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“Internet Register Ireland” Scam

 Business Advice, Directory, Scam  1 Response »
Dec 312009
 

It’s not even the new year and I’ve already received two letters from internet register ireland for professional participants. Do not reply to these letters, THIS IS A SCAM.

This is a variation on the World Directory Scam. You are being asked to pay a recurring annual charge of €958 to participate in an Internet directory that has no real value.

The company is registered in Germany and the gray letters are posted from Hong Kong.

Morning After Pill for PC’s ?

 Buying Computers, Security, Virus  No Responses »
Dec 222009
 

Sorry but there is no Morning After Pill for PC’s. So for all those people who receive computers as presents for Christmas, if your PC gets infected with a Computer Virus it is not necessarily an easy job to get rid of the virus and clean up your PC (not to mention the cost of getting somebody to do it for you).

So as they say Prevention is Better than Cure. If your new PC comes with Anti Virus software, then make sure to enable it. If the computer has no Anti Virus software then the VERY FIRST THING you should do when you connect to the Internet is to install Anti Virus software.

Here is a site reviewing the most popular Anti Virus Programs. I personally use Nod32 from ESET but any of the top 10 reviewed would be fine.

Have a great and safe computing time over the holidays.

Practical tips to keep your children safe while on the Internet

 A How to Guide, Child Safety, Children, Computers, Internet, Security  No Responses »
Dec 212009
 

While Glasgorman Computer Services primarily deal with business users, I often get asked questions about how safe the Internet is and as the father of three teenagers I am always very conscious of the risks that the Internet can pose to our children.

One of the biggest risks children face is the approach to and lack of knowledge of parents to the real dangers of the internet. Now don’t get me wrong, I am one of the biggest fans of the internet and all my children go online daily. When used correctly the Internet is a fantastic resource and represents tremendous opportunities for our children into the future, but there are risks and by taking a few simple, common sense steps, we can eliminate a lot of the risks.

For a lot of parents they think their children are safe and secure when they are in the house as opposed to when they are out on the streets, but they fail to realise that via the broadband connection in the house they can potentially be exposed to many more dangers.

Here are some simple precautions that you can take to protect your children;

  • Don’t let your children use the Internet in their bedrooms. If the computer is located in a public space then your children are much less likely to try and access questionable sites.
  • If you have young children, then I would recommended using some parental control software such as Net Nanny. It’s not that ten year olds are going to look up porn on Google, but sometimes an innocent search can produce questionable results.
  • Educate yourself about the Internet. If you feel that all this computer stuff is too complicated then do a course. There are evening computer courses in every town and ECDL courses are widely available.
  • Talk to your children, ask them about BEBO, Facebook, MSN etc.. and get them to show you how it works. Better still get an account for yourself and see first hand how it works.

There are also some good guides and programs in secondary schools that give some Good practical advice like Teen Safe Computing and childwatch.ie

I also came across an article in the Irish Examiner which said that primary way kids are being bullied  is not face to face but is through social networks such as BEBO and Facebook, so it’s in your interest to find out more.

Chitty Chitty Bang Bang or a bit of Computer Systems Housekeeping.

 Business Advice, Computers, Maintenance  No Responses »
Dec 162009
 

We all know how it goes, Christmas Day – Eat and Drink way too much. Stephen’s Day – Recover with Turkey Curry. Sunday – Get real energetic and climb Croghan Mountain. So on Monday instead of watching Chitty Chitty Bang Bang or The Sound Of Music for the 150th time, why not do little bit of housekeeping on computer systems in preparation for 2010.

  1. Have a look at the data you are storing and get rid of the rubbish. At least 50% (often 80%) of the data stored on your business computers is useless, out-of-date, drafts or duplicates. Remember you are paying good money to store and backup this data. If you haven’t looked for it in six months, then archive it.
  2. Do a little bit of reorganisation of your files and data. A huge amount of time is wasted trying to find files, having multiple versions of files or reediting files because you couldn’t find the latest version. Like a manual file system it doesn’t really matter what system you use, just that there is a system and everyone sticks to it.
  3. Finally before you head into 2010 with all guns blazing, please take a master backup of your main systems (accounts, payroll or whatever your key system is) BEFORE you do your Year-End Routines. It’s so much easier to deal with problems if you have a backup from before you hit the Submit Button.

It’s so much easier to get these things done when the phone is not ringing and you’ll be heading into 2010 with your desk and systems cleared of the rubbish from 2009. “Onwards and Upwards” as they say, whoever they are.

Passwords Are Like Underware!

 Security  No Responses »
Dec 152009
 

Passwords are like underwear….Change yours often.

Passwords are like underwear…. Don’t share them with friends.

Passwords are like underwear….The longer the better.

Passwords are like underwear……Be Mysterious.

Passwords are like underwear……Don’t leave yours lying around.

Came across this at the University of Wyoming. Well worth reading.

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