Computer Eye Strain

I just read a great article on reducing computer eye strain.  After reading this I found that both of my monitors that I stare at for hours on end were set to a brightness of 100 out of 100.  I just turned them both down to 50 and it's much easier on my eyes right away.

Here's the full article if you're interested:
https://www.thevisioncouncil.org/consumers//media/VCDigitalEyeStrainReport2012FINAL.pdf

One of the big takeaways that will be hard for me to do is that you should take a 20 minute break every 20 minutes and look at something at least 20 feet away.  At least I know what I should be doing.

PC vs Mac

Since I get asked all of the time what I would recommend, I thought I'd post this good article that breaks it down very basically.  I'm still a PC.

http://www.usatoday.com/tech/story/2012/09/21/pcs-vs-macs-how-they-stack-up/57818700/1

Data Recovery Link

Good morning everyone.  I wanted to let you know of a good friend and business partner of mine that has a great data recovery company called Data Recovery Link.

They are based in the Denver Tech Center and are very good at what they do and responsive.  Here is their latest newsletter in case you need their help.  I can't recommend them high enough.  ~ Nick

September 5, 2012

Hi,

Whether you are getting the "blue screen of death", a "NTLDR Error" or a "Flashing Question Mark" this is the moment you realize that your drive has failed!  Who do you turn to?  Hopefully, you have a trusted IT resource who can help you determine if your hard drive is really having problems or not.  If it is your hard drive and you don't have that data backed up (I know, I know, your data is backed up) who do you turn to?

Data Recovery Link is the oldest data recovery firm in the Denver Metro area.  We can recover data from any kind of drive you might have.  Our tech's have more experience recovering data than anyone around.  We strive to provide excellent customer service and top notch recoveries at a fair price.

We have created a check list of questions to ask any company that you are considering using to recover your data.  Click here to download those important questions.

Hard drive failures don't happen every day.  Statistically, you will only experience it once or twice in your lifetime.  When it does happen, call Data Recovery Link.  We will give you an honest assessment of the recoverability and a fair cost.

Sincerely,

Randy Smail

Data Recovery Link

303-649-1181

rsmail@datarecoverylink.com

Free, great anti virus update

Microsoft Security Essentials 4.0 is ready for download.   This is the free anti virus that 5280 Computers recommends.  It's great and light weight meaning that It won't slow your computer down.

Find the download here:
http://www.microsoft.com/download/en/details.aspx?id=5201

July 9th warning

FBI Warning about July 9th.  If you're still infected by this old issue, your internet may go down on July 9th.

Problem:
http://www.examiner.com/article/fbi-warns-infected-computers-may-lose-internet-email-access-on-july-9

Solution:
http://www.dns-ok.us/

The Truth About the March 8 Internet Doomsday 

By Christina DesMarais, PCWorld    Feb 19, 2012 2:35 PM

Heard the one about the FBI shutting down the Internet next month?

Like many memes before it, this dire warning is floating around blogs and sites. It even names a date: March 8 as the day the FBI might "shut down the Internet." But relax, that’s not really the case.

While yes, an untold number of people may lose their Internet connection in less than three weeks, if they do they have only nefarious Web criminals to blame and certainly not the FBI.

If people end up in the dark on March 8, it’s because they’re still infected with the malware the FBI started warning people about last November when it shut down a long-standing Estonian Web traffic hijacking operation that controlled people’s computers using a family of DNSChanger viruses. The malware works by replacing the DNS (Domain Name System) servers defined on a victim's computer with fraudulent servers operated by the criminals. As a result, visitors are unknowingly redirected to websites that distributed fraudulent software or displayed ads that put money into the bad guys’ pockets.

Site predicts a March 8 shutdown.

Here's the worst part: The malware also prevents security updates and disables installed security software.

To help protect victims, the FBI replaced the rogue servers with legitimate ones -- a measure the agency said would be in effect for 120 days. Had it not taken that step and simply shut down the bad servers back in November, infected computers would have been immediately blocked from Internet access.

