Power Gone - All that hard work GONE!

PCSOL Tip of the Week

Power Gone - All that hard work GONE!

WHY THE NEED FOR UNINTERRUPTIBLE POWER SUPPLIES

Visualise for a moment what happens when power supply to your computer system fails. Even for just a fraction of a second...

Gone!!!

That file you had open....... Were working on......... Had not saved recently.....

Your school assignment........ Your MYOB entries for the day...... Your quotes...... Your thesis.....

Your novel........ Your club records.... Your point of sale transactions.... Your Eftpos transactions....

Gone!!!

Any interruption of the electricity supply will stop the operation of your computer system.

This can lead to loss of data, potential hardware damage and .... inconvenience.

Major understatement!!! Let no man judge the value of another’s work.

That school assignment is no less important than the banking records of an international organisation. Well, not to the student writing it anyway! Despite their very best efforts, our electricity providers cannot prevent power outages and interruptions. These events occur on a daily basis, sometimes without you even knowing.

How can you protect against unexpected power interruptions?

You can plan for and prevent power interruptions by installing a UPS. A UPS is an Uninterruptible Power Supply. UPS’s protect against loss of the electricity supply by providing battery back-up for a period of time. The UPS can be utilised to provide short-term power during an outage, or until a standby generator is started for longer term power back up as is more likely the case in larger industrial critical power applications.

The UPS will also protect against a number of other power quality problems common in your electricity supply such as surges, sags, brownouts, spikes, RF noise etc.

But what if I am not at my computer when the power interruption occurs?

What? You dared to leave your work station without shutting down your computer.....

Actually this is not a problem! Chase Power’s UPS’s come with very clever software that ensures your piece of mind. When a power interruption occurs, your work is saved and your computer is shut down in an orderly manner. No heartbreak!

What level of protection does a UPS offer?

The level of protection is where the various UPS technologies differ. There are three UPS technologies available and selection of the most appropriate technology for your application is of vital importance.

Off-line (Standby) UPS’s

When mains supply fails, the offline UPS will switch the load across to a battery fed inverter supply (normally with a delay of 4 to 10 milliseconds). When operating from battery power many offline UPS models produce a square wave voltage (also called pseudo sine) which is acceptable for most computer switchmode supplies, but may not be suitable for some loads. These UPS’s are designed to protect a single PC or workstation and only offer back up in the event of a total power interruption. They do not incorporate any significant power conditioning.

Line Interactive UPS’s

These UPS’s are similar in topology to off-line except a voltage regulating circuit is incorporated which boosts the mains power supply when it fails. These UPS’s regulate power without the use of a battery during brownouts or surges in the supply voltage and have a sinewave output, enhanced software and connectivity options. They provide a high level of protection at a very affordable price.

Double Conversion (On Line) UPS’s

For critical power applications Chase Power recommend true On-Line Double Conversion technology UPS’s. These UPS’s provide the highest level of protection, usually only required by businesses operating from a server or in industrial applications. For more technical information about the role of the On-Line Double Conversion UPS, contact us.

How can I be sure what technology the UPS I am considering purchasing is?

PCSOL recommends care be taken to check this information to ensure you get what you are shopping for. Don’t just read the box it comes in - ask for a technical data sheet. Your supplier can and should be able to provide this.

Check out our new range of CHASE UPS

Thank you for your interest,
Steven Veltmeyer
Managing Director
PCSOL PTY LTD


don't forget to check out www.pcsol.com.au

MSCONFIG - PCSOL Tip of the Week

MSCONFIG

Ever wondered how to stop all those little icons starting up near the clock?

All versions have a simple tool that you can choose your programs

Built into Windows is a special tool called the "Microsoft System Configuration Utility" or simply "MSCONFIG."

Designed to help you troubleshoot problems with your computer, MSCONFIG can also be used to ensure that your computer boots faster and crashes less.

Most people know that the more programs you have running on your computer at once, the more likely it is that your computer will either run slowly or even crash.

