One of the worst things you can do with your technology is to neglect it to the point that it is causing you to lose time. You might not notice it because it doesn't seem like it takes a lot of time, but if it is something you do every day, or even multiple times a day, that time will add up over time. Sometimes, things like computer repair might cause you to notice, but you don't do anything about it once you've fixed it.
Those few minutes are killing your business, even if you don't want to admit it. Here are some of the most common ways we see that businesses are losing time and killing themselves - from computer repair to cleaning up your messy desk:
You Aren't Automating Tasks When You Could
One of the best things about technology is that you have the ability to automate tasks. Time consuming tasks that don't add to your value but you need to do can really add up over time, eliminating any benefits they may have.
For example, you may be scheduling employees by hand, confirming meeting times, or even confirming work completion might only take a few minutes, but once again, that is every day and minutes add up to hours and days.
There are plenty of applications, programs, and pieces of technology that you can use to streamline your day. When you make it part of your day and create systems that you can trust, you won't have to worry about it.
Other tasks you can automate include social media, email, data back ups, and even accounting and invoicing. Many tools are free, while others come at very affordable monthly rates. Some require you to set up new pieces of tech while others only require an initial account set.
Your Technology is Slow - Computer Repair Is Necessary
Another way you are losing a ton of time is by not using your technology properly. This means you aren't updating it or upgrading it when necessary. Over time, almost everything has software that needs to be updated - from your printer to your phone.
You should create a schedule for updating or get some help ensuring that everything in your system is up to date and running smoothly. Trying to fix printer issues or dealing with a slower network isn't part of your job description, nor is it something the intern should have to handle.
Slow Wi-Fi (Including After Computer Repair)
Whether you are downloading PDFs, trying to open web pages, or simply answering emails, Wi-Fi that isn't running at its best speed will completely slow you down. Even worse, Wi-Fi that consistently goes out and you have to fix it will really slow you down. For businesses that have a lot of data coming and going, you will be particularly hindered by this.
How does slow Wi-Fi really kill your business? It makes you seem unprofessional. Not only will you be unable to help clients in real time, but you will also probably have issues with timely responses, sharing information, sharing your screen, or even updating your system. Those few seconds can make or break your reputation and the way that people see you. Even if you aren't, it can make you seem inept.
Disable Distracting Notifications
There are so many distractions to our work every single day. No matter how you think you can avoid them or ignore them, you really aren't. In fact, studies have shown that when you look at a notification on your phone, for example, it can take more than 25 minutes to fully recover your focus. Most of us don't even go that long between notifications. Remember to turn them off after computer repair!
Notifications from things like emails, social media apps, and instant message platforms, regardless of their intended purposes, will almost always pull you away from whatever task you’re focusing on and make your work less productive. This is the time when you make those silly mistakes that can cost your brand.
Consider turning all of your notifications off; you might be offline for a few hours, but you’ll get so much more done and what you actually get done will be more effective and better work: meaning it is almost always a good pay off. Depending on the culture of your workplace, you may need to send a proactive heads-up to let people know that you might not be able to get back to them as quickly. However, you should also tell them why you are doing what you are doing and they may follow suit.
Declutter
Have wires all over your desk? Weeks old memos that you are never going to do anything with? We can all get a little messy when we are trying to get work done. One of the best things you can do if simplify your workspace and put as little as you can on top of your desk.
Try to clear away as much as you can by going wireless with certain things or setting up a desk where you can put the wires underneath. Not only will this help with cluttering, it will help to keep everything safe. Even better, you won't be ashamed if someone sees your desk. For the most part, clutter doesn't only distract us, it can actually make our work less.
Losing time at work is a serious problem for so many people, but they don't even realize it because they are losing only minutes at a time. Still, sometimes over half of our days aren't productive.
Our team takes pride in being the most experienced team of IT professionals in New Jersey. You can count on us to have solutions to problems that you may not have had luck with before. When it comes to data recovery in New Jersey, you simply cannot go to anyone better. We have technical support available to the public every day of the week: you’ll have the option to talk to an experienced technician if a problem arises.
