Amstar Information Services

So... Looking for some New Year's resolutions? Here are a few things you can resolve to do to be techno-safe! 1. Get Virus protection on your computers. Keep it up to date! 2. BACK UP that information that you keep saying you will back up someday.... 3. DON'T click on those email links from someone you don't know or are not expecting. If you do, you may WISH you had paid more attention to resolution #2. 4. Device tracking software. If your phone/ tablet/ laptop does not come with tracking software, it is easy to find on line. I use prey project (www.preyproject.com). It is free for up to three devices (I am not paid by anyone I recommend). 5. Learn a new language. It will help open you up to new cultures and ideas (hey... it can't ALL be about tech!)

It seems my only posts are related to computer security and this post will be no exception. Here is the short version DON’T GIVE ANYONE REMOTE ACCESS TO YOUR COMPUTER/ PHONE/ TABLET. EVER. If you are unable or unwilling to read the rest of this post, just re-read the above sentence and you may be on your way....Continue reading

***ATTENTION ALL WINDOWS 7 and 8/ 8.1 USERS*** Friday, July 29th is the LAST DAY you will be able to upgrade your software to Windows 10 without cost. Windows 10 is a stable, user friendly version of Windows similar to Windows 7. It is MUCH better than Windows 8/ 8.1. It has increased security features and function. I recommend an upgrade if you are a Windows user.... If you prefer Windows 7, that is fine. The "end of support" date for it is January 14, 2020. End of support for Windows 8/ 8.1 is January 10, 2023. There may or may not be a Windows 11. Microsoft may just continue to issue upgrades to Windows 10. So, if you plan up upgrading WITHOUT COST, do it soon or you will miss out!

Yeah, that "Pokémon GO" is really fun. I get it. BUT, did you know it has FULL ACCESS you your Google account? Without notifying you? You might want to read this article: http://www.howtogeek.com//pokemon-go-is-painfully-insecur/

Losing Your Phone Personal technology-wise, there is little else that can cause heart palpitations like misplacing your phone/ tablet/ laptop. So here are a few things you can do to help you get that tech back and another few things you need to do if you FIND someone else’s tech. For the sake of simplicity, I am going to use the word phone to mean ANY tech device, whether it be phone, tablet or other portable device with a screen. 1. Do this NOW...Continue reading

Hey, folks. I know you like to be social and all, but do you have your phone number publicly showing on Facebook? If you do, ANYONE that has your phone number can search it on Facebook and see your page. And if your PAGE is public, then anyone can see EVERYTHING. I may be the 'broken record', but PLEASE be careful of what you reveal on social websites. Things like your vacation plans or even just pics of where you are at currently, can show someone you are not at home and th...at might be an invitation to opportunistic thieves. Keep your phone number PRIVATE and please consider locking down access to your page to friends only. And while you are at it, it wouldn't hurt to change your password once in a while. And call your mother.

Did you know...? A cell phone that is NOT active on any cell carrier can STILL CALL 911 for emergencies. So, put that old charged cell phone in the car glove box for backup in an emergency, OR... Donate that old cellphone with charger to a women's center. It will be given to women that cannot afford cell service but may need to call for assistance!

