Computer Repair Experts in Phoenix, Arizona. my PC Techs Presents:

A bug was found recently in version 9 of the Adobe Reader and Adobe Acrobat software that would allow an attacker to take over your computer or steal data. Any time you open an infected PDF from your computer, on the internet, or sent to you via email you could be at risk. For all versions of Adobe Acrobat and Adobe Reader, keep yourself safe by updating your software and following these steps:

• Download and install the latest security updates from the Adobe Product Updates page.
• You can also check for updates from within Acrobat by going to Help, Check for Updates.
• From within Adobe Reader or Adobe Acrobat, click on Edit/Preferences. On the left go to the Trust Manager tab, then uncheck the box ‘Allow opening of non-PDF attachments with external applications.’
• From within Adobe Reader or Adobe Acrobat, click on Edit/Preferences. On the left go to Javascript, and uncheck the Enable Javascript box.

Close the program.

As always, you should also have a good anti-virus running on your system. We recommend Trend or Microsoft Security Essentials.

>> Did you like this article? Ping it!

[

Many people still believe that the end date for Windows XP support occurs sometime towards the end of this year (2011). This is not the case.

Mainstream Microsoft support of Windows XP ended over two years ago in April of 2009; which means that we have been without Non-Security Hotfixes (see below), No-Charge Incident Support, Design Changes, Feature Requests or Warranty Claims for some time now. Additionally, in April of 2014, all extended support will end; including ALL Windows Updates and Paid Support.

When it comes to hotfixes the MSLP says that Microsoft will continue to release security hotfixes to keep customers safe throughout the Extended Support phase. However, in order to receive non-security hotfixes after the Mainstream Support End Date a contract called an Extended Hotfix Support Contract must be purchased within 90 days of the Mainstream Support End Date.

There is a ray of hope provided by Microsoft for products that have been phased out: the Retired Product Support Options page. The RPSO page lists about 10 options available for customers using retired products including Microsoft’s Gold Certified Partner program, TechNet, MSDN, and the Knowledge Base.

Additional information about the specifics of these programs can be found via the links below.
Retired Product Support Options
Microsoft Support Lifecycle Policy by Product Family
Microsoft Support Lifecycle Policy FAQ

If you have not already started planning to migrate your existing business systems away from Windows XP, now might be a great time to start. Prices are historically low on new computers, and my PC Techs is offering even greater discounts on the next technology upgrade for your business through our Dell partner discounts and affordable IT consulting services. Give us a call today if you would like to discuss your options to upgrade from Windows XP to Windows 7.

Can anyone name a small business, or any business for that matter, that doesn’t rely upon technology for day to day operations? Computers play such an integrated role in our lives. Much like automobiles, it is important to maintain your computers and run periodic checks on them to avoid failure.

When doing routine system maintenance, there are several different areas of the computer that should be checked for potential problems. The operating system itself, installed software, updates and patches, anti-virus definitions, the network settings, the system fans, dust levels, hard disk drives, backups, and external devices! Some are more important than others. For example, if your hard drive fails, you could face some very costly data recovery issues. Dust is another one, dust and heat are the biggest killers of electronic components. A competent computer repair firm will have a checklist of items that a technician will run through, the hard drive and dust levels being just one of those, to ensure optimal performance.

Not to get stuck on the automobile analogy, but it’s so easy to do comparisons between that and computer repair. If you forget to change your oil, over time your engine suffers. If you go long enough, eventually your engine will fail. Computer maintenance is the same way. A lot of clients have come to us with failed hard drives. Sometimes we can get their data off pretty easily and recover their systems. In the worst cases, those hard drives need to be sent off to a lab where data recovery becomes extremely costly. Client with crashed hard drives are usually surprised when we tell them that the crash could have been avoided. There are warning signs that most equipment will give when things go bad, and the signs usually begin a while before the actual crash takes place. For hard drives, it could be slow performance, errors while working, errors in system logs, or even clicking or grinding sounds. Most computer fans make noises too when they are about to fail.

