I’ve created a Facebook page for Chapel Hill Tech. All of my blog posts will get pulled into the Wall automatically:
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Chapel-Hill-Tech/201884643190204?sk=wall
Twitter testing
Posted in Uncategorized
Leave a comment
Find my iPhone
If you have an iPhone or an iPad, you should install the free MobileMe “Find my iPhone” account. It will let you easily find your device if you misplace it and remotely lock or even erase the device if you know it’s been stolen.
Just don’t show your spouse like I did or you’ll be located whenever you’re five minutes late coming home!
Mac Defender Malware
Ironically (not a day after my post about anti-virus protection yesterday) I got a call this morning from someone who installed the Mac Defender malware on her computer. There are lots of good articles about the Mac Defender infection and how to remove it from your system, including this post from The Unofficial Apple Weblog:
http://www.tuaw.com/2011/05/19/macdefender-malware-protection-and-removal-guide/
If you think you might be tricked into installing this nasty program on your computer, head over to Sophos and get your free antivirus program for Mac:
http://www.sophos.com/en-us/products/free-tools/sophos-antivirus-for-mac-home-edition.aspx
Posted in Daily Tips
Leave a comment
Sync your files
If you frequently need to access your files on a variety of computers, you might want to take a look at a cloud-based synchronization service like Dropbox. Dropbox works on all the popular systems out there, including Mac, Windows and Linux operating systems. They also have mobile applications for Android, Blackberry, iPhone and iPad. I use it to easily move files between systems and my mobile devices.
One word of caution about Dropbox – while everything on Dropbox is encrypted, there are some employees at Dropbox that have access to the encrypted data. So you might want to think before putting any sensitive data in your Dropbox.
Posted in Daily Tips
Leave a comment
Antivirus Solutions
If you are running a Windows PC, a good antivirus program is an important part of keeping your computer secure. There are several free solutions out there. My current favorite is Microsoft Security Essentials for a variety of reasons:
- It’s free for personal and small business use
- It relies on the built-in Microsoft Update, so updating is quick and easy
- It doesn’t get in the way like many antivirus programs
- There is no premium version, so Microsoft does not try to up-sell.
For Mac users, antivirus software is a good idea as well. I’d recommend Sophos Antivirus for Mac, which is also a free program. Fortunately, there are currently few Mac threats in the wild but as Mac market share increases so will the malware.
Posted in Uncategorized
Leave a comment
Fix My Wireless!
I frequently get calls about trouble connecting to a wireless network after an electrical storm or some sort of random service interruption. Here are a couple quick things you can try if your Internet connection goes down for some reason:
- Power down your computer, your wireless router and your cable / DSL modem. You can shut down the router and modem by unplugging the power cables from the wall.
- Once everything is off, wait 60 seconds.
- Plug the modem back in and wait 60 seconds while the lights come back on.
- Plug in the wireless router and wait 60 seconds while the lights come back on.
- Power on the computer and see if you can connect to the Internet.
If you still can’t get back online I can do some more advanced troubleshooting.
Computer equipment for sale
I am cleaning out some old used computer gear – all have been securely erased and rebuilt and are in good working order. If interested drop me an email!
- HP desktop PC: $50 (2.6GHz P4, 1GB RAM, 80GB HD, DVD-RW, Windows XP)
Apple iBook G4: $100 (1.2GHz PPC G4, 512MB RAM, 30GB HD, CD-RW, 10.5)- Droid X Smartphone: $225 (8MP Camera, 16GB memory card, cables & case)
- Dell Dimension 8400 PC: $100 (3.4GHz P4, 1GB RAM, 80GB HD, DVD-RW, XP)
Updating Applications
If you want to keep your computer secure and free of viruses, it’s critical that you install security patches for all of the programs on your system.
On Windows, there’s a great site called Ninite that you can use to install updates for all the common freeware programs like Adobe Reader, Flash Player, Java, Mozilla Firefox and more. Just click a few buttons and it installs everything automatically. Ninite.com is free for personal use, so check it out!
Welcome
My website is being revamped over the memorial day weekend. The look and feel will change a bit as I tinker with it – let me know what you think!
If you need computer assistance, call 919-280-4920 or email:
david@chapelhilltech.com
Thanks!
David Alexander, CEO
Chapel Hill Tech
Posted in Announcements
Leave a comment
