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Reminders
A couple of reminders from previous articles:
- We can still build computers and laptops with Windows XP
- Be sure to use adware and spyware protection such as AdAware and Spybot
- Make sure your computer is set up for Daylight Saving Time changes
- A 17" standard LCD monitor screen is taller than a 19" widescreen LCD!
- Fax us your business telephone bill to see if we can save you money. We usually can!
Click for previous Newsletters |
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Products and Services Referenced in this Month's Articles
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Last Month's Rererences:
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Call us at 410-922-2962
Fax us at 410-609-4677 |
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Dear
Reader,
 It's July! Time to stop thinking about school, enjoy the weather, prepare to visit or get visited by relatives, and head off on that long awaited fishing trip. What does all of this have to do with computers?
Even though school is out, if you're thinking of buying your student a new computer for the fall, now is the time to do it, and we have an article that explains why. And that wonderful summer weather can play havoc with your computer. You guessed it! We have an article about that too.
If you're planning to travel, or when relatives descend on your home, we have a "relatively" inexpensive computer solution that you probably haven't thought about. And while that fishing trip may be relaxing, you don't want to get caught in the phisihng net.
Curious? Read on. |
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NOW is the Time to Get Your Student a New Computer
 Are you planning to get the student in your family a new computer for school this fall? If so, NOW is the time to get it.
Don't wait until school is almost ready to start. You should start looking at the various options now (yes, in July), and purchase and receive your new computer no later than August 1. That will give you time to set it up, turn it on, check it out, make sure it is working properly, and let your student get used to how it works. In the rare event that there is a problem, it will give you time to get it corrected before the time that school starts and your student can't afford to part with it.
When planning a computer purchase for your student, keep in mind that the best computer purchased today will be a slug 4 years from now, just when your student may be in their senior year and when they need their computer the most. You should expect to get no more than 3 years of peak usefulness out of a new computer.
With that in mind, it might be best to buy your student a new computer when he is becoming a senior in high school, and let him take that through his first two years of college. In the July after his sophomore year in college, it might be time to buy him the computer that will take him the rest of the way through his college education and into his first year of earning his own living. After that time, he can buy his own new computer.
Laptop or desktop? Desktops usually offer more bang for the buck, are less likely to get dropped, stolen, or lost, and offer better expandability (ability to add components). Laptops are, of course, portable, which means they can be taken to the library or class (so your student can be listening to music when he should be studying??). A laptop can be outfitted with a mouse, external keyboard, monitor, and speakers so that it can act just like a desktop when in the dorm room, but still be portable. And remember that students often use their computer as their stereo and video player, so be sure that the computer you buy will meet their needs and desires. If your student will be in college, check the campus website to see if they recommend, sell, or service a particular brand or type of computer.
Mike Himowitz, in his columns in the Baltimore Sun, recommeds laptops for students and discusses what to look for in his May 31 and June 7 columns. (Read them by clicking on the dates).
The bottom line: Discuss these issues with your student and decide together what to get, then shop for quality and price. At Master Software, we recommend our custom computers first, followed by Dell for desktops and Toshiba for laptops. If you get a laptop, we recommend that you get a comprehensive extended warranty. With desktops, you probably don't need an extended warranty. Let us know if you need help in selecting a computer. We'll be glad to assist. |
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Watch That Blinking Power!
 Now that summer is officially here, we often get those afternoon thunderstorms. And thunderstorms mean that our electricity sometimes cuts off, sometimes only for a second or two. But that is enough to turn off the computer, causing any unsaved work to be lost. What's worse, if the power cuts off at the wrong time, such as when the computer is writing to the hard drive, it could scramble the data being written, making the drive unreadable. That means, at worst, total loss of all of your data, or at least a very expensive trip to a data recovery service.
A second summer effect is fluctuating voltage, especially when air conditioning units switch on and off. This changing voltage could cause the computer to freeze or cause damage to your power supply or other components.
An uninterruptible power supply (UPS), also known as a battery backup, will solve both of these problems. You plug the UPS into the electrical outlet on the wall, and you plug your computer and monitor into the battery backed up sockets on the UPS. Other parts of your system, such as speakers, scanners, and other peripherals should be plugged into the surge-protected (but not battery backed-up) sockets which are also available on most UPS units. Printers, especially laser printers, should not be plugged into a UPS. I also recommend plugging your cable modem or DSL modem, and your router if you have one, into the battery backed-up sockets, to keep your network from getting shut down.
When the power cuts off, the battery instantaneously takes over and keeps the computer, monitor, and whatever else is plugged into the battery backed-up sockets running. Depending on the size of the UPS, measured in Volt-Amps (VA), the equipment will run on battery for 5 to 15 minutes. That will cover most of the quick summer power outages.