Looking for the Best Computer Services in New Jersey? Call: (908) 332-5051
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Windows and computer support
No computer support company or Microsoft will know how well, or not, your computer is working. Windows 10 does report a lot of data to Microsoft, but the health of the system is not something it tells them. As someone who owns a computer support company, I know for a fact that we cannot know whether your computer is behaving erratically or has a problem until you tell us. Dave’s Computers in New Jersey and other outfits like us are how you get your computer fixed. We are good. In fact, we are very good but there’s no way on earth we can tell remotely whether your computer is working or not. This is the holiday season and we want all our New Jersey customers to have the best Christmas possible. If you receive a cold call offering tech support, put the phone down. Don’t even dignify them with a response and don’t identify yourself or where you live. Record the number if there is one and report it. Remember:- Microsoft does not monitor the health of Windows or your computer.
- Your ISP or PC vendor cannot monitor the health of your computer.
- Computer repair companies cannot monitor the health of your computer.
- No third party can ever know how your computer is performing unless you ask us to have a look first.
- Windows Event Viewer contains many messages and errors. This is normal and definitely not something to worry about.
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The Black Report
So what does The Black Report tell us? Here are some highlights.- 88% of hackers can breach any network within 12 hours.
- 81% of hackers were able to steal data from any network within 24 hours.
- In almost 33% of cases, the business owner or security team never notices a hack.
- 69% of hackers are never caught when penetration testing.
- 50% of hackers change their methods for every attack to avoid detection.
Humans are better than machines
Industries of all shapes and sizes are all about automation and using AI or machine learning to take care of many tasks. This report proves that network security is not one of those tasks. Many automated security devices don’t even notice many hacks and are simply unable to cope with many of them. If 88 percent of hackers can breach a network within 12 hours, hardware alone is not up to the task. Skilled, experienced and well trained humans are the only real defense against hack attacks. While using automation as part of a defense in depth is well worth the investment, devices alone are not enough.Education is key to preventing data loss
Phishing and social engineering is a primary way to breach a network. Whether that’s through email, chat, social networking or something else, the human element is also the weakest element. A single hacker can generate millions of phishing emails or messages. It only takes one to be opened for the attack to be successful. A robust staff education program can go a long way to protecting networks from data loss or breaches. Teaching users not to click links, open attachments or interact on social media during work time can avoid the huge majority of these threats. Explaining why staff cannot use social media at work also increases the buy-in rate. If staff know there is a good reason for sites being blocked, they won’t mind quite so much.Know the tools of the trade
Hacking tools are often free and open source and will be utilized in the majority of hacks. Not many hackers will write their own exploits, so it pays to know the hackers’ weapons of choice and learn from them. Such tools include Metasploit, Cobalt Strike, Core Impact, BeEF and the Burp Suite. Many are free and easily accessible online. Some cost a lot of money. Start with the free ones and learn how they work. You can move on to the paid ones if you need to. While it won’t turn you into a hacker overnight, it will give you an idea of what to look for and how to defend against them. This is core tenet of excellent IT support. Know what weapons your enemy uses.Ransomware is taking over from viruses
Ransomware is becoming more popular than destructive attacks for obvious reasons. Hacks were once methods of revenge or protest against the government or big business. Now hacking is a business in itself. The rise of ransomware has been huge and is rapidly overtaking virus attacks as the number one cybersecurity threat. This evolution is also showing signs of interbreeding. Viruses such as Conficker are now being reconfigured with ransomware payloads. So rather than deleting files and wiping systems they are penetrating networks and delivering ransomware directly to user machines. As the Internet of Things (IoT) develops, this vulnerability will also develop. Learn more about developing cyber security threats at Techrepublic.Penetration testing is your best defense
As the theme of this article is know thy enemy, employing or using penetration testing to probe your own defenses is a great idea. It is the only true way to test your network and see exactly what a determined hacker can access and how much damage they can do. Once you know your weaknesses, you can do something about them.Backups could save your life
A determined hacker will find a way into your system regardless of any defenses you might have. In this case, a robust backup system is going to pay dividends. Our IT support teams will always suggest instigating a reliable backup system that utilizes a local and remote copy of all your important data. Running daily backups of key data will offset any difficulties a hack might deliver. While a backup won’t protect you from ransomware, it will at least give you options.Treat cyber security like insurance
Insurance is often seen as a resource drain and an unnecessary expense. That is until you need it, then it is the best thing ever. Cyber security is exactly the same. It is a drain on resources but pays dividends when it saves the day. It is an investment, not a cost. While there is an inevitable CAPEX involved, the cost of defenses is usually far less than the cost of reputational damage or fines should your defenses be found wanting. We have all heard of the big brands who have been hacked. Nobody in their right mind would ever want to be in the same situation if they could avoid it. The Black Report should be mandatory reading for every IT support team that provides cyber security. Read it today and begin to know your enemy.Related Posts
- An SSD drive large enough to take Windows 10 and your programs.