What most people don't know is that every time you boot your computer a whole mess of "hidden" programs load in the background.

Some of these hidden programs are essential, but most aren't.

Turning off some of these hidden programs can significantly increase your computer's performance and reliability.

How?....

First you need to know your operating system. This could be Windows 7, Vista, XP or Windows 98

Once you know your operating system - CLICK HERE - this link will take you to NETSQUIRREL which has "How To" for all the versions of Operating Systems.

Choose your Version and follow the instructions... Make sure you keep the Start Up File for your Virus Scan!



Thank you for your interest,
Steven Veltmeyer
Managing Director
PCSOL PTY LTD
Disclaimer: PCSOL is providing this information as advice only.

Don't forget to check out www.pcsol.com.au

I Spy at your little computer...

PCSOL Tip of the Week

I Spy at your little computer...

Spyware – What is IT??

Spyware is computer software that is installed secretly on a personal computer to intercept or take partial control over the user's interaction with the computer, without the user's permission.

While the term spyware suggests software that secretly monitors the user's behaviour, the functions of spyware extend well beyond simple monitoring.

Spyware programs can collect various types of personal information, such as Internet surfing habit, sites that have been visited, but can also interfere with user control of the computer in other ways, such as installing additional software, redirecting Web browser activity, accessing websites blindly that will cause more harmful viruses, or diverting advertising revenue to a third party. Spyware can even change computer settings, resulting in slow connection speeds, different home pages, and loss of Internet or other programs.

There are a large number of free spyware removing tools; all have their pros and cons. I have listed the main 3 used by our technicians.

All of them can be downloaded for free for home use:

Super Anti Spyware - http://www.superantispyware.com/

Spybot - http://www.safer-networking.org

Ad Aware - http://lavasoft.com/

Malwarebytes - www.malwarebytes.org

It is important to remember that Spyware are not Viruses.
So, even though virus scans are getting better at it, they will not always find the spyware on your computer.

Thank you for your interest,
Steven Veltmeyer
Managing Director
PCSOL PTY LTD
Thanks to www.wikipedia.org for the definitions.
Disclaimer: PCSOL has no affiliation with the above websites and is providing this information as advice only.

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PCSOL Tip of the Week

KEEP YOUR PERSONAL'S PERSONAL!

Today I raced upstairs to answer the home phone (which hardly EVER rings) and after answering the phone a polite woman with an American Accent asked if my computer has been fixed or is it still broken... ?

After hearing from about 10 customers during the last week receiving the same type of call - I instantly knew it was a bogus call!

So I played along complaining about my "horrible computer" and all the "problems" I was having. The woman on the phone was sympathetic and offered an easy fix over the phone if I just went to a website and downloaded something (she would talk me through it) OR if I gave her my details she would send me the information. To verify this - she asked for my Date of Birth and last 4 digits of my credit card number.

I said, "Sure - as long as you give me some of your details before handing out mine!" - and for some mysterious reason - she hung up!!!!!

This is one of the most important tips I can give you...

If someone rings saying they are from Microsoft or any company and asking about a faulty computer that you have

DO NOT GIVE THEM ANY DETAILS OVER THE PHONE!!

It is a Fraud!

What do they do?

They call you saying that they are from Microsoft, Apple, HP or numerous other International Companies and ask if you are having problems with your computer. They then go on and suggest that you may have a problem and that they need to verify who you are. They may ask for your Date of Birth, Security Code off your credit card or full name. DO NOT GIVE THEM THESE DETAILS - They are doing this because they already MAY have your credit card numbers and need the extra details to process the order.

How do they do it?

It is quite simple. They have a computer system that just calls phone number after phone number in order. This is a WORLDWIDE scam.

What should you do?

The easiest thing to do is Hang Up!!!

If, however, you have given them your details - check your credit card immediately!

If they have asked you to download something on to your computer - or to change the settings - get it checked immediately!



