Thursday, May 9, 2024
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How To: Reset Browser Settings

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How To Reset Browser Settings For Internet Explorer, Firefox, and Chrome. There are many reasons why you would need to reset your browser. Anything from random errors while browsing, to malware infections causing fake pages to appear, resetting the browser is one of the steps you can take to get your system stable again. The following steps will show you how to reset the 3 major browsers, Internet Explorer, Firefox, and Chrome.

Internet Explorer
  • Click on either the cog on the top right of the browser and select Internet Options

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  • or Tools from the Menu Bar and select Internet Options

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  • Once the Internet Options window opens –> Click on the Advance Tab –> Followed by clicking Reset (on the bottom) and confirm the reset.

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Mozilla Firefox
  • Open Firefox –> In the address box type About:Support

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  • When the support window opens –> Click Reset Firefox (toward the right side of the page)

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Google Chrome
  • Open Chrome –> In the address box Type chrome://settings

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  • Scroll to the bottom –> Click on Show Advanced Settings

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  • Scroll to the bottom –> Click Reset Browser Settings

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Do NOT Fall For Fake Pop Up Messages

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The fake pop-up message telling you something is wrong with your pc is not a new scam, but I have seen an increase in calls reporting such a message recently.  The message that appears to randomly pop up says something along the lines of “Windows has detected some suspicious activity from your IP address…..” (it can also say pc, computer, or device) and directs you to call a toll-free number to correct the issue. The message comes from compromised websites in what is known as malvertising, and messages like that don’t just happen to small sites or sites on the dark side of the web (Porn). Major websites like the LA Times, NY Times, Washington Post, and the Huffington Post have all been compromised at some point previously. Fake Pop Up Messages

Review Of Fake Message

The following screenshot is one of the messages that was received recently.

Fake Pop Up Messages

Let’s review some of the key details of the message.

  • No matter what the message specifically says, the message always starts by trying to get your attention and hopefully scare you. In this case “Windows has detected some suspicious activity”, and “caused a security breach”.
  • The message will always reference a major software or hardware maker that everyone knows, like Adobe, Google, or as shown in this case Microsoft. This is done so that you start to think there could be some legitimacy in the message.
  • The message will then give you directions for the fix, from clicking on a link to download something to calling a phone number and getting assistance with your issue. Of course, if you have a phone number, the message will give you the comfort of knowing that the person you are calling will be a “certified tech”.
  • Lastly, and usually in all CAPITOL LETTERS, as shown in the screenshot, a final warning is that if you don’t do what the message says you may lose your data or worse.

Of course, this is all a mind game. If they can play with your mind, they hope they can then trick you into doing something really dumb. The dumb is opening the virtual front door of your computer to actually give them access.

If you have this message, you are NOT really infected with anything more than malvertising. However, once you call the fake techs (the bad guys), they will give you instructions on how to give them access to your pc.  Once they connect to your pc, it will only take them minutes and your computer will actually be compromised by the people who you think are supposed to be helping you.

What To Do If You See A Message Saying You Are Compromised

The following are things you should do when you see a message like this pop-up.

  • DON’T PANIC.  This is the most IMPORTANT advice I can give. JUST DON’T PANIC.
  • Open a new webpage and go to Google, Bing, Yahoo, or 800notes whatever search engine you prefer to use. Run a search for the phone number listed on the pop-up. The following screenshot shows the results from the site 800notes site, as I find it an excellent site to see if a number is a telemarketer or a scam, but you can use any search engine to do your research.

Fake Pop Up Messages

  • At this point, I recommend running a full scan on your pc with 3 programs, Malwarebytes, SuperAntiSpyware, and whatever Antivirus program you have installed on your pc. Remember before starting the scan to make sure each program is updated to the latest database or definition files. As shown in the screenshot below for SuperAntispyware, each program will have a spot that will list how old the database or definition files are and give you an opportunity to update them.

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What if you don’t have Malwarebytes, SuperAntispyware or an Antivirus program installed on your pc.  The first question is, WHAT ARE YOU THINKING!!!! OK I know it happens, so here is what I recommend, and there is no excuse because the following steps are all FREE.

