WannaCry Protection in Lethbridge, AB | Y-Not Tech Services

May 15, 2017 by Tony Whitney

Over the weekend a new RansomWare infection has spread widely. WannaCry uses a combination of malicious e-mail links and a vulnerability in Microsoft’s Windows OS to spread. It is interesting to note that the vulnerability in Windows was patched by Microsoft in March via Windows Updates. Is your system up to date? When was the last time you checked for updates?

It’s always a good idea to follow safe practices any time you are clicking on links from e-mails. Even if you know and trust the sender, they might have been infected and unaware that they are spreading viruses.

WannaCry is ransomware. It encrypts your data and only gives you access if you pay them. Reports say the cost starts at $300 and goes up to $600 before finally, they delete your data.

At this point, there is no way to decrypt the data without paying the developers of the virus.

How to Protect Yourself

If you aren’t infected with WannaCry make sure Windows is up to date! This stops the spread and can keep you protected. Don’t click links in e-mails without inspecting them first. The link could be hidden, meaning the text in the e-mail will say one thing, but take you somewhere else. Hover your cursor over the link for a few seconds and a tooltip should come up giving the exact link address.

Y-Not Tech Services offers a bundle that protects your device from Ransomware and other attacks. Our Gold Protection Package offers Emisoft Anti-Malware that detects threats like this and blocks them and Windows Patching that keeps your System up to date with Security Patches that cover this and other exploits. I also recommend a comprehensive backup strategy centered around the 3-2-1 philosophy.

Y-Not’s Gold Security Package – $19/month

Y-Not’s Gold Security Package plus Off-Site backup – $29/month

The internet is a wonderful place, but it is also full of people trying to take advantage of others with viruses, malware and more. Click here for my quick run down of internet safety.

Book an Appointment with Y-Not Tech Services to sign up for our protection plan or to learn more.

Computer and Technology Lessons in Lethbridge, AB and Area

May 9, 2017 by Tony Whitney

Learning new things can be hard. Even worse, it can be frustrating when you are trying to learn something you need to use every single day. Maybe a new software update has made tasks you used to do regularly seem like a nightmare. Or a new smartphone doesn’t make you feel smart at all. The tablet you got as a gift and were told you would love just sits in a drawer without use because it just feels awkward.

Y-Not Tech Services can help! I love technology. I love learning about technology and how to use it. I have developed a way of explaining technobabble in a more easily understandable way. When I worked in Retail selling Computers and other technology items many of my customers expressed their gratitude at the way I explained things. Some would refer to me as the plain-English speaking geek.

Computer Lessons in Lethbridge, Alberta | Y-Not Tech Services

Visit us for one on one training in our office, or I can visit you where it’s convenient

Now, I offer that experience to my clients. If you want to learn about your computer, smart phone, tablet, or almost any other device I can help. I have a knack for learning this stuff. I don’t know everything. There’s a good chance that what you want to learn, I don’t know. Yet. But I’ll learn it and then pass that knowledge onto you in a way that is easy to understand. I strip out the technical language found in manuals and online tutorials and put the information into simple terms that are understandable and you’ll remember. Below are two components of a computer. On the left are common descriptions of them and on the right is how I describe them.

Technical Explanation	My Plain English Explanation
A hard disk drive (HDD), hard disk, hard drive or fixed disk is a data storage device that uses magnetic storage to store and retrieve digital information using one or more rigid rapidly rotating disks (platters) coated with magnetic material.	A Hard Drive is like your computer’s library. It stores all of your files and programs like books on a shelf. The larger the Library, the more files, programs, photos, videos and music can be stored before running out of shelf space.
RAM is an acronym for random access memory, a type of computer memory that can be accessed randomly; that is, any byte of memory can be accessed without touching the preceding bytes. RAM is the most common type of memory found in computers and other devices, such as printers.	RAM is like a desk you sit down at and spread out your work on. It is where everything you work on is stored while you work on it. Windows or MacOS need some space on your desk, and the rest is available for the programs and anything else you have open.

