<![CDATA[BestByte Computer & Technologies - Computer Support, Repair, and Networking - Granger, Indiana

<![CDATA[BestByte Computer & Technologies - Computer Support, Repair, and Networking - Granger, Indiana - Computer Help (Blog)]]>Tue, 06 Mar 2012 09:10:21 -0500Weebly<![CDATA[Data Backup - How To]]>Fri, 04 Jun 2010 21:28:17 -0500http://www.bestbytepc.com/1/post/2010/06/data-backup-how-to.html

Disaster strikes and you’ve lost your data! No big deal, it was just pictures, music, letters, financial data, website favorites, and… Hey, wait a minute that cost me a lot of money and time to accumulate all those things! This is why a backup plan is so important. I’ll give you some solutions and you decide which is right for you.

External Hard Drive

You can purchase a large external hard drive for around $100.00 and make copies of all your important files. It’s a very basic and inexpensive solution, but there are drawbacks. First, in most cases you have to manually connect the external hard drive to each computer and run backup software. If you don’t have backup software, you will probably copy the contents of your “My Documents” folder to the external drive. This solution poses serious problems if you forget to backup or leave the external hard drive in the same location as all your computers. A fire or other disaster would destroy your computer and your backup copy of your data. Not optimal.

RAID 1

You can purchase a computer with two hard drives that simultaneously have two copies of your data and operating system. The advantages of this system are overall cost, protection against a single hard drive failure, and the backups are automatic and happen instantaneously. The disadvantages of a RAID 1 are similar to and external hard drive in the fact that a fire or other natural disaster would destroy the computer and the backup drive at the same time, and it’s hard to find computers with RAID. Custom computer builders are the best solution for this option. I recommend www.bestbytepc.com.

Carbonite

Online backup is now affordable for all. Carbonite is a software solution that installs on your computer and allows you to select the files you want to backup to an offsite server. The advantages are in the automatic backup and the protection from data loss in the event of a disaster. Depending on your budget, the cost may be affordable or it might not. For around $55.00 per year, you can have peace of mind.

RAID 1 + Carbonite

In the event of a hard drive failure, Carbonite will allow you to download your data to a new hard drive or a new computer. No, it doesn’t happen quickly and you aren’t backup and running in a few hours (depending on how much data you have to download and how long it takes to get your computer repaired), but you will get your data back. In my opinion, a download of your data from an offsite storage server is my last option for a speedy recovery. I recommend having a RAID 1 solution on your server or main desktop to protect against a single hard drive failure. In the event of a failure, replace the failed hard drive and the RAID will rebuild with minimal downtime. The combination of RAID 1 and Carbonite will also protect your data in the event of stolen computer, fire or other complete loss.

Bestbyte Computer & Technologies

We specialize in backup solutions like the ones listed above or other custom solutions designed to fit your needs. Please contact us for computer needs.

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]]><![CDATA[Conference Room Technology]]>Mon, 04 Jan 2010 19:44:53 -0500http://www.bestbytepc.com/1/post/2010/01/conference-room-technology.html

New 40' LCD Monitor

Many of our financial and insurance clients are seeking presentation solutions in their conference rooms. Previous solutions involved the use of a projector and a screen, or small LCD monitors. One client commented on the concern for dimming the lights to get the picture quality just right for their clients to see. Another client once used a small LCD monitor to present their customer's portfolio and investment results, but found a 15" monitor to be too small for two people to view from across the conference table. Today's LCD televisions provide excellent picture quality and they can be used in full light in your conference room. We've installed monitors in lobbies, private offices, and conference rooms with total customer satisfaction. Contact us today for an onsite inspection and a quote.

Old 15' LCD Monitor

]]><![CDATA[Windows 7 Features - Video Review]]>Sat, 26 Dec 2009 20:14:32 -0500http://www.bestbytepc.com/1/post/2009/12/windows-7-features-video-review.htmlConsidering a Windows 7 Computer or an upgrade? Watch these videos on the new features and contact me with questions and for a price quote.

