Since we frequently fix computers that have been infected with malware and other junk, we have a lot of opportunities to figure out just why a computer is infected. One reason is from downloading "free" stuff online: free music, free movies, free software, free games, free adult content, etc. Beware: "Free" stuff like that often comes with a costly price tag--it comes delivered to you with malware, and/or potentially unwanted programs. Simply put, free options online are often not free at all. These programs are usually paid for by the inclusion of advertising into their operation.

Music/Movies/Software
Sharing music, movies and software online is illegal in most cases unless it has been released by the owner to the public domain. Illegal file sharing is usually done via Bit Torrent software (such as Limewire, Frostwire, Bearshare) that downloads the content from other computers via a file sharing site. These programs aren’t illegal themselves, but can be used to access copyrighted content.
People on the Internet upload files to websites (like ThePirateBay or IsoHunt) for other people to download. This is illegal because when you purchase a CD or DVD your rights to that product are for your personal use. In the case of software, you get a license to use that program, but it cannot be “shared” with other people. The risk of infection can come from ads that are hosted on the site, files that have been infected by the people uploading them (the uploader got them from who knows where, or perhaps infected them on purpose) or from security lapses in the website itself. So not only is file sharing potentially illegal, it is also unhealthy for your computer and potentially for yourself. The courts are increasingly aggressive in prosecuting people that download files illegally. 

Music
Don’t download music from just any source. Pandora, Spotify and iHeart Radio offer free radio-type options and many services let you make a playlist of your favorite songs. These sites run ads which pay for free music use, but they also offer ad-free listening with paid subscriptions. This is one way you can listen to music you like without compromising your computer. As always, ignore the ads. If you prefer to purchase albums or songs, use a program like iTunes, GooglePlay or Amazon. Not only are these methods safer, you also support the artists who make the music. Most traditional radio stations are also available online. This is great because you can listen to those old stations from back home and broaden your listening pleasure! I enjoy listening to jazz stations in California (http://www.kjazz.org/), blues stations in Chicago (https://wdcb.org/) and even polkas in Appleton (http://www.wrjqradio.com/).

Movies
Some sites or apps let you stream new movies for free. These are often films playing at the box office, so you might be tempted to skip the theater and watch from home. Unfortunately, most of the time these movies have either been recorded (illegally) by someone who has gone to the theater; these are called “cams” and are poor quality. Other times there are DVD “rips” from other countries where the movie opened first. Sites like this are packed with malicious content and frequently change their address as the authorities attempt to shut them down. If you want to watch a movie, check out your local library, Redbox, Netflix, or Amazon Prime. If the film is in theaters, support your local community and see it in a theater! Movie dates can be lots of fun and don’t have to be expensive. Our favorite place is The Stanley Theater, check them out at https://stanleymovietheater.com/.

Be sure to check back next week for Part 2!

If your hard drive is going bad, chances are strange things are happening and you’re a little panicked. It’s where you put your digital memories, your household files and maybe that thesis you’ve been working on for months. As far as you’re concerned, that hard drive IS the computer and failure is not an option. Perhaps it was overheated, knocked around or came from the factory with a flaw.
Sorry to say, but eventually all hard drives will fail. So how do you know if it’s definitely the drive and what should you do?

Start by Watching For These Signs:
Computer slowing down: Because most hard drives contain moving parts, the slower it gets, the slower your computer gets. It’s a bit like a record player, with spinning plates and a needle whipping from side to side. Your hard drive may eventually take longer to spin up and longer to retrieve files, which will have an impact on everything from booting up to playing games. 

Blue Screen of Death:
 classic Windows error, this is when your computer locks up to only show a blue screen with an error code, which while it does mean something specific has gone wrong, can always be translated loosely to ‘nope, not today’. The more often your computer does this, the more severe the problem is.

Not Booting Up:
During the initial bootup stage, your computer is loading a program stored on the hard drive – it’s your operating system. If some of the files have a problem or can’t be found, Windows won’t boot. Errors vary, but the outcome is the same.

Corrupted Files:
Sometimes a file won’t open because the computer says it is corrupted. Some essential pieces of the file are missing, and unlike a book where a missing page is only inconvenient, it’s a deal breaker for computer files.

Noises: You’re familiar with the normal noises your computer makes, but as the hard drive fails the noises can change. You might hear clicking, grinding or even a sci-fi phaser noise. Noises will get louder or speed up during heavy file access.
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Whenever something is clearly wrong, the key is to stop and turn your computer off. Continued use can result in more data loss. Even if you don’t have a backup yet, turn it off now because the large task of backing up can cause extra strain on an already delicate hard drive. It’s tempting to hurry and try to get a quick copy of your files, but in these cases, it’s not about time – it’s about the extra spinning, scratching, warping and electrical charge, all dissolving your precious data with each access.
 
Bring it to us and we’ll do all we can to retrieve your data. Call us at 715-255-0325

Wi-Fi has forever changed the way we live, work and play. We can surf the Internet on the couch or by the pool, look up a recipe in an instant, and even connect our lights to voice control. It’s no wonder it was accepted with open arms, but is your Wi-Fi as good as it needs to be?

10 years after Wi-Fi first made its way into homes with those mysterious rabbit-eared boxes, it’s evolved into a juggernaut of speed and accessibility that we can’t do without. Think about how many wireless devices your home has - the average home has at least 10 devices connected wirelessly to the Internet, many have more.

