Biz Tech by Jim Bakic

I am Thankful for…

November 25, 2009 in Uncategorized | Comments closed

I was thinking about technology the other day and how it had impacted my life. That got me to considering some of the technological changes that I am thankful for. I decided to come up with a short list of some of the computer related things that I am thankful for and share it with you.

High Speed Internet– Every once in a while, I hear a dial up modem connect with its whirring and beeping and it’s like having a flashback to the 60’s. Seriously, how nice is it to just open your browser and have a web site load without having to use ProComm to connect via Compuserve or a local ISP? The Internet makes it possible to find out about almost anything.

Laser Printing – Anyone remember having to feed boxes of perforated paper into their dot-matrix printer? What a pain when the paper came off the little roller feed mechanism. Did you ever tear an important paper win-pics-dot-matrix-paper trying to remove the perforations and have to print it again?

Mobile Broadband – All I can say wow. Internet anywhere? It’s awesome to be able to research a new domain name while traveling down the freeway at 65 mph. Google Maps anyone? (Of course, my wife was driving).

Online Meetings and Webinars – How much would you be spending on training (or how much training would you NOT have access to) if we couldn’t attend these events? They beat the heck out of video conferencing.

Social Media– Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter – there are too many out there to name them all. The good thing about these sites is they allow us to connect with people we have not seen or talked to in a long time. The bad thing about them is they allow us to connect and talk to people we have not seen in a long time (there was probably a reason for that). They also provide an almost free way to market yourself or your business to thousands of potential clients that you would not otherwise be able to reach.

Microsoft Windows– Yeah, I know, you Linux and Mac heads don’t agree with me on this one, but Windows (even Vista) has made it so much easier to accomplish any task you want on a computer it isn’t even funny. Anyone remember DOS and batch files? Tell me Windows isn’t better. Even Grandma can create a professional looking flyer for the church bake sale.

Technology Growth – I remember my first PC had a 4.94MB 8088 CPU, 640K of RAM, a 5MB hard disk drive and EGA graphics. All of that was built to run MS-DOS 3.2. All applications were loaded from a 360K capacity 5 ¼ inch floppy disk drive. Sometimes I had to insert multiple disks before the program was finished loading. My current computer has over 435 percent more speed and 6250 times the available RAM. All this growth in just under 13 years.

Streaming media – I’d go nuts if I couldn’t listen to my favorite radio stations while I worked on the computer.

Novell Netware– That’s right. Netware. This is the thing that got me started down the path of IT as a career. One of the pioneers of networking, most of the networking technology today got its start with Netware. In my opinion, truly a trend setter and one of the main reasons all of us Microsoft geeks have work today.

I am also thankful for my family, friends and country. We live in a great place of unlimited opportunity. We would all be better off if we take a moment to remember that even though we don’t always agree with each other, we are stronger together. God bless all of you and Happy Thanksgiving. What are you thankful for this holiday?

Now one of my favorite pictures for this holiday!
Happy Thanksgiving

Who’s Got My Password?

November 18, 2009 in Uncategorized, computer issues | Comments closed

If you are anything like me, you probably have dozens of log-in ID’s and user accounts for the applications, web pages and computer systems you use on a regular basis. Trying to keep track of these can be very difficult, especially when the different sites have different requirements for the passwords. Some systems just don’t care what you use, others require a combination of numbers and letters, others require complex passwords that include numbers, letters and symbols. So how do you keep track of all these? Security experts suggest you not use the same password for all of your accounts. That would make it easier for you, but if your password is compromised, it also makes it easy for a troublemaker to get into everything you do, including online banking, etc.

A lot of peoples just write all their accounts and passwords down on a piece of paper. They then proceed to tape it to the side of their computer or under the machine. If you do this, it’s really only secure if you keep it in a sealed envelope and put the envelope in a safe, but that wouldn’t help with remembering those passwords much, would it? What folks ultimately wind up doing is using simple to remember (read simple to guess) passwords for everything, and they recycle passwords as much as they can get away with. This leaves you and your systems at risk of compromise or identity theft. psafe_main

So, what is a concerned computer user to do? You need access to all those passwords, but also want them to be secure. I have been using a program called Password Safe to store all the accounts and passwords I work with. I currently have 66 log-in ID’s and passwords stored in my vault, and Password Safe makes it easy to recall the information I need when I can’t remember. (which happens more and more the older I get!) Whether you have one or a hundred different passwords to remember, all you need is 1 master password to unlock the vault which gives you access to every user ID and password combination you have. I should mention that the dat store is fully encrypted, so unless someone has your master password the data in your vault will be unreadable. It has saved me many times when I forgot a password. Using Password Safe allows me to use complex passwords without worrying about forgetting what they are.

