QeNETS

Preventing, Understanding, and Detecting a Virus

On March 17, 2010, In Technology, Tips, By dmulder

One of our users recently caught a virus on a computer while I was in their office. The virus came by e-mail, and claimed to be from UPS. The message indicated that they needed to open the attachment to view the shipping receipt. The address appeared to be legitimate, and even I was fooled. The attachment turned out to be a Trojan horse.

The story of the Trojan horse comes from the Greek war with the city of Troy. The city was under siege by the Greeks for 10 years. To end the conflict, Greece left a statue of a large horse at the gates of Troy, presumably presenting them with a victory trophy. Troy accepted the trophy and rolled it within their gates. That evening, a group of 30 elite soldiers emerged from the horse, opened the gates of the city to the Greek army, and decisively ended the war.

Viruses are tricky things. Threats that were once simply obnoxious have born a new breed of scammers. This particular virus brought up a warning indicating that viruses had been detected, and that we would need to pay a software registration fee to have the viruses removed. Don’t buy into this scam. Paying the registration fee will not remove the virus. It only allows the infiltrators to win the battle.

Viruses are usually caught in innocence. They come in e-mails, such as the fake UPS message, which may appear to be from a legitimate source. The address may even be identical to an authentic sender. The truth is, anyone with an internet connection can forge an e-mail address.

Never open an attachment unless you were already aware that the document was being sent. Be wary of attachments distributed in mass (such as short videos or images). Never open an attachment claiming to be an update from an administrator without first calling to verify. Administrators have the authority to install updates on your system seamlessly. Sending an update through e-mail is extremely uncommon. Check with your IT department anytime a message seems suspicious.

Don’t let your guard down and don’t be fooled by the fake victory trophy. Know what to do when you do catch a virus. Always contact your IT department immediately.

One of our users recently caught a virus on a computer while I was in their office. The virus came by e-mail, and claimed to be from UPS. The message indicated that they needed to open the attachment to view the shipping receipt. The address appeared to be legitimate, and even I was fooled. The attachment turned out to be a Trojan horse.
The story of the Trojan horse comes from the Greek war with the city of Troy. The city was under siege by the Greeks for 10 years. To end the conflict, Greece left a statue of a large horse at the gates of Troy, presumably presenting them with a victory trophy. Troy accepted the trophy and rolled it within their gates. That evening, a group of 30 elite soldiers emerged from the horse, opened the gates of the city to the Greek army, and decisively ended the war.
Viruses are tricky things. Threats that were once simply obnoxious have born a new breed of scammers. This particular virus brought up a warning indicating that viruses had been detected, and that we would need to pay a software registration fee to have the viruses removed. Don’t buy into this scam. Paying the registration fee will not remove the virus. It only allows the infiltrators to win the battle.Viruses are usually caught in innocence. They come in e-mails, such as the fake UPS message, which may appear to be from a legitimate source. The address may even be identical to an authentic sender. The truth is, anyone with an internet connection can forge an e-mail address.
Never open an attachment unless you were already aware that the document was being sent. Be wary of attachments distributed in mass (such as short videos or images). Never open an attachment claiming to be an update from an administrator without first calling to verify. Administrators have the authority to install updates on your system seamlessly. Sending an update through e-mail is extremely uncommon. Check with your IT department anytime a message seems suspicious.
Don’t let your guard down and don’t be fooled by the fake victory trophy. Know what to do when you do catch a virus. Always contact your IT department immediately.

Signs of a Virus Infection

On February 23, 2010, In Technology, Tips, By dmulder

Viruses are good at cloaking themselves from most users, but with a trained eye, you can learn to easily detect them.

