tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-63776179320636416502024-03-21T22:09:16.510-07:00Learn what tech companies don't want you to know!This blog is all about helping consumers avoid getting exploited by tech companies. Computer help and advice from me, Hollywood PC doc Don Myers. I'm here to "just make it work". I don't fix things I sell peace of mind and I've been doing it since 1997.
For more go to <a href="http://www.wehocomputerrepair.com">WehoComputerRepair.com</a>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15303196250759682326noreply@blogger.comBlogger29125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6377617932063641650.post-83261461664414029452018-12-13T12:31:00.002-08:002018-12-13T12:33:16.995-08:00NYT on surviving our own digital tech and the (selfish) companies that push it on us<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2018/12/12/technology/personaltech/ethical-tech-consumer.html" target="_blank">NYT ARTICLE CLICK HERE</a>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15303196250759682326noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6377617932063641650.post-57315481639746650352018-10-05T10:47:00.003-07:002018-10-05T10:47:35.400-07:00DON'T LOG INTO WEBSITES USING FACEBOOK - YOU ARE HACKED!<div class="" data-block="true" data-editor="bsvf2" data-offset-key="8em68-0-0" style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; white-space: pre-wrap;">
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<span data-offset-key="2654a-0-0" style="font-family: inherit;">I have made no secret at http://wehocomputerrepair.com that I hate Facebook for many reasons, not the least of which is they want to know all about you so they can sell that info. One way they learn about you is by helping you log onto other websites. Gee passwords are such a pain are they not? Facebook can help by storing your passwords for all those sites.</span></div>
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<span data-offset-key="1cgfa-0-0" style="font-family: inherit;">That way, when Facebook gets hacked (as they just have) you lose your security at dozens of websites not just FB! You just gave away your internet master key! Fifty million accounts were compromised over 11 days as FB programmers watched almost helplessly. </span></div>
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<span data-offset-key="dqatq-0-0" style="font-family: inherit;">CNN EXPLAINS: Things could get very ugly. The hackers could be trolls who decide to post a database of millions of people's private messages online for everyone to read. They could be Russian intelligence, gathering information from politicians' personal accounts and then sitting on it until just the right moment to wreak havoc on the midterm or 2020 elections. They could be blackmailers, combing through the messages of high-value targets like politicians, government officials, and wealthy individuals.</span></div>
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<span data-offset-key="ake4a-0-0" style="font-family: inherit;">Unfortunately you just gotta make up a lot of passwords and write them down in a secure place. Don't save a file on your computer called "passwords" call it something else. </span></div>
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<span data-offset-key="34e7v-0-0" style="font-family: inherit;">MORE ON THE BREACH: https://www.wired.com/story/facebook-hack-single-sign-on-data-exposed/</span></div>
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<span data-offset-key="69op5-0-0" style="font-family: inherit;">For more check out my blog at http://wehocomputerrepair.com/blog_posts_main.htm</span></div>
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<span data-offset-key="5efcd-0-0" style="font-family: inherit;">Why Facebook is evil by John Oliver at Last Week Tonight: https://youtu.be/OjPYmEZxACM</span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15303196250759682326noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6377617932063641650.post-39311713320252207902018-09-20T11:14:00.002-07:002018-09-20T11:14:56.492-07:00Robocalls are driving me nuts - how about you?<div class="" data-block="true" data-editor="8nje4" data-offset-key="3t413-0-0" style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; white-space: pre-wrap;">
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<span data-offset-key="3t413-0-0" style="font-family: inherit;">Are junk phone calls driving you crazy? At http://wehocomputerrepair.com my contact info is public information and boy do losers in India know it! Almost every morning this week my phone has been ringing every ten minutes with spam calls. Sometimes it is a recording and sometimes a live Indian.</span></div>
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<span data-offset-key="ag6ch-0-0" style="font-family: inherit;">What can you do?</span></div>
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<span data-offset-key="63hrf-0-0" style="font-family: inherit;">1. Forget government help. The do not call list is pointless.</span></div>
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<span data-offset-key="b0jur-0-0" style="font-family: inherit;">2. If you get a live Indian be sure to talk like Apu on the Simpsons and be really insulting before you hang up.</span></div>
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<span data-offset-key="cl6au-0-0" style="font-family: inherit;">3. Fight tech with tech - go to the apple store or the google play store and download a "call blocking" program. I use "should I answer" and it is very helpful. Only by reporting these calls to a database can this be stopped.</span></div>
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<span data-offset-key="3o5e1-0-0" style="font-family: inherit;">Unfortunately the US invention of the internet and mobile phones is now being used against us by third world losers who can make phone calls at almost no cost.</span></div>
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<span data-offset-key="9qalj-0-0" style="font-family: inherit;">For more tech help see my blog at http://wehocomputerrepair.com/blog_posts_main.htm</span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15303196250759682326noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6377617932063641650.post-38368865544590652352018-08-20T13:01:00.000-07:002018-08-20T13:01:21.572-07:00August is the best time to buy a new computer<div class="" data-block="true" data-editor="5hevs" data-offset-key="d54ki-0-0" style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; white-space: pre-wrap;">
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<span data-offset-key="d54ki-0-0" style="font-family: inherit;">Need a new computer? Get it now! Take it from me, Don Myers, proprietor of West Hwd Computer Repair. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">August/Sept. is the best time to get a new computer thanks to back to school deals. Otherwise wait till Feb. for after Xmas sales. In Weho you can try shopping at Best Buy or Target, but I recommend Frys Electronics for the best prices and selection. And the craziest store decor, as you can see by the photo below.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">For more help shopping for tech and saving $$$ in SoCal check my blog post: </span><a href="http://wehocomputerrepair.com/computer_shopping_west_hollywood.htm" style="font-family: inherit;" target="_blank">http://wehocomputerrepair.com/computer_shopping_west_hollywood.htm</a></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15303196250759682326noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6377617932063641650.post-48531969620719618422018-06-25T09:24:00.001-07:002018-06-25T09:25:38.746-07:00For new Mac laptop owners with bad keyboards<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Apple has publicly acknowledged that the butterfly switch keyboards in some MacBook and MacBook Pro computers have given consumers some trouble, and it has launched a new repair service program that promises to fix problems with those keyboards for <span style="color: red;">free</span>, regardless of whether the consumer purchased AppleCare.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>SYMPTOMS</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Repeating letters</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Non-appearing letters</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Keys feel sticky or don't respond</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>MODELS AFFECTED</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">MacBook (Retina, 12-inch, Early 2015)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">MacBook (Retina, 12-inch, Early 2016)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">MacBook (Retina, 12-inch, 2017)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">MacBook Pro (13-inch, 2016, Two Thunderbolt 3 Ports)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">MacBook Pro (13-inch, 2017, Two Thunderbolt 3 Ports)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">MacBook Pro (13-inch, 2016, Four Thunderbolt 3 Ports)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">MacBook Pro (13-inch, 2017, Four Thunderbolt 3 Ports)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">MacBook Pro (15-inch, 2016)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">MacBook Pro (15-inch, 2017)</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Mac laptops are difficult to open or repair on purpose so to fix a single broken key the whole thing must be disassembled and the entire keyboard replaced (at minimum).</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Apple, famous for price gouging, rarely does anything for FREE. I recommend anyone who owns the models listed above to contact the local Apple store and make an appointment to have their keyboard replaced whether it is faulty or not.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">For more tech help see my website: <a href="http://wehocomputerrepair.com/blog_posts_main.htm" target="_blank">http://wehocomputerrepair.com/blog_posts_main.htm</a></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15303196250759682326noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6377617932063641650.post-67044047727606409172018-06-06T13:20:00.001-07:002018-06-06T13:30:21.824-07:00FBI WARNS: REBOOT YOUR ROUTER TO STOP RUSSIAN HACKERS<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghDOHH8-hY0piUM2oy_4c6cvSDyiPX-eTtmKHe3nBgTIAGm9KurRI30jVav4FlswXLdSro67isS3L5_3ODKs6POjIPZ5jRhjmszTCh6xYY4RqH4QhEfJfN0eSP_gM8HEUHTRitPYA5jxU/s1600/reboot.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white;"><img border="0" data-original-height="221" data-original-width="457" height="154" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghDOHH8-hY0piUM2oy_4c6cvSDyiPX-eTtmKHe3nBgTIAGm9KurRI30jVav4FlswXLdSro67isS3L5_3ODKs6POjIPZ5jRhjmszTCh6xYY4RqH4QhEfJfN0eSP_gM8HEUHTRitPYA5jxU/s320/reboot.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></div>
<span style="background-color: black; color: white;"><span style="font-family: "opensans"; font-size: 15px;"><br /></span>
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<span style="font-family: "opensans"; font-size: 15px;">At<a href="http://wehocomputerrepair.com/" target="_blank"> http://wehocomputerrepair.com</a> I want my customers to be on alert for a new security threat.</span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: black; color: white;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: "opensans"; font-size: 15px;">The FBI is advising users of consumer-grade routers and network-attached storage devices to reboot them as soon as possible to counter Russian-engineered malware that has infected hundreds of thousands devices.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: black; color: white;"><br />
