Welcome to the Geek Choice Blog

Oftentimes, when arriving to a job with a client, our technicians find that the client has either misplaced or lost their Windows repair disc. While our technicians are  still equipped with the tools that a repair necessitates, it’s always helpful if the client has an extra disc lying around.

Though it’s considerably more stable than previous versions of Microsoft’s operating system, Windows 7 is still susceptible to the occasional crash, requiring the creation of a repair disc for those instances when an unanticipated problem is encountered.

Below, you’ll find the necessary steps to take if you wish to create one:

In the Start menu, bring up the search box and enter:

system repair disc

Once entered, this command will summon a window that allows you to select the drive in which the creation of this disc will occur. Taking up just a minimal amount of space, a CD – rather than a DVD – will suffice.

Upon its creation, you’ll have in your possession an invaluable tool that will ease the headache of a system crash.

Now, we’ll look at its use.

Again, Windows 7 has received high marks for its stability, but no operating system is immune to the unforeseen emergence of problems that are often the product of either user error or malware.

If a problem arises, insert your repair disc into your drive and boot Windows from it. Select Windows Setup [EMS Enabled]

Once the boot process has completed, you’ll be able to select various recovery tools or return the computer to a previous system image.

As you see, you’re given a list of options, all them different methods of achieving the same goal: recovery of your system.

While I hope the state of your computer never reaches this stage, having this disc at your disposal should make things easier if it does.

It certainly helps our technicians when they’re onsite.

Geek Choice specializes in system recovery, and we’re here to help you along that process.

A renowned pioneer in web technology, creating the most popular search engine in use today, Google stands at the forefront of companies pushing towards a future that is tied to the rapidly evolving world of the internet.

With some of the most brilliant minds at work beneath their roof, the services resulting from their ingenuity have fundamentally changed how we communicate with one another. From Gmail to Google Wave, to products from competitors who’re invariably playing “catch up,” evidence of this company’s forward-thinking innovation abounds.

One of their more interesting services is Google Voice, a telecommunications marvel that extends users a unique phone number from Google, to which any calls to your actual phone – or, if you so choose, multiple phones — will be transferred.

How it works:

• User creates (assuming it isn’t taken) a new phone number or selects one from a pool of numbers made available by Google.
• Once the Google Voice number has been selected, inbound calls to that number will be forwarded to the assigned phones.

As an example, take the following scenario as testament to the convenience afforded by Google Voice:

While in the kitchen fixing dinner, you’re awaiting a call from your brother about your sister-in-law’s pregnancy, knowing that she’s due any minute. Your cell phone, which is your primary means of communication, is upstairs. Yet, your home is also outfitted with a land line, with one phone located just a foot away from the kitchen counter. Not knowing if you’re home or not, your brother excitedly dials your Google Voice number, resulting in his call being forward to every phone assigned to it – including your land line.

With configuration requiring just a few steps, use of this service is that easy, gathering our disparate modes of telecommunication under the umbrella of Google Voice.

Additional features include:

• Voicemail
• Call History
• Conference Calling
• Call blocking
• Voice transcription (translating your voice mail into text messages)
• Call transitioning, which allows you to migrate from one phone to next in the midst of a call.

Google now allows you to use your existing phone number with Google Voice, a feature that was only just announced. Your existing number can be used in tandem with a new Google Voice number. To read more about this new feature, visit here

For those of you who’re interested in taking advantage of this service, you can request an invite today.

Geek Choice prides itself on educating you about the daily advances introduced to this world in which our company continues to grow. If you ever have any questions, feel free to contact one of us.

A new variant of the virus known as “Bredolab” has been identified and is spreading at breakneck speed through the Facebook user base. It appears as an email with the title “Password Reset Confirmation Email” and has an attachment that supposedly contains the recipient’s new Facebook password. The attached file is in reality a Trogan Horse:  a small program that exists solely to download other programs onto your computer. The program hides its download activity by going through other programs that access the internet legitimately, so your anti-virus may not be able to notice when new files are being downloaded by this virus.

