We’ve all seen pop-ups and paid advertisements showing: “$75 Computer Repair Services Any Problem.” We hear about it all the time: A residential client that bawks at our hourly rate but then discloses to us the horror stories about the technician they paid $75 “per job” for. These consumers complain to us about the experiences they had with these types of “Technicians”: Repeat charges for unresolved issues, unrepaired problems that linger without resolve and how can we forget about the incorrectly diagnosed repairs and wasted time? Orange County Computer’s Tech Repair Center picks up the pieces for many of these frustrated consumers. We have seen misdiagnosed motherboard problems, laptop components, clean room data recovery jobs that didn’t need to go to a clean room, hard drives replaced that had no evidence of being bad, and the list goes on and on….My personal favorite is when we hear about customers that honestly believe they have valid Microsoft licensing which was produced by “Key Generators” provided by BitTorrent websites.
People, you get what you pay for, it’s as simple as that. Typically the one-man-show technicians that are undercharging the market inevitably end up coming back several times to correct a problem and you, the customer, end up paying more money in the long run anyway. Other scenarios can include being sold illegal copies of software applications. The truth about licensing is this:
If as a consumer, you are sold a Microsoft License as an example, you will receive a Valid License key code and an authentication sticker to place on your system or a Certified Product License key code. If you have hacked or illegal product licensing, you, the customer, will have an array of compatibility issues and bugs, followed by warnings. That same technician that charged you $75/hour will have to come back several times to correct some completely unnecessary problem that they created themselves by selling you an illegal copy of a software application. Unfortunately, most people find out about their illegal software licensing a few years later when having to purchase LEGAL, valid licensing during a repair, or when as new computer is purchased.
So buyer beware: Protect your technology, time and money and qualify your technician by asking the following questions BEFORE giving someone access into your home office and your personal confidential information:
- Ask how long they have been working as an IT Consultant?
- Do they carry Business Insurance?
- Do they have any Technical Certifications?
- Do they have any references you can speak with?
- Do they provide these services on the side or full-time?
I hope that this honest posting has been useful and hopefully steered you or someone you know away from working with the wrong type of technician. Orange County Computer Computer, Inc. is happy to help. Feel free to stop by our Tech Repair Center or visit us online at www.orangecountycomputer.com for more information about our professional and responsible business practices in the Technology Sector.
Written by Deborah Walck, Operations Director, Orange County Computer, Inc.
What is a Tracking Cookie?
A tracking cookie can be used to follow people around the Web as they jump from site to site. Though your IP address or your HTTP request header’s referral field can also be used to accomplish this, in part, tracking cookies allow for more accurate tracks.
When you visit a page and there’s no cookie present in the request, the server assumes that this is your first page visited. It then creates a random character string and sends it, as a cookie, back to you along with the requested page. That cookie then gets sent to all new pages you visit, and in turn creates a log of the cookie itself, all the URLs visited, and when you visited them on the server.
Browsing cookie-free may sound like the easiest solution, but it also disables a lot of what’s useful about the modern Web. Session cookie information, for example, will keep you logged in to a site even if you close the tab. This can be useful for computers that have only one user. So, the solution has to be nuanced to support the benefits of the modern Web while not throwing buckets of personal information at data aggregators.
Except for Chrome, all browsers support the standard Do Not Track header. This tells Web sites not to track you, but it’s respected by a tiny percentage of sites. You can also force Private Browsing to run all the time, which prevents cookies from being saved, though you can still be tracked via your IP address.
Browsers typically carry a function that will handle your cookies, but what is your browser allowing under default settings?
- Firefox: Go to Options > Privacy. The first option is to enable Do Not Track, while just below it you can make the browser run in Private Browsing mode all the time.
- Internet Explorer: Do Not Track comes courtesy the Tracking Protection List feature. Go to the Gear icon > Safety > Tracking Protection and choose “Get a Tracking Protection List online” to install one. (You can’t run InPrivate by default from the Options menu as with Firefox, but it is an option.)
- Safari: The process is even more convoluted. Go to Preferences > Advanced, then check “Show Develop menu in Menu bar.” You might have to unhide your Menu bar if it’s not displayed. The Develop option will appear between Bookmarks and Window; then choose “Send Do Not Track HTTP Header.” Safari does have an option for Private Browsing on-demand.
- Opera: Currently supports Do Not Track only in its upcoming version 12. The feature is available in the developer’s preview, Opera 12 Wahoo. Go to Preferences > Advanced > Security > “Ask websites not to track me” to enable it. Opera’s big Private difference is that it can run on a per-tab basis, so it’s important to pay attention to what you’re doing in each tab. Go to Opera menu > Tabs and Windows, and choose Private for either a tab or a window.
- Chrome: Has a lot of advanced security features, but it doesn’t offer support for Do Not Track. Its private browsing mode is called Incognito and can be activated by choosing “New Incognito window” from the wrench menu.
For more information on simple ways to protect your virtual environment, go to our site at Orangecountycomputer.com or call our Tech Support Center at 949-699-6619 to speak to a member of a Technical Team. Subscribe to our Newsletter to learn about the latest news on technology and virtual threats.
One of the fastest-growing methods cybercriminals are using of disseminating malware is through fake antivirus software. Fake antivirus software can either be a program that claims to be antivirus software that does little or no work, or it can actually be a Trojan horse, disguised to actually implant malware onto a computer. The purpose of it is to scare a user and get the payment out.
The reason why fake antivirus software can get around powerful protection is because of social engineering. Social engineering is the term used to describe the act of tricking an unsuspecting person into giving up information or money. Specifically, this is done in the context in the digital world where the trick is done remotely.
Question:
I have Norton Internet Security on my computer, and heard that it was hacked. Now, I’m getting e-mail from Symantec saying that I need to update my security, and the e-mail provides a link. I know you say never click a link in an e-mail, but what do I do about my security?
Answer:
You’re wise to question that e-mail. Hackers did indeed break into the network of security developer Symantec and stole the source code for multiple security programs, including your Norton Internet Security. While that happened back in 2006, the hackers just released new information related to that incident last week, so there is renewed concern.
Now other hackers are taking advantage of the situation and sending fake e-mail with malicious attachments and links. Remember, Symantec programs update themselves. The company will never send you update links or attachments via e-mail. Symantec will also never ask for your personal information.
That e-mail is a fake. If you use Symantec products, you’ll need to watch them carefully for available updates.
For more information on keeping your computer virus free, visit our site at OrangeCountyComputer.com and read our few simple and effective steps for proper security on your desktop/laptop system.
« Previous Page — Next Page »
sending...