<span style="font-family: "opensans"; font-size: 15px;">Known as VPNFilter, the malware allowed attackers to collect communications, launch attacks on others, and permanently destroy the devices with a single command. The report said the malware was developed by hackers working for an advanced nation, possibly Russia, and advised users of affected router models to perform a factory reset, or at a minimum to reboot.</span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: black; color: white;"><span style="font-family: "opensans"; font-size: 15px;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "opensans"; font-size: 15px;">Unfortunately many people don't know what a router is or where it is in your home. FIND IT. It is the box you got from your cable or phone company that brings the internet into your home.</span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: black; color: white;"><span style="font-family: "opensans"; font-size: 15px;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "opensans"; font-size: 15px;">1. Pull out the power cord.</span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: "opensans"; font-size: 15px;">2. Wait 20 seconds.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: "opensans"; font-size: 15px;">3. Plug it back in.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "opensans"; font-size: 15px;">It may take up to five minutes to come back online.</span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: black; color: white;"><span style="font-family: "opensans"; font-size: 15px;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "opensans"; font-size: 15px;">If you do not do this the virus could:</span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: black; color: white;"><span style="font-family: "opensans"; font-size: 15px;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "opensans"; font-size: 15px;">1. Slow your net connection</span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: "opensans"; font-size: 15px;">2. Attack another computer on the internet</span><br />
<span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: "opensans"; font-size: 15px;">3. Read or manipulate EVERYTHING going in and out of it</span><br />
<span style="background-color: black; color: white;"><span style="font-family: "opensans"; font-size: 15px;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "opensans"; font-size: 15px;">That means it could watch everything you do and send false information to you, such as fooling you into thinking your banking website has a false amount of money in an account vs. the true amount.</span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: black; color: white;"><span style="font-family: "opensans"; font-size: 15px;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "opensans"; font-size: 15px;">Best of all is to reset your router completely to factory settings, but that would also reset all wireless networks and passwords, and most people don't know how to deal with this.</span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: black; color: white;"><span style="font-family: "opensans"; font-size: 15px;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "opensans"; font-size: 15px;">FOR MORE: </span><span style="font-family: "opensans";"><span style="font-size: 15px;"><a href="https://arstechnica.com/information-technology/2018/05/fbi-tells-router-users-to-reboot-now-to-kill-malware-infecting-500k-devices/">https://arstechnica.com/information-technology/2018/05/fbi-tells-router-users-to-reboot-now-to-kill-malware-infecting-500k-devices/</a></span></span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: black; color: white;"><span style="font-family: "opensans";"><span style="font-size: 15px;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: "opensans";"><span style="font-size: 15px;">For more tech tips go to my blog at <a href="http://wehocomputerrepair.com/blog_posts_main.htm">http://wehocomputerrepair.com/blog_posts_main.htm</a></span></span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "opensans"; font-size: 15px;"><br /></span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15303196250759682326noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6377617932063641650.post-17013801783309892972018-04-28T11:35:00.002-07:002018-04-28T11:35:54.397-07:00Laptop batteries CAN explode!<div class="" data-block="true" data-editor="8o220" data-offset-key="7f7ad-0-0" style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; white-space: pre-wrap;">
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<span data-offset-key="4qsc9-0-0" style="font-family: inherit;">LAPTOPS CAN EXPLODE! Leaving the battery in your laptop all the time while keeping it plugged into the wall all the time is bad! It won't overcharge but heat from the computer wears it out. And being 100% charged for years also wears it out. It is best, if you are actually using the battery, to keep it charged at 40%-80% at all times for longest life. </span></div>
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<span data-offset-key="1rfj3-0-0" style="font-family: inherit;">On rare occasions batteries have even exploded like the defective on in the video below. For more tech tips see my West Hollywood Computer Repair website http://wehocomputerrepair.com/blog_posts_main.htm/</span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15303196250759682326noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6377617932063641650.post-3429617000755166212018-01-12T10:25:00.002-08:002018-01-12T10:25:33.300-08:00Mac users infected with virus for THIRTEEN YEARS!https://arstechnica.com/information-technology/2018/01/man-charged-in-malware-mystery-that-allegedly-spied-on-mac-users-for-13-years/<br />
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MAC USERS GET VIRUSES TOO! Every mac user should use a virus checker even if they think they are safe. A "new" THRTEEN YEAR OLD Mac virus called "Fruitfly" has been spying on people. The virus author sat in Ohio monitoring people's behavior using "creepware!"<br />
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Prosecutors said defendant Phillip R. Durachinsky used the malware to surreptitiously turn on cameras and microphones, take and download screenshots, log keystrokes, and steal tax and medical records, photographs, Internet searches, and bank transactions. In some cases, Fruitfly alerted Durachinsky when victims typed words associated with porn. The suspect, in addition to allegedly targeting individuals, also allegedly infected computers belonging to police departments, schools, companies, and the federal government, including the US Department of Energy.<br />
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For more tech help see my blog at: http://wehocomputerrepair.com/blog_posts_main.htmAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15303196250759682326noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6377617932063641650.post-3177427322054367832018-01-09T14:39:00.001-08:002018-01-09T14:42:03.409-08:00Hewlett Packard laptop batteries keep exploding!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiocsp6KePQLMdpkwtWPvfmXQOdSvDx55druvak4u0XaNlcg5vR0R_SK-XQWIAMl8Vctw-aSMBMYR_JZj3oBbF6z901aFS_ac0uO1FYNZO8J4HcE6JR61qw_Dr5lcBIwkS8SpnLmJvjYFE/s1600/HP-Laptop-Recall-Notice.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="950" height="134" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiocsp6KePQLMdpkwtWPvfmXQOdSvDx55druvak4u0XaNlcg5vR0R_SK-XQWIAMl8Vctw-aSMBMYR_JZj3oBbF6z901aFS_ac0uO1FYNZO8J4HcE6JR61qw_Dr5lcBIwkS8SpnLmJvjYFE/s320/HP-Laptop-Recall-Notice.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Hewlett Packard is not the computer company it once was. Years of layoffs and budget cuts have taken their toll. Now these idiots are having to recall laptop batteries because they keep exploding!</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">The potentially affected batteries were shipped with specific HP ProBook (64x G2 and G3 series, 65x G2 and G3 series), HP x360 310 G2, HP ENVY m6, HP Pavilion x360, HP 11 Notebook Computers and HP ZBook (17 G3, 17 G4, and Studio G3) Mobile Workstations sold worldwide from December 2015 through December 2017.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">If you own one of the affected computers you can find more info on the recall here: <a href="http://www8.hp.com/us/en/hp-information/recalls.html" target="_blank">RECALL INFORMATION</a></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">For more help like this go to my tech blog at <a href="http://wehocomputerrepair.com/blog_posts_main.htm" target="_blank">TECH BLOG</a>.</span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15303196250759682326noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6377617932063641650.post-87530649971502516462018-01-05T08:35:00.000-08:002018-01-05T08:37:15.887-08:00Expensive screen cleaners are a rip off - just use vinegar!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgewe-PoPErivLSkZd1p7ame-egs09JWHA11ZNfgd8A8I4GvLTvU8H6EpRN6SEGQa5ZihQlUy4b5hUDeceaeeh_NK0EIppvhaMhX_vJh0KfIKD2omk8g_5MhYfQvtSHQn6DbzHB53onl5E/s1600/dont-use-chemical-cleaners.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="328" data-original-width="652" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgewe-PoPErivLSkZd1p7ame-egs09JWHA11ZNfgd8A8I4GvLTvU8H6EpRN6SEGQa5ZihQlUy4b5hUDeceaeeh_NK0EIppvhaMhX_vJh0KfIKD2omk8g_5MhYfQvtSHQn6DbzHB53onl5E/s400/dont-use-chemical-cleaners.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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Expensive screen cleaners for your laptops and TVs are a total rip off. They cost up to $20 a bottle and contain the same soap as in shampoos just watered way down. Instead, just mix a bit of white vinegar with water and it works just as well!</div>
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For more money saving tech tips go to http://www.wehocomputerrepair.com</div>
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15303196250759682326noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6377617932063641650.post-77446771726321659502017-12-27T13:16:00.000-08:002018-01-09T14:34:01.766-08:00Lawsuits against Apple piling up in wake of battery scandal with Iphones<a href="https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2017/12/days-after-iphone-battery-fiasco-lawsuits-against-apple-begin-to-mount/">CLICK HERE FOR STORY ON APPLE LAWSUIT</a> <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhltDSrXEpsQkM2UwTe7ZGtS17ilsV1XFT6CvRcG6UUQ5AUIQj-napetA5TCAcggJesVsd_ZCoCFSzUdXLFxKsRkLBWqpQFYN7L87mO-gFASgv3dNflg3l6NsgbnP04PYPX1hRsAENfssU/s1600/iphone_battery.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhltDSrXEpsQkM2UwTe7ZGtS17ilsV1XFT6CvRcG6UUQ5AUIQj-napetA5TCAcggJesVsd_ZCoCFSzUdXLFxKsRkLBWqpQFYN7L87mO-gFASgv3dNflg3l6NsgbnP04PYPX1hRsAENfssU/s320/iphone_battery.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
Apple is being sued left and right for deliberately slowing down older phones when the software is updated. Although there are good reasons for this they never told their customers why they did it. The bottom line: If you apple phone is running slow now just replace the battery. Unfortunately that is hard to do unless you work for the apple store.