For more information you can check out Microsoft's release about this issue at http://www.microsoft.com/protect/fraud/phishing/msname.aspx
Queensland Police have also released a brochure about identity theft at http://www.police.qld.gov.au/Resources/Internet/services/reportsPublications/documents/page27.pdf
This is an Article about the Phone Con from APC Computer Magazine http://apcmag.com/phone-con-no-that-is-not-microsoft-calling.htm



Thank you for your interest,
Steven Veltmeyer
Managing Director
PCSOL PTY LTD
Disclaimer: PCSOL is providing this information as advice only.

Doctor Doctor!!!

PCSOL Tip of the Week

Doctor Doctor!!!


What is a virus?

A simple explanation of a computer virus is a program that can copy itself and infect a computer without permission or knowledge of the user. This program can be spread a number of different ways, including through emails, via downloads, through the internet, through instant messaging and file sharing or by carrying it on removable mediums such as CD’s, Floppy Disks and USB Drives. Viruses can spread to other computers by infecting files on a network or a file system that is accessed by another computer. So what do they do?Some viruses are programmed to damage the computer by damaging programs, deleting files, or reformatting the hard disk. Others are not designed to do any damage, but simply replicate themselves and perhaps make their presence known by presenting text, video, or audio messages. Even these benign viruses can create problems for the computer user. They typically take up computer memory used by legitimate programs. As a result, they often cause erratic behavior and can result in system crashes. In addition, many viruses are bug-ridden, and these bugs may lead to system crashes and data loss.

The best way to protect your computer is to use one of the many virus programs available on the market. However, it is not a matter of just installing the virus scan, it is also important to perform regular updates. New viruses are being written all the time and even though virus scan companies are trying to keep up, sometimes some viruses can be spread long before the virus companies have found a solution

How do I prevent viruses?

The best ways to protect your computer from getting a virus are:

• Never open an email from someone you don’t know.
• Never click download links from websites that you are unsure about.
• Never accept files, via instant messaging or from other computers, from people you don’t know.
• Always do virus scan updates when they are available.

How do I remove a virus?

Make sure you use a reputable virus scan. Most virus scans will remove the virus for your, or delete the virus files. They will also check your computer while you are surfing the internet, checking emails or installing programs.

If you don’t have a virus scan, you can get AVG Virus Scan, a very good free virus scan, from Clicking Here

A paid version is also available to purchase at our website by Clicking Here


Thank you for your interest,
Steven Veltmeyer
Managing Director
PCSOL PTY LTD
Disclaimer: PCSOL is providing this information as advice only.




don't forget to check out www.pcsol.com.au

Cleaned Up Your PC Lateltly

Thanks for all your feedback about how we can improve our service to you....
One Service that was requested often was a weekly advice column... so here it is:





PCSOL Tip of the Week

Cleaned Up your PC Lately?



Surfing the web and noticing that your computer is running slow?

Did you know that every time you “surf the net” your computer keeps all the pictures you see on websites?

These files are called Temporary Internet Files or Cached Files. The main reason this occurs is so that each time the user (you) visit the website only the changed bits need to be downloaded from the internet. In the days of dial up internet this was a great idea, but now we have fast speed internet, it is not necessary.

The more Temporary Internet Files you have on your computer, the slower it runs.

Microsoft Windows have a disk clean up program. [Go to Start, All Programs, Accessories, System Tools, Disk Clean Up however, it doesn’t do all that effective job.

There are also many alternative tools that exist to erase the data; one of my favourites is a free program downloadable from www.stevengould.org called Disk Cleanup. This is a simple program to run and does an excellent job of removing all the unnecessary temporary files from your computer. You may be surprised at how many files are deleted!


Thank you for your interest,
Steven Veltmeyer
Managing Director
PCSOL PTY LTD

PCSOL Sponsers TEAM DINGO - The Aussie Gliding Team

PCSOL IS PROUD TO SPONSER TEAM DINGO - THE AUSSIE GLIDING TEAM

They are currently in Slovakia for the world championships...

Check out their website at www.teamdingo.com.au




don't forget to check out www.pcsol.com.au