Our experts service and repair machines and are experienced in the different ways you can identify computer problems. If you hire a team of professionals that know how to keep your computers working, and have them come out monthly for a quick checkup, you too will be able to keep working. For most people, computer failures usually happen at the worst possible time. Like, right before an important project deadline. If your computer suddenly crashes or the network is not working you may lose work and income. All of this could be avoided with just a couple hours of preventative maintenance per month.

>> Did you like this article? Ping it!

We now have another tool in the shed for tracking the effectiveness of social media marketing campaigns. Google has a new search page, Google Realtime, that allows a search of social updates, news articles and blog posts about hot topics around the world.

This tool gives you an easy way to find hot companies offering products and services on the social web. This beta project could very well be a testing ground for something much bigger down the road. Google has tried several times to integrate real time social web search results into standard Google searches, but nothing much has come of those efforts. If this tool takes off, I believe the research they gain from the project will lead to bigger things down the road. Specifically, the merging of standard web search results with results from Facebook, Twitter, news sites, and other social networking sites.

One other lesson that this experiment can teach us is the importance of a deep online marketing approach for your business that doesn’t focus solely on pay per click advertising to get the word out. In addition to SEM, proper SEO and social media marketing methods continue to gain ground as cost-effective ways to put products and services in front of prospective clients.

Get searching now and see if your company rates well in realtime.

>> Did you like this article? Ping it!

Log of Tweets and Links from my PC Techs Twitter for April 9 – 22, 2009:

1. @cactusjoe1 It’s a real bummer when web application developers don’t take the time to make their applications cross-browser compatible.
2. New botnet identified with 2 million infected computers, could you own one of them? http://www.darkreading.com/security/attacks/showArticle.jhtml;jsessionid=J2N12SRZKGSNIQSNDLRSKH0CJUNN2JVN?articleID=217000166
3. "The Cyber Command", cool movie title? Not quite: http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2345781,00.asp?kc=PCRSS05079TX1K0000992
4. Don’t need to go very far, very fast? Get a Peapod: http://www.businesspundit.com/chryslers-peapod-car-now-for-sale/
5. Earthlink suffers Earth Day crash: http://www.computerworld.com/action/article.do?command=viewArticleBasic&articleId=9131976
6. How to fix iTunes error 5002: http://www.it-echo.com/2009/04/23/how-to-fix-itune-error-5002-problem.html
7. Apple to shareholders: "What recession?" http://www.businessweek.com/technology/content/apr2009/tc20090422_557162.htm?campaign_id=yhoo
8. A collection of 94 Photoshop tutorials: http://www.bukisa.com/articles/71956_94-exclusive-photoshop-tutorials
9. Hackers in tax season, how IRS refunds vanish: http://www.sdnn.com/sandiego/2009-04-21/news/tax-refunds-can-vanish-through-your-computer-2
10. Display your total number of Twitter followers on your WordPress blog: http://onguides.net/display-the-total-number-of-your-twitter-followers-on-your-wordpress-blog/
11. Woohoo! I’m an official victim of the ‘Missing User Images’ bug! http://status.twitter.com/post/98960090/missing-user-images
12. Powering the entire state of Texas with the sun? http://cleantechnica.com/2009/04/22/entire-state-of-texas-could-be-powered-by-solar/
13. Be sure to update your Firefox browser to version 3.0.9: http://news.cnet.com/8301-1009_3-10224719-83.html
14. The iPhone for $23/month: http://mediumjones.com/my-23month-iphone/249
15. A net quote about Tweepular, "This is quite literally one of the best Twitter management tools I’ve ever used." http://www.tweepular.com/
16. 10 Twitter tool evaluations plus Tweepular: http://www.dailyseoblog.com/2009/03/10-twitter-tools-to-effectively-manage-your-followers/
17. iBotnet targets the MAC, is no one safe? http://www.cnn.com/2009/TECH/04/22/first.mac.botnet/index.html
18. Look out pagerank, Google to change search algorithms: http://www.webpronews.com/topnews/2009/04/20/google-set-to-change-ranking-algorithm
19. 20 Most Important Inventions of the Next 10 Years: http://tech.msn.com/products/slideshow.aspx?cp-documentid=18821223&gt1=40000
20. RT @ManiKarthik: Are Re-Tweets the new Backlinks ? (DailySEOblog) http://www.dailyseoblog.com/2009/04/are-re-tweets-the-new-link-backs/
21. Informative review of the Google App Engine: http://blogs.zdnet.com/Hinchcliffe/?p=362
22. Stay away from the crippled Windows 7 "Starter Edition": http://www.cyberciti.biz/tips/windows-7-starter-edition.html
23. More analysis on the Sun buyout, is MySQL doomed: http://blog.internetnews.com/skerner/2009/04/oracle-buys-sun-is-mysql-doome.html
24. Is your data safe from the mob, malware and SQL injections? http://www.pcworld.com/businesscenter/article/163387/are_hackers_working_for_the_mob.html
25. Big funding for artificial intelligence and more: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/8010075.stm
26. What will happen to MySQL? Oracle buys Sun Microsystems: http://gigaom.com/2009/04/20/oracle-to-buy-sun-for-74-billion/
27. Are you about to be taxed on products purchased online? http://www.cbsnews.com/blogs/2009/04/15/business/econwatch/entry4948813.shtml
28. Epson Unveils Multitouch X-Desk: http://www.gearlog.com/2009/04/espon_officially_unveils_multi.php
29. A look at 15 WordPress plugins: http://www.thisismyurl.com/tutorials/wordpress-help/the-best-wordpress-plugins-and-why-to-use-them/
30. Giveaway of the Day – Sothink JavaScript Web Scroller 2.1: http://www.sothink.com/product/javascriptwebscroller/index.htm
31. Racetrack, computer memory of the future? http://www.montrealgazette.com/technology/Racetrack+speeds+memory/1488396/story.html
32. Viruses and the spread of malicious software doubled in 1 year: http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2345234,00.asp
33. Leisure Suit Larry online: http://sarien.net/larry
34. Adobe leads the way to net apps on the television with Flash in set top boxes: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/8008070.stm
35. Help us come up with a new slogan, win $100. https://www.mypctechs.com/tshirt
36. In the shadow of the iPhone. Top Apps for the Tmobile G1: http://www.kellbot.com/2009/04/day-1-with-the-g1/
37. Technical report on ‘wiping’ hard drive data: http://sansforensics.wordpress.com/2009/01/15/overwriting-hard-drive-data/
38. How is your computer security? http://bitsnbytes4biz.wordpress.com/2009/04/08/alert-how-is-your-computer-security/
39. RT @CameraFraudAZ: AZ Republic Reports: Expansion of Speed Cameras Halted – http://www.azcentral.com/news/election/azelections/articles/2009/04/07/20090407photosuspend0409.html
40. Dirty IT jobs http://www.infoworld.com/d/adventures-in-it/even-dirtier-it-jobs-muck-stops-here-002
41. Love him or hate him? Bill Gates donates over 1 million dollars to childhood pneumonia research: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/scienceandtechnology/science/sciencenews/5122033/Bill-Gates-donates-1.3-million-for-childhood-pneumonia-research.html
42. Did Apple steal touch screen technology? http://www.geek.com/articles/mobile/apple-accused-of-touch-screen-patent-infringement-2009048/
43. People who make posts saying Captcha is doomed are? You guessed it, doomed! http://it.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=09
44. 10 Places to Find Absolutely Free Vector Graphics: http://tutorialblog.org/10-places-to-find-absolutely-free-vector-graphics/
45. Free tools that every windows programmer should install: http://ianhickman.blogspot.com/2009/04/6-free-tools-that-every-windows.html
46. Just listed myself in the http://localtweeps.com local Twitter directory in ZIP 85048

>> Did you like this article? Ping it!

my PC Techs: Professional Computer Repair and Website Development