Password Safe is open source and available free of charge. I strongly recommend it. I have posted a link to the download site on my Tools page.

What method do YOU use to remember passwords? Let me know, if you have a good tip, I will share it with my readers.

Tags: computer support, data protection, identity theft, Internet Security, login security, password management

Do You Need a Server?

November 3, 2009 in managed services | Comments closed

Your business is growing, and you are adding more computers, employees and applications. Your document library is growing and the need for multiple persons to access the same file is occuring more often than ever. At what point do you need to consider adding a file server to the mix? What is a file server anyway? When considering a server for your business, a lot of questions come up. I’m going to address some of these questions here, and also provide some guidelines that I consider when evaluating whether a client needs a server or not.

What is a server? Can’t I just use a high end desktop computer?

The term “server” can mean many things. It can refer to the hardware itself, the operating system that runs on it, or a piece of software that provides a specific service, such as delivering email or hosting a Web site. Often, a server is a high-performance computer that uses specialized software or operating systems to store data and centralize resources across an office. They typically have more disk space and memory than a desktop, and are engineered to support multiple threads of activity. The technology behind servers:

makes them more reliable than a desktop system
processes data faster and more efficiently
is designed to scale as your needs scale

In short, a server is much more than a supercharged desktop system, and can’t be replaced by one. Desktop systems are optimized to run user-friendly operating systems, desktop applications, and facilitate other “desktop” tasks. Even if a desktop sports the same processor speed, memory, and hard disk space as a server, they aren’t the same because the technologies behind them are engineered for different usage.

Do you need a server?

There are several factors to consider when asking yourself this question, and I need to stress that every business is different and no magic button (sorry Staples) exists that will create a perfect solution for everyone. First and foremost, I don’t believe that any purchase should be made just because everyone else is doing it. Getting a server needs to solve a business problem or add value to your business. Some of the additional factors to consider are:

1. Number of staff and workstations- Rule of thumb for me is if you have 5 or more employees using a computer, you probably could benefit from a server. They make managing files and data much easier. The more users you have, the stronger this argument becomes.

2. Data Storage- This goes hand in hand with #1 above. The more employees you have using a computer, the more data they will generate. It becomes increasingly difficult to share data as well as safely back it up, as this number grows. Servers are designed to store data, and can expand as the needs of your business changes.

3. Resource Sharing – As the number of staff grows, there’s more need to share files and resources. A server facilitates sharing. One staff can save files on a server and other staff can look at the file and work on it. A server is also designed to help share other resources, such as databases and printers. The end result of sharing is reduced cost due to having the ability to use less equipment for more people.

4. User Management- All server systems provide some method of controlling who has access to what resources (like Active Directory in Windows based servers). The granular level of control in a server allows you to make sure that only the HR department can access employee HR records, and the accounting department is the only one with access to revenue numbers.

5. Backups – Without a server, employees need to back up the contents of their hard drives on USB thumb drives, external disk or CD/DVD ROM. Not only does this take precious time away from their day to day job, it also is an issue if they forget to do a backup. What happens if they lost the thumb drive? As the amount of data on the network grows, it becomes more time consuming and difficult to manage these backups. Storing all of your data in one location on a server allows one point of backup. Additionally, using specialized backup software allows backups to be scheduled and automated, allowing backup after hours when no one is working decreasing disruption.

6. Applications – Some specialized business applications require a server. Self hosted web sites, email systems and some accounting or business automation tools are some that may cause you to install a server.

Considering these items can help in your evaluation of whether you need a server for your business. Another option would be to contact a computer consulting firm, like Midwest Strategic IT to talk over your decision with. Any firm worth it’s salt would provide the initial discussion at no cost to you or your business. Another benefit of using a specialized firm is they can help you to make sure you get the right server for your business, and don’t spend more than you need to.

