Note. Before undertaking any of the actions below, please ensure you have a full backup of all of the data on your system. If you do not feel fully confident with any of the work below please contact us to arrange for one of our specialists to visit your office.

When ever you use your computer, regardless of what applications you use, it creates a cache of files. This cache is used to help speed up applications and improve their overall performance, which all sounds great but it’s not always the case. For example, if an application crashes then it is likely going to leave behind a lot of temporary files which it created but was not able to clean up on account of it crashing. This means that those files will never be removed until some sort of clean up tool is run, enter Windows ‘Disk Cleanup’.  This application has shipped with every version of Windows since Windows XP and is designed to clean up all of these temporary files for the drive and help keep it running well. Follow the steps below to run the clean up tool.

1. First and foremost ensure that you have an up to date backup of your computer, do not begin this process without having a full, verified backup.
2. To run this on Windows Vista or Windows 7 simply click  on the Windows logo in the bottom of the screen and type ‘Disk Cleanup’ in the search box. The click on the entry which says ‘Disk Cleanup’ under the ‘Programs’ heading. If you are running Windows XP, then click on ‘Start’, ‘All programs’, ‘Accessories’ and ‘System Tools’ and it is located in there.
   
3. If you have more that one drive partition on your computer, i.e. C and a D drive, then you will see the following screen. Simply click on ‘OK’ to continue.
   
4. The application will then start to look at what files it can perform a clean up of.
   
5. Once it has completed the process of looking at what files can be cleaned up then it will present you with a list of those categories. While it will offer the option to compress old files, we would recommend against it as any access to these files in the future would slow the computer down as it would need to uncompress the files before use.
   

This simple check should be run once a month to ensure that your computer stays running in tip top condition. In the next blog post we will be exploring other ways to keep your computers running well.

So what does this have to do with IT?

Well as it the name suggests, this is the time when a huge surge in online purchases take place which also means that there will be an up-surge in malware, spyware, virues etc as criminal try their best to harvest credit card and banking details for their shopping spree. So here are some tips to help keep safe during the upcoming holiday period.

• Install updates – your computer may have been telling you for sometime to install update, DO IT NOW. Many of these updates contain security patches to stop hackers from getting inside your computer.
• Install a good anti-virus – you would be surprise how many computers still exist without anti-virus installed. For home users there are a number of free anti-virus products from AVG, avast, Avira which will give basic protection and help to keep you safe online. However, we would always suggest that you purchase a full product rather than the free one’s as they provide greater protection for your computer and it’s data.
• Always shop safe – when shopping online ensure that you go to a reputable website, one which you have heard of from a number of sources. Once you are asked to put in card details, ensure that you see the padlock on the toolbar which looks like this in Internet Explorer.
     
• Always check a sites privacy policy – if a site does not have a privacy policy then it should bee seen as a ‘red flag’ for buying as you will have no idea how they will use your data.
• If it sounds too good, it probably is – at some point you will come across a site with offers ‘too good to be true’ then chances are it probably is and should be avoided.

The golden rule really is to behave online as you would offline, if someone walks up to you in the street and asks for your bank details you wouldn’t give them out because you don’t know them so why do it online.

Note. Before undertaking any of the actions below, please ensure you have a full backup of all of the data on your system. Should a large amount of errors be found on your computer then the resulting check may cause your computer to be unusable. If you do not feel fully confident with any of the work below please contact us to arrange for one of our specialists to visit your office.

One thing that can happen over time is that corruption can occur on the hard disk of your computer or laptop. This can occur for a number of reasons such as hardware problems, malware or virus infection, power fluctuations or other such items. Many of these corruptions will not interfere with your normal day to day running but you may notice that your computer runs slower however it is very simple to resolve, just follow the steps below:

1. First and foremost ensure that you have an up to date backup of your computer, do not begin this process without having a full, verified backup.
2. The next step is to enter a command prompt. To do this in Windows XP click on ‘Start’ and select ‘Run’, then type in ‘cmd’ and click on ‘OK’. In Windows Vista or Windows 7 you will need to run the command prompt as Administrator, to do this click on the Windows logo in the bottom left corner and type ‘cmd’ into the search box. From the list of results above right click on the entry ‘cmd’ and then click on ‘Run as Administrator’ from the context menu.
   
3. Once at the command prompt you should type in ‘chkdsk c:’, this will run the chkdsk utility in read only mode. This will check to see if there are any corrupts on the disk and report back as below.
   
4. You should repeat this for each of the drive letters that you have on your computer, i.e. if you have a ‘D’ drive then you will need to run ‘chkdsk d:’
5. Should any errors be found on any of the drives then you will need to re-run the command as follows: ‘chkdsk c: /f’. What the ‘/f’ switch does is tells to the computer that you want it to fix the problems that it has found. As the ‘C’ drive is always in use you will be asked if you wish to schedule this the next time the computer starts, simply press ‘Y’ and press ‘Enter’. Once you restart the computer chkdsk will once again run and clean up any errors on the hard disk. You should repeat this process for any subsequent drives on your computer.

