The Tech Call
‘Hello, Technical Support, how can I help you’?
LADY: ‘Last night my computer started making a lot of hissing
noise at me so I shut it down.This morning when I turned it on
the computer started hissing and cracking, then started smoking
and a bad smell, then nothing’.
SUPPORT: ‘I will have a technician come over first thing this
morning, and leave the computer just like it is, so they can find
the problem and fix it, or exchange it for another computer.
Give me your address and phone number. The technician will be
there just as soon as he can’. When the technician got there, the lady showed the technician where the computer was and told him all about the hissing, cracking
sounds, smoke etc. This is what the technician found wrong… see photos!
(And you thought you ever had computer problems)
The technician told her: ‘It must have been after the mouse!’ The woman didn’t think that was funny at all.
How to do a Trace Route
When general maintenance (see article below - Pages Won’t Load) doesn’t clear up a website loading problem, you will want to submit a trace route to help troubleshoot the issue.
It is not a difficult task, but might seem complicated to those who have never done it.
Left click START then RUN
Type: “command” in the box (no quotes) then click OK
Then type: “tracert (space) www.’destination.com/net/org’ ”
(destination is the URL of site that you are having problems with)
Click enter
The results will show in the ‘black screen’. Right click on the screen and “select all”.
You can then Paste the results into an eMail to send to your support people.
For a visual walk through of the process, Hostroute.com has a brief and very helpful tutorial:
http://www.hostroute.com/supportcentral/traceroute.html
Thank you Hostroute.com
gtsjorge - SunFields
Web Pages won’t Load?
Sometimes we run into problems with one or a few websites that just wont seem to load - they “time out” or we get a “server not found” error. This may be happening because our browser has cached a corrupted or ‘old’ URL.
The quick fix is to click the REFRESH button on our browser. Sometime, this doesn’t work either.
The next solution would be to go to our browser’s “Tools / Options” tab and clear cache, temporary files and cookies. While you are there, you may want to go to the “advanced” tab and set your browser to clear the history when you exit. Some browsers have an option to “refresh” the page each time you request it.
If none of the above solves the problem, there is one other solution to be sure that the problem is NOT your computer but, perhaps, some “bump” occurring out there on the internet.
FLUSH DNS: This may sound like it requires technical expertise, but it really is rather simple.
Left click START Button then click “RUN” - then type ‘command’ into the box and hit enter. This opens the command line. Now type “ipconfig /flushdns” right after the blinking cursor. ( No quotes and be sure to put in the ’space’.) This will flush all the domain name server requests from cache and allow your browser to make new, fresh url requests.
Hopefully this helps to eliminate your personal computer as the problem. Remember that a lot of
connections are made on the way from your PC to the website server and interruptions can and will occur at any point along the way. Sometimes, you might just need to wait and try again a little later.
gtsjorge - SunFields
Why Do I Still Get Infected?
I copied and pasted this article in it’s entirety from Lockergnome. I think that now-a-days, even more than ever, that the most important maintenance ‘chore’ a user has is keeping his computer clean - as much as for all of us using the internet as for his own sake.
Thank-you Ken Colburn, President of Data Doctors Computer Services, and Lockergnome for this important info and reminder.
Why Do I Still Get Infected?
http://www.lockergnome.com/nexus/windows/2007/06/15/why-do-i-still-get-infected
by Lockergnome on June 15, 2007 at 12:45 pm · Comments
Categorized by Gnewbie Gnook / Related Information
Q: If I installed anti-virus and anti-spyware software, have kept Windows updated and have a firewall, why am I still getting infections? - William
A: There are two aspects of this problem that no amount of security software can overcome: reverse engineering and social engineering.
Security software often gives users a false sense that they are protected and can do just about anything they want on the Internet.
No matter which security software you install or even how many, the bad guys have the upper hand on figuring out how to get around them (this is why security software needs to be constantly updated).
Reverse engineering security software to figure out how it detects security threats has always been around but hackers have found an even easier way to gain access to your computer: trick you into doing something that they want you to do.
Social engineering is a way for hackers to exploit humans through cleverly crafted e-mails, attachments that pretend to be something really important, free offers that have hidden programs in them or Web sites that silently try to sneak software onto your machine (called “drive-by downloads”) while you are clicking on an intriguing link.
If a hacker can convince you to open an attachment, click on a link, or download a free program, they can instantly bypass your security software (and often times disable it at the same time). Once this happens, your security software looks like it’s running, but it’s actually been given a “frontal lobotomy.”
Of all of the computers on the Internet, a residential computer attached to a high-speed Internet connection is the most targeted and most infected computer type on the planet and if you have “screen-agers” in your household, you are in a very high risk group for infections.
Tech savvy teens are not afraid of anything and will click on, download or visit any Web site especially if they think they are getting something for nothing.
Teens are the primary users of file swapping software (Limewire, KaZaa, BitTorrent, etc.), frequent visitors to crack sites (to avoid paying for software) and live on social networking systems, which are all targeted by the bad guys.
We service both residential and business customers on a daily basis and the difference in the two is dramatic. Residential computers tend to have exponentially higher levels of infections primarily because of the way that they are used.
The average business computer is in a controlled environment, with specific restrictions in place that limit the exposure to common ailments (but still at risk if users engage in risky behavior). Employees are usually given very specific usage guidelines and in most cases, someone is constantly watching over the entire network.
The average residential network is actually the same as a small business network was a couple of years ago, but no one is proactively watching over it.
Instead, most residential networks are developed in an ad hoc manner, with no proactive measures and no one restricting what any of the users are doing.
