If you are using pcAnywhere on your computer please call the office to talk to us about removing the software and finding an alternative.  Also, the software could still be running if it was installed in the past but is no longer being used, so call if you have ever installed the software on the computers you currently are using.  Our office number is (979) 446-0580.

Click here to read Symantec's full anouncement.

The bill would give the courts the right to shut down any website that may be involved in providing or selling pirated material. The problem is that there are many web marketplaces, such as eBay, Craigslist, and Amazon, to name a few, that could be completely shut down if any user sold something that broke copyright rules. This would be like shutting down an entire shopping mall because one store sold something that was counterfeited.

The bill also gives the courts the right to block you from going to any website that links to a site that sells pirated material. So all search engines, such as Google, would be required to delete all links to that website or face the possibility of being shut down. This is akin to shutting down a gas station because the clerk gave directions to a nearby bank that was subsequently robbed.

Social media websites that provide the ability to share content with friends and the world would be in immediate danger due to this law. Sites such as Facebook, Youtube and Flickr allow their users to share content. Due to the high probability that some of this content could be copyrighted, these websites would have to either shut down or drastically change their business model. They already actively police the content uploaded by their users in an attempt to block pirated content, but there is no way to keep it 100% legitimate.

The bill also forces payment gateways to stop payments to any website that may be involved in selling pirated material. This is much like the first example, where the entire shopping mall had to stop taking credit card payments because of one store that sold something illegal.

When I say that the courts could block this, I should clarify that they would be able to do this without a trial. So if I had deep pockets and could afford the lawyers, I could accuse my competitors of selling illegal software and force the court to shut down their website and email, effectively shutting down a good portion of their business without anything being proven in court.

I hope that I have cleared this up for some of our customers and I hope that everyone that has time will both sign the petition at Google and contact your congressman and senators to stop this from going any further.

The next one was a box full of goodies addressed to Trey, our web developer and dispatcher.  It was sent from one of our best clients Woody's Smokehouse, and if you have never had any of their world famous Beef Jerky you don't know what you are missing.  Lucky for all of us Trey is a charitable person and decided to share some with the rest of us :)

I have to say that I could not feel prouder of my employees and the title for this post could have just as easily read "I have the best employees in the World!!!".  

Expert John Monroe at Gartner Technology Research Firm estimates that it will take a full year for hard-drive production to return to a normal output. Not surprising, considering the flooding happened in July and the waters are still six feet high in some factories. Since Thailand is the world’s second-largest producer of hard-drives, there will be a significant scarcity that will impact all manufacturing companies. Many companies like Lenovo, Cisco Systems, Dell, and NetApp, have made statements assuring people that they will monitor the situation and address the problem as best they can. People are advised to order and purchase whatever they need immediately, as companies have enough supply to meet the current demand. But, the factories will not be running in time to prepare for future orders.

The impending shortage is already manifesting itself in prices. A hard- drive costing our customers $260 is now going to cost $520, due to low supply. Some analysts believe the price could double yet again. This increase will manifest itself in two other places: computer repair and data backup.  A hard-drive stores data, and unfortunately is the #1 most likely component to fail in computers. All computer repairs that require replacing a hard-drive will increase in price. Sadly, any online data backup uses a hard-drive as well; some companies may charge more to hedge the possibility of replacement.

No one knows what the impact will be on the companies and consumers in the near future until the factories are back to normal production. The flood happened in July and water levels are still six feet high.  Pumping the water out, fixing the damage, and getting new equipment is predicted to take about a year. Hard-drives will be in high demand without adequate production for some time creating an entire industry crunch.

If you do not have a Facebook account then it is easy to set up! Just to Facebook.com and enter in your full name, email, and password. Facebook will ask you to agree to the terms of use and privacy settings, after you check the boxes and click “Sign Up Now”. Facebook will send you a confirmation email; simply click the link included in the email and you are done! Just search in the top bar for all of your family, friends, and TechBundle. For more detailed instructions go to http://www.ehow.com/how_5722157_sign-up-facebook-account.html

Signing up for Twitter is very similar to Facebook. Just go to Twitter.com, enter your full name, email address and password and click “Sign Up”.  You will be directed to a page with a dialogue box, you will fill in the same information and a username (usually your name) and click “Create my Account”. All you have to do is check your email, click the link and you are done! Then just go to the top right and click on “Who to Follow” and search for techbundle. For pictures of the screen shots go to http://exploringsocialmedia.com/what-is-twitter-and-how-do-i-get-started/

Hope to see you on Facebook and Twitter soon!