For more tech help go to my blog at <a href="http://wehocomputerrepair.com/blog_posts_main.htm">MY BLOG POSTS</a>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15303196250759682326noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6377617932063641650.post-27036956565171685582017-12-27T13:12:00.001-08:002017-12-27T13:12:38.875-08:00Well well the gift giving season has brought lots of tech toys. Which need set up! And don't forget rechargeable batteries. http://www.WehoComputerRepair.com is your January jolt of tech handling. The Weho tech solution since 1998.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15303196250759682326noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6377617932063641650.post-3630058661842960072017-10-03T12:05:00.002-07:002017-10-03T12:05:44.585-07:00Horrible Experian hack now sucks in T-Mobile customersThe Experian Hack of 2017, in which millions lost all of their personal data to hackers, has now sucked in T-Mobile customers. The German telecom giant used Experian to do credit checks on its new customers. Now THEIR data has also been sucked up by hackers.
I am here to protect my clients, and potential clients, in West Hollywood and Beverly Hills. To find out if you have been affected by this data breach go here: <a href="https://trustedidpremier.com/eligibility/eligibility.html"></a>.
For more on dealing with hacks, phones and tech problems go to my blog: <a href="http://wehocomputerrepair.com/blog_posts_main.htm"></a>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15303196250759682326noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6377617932063641650.post-49195539558771663112017-10-03T11:22:00.003-07:002017-10-03T11:26:40.937-07:00My website is now cell phone/tablet friendly !At long last I finally re-wrote my website <a href="http://wehocomputerrepair.com">http://wehocomputerrepair.com</a> to be mobile friendly and look great on a phone. Now it's easer to find out about my services or even make a payment while you are not paying attention to your driving!Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15303196250759682326noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6377617932063641650.post-51278074387983021102017-07-11T13:43:00.000-07:002017-07-11T13:43:08.072-07:00THE HACKING OF U.S. CONTINUES AT NUKE PLANTSTHE HACKING OF U.S. CONTINUES AT NUKE PLANTS
https://www.nytimes.com/2017/07/06/technology/nuclear-plant-hack-report.html
For more on protecting yourself in the digital age check my website http://wehocomputerrepair.com/protecting_your_information.htmAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15303196250759682326noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6377617932063641650.post-12026967711320411122017-07-11T13:41:00.001-07:002017-07-11T13:41:34.659-07:00Recycle that junk West Hollywood!DUMP THAT JUNK! Recycle your e-waste and shred confidential docs in West Hollywood this July 29:
http://www.weho.org/city-hall/city-departments/public-works/environmental-services/document-shredding-and-e-waste-collection
Cell phones alone contain rare earth elements that terrorists in Africa use to fund their wars and environmental destruction. Every phone recycled means less power to those scumbags.
For more computer help and advice go to my blog at http://www.wehocomputerrepair.com//blog_posts_main.htmAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15303196250759682326noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6377617932063641650.post-78431730674779625952017-04-20T10:02:00.002-07:002017-04-20T10:02:41.260-07:00How to make cell phone batteries last all day!<center><link href="http://www.wehocomputerrepair.com/style_sheets.css" rel="stylesheet" type="text/css">
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<h1 class="title center" style="color: orange">MAKE YOUR CELL PHONE BATTERY LAST</h1>
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<br>
<img alt="look don't like warning" height="319" src="http://www.wehocomputerrepair.com/images/look_dont_like.jpg" width="218" style="float:left;margin:8px;">West Hollywood loves shallow things. Weho also loves its cell phones. Everyone is
relying on them, addicted to them, all
the time. City hall even bought signs telling pedestrians to
look up from their devices while crossing the street!
Seriously, multiple (often drunk) people have been hit at
crosswalks in West Hollywood, often because they were glued to
their phones. <br>
<br>With that kind of popularity keeping your gadget charged all day is now more important than
ever. Here are some tips:
<br><br>
1. Vibration: turn it off if possible. It's a huge power
eater.<br><br>2. GPS: Constantly monitoring your global position takes power
and prevents the phone from "sleeping" to save juice. Turn it on
to use Lyft or Uber, then turn it off again.<br><br>3. Opening and
closing apps: let apps you use often keep running. Don't close
and re-open them all day long. I'm looking at you, Grindr.<br><br>4. Constantly re-charging your
phone is better for it than letting the battery go to 0% before
re-charging. Topping off and constantly recharging is good.<br><br>5.
The Facebook app is huge drain on batteries even when you turn it
OFF. Uninstall it. <img alt="cell phone battery" height="319" src="http://www.wehocomputerrepair.com/images/cell_phone_battery.png" width="198" style="float:right;margin:8px"><br><br>6. Instagram also gobbles up battery power
and storage pre-loading images and videos. Uninstall it.<br><br>7.
Screen brightness: the lower you go the more power you save.<br><br>
8. Beat the heat: don't leave your phone in the hot sun or a locked
car. High temperatures ruin the battery over time. Air vents
should be dust free.<br><br>9. Basic Black Wallpaper: modern phones
with OLED screens use power slower showing black. Up to 18% less.
And it's easier on your eyes.<br><br>10. Ad-Blockers: an ad you block
is one less ad for your processor to display. Fortunately this
website does not show ads.<br>
<br>But I HATE AD BLOCKERS for my ad based websites. Don't kill
our ad revenue with blockers! I'm conflicted :(<br><br>For more consumer tech news go to
<a href="http://www.wehocomputerrepair.com">http://www.wehocomputerrepair.com</a></div>
<br>
<img alt="iphone with dead battery" height="262" src="http://www.wehocomputerrepair.com/images/iphone_battery_dead.png" width="512"style="margin:0px auto;display:block">
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15303196250759682326noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6377617932063641650.post-24700160894265745782017-03-10T10:02:00.001-08:002017-03-10T10:03:15.034-08:00Windows 10 - Microsoft's pushiest product ever!<link href="https://www.wehocomputerrepair.com/style_sheets.css" rel="stylesheet" type="text/css">
<link href="https://www.wehocomputerrepair.com/global_defaults.css" rel="stylesheet" type="text/css">
<h1 class="title center" style="color: orange">WINDOWS 10 THE PUSHIEST, MOST INVASIVE WINDOWS EVER!</h1>
<div class="body">
<div class="green_border_body" style="width: 98%">
<img alt="windows 10 logo" height="128" src="http://www.wehocomputerrepair.com/images/windows_10.png" style="float: left; padding: 8px" width="128">Windows
7 was Microsoft's last broadly popular version of its flagship
product, the Windows operating system. That is the version of
Windows most folks here in Hollywood or Beverly Hills use. Windows 8 was a mess,
Windows 9 does not exist, and we are now on Windows 10. Don't get me
started on how <a href="microsoft_ignores_its_customers.htm">stupid
these product names are</a>. Microsoft has a monopoly on the
Windows brand, and it is a big brand indeed. They can pressure
their customers because there really isn't another choice for a
program that runs a personal computer (sorry Apple fans your market
share is puny.)<br><br>
<img alt="1984 george orwell book cover" height="522" src="http://www.wehocomputerrepair.com/images/1984_book_cover.jpg" width="320" class="colored_border_shadowless" style="float:right">The
problem with Windows 10 is the staggering amount of spying and
manipulation it does. Not even the Church of Scientology does so
much spying! Some of this behavior can be turned off but you
have to make that effort yourself. By default Windows is set to
be maximum intrusive. That is because Microsoft GAVE AWAY millions of
free copies of Windows 10. If you aren't paying for a product
then you ARE the product.<br><br><strong style="font-size:larger;">SOME OF THE THINGS WINDOWS 10 DOES</strong><br><br>
• <strong> FORCED UPGRADING:</strong> During the period Win
10 was given away for free Win 8/7 owners were constantly pressured to
upgrade using some tactics that could be considered malware hacks.