Hackers understand their victims and always go after the weakest ones; in this case, it’s the average residential user.
You have taken all of the right technology steps to protect your system, so if you are continually getting re-infected, you have a “liveware” problem. Someone that’s using your computer is engaging in questionable activities, visiting “fringe content” Web sites that are loaded with exploits or is downloading software that has hidden code in it.
If you can stop the behavior, you can stop the infections. Any seasoned computer person can take a look at the programs you have installed and determine if you have a user abuse problem if you can’t.
Ken Colburn
President of Data Doctors Computer Services, Host of the award-winning Computer Corner radio show, and Author of Computer Q&A in the East Valley Tribune newspapers
Please Help Save Internet Radio
There is lots you can do……..
However, a simple phone call can make all the difference.
We will show you how and what to say, please click the banner…
Thank you.
World Press Blogging system comes free with SunFields Hosting
Welcome to our new look.
In our tradition of keeping it simple, we have moved our blog to our own servers and no longer use the TypePad Blog system. The good news about this is that you too can now have a Word Press blogging system (like this one) and customize it to your preference when you purchase your HOSTING from SunFields. It is very simple to use.
World Press comes FREE with your SunFields Cpanel (Linux) and Windows Hosting accounts. To install the program, log into your SunFields Cpanel account and click on “Fantastico”. Follow the easy install instructions.
For those of you with our Windows hosting, log into your hosting account, click “Advaced” on the left, and then click on “3rd party Apps”. Scroll down and you will see the World Press installer.
Enjoy your new blogging program! Your hosting project / website will still have plenty of room for other things. But, we do suggest that you put the content in it’s own directory named “blog” unless you want it to show as your homepage / index.
The mind of Steven Wright
If you’re not familiar with the work of Steven
Wright, he’s the famous erudite scientist who once said:
“I woke up one morning and all of my stuff had been
stolen and replaced by exact duplicates.” His mind tends
to see things a bit differently than the rest of us mortals.
Here are some of his gems:
1- I’d kill for a Nobel Peace Prize.
2- Borrow money from pessimists - they don’t expect
it back.
3- Half the people you know are below average.
4- 99% of lawyers give the rest a bad name.
5- 42.7% of all statistics are made up on the spot.
6- A conscience is what hurts when all your other
parts feel so good.
7- A clear conscience is usually the sign of a bad
memory.
8- If you want the rainbow, you gotta put up with
the rain.
9- All those who believe in psycho kinetics, raise
my hand.
10- The early bird may get the worm, but the second
mouse gets the cheese.
11- I almost had a psychic girlfriend, but she left
me before we met.
12- OK, so what’s the speed of dark?
13- How do you tell when you’re out of invisible
ink?
14- If everything seems to be going well, you have
obviously overlooked something.
15- Depression is merely anger without enthusiasm.
16- When everything is coming your way, you’re in
the wrong lane.
17- Ambition is a poor excuse for not having enough
sense to be lazy.
18- Hard work pays off in the future, laziness pays
off now.
19- I intend to live forever; so far, so good.
20- If Barbie is so popular, why do you have to buy
her friends?
21- Eagles may soar, but weasels don’t get sucked
into jet engines.
22- What happens if you get scared half to death
twice?
23- My mechanic told me, “I couldn’t repair your
brakes, so I made your horn louder.”
24- Why do psychics have to ask you for your name?
25- If at first you don’t succeed, destroy all
evidence that you tried.
26- A conclusion is the place where you got tired of
thinking.
27- Experience is something you don’t get until just
after you need it.
28- The hardness of the butter is proportional to
the softness of the bread.
29- To steal ideas from one person is plagiarism; to
steal from many is research.
30- The problem with the gene pool is that there is
no lifeguard.
31- The sooner you fall behind, the more time you’ll
have to catch up.
32- The colder the X-ray table, the more of your
body is required to be on it.
33- Everyone has a photographic memory; some just
don’t have film.
34- If your car could travel at the speed of light,
would your headlights work?
Beach House in San Blas, Mexico
In addition to his Quinta California , Chris now has a Beach House for rent in San Blas, Nayarit, Mexico. Click HERE to see the website.
Thoughts to ponder for the coming New Year
Withall that is going on in our world, we forget the important
things in life. I hereby pass on to you a collection of things to
ponder, if not only for distraction…
MORE THINGS TO PONDER
1. Don’t sweat the petty things and don’t pet the sweaty things.
2. One tequila, two tequila, three tequila, floor….
3. Atheism is a non-prophet organization.
4. If man evolved from monkeys and apes, why do we still have monkeys and apes?
5. The main reason Santa is so jolly is because he knows where all the bad girls live.
6. I went to a bookstore and asked the saleswoman, “Where’s the self-help section?” She
said if she told me, it would defeat the purpose.
7. What if there were no hypothetical questions?
8. If a deaf person swears, does his mother wash hishands with soap?
9. If someone with multiple personalities threatensto kill himself, is it considered a hostage situation?
10. Is there another word for synonym?
11. Where do forest rangers go to “get away from itall?”
12. What do you do when you see an endangered animaleating an endangered plant?
13. If a parsley farmer is sued, can they garnishhis wages?
14. Would a fly without wings be called a walk?
15 Why do they lock gas station bathrooms? Are theyafraid someone will clean them?
16. If a turtle doesn’t have a shell, is he homelessor naked?
17. Can vegetarians eat animal crackers?
18. If the police arrest a mime, do they tell him hehas the right to remain silent? 19. Why do they put Braille on the drive-through bank machines?
20. How do they get deer to cross the road only atthose yellow road signs?
21. What was the