- Cloning software. I suggest EaseUS Todo Backup for home users. It is free and very good.
- Spare SATA cable and port on your motherboard.
- A recent Windows restore point and separate backup of your files
Getting things ready
Before migrating your hard drives, there is a little preparatory work we need to do first. We need to tidy up your current installation and remove the trash. Then we need to make sure the version of Windows you are migrating is the latest and greatest.- Back up anything you don’t want to lose. Store it separately from the computer.
- Select Windows Settings and Update & security.
- Select Windows update and perform any updates.
- Open Windows Explorer and right click your C: drive.
- Select Properties and then Disk Cleanup.
- Remove any files within the next window by selecting them and confirming deletion.
- Go back into Disk Cleanup and select Clean up system files. Select all large files and delete those too.
- Select Windows Settings, Apps and Apps & features.
- Go through the list and delete any apps or programs you no longer use.
- Check your Documents, Downloads, Music, Pictures and Video files and delete anything you don’t need.
- Right click Recycle Bin and select Empty Recycle Bin.
Creating a clone
Once booted into Windows, it is time to update the new SSD and create a copy of your operating system. Exactly how you update SSD firmware depends on the manufacturer of your disk. Some provide a CD with new drivers while other download and install firmware from within Windows. Now is a good time to check the manual and do whatever your manufacturer suggests. Then:- Open EaseUS Todo Backup and select Clone.
- Set the source as your current C: drive and the destination as your new SSD drive.
- Double check that you have selected the entire C: drive with its multiple Windows partitions and the correct destination drive. The cloning process will overwrite everything on the destination drive so it pays to check again.
- Select Proceed once you have configured everything to your liking and confirm when prompted.
Finishing off
Now the main work is done there are a couple of tasks still to do. First we need to make sure Windows picked up the SSD and utilized TRIM and then we need to make sure Windows 10 didn’t have any issues activating.- Open a CMD window as an administrator.
- Type ‘fsutil behavior query DisableDeleteNotify’. If the result is 0, TRIM is enabled. If the result is 1, TRIM was not enabled.
- Type ‘fsutil behavior set DisableNotify 0’ to enable TRIM if you saw a 1.
- Select Windows Settings and Update & security.
- Select Activation and ensure that Windows is activated.
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Take backups before anything
While most of the spring cleaning we do is non-intrusive, we always take a backup of a computer before we do anything with it. Whether it’s our own computers in the store or a client computer on their site, we back up everything. It is one of those IT support tasks that could save you time, money, effort and tears. In that order! Make sure to create a Windows restore point or backed up to Time Machine on a Mac. If you can, also take file backups to the cloud outside your usual backup location.Physical spring cleaning
You will need a clean cloth, a can of compressed air or a lot of patience do properly spring clean a computer or server. These steps obviously do not apply to laptop or tablet users. Once you have backed up your computer, it’s time to get down and dirty. Switch off your computer at the mains but leave it plugged in. Take off the case to expose the innards. You will likely see lots of dust everywhere and we need to remove it. Take the front off the computer case to expose the intake fan. If the fan has a cover, remove it and remove the dust. Remove dust from the fan blades too. Repeat for all fans on the system. Using the can of compressed air, blow dust off the computer internals trying to catch as much of it as possible with the cloth. Do this for the whole interior of the computer case. The more dust you can remove, the better. If you have a small vacuum, you could have that suck out the dust you blow with the air. Pay particular attention to the CPU and GPU coolers and remove as much dust as you can. Dust is not a good conductor of heat and the more dust you have in a computer, the warmer it operates. By removing as much dust as possible, we ensure good air flow and maximum cooling. This can seriously improve the operating life of your machine. Once the interior of the computer is dust free, do a manual check of all cables to make sure they are in good condition and are connected firmly. Then check the cables to see if they get in the way of air flow. Typically, air is taken in from the front and expelled at the rear. Try to keep all cables tidy and out of the way of this airflow to ensure maximum possible cooling. Put the case back together and restart the computer.Spring cleaning the operating system
Apple Mac and Linux are both very efficient operating systems that can manage themselves pretty well. Most software spring cleaning is performed on Windows computers so the following is based on Windows 10.- Right click on the Windows Taskbar and select Task Manager.