Tags: computer support, managed services, server

Some of My Favorite Tips and Tricks in Windows 7

October 28, 2009 in Windows 7, managed services | Comments closed

I have been using Windows 7 Ultimate now for about 3 weeks on my main work computer, and so far, I love it. It’s fast, stable and has a lot of very cool new features. The new task bar is just great, it makes it real easy to switch between applications when you keep several open at once like I do. I have started to discover a few tips and tricks to help me get the most from Windows 7, and I thought I would share some of my favorites with you.

Problem Steps Recorder – Having no idea how to clearly describe what’s going on when your computer acts up to your support guru is frustrating, but Microsoft feels your pain. Windows 7 includes an excellent new solution in the Problem Steps Recorder.

When any application starts misbehaving under Windows 7 then all you need to do is click Start, type PSR and press Enter, then click Start Record. Work through whatever you’ve been doing and Problem Steps Recorder will record every click and key press, take screen grabs, and package everything up into a single zipped MHTML file when they’re finished, ready for emailing to your favorite geek. It’s quick, easy and effective, and will save you and your geek hours of troubleshooting time.

Switch to a projector – Windows 7 now provides a standard way to switch your display from one monitor to another, or a projector. Just press Win+ and choose your preferred display. (This will have no effect if you’ve only one display connected.) Especially handy when using a laptop to give a presentation.

Right-click everything – At first glance Windows 7 bears a striking resemblance to Vista, but there’s an easy way to begin spotting the differences – just right-click things. Right-click an empty part of the desktop, for instance, and you’ll find a menu entry to set your screen resolution. No need to go browsing through the display settings any more. Right-click the Explorer icon on the task bar for speedy access to common system folders: Documents, Pictures, the Windows folder, and more.

Minimize quickly with shake – If you have multiple windows open on your desktop and things are getting too cluttered, it used to be a time-consuming process to close them all down. In Windows 7 you can use the Aero Shake feature to minimise everything in seconds, using a cool mouse gesture. Grab the title bar of the window you wish to keep open and give it a shake, and rejoice in a clear desktop area.

Jump Lists – Right click on a program icon on your task bar, and it displays not only an open this program and unpin command, but a list of the most recent files opened in the program. Select one and it opens the program with that file open in one click. No more File, Open, Browse! The jump list for IE displays a list of the most often visited sites so you can open them in one click as well.

Create folder favorites – If you’re regularly working on the same folder in Explorer then select it in the right-hand page, right-click Favorites on the left-hand menu, and select Add to Favorites. It’ll then appear at the bottom of the favorites list for easy one-click access later.

Libraries – Another method of quickly browsing to specific places in your file structure are libraries. By default, Windows 7 comes with a documents, music, pictures and video library. You can create your own (likecustomers) my right clicking the left pane where it says Libraries and selecting New -> Library. Once there, right click the new library and select properties, include a folder and click OK. You may also add multiple folders to a library as well as optimize it for certain file types.

Window management - you can “dock” a window to the left or right half of the screen by simply dragging it to the edge; similarly, you can drag the window to the top of the screen to maximize it, and double-click the window top / bottom border to maximize it vertically with the same horizontal width. This is invaluable if you frequently have 2 documents open side by side while working (like I do). These actions are also available with keyboard shortcuts:

Win+Left Arrow and Win+Right Arrow dock;
Win+Up Arrow and Win+Down Arrow maximizes and restores / minimizes;
Win+Shift+Up Arrow and Win+Shift+Down Arrow maximizes and restores the vertical size.

This side-by-side docking feature is particularly invaluable on wide screen monitors – it makes the old Windows way of shift-clicking on two items in the task bar and then using the context menu to arrange them feel really painful.

These are some of the tips I’ve found most useful so far on my Windows 7 adventure. What are some tips you’ve discovered? Are you looking for an easier way to do something? Let me know and I’ll share them in a future posting.