Go to the NINITE site, where you can download what you need, legitimately and for FREE. Just put a check next to each one that you need and then click on Get Installer.  The Ninite site will download and install each program, or tell you that it’s already installed if it finds it on the machine.

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  • Once you have installed or updated each program, run a full scan on all your drives, and select to clean to whatever each program finds. The screenshot below shows what SuperAntiSpyware found on one of the computers that reported this issue.

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That should be it.  With a little caution and no panic, you should be able to work past a situation like this fairly quickly and painlessly.

 

Source(s)

  • Compromised websites info – PC Mag
  • Phone Number Search – 800notes
  • Software Download – Ninite

How To Stop Phone Use At The Table (via IKEA)

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I remember as a kid meal time was for talking to each other and eating. In this fast pace generation, we live in meal time is for everything from making calls to checking email to surfing social media, and oh yes talking and eating are 4th or 5th priority. Seems that mega-retailer IKEA thinks that needs to change.

IKEA in Taiwan has developed a table that has a hot plate in the middle, to make the hot plate work people have to put their cell phones under it.  The more phones under the hot plate, the hotter the hot plate gets. If someone takes a phone away, the hot plate temp goes lower.  Great way to get people to focus on talking to each other and eating.

  • Video and Logo picture – IKEA (via YouTube)

Update Status For Tech Geek and More

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Unfortunately, about a month ago, Tech Geek and More suffered a major hacking attack.  It has taken the past couple of weeks to get things cleaned up. We are now starting to slowly restore the site. We hope to have the site restored over the next couple of days.

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If you are visiting us for tech assistance, and you cant find what you are looking for, please post a message here or email techgeekandmore@gmail.com and let us know what you need assistance with.  We will do our best to help.

Thank you for your loyalty to Tech Geek and More

Alex (Head of Tech Geek and More)

Getting the Iomega USB floppy drive working on newer Windows OS

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In this day and age, with the fact that most new pc’s do not have floppy drives anymore, as a tech, I still find times where bring out an old reliable floppy is my best way to resolve a problem.  Many people still have some “classic” tools that are on floppy, or documents or pictures saved on floppy (Before CDRW/DVDRW drives became the norm, floppy disks were the way to store and transfer files). Today’s post will cover Getting the Iomega USB floppy drive working on newer Windows OS

Problems With Iomega Floppy On Newer Windows 

The problem is that many of the Floppy drives do not have drivers or “official” support for Windows Vista or later.  This post covers just such an issue.  I use an Iomega USB drive, and whenever I plug it into my Windows 7 pc’s, I get a message that Windows can’t find a driver for my device.

Steps To Get Iomega working with Windows

Here are some simple steps to get your drive to work with Windows Vista, 7, 8, or 10

1) When you install the drive you will get the message that your drive needs to find drivers. Just hit Cancel

Getting the Iomega USB floppy drive working on newer Windows OS

2A) For Windows Vista, Windows 7, or Windows 8 – Go to start –> Control Panel –> System –> Device Manager.

(Example from Windows 7, Vista may look a little different)

2B) For Windows 10 – In the “Search the web and Windows” box type Control Panel. When the choice for control panel comes up, select it. This will open the control panel. Once in control panel, select Device Manager.

3) When the Device Manager opens you will see a listing for X1DE-USB with a Yellow triangle next to it under Other Devices.  On that line item right mouse click (NOTE IM SAYING RIGHT MOUSE) and then select Update Driver software and left mouse click (NOTE THAT I SAID LEFT)

4) Now select Browse my computer for driver software

5) Now select Let me pick from a list of device drivers on my computer and click on Next

6) Now you will get a box to select your device type from list, click on “Show All Devices” and click on Next

7) In the following window, for the box on the left select NEC Systems, and then on the right select NEC USB Floppy then click on Next

8 ) You will be told by Windows that “Installing this device driver is not recommended…..” its ok just click on Yes to continue.

9) Lastly you will be told that Windows has successfully updated your driver software.

Now if you look at the Device Manager you will see the listing for Floppy disk drive – Citizen X1DE.