My lawyer went to bed one night, woke up, and found that his two Win 7
PCs had magically upgraded themselves in the middle of the night to
Win 10. If you know what you are doing this upgrade can be
rolled back in minutes, but most people don't know how or even if they
should.<br><br>• <strong> LOGS EVERYTHING: </strong> It logs its
users time on Windows 10 but also their time using Microsoft Edge...
and gaming... and streaming games... and counting your search
queries... and every single time a user opens a photo. Read the
Windows 10 EULA (contract), privacy blogs and Error guides and you'd
have no idea your images were being tallied or your gaming sessions
logged and this separates it from rivals. At least Google, Facebook
and Apple admit when they are watching. Even your browser
history (where you go on the internet) and your keystrokes are being
watched. Microsoft claims this is to serve you better and make error
reporting more robust. Uh huh.<br><br>• <strong>INSTALLS
ANYTHING IT WANTS:</strong> By forcing updates on you and deliberately
not providing much info on what the update does it can pretty much put
anything on your PC. And, although updates can be delayed, you
can't prevent them from happening.<br><br>• <strong>DISPLAY
ADS IN THE START MENU</strong><br><br>• <strong>ANALYZES YOUR
PERSONAL DATA: </strong> Signing in with your Microsoft email account
means Windows is reading your emails, contacts and calendar data. The
new Edge browser serves you personalized ads. Solitaire now comes with
ads. Using Cortana – the voice-driven assistant that represents
Redmond’s answer to Apple’s Siri – reportedly plays fast and loose
with your data too. “We will access, disclose and preserve
personal data, including your content (such as the content of your
emails, other private communications or files in private folders),
when we have a good faith belief that doing so is necessary to.” <br>
<br>• <strong> CONSTANTLY TALKS TO MICROSOFT: </strong> Even with
all the intrusive features turned off as possible one researcher found
Win 10 constantly is talking on the internet. Eight hours later,
he found that a completely idle Windows 10 machine had tried over
5,500 connections to 93 different IP addresses. 4,000 of these were
Windows connections and 51 of the IP’s belonged to Microsoft. After
leaving the machine alone for 30 hours, Windows 10 attempted
connections to an additional 113 non-private IP addresses, which is
akin to placing a sign on your network saying “now open to main in the
middle (MiTM) attacks.” <br><br>• <strong> SPREADS ITS
PRIVACY SETTINGS ACROSS 13 DIFFERENT SCREENS</strong>: Just try
getting all your settings straight with THAT layout scheme. Was
this done on purpose to make it hard to turn off spying? Of course!<br><br>
For detailed instructions on how to deal with this spying and turn
most of it off read the "<a href="http://www.zdnet.com/article/how-to-secure-windows-10-the-paranoids-guide/" target="_blank">Paranoids
Guide to Windows 10</a>."<br><br>EXPERTS ONLY: For those who are
experts at computers (and being paranoid) use this
<a href="https://github.com/10se1ucgo/DisableWinTracking/releases" target="_blank">
utility to get even more control.</a><br> <br>For more go to <a href="http://www.wehocomputerrepair.com" target="_blank">MY WEBSITE</a></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15303196250759682326noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6377617932063641650.post-47138656694637761192017-01-19T16:17:00.002-08:002017-01-19T16:26:24.140-08:00BEST BUY'S 'GEEK SQUAD' LETS FBI CONDUCT WARRANTLESS SEARCHES<link href="https://www.wehocomputerrepair.com/style_sheets.css" rel="stylesheet" type="text/css">
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<h1 class="title center" style="color: orange">BEST BUY'S 'GEEK SQUAD' LETS FBI
CONDUCT WARRANTLESS SEARCHES</h1>
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<strong>JANUARY 2017:</strong> Best Buy's computer repair department
the "Geek Squad" (what an insulting name) has been in trouble over
the years as I <a href="problems_with_best_buy_geek_squad.htm">previously
detailed here</a>. Now they are in a really big scandal.
It all started in May 2016 at a kiddie porn trial. First let me say
KIDDIE PORN IS SICK, ILLEGAL AND WRONG! But that isn't the issue
here.<br><br>The case in question involves Dr. Mark Rettenmaier,
a gynecological oncologist in Orange County, California, who brought
his desktop in to a Best Buy for repairs in November 2011.
For some reason his computer was shipped to Kentucky (first in marijuana
farming last in in education spending). Why would anyone ship a computer
from CA to KY to be fixed? Just give it to me right here in West
Hollywood! A technician at Best Buy's repair facility in KY an image
of a naked prepubescent girl on a bed in a choke collar, then informed
his boss, who told the FBI. Both Best Buy employees received some
payment from the FBI, as did at least six others over four years,
court records show. <br><br>Rettenmaier's lawyer, James D. Riddet,
argues that the relationship between the FBI and the Geek Squad is
"so cozy" and extensive "it turns searches by Best Buy into government
searches." Court records show the "FBI and Best Buy made sure that
during the period from 2007 to the present, there was always at least
one supervisor who was an active informant," Riddet told<a href="http://www.ocweekly.com/news/best-buy-geek-squad-informant-use-has-fbi-on-defense-in-child-porn-case-7794252" target="_blank">
OC Weekly</a>. Riddet says agents conducted two additional
searches of the computer without obtaining necessary warrants, lied
to trick a federal magistrate judge into authorizing a search warrant,
then tried to cover up their misdeeds by initially hiding records.
<br><br>The defense in the child pornography trial alleged that the
FBI used a member of electronics retailer Best Buy's tech support
team, Geek Squad, to peer into the accused's computer on the hunt
for evidence of child pornography. Since then, the defense's lawyers
revealed that the FBI had cultivated at least eight of the company's
IT "geeks" over a four-year period to serve as confidential informants,
who all received some payment for turning over data. Obviously, this
raises serious questions about whether sending devices into the repair
shop forfeits a person's right to privacy or unreasonable search
and seizure. <br><br>The eight Geek Squad members in question worked
in the tech support branch's repair center in Brooks, Kentucky, servicing
items sent in from all over the country. Technically, <strong>users
sign consent to search over to Best Buy</strong> when they hand their
devices over to get fixed. This includes fine print indicating that
any evidence of child pornography would require the company to hand
the device over to authorities.<br><br>
<img alt="hard disk" height="253" src="http://www.wehocomputerrepair.com/images/hard_disk.png" style="float: right" width="320">But
if the FBI paid each of its informants to pass along evidence they'd
acquired in the course of their normal job, and plan to keep doing
so in future cases, wouldn't that make Best Buy's employees functional
agents of the bureau? A federal judge is allowing the case's defense
attorneys to explore that relationship between company and government
which functionally allowed the FBI to bypass the need for a warrant
or acquire specific consent to search. On the first day of the inquiry,
an FBI agent's testimony cast doubt on whether the initial image
found by the Geek Squad member and informant technically qualified
as child pornography to warrant bureau action. <br><br>Another problem
is that, in this case, the child pornography found was on the drive's
unallocated space, i.e. space that the file system is able to use
for new data, not capacity containing the files the customer wanted
preserved. Accessing files in unallocated space requires going above
and beyond the job the customer contracted for, as well as extra
software to recover deleted data. A Federal appeals court has ruled
that data in unallocated space is insufficient to prove that the
user knew of its existence. Finding files in unallocated space
is HARD and takes time and expertise. Apparently the Best Buy employees
were motivated by payouts from the FBI to snoop around.<br><br>"The
government concedes it presented no evidence that Flyer knew of the
presence of the files on the unallocated space of his Gateway computer's
hard drive," declared judges at the United States Court of Appeals
for the Ninth Circuit before overturning that conviction. "The government
also concedes it presented no evidence that Flyer had the forensic
software required to see or access the files. . . . Deletion of an
image alone does not support a conviction for knowing possession
of child pornography on or about a certain date within the meaning
of [federal law]. No evidence indicated that Flyer could recover
or view any of the charged images in unallocated space or that he
even knew of their presence there." <br><br>I don't know how information
can even be STORED on "unallocated space" and I'm a PC expert!
