Computer Engineers Like Their Food

Dare I say it but we are heading towards the Christmas season.

The plus side is that we have our first box of Mince Pies for our 11's snack :) :)

Why Change Your Browser

Once again, another serious exploit has been found in Microsoft's Internet Explorer browser.

In fact it's so severe that the German Government has taken the unusual step of recommending that the German public STOP using   Internet Explorer browser and switch to either Google Chrome or Firefox.

We prefer to use Google Chrome because it is more secure than Internet Explorer and it integrates so nicely into everything Google. It's not to everybody's taste and I call it the Ikea of browsers but it just works and is very secure.

Others swear by Firefox but it's all down to individual taste.

Which ever one you choose, do it now because although Microsoft is working very hard to issue a patch to plug the hole, until they do, you are at risk

Download Google Chrome
Download Firefox

Seasonal Virus Activity

We are noticing a marked increase in the amount of virus infections that are being brought into our computer repairs facility in Perth.

This is probably a result of folk spending more time on their laptops as the nights start to draw in, however we have also noted increasing sophistication in  Phishing attempts that are being sent via email and social media.

Examples from just this morning:

New email spam variant as folks thinks about Oct hols KLM SALES & SERVICE CENTER

 Yet another Facebook email spam "Your friend wants to share photos and updates with you

"Vodafone Europe: Your Account Balance" from Vodafone Europe (account@online.vodafone.com) contained a virus or a suspicious attachment

So be on your guard and if in ANY doubt, delete it!!

If your computer is running slow or you think you might have an infection,, check out our Best Value Computer Health Check which also includes 12 months Bullguard Internet Security

How To Improve Your Home Broadband Part 1

Is Your Router A Network Choke Point??

In the first of a new series of articles, we'll be looking at some ways and options to improve your internet connection at home.

The recent innovations with iTunes, iPlayer and all the other media streaming services such as Spotify etc, home broadband connections and home networks are have to handle and stream much more video and audio content.

Many people have not looked at updating their router since it was first connected and as a result, their router is a choke point on their network.

Check out this review of the TP-Link Dual Band Wireless router that is not only dual band but is gigabit and has Bandwidth Management and Traffic Shaping tools built in!

We gave the router to hard core gamer to see what he thought of the router and specifically from a on-line gaming perspective

If you want to know more,give us a call for for advice and check out our web store for more routers

Do You Use USB Pen Drives For Back UP?

If you use a USB pen drive for backup, then you had better have a very understanding Boss / Partner.

As you can see, they are somewhat fragile:

At best, they should only be consider as TEMPORARY storage nothing else and most certainly NOT for backup.

Every week, without fail, we get a customer asking us to recover what data we can from their memory stick as it the only copy of their most valuable data or backup or pictures or school work etc etc 

Sometimes we can recover the data from the pen drive, in other cases it's a total loss so please make sure that you have a real backup and multiple copies of your data. We recommend that you keep at least three copies of your data in different locations at all times.

That way you have three chances of recovering your data. Remember its a fact that most people DO NOT have adequate backup

If you need help or advice or a computer backup solution, give us a call or pop in to see us

How To Protect Your Laptop or Mobile Phone

How much do you depend on your iPhone, tablet, iPad, Android device or laptop??

I bet you depend on them a lot, probably much more than you would care to admit.

So check out this great free app that lets you track & protect all of your mobile devices (limit of three) for free.

If you are not sure, we'll install it for free the next time you bring your computer or laptop in for a health check or a virus removal in Perth.

Computer Cooling With Fans

While fans play a vital role in cooling and airflow in a gaming PC, then can also significantly improve the look of a gaming computer.

A Gaming PC Light Show

 Remember that the fans have to be balanced. You must consider the logic of the air flow through and over the components that generate the most heat. 

It is not as simple as just populating the gaming case with as many fans and pretty lights as possible. 

The primary focus MUST be on cooling and the expulsion of the hot air not the looks although the two can normally be combined!

Check out our range of cooling fans and don't forget that we offer a custom design and build service for high end gaming computers