So the current problem isn’t that the FBI will be shutting down the Internet when the 120 days runs out on March 8, it’s that many people and organizations haven’t removed the malware from their computers. In fact, as many as half of Fortune 500 companies and government agencies are delinquent in updating, according to some reports.

So how do you know if your computer or router is infected with DNSChanger?

The FBI says the best way to know is to have them checked out by a computer professional, which admittedly isn’t very helpful.

However, it does offer a resource paper [PDF] with guidance to make that determination yourself, although even if you find out your system is infected, the FBI says you still need a pro to scrub your machine.

As another alternative, you can use the free Avira DNS Repair Tool to figure out if a computer is using one of the temporary DNS servers. Unfortunately, the tool works only on Windows and doesn't actually remove the Trojan horse.

Indeed, removing the malware is a challenge, and many people will be cut off from Internet access on March 8, reports the security news site KrebsonSecurity. It also notes that the industry and law enforcement group DNSChanger Working Group (DCWG) has a site that can help people check whether their systems are infected.

To get help, network administrators can send a request to one of the members of the DCWG, and home users can use the step-by-step instructions at the DCWG website to see if they’re infected with the DNSChanger malware.

If you determine your system is infected, you can start from scratch and reinstall your operating system, or take the FBI’s advice and get help from a professional if you want to remain online after March 8.

Good morning,

I hope everyone is doing well and having a great start to the New Year!

We have been very busy at 5280 Computers and are very excited about 2012.  Since I haven’t touched base with quite a few of you in a while, I wanted to let you what we’ve been doing.  Trying to keep up with technology as you know is a very challenging business in itself and we feel like our existing support with some of the additional items below keep us moving forward.

New offerings at 5280 Computers:

1.       Our new web site!!! http://www.5280computers.com (please check us out when you can) This is phase one of a multi-phase project - much more content, training and tech support to come shortly.

2.       Off-site critical data backup using Crashplan’s Enterprise software – backed up to 5280’s servers nightly.  We monitor the daily backup logs and alert you if there are any issues. 

3.       Night Maintenance  - our new proactive service that is scheduled when you are not in the thick of it.  After-hours/weekend maintenance.  (Monthly, Quarterly, Yearly depending on your size)

4.       Google Apps for Business – think of this as your Outlook email in the cloud that wirelessly syncs to all of your devices.  (smart phones, iPad, laptop, etc)

5.       Web hosting – we now offer complete web site hosting that is very affordable.

6.       Cloud servers – this is one of our most exciting offers as we are getting rid of many small businesses’ on-site servers and replacing them with extremely fast & secure off-site servers.

7.       Maintenance Plans – pre-paid blocks of hours at a discounted rate.  This is done on a quarterly basis.

8.     “Quick contact” - on the home page of our new web site can be used to submit your own trouble tickets.

For questions or concerns about any of the above items please contact me directly anytime. (contact info below)

For any support requests/current issues, please contact our support department at 303.596.8567 or support@5280computers.com for the fastest response time.

Thank you for being such a great client,

Nick 

Drobo customer service story...

Wow, I don't usually have a lot of good things to say these days about customer service with any company. Yesterday was different... I use a Drobo (Data Robotics) backup drive for all of our 5280 data. This weekend after many years of working flawlessly, it started constantly restarting over and over.

I emailed their customer service team who got me in touch with tech support. I spoke with them about doing all of the troubleshooting tips that were online. After 5-10 minutes the tech support person said that he would send me a new one with next day shipping. Unbelievable as it was out of warranty so I shouldn't have even been able to talk to tech support but tried anyway. Well, I'm happy to say that today I rec'd the replacement ($1500 retail) Drobo Pro via Fedex with a return shipping label for my dying one.

Truly the best customer service experience that I've had in recent years!! Way to go Drobo!!!

We are back...

After a long hiatus we are back blogging again. Our new web site goes live by Valentines' Day 2012!!