Don’t Get Caught by This Email – Fake Microsoft Update

October 23, 2009 in Internet Security, malware, trojan, virus | Comments closed

A while ago, there was an internet scam making the rounds disguised as a critical update to Microsoft Outlook/Outlook Express. It appeared for all intent and purposes to come from Microsoft, and unwary computer users who installed the attached file found themselves infected with a backdoor banking Trojan which allows a remote user to access and steal sensitive data and provides an intruder with remote access to the compromised system. I recently received that old scam in my in-box, this time with some slight changes. Instead of including a file attachment like the original variation of this attempt to gain control of your computer, this newer version included a hyperlink to what appears to be a legitimate Microsoft website to retrieve the update. If you look carefully, however, you will see that this link actually goes to the ij1tli.com domain. The scammers hide the real URL, but you can see it if you hover the mouse pointer over the link and read the pop-up balloon that appears.

MS Update

The body of the email looks similar to the picture to the right of this column. Note that the links at the bottom of the page, Contact Us, Terms of Use, etc go to the ACTUAL Microsoft site to further add to the illusion of legitimacy. The scammers are taking advantage of the fact a lot of computer users trust the Microsoft name, and don’t know that Microsoft doe NOT and will NOT push out updates in this manner. Microsoft uses Windows Update to push out all security updates to their customers. They will not send emails to their customers with updates.

If you get an email like this, do not worry, nothing will happen unless you click the link in the email. Just delete the email, never look back, and you will be safe. Have you received this email? What about others that look suspicious to you? Let me know about them and I’ll talk about the more common ones in a future blog post.

Tags: email scam, Internet Security, trojan, virus

What You Need to Know About Windows 7

October 19, 2009 in Windows 7 | Comments closed

Found a great article by Harry McCracken of PC World on Windows 7 that is so good I had to share it. He does a great job of talking about some of the new features and functions that can improve end user production, as well as pointing out some of the issues with the new OS. I think he hit a home run on this article. The article is on MSNBC.com here.

Let me know what you think. Any new features of Windows 7 that you are happy to see?

Windows 7 – Will You Upgrade?

October 14, 2009 in Windows 7 | Comments closed

In about a week (Oct 22, to be exact), the world will officially be able to procure the latest revision of Windows, Microsoft Windows 7, from their favorite retailer or VAR. Windows 7 touts many new and improved features over its predecessor, Windows Vista, but is the upgrade compelling enough to get YOU to make the switch? Microsoft has brought several versions of the new OS to the market, outlined here in an article on Wikipedia. The primary editions most users will see are Windows 7 Home Premium, Professional and Ultimate. Full features of all editions will be included in each installation, with users able to “upgrade” their version from Home Premium to Professional, for example, by purchasing an “Anytime Upgrade” on line and entering the key provided to unlock the additional features.

Here are a list of my impressions of Windows 7. I’ll leave it to you to decide if they move you to upgrade.

The interface is much cleaner than Vista.
It includes a much improved desktop and window management interface including snap-to docking, jump lists and a new taskbar that allows one to change the order of windows and group them.
Easier home networking setup and improved features (between Windows 7 machines)
Built in troubleshooting, including Problem Steps Recorder, a feature that allows you to record each and every step to recreate a problem so your support provider can follow along easily without you having to remember everything you did.
Improved hardware support, including touch screens and automatic device driver installation.
Faster boot and shut down times, and much improved security
Granular control over UAC (User Account Control), allowing you to control its level of interruption from normal to off completely.

Now, I need to vent a bit about what I consider to be the biggest issue with Window 7. Upgrades are a pain. Users running Windows Vista (Not that there are many of those in the business world) do an in place upgrade to a commensurate version of Windows 7 (Ultimate to Ultimate, etc). Users running Windows XP (and those Vista users wanting to downgrade, like from Ultimate to Professional) need to do a custom upgrade, which basically means a clean installation. Not a big deal, right? Wrong. Before running a custom upgrade, make sure your data is backed up and you have copies (with license keys) of all the software applications on your computer, because they all need to be reinstalled manually. Make sure you have copies of any downloaded software as well, since this is sometimes easy to overlook. You will then need to restore your data from backup to get back to the point you are ready to begin using the computer again. While this is good for me, as a professional IT guy, it does make it a bit of a hassle for home users to upgrade their systems. Bottom line here is make sure you are ready before you start the upgrade.