Cleaning up after viruses can be a time-consuming ordeal and even with professional assistance viruses can sometimes re-infect your computer from hidden files, so prevention should always be your first priority.

Bredolab is a simple virus to avoid, just don’t open the attachment.

Facebook would not send you a password reset confirmation email unless you asked to have your password reset in the first place, and such an email would never contain an attachment anyway.

You should already be protecting your computer with anti-virus and anti-spyware programs, along with a firewall to protect your network from other intruders. These protections are excellent ways to reduce the chances that your computer will be infected, but it’s important that everyone who uses your network also learn safe browsing practices as well. The most important rule of safe browsing: never open an email attachment unless you know exactly what it contains. Other important guidelines include avoiding sites that commonly host malware, closing all pop-up ads with the red “x” in the upper right corner, and never downloading any program from vendors you don’t know.

If you think you might be infected, or if you’d like more information about safe browsing habits and security software, don’t hesitate to give us a call.

Released in May 2008, the Netflix streaming player – developed by Roku, a company specializing in the delivery of digital media – enables subscribers to Netflix’ traditional mail-order service to stream a select number of movies to their television sets.

Initially, the available films were anything but impressive, largely comprised of efforts that just barely rose to b-movie standards. Since then, the catalog of titles has ballooned to an impressive volume, with everything from television shows ( Law and Order, LOST, The Shield,  Heroes, etc.) – to critically acclaimed  independent gems added to its library.

With just a one-time purchase of the $99 player, the streaming is free, the only additional expense being a $9.99 monthly subscription to Netflix. Coupled with their traditional model, this new service positions Netflix as the premier source of home entertainment. As bandwidth increases, there is little doubt that streaming will facilitate a monumental shift in how media is delivered into our homes.

At this time, Netflix streaming is available on:

• PC / Mac
• Roku player
• Xbox 360

However, announced just a day ago, Netflix will begin making their streaming service available on Sony’s PS3 next month — provided users have a Netflix subscription, of course.

If you have questions, or experience any difficulty setting up your Netflix player, we’re here to help.

For more information about Netflix streaming, visit their website here

You may have already heard about the colossal failure of Microsoft and Danger’s “cloud” system, resulting in the loss of roughly 800,000 T-Mobile users’ cell phone data. The unique method T-mobile employed to manage their customers data experienced a catastrophic failure on October 5th and while questions still loom as to how this could have occurred the take home lesson for all computer users is plain as day: always backup your data properly.

Sidekick data was not stored long term on the phone itself, unlike other cell phone models. Instead, data was uploaded to Microsoft/Danger’s cloud: a cluster of many computers sharing the load of data storage and computing power. Systems like this aren’t all that unusual, if you use gmail or flickr you’ve already got data stored in a cloud. When one computer in the cloud fails, usually there is minimal to no data loss. If many computers fail, or if the software connecting the computers has a problem, all the data could be lost forever.

Thankfully Microsoft had some backups of the Sidekick data and finally began restoring it to customer phones on October 20th, fifteen days after the initial loss of data. In the interim, literally thousands of blog posts, news articles and RSS feeds flooded the internet with bad press about T-Mobile and Microsoft. The criticism was completely justified as well, due to early concerns within Microsoft that the backup data had somehow been damaged or lost in the same incident that took down the cloud. The idea that a company with the kind of resources and expertise as Microsoft could have made such a rookie mistake of creating backups that were relying on the same resources or software as the cloud is unthinkable to tech pros.

The cost of this catastrophe is more than just data loss and bad press, the financial toll is still growing. Between users terminating contracts early (without the customary fee), $100 T-Mobile gift cards being offered to users whose data was lost, and pulling Sidekicks from shelves and online stores, the final cost could be somewhere in the millions.

Data recovery is a complicated and expensive process, and it’s not always successful. To keep your information safe, whether it’s tax records or photos of your children, you should always keep a secure backup. It’s a simple, inexpensive, and reliable step that can help prevent multi-million dollar disasters and private heartbreaks, but it must be done properly. Geek Choice techs are trained professionals who can help make sure that your backup solution is safe, even if your system fails. If you haven’t already, take the time to call about backing up your data today.