Here are some tips for detecting an infection:

Windows (your operating system) is a product of Microsoft. Windows does not come with Anti-Virus software, and will never prompt you to pay for a subscription to remove an infection.
Microsoft is very meticulous about spelling and grammar. If you see a prompt with a lot of spelling or grammar mistakes, it’s probably a fraud.
If you get a prompt saying you’ve got a virus, be suspicious. Did the window pop up while you were browsing the internet? Is it flashing or shaking? Is it using a lot of bright colors to try and get your attention? Real Anti-Virus programs aren’t usually very diligent about letting you know that something happened. If it’s desperately trying to get your attention, it’s a fake.
Did a window pop up showing an Anti-Virus scan, and plenty of infections are detected in a short period of time? Anti-Virus scans don’t usually run unless you specifically open the program and press the scan button. A real Anti-Virus scan also takes several hours. The fake scan progress with numerous detections is a scare tactic, don’t buy it.
Do you get a pop up saying that a program is infected every time you try to open something? This is just another scare tactic. You do have a virus, but the virus is the program telling you that you have one. If it tells you to pay for a subscription to remove the virus, ignore it. Call a professional to remove it.
Does your computer open random websites while you’re browsing? You’ve got a virus.
Do adds pop up frequently on your computer, even when you’re disconnected from the internet? Your computer’s infected.

Most virus infections are caught innocently. Watch for the warning signs, and you won’t fall prey to the scare tactics.

QeNETS QSec

On February 23, 2010, In Technology, By dmulder

What is QSec? Here are a few tips from the developer.

Maybe you’re already using QSec and you’re wondering what that little Orange ‘e’ icon is next to your clock, or maybe you’re curious about giving it a try. Here are some answers to questions you might have.

We designed QSec to be an unobtrusive security suite. QSec doesn’t prompt you and ask you what you think it should do, because it already knows what to do to keep your computer running smooth. QSec uses assumptions about your computer usage to block unwanted activity. For example: Many viruses add themselves to your Windows startup so that they re-appear every time you restart your computer. QSec monitors any editions to your startup and blocks applications from running which do so. It also runs a scan on any applications attempting to force themselves on startup to see if they are viruses. If it is a virus, the program is removed.

A serious threat to any computer is a new virus. New viruses take time before they are added to a detection list. If your computer catches a particularly malicious virus, which hasn’t been previously detected, no Anti-Virus software can stop it. New viruses take a trained eye to detect. QSec provides our technicians with special tools for removing new viruses. QSec gives our technicians the ability to kill and quarantine multiple running processes at once (most viruses will run multiple processes in order to restart itself immediately if stopped). It also allows our technicians to manually quarantine files which are obviously infected (even though no other Anti-Virus software will see it as such).

If you purchase the Small Business Edition of QSec, QSec also stores a copy of common personal files (such as documents, browser favorites, e-mails, etc.). Anytime you modify a document, or receive a new e-mail, QSec stores it on your server. Did you delete a file by mistake? Open the QSec Restore Backups tab and QSec will do the work of retrieving it for you. Just indicate the name of the file. The main purpose for these backups is to protect you from a system crash. If your system crashes, you may loose the data stored on the machine. That can cost you money. If you have QSec Small Business Edition running at your office, you can be up and running again within a few hours. QSec will protect you from the crash that will never happen at a convenient time.

If you have other questions about QSec send us an e-mail at support@qenets.com or call us at 801-426-0638.

International Keyboard

On February 5, 2010, In Tips, By sbudd

This setting on Windows allows one to use the same English keyboard but set it to respond as if it were a Spanish keyboard or any other language you may need. It can be found in the control panel under Regional Settings or something to that effect, depending on your version of Windows.

When I do work in Spanish I use the language bar button on the task bar. This way, I can easily write words like ¡hola! and cigüeña. Many people have asked me how to set this up, so here is this step-by-step video on how to do just that.

-Steve

Tagged with: international • keyboard • regional • settings • Spanish • tutorial • video • windows

Windows 7 Taskbar Pins

On February 4, 2010, In Technology, By dmulder

One of the new editions to Microsoft’s new Windows is the application Pin feature. A few people are irked with the loss of the quick start menu, but pins serve the same purpose.

With a taskbar Pin, you can immediately pin any running program to your taskbar much like the quick start menu once did. The difference is that your Pin serves as both a launch icon, and as the task bar item. Another useful feature of the new taskbar is that different instances of the same program are stacked, bringing up a menu when you click on the stack which allows you to choose which instance to switch to.

I’m still waiting for extra desktops in Windows. Until multiple desktops are introduced, Windows 7 will still run as a virtual machine on my Fedora box. Still, 7’s new features certainly exceed my expectations from Microsoft.

QeNETS Knowledgebase

On January 24, 2010, In QeNETS, Technology, By dmulder

We’ve created a knowledgebase which will contain useful troubleshooting guides for self help.