Buying a Used Cell Phone New models of cell phones are coming out all the time. Manufacturers and cell companies are always thinking of ways to get you to buy the latest and greatest features. But if you don't want to pay several hundred dollars and lock yourself into a 2-year contract with the carriers, what can you do? You can buy a used cell phone.... I am not going to tell you which type/ model/ operating system to buy. I want to go a bit more basic. There are a few things you need to know in buying a pre-owned phone. All cell phones have an Electronic Serial Number or ESN (for simplicity, I use ESN even though the actual ESN format is out of date). The number will go by the initials IMEI, MEID, or ESN (for older phones) but they are all the same: a unique number to identify the phone, like a personal address. It is unique to the physical phone, NOT the SIM card and will not change if you put in a different SIM. If the phone is stolen and the rightful owner reports it, the ESN and related phone is "Blacklisted" and cannot be activated on any carrier, rendering the phone useless. The phone can also be blacklisted for non-payment of a bill. So you want to MAKE SURE the ESN is NOT BLACKLISTED! So when buying a phone, you need to: 1. Make sure that it was PREVIOUSLY working on the carrier of your choice. Yes, there are phones that had worked on one carrier that WILL work on another, but why take that chance? 2. Make sure the ESN is clean and able to be activated. Ask the seller for the ESN/ MEID/ IMEI. It can be found in the battery compartment OR via the settings of the phone. If the owner does not want to give you the ESN, pass on the phone. 3. Before you hand over the money, check the ESN to make sure phone is clean. There are several sites that can do this for you. One of them is https://swappa.com/esn So while you may not have the LATEST phone out there, you CAN save several hundred dollars by getting one or two generations back. You may not have the absolute latest features, but you will also not break your bank account. Just make sure you get a phone you can use!

There are a lot of computer viruses floating around right now, but I think the scariest is Ransomware. Ransomware takes many forms. Sometimes, it will present you with a screen emblazoned with official looking emblems, stating that the computer has been used for illegal activity and that you must pay a fine of $300 (or similar amount). This is totally ridiculous, of course and recovery can usually be achieved by using the Windows Recovery tool. Sometimes, the screen will s...Continue reading

When I get a call from a client, new or old, one of the complaints I least like hearing is My computer is SLOW! and they hand me their computer and walk away. There are a TON of reasons why a computer might be slow. And a person working with your computer would need as much information as possible to diagnose the possible cause. Is it slow only when you are accessing the Internet? Is it slow starting when you push the power button? Is it slow running a particular program...Continue reading

For those that are STILL running Windows XP... and I hope there are not a lot of you left... You are running the highest risk of security problems and hack attacks. Windows 10 will be released this year, some say as soon as June. Although there has not yet been an official release date set, some are saying that it will be released well before the new school year starts in September. Those running Windows 7 and Windows 8 (there will be no Windows 9) will be able to download an...d "upgrade" their computer for free. If you are running a computer that originally ran Windows XP, chances are good that it will NOT be able to run Windows 10. In addition to the above mentioned security issues, you probably don't have the newer physical features that you could use: USB 3 being the main one. This is a USB port that transfers data 10 times faster than USB 2. This can be very useful for backups to an external drive. Processor and memory speeds will be faster, too. So, if you are a Windows XP user, perhaps now is a good time to find a new computer.

Sometimes, a computer's worst enemy can be the well-meaning owner. Today, I received a call from "Microsoft". They directed me to check my computer's event logs (they helpfully showed me how to do this). I was "shocked" when I was shown a bunch of ERRORS. "Whatever shall I do?" I asked the very helpful female foreign-sounding tech agent. "Just go to THIS website! We will help you!" (or words to that effect). In reality, of course, this was an attempt to take over my computer.... Had I cooperated with their direction by going to the website they specified, they would have loaded remote access software on my computer. They would then be free to take over and load malicious software, put a password lock on my operating system, or perhaps even encrypt my data, then demand a cash payment for "unlocking" the data (payment, of course, would would not result in recovery of the files). No one at Microsoft (or any other reputable company) will EVER call to let you know about "errors" on your computer. The errors they showed me were normal operating errors that mean nothing. This happened to one of my customers. A gentleman that was a bit more elderly and trusting allowed their computer to be taken over. The intruder then set up a OS password and demanded money to get the password to unlock the computer. Had my client paid, he would have been more disappointed when it resulted in nothing. Luckily, I was able to get around the password. But it might have been much worse. A different attack may have resulted in loss of ALL his personal data. Please, PLEASE be wary of anyone that calls and purports to be tech support. They cannot see anything on your computer until YOU give them that access. In any case, should this happen to you, HANG UP. If you think something really is wrong, call a trusted computer tech to come check out your computer. See more

Throwback Thursday... These are 8" floppy disks. My first "real" job was mass copying these at a Carlsbad Company.