It's possible the image was saved in a strange place by malware or
a virus used to blackmail people.<br><br>But the biggest issue remains
whether Geek Squad technicians acted as secret law-enforcement agents
and, thus, violated Fourth Amendment prohibitions against warrantless
government searches. Riddet claims records show "FBI and Best Buy
made sure that during the period from 2007 to the present, there
was always at least one supervisor who was an active informant."
He also said, "The FBI appears to be able to access data at [Best
Buy's main repair facility in Brooks, Kentucky] whenever they want."
Calling the relationship between the agency and the Geek Squad relevant
to pretrial motions, Carney approved Riddet's request to question
agents under oath. <br><br>
<img alt="best buy fbi scandal" class="colored_border_shadowless" height="auto" src="http://www.wehocomputerrepair.com/images/best_buy_fbi_scandal.jpg" style="margin: 0px auto; display: block" width="480"><br>
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<h1 class="title_text">bEST BUY RESPONDS</h1>
<img alt="best buy logo" src="http://www.wehocomputerrepair.com/images/best-buy.png" style="float: left; height: 158px; width: auto; padding: 8px">
<div class="body">
Best Buy and Geek Squad have no relationship with the FBI. From time to
time, our repair agents discover material that may be child pornography,
and we have a legal and moral obligation to turn that material over to
law enforcement. We are proud of our policy and share it with our customers
before we begin any repair.<br><br>Any circumstances in which an employee
received payment from the FBI is the result of extremely poor individual
judgment is not something we tolerate and is certainly not a part of our
normal business behavior. <br><br>To be clear, our agents unintentionally
find child pornography as they try to make the repairs the customer is
paying for. They are not looking for it. Our policies prohibit agents
from doing anything other than what is necessary to solve the customer's
problem so that we can maintain their privacy and keep up with the volume
of repairs.</div>
<br></div>
For more on this story go here: <a href="http://www.wehocomputerrepair.com/geek_squad_fbi_searches.htm">Weho Computer Repair</a>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15303196250759682326noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6377617932063641650.post-15003161977689449002016-11-17T10:52:00.005-08:002016-11-17T11:11:30.560-08:00Why are Apple Computer devices so HARD to open?<link href="http://wehocomputerrepair.com/style_sheets.css" rel="stylesheet" type="text/css"></link>
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WHY APPLE PRODUCTS ARE HARD TO OPEN</h3>
<br />For more go to <a href="http://wehocomputerrepair.com/apple_computer_uses_its_customers.htm" target="_blank">my website.</a><br>
<img alt="proprietary apple screws" class="main_icon" src="http://www.wehocomputerrepair.com/images/weird_apple_screws.jpg"><br />
<div class="body">
Apple products are like a gated community while Windows computers
are so open they can be rambunctious and insecure. One is not
better than the other they are just different. Before
the invention of the Apple Store Apple's hardware was designed
to be easy to open. But once they controlled their own
repair facilities they began designing computers to deliberately
look great but be hard to open. This also stabbed long
time mom and pop Apple authorized repair centers in the
back. Now you need to take it to the Apple store for
service. Just check the bottom of one of their beautiful
laptops. It is great looking smooth aluminum. No
ugly screws to make it easy to open! Apple invented
something called a "pentalobe" screwdriver to make their
products tamper resistant. Yes, they invented their
own screwing system to screw the consumer. For a year Apple
had a monopoly on a screwdriver!<br />
<br />
Pentalobe screws
have been used by Apple since 2009, when they were first
implemented in the 15-inch MacBook Pro. They have since been
used on other MacBook Pro, MacBook Air and iPhone models.
Apple attracted criticism upon the introduction of the
pentalobe screw; it was seen as an attempt to lock
individuals out of their devices. If brought in to an Apple
Store for repair, iPhone 4 models with #00 Phillips screws,
if any, are replaced with 0.8 mm pentalobe screws.
Third-party manufacturers rushed to produce screwdrivers
that would remove 0.8 mm pentalobe screws after the iPhone
4's release in June 2010. Trying to remove a pentalobe
screw with the wrong screwdriver will strip the screw making
it unremoveable. <br />
<br />
<img alt="apple computer logo" src="http://wehocomputerrepair.com/images/apple_logo.png" height="97" style="float: left; margin: 8px;" width="82">And when you take
your laptop or phone in to be repaired at the Apple Store I guarantee there is
some poor slob in back surrounded by crazy screws and lots of
them. Apple deliberately uses glue instead of screws too
often. Or their products have too many screws, tiny screws, weird
non-standard screws,
require special suction cups to open,
or have customized internal organs that are Apple-only.
It makes it hard for me to repair them which is just what Apple
wants. All too often I have had to tell laptop owners "Just
take it to the Mac store and pay though the nose."
This also makes their products hard to recycle.<br />
<br />
RAM,
the memory computers use for temporary storage, is often
soldiered directly to the motherboard by Apple. This means
you can't increase your laptop's memory once it leaves the
factory. And the laptop's display may be fused into a
solid piece. This means that if ANYTHING goes wrong
with the screen the whole upper half of the laptop must be
replaced as a unit. Iphone and Ipad screens are
similarly fused making their replacement complex. This
was done to make the phone slimmer and harder for outsiders
to open.<br />
<br />
<img alt="removing iphone battery" class="colored_border_shadowless" src="http://wehocomputerrepair.com/images/removing_iphone_battery.jpg" height="326" style="float: right;" width="400" >Even worse, Apple goes out of its way to make
SURE
replacing their batteries is a hassle. FACT: batteries
wear out after a few years and MUST be removed and replaced.
Unlike my Android phone from Samsung, Apple phones cannot be
opened by consumers. Apple wants to be the ones to
swap out the battery. Its an attempt to get you to
just buy a whole new phone when the old one's battery dies.
And not only are Macbook laptops hard to open, once you get
inside you may find that the battery you are trying to
replace is glued to the system or soldered in place!<br />
<br />
And taking that
laptop to the Apple store for a
<a href="https://photofocus.com/2014/05/04/the-nightmare-of-replacing-a-battery-on-a-mac-laptop-why-your-machine-might-be-lying-to-you/" target="_blank">
new battery will set you back $400</a>! It turns out,
in modern Mac laptops the battery isn’t just a battery. In a
quest to make machines thinner, Apple made the batteries
unserviceable by the user (as well as removed much of the
protective covering). The battery is glued to the bottom of
the keyboard
which means they have to replace both at the same time (even
if your keyboard works just fine). It could also take
three days to get the computer repaired.<br />
<br />
Yes, three days to
swap a battery. Three days to repair something on a Mac
laptop that every Mac laptop is supposed to need done before
the machine fails. The battery is rated to last less than
the machine for most users. Nearly everyone who buys a Mac
laptop should need to replace the battery (unless they are
programmed to constantly upgrade). Why? Well it turns out
that battery is not just attached to the keyboard, but also
the logic board which controls a lot of the computer. A very
difficult repair I'm told. So in Apple's insane quest to get
laptops a few millimeters thinner, a standard repair like a
battery swap takes 3 days. Now it turns out that it doesn’t
actually take 3 days, its just the line is really long and
it does apparently take several hours per machine. <br />
<br />
Don't believe me? For more info read "<a href="http://www.ifixit.com/blog/2011/01/20/apples-diabolical-plan-to-screw-your-iphone/" target="_blank">Apple's
Diabolical Plan to Screw Your Iphone.</a>"<br />
<br />
<img alt="pentalobe screws in cell phone" class="colored_border_shadowless" src="http://wehocomputerrepair.com/images/pentalobe_screws_in_phone.jpg" height="271" style="display: block; margin: 0px auto;" width="640"></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15303196250759682326noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6377617932063641650.post-46744880130930487452016-11-17T10:49:00.000-08:002016-11-17T10:58:06.100-08:00How Apple Computer punishes it's religiously loyal fans<link href="http://www.wehocomputerrepair.com/style_sheets.css" rel="stylesheet" type="text/css"></link>
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HOW APPLE COMPUTER PUNISHES IT'S RELIGIOUSLY LOYAL FANS</div>
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<div class="body">
For more go to: <a href="http://www.wehocomputerrepair.com/apple_computer_uses_its_customers.htm" target="_blank">my website</a><br />
<br />
<img alt="bad apple logo" class="main_icon" src="http://www.wehocomputerrepair.com/images/bad_apple_big.jpg" width="256" />The
Apple brand, like the Disney brand, or even Scientology, is not
just a product. These brands are regarded as a religion by
their fans. In a previous blog post I commented on how
<a href="https://www.blogger.com/microsoft_ignores_its_customers.htm">Microsoft ignores it's
own customers</a> and tries to tell them what they will like.