Finally if you look in the My Computer icon, you will see the A: drive listed for your floppy drive

With that you now have a working Floppy USB drive.

Get Classic Start Menu On Windows 10

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For those that do NOT like the look of the Windows 10 Start Menu. Here is what you need to do to get the classic start menu on your Windows 10 machine.

I’ve installed Windows 10 on all my machines at home.  I don’t have any complaints about how Windows 10 operates. Like everything else in life, sometimes you have to adjust to new things. However, I know that isn’t however everyone else feels, especially about their computer equipment.  I’ve heard everything from “If it ain’t broken why fix it”, to “I want what I’m used to”.  So for those who have now installed Windows 10 but want to make it feel like what you were used to with Windows XP or Windows 7, here is what you need to do, for FREE I might add, to give your Windows 10 install that Classic feel.

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Currently when you install Windows 10, you will find a completely redesigned Start Menu.  A mix of menu items and “live tiles”, basically a hybrid of Windows 7 and Windows 8 Start Menu’s.  So for those who would like to go completely back to the old Start Menu (the what you are used to menu) here is what you need to do.  Install the Classic Shell update. Classic Shell started as a small utility in 2008 by someone who did not like how the start menu in Windows Vista worked.  Classic Shell update is open source and free (if you like it, they would appreciate a donation to support the project).

Installing The Classic Shell Start Menu

Start by visiting the website for Classic Shell.  On the home page you will find 2 primary download links.  The one that says Download now is the main download for Classic Shell, this will download the latest stable version of the update.  For those looking to be on the cutting edge, Download Beta will let you download the latest version which is still being developed. In addition, on the main page you will also see links for translated versions of Classic Shell.

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If you need a translated version, Classic Shell is available in Italian, French, German, Chinese, Russian, Polish, and Spanish (among other languages).

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  • Once you have downloaded the installer and launched it, here is the order of install. First you will get the set up wizard page, just click next here

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  • Next you will get the End User License Agreement. Here you put a check in the “I accept the terms” box and then hit next

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  • Now you will see a custom set up window.  You don’t have to touch anything here.  Just hit next.

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  • On the window that follows, the ready to install windows, hit the install button.

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  • The screen that follows is the “Installing” window. This screen may sit there for a minute or 2 not doing anything before installing.  DONT PANIC

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  • Once the installation screen is done you will get the install is complete screen. Uncheck the “View Readme file” box (unless you like to read such things) and click finish.

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Configuring The Classic Shell Once Installed

Once its installed, the settings window for classic shell will open. If you are looking at keeping the basic old school start menu design, all you need to do is select which type you want

  • Classic Style
  • Classic Style with Two Columns
  • Windows 7 Style

and you can also select to replace the start menu button with one of the buttons listed at the button.

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If you want to be Geeky, you can put a check in the box that says “Show All Settings” and you will get a multitude of customization options. There are to many options to mention all of them, you will just need to go through them and see, the good news is most of the custom choices are easy to understand. Just remember if you do make custom changes, make a note of each change, so that if it isn’t the desired effect you can change it back.

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Either way once you have made your selection, you will have a new (classic looking) start menu.

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And this is one of the ways you can make Windows 10 feel more like what you are used to. The advantage of Classic Shell is that in the Class Start menu they list the Apps area, so you still have easy access to your apps, and they also list Start Menu (Windows) on the top of the classic shell list that will open the original Windows 10 start menu should you find something missing from the Classic Shell menu.  Hope this helps those who are looking to get the benefits of Windows 10 while staying with what they are used to.  This post was for those on Windows 10, but the Classic Shell works with the following

Classic Shell works on Windows 7, Windows 8, Windows 8.1, Windows 10 and their server counterparts (Windows Server 2008 R2, Windows Server 2012, Windows Server 2012 R2, Windows Server 2016). Both 32 and 64-bit versions are supported. The same installer works for all versions.