Whether it’s Conflickr or a new fake anti-spyware program, it seems like spyware and viruses are inescapable for any computer connected to the Internet. It’s estimated that the amount spent annually on security software in the United States has risen to over $800 million in recent years, but computers are still getting infected daily. Why aren’t we virus free yet?

The answer lies in the nature of malicious programming. Computer viruses don’t spring up out of nowhere, they’re designed by programmers who either have nothing better to do and think it will be interesting, or professionals who make money by abusing your computer. Whenever anti-virus vendors are made aware of a new virus, they create a new definition for their anti-virus software to help isolate and remove that virus if it is downloaded onto your computer. Once the new definition is widespread enough that a significant percentage of computers are safe against that virus, a new one is created by the malicious programmers and the cycle begins again. Nearly two thousand new viruses were identified every day in 2007, and the problem isn’t going away any time soon. This is why you need to allow your anti-virus software to download new virus definitions so often.

Frustrated hackers tired of the rapid turnover of “regular” viruses have graduated to attacking your computer’s defences directly: your anti-virus software. Many new viruses include programming that either hides itself specifically from several popular anti-virus programs, prevents them from downloading new virus definitions, or shuts them down entirely. Even when these new viruses are identified quickly, many computers will already be infected and the software on the machines will be unable to remove the virus. In cases where one virus shuts down the anti-virus software entirely, other viruses will often infect the machine and can render it inoperable in a matter of hours if not minutes. Still other nasty viruses employ tricks to avoid removal techniques, and will re-infect a machine after an anti-virus program or a user tries to delete them.

The fight against computer viruses is non-stop, but you can do something to help protect your system. Installing a good anti-virus program and allowing it to update frequently is just the first step, but beware of fake anti-virus programs you may find online (many of these are viruses themselves). The fake anti-virus programs normally go by the names: Antivirus 2010 Pro, Windows Pro Police, System Guard  2009, Personal Antivirus, Antispyware XP 2009, and many more. You can see a pattern in how they name themselves. Never download anything from a person or website you don’t trust, never open a suspicious email (you don’t always have to open the attachments to get infected), and don’t go to websites with a poor reputation. If you take these steps and your computer still gets infected, have a trained professional remove the virus for you instead of trying to remove it yourself. Modern viruses can be very difficult to isolate and remove, and it’s very easy to damage your system accidentally while trying to remove one.

If you’ve got a slow computer and think you’re infected, call Geek Choice today. Our techs have the tools needed for proper virus removal and have access to fast breaking news about new types of viruses and their removal. Geek Choice is a nationwide on-site computer service and repair company.  If your computer has any of the following problems, we can help: Slow computer, Virus or Spyware, Computer startup problems, Printer not printing, Not connecting to the Internet, Scanner not working, or the “blue screen of death”. We also offer other technical support services, including: New pc setup, Data Backup or Recovery, Wireless network setup, Business Network Firewall setup, Upgrading memory, cpu, hard drives, video cards, and more. You can pick up the phone at any time and call us at 1-800-GEEK HELP (433-5435).

Windows 7 is upon us, ushering in the latest era of Microsoft’s Windows Operating System. Faster and more functional, with less bloat than previous iterations, Windows 7 has been introduced to a surprisingly receptive audience.

But all fanfare aside, the question of its compatibility with your system is of paramount concern. As has been the case with each version of Windows, successfully installing the package is contingent upon the present composition of your system.

To shed light on what requirements your system meets, Microsoft has released a helpful program that aids in highlighting what you’ll need before attempting to upgrade to Windows 7.

Called the Upgrade Advisor, this utility assesses your system, providing an analysis that will leave you with a clearer picture of your computer’s compatibility.

After launching the Upgrade Advisor, you’re met with a welcome screen that prompts you to begin.