Apple does something different. It gives the customer what
they want, as evidenced by all the excitement every time a new Iphone comes out. But then it totally uses it's customers
once they are inside Apple's "gated community." If
Microsoft's Windows platform might be too rambunctious and open
then Apple products are the opposite. And, like an abused
girlfriend, Apple customers keep on coming back for more.<br />
<br />
<img alt="mac computers cost too much" src="http://www.wehocomputerrepair.com/images/apple_computers_too_expensive.jpg" height="320" style="float: right;" /><strong>HIGH
MARKUP ON MACS</strong><br />
Apple phones are a bit pricey but,
thanks to mass production, they are still competitive. Mac
computers, however, are pointlessly expensive. Just look at
the comparison at right. A Windows machine is $3,400 and
the similar mac is a whopping $9,500! And they have the same
capabilities because there is no "must have" program that only
runs on Macs. Some of my clients have been burned because
they bought Mac laptops when they had more money and the economy
had not yet collapsed. Now eight years
later the thing is breaking down and they can't afford the many
thousands of dollars it would take to replace them. I got a
cheap Windows laptop for $400 once but Mac users have an
investment in software and accessories that makes it hard for
them to switch brands.<br />
<br />
<strong>WARRANTY WOES</strong><br />
Apple has already been criticized even by fans
as having inadequate warranties. Decades ago they boasted that
their Apple ][ and Mac computers were well made yet they gave
only a three month warranty. Magazines at the time like MacWorld and MacUser railed for years over these bad warranties.
A magazine is a thing made of paper and you turn pages in it.
It's like a tablet that gives you paper cuts and ink stains.
In 2012 Apple had to stop selling Applecare in parts of Europe
due to warranty problems.<br />
<br />
And if you buy your Apple
product at a non-Apple store the warranty is not activated by
default. If you buy the same thing at the Apple store the
activate your warranty at the time of purchase. Some also
suspect that their phones are built only to last slightly beyond
the warranty period. After that something is likely to wear
out or break.<br />
<br />
<strong>THE APPLE STORE</strong><br />
Where I live in the Hollywood/Beverly Hills area there are
several Apple stores and they are almost always vibrant, busy
places where customers obviously enjoy going or the would not be
seen there in such numbers. Sony and Microsoft both tried
retail stores like this and flopped terribly. They just
didn't get retail like Apple does. Unfortunately some of
the crowds waiting there are in line to pick up repaired
equipment. Often waits can be long at the "Genius Bar" or
even to talk to an employee. There are just so many people
there asking questions or using computers for free. And
just because you have made an appointment does not mean they will
be able to see you at the scheduled time. Best thing to do
is go early the first hour that the store opens.<br />
<br />
Another
reason for the crowds is that Apple makes it's computers in such
a way that only the Apple Store can repair them properly.
See below "Why Apple products are hard to open." Apple
store workers are religiously devoted and put up with the
difficulties because they adore the company. Competition is
great for jobs at the stores which means Apple does not have to
pay them that much and there is very little opportunity for
advancement. Some of my Apple clients enjoy going to the Apple
store while others consider it a fate worse than death.<br />
<br />
<strong>PASSWORD INSANITY</strong><br />
The Mac OS is known for
constantly bombarding it's users with password requests. While
that might be better security it is not very hard to bypass the
passwords. They mostly keep the cleaning lady or the kids out of
your computer. But even if someone just wants to download
an update to Mac OS (as is their legal right as a purchaser) they
still have to log onto the Itunes Store, type in their name and
password and make sure they have a credit card on file even if
the software they want is free. It makes it difficult to spend
money on their offerings and I've seen it leave my clients
furious that they can't get something done because they don't
remember passwords and logon names.<br />
<br />
<strong>PRODUCTS A CLOSED
SYSTEM</strong>In conclusion there are both benefits and
drawbacks to Apple's closed system. Some people like to
live in gated communities and some don't. There is no right
answer, but remember that once you chose Apple you are under
their control. If you live in a rural area the nearest
Apple store could be hours away by car.</div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15303196250759682326noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6377617932063641650.post-4728804392134078532016-09-08T15:21:00.001-07:002016-09-08T15:27:27.330-07:00Beware Best Buy Geek Squad<link href="http://www.wehocomputerrepair.com/style_sheets.css" rel="stylesheet" type="text/css">
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<h1 class="title center" style="color: orange">UNETHICAL BEHAVIOR OF
BEST BUY'S 'GEEK SQUAD'</h1>
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<img alt="geek squad logo" src="http://www.wehocomputerrepair.com/images/185px-Geek_Squad_svg.png"></div>At my PC repair website <a href="http://www.wehocomputerrepair.com/">WehoComputerRepair.com</a> I warn my clients about Best Buy.
Beware Best Buy's "Geek Squad." They fix your computer! They come to your house!
They spy on you! These folks are a division of Best Buy and they have
been giving their corporate parent quite a legal workout. I also find
the name insulting. Why do computer repair places have to refer to their
employees as "geeks" "nerds" or worse! Apparently anyone smart enough
to fix a computer must be some kind of Autistic mess. About all they
are good for is dumping old equipment that needs recycling.<br><br>Think twice
before you hand your computer over to them so that Senior Stickyfingers can
check you out. People put their entire lives on their computers now.
When you let a stranger fix yours you are probably exposing passwords, financial
information, personal data and more. <br><br>So what are the Geek Squads
crimes?<br>
<div style=" font-family: 'Segoe UI', Tahoma, Geneva, Verdana, sans-serif;">
</div>
<h2 style="color: white">
<img alt="i hate geek squad t shirt" style="float:right" height="350" src="http://www.wehocomputerrepair.com/images/i_hate_geek_squad_t_shirt.jpg" width="356">VIOLATING PRIVACY OF LOS ANGELES CUSTOMERS</h2>
Geek Squad employees have allegedly engaged in peeping tom activities on female
customers during in-house service visits. A 2007 case alleges that a Los Angeles
Geek Squad employee used his cell phone to record a 22-year-old female customer
while she showered without her knowledge or permission. The employee was arrested
and Best Buy was sued over the incident. In another case, a Geek Squad employee
allegedly stole nude photographs of a 27-year-old female customer from her
computer while it was being serviced. The employee then allegedly shared the
photos on the internet.<h2 style="color:white">STEALING PORNOGRAPHY & PERSONAL DATA</h2>
Geek Squad technicians have been caught on numerous occasions searching for
and copying pornographic content stored on their customers' computers without
permission. When asked about the incident at an unrelated conference, Geek
Squad founder Robert Stephens refused to discuss the topic, instead focused
on whether bloggers should be considered true journalists and whether bloggers
follow the same ethical standards as journalists. At least one former
Geek Squad employee had come forward with allegations that the practice of
surreptitiously searching for pornography on their customers' computers is
not restricted to isolated employees, but is often shared with management at
the location where the one employee worked. In 2013, Geek Squad was sued for
invasion of privacy and several other civil infractions for allegedly releasing
nude images found on a customer's computer. The suit is ongoing as of 2015.