Source:

OS X Error – An error occurred while preparing the install

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Trying to reinstall OS X, getting an error message “An error occurred while preparing the installation

Alert: Major Credit Card Data Breach

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Landry’s Inc., which owns or operates some very well-known brands is reporting that they have been the victim of a data breach at some of its locations.  According to the information released by Landry’s Inc. the breach occurred during 2 different periods from May 4, 2014, through March 15, 2015, and from May 5, 2015, through December 3, 2015, depending on the location Landry’s reports that during their investigation they find that criminal attackers were able to install a program on payment card processing devices that was designed to search for data from the credit card magnetic stripe (cardholder name, card number, expiration date and internal verification code).

Some of the brands affected in the breach include

  • Bubba Gump Shrimp
  • Claim Jumpers
  • Gold Nugget Hotels in NJ / MS / LA / NV
  • Landry’s Seafood
  • Mastro’s
  • McCormick & Schmick’s
  • Morton’s
  • Rain Forest Café

According to Landry’s Inc.

“If you used a payment card at an affected location during its at-risk window, we recommend that you remain vigilant to the possibility of fraud by reviewing your payment card statements for any unauthorized activity. You should immediately report any unauthorized charges to your card issuer because payment card rules generally provide that cardholders are not responsible for unauthorized charges reported in a timely manner. The phone number to call is usually on the back of your payment card”.

To see the complete list of all affected brands and locations click here

Source

College Admissions Officers Check Social Media

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If you’re a parent of teenagers and are having discussions with your kids about life after high school, also known as the college talk, you may want to include the warning that what your kids post on social media could possibly affect their ability to college admission. College Admissions Officers Check Social Media

Survey Of College Admissions Officers 

Kaplan Test Prep recently did a survey of nearly 400 college admissions officers and found that 40% of the admissions officers admitted to visiting applicants’ social media pages to learn more details about the applicant. According to Kaplan, the following reasons are mentioned as to why college admissions officers turn to social media

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  • Interest in Talents: Some admissions officers say they will visit an applicant’s social media page — often by the applicant’s own invitation — if the applicant mentions a special talent, for example, as being a musician, artist, poet, writer, or model. In fact, 42% of admissions officers reported an increase in such invitations compared to two years ago.
  • Verification of Awards: Citation of particularly distinguished or noteworthy awards can sometimes trigger an admissions officer’s online search for independent verification; as one officer noted, something “out of the norm.”
  • Criminal Records or Disciplinary Action: Some admissions officers say that if an applicant mentions they have a criminal background or a record of disciplinary action, they will do some online digging to get more details.
  • Scholarships: Students applying for special scholarships can come under greater scrutiny, as schools want to ensure those receiving the scholarships are fully deserving; extra due diligence can come in the form of online checking.
  • Admissions Sabotage: Anecdotally, admissions officers say they occasionally get anonymous tips about prospective students pointing them towards inappropriate behavior. They’ll sometimes dig online to see if it has merit.

Yariv Alpher, executive director of research, at Kaplan Test Prep said “The growth of social media hasn’t made the college admissions process a whole new ballgame, but it’s definitely changed the rules. What you post online can and may be used in your favor or against you, so it’s important to think about what you share. When in doubt, the best strategy may be to keep it to yourself.”

 

Source(s)

Time Warner Cable Email Passwords Compromised

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If you are a Time Warner Cable (TWC) customer, you really need to consider changing your password. It seems that the FBI has notified TWC that some of the TWC customer data including email addresses, and account passwords, may have been compromised.  According to Nathalie Burgos, a spokeswoman for the company, only customers with RoadRunner email addresses are potentially impacted. So if your TWC account email is (Insert Name Here)@rr.com then you are affected by this situation.

The following steps will show you how to change your TWC password.

How To Change Email Password

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  • That will take you to the TWC Subscriber Self-Care page where you will be able to sign in and then change your password.

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  • If you don’t know your password click on the link that says I don’t know my email password. That will take you to the Password Reset Tool page where you can enter your email address.  Once you hit submit, you will be able to authenticate your account and then change your password.

Email Passwords Compromised

If you run into issues while trying to reset your password, the TWC support number is 1-800-892-4357.