The customers I served in the Big Box Store I used to work in always appreciated those explanations and it helped them choose the computer that best fit their needs. I planned to develop set Lesson Plans for popular subjects, but as I started helping clients I found that the subjects they wanted to learn were unique and numerous. I still might develop plans on some subjects, but in the meantime, I am enjoying learning whatever a client needs to know and then passing the knowledge onto them in easy to digest lessons.

A few examples of lessons I have taught:

Garmin Fitness Tracker syncing to iPhone plus online calorie counter website
Building a Facebook page for an organization to promote an event through
Other basic Facebook uses including how to find friends and unfriend someone
E-mail attachments
Basic WordPress and other website set up (using pre-made themes only, no design)
Smart Phone Data limit restrictions and warnings (so you don’t get dinged with a huge bill)
Accessibility options on computers and smartphones to help clients with eyesight and hearing loss
Getting started with Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and other social media platforms
I have even shadow wrote for a client writing up promotions for online sales

The list goes on, really, and is always growing. What would you like to learn? Contact me to set up an appointment. I want to be your ‘Computer Guy’.

No current plans, but If the opportunity arises, I’ll do some classroom style lessons

Computer Back Ups in Lethbridge, AB and Area

May 2, 2017 by Tony Whitney

With so much of our important data being stored on our computers, backing them up is incredibly important. To help you audit your own back up strategy, I’ll list a few questions here I want you to answer:

Do you currently have a backup?
If you have a backup, how up to date is it?
Is your backup stored in the same building as the original data?

Why is having a backup strategy important? We store all kinds of important stuff on our computers. We have documents for work or school. We have music and other media we have collected from digital stores like iTunes. And most importantly, we have photos. I have had a few friends lose their homes to fires. They say the whole experience is traumatizing, but the only truly lasting pain they have from it is the loss of their family photos. Nearly everything else lost in the fire can be replaced, but not the photo albums. Today, most of our photos are taken and stored digitally. If the Hard Drive in your computer fails, what will you miss most? If it does fail and you don’t have a backup you will either need to live without those files, or look into Data Recovery, which can be a very expensive endeavor depending on what it needed. Let’s avoid that altogether by building a backup strategy to fit your needs.

Computer Back Ups in Lethbridge, Alberta and Area | Y-Not Tech Services

One copy of your Data will be on the Hard Drive inside your computer

If you do have a backup, that’s great! You’re ahead of many people out there. I have found, however, that one backup is often not enough. I’ve seen the disappointment in a client’s eyes too many times when I transfer their backup over onto their new Hard Drive after a failure and they realize that the backup was done 6 months ago and now they are missing 6 months of their digital lives. That’s a lot of family photos. People in my industry have come up with a 3-2-1 backup strategy, and I highly recommend it.

What is a 3-2-1 backup?

Three copies of your data. Stored on two different devices. One copy should be stored off-site. This ensures with nearly 100% certainly your data cannot be lost. Three copies is pretty self-explanatory and we’ll get to where they should be soon. Why should we store our data on two devices? If a virus or malware badly infects your computer it could damage the data on any drive attached to it. That’s why you should have the data on your internal Hard Drive (obviously, that’s what is running your computer) and another device like an External Hard Drive, a USB Flash Drive or DVDs. Finally, we get to the offsite part of our backup strategy. I have seen people attempt this a number of ways. Often they’ll make a backup and then stash it at a family members home, or at a storage facility. This method has one major flaw though. The data will quickly become out of date. With the storage device (generally a Hard Drive or Flash Drive) off-site AND inaccessible to add new data too, the backup doesn’t get updated. The plan would be to go and bring the drive onsite every week and update the backup, but those plans quickly fade because it’s just one more thing to remember. This is where a cloud backup solution comes in. Y-Not Tech Services has partnered with Datto to offer our clients a managed offsite backup solution to add to your backup strategy. We’ll get to that in more detail later. First, let’s make sure you have the local back-up covered.

Local Backup

Having a local back up is important and can be very convenient when something goes wrong. If your back up is up to date you can quickly restore your data and get back up and running. Ideally, your back up medium will be larger than your internal Hard Drive. This will allow your back up utility to store different versions of your files so you can go back to find old changes if you save over top and want the old copy back. Generally, either an External Hard Drive or Network Attached Storage (NAS) drive is the best choice for backup storage. Windows and Mac both have a built-in utility for backup management. If you need help getting this setup, please contact me so I can help you get it set up.