- Select Start-up and double click any program with startup enabled to stop them loading with Windows.
- Select Settings from Windows and Apps.
- Work your way through all listed apps, click ones you don’t need and select Uninstall.
- Select Update & security and Windows Update.
- Select Check for updates on the right and install all that are relevant to your machine.
- Select Devices from the Settings menu and scroll down to Device manager. Click it.
- Right click and select your graphics card, network card, audio card and input devices in turn. Select Update driver software, Automatic and let Windows find any new drivers.
- Select This PC in Windows Explorer.
- Right click a hard drive, select Properties and Disk Cleanup. Select any entry that takes up significant disk space and allow Windows to clean it up.
- Select Disk Cleanup again and select Clean up system files. Again, select any entries that take up significant storage space and clear it out.
- Download and install CCleaner.
- Select Tools then Uninstall and select any programs not listed earlier and uninstall them.
- Run Disk Analyzer from within the Tools menu to see if any files are taking up too much space. Delete any you don’t need.
- Run Cleaner from the left menu, select Analyze and Run Cleaner when complete.
- Select Registry from the left menu, select Scan for Issues and Fix selected issues when complete.
- Update your antivirus to the very latest version.
- Run a full antivirus scan overnight to make sure nothing lurks in the operating system.
- Download and install Malwarebytes and run a full malware scan too.
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Five things that make clients dislike computer support
There are many things that irritate people about IT but these are the most common.1. Not putting yourself in the client’s shoes
A key skill for any technical support team is to have empathy. You must appreciate the position your customer is in and be able to empathize with that position. For example, you might not think losing access to a shared drive is a showstopper, but for the client it might be. All of their work might be there and they may be stuck without it. They may miss a deadline, get into trouble for not being productive or all manner of things. Good computer support will put themselves in the position of the customer and do whatever they can to help. If you can go the extra mile you should and if you can add extra value to your service, you should do that too.2. Making assumptions with no real evidence
I heard a recorded tech support call once that made me quite angry. An enterprise customer in New Jersey had called their IT support who had been offshored to India. Language and understanding was already an issue and as soon as the customer went off script, the agent was lost. They also assumed that because a computer wouldn’t boot that the power supply was faulty and needed replacing. It went downhill from there and no matter what the client said, the agent had already made their mind up. There are a dozen different things that can cause a computer to not boot and a few extra questions would have isolated the problem. Which turned out to be the UPS, not the computer. The customer experienced a delay while spares were sent and the expense of a new power supply when they could have just shifted to a different outlet for a while and carried on working.3. Not asking enough, or the right, questions
Taking tech support calls involves a balancing act. We want to engage with the customer, ask lots of questions and get to the root of the issue but we have to appreciate that they might not have the time or knowledge to answer them all. Instead, what we have are a series of questions tailored to different situations to try to get the information we need to help. We also engage the caller and let them know that we appreciate there are a lot of questions, but spending an extra couple of minutes on the phone to us could save a couple hours when fixing the issue.4. Not getting to know the customer and their situation
Being treated as just a number is the main complaint of any number of customers of enterprise organizations. The bigger a company gets, the less able they are to respond quickly or offer a truly personal service. That’s one of the reasons computer repair outfits like ours is so popular, because we are small enough to care and large enough to cope. Knowing whether a particular server going down cripples the customer or not is an essential part of that. If you already know what they have installed and how they work, you know what kind of impact any issue will have. You can then respond accordingly and deliver the kind of service they pay you for.5. Not being organized