Protect yourself by not using a simple password that can easily be guessed. Here are some tips for creating stronger passwords to ensure your safety.

1. Should be seven character long and not involve your name
2. Do not put a series of numbers or letters in order as they appear on the keyboard like “qazwsx” or “654321”.
3. Use number substitutions for letters in your password. Keep it consistent so you always know what your replacements are. ( i.e. use 3 instead of an e in all your words)
4. Use symbols to replace a letter like $ for S.
5. Include some capitals in your password. You can start with a capital letter or add one in the middle of a word such as P^lcHr1t4D1n*u$ (original word- Pulchridtudinous)

It is important to be creative and keep your password unique. Hackers will usually just try the most common passwords on everyone, in hopes that someone has not taken the effort to make the password different. So even though typing in a complicated password frequently can be annoying, it is worth the few extra minutes to protect yourself from harm and identity theft.

Read the 25 Worst Internet Passwords for the full list of the most common passwords hacked at http://www.foxnews.com/scitech/2011/11/20/25-worst-internet-passwords/

This is a standard key combination that will work in most of your favorite programs like Word, Excel, and Adobe! It functions the same way as the webpage. A box will pop up to search the document and will highlight all places where the word is found. This useful trick can help you search for something new, or quickly find something you have read before.

Ctrl+F, is like using the index of a book to find what you want rather than reading the whole thing. It will save you so much time and frustration!

Most are familiar with surge protectors, they look like power strips but provide protection from power surge events such as a lightning storm. While this is certainly important, it is actually one of the least occurring types of power fluctuation. The most common are brownouts, where the power from the wall is temporarily reduced to output less than it should, and this under-powering can be far more dangerous. Higher quality UPS’s have AVR, or automatic voltage regulation, which allows them to handle and modify both incoming surges and such power drops. Since the power supplies inside computers are highly sensitive to such changes in voltage, providing some form of regulation greatly lengthens their lifespan. Anything coming into your power supply is also being passed on to any equipment it is connected to, so by extension all hardware is better protected.

There is also the issue of outright data loss, where a file or multiple files opened during a power event are destroyed due to not being saved before the computer is abruptly forced off. In many cases these files are not recoverable, so a surge protector alone fails to address these kinds of losses.

It may seem overwhelming to decide on which UPS to choose, but keep in mind that many electronic manufactures will void a warranty if a unit is damaged while not connected to a surge protector or UPS. A good rule is to provide as high quality of a UPS as possible for your equipment, simply scaled to the level needed. Although this involves an additional upfront cost, it saves headaches and potential downtime later on.

Ask us about which UPS is right for you!

Computers and technology are intertwined into our daily lives, so any problem becomes a big problem!  In a recent report called Combating Computer Stress Syndrome, The Variance in the Tech Experience group found, “numerous, persistent problems are troubling most computer users, creating unnecessary anguish and anxiety”.  In 2009, the Computer Experience Board conducted an online survey of more than 1,000 consumers, to uncover the daily frustrations with computers and technicians. Their findings show that sixty-four percent of people experience extra stress due to frequent problems. Computers are supposed to make life easier, but the recent survey is showing quite the opposite.

In fact, seventy-five percent of people experience hours of downtime related to computer failure. But it is not just failure that is frustrating- slow computers, poor internet connections, and viruses are big problems too! Because of all these annoying issues, “two-thirds of people have needed to contact technical support assistance” over the course of just one year.  Unfortunately, tech support companies are falling short, as forty- one percent of people are not happy with their experiences. It is upsetting to call for help and have to wait, then end up with somebody you cannot understand, and who doesn’t fix your problem.  People want techs to show real concern, speak clearly, and fix their problem the first time.  That doesn’t seem like too great of a demand.  Many companies are now trying to address these issues and implement new strategies to better serve their customers. Hopefully, there will be a noticeable difference to the consumers over the next few years.

Read the whole article at:

http://resources.cmocouncil.org/reports/Variance_Tech_Report_2010.pdf