]]><![CDATA[Intel's New Core™ i5 and i7 Processors with Turbo Boost]]>Wed, 04 Nov 2009 00:20:32 -0500http://www.bestbytepc.com/1/post/2009/11/intels-new-core-i5-and-i7-processors-with-turbo-boost.htmlThe Intel Core i5 CPU is finally official, but it was already on sale in some markets around the globe and unofficial reviews have been floating around on the web already. Today several tech sites released the officially blessed reviews and benchmarks of the new Core i5 CPU. The Core i5 is more affordable than the Core i7 CPU, but is it still fast enough? In short the Core i5 is fast, benefiting from its Turbo Boost Technology. The Intel Core i7 features Hyper Threading and can create 8 processing channels in multi-core applications. Checkout this overview video from Intel:

]]><![CDATA[How Many Toolbars Do You Need?]]>Thu, 08 Oct 2009 17:25:26 -0500http://www.bestbytepc.com/1/post/2009/10/how-many-toolbars-do-you-need.html

Computers come into our shop with all kinds of problems. Quite often we see browsers loaded with toolbars like the one in this picture. This one only has six toolbars! The owner has given up 2 1/2" of viewable space all because of these toolbars. When asked, "Why do you have so many toolbars?" The answers are always, "I don't know. I didn't install them."

How do they get there? Nearly every time you install a piece of software, you are asked if you want to install some toolbar. When asked, the default is always YES. So, if you click through the prompts without reading what you are agreeing to, your screen will look just like this one. I've said it before... Don't be "Click Happy". Stop and read what you are clicking and agreeing to. Slowing down and reading will eliminate almost all your computing frustrations.

]]><![CDATA[Stop Typing Emails in ALL CAPS]]>Sun, 23 Aug 2009 14:48:20 -0500http://www.bestbytepc.com/1/post/2009/08/stop-typing-emails-in-all-caps.html

Do you type email in all caps? People who type in all capital letters may not be aware that they are often irritating their reader. You may not realize that your reader is making assumptions about you, solely based on your email being in all caps. Here’s why:

1.       An email typed in all caps means that the writer is shouting at the recipient.

2.       The reader will assume your technical skills are lacking.

3.       The reader will assume you are lazy.

4.       The reader will think you are rude and pushy by really trying to demand attention.

So press that Caps Lock button and turn it off. This will prevent misunderstandings and assumptions by your reader, and people might start taking you more seriously.

]]><![CDATA[Beware of Fake Security Software]]>Sat, 22 Aug 2009 21:16:30 -0500http://www.bestbytepc.com/1/post/2009/08/beware-of-fake-security-software.html

The latest tactic being used to install a virus, malware or spyware on your computer is to get you to fall for a legitimate-looking fake alert, saying a virus has been detected on your computer. The fake alert usually comes in a pop-up that informs you to click to download the “cure” for the virus, and when you do, you just installed the virus. This was not accomplished with high-tech coding, but with the use of good old-fashioned social engineering. I’ve seen numerous infected computers in the past six months that were infected by the unaware user. Here are my recommendations.

1.       Know what anti-virus and anti-spyware programs you have on your computer and know what they look like.

2.       Learn what legitimate Microsoft Security warnings look like.

3.       Don’t be click happy! What I mean is, simply stop and think before you click and download any software that wasn’t initiated by you. Open a browser and do a Google search on the program that is being suggested. A little research will tell you if it’s legit or not.

If I fall for this trick, what will the virus do? Once the “fake” security program or virus is installed, it will simulate a virus scan and tell you that you have a number of viruses on your computer. You will then be informed that it will require you to purchase a software upgrade to remove the viruses. The price for this upgrade will range from $39 to $79, and you get absolutely nothing for your money. All you’ve done is given your money and your credit card number to a thief. If you keep using the infected computer it will begin downloading other viruses that will continue to infect your computer and perform other devious functions such as serving SPAM, pornographic images, and viruses to other unsuspecting computer users all over the world. So, what should you do if you downloaded the virus?

1.       Disconnect the computer from the internet to keep from downloading more viruses.

2.       Call your local computer repair shop for assistance. Naturally I recommend www.bestbytepc.com.

3.       In many cases, if a professional diagnoses the problem before the computer gets infected further, the virus can be removed. If you delay and the virus continues to download more viruses and possibly a worm or root-kit, your hard drive will more than likely need to be reformatted and the operating system will have to be reinstalled. This service, along with data backup, can be quite costly.

Below are a few examples of what these fake alerts and fake programs look like. Keep in mind that there a hundreds of these programs out there and it would be impossible to list them all, but some of the most common ones are: Antivirus 2008, 2009, 2010, Personal AV, Antivirus XP 2009, Vista Antivirus 2009, and System Security. These all look legit, but they aren’t.

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