Welcome to our monthly round-up of tech tips, news and web wisdom.
If you have any questions you’d like us to address, please contact us at web@etccomputerland.com.
Upcoming Events:
ETC
ComputerLand is sponsoring
“Survival
Techniques During an Economic Downturn”
This
event hosted by Tri-State Development Summit Entrepreneurship
Task Force will be held:
Date: February 18, 2009
Time: 11:30 am – 1:30 pm
Location: Tiramisu Restaurant in Quincy, IL.
Registration
is required at $10 per person and includes lunch. For
registration information, contact Shelby Crow at University
of Illinois Extension, 217-223-8380 or
. Space is limited. Registration deadline is February
11th.
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An E-mail Hoax is Very Similar to a Virus!
Kim Brown
Client Liaison
Have you ever received an e-mail message forwarded to you by
a friend or co-worker that then asks you to forward the same
e-mail message to everyone in your address book? Perhaps
it promises to raise money for a good cause and every time the
message gets forwarded they will donate $.50. Maybe it
shows pictures of a child that has been abducted and asks you
to forward the message to everyone you know in hopes of finding
the child. Or maybe it’s a warning about a new virus
and instructs you to promptly search for and delete files from
your machine and then to forward the message on to everyone in
your address book so they can do the same. The majority
of these types of messages are called Virus Hoaxes.
So, how do you know which messages are legit and which ones
are a hoax? Below are a few pointers to assist you in making
that determination.
- Messages that ask you to forward to “everyone in
your address book” or something similar are almost
always hoaxes.
- Messages that sound urgent and have some sections in
ALL CAPS, are likely hoaxes.
- Messages that offer rewards or money to be donated each
time the messages are forwarded or warns of dire consequences
if they are not forwarded, are mostly hoaxes.
- Messages that claim to give you information that is a “completely
true story” or “perfectly legal”, are
likely hoaxes.
Some might say “C’mon, what can it hurt to send
them”? However forwarding such messages can cause
several problems, a few of which are listed below for your
reference.
- Forwarding to the masses can cause problems with bandwidth
on Internet and mail servers.
- If you forward to several people and then those people
forward to several people, your name/e-mail address is forever
attached to that message. This could damage your reputation
and increase your exposure to spam, viruses and identity
theft.
- Many hoax e-mail messages stir up some type of emotion,
such as sympathy, fear, anger, etc. The forwarding
of the messages and emotional drain interferes with your
daily productivity, as well as that of those you forward
the messages to.
- While the message itself will not likely damage your computer,
the message could convince you to damage your computer by
giving you instructions to delete certain files.
So what can you do?
- Research the information in the message before you
forward it to anyone. You can do an Internet search
(Google, Yahoo, etc.) for the title of the message.
- If a foundation or corporation is referenced, look up their
website or contact them by phone to verify the claim in the
message.
- There are several websites that list virus hoaxes that
are circulating.
- McAfee.com
- TrendMicro.com
- Symantec.com
- Truthorfiction.com
- Snopes.com
- Use common sense when reading through the message and be
respectful of others when forwarding messages. Do your
part to stop the hoaxes before they become widespread.
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Tips When Creating a Password
Cody Hageman
Web Services Manager
Too many of us create passwords that are easy to remember, such
as names of children, anniversaries, birthday’s, etc. We
use these passwords because they are easy to remember, but a
password that is easy to remember is probably also very weak. More
and more malicious people are taking advantage of these weak
passwords by hacking into systems and accounts and accessing
information that is not their own. To avoid having someone
gain access to information you do not want them to see, it’s
a good idea to follow the simple rules outlined below.
- The password should be at least 8 characters long
- It should contain at least 1 lower case and 1 upper case
letter from the alphabet
- It should contain at least 1 numeric digit (0-9)
- It should contain at least 1 special character such (#, $,
@, !, ^)
Following these simple rules will greatly reduce the chance
of somebody gaining access to your information.
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With
Great Hardware Comes Great Responsibility
Chris Stegner
Service Manager
For most businesses today data is everything. Imagine
what would happen to your company if you lost your contacts,
sales records, employee information, schedules, inventory, email,
websites and solitaire. There are many different types
of backup services available. Historically, one of the most prevalent
was tape backup. This can be a very efficient way of backing
up data. However, having this solution is not enough.
There is a very real and very important role that the end user
business MUST play to make their investment work for them.
1) Tapes MUST be changed every day that a backup is
scheduled.
If a tape is not changed then one of two things can happen. The
first is that your data does not get backed up. The other is
that your backup may over write your previous day’s backup.
Neither scenario will provide you with the service that you have
paid for.
2) Tapes need to be replaced every year.
Tapes like anything else, can wear out. These tapes are very
similar to the old style VHS tapes. Anyone with experience
with VHS remembers that over time the quality of the tape degrades.
In this case, instead of a fuzzy movie you can be left with
corrupt data.
3) The backup error log should be checked every week.
BackupExec is a very intelligent program. It even lets you know
when it has a problem. But, you need to watch for these errors.
Following some simple steps will let you know if your backup
is performing the way it should. Or, let us do it for
your Presidium Level 0. Please contact your sales consultant
for more information.
4) A cleaning tape should be used every month.
Dust and other residue can build up in your equipment. This can
greatly impact the performance of your backup device. A simple
cleaning tape can be used to extend the life of your investment. Simply
insert the cleaning tape into the tape drive and let it perform
its job. The tape will automatically eject when it is done
with the cleaning cycle.
5) Tapes should always be stored off site.
A tape drive’s primary role is as a disaster recovery tool.
In the event of a fire or other disaster what good would your
tapes be if they were sitting on top of your server collecting
dust? There are many options for offsite tape storage. Many banks
have arrangements for drop bags that can be used. Have an executive
take them home. Rotate sets of tapes. Work with your Sales Consultant
to see what works best for you.
Finally, there are alternatives now available to tape backups. Automated,
encrypted, secure and monitored backups are possible daily online
with no human interaction required. Ask your sales representative
about Data Vaulting if this appeals to you.
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Congratulations
Gardner Museum of Architecture and Design!
As many of you may already know, GiFT is a monthly computer and technology giveaway sponsored
by ETC ComputerLand to benefit local not-for-profit tax-exempt agencies who are in good standing with the state of Illinois and/or Missouri and whose principal offices are within 30 miles of Quincy, IL, and Kirksville, MO.
Click here for instructions on setting up a monthly reminder to sign up for GiFT.
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