Source

Windows App Store Fix For Error 0x80070003

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One of the newer functions in Windows 8 / 10 is the Windows app store. The Windows app store gives you access to 1000s of apps.

However some people have reported issues  when trying to update apps in the Windows app store. If you look at your downloads and updates list you will see it show “Try that again. See details” next to some of the apps.

If you click on See details, you will see error code 0x80070003 listed.

Error 0x80070003

The following steps can be used to fix the error and get the apps to download updates.

Windows App Store Fix For Error 0x80070003

– In the Search the web and windows box, type services.msc. (If you don’t have the search box, Press Win+R and that will give you the run box where you can type)

– Once the services window opens, click the Name column heading to sort the names in reverse order. Find the Windows Update service, right-click it, and then click Stop.

– Open C:\Windows, and then double-click the SoftwareDistribution folder.

– Double-click the DataStore folder to open it, and then delete all files in the folder.

– Click the Back button. In the SoftwareDistribution folder, double-click the Download folder to open it, delete all files in the folder, and then close the window.

– Restart Windows Update service.

– Retry to download Windows Store Apps.

 

Source

How Legit Is The Facebook Malware Cleanup Message

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As a tech, one of the most common questions I get about Facebook concerns people who get a pop up while on Facebook that their system needs to be cleaned. The question usually consists of “I got a message about my computer being infect on Facebook, is that message legit”.

In 2014, Facebook partnered with F-Secure, Trend Micro and ESET to give Facebook visitors who have computers that show signs of being infected a way to clean their computers.

Here’s how it works: if the device you’re using to access our services is behaving suspiciously and shows signs of a possible malware infection, a message will appear offering you an anti-malware scan for your device. You can run the scan, see the scan results, and disable the software all without logging out of Facebook—making it seamless and easy to clean up an infected device.

It’s helpful that Facebook is trying to help its users keep their computers malware free, however, the problem is that most people haven’t been conditioned to think any offers from Facebook are fake. Everyone who uses Facebook has heard of a death hoax post, apps that lets you track who unfriended you, or free tickets to somewhere.

Even though the offer to clean your pc, is a legit offer from Facebook, it’s still a good idea to be skeptical and do your research before you agree to anything you see on Facebook, or anywhere on the web for that matter.

Source:

Flash Player Upgrade Required Fake Message

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‘Flash Player Upgrade Required’ Fake Message

Criminals typically use the ‘Flash Player Upgrade Required’ fake message to deliver Trojans and other malware disguised as fake updates for Adobe Flash. The ‘Flash Player Upgrade Required’ fake message has been linked to scams on social networks, such as Facebook, in which a fake viral video will be posted repeatedly – usually promising attractive women, outrageous stunts or a great special offer. Regardless of the supposed content of the video, clicking on its link will result in the appearance of the ‘Flash Player Upgrade Required’ fake message. Of course, if you click on this message in order to ‘update’ the Flash Player, the file that will be downloaded will probably be anything but a legitimate update for Adobe Flash. Criminals use the ‘Flash Player Upgrade Required’ fake message to distribute Trojans that are designed to deliver rogue security programs or open up a backdoor into the infected computer system. Flash Player Upgrade Required 

Flash Player Upgrade Required Fake

Websites associated with the ‘Flash Player Upgrade Required’ fake message will often carry other kinds of malware threats or attackers that try to exploit security vulnerabilities in your Internet browser or operating system. If you get this message while you are surfing, you should close your Internet browser (which most likely will be Internet Explorer, Firefox, or Chrome) and then scan your computer for any possible malware infections. YOU SHOULD NEVER EVER (EVER EVER) click on the actual “Flash Player Upgrade Required” message.

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Possible Sources of the ‘Flash Player Upgrade Required’ Fake Message

The ‘Flash Player Upgrade Required’ fake message is linked to social media scams in which infected users will post some kind of video which will then refuse to play and instead display the insidious message. However, the ‘Flash Player Upgrade Required’ fake message has also been linked to streaming video websites, which lure their victims with promises of pirated movies, or to porn sites promising “stolen” or “secret” pictures and videos of someone famous naked or having sex,  and instead are simply vehicles for distributing dangerous Trojan and rootkit infections through social engineering and deceptive practices.  At this point you may be thinking, I don’t go to any of those kind of sites, like was previously said, these kind of fake pop up messages can come up at any time and from any site that has been compromised, no matter how big or famous the site is.