A second copy of your data could be stored an External Hard Drive like this one.

Another option for local backup is to clone your Hard Drive. This involves making a full, exact copy of your Hard Drive so that you can just swap your back up in and it will boot up just the same as your old Hard Drive. This is a more time consuming and involved way to backup, but can save a lot of time when disaster strikes your hard drive. If you need to be able to get back up and running immediately after a hard drive failure, a full clone backup may be the way to go.

Managed Off-Site Backup

What I like most about Datto is that it gives me a dashboard to see all my clients and I can see at a glance that your backup is up to date. If, for some reason, your backup isn’t up to date, I’ll be alerted and we can get together to make sure your data is safe. What is really nice about the Managed Backup Service is that any time I’m alerted to an issue with your back up, I’ll work to make sure it is resolved at no extra cost to you. It’s all part of the service. For prices and more information please see the Managed Services page.

With Managed Back Up, your data is stored safely and Securely.

In conclusion, don’t be caught without a backup. Hard Drives have many moving parts and are prone to failures. Solid State Drives can also wear out over time. I’ve seen both fail within a week of purchase at times. Yes, the warranty covers the failure and you can get a replacement from the manufacturer, but they can’t do anything about the data you had stored on the drive. If you don’t have a backup strategy in place or if you want to review your backup strategy with me, contact me to make an appointment.

Serving Lethbridge, AB, and area locally. Back Up can be set up using Remote Connection so I can help you no matter where you are. Book an appointment to discuss your options and get a backup in place.

Remote Technical Support – Lethbridge, Alberta

April 4, 2017 by Tony Whitney

Not all problems require a technician to be physically on site to solve. Many times a software problem can be fully resolved with a remote desktop connection.

WHAT IS REMOTE SUPPORT?

In basic terms, Remote Support is allowing me to take control of your computer from my office. I can use my computer’s keyboard, mouse and monitor to control your computer as if I was sitting in front of it. This is all accomplished using an internet connection and special software.

WHY IS IT USEFUL?

Remote Support can be used for some basic diagnostics before you need to pack up your machine and bring it to me or have me travel to your location. In a lot of cases, a solution can be discovered and implemented over the remote connection. Remote Connection can also be used for lessons and tutorials in the case of a client living too far away to make in person visits practical. Contact me today to see if you can benefit from using Remote Desktop Connection with me.

HOW DO I GET REMOTE HELP?

I use a program called ConnectWise for Remote Support. When we set up a session I will provide you with a 4 Digit Code. Once you have this code visit www.ynottechservices.screenconnect.com or click on Remote Support from the menu at the top of this page. You will see the following page:

Fill in the 4 Digit Code and click the arrow.

This will Download a small, secure application that will be used to allow the remote connection. Your browser may prompt you to choose a location to save the file. You can save it anywhere you like. If you aren’t sure where to put it, I would suggest saving it to your desktop. Once the download is complete click on the file to open it. You will see an installer running. You might need to accept a User Account Control prompt to run it.

Remote Technical Support - Lethbridge, Alberta | Y-Not Tech Services

Instructions to Join Remote Support Session. Please Click Run or Yes to allow the program to run.

Finally, you may see this screen for a moment or two.

This just means that I haven’t taken control of your computer yet. Don’t worry, I’ll be right with you.

If you have any questions or would like to set up a Remote Desktop session please book an appointment.

Introducing PC Monitoring Service – Lethbridge, AB and Beyond

March 7, 2017 by Tony Whitney

Today, I’m happy to announce a new service here at Y-Not Tech Services. PC Monitoring. This is a simple and lightweight application that you can install on your Windows Computer that monitors the health of your computer and Alerts us both if there is an issue. It also lets you contact me instantly if anything goes wrong and even allows you to send me a picture of your screen so I know exactly what’s going on and how to help. I’m very happy to be able to offer this wonderful service completely free of charge. [Read more…]