<h2 style="color:white">USING PIRATED SOFTWARE</h2>
In 2006 Geek Squad was sued for allegedly using pirated copies of Winternals'
Emergency Repair Disk Commander. The lawsuit filed by Austin-based Winternals
claims that employees of Geek Squad have continued using the pirated versions
of the software after the commercial licensing agreement broke off. Best Buy
and Geek Squad were accused of copyright infringement, circumvention of copyright
infringement systems, and misappropriation of trade secrets. A settlement was
eventually reached, and Winternals created a three-year agreement in place
with Best Buy, allowing Geek Squad employees to lawfully use their licensed
programs.<h2 style="color:white">SUING PEOPLE OVER BULLSHIT</h2>
In 2002 during a spate of legal threats and challenges to competitors with
"geek" in their names Geek Squad attempted to block the trademark registration
of New England area competitor Geek Housecalls claiming that it violated their
trademarks. When <em>Geek Housecalls</em> refused to budge, Geek Squad filed
civil suit. After two years of wrangling, Geek Squad and Geek Housecalls arrived
at an out-of-court settlement, the details of which cannot be disclosed according
to the terms of the settlement except to state that Geek Housecalls retained
its name. In 2010, Best Buy issued a trademark infringement cease and
desist letter against a priest in Wisconsin for painting "God Squad" on his
car.</div><br><br>You can see more info like this at <a href="http://www.wehocomputerrepair.com/">WehoComputerRepair.com</a>. For more on Geek Squad <a href="http://www.wehocomputerrepair.com/problems_with_best_buy_geek_squad.htm">just click here.</a>
<div class="subtitle">
DON'T BELIEVE ME? READ
<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geek_Squad" target="_blank">THE WIKIPEDIA SOURCE
</a></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15303196250759682326noreply@blogger.com0West Hollywood, CA 90069, USA34.0931603 -118.3783346999999834.0668613 -118.41867519999998 34.1194593 -118.33799419999998tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6377617932063641650.post-79571164298799001922016-03-03T12:04:00.004-08:002016-09-08T15:12:36.868-07:00Biggest hack attacks of 2015
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<div class="title">
BIGGEST COMPUTER BREAK-INS OF 2015</div>
<div class="body">
<img alt="cia director hacked by student" class="main_icon" height="167" src="http://www.wehocomputerrepair.com/images/cia-director-hacked[1].jpg" width="320">At <a href="http://www.wehocomputerrepair.com">WehoComputerRepair.com</a> I protect my clients from security threats. But I can't stand over them 24 hours a day and say "Don't click that link it is not really naked photos of tennis start Anna Kournikova!"
If the FBI and the CIA can't keep their computers from
being hacked what are the rest of us supposed to do? Well, not
trusting the government with our secrets is one good idea. No
wonder Hillary Clinton didn't want her emails on a government server.
Was she right? Time will tell. Below are the biggest cases of
cyber-theft of 2015 listed in least awful to most awful order.
2016 will almost certainly be worse. Fortunately most
individuals won't be breached this way unless they are working
on secrete the Chinese really want to steal. But everyone suffers as
consumers when our data is stolen from huge companies and insurance
companies are forced to pay for the mess.<br><br><strong>VTECH</strong><br>The
toymaker suffered a major breach in late November, with hackers
taking 4.8 million records, as well as a database of first names,
genders and birthdays of more than 200,000 kids. The attack on
VTech, which reportedly used poor password security among other
issues, ranks as one of the largest breaches of the year .<br>
<br><strong>SECURUS</strong><br>The big scandal when an anonymous hacker stole
about 70 million phone calls from inmates in US prisons wasn't
the hack itself, it was the suggestion that attorney-client
privilege may have been violated on a regular basis. Millions of
call logs and thousands of call recordings were taken in the
breach. Securus provides landline phones and equipments to
prisons, and generates high profits by charging the inmates
themselves -- so much so, the FCC has taken action against the
firm. <br><br><strong>FBI</strong><br>The same hackers who were able to get access
to CIA director John Brennan's private email account also got
access to a law enforcement portal used by police and federal
agents to share intelligence, and book arrested suspects. It's
not clear how many records were in the system -- the FBI declined
to comment -- but hundreds of thousands of users are cleared to
use the portal. Many of those names were also leaked in the hack.
The attack was thought to be one of the widest external breaches
of law enforcement this year. <br><br><strong>DONALD TRUMP HOTELS<br>
</strong>A
hack that targeted seven of Donald Trump's hotels, and lasted the
whole year: even the presidential candidates aren't immune to
hacks. Hackers snuck malware onto Trump systems, stealing credit
card data (including security codes and card numbers) in the
firm's hotels across the US. No final figure of how many people
were affected was ever reported, but it's thought to be in the
many thousands. <br><br><strong>PATREON</strong><strong><br>
</strong>Crowdfunding service Patreon
got the "Ashley Madison" treatment when it found its entire cache
of data published online in a massive data breach in early
October. Names, email addresses, and posts were leaked, though
credit card data and Social Security was not compromised. The
scope of the breach may take time to become fully clear, but at
15GB in size, and millions of accounts already found, the number
of potential victims is only set to get larger. <br><br><strong>EXPERIAN/T-MOBILE<br>
</strong>T-Mobile may have taken over Sprint to
become third place in US cellular rankings, but it's seventh
place in our list of breaches, thanks to its misplaced trust in
Experian. The credit agency suffered a breach in September,
affecting as many as 15 million T-Mobile customers who underwent
credit checks. Data, such as names, addresses, social security
numbers, birth dates, and even passport numbers, may have been
taken. Encrypted Social Security numbers may also have been
swiped, but the company warned that encryption may have been
compromised. <br><br><strong>SCOTTTRADE</strong><strong><br>
</strong>The retail brokerage firm said
it detected "illegal activity involving our network" two years
prior. Hackers reportedly took millions of customer contact
details, which cybersecurity reporter Brian Krebs suggested it
was to facilitate stock scams through spam campaigns. It was
revealed in November after a case was unsealed that a total of
four men had been charged with hacking into JPMorgan Chase and a
number of other financial institutions, Scottrade included. <br>
<br><strong>ASHLEY MADISON<br></strong>Around 37 million people were caught up in
the Ashley Madison affair (for want of a better term). The site
encourages its users to cheat on their partners. Aside from the
many millions affected and the impact on relationships, should
that information get into the hands of the enemy -- think, Russia
or China -- it could lead to a considerable blackmail and
espionage effort against US, UK, and allied countries. <br><br>
<strong>EXCELLUS BLUE CROSS/BLUE SHIELD<br></strong>Excellus BlueCross BlueShield
suffered a major hit on its networks that ended up leaking more
than 10 million records. The attack happened two years earlier in
late December 2013. Names, birth dates, Social Security numbers
and mailing addresses -- some of the most personal data going --
was taken, including financial account and claims information.
The source of the hack remains unknown. <br><br><strong>CARPHONE
WAREHOUSE<br></strong>The UK's biggest data breach of the year can go to
Carphone Warehouse, a phone retail store. As many as 2.4 million
customers (roughly 4 percent of the country's population) had
their personal information taken in the breach. About 90,000
customers had their encrypted credit card data stolen. The UK
data privacy watchdog is now investigating the breach. <br><br>
<strong>CVS/WALLGREENS/OTHERS<br></strong>Pharmacy chain CVS was forced to pull
its popular online photo print ordering site offline as it
investigated a suspected hack. Credit card data, email and postal
addresses, phone numbers, and passwords were taken, but it's not
clear how many millions were affected by the breach. No other
linked data was taken in the breach, but Costco and Rite Aid,
among others, were also hit. <br><br><strong>UCLA HEALTH<br>
</strong>Data breaches
and hacks happen all the time. But poor security and a lack of
encryption can put the blame entirely on the body that was
charged with protecting it. UCLA Health was at least partially to
blame when it was hit by a massive hack on 4.5 million records
earlier this year, because its customer data -- including Social
Security numbers, and even medical data, such as conditions,
medications, procedures, and test results -- was not encrypted.
<br><br><strong>HACKING TEAM<br></strong>An unknown group of hackers brought
Italian surveillance firm Hacking Team to its knees when its
entire network was breached -- and subsequently published online.
Who were the real victims? The ordinary public, after hackers
took working Flash exploits from the cache of leaked files. It's
not known how many internet users were hit by the subsequent
attacks. There may be more to come. <br><br><strong>IRS</strong><br>
The IRS data breach, reported in May, affected around 100,000
taxpayers. That may seem like a paltry number compared to the Anthem
or UCLA breaches, but the impact on affected taxpayers could be
staggering. A flaw in the IRS' system allowed hackers to access past
filed tax returns, including sensitive financial information and
Social Security data. It's said that the breach cost taxpayers $50
million in fraudulent claims. <br><br><strong>UNITED STATES OFFICE
OF PERSONNEL MANAGEMENT<br></strong>The big finale is the OPM breach,
which affected 22.1 million (and counting). It could be the
single most damaging breach to US national security of all time.
