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Ransomware protection

Once again a new ransomware is in the news. Starting in the Ukraine and spreading worldwide in just a few hours. As always happens once a new malware hits the news I get phone calls asking how the person can protect themselves from the new thing on the block. And my answer is the same. Good anti-virus products. Good computing habits and Back up, Back up and did I say backups?

With a good, well maintained backup even the worse virus or malware will just mean you need to re-install the O/S and copy your data back. Without a good backup you could spends months re-creating important work data and maybe loose important things like personal documents and pictures permanently.

In addition, a good anti-virus will help fend off malware and not clicking on every link sent via email from your friends and co-works can also limit your exposure to these new threats.

As always if you need help with computer security or other computer issues please give RenoGeek a call.

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The coming end to privacy

The new Amazon Echo will have a “drop-in”, (feature???) where people you approve can just “drop-in” and video chat instantly. No picking up or screening the call, they just show up on your screen and start chatting. No warning.

In a world that has trained people already to never shut off their cell phones and spend the first part of their day checking emails and updating their status and where people think you died if you don’t answer a text in under a minute, it is a disturbing trend.

We already get rated at work on how “Available” we are and even Facebook will show how often and how fast you respond to their version of text. Now in this always on world companies are pushing us to never be away at all. Even in the book 1984 there were corners to hide in from time to time. But forget that in the new 24/7 “never away” world we are creating.

While I have spent my life working with and promoting all things “Tech”. I resist the idea that you should or even must be available to anybody in the world 24/7.

Technology is supposed to make your life better and free you to do the things you like. If any software or hardware device increases your workload or decreases your enjoyment then it has missed the whole point of why it should exist in the first place.

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Testing software

I test software all the time as I need to be familiar with any products my customers may use or try.  Today’s test was for Easeus partition master 12. A consumer level drive partition and maintenance utility.

While I would give the program itself a 3 out of 10 for usability, as most of the real functions you would need already exist in other free utilities and the price they want for their version is hundreds of dollars over what their competitors ask for.  The real disappointment was with their business practice of including crap ware with their product, and the fact the program changes your default search and home pages.

Now  I know if you look carefully and unchecked the right box on the right EULA page you don’t have to install this junk. But for their target end user who would be using this utility because they are not very computer savvy, it can easily be missed and that consumer would then have five extra programs and new search and home pages they never asked for.

Also as a bonus lesson on how not to do a uninstall program. I would suggest they dump the pop up webpage asking yet again to change your search pages when you try and uninstall the program. After all if your uninstalling, you are saying in general you did not like the program and want to go back to the way things were before installing said software. Right?