Organization covers a few key elements. It includes call monitoring, ticket tracking, an escalation path, recovery plan, critical spares, complaints procedures, transparent severity categories, SLAs and more. The more organized you are as a company, the more confident the customer will be in you. This comes into its own if there are issues with expectations or service delivery. If you can demonstrate your processes, prove your point and provide evidence to back it up, most customers will relax a lot more and be much easier to work with. Providing great IT support is not rocket science, it’s computer science. Like any industry, if you tune your service to meet the needs of the customer and not what you want to offer, your customers respond positively. Once you appreciate that offering computer support is like being a cop in that people only call you when they need you most, you begin to offer the quality compassionate service they deserve. If you’re looking for top class remote computer support from a company that cares, Dave’s Computers can help. Our team of experience professionals are ready and willing to assist in any situation. Contact our New Jersey store today at 908-428-9558 and we would be happy to discuss your needs.Related Posts
1. A slow computer will need reformatting
‘If your computer is running slowly, you need to reinstall Windows’. We hear this one a lot, both in our store and online. It is a myth. A slow computer can be caused by many things including not enough hard drive space, too much clutter, a virus or malware, unwanted software using up resources and a few other things besides. When we get a slow computer into the shop, reformatting the hard drive is the very last thing we do and only if all else fails!2. My computer has slowed down so I need a new one
‘My computer is slow and I was told I need to buy a new one’. Who are we to get in the way of you buying a new computer, but don’t do it just because your existing one has slowed down. As above, there are many reasons a computer might be running slow but it won’t be because your computer is getting tired. If you want a new computer, by all means buy one, but don’t believe your old one cannot be revitalized with some expert care.3. Macs don’t get viruses
‘Only Windows get viruses, Mac and other iOS devices are immune to them’. This is another popular myth. Apple never used to get viruses as the operating system is based on Unix, which works in a way that viruses couldn’t handle. Now there are a range of malware and viruses that can attack OSX or iOS. One such virus, KeRanger can do quite a lot of damage. Other browser based viruses, Java exploits and of course, phishing and social engineering can all affect Mac users.4. Windows Firewall is enough to keep you safe
‘If you have Windows 8.1 or Windows 10, Windows firewall is all you need to stay safe online’. We heard this one the other day and just had to bust it. While Windows Firewall is better than ever, it still falls short of other third-party firewall software. Plus, it alone cannot protect you from every threat out there in the wild. You need effective antivirus and malware protection too if you’re to avoid trouble. Leading to…5. Windows Defender is the best because it is built into Windows
‘Windows Defender is the best antivirus because it is built into Windows and doesn’t conflict.’ We heard this one during the summer and just had to correct it. Windows Defender is built into Windows and is better than ever but it still falls short of other third-party antivirus software. Visit AV-Test and AV-Comparatives to see which is the best antivirus of the moment.6. If Windows keeps crashing, you need new memory
‘If your Windows computer keeps crashing, your memory is broken and you need to replace it’. I heard this from another IT technician at a conference earlier in the year and I couldn’t believe my ears. There are dozens of reasons why a computer would crash and only one of them is through faulty RAM. It could also be misconfiguration, a Windows error, a faulty update, software conflict and a few other things besides. Hardware rarely fails if it is looked after. Many things can cause random crashes.7. Premium branded parts last longer and work more efficiently
‘Like anything, buy a recognized brand and you get quality that lasts longer and works better’. Sometimes true but not always so. Branded parts tend to have much better quality control but unbranded parts are often made from the same materials in the same factory by the same people. It isn’t enough to just say that brand name will last longer either, as a thousand different things influence how long a component last, the name on the box being the least of them.8. You have to drain your laptop battery to get a longer life
‘When you get a new laptop you have to drain the battery completely otherwise it won’t last or charge for as long’. This is an old myth and goes back to the days of Nickel-Metal Hydride (NiMH) batteries. Most portable devices now use lithium ion which has no such restrictions. In fact, the opposite is now thought to be true. Completely drain a lithium ion battery and it is thought it generates chemical resistance to charging, which degrades its operation.9. Use a magnet to securely wipe your hard drives before selling them
‘I use a magnet to wipe all the data from my hard drive before selling them on eBay’. That’s a shame because it doesn’t work. Back in the days of floppy disks, running a magnet over them did wipe data. Since hard drives and solid state drives work differently, using a magnet does nothing. To securely wipe a hard drive you need to use special software that overwrites each memory sector multiple times. Nothing else will do.10. Using my browsers private mode means I’m completely safe online