We’ll be adding guides to the knowledgebase any time we find new resolutions to problems.

Check out this self help guide for solving Internet connection problems.

Windows 7 is a hit!

On January 22, 2010, In Technology, By Terrence

Looks like Microsoft has gotten back on track. When Vista came out, I was wondering if Linux really was going to get their chance to take over the desktop OS market like all Linux users have been claiming for years.

Vista was like new Coke. We told all our customers to stay away from it. In a business environment, it was a show stopper. Microsoft actually had to extend the support life for XP because of the Vista flop.

But now that Windows 7 is here, we can all cancel our “Intro to Linux” classes at the local community center. Not only is it better than Vista – it is great.

One article I read questioned whether it is the best OS ever. I don’t know if it is or not, but I do know that I love it and you should too.

We are going to post some of the features and benefits of Windows 7 here so you can decide for yourself.

QeNETS web site going Spanish

On January 18, 2010, In QeNETS, By Terrence

The Hispanic community is growing like crazy, bringing with it many opportunities. In order to help this growing group of business owners, we are in the process of translating our site into Spanish. Keep an eye out for the Spanish link on the site. It should be here soon!

How is Windows 7 better than previous versions?

On December 1, 2009, In Technology, By admin

Will Windows 7 stand up to the expectations of the users and will prove to be a perfect Operating System? This is a question which is yet to be answered. After encountering problems with Windows Vista, many people are apprehensive about the new member of Microsoft family. Microsoft has tried its best to overcome the problems that users faced with Vista along with the set of new features that will prove to be helpful in enhancing user experience.

There are many factors that indicate that the new OS will prove to be better than all other previous versions. After a slow Vista, Windows users are desperately waiting for a faster system, something just like Windows XP or better. Microsoft has granted this wish to the users. Windows 7 is fast. It boots itself within 30 seconds. When compared with boot time of Windows Vista, Windows 7 is far better. Built-in Internet Explorer of the new OS is also much quicker than its previous versions. But only being faster is not enough for users to upgrade their systems. Of course, not!

Windows 7 is much more stable than others. Many people who have used this version claim that they have never encountered the blue screen of death on their system. Moreover, the computers having a low performance configuration and hardware specification, will also be able to work with Windows 7 (while Vista failed to run on it) as it has minimal hardware requirements.

Windows has sometimes been criticized to be an unsecure system in many aspects. Hackers have been targeting Windows systems for a long time now. Many enhanced security features have been added by Microsoft in its new OS that determines how sensitive it is about security and protecting its users’ data and privacy. New security applications have been introduced to the users to keep their private data secure and at bay from unauthorized hands. Internet Explorer 8, which comes as a default browser with Windows 7, creates a more secure environment for internet users.

Apart from these improvements, users interface has been extensively enhanced. Many features like jump lists, appLocker, BitLocker to Go, Improved desktop contribute to simplifying and securing the day to day tasks. Hence, Windows 7 is a better Operating System with enhanced performance that comes as a blessing for users.

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/computers-articles/how-is-windows-7-better-than-previous-versions–1529582.html

About the Author:

Richard Wilson is a technical expert with iYogi. iYogi a computer services, computer help and technical support vendor is the winner of Red Herring Top 100 Award. iYogi provides microsoft support, windows vista repair, computer support, microsoft support, dell support, computer repair, computer tech support etc. by Microsoft Certified Technician

Facebook and the workplace

On November 16, 2009, In Tips, By dmulder

If your office hasn’t been affected by Facebook, Twitter, blogs, and the like, you better go check your Internet connection. It may be disconnected!

Social Media is being had for good and evil by every nation, kindred, tongue, people – and business.

Some businesses are using it to boost awareness, increase exposure, launch new products, create or solidify their brand, and educate their customers (and potential customers). Good stuff.

Other businesses are merely being sucked into the effects of social media and suffering the consequences – lost productivity, lost opportunity, and lost profits due to employees wasting time – and lots of it on social media sites.

Whether you are using it to help your business, or your employees are on it all day long instead of getting their job done and servicing your customers, it is all about knowing how to deal with it.

In our next couple blogs, we will be talking about how to use social media for good, and how to stop it from having a negative effect on your business.

Terry Crowe
QeNETS
I.T. Solutions for Small Businesses