While older devices are typically happy with a slice of slow Internet, your newer devices like 4kTVs and media streaming simply can’t function without fast Internet. Add in a game console, tablet, a few smartphones and a laptop or two, and your Wi-Fi is suddenly stretched beyond full capacity and struggling to keep up. Yet, most people don’t know how fast their Wi-Fi is, or if it’s working right– they only know how many bars they’ve got.  Unfortunately, counting bars can add up to one big headache. Here’s why relying on your Wi-Fi bar count might be ruining your Internet experience:

Bars Measure the Wrong Thing: While it’s great to know you’ve got a ‘strong’ signal, it would be even better if you could have a ‘fast and available’ signal.  The Internet connection could actually be down and you’d still have full bars because it’s really only measuring how close to the Wi-Fi router you are. That proximity measure doesn’t take into account how many devices are fighting for the same bandwidth or whether there’s any left for you. We can ensure your Wi-Fi isn’t just available, it’s up to the task.

Wi-Fi Goes Sideways: While next-door’s Wi-Fi can reach the back of their property, it can also go a similar distance sideways into your house. This extra ‘noise’ can disrupt and slow down your own Wi-Fi. In dense areas, your Wi-Fi is basically getting lost in a swirling field of signals, all using the same channel and frequency. It’s a digital crowd which can seriously slow your speeds.   We can fix this by changing your Wi-Fi channel to one with less cross-talk.

Everyone Uses the Default Settings: Most home Wi-Fi uses a 2.4ghz frequency by default. While it makes a plug & play router easy to set up, it does mean you’re not getting the speeds you could be. Switching to the 5ghz frequency means your Wi-Fi is separated from the neighborhood cross-talk. 5ghz is also considerably faster, which is a bonus. We can help you upgrade to a 5Ghz-capable router or switch your existing frequency.

Priority Isn’t Set: While not Wi-Fi specific, we can also set up "Quality of Service" if your router supports it or supply you with one that does. This allows things like Netflix and Skype calls to always take priority and remain uninterrupted over less important tasks like downloads. You’ll be able to watch movies without those awful buffering jumps and video chat without freezing.
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Is your home network not keeping up? Give us a call at 715-255-0325 and we can improve your Internet experience.

Remember how well your computer ran when you first brought it home? It was booting so fast, files were whizzing around at light speed, and no matter how many tabs you had open, nothing was slowing that baby down. It was spotless, inside and out. Then one day you turned it on and everything was so slooooow, taking forever to do anything – and that was only if you could even find your files in all the clutter. All that zip and speed you loved so much was gone.
The good news is you probably DON’T need a new computer, you simply need what we call a "format and reload" to:

Clear the Clutter: Over time as you install applications you collect icons, files and options everywhere. They’re not necessary, they’re not used, but they were installed automatically ‘just in case’. It’s a bit like when your overnight guest shows up with a massive suitcase and then claims a shelf in your bathroom. Those applications are making themselves at home in a big way! All that uninvited clutter is slowing your system down and making it hard for you to find the things you need. Simply put, it’s a mess. Our technicians can clean your system back to pristine in no time.

Beat Viral Overload: Is the virus really gone? Sometimes a virus has multiple layers and can bury itself so deep even your anti-virus doesn’t see it. Despite getting the all-clear from your anti-virus, you might also be seeing the damage from the infection. Perhaps the virus made a mess of your internal file structure, left pieces of code all over the place, or deleted files essential for smooth running. When an infection has been cleared but the system is still running slow, we recommend dropping it into our store asap for a check-up and refresh.

Assess Incompatible Software: Installing a new piece of software can sometimes produce unexpected results. While your system met the hardware and operating system requirements, maybe it’s simply not playing nice with your other applications. Maybe they’re fighting over the same resources, system files, or clashing with one of your hardware components. Clearly, something isn’t quite right, but you’re not sure what. Our team loves to play detective and get your system back to normal.

Archive Older Files: Some of your files are definite keepers, long term. Your photos, recipes, accounts etc., they’re all important to keep – but are they important to keep sitting on your desktop? They’re not just slowing your computer down, you’re at risk of losing them in a crash. It’s much safer to archive them to an external drive or cloud storage, simply let us know what you’d like to keep.
What exactly is a computer refresh? It’s like a car tune-up, but more flexible. Rather than tick the boxes saying we’ve changed the oil, cleaned the filters etc., we treat each computer as a unique case. Sometimes we can tune it up in a few minutes, and that’s all it needed. Sometimes it’s worth starting over like day 1.

We can reinstall Windows and migrate your data (photos, docs, emails, bookmarks, etc), putting back only what you WANT to keep. The rest of the clutter that built up over time or piggy-backed on a virus gets flushed away. We can also set up your email and install any devices you need, like printers. It’s doing whatever is necessary to give you a fresh start with your computer, but keeping the essentials.

Upgrade Time?
This is also the perfect time to consider upgrading to a SSD. If your computer is still using a traditional, platter hard disk drive, consider upgrading to a solid-state drive. Not only does your computer get a fresh start, but you’ll also get a significant performance boost. It’s like adding a turbo to your car!
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Ready to get back up to speed? Give us a call at 715-255-0325