So what about it, are you going to upgrade? What about Windows 7 do you find compelling? What do you hate? Let me know and I’ll maybe write about some of the responses I get in a future post.

[polldaddy poll=2120922]

A Great Tool for Outlook

October 9, 2009 in Email | Comments closed

If you are like me, your Outlook is probably open all day long, and you are an active participant on many networking sites such as LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, and Hoovers. What if I told you there was a tool that could connect those sites to your email inbox. What if I said you could see your contact updates all from within Outlook? What if that same tool provided lightning fast search of your email and exchanged files across all folders? Would you be interested in hearing more? Would you believe me if I told you that same tool would also show you your contact’s network and organize your messages by conversation automatically? That tool exists, and best of all it’s FREE.

I started using Xobni about 4 months ago, and it has revolutionized how productive I am in Outlook. It provides search results quicker than I can type. I recently needed to find some historical emails from over a year ago and was not having much luck finding them manually, despite my organized folder structure. I typed a couple of phrases into the Xobni search bar, and the messages appeared in the results list before I finished typing! I figure it saved me at least 10 minutes of looking in this case alone.

One of my favorite features is the way it searched the internet for information about the people who send me email. I get links to their LinkedIn profile, their Facebook page, their Twitter feed, as well as automatic phone number extraction and the ability to use Skype to call them directly from the program. When an email is selected, it also shows all other emails from that person, the network connections we have in common, and a list of all files exchanged between us. It has revolutionized the way I use email.

To check it out, head on over to their website and check it out. I use the free version and find it to be adequate for my needs. It is limited to use with one PST (mailbox)file. They do offer a paid version as well, that adds some advanced functionality, including the ability to work across multiple mailboxes. If you download it, let me know what you think.

Tags: contact manager, Email, organization

Free Antivirus Software from Microsoft

October 6, 2009 in Uncategorized | Comments closed

I recently completed testing of Microsoft Security Essentials, a new FREE antivirus program from the folks in Redmond. The program is designed to protect Windows based computers against viruses, spyware, trojans, and rootkits. I found the program easy to install and very intuitive to use with minimal impact on system resources. An important thing to me is how much a scan affects system performance. I literally could not tell when Microsoft Security Essentials was running on my system. The program indicates its status by a system tray icon that is green when all is well, or red if something is amiss.

Rather than reinvent the wheel, I found a good review of the program along with screenshots over at ARS Technica. Their review is thorough and to the point. While the program does not include a number of add-ons you might see with some of the paid commercial security suites, it does a good job of what it is designed to do. My bottom line is the program is a good tool for home or SOHO users currently using a free anti-virus program or that do not need a lot of additional features. It is NOT a suitable substitute for most business environments as the management capabilities are limited. I have posted a link to the download on my tools page for those who want to give it a try.

Tags: anti-virus, microsoft, rootkit, security essentials, spyware, trojan

Fake Anti-Virus Software

September 30, 2009 in anti-virus 2009, malware, trojan, virus | 4 comments

Yesterday I got a call from one of my clients that she thought her laptop might have gotten a virus. She went on to describe that she had been on a relatively trustworthy, well known web-site, when a popup window appeared that looked a lot like a standard anti-virus screen. This window indicated her system was infected with malware. It then began to download something. The client immediately unplugged the network cable on her machine, and called us. Her actions prevented a major infestation by a diabolical piece of malware known as Anti-Virus 2009.

The malware (I call ‘em as I see them) has been around in many forms for a while, but it has gotten much more sophisticated over the years. Most versions of this software have some things in common:

They appear as a popup that indicates your system is infected with a virus or malware.
They install a trojan on your system when you click a link that looks like it will take you to a legitimate anti-virus site.
The trojan will persistently warn you of infections, and ask you to upgrade your software to remove infections.
The malware is extremely difficult to remove once installed.

My client did the right thing here, she disconnected from the internet at the first sign of something nefarious, and she called us immediately. We were able to get rid of the malware before the malware became so hooked into her operating system that it would be very difficult to remove completely.

If you do come across this malware on the internet, do not click anything in the window that pops up. Just disconnect from the internet and call your I.T. guru. Remember, you just have to visit an infected web site to get this infection, that is why it’s important to keep your anti-virus software up to date, and also run an occasional malware scan on your system.

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