General

“My computer is too slow.”  I do get this one a lot.  The easiest and quickest hardware fix to this problem is to add more RAM, or main memory, to your PC.  But there are many simple and free things you can do to speed up your system and improve response and efficiency.

• Uninstall unused programs – Every installed program seems to have an active component that runs at start up and lives in the Tool Tray down by the clock.  ...

The good news is that most Internet Security software packages, such as AVG Internet Security Suite 8.5, do an excellent job of detecting and removing most web born threats.  The bad news is that most security exploits in use today rely on YOU, the computer user, to assist in installing and deploying their handiwork.  Beware of the following:

• Koobface – a popular Facebook exploit that encourages you to update your Flash player so you can watch a video.  Instead malicious files ...

For those of you (and you know who you are) who have long sneered at the security-hole ridden Windows computing environment, and held up the MacOS as being superior and more security, news of a new Mac-targeted exploit must come as something of a rude shock.

The MacOS botnet is know as Macbot or iBotnet, and early estimates indicate that thousands of Mac users have unwittingly downloaded and installed the botnet software, and are now set up to run whatever malicious ...

Let me tell you about my most valuable customer. I have a customer who is responsible for 60-70% of my new business, and about half of my recurring business. I meet with this customer weekly, and nearly every week they have one or more pieces of work for me. This customer also has introduced me to several of their customers, suppliers, and colleagues, and in many cases I have developed profitable business relationship with those companies as well. This relationship ...

Those of you hosting your email service with me may be getting an error message when trying to get your mail. There is an issue with the company I use for mail hosting. I expect this will be cleared up shortly. Please be patient while their support people fix the problem.

I am an usually early adopter, which should come as no surprise to anyone who knows me.  I may not be the first on my block to adopt a new technology, but I will be the second or third.  I have a frugal streak which keeps me out of version 1 of anything, because version 2 is the one where they fix all the bugs.  The frugal streak has also kept me away from anything Apple.  My son gave me ...

Online social networks and communities have been another important online tool for companies to consider when creating an overall online marketing strategy. This extends the reach and effectiveness of your basic web site by adding connected accounts on LinkedIn, Facebook, and depending on your business, MySpace. You can create a LinkedIn Group as well, if your business would benefit from an interactive space for your customers or user’s group. LinkedIn also provides an easy way ...

Conficker is the new Storm worm variant that can be spread by a USB flash drive, amoung other vectors of attack. Microsoft has posted an excellent article that explains who the worm spreads, and more importantly, how to remove it if you become inflected. The link to the article is here. This came to me from Microsoft in their “Security for Home Computer Users” newsletter, which I recommend for my clients who are interested ...