back on a daily bases.

Nicholas Catanoso
Catanoso Computing
http://www.catanosocomputing.com

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Free Software

Friday, March 20th, 2009

Before you go out and spend hundreds and thousands of dollars on overpriced software from companies like Microsoft and Adobe, take the time to research open source software or other free software. Believe it or not, these types of software are highly reliable and completely compatible with the software giants applications. Let’s take Microsoft Office for example. This could run you a couple hundred dollars for the home user and three hundred dollars or more for businesses. Open Office, which you can download here, is an excellent alternative. It’s open source software in which programmers from all over the world help develop. They have a whole suite of programs including word processing, spreadsheets, presentations, graphics, and databases. All of these are also compatible with Microsoft Office meaning that if you work on something from home on Open Office, you can then bring it into work and load it into Microsoft Office without a problem.

Google is another major player with free applications. They have Google Apps, which includes just about everything. See the complete list here. The best part about Google Apps is that it is completely web based. This means you run the software from there servers instead of having to install it on your computer. All you need to do is setup an account with them which usually takes less than 5 minutes. Once your account is created, you will have complete access to all of their apps.

Free software is going to continually get better and better which is great for people looking for an alternative. Below you can see a few of my favorites:

Picasa 3: This is a photo editing program from Google which enables you to do a world of things with your photos. It can be downloaded here.

Open Office: As mentioned in my post this is a suite of programs including word processing, spreadsheets, databases, presentation, and graphics. It can be downloaded here.

CDBurnerXP: This is a CD/DVD burning program which gives you the majority of functions as a program like Nero would. It can be downloaded here.

Google Apps: See the complete list here.

Nicholas Catanoso
Catanoso Computing
http://www.catanosocomputing.com

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Increase PC Performance

Wednesday, March 18th, 2009

One of our computer services that is most requested is to increase the speed of a customers computer. One of the best ways to do this is to first make sure your computer is virus/spyware free. If any viruses are present then no matter what else you do, it will not have the overall desired outcome because the malware will gradually break down your computers performance. Like mentioned in a previous post, I recommend AVG, Malwarebytes, and Superantispyware as programs to help assist in the removal of malware. The best part is that these programs are free.

The next step is to reduce the number of programs that are running in the background of your pc. These programs load up when your computer first turns on. To access this configuration go to Start>Run>Type “msconfig” without quotes and hit ok. For Vista hit the start button (circle) and type msconfig in the search and enter. This will bring up a bunch of tabs. Select the startup tab and uncheck all the programs that you would not like to start on bootup. Be careful that you know each one before unchecking.

Next I will would run Disk Defragmenter which you can get to by Start>All Programs>Accessories>System Tools. This may take awhile to run because it reorganizes your hard drive. Lastly I would download a program called Cleanup which can be found here. Download and install this program and then run it. It will delete all your unnecessary files from your drive and help things run more efficiently.

These are just a few simple things you can try. Computer repair isn’t for everyone so if you don’t feel comfortable or need an extra hand, call an expert.

Nicholas Catanoso
Catanoso Computing
http://www.catanosocomputing.com

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Data Backup

Monday, March 9th, 2009

Data backup is one of the most important things related to the computer that is overlooked by many people. Viruses, power surges, and a variety of other things can lead to data loss. There are a few ways to backup your data. The first way is to buy an external hard drive. Most external hard drives come with software to help you with backing up your data. It is important though to disconnect the external drive when you are finished using it. The only downfall of using an external hard drive is that they can fail as well, leaving you in the same predicament. Another way is burning your data onto CD/DVD’s. I personally don’t like this method because if you have a lot of data then it will be spread across multiple CD/DVD’s. This method is also not fool proof because the media can become scratched or worn and therefore not usable. The method I recommend is backing your data up with an online company such as Carbonite. For around $50 a year you can backup unlimited data in which they store it on multiple servers throughout the country. This is as fool proof as you’re going to get. So, if you haven’t backed up your data yet, now is a good time to start because you never know what the future can bring. If you don’t feel comfortable setting it up yourself, Catanoso Computing can remotely login to your computer and configure your backup for you for a nominal fee of $54.95.

Nicholas Catanoso
Catanoso Computing
http://www.catanosocomputing.com

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NJ Computer Repair: Trustworthy Technicians

Thursday, March 5th, 2009

In today’s world computers have become a staple in the home. When this vital part of your daily life is down, who do you turn to? How do you find a trustworthy technician – one who can diagnose and correct the problem for a fair and reasonable fee? What is a fair and reasonable fee?

Best Buy’s Geek Squad, which advertises heavily in the area of technical support, charges $199.99 for virus removal and optimization. They will back up your data for an additional $99.99. For this price, you could be bringing a new computer into your home. Is this a fair and reasonable repair fee? I beg to differ.

Customers often pay a computer repair bill with little or no comprehension of the problem, just to regain normalcy in the home or workplace. We would rather have our computers up and running at any cost, rather than to be without constant contact with our friends via e-mail, the convenience of online news and shopping, or the Power Point presentation needed for work the next day. We’ve all been there.

Because technology is changing at lightning speed, there is a general lack of knowledge in this specific area, and many computer owners fall prey to dishonest technicians. It is important to hire a computer technician you can trust, not only for the best job for your money, but also for the purpose of identity protection. If a deceitful, overcharging technician is working on your computer, who is to say that he would not compromise the personal information that is stored on your PC. You may be losing more than just $300 at this point. As the paying customer, you should have the opportunity to meet with your technician, one on one, to ensure that your computer is in good hands. This personal approach fosters trust and a good solution to your computer problems. And, don’t forget to ask questions! The more knowledgeable you are about your computer, the less likely you are to be taken advantage of. You are entitled to answers.

Nicholas Catanoso

Catanoso Computing

http://www.catanosocomputing.com

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Computer Security

Thursday, March 5th, 2009

The computer security of personal/businesses nowadays is extremely important. When repairing a customers computer it is a priority of mine to make sure it has anti-virus and anti-spyware programs installed. Having these  installed is just part of the solution. More often than not I see customers’ computers whose anti-virus programs have not been updated for quite some time. With new viruses popping up everyday, updating your anti-virus software is critical.  Another major threat is identity theft. When your computer is left vulnerable you risk someone being able to steal your personal information including passwords to online banking, credit card numbers from online shopping and so on and so on. Here is a list of programs that I recommend:

•    AVG Free Edition
•    Malwarebytes
•    Superantispyware
•    Comodo Firewall Pro (advanced users only)

These programs can all be downloaded for free here. Make sure you run and update them at least once a week. If you don’t feel comfortable installing these yourself, contact Catanoso Computing and we’ll take care of it for you.

Nicholas Catanoso
Catanoso Computing
http://www.catanosocomputing.com

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NJ Computer Repair

Thursday, March 5th, 2009

Welcome to Catanoso Computing’s Web Blog. Catanoso Computing is a NJ computer repair business that was started in 2005. We specialize in computer repair, data backup and recovery, computer security, and much more. We will be posting about a variety of topics including computer tips and tricks, latest virus outbreaks, Microsoft updates, and much more. Please continue to check back.

In the meantime, feel free to browse our new website  http://www.catanosocomputing.com.

Nicholas Catanoso
Catanoso Computing
http://www.catanosocomputing.com

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