Frequently Asked Questions
We are glad to answer your most pressing questions
Q.My computer seems to be slowing down and it takes longer for things to load.Is there something I can do?
A. One of the biggest issue facing computer users today is Spyware and Adware. These are programs that are usually downloaded or, installed as part of another program. A common example of Adware would be when you visit certain sites or, type in certain keywords, popup messages may appear for sponsor related items. Spyware can be much more dangerous to your computers security and privacy. Spyware as the name implies runs in the background without your knowledge or authorization. It may be tracking what sites you visit, how long you spend at certain sites or even worse, it may be logging keystrokes for things like passwords or credit numbers and reporting them secretly back to a third party. A virus and spyware / adware scan and cleaning if necessary, can recover your computers speed.
Q. I love the connivance of not being tied to a cord when I use my laptop on the road. What do I need to have this connivance at home and are there any security concern?
A>
If you have a high speed internet connection the hardware requirements
are simple. A wireless router which costs under $100.00 is all you need.
This acts similar to the way the base station of a cordless phone
works. If your laptop does not have wireless built in or, you wish to
setup desktop computers to be wireless so, you don't need to run
cables for them, a wireless card for these situations is approx
$50.00. The router is plugged into your modem and, transmits /
receives data from your computer thus eliminating the cord. Security
is bigger problem. That signal does stop with your walls. The signal
can be picked up depending on location and weather conditions anywhere
from a 100 - 300 ft radius of the base. Some routers are even farther.
Three things that should be done as soon as you set up your router are:
1. Turn off the Broadcast Station ID. This prevents somebody from
driving by and scanning for network connections. That car that stops
in front of your house in the morning while they are drinking their
coffee and enjoying their muffin may also be using your internet
connection to download their illegal music. Who do you think they are
going to come looking for? That copy of your last tax return that your
tax preparation software left on the computer to allow you import it
in to this year's taxes may also be a treasure chest for an identity
thief. Once they are on your network, they may have access to all the computers in your house.
2. Change the default passwords and station id name that are on the router.
Leaving the default password and station ID allow a connection to be
made even if the broadcast station id is turned off. This can be done
just by scanning for default station ID. The biggest router
manufactures use very simple station names and passwords so, the parts
will work right out of the box if you don't set anything up.
3. Turn on the security options. They will say something like wep or wpa.
This allows a pass phase that must be setup on the computer as well as
the router for the two to talk to each other.
If any of this sounds confusing, we are here to help. Wireless is
simple but, with all of the identity theft and such problems, an ounce
of prevention goes a long way.
Q: I want to set up a website but, I don’t know where to
begin. What is involved?
A: A website is just a series of pages like a book with a
table of contents stored on another computer. When you click
on links, you are actually just jumping to a different page in the
book. There are numerous programs available to create websites
ranging from very simple to complex. An example of a simple
program is Microsoft Word. It can be used to create web pages.
On the other end of the spectrum is Microsoft Expression. For
those you familiar with FrontPage, it replaced it.
Hosting which is the term for having the site active to be
viewed, you have two choices. Using a hosting company or doing
it yourself. Hosting it yourself may sound easier and cheaper
than paying $50 or $100 dollars a year to another company to do it
for you. Unless you have a high speed connection and you
computer is always on, it is not practical to host your own site.
If your computer is not connected to the internet and, you are
hosting your own site, it will not be available and viewers will get
an error message.
With a hosting company, you upload your site to them and, there
computer which is always on is what visitors to your site connect
to. This frees up your computer.
The second thing you should have is a domain name. that is
the name that they will type into their browser to get to your site
for example www.pcisbroke.com
. every site has what is called an IP number which is kind of
like a telephone number. In this example the IP is 65.254.250.106
is the same as www.pcisbroke.com
it’s just easier to remember the name than all the numbers that is
why people use domain names instead. The registration fee for
domain names varies by which company how long you reserve the name
for but, generally it will cost you $10 to $50 / year for the name.
Once you have a domain name and hosting solution, It’s just
a matter of your interests and creativity. I have talked to
people who use the web as a form of taking scrap booking to the next
level to share photos worldwide. From a business stand point,
A web site really is no longer a option, it is a necessity in this
24-7 world.