Depending on the specifications of your system, the duration of the analysis varies, but it usually lasts just a few minutes.

Upon conclusion of the analysis, Upgrade Advisor produces a report that lists those areas which must be addressed before proceeding with the upgrade.

Without running the Upgrade Advisor, you should know that the minimum requirements for Windows 7 are:

• 1 Ghz CPU
• 1 GB of RAM
• 16 GB HDD

Seeing how well it’s been received, it’s understandable that you could be leaning towards upgrading to Windows 7. Before doing so, you might want to run the Upgrade Advisor.

Download it here.

Whether we’re typing out a quick memo or writing a letter to a friend, word processors are invaluable tools that provide the means to draft documents when needed. Word is the most widely used solution in this regard, but it’s packaged with Microsoft Office, a software suite that includes a host of other applications – Excel, Powerpoint, etc. — that you may not require.

Free and easy to use, Abiword is an alternative for those who need just a word processor, freeing your computer from needless software that’s along for the ride.

Abiword works with every major operating system:

• Windows
• Linux
• Mac

After editing a Word document at work, Abiword can continue editing it at home, allowing for seamless transitioning between the two formats.

This is a nice solution for those looking to keep their system limited to the barest essentials. If you ever have any questions about its use, feel free to contact one of us.

Abiword can be downloaded here.

We’re all guilty of happening upon a website from which we’d like to quickly exit. Even if just the result of an inadvertently clicked link, our travels on the web will always consist of visits to sites which are best tucked in the remote corners of our memory.

If your internet adventures are taken with Firefox, here is a quick way to expunge from your browsing history those websites which you’d no sooner forget.

Two methods effectively address this need:

FIRST SOLUTION:

In the address bar, begin typing the name of the website. In the example below, we’re ridding ourselves of the “CNN” url.

Even before the full address is typed out, you’ll notice that the website – or several selections – will drop immediately beneath the address bar. Highlight those selections you’d like deleted.

Once highlighted, press the “delete” button on your keyboard. Doing so renders that site obsolete, as far as your browser is concerned, which becomes evident when attempting to type “CNN” in the address bar again.

SECOND SOLUTION:

Slightly more involved than the first method, this process sees you open your “history” window and review the entire history of your browser’s romps about the internet. To open it up, look at the menu bar, where you will select the “History” option.

From that drop down, click on “Show All History,” which opens the History Library Window.

As you’ll see, once opened, you can review your history in its entirety.

Looking at the history, you can select the website you’re seeking the removal of. Right clicking on the website will bring up a window that affords you the option to “Forget About This Site.” Like before, we’ll use the “CNN” example.

After its removal, the only way that site will return to your browser’s history is if you return to the website.

While these two methods will successfully clear your history of any sites worth forgetting, it’s best to be mindful of where you’re visiting, should you ever find that you need to delete a   website from your history.

Virgin America has teamed up with Google to offer customers free in-flight WiFi between November 10th, 2009 and January 15th, 2010. If you get the opportunity to take advantage of this special offer from Virgin America, the security of your internet will probably be the last thing on your mind, but it shouldn’t be. Any time that your computer is connected to a public wireless network without proper precautions, you’re at risk.

When you’re on an open wireless network with other people, those other users can do more than just access the internet; they can get into your computer as well. Any information that you don’t have properly protected can be opened, copied, or even deleted from another computer without so much as a notification to you. It might seem a bit unlikely that someone would do something so drastic, but remember that you’re going to be on a plane for several hours with a bunch of other people who have nothing better to do than push boundaries. Depending on the quality of the in-flight movie, you might have a fellow passenger who thinks it’s more entertaining to watch you panic. (They exist, check out the NY Times article The Trolls Among Us if you can’t believe it.)

The good news is that you can do something about it. In addition to your standard firewall and anti-virus, there are several methods that our certified techs can use to secure your system and keep all of your private files private. Call today to set up an appointment with one of our techs, whether you’re hopping on a Virgin America flight or not.

That disgruntled kid in the seat next to you will just have to surf the free internet instead.