Those who have access to some of the most sensitive data in the
world had their entire backgrounds checks -- conducted by the OPM
-- stolen by an unknown assailant. Imagine if the enemy knew
exactly which buttons to push in order to blackmail someone into
turning over vast swathes of sensitive or classified data. We
have yet to see the repercussions of the breach, but it could
harm the US' domestic and foreign diplomatic and intelligence
work.
<br>
You can find more good consumer advice for folks in West Hollywood and Beverly Hills at <a href="http://www.wehocomputerrepair.com">WehoComputerRepair.com</a>. More on security issues <a href="http://www.wehocomputerrepair.com/protecting_your_information.htm">just click right here.</a> </div>
</div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15303196250759682326noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6377617932063641650.post-74841001451412909502016-03-03T12:03:00.000-08:002016-09-08T15:05:20.329-07:00Have you been exposed to hackers? Find out here!
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HAVE YOU BEEN EXPOSED TO HACKERS? FIND OUT HERE</div>
<div class="body"><br>
<a href="http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2015/07/29/technology/personaltech/what-parts-of-your-information-have-been-exposed-to-hackers-quiz.html?ref=technology" target="_blank"><img alt="new york times security survey article" class="main_icon" src="http://www.wehocomputerrepair.com/images/new_york_times_website_survey.gif"></a><br>
According to the New York Times, "Half of American adults had their
personal information exposed to hackers last year alone. I'm not surprised. I've cleaned plenty of viruses and spyware off of computers at my site <a href="http://www.wehocomputerrepair.com">WehoComputerRepair.com</a> In a recent
attack at the federal Office of Personnel Management, hackers stole
the most sensitive personal data for 21.5 million people. "<br>
<br>This clever, quick questionnaire from the New York Times has you
click on a few simple buttons such as "Have you opened an email
account with any of these companies?" Then, on the left side of
the screen, the number of times hackers have been exposed to your
information is shown. Info like employment history, credit cards and
health data are then cross checked to see how vulnerable you are. You
might be surprised! To take the test
<a href="http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2015/07/29/technology/personaltech/what-parts-of-your-information-have-been-exposed-to-hackers-quiz.html?ref=technology" target="_blank">
just click here</a> or on the graphic at left.<br><br>If you are
concerned by the survey's findings the New York Times recommends
"Review your account statements for any fraudulent purchases, as well
as your credit report. Make sure you have different passwords for
different accounts: in particular, don’t use the same password for
your bank accounts, email and e-commerce accounts. If you were the
victim of more than one breach, some security experts recommend
freezing your credit. To do so, call Equifax, Experian or TransUnion
and ask to have your account frozen. The credit agency will mail you a
one-time PIN or password to unfreeze your account later. If you plan
on applying for a new job, renting an apartment or buying insurance,
you will have to thaw a freeze temporarily and pay a fee to refreeze
the account. "<br><br><strong>HOW DO YOU PROTECT YOURSELF IN THE
FUTURE?<br></strong><br>It’s pretty simple: You can’t. But you can
take a few steps to make things harder for criminals. Turn on
two-factor authentication, whenever possible. Most banking sites and
ones like Google, Apple, Twitter and Facebook offer two-factor
authentication. Change your passwords frequently and do not use the
same password across websites. Vigilantly monitor your bank accounts
and credit report. Do not enter sensitive information into websites
that do not encrypt your connection. Look for a lock symbol next to
the web address whenever entering sensitive information and do not
enter it if you cannot see the lock symbol. </div>
<br>
You can find more good consumer advice for folks in West Hollywood and Beverly Hills at <a href="http://www.wehocomputerrepair.com">WehoComputerRepair.com</a>. More on this issue <a href="http://www.wehocomputerrepair.com/protecting_your_information.htm">right here.</a></div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15303196250759682326noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6377617932063641650.post-89804618903389924932016-03-03T11:59:00.000-08:002016-09-08T14:55:21.506-07:00PROTECTING YOUR PRIVATE INFO IN THE DIGITAL AGE
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PROTECTING YOUR PRIVATE INFO IN THE NET AGE</div><br>
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<center><img alt="onlline security mistakes" class="main_icon" src="http://www.wehocomputerrepair.com/images/online_security_mistakes.png" width="320"></center><br>Beverly
Hills and West Hollywood, my main areas of service at <a href="http://www.wehocomputerrepair.com">WehoComputerRepair.com</a> are pretty low-crime places. Most
all that happens are burglaries (unless Zsa Zsa Gabor slaps
anothe cop). But how many homes have computers with spyware
on them that could be "burgling" their owners right now?
Plenty. And our neighborhood contains some of the
wealthiest people in the world making them prime targets for that
lucky bit of spyware that finds itself in the right place at the
right time.<br><br>
By my unscientific estimate over the past ten years about 75% of
all the computers I look at have some kind of virus or spyware in
them. Many are mild enough the user doesn't notice anything wrong
or they are so used to their computer getting slower and slower
that they think nothing of it. Symptoms include:<br><br>1.
Changed home pages or search providers<br>2. Weird ads popping up
in places and websites that did not have them before<br>3. Sudden
crashes<br>4. Slow internet connections<br>5. Obvious takeovers
of a locked computer<br>
<br>I've watched as infected computers did things like lock up,
shoot out hundreds of spam emails a minute or destroy a client's
files one by one in a matter of minutes. Gone are the days
when computer viruses written by jerk teeen-agers just wanted to
trash your computer. Now the game has changed and virus
writers are far more professional and far more interested in
stealing data or intellectual property. Or extorting the
computer's owner into sending them a credit card number just to
go away. Unfortunately all this does is ruin your credit
card. The hackers rarely "go away." <br><br>I myself accidentally
got a virus earlier this year that encrypted some of my data
files and broke my windows backup before I had a chance to stop
it. In minutes my files (some of which I was working on at the
time) got encrypted with a special code that is unbreakable. The
hackers demanded I send them money or they would not "un-hack" my
data. Fortunately I removed the virus manually very easily
but it's damage was done. Luckily I back up everything
religiously on multiple other devices and restored 99% of my
stuff no problem. Not everyone is so lucky and, if you are a
doctor or lawyer, you could be legally liable for loss of
client/patient records. To say nothing of the professional
embarrassment of having to tell all your customers what happened
and beg them for their bookkeeping records.<br><br>And how was I,
the guy who is supposed to know better, get infected? I
didn't have a virus checker running because I rarely go to "the
wrong side of the web" and almost never get viruses. Yes I would
check for them sometimes but didn't run a virus checker all
the time because it slows my computer down. Ooops. I
was infected probably by a "drive by infection" which you don't
even know how you get.<br><br>By far the
meanest malware is the "FBI Virus." Variations of it look like
this:<br><br><center>
<a href="http://www.wehocomputerrepair.com/images/fbi_virus_hires.jpg" target="_blank">
<img alt="fbi virus examples" height="176" src="http://www.wehocomputerrepair.com/images/fbi_virus_lowres.jpg" style="border-width: 0px" width="640"></a></center>
<br>In 2014 people began calling me terrified that they had child
pornography on their computers. They had been infected with
early versions of the FBI virus which totally locks up your
computer and shows a screen similar to one of the ones above.
You are told to send money to this account in an untraceable way
and they (the government) will unlock your computer. Some variations even
use a laptop's camera to take your photo and stick it on a wanted
poster which, the virus claims, will be sent to the FBI. It
must have worked because, over the next few months, I watched the
amount of money it demanded rise from $100 to $300 and then $400.
Plus the charges didn't stop at you having kiddie porn on your
computer. Later versions claimed you were also a terrorist.
Anything to fool people into thinking they should send money to
somebody to "get the government off our backs."<br><br>This virus
was so successful that other hackers re-wrote it for their
countries. So in Russia you got the "KGB virus" and thought
Vladmir Putin was going to kill you. Although the virus was
good at locking the computer, once I managed to get in it was
easy to remove. But not before scaring the computer's owner
and forcing them to pay me to come get rid of it.<br>
<br>
You can find more good consumer advice for folks in West Hollywood and Beverly Hills at <a href="http://www.wehocomputerrepair.com">WehoComputerRepair.com</a>. More about viruses at <a href="http://www.wehocomputerrepair.com/protecting_your_information.htm">Protecting Your Info.</a> </div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15303196250759682326noreply@blogger.com0West Hollywood, CA 90069, USA34.0931603 -118.3783346999999834.0668613 -118.41867519999998 34.1194593 -118.33799419999998