Greetings from EagleTech Computer Service!
Here are some topics we will be covering in this edition :
- Best free Antivirus Software?
- How to avoid being hurt by Heartbleed?
- Need a new heart? 3D Bioprinting will do it.
Even though the world of computing has become a sport and income for worldwide hackers those who right the wrongs will always exceed in numbers those who do the wrong thing. To this end I, and many like me, offer our services to return the joy of computing to millions of people worldwide. We'll do our best to keep your computers fun, productive, and working right.
Thanks for being the great clients each of you are...!!!
Tom Sparks
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What's the best Free Antivirus Software?
Lately I've been installing Avast on all of my client's computers unless they request something else. Here is a corroborating article I think you will find encouraging:
Click this link
No antivirus software will come anywhere near to providing 100% protection but having something is better than having nothing. For the most part your choices while computing will be the best antivirus there is - such as not clicking on unexplained links in emails, not clicking on Ad links on web pages, watching very closely what is being offered to you when downloading something free over the internet, etc. It is sooo important to be very watchful of everything done on the internet because the scammers are always creating approaches they hope you will whisk right by without looking closely at each box that presents. I know it is a pain to have to be this careful but unfortunately this is the world we live in. For all its pitfalls I still think the Internet is the most fascinating and wonderful invention of mankind in the last 100 years.
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How to avoid being hurt by Heartbleed:
You may have heard about the "Heartbleed" virus. It is not a virus you download on to your computer, but rather is a virus located on the servers of a website you visit and as you enter data into their site or your password it grabs that data to be used at a later date.
There isn't a whole lot you can do directly to protect yourself. It is more a server side vulnerability than a virus you get on your computer. Therefore, if you visit websites where you have to enter a password to get into them then before your enter your password use this little tool to determine if the server you are about to log on to is safe from the heartbleed. Here's the site to use
Click here
Just type in the web address of the site you want to log into and this little tool will give you some idea as to whether it is a safe site.
If you discover it is a safe site then you should be safe to enter your password like normal and enter the site.
For all of the sites you enter, using a password, after you have tested the site for safety it would be a good idea to create a new password for that site that you don't use anywhere else and which is complex in nature. Here's an example of a very strong password: To175xW!*n . Notice that it has upper case letters, lower case letters, numbers, and symbols. Using all four types of characters and 8 or more characters makes it a very strong password. Increasingly it will be important to use complex passwords.
Ultimately it is more up to site Administrators to tighten the security on their websites than it is for users to do anything different than they have been doing.
I hope this helps.
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Need a new Heart?
Bio-Printing is rapidly moving towards the capability of printing a brand new heart. It may not be that many years before you can go into your doctor's office and order a brand new heart that will be better than your heart ever was. Check out this article for an interesting description of what is happening in this fascinating field of study:
Click here
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Many are upgrading XP to Windows 7:
Whew, it's been a bit of a scramble to help clients out of XP. Some are choosing to purchase new computers and many are choosing to upgrade Windows XP to Windows 7. If you decide your computer still has plenty of life left in it I would be happy to assist you in upgrading to Windows 7 or 8.
I've just found a source for Windows 7 that makes it possible for me to purchase it at $80, and to transition your system from XP to Windows 7 can be done for $120, so the total would just be $200 and you would be good until 2022.
Let me know if this is something you'd like to pursue and we can make it happen.
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New Hourly Fees:
Thanks to each of you for making the transition to a little higher hourly service fee a success. Your comments and acceptance have been very encouraging.
I look forward to serving you for years to come!
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Best of success to you in all your computing.
I’m here to assist you when you need it. As just a reminder... my onsite residential fee is $40 per hour and for the commercial setting it is $50 per hour. For those times when working remotely with your computer over the Internet is a good option then the cost savings to you are substantial since I only need to charge on a "15 minute" increment instead of the full hour fee for an onsite visit. This means just $10 per 15 minutes and no billing until it reaches one hour. Once again...for any clients you send my way, who use my services for an hour or more, I'd be happy to credit you with $10 of free computer service at your next call. Do let me know if you send folks my way and I'll keep notes on that as a credit for my next visit to you, and don't feel embarrassed to remind me you would like that credit when I visit.
Thanks so much!
Your Computer Technician
Tom Sparks
503-577-4201
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