‘I use incognito mode on my browser so nobody can see me and I cannot get a virus’. This myth is dangerous as it is completely untrue. A customer in our store was told to do this by a family member. Private browsing stops the browser from collecting data and using cookies. It only stops you being tracked on your computer. It does not keep you safe from being tracked from the outside or from being hacked or from malware or viruses.Related Posts
1. Keep Windows updated
While you may find the seemingly continuous requests to reboot Windows to apply updates annoying, they are there to help you. Microsoft is constantly working to tackle bugs and errors and also increase security with fixes and updates. Keeping Windows up to date and current not only gives you the latest features, but also the latest protection. Unless you run an enterprise network and need to soak test or analyze updates before release, you should always set Windows Update to automatically download. If you use Windows 10 you can now set ‘active hours’ within which your computer will not reboot. Set it to the times you don’t want to be disturbed and updates and the inevitable reboot will be scheduled outside those hours. To check Windows Update in Windows 10:- Click the Windows Start button and select Settings.
- Select Update & security. Here you can control how and when updates are delivered.
- Click the Change active hours text link to change when reboots will happen.
2. Use reliable antivirus software
Windows 10 comes with Windows Defender built in but it is woefully inadequate for anything but the occasional computer user. It is much better to disable Defender and install a reliable third party antivirus solution. Visit AV-Test and AV-Comparatives to see which is the best solution for your situation. Alternatively, use Dave’s Computers antivirus. It utilizes the acclaimed BitDefender engine which regularly features at the top of the charts in Windows antivirus tests. Once installed, it is vital that you allow the antivirus software to run and scan automatically. You should also enable it to update itself automatically, which it will do almost every day. This is to ensure you get adequate protection from the latest threats.3. Use a reliable software and hardware firewall
A firewall prevents unauthorized traffic flowing to or from your computer or home network. Many routers, including some provided by ISPs include a hardware firewall. It makes sense to have this running while also having a local software firewall running on every computer. Windows 10 has Windows Firewall which is okay but if you’re a heavy internet user isn’t necessarily the best option. There are a range of third party firewall solutions out there that do the job better and with fewer system resources. A quick internet search should generate lots of reviews recommending the current cream of the crop. I won’t suggest any here, as like antivirus, these programs are constantly changing and what is relevant today will be out of date next week.4. Use a malware scanner
A malware scanner is an optional extra step for more peace of mind. Some antivirus solutions include malware scanning within their features but not all of them do. Not all antivirus software will pick up all malware, so it makes sense to add another layer of defense to keep yourself safe. There are a range of free malware scanners on the market that work very well indeed. Again, their effectiveness changes all the time so I won’t name names. Just do an internet search for ‘best free malware scanner’ or words to that effect. Unlike antivirus, malware scanners often need to be manually run unless you buy a premium product. Set a reminder for at least once per week to run a scan. You will be surprised at what it picks up!5. Use common sense
This final tip for protecting your computer from viruses and malware is the most important one. All the other tips in this guide are only effective if used properly and not compromised by the user. So here are a few common sense tips to help keep your digital life secure.- Don’t click email links unless you know who sent it. Never click a link within an unsolicited email.
- Be careful where you download files. Use reputable websites and verify the file once downloaded. Check it for malware or viruses before opening. Simply right click the download and select ‘scan for viruses’ or ‘scan with…’.
- Use an adblocker. Yes you need to pay for good quality content on the internet but many websites that use advertising have no control over what ads are shown. Some can be infected with malware.
- Keep your browser updated and check the security options within them.
- Use a password manager if you cannot remember passwords. It is much more secure than using the same password for multiple sites. If a hacker gets ahold of one, they can access all your websites.
- Don’t give away too much on social media as it can all be used to build a profile of you. Be aware of privacy settings and know exactly what you are sharing and what someone could do with that information.