Most UPS units also come with software that will sense when the battery is about to run out of juice, and will actually save your data, close your open programs, and properly shut down the computer before the battery runs out.
The best known brand of UPS units is APC, and they are available in various sizes starting at 350 VA. The 350 VA unit will handle a small computer and monitor, but I recommend at least a 550 VA unit, and larger ones for network servers. APC's BE550R is a 550 VA unit with 4 battery backed up outlets and 4 surge protected outlets. Master Software can provide you with an appropriate UPS for your computer or network, or you can order from Staples (free delivery on orders of $50 or more) by clicking here. Do a search for APC, then select UPS Backup Systems.
Armed with a UPS, you and your computer will survive the summer storms and power outages. |
Need a laptop on short notice, for a short while, and you're short on cash? Instant Laptop Rental may have just what you need. They have rental laptops available for as little as $29 for a 1-day rental of a "student" laptop to an "executive" laptop for $139/week or $189/month. They can ship it to you overnight or 2nd day, depending on your needs, so you can get it fast.
These rental laptops are useful if your computer is in the shop, overloaded, or underpowered, or if you don't have a laptop and need one for a business or pleasure trip. They are also great if you are having relatives stay at your house and you don't want your brother-in-law (or worse, your nephew) "fixing" your own computer.
Instant Laptop Rental's laptops are all wireless equipped, so you can connect to any wired or wireless network you have access to, and you can load any software you want on the unit. These computers are totally cleaned off upon return, so you don't have to uninstall any software you loaded.
Visit Instant Laptop Rental to check out their complete line of offerings. If you mention promotion code MSMD06 at checkout you will get a 10% discount. |
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Don't Get Caught in a Phishing Net 
Phishing is when someone sends you an email, a link to a website, or even a letter or phone call where they are trying to get you to divulge personal information that can be used to steal you identity, charge to your credit card, or empty your bank account. Basically, they are fishing for information so that they can catch you in a scam.
Some of these "lures" are pretty sophisticated. You might get an email that looks exactly like it is from your bank, credit card company, PayPal, or your internet service provider. Don't ever click on the links in the email or go to the website they mention. Many times these are look-alike sites that are intended to steal your username, password, account number, or other vital information. Instead, go directly to the company's main website and proceed from there.
If you suspect that someone has gained access to your credit card or back account, contact your bank at once by phone. If someone has gained access to your eBay or PayPal account, or any other means of scamming you, contact that company immediately. Don't ever give out any usernames, passwords, or account numbers over the phone or in response to any email, EVER!
Here's just one example of a scam involving the IRS that was reported a month or so ago at the Network World website.
E-mail scammers hiding malware in fake IRS notices
By Robert McMillan, IDG News Service, 5/31/07
If you get an e-mail telling you that you're under investigation by the U.S. Internal Revenue Service, take a breath before calling your lawyer. It's a scam.
The IRS warned Thursday of two fraudulent schemes that use the IRS's name in an attempt to get victims to install malicious Trojan horse software on their computers.
In the first scam, the e-mail claims to come from the IRS Criminal Investigation division. It says that the victim is under investigation for filing a false tax return. An attachment to the e-mail, which appears to be the IRS's complaint, actually installs malicious software that gives the criminals access to the victim's PC.
The second scam e-mail says a complaint about the victim's "business services" has been brought against them and advises that this can be arbitrated by the IRS. The "complaint" attachment included in this scam is actually a new type of Trojan horse called Backdoor.Robofo, according to security vendor Symantec.
Dispute arbitration is something the IRS doesn't do, according to Michelle Lamishaw, an IRS spokeswoman. "We're in the tax business. We're not in the arbitration business," she said. In fact, any time you get an unexpected e-mail from the IRS, it's almost certainly fake. "The IRS does not send out unsolicited e-mails," Lamishaw said.
But because these e-mail messages appear to come from the taxman and relate to hot-button topics, some users may click, security researchers warn. "The use of legalese in the message content may intimidate some users into opening the attachment," wrote Symantec researcher Orla Cox, in a entry to the company's Security Response Weblog, posted Thursday.
The IRS became aware of both scams over the past few days, as samples of the e-mail messages were submitted by taxpayers to the phishing@irs.gov e-mail address that is used for reporting scams, Lamishaw said. | |
I hope we've given you some food for thought this month, and that you will be well prepared for school, summer power outages, vacations (and relatives), and phishing scams. Please let us know what you think of our newsletters. Are they too long, too short, not interesting enough, too deep?
Remember, we welcome suggestions for articles. And don't forget to visit our sponsors way over there in the left hand column.
And now it's time to go fishing (that's with an 'f', not a 'ph'). |
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Steve Leven
Master Software | |
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