This simple check should be run once a month to ensure that your computer stays running in tip top condition. In the next blog post we will be exploring how to improve your computers performance by keeping things neat and tidy until then happy computing.

So what can you do?

Apart from the normal household security measures, you can help to protect your important information and the best way to do this is to backup the information that you have got such as photo’s, files, emails and other such files. There are a number of ways that this can be done. One way is to purchase an external hard drive and copy your data onto the drive using software that typically will come with your operating system; with Apple OSX you can use Time Machine or with Windows 7 you can use Windows backup. You could also use an online storage provider, many of these will offer a ‘freemium’ service to home users. The essence of this type of service is that it is free under a basic service plan, however if you require more then you have the option to purchase a monthly plan. Below is a list of online storage providers that offer online storage free or under a ‘freemium’ service.

• Mozy – provides 2GB of online backup using their own backup software
• Humyo – provides 10GB of online storage which is uploaded through their web portal
• Live Skydrive – provides 25GB of online storage provided through Microsoft’s Live website
• A Drive – the largest provider giving 50GB online storage accessed through FTP under the free account

All of the above services offer some form of free service which should be able to get you kick started in doing regular backups and, should the worse happen, then it may just prevent those most valuable memories from being lost.

there is another way

This has all changed now. Most people have heard someone talking about ‘the cloud’, so what is it?

In a nutshell it is the Internet which as we know is a network of computers connected up via communications lines so that they can talk together and make information available to it’s users. By definition ‘cloud computing’ is the act of placing certain computing functions on to the Internet for use by subscribers. One great example of this is ebay, this is an entirely cloud based business that has become a great success both in term of a business but also for it’s users.

so what

One of the more recent additions to ‘cloud services’ is the introduction of business services like Microsoft Exchange. There are a number of providers who are able to supply you with Microsoft Exchange in a hosted environment, these vary in terms of what you will typically get for your money. Some providers will supply a mailbox along with a copy of Microsoft Outlook which is good for users who do not have Microsoft Outlook and they will typically be able to supply them on a single mailbox basis. By contrast Microsoft Online Services can supply with a Microsoft Exchange Online Mailbox for the lowest cost I have seen but you must purchase a minimum of 5 mailboxes for 1 year.

what does it all mean

Well, this means that now micro business can have all of the features that you can get by having a server without the high investment cost or running cost. It also means that they can have features such as calendar sharing and, for some, synchronisation of email and calendar with their iPhone or other mobile device. All of these help those micro businesses become more efficient and streamline at what they do.

If you would like to know more about cloud services and see whether they are right for your business then give us a call on 0844 310 0040 or via out contact page.

fully managed approach

The same principles can be applied to your IT infrastructure. One method is to have a fully managed IT service which essentially means that you enlist the services of an IT service provider to manage your systems for you. It is then their responsibility to put a management system in place which is able to watch key performance indicators on all of your critical devices on your network. When any of these alerts are triggered then they will look in to the issue and then act accordingly. For example, if their system identified that the server’s hard disk is running low on space then they will look to see if any space can be made available otherwise they will notify you that you need to upgrade the storage.

the regular check

The fully managed IT Service may not be right for everyone as cost could be an issue. Another method would be to have a regular Server Health check. This would ideally be done once every 3 months to ensure that any developing issues are identifed and can be resolved quickly before that become a big issue. We recently developed a Server Health Check service which enables clients to have the peace of mind that their server is running correctly without having a fully managed IT Service  in place. While this does not provide the full coverage that a fully managed IT Service would provide by dealing with issues as soon as they arrive, it does allow the business owner to have a regular review of their server which in turn should help to prevent some of those issues before they become real problems.

Our Server Health Check service can also be used to provide support for internal IT teams to help them to verify that everything is working as it should be and assist them in planning their IT Strategy for the business.

Whatever you choose to do ensure that you protect your investment in IT, many business find that their IT is the heart that beats in their business. If you would like to know more then contact us on 0844 310 0040 or complete the form here

a better way

It is said that the biggest weakness in any security system is the human factor. Many people today have to remember a number of password for things such as Internet Banking, ebay, Facebook etc. The inherent problem with this is that most people will either use the same password for everything or they will write them down, not so good. The is ever more important when it relates to your business data which, in the wrong hands, could be valuable. So what can be done?

encryption will set you free

The single best thing that you can do is to adopt encryption throughout your business. This means that if you were to loose a laptop, USB stick, CD Rom that had company data on it then the information would not be legible without knowing the password to decrypt it. Even if the hard disk was removed from a laptop and put into a new computer is still would not be readable.

so what’s my options

Now we have established why you need to encrypt your data we really should look at what you can do to encrypt it. If you are already using Windows 7 Ultimate or Enterprise you may have seen Bitlocker which is Microsoft’s drive encryption technology which allows you to perform whole of drive encryption. This in essence means that you encrypt the whole drive giving you maximum protection. If you don’t have this then you may have heard of Truecrypt which is an Open Source encryption solution and is capable of creating secure volumes as well as whole of drive encryption. In the commercial space there is Secuware which is able to perform whole of drive encryption along with Pre Boot Authentication (PBA). It is also able to perform file and folder encryption both stand-alone as well as network managed. All of which go towards making a fully managed solution.