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Another thing to keep in mind, when you attempt to close the window for the fake “Flash Player Upgrade Required” message, you may see other non-flash messages, which are also fake. Messages like “Warning: Your pc may have critical security vulnerabilities…”. The message looking like it’s coming from your ISP and asking you to call a phone number.  The number and the message (I can promise you) DO NOT COME FROM YOUR ISP. If you do a web search for the number that comes up, you will see that it’s actually from Eastern Europe or Russia. Again, the criminals are trying to use social engineering to get into your machine or get your personal data.

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Solutions If You Have Fallen For Fake Message

Of course it can’t be repeated enough times, if you see a fake message like these you should immediately close the browser. However, if you have clicked these messages here are some option for you to follow

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  • Use an alternative browser – Have more than one browser installed.  If you’re using IE, for example, and you can’t seem to access the internet all of a sudden, you should open and try Firefox, Chrome, Safari, or whatever other browser you have installed. Sometimes the malware only affects the browser that was open when you get the fake message.
  • Start Windows in Safe Mode – If you can not access your Window’s desktop, reboot your computer in ‘Safe Mode with Networking’ by pressing the F6 key while the computer is starting up. Safe mode will only start a minimal number of functions required to run windows.
  • Check Your Version Of Flash – If you want to check your computer to see if you are using the latest version Flash, visit the Adobe Flash site.

Final Thoughts

As a tech, cleaning up computers that have been infected with malware like this means I get to charge $300 to $400 minimum.  However, I will be very happy if people learn to avoid these situations. I would love to be able to focus on other things, instead of malware clean up.

Homeowners in Oklahoma Find Their Homes For Rent On Facebook

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Homeowners in Oklahoma Find Their Homes For Rent On Facebook.

In another example of social media being used to scam people, a Facebook page called Rent Homes was set up advertising homes for rent in the Tulsa Oklahoma area, that promised rental homes for a $30 dollar application fee and rent that could be paid via PayPal or a reloadable money card that you can get the most stores. “Someone is advertising houses for rent in Tulsa on Facebook, but the problem is the houses are not actually for rent and the person doing the advertising has no claim to the homes”.  The following report from NewsOn6 In Tulsa shows the importance of doing your homework, and not just believing what you see online. Homes For Rent On Facebook

NewsOn6.com – Tulsa, OK – News, Weather, Video, and Sports – KOTV.com |

Though the Facebook page has since been removed, it’s a good reminder to always double and triple-check your Facebook sources before committing money to anything you find on Facebook, especially if it’s a massive purchase like real estate. Some of the tips to keep in mind, especially with real estate

  • Meet In Person
  • Get Private Tour
  • Make sure they have keys to the front and back door
  • Check and make sure the house is not on a foreclosure list
  • Ask to see ownership papers

SOURCE: News On 6

7 Things You Can Do For FREE to Speed Up Your PC

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As a computer tech, one of the most common comments I hear is “My computer is so slow!!!” Something about turning on your computer and then being able to go get some coffee, run some errands, and make a few phone calls, before you finally get to your desktop. If not that once you are on your computer and clicking on a program like your internet browser or office program and waiting for 10 to 15 min (or more) before you see it on the screen. Those are just some of the more frustrating situations when your pc is not running at optimum speed. Speed Up Your PC

Because of marketing and a general non-understanding on how computers work, most people treat their computers the same way they treat their TV. Your TV has a remote control, and an on/off switch, you click it and it turns on and off. However, a computer is actually more like your car than your TV. A computer needs a tune-up (defrag), oil change (software updates), and sometimes requires major repairs (hard drive or memory replacements).  If you watch TV you regularly see commercials for products that claim they double your speed or make your pc fast, however, you don’t have to pay to fix your pc, as making a slow-running computer run faster is often easier than you think.

Here are some steps you can take to make your pc run faster