All three of these are great products in their own market spaces and, depending on your requirements, will serve you well but more importantly will protect your data from prying eyes. If you would like to know more about encryption solutions then call us on 0844 310 0040 or complete the call back form below.

So what’s the difference? The core difference between the two products is that Microsoft Forefront Security is a centrally managed product which had updates and definitions distributed from a central source which is traditionally the office server. In contrast Microsoft Security Essentials is ideally suited to Small businesses that may not have a server in place, for example when they are using cloud services, or that do not require central management. Either way it is a compelling and interesting move by Microsoft in to a market space which they currently do not have a significant market share in.

Either way this is great news for Small Businesses everywhere!

She told them again she had not got time now so the person reluctantly left their name, Steve Williams from Win PC Technologies, along with a phone number of 0141 4163986.

As soon as she asked me about it a quick google search on the phone number revealed a number of people who had received similar calls from this ‘company’, many of whom had been charged a great deal of money to sort out so called ‘problems’. One person on there claimed to have worked for this company and they had the following to say about them:

THEY ARE A TOTAL FRAUD SHOWING MALWARES AND VIRUSES THAT NEVER HAVE EXIXTED IN UR PC

So please be warned that if someone calls from this company claiming you have corruptions on your computer, there is no way that they can know this without having looked at your computer first. You should also never let anyone take control of your computer unless you absolutely know who they are first.

You should always check the credentials of any IT supplier and look for one that is affiliated with an industry body such as CompTIA or TCA. No matter how pushy they are, do not be taken in.

From: Abuse Department [mailto:abuse-uk-irl@ripe.net]

Sent: 24 September 2010 14:32

To: XXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Subject: ISP DISCONNECTION WARNING – ADVISORY ABUSE NOTICE

From: <abuse-uk-irl@ripe.net>

Date: Fri, Sept 24, 2010 at 12:44 PM

Investigation Number: 1171

Subject: ISP DISCONNECTION WARNING – ADVISORY ABUSE NOTICE

For The Attention Of: The Bill payer/Owner of this ISP account.

Our investigations have determined that your Internet Services account has been used to scan, flood or attempt to gain unauthorized access to another computer, (please see the details of the incident(s) attached to this e-mail). This activity is a violation of our Internet Services Acceptable Use Policy and the our Internet Services Account Agreement, under which you have been provided service.

THIS NOTICE IS TO ADVISE YOU THAT FURTHER ABUSE OF YOUR INTERNET SERVICES ACCOUNT MAY RESULT IN A SUSPENSION OR TERMINATION OF YOUR ACCOUNT, WITHOUT FURTHER NOTICE TO YOU. We are empowered to take such action if, in our sole determination, you have violated the terms of our Acceptable Use Policy or our Internet Services Account Agreement.

The alleged incident originated from the local IP address of 192.168.1.100 which, at the time of the incident, was assigned to a device with the unique physical address of 00:13:10:24:45:F8. This address identifies the network adapter or router connected to your ADSL/Broadband modem.

If you are unaware of this type of activity coming from your account, you may wish to inquire with others who may have access to your account and/or change the password to your account to ensure that only authorized users have access to it. IT IS ALSO POSSIBLE THAT YOUR COMPUTER MAY BE INFECTED WITH A VIRUS OR YOUR COMPUTER SYSTEM MAY HAVE SOME OTHER SECURITY PROBLEM SUCH AS AN UNSECURED MAIL OR PROXY SERVER WHICH COULD ACCOUNT FOR THIS ACTIVITY ORIGINATING FROM YOUR SYSTEM.

In the event you are not able to attend to the situation immediately, please disconnect your computer from the ADSL modem to prevent further abuse.

A full description of the incident including realtime IP addresses and web traffic can be found in the attachment.

Any questions of help can be obtained from out staff during office hours 0900-1700 Monday to Friday.

Our complete contact information can also be found in the PDF report.

Kind Regards

The Abuse Team

Attached to the email is a so called ‘report’ which is a ‘RAR’ file. Inside of the ‘RAR’ file is another file which is named ‘Incident-Report-201009241171.pdf.exe’. So far it all looks like an elaborate hoax as the network the client is on is not on the range mentioned in the email and since when is a report sent as an executable file?

Any which way I will be putting it through the lab machine later to see what comes out, either way it will be interesting.

If you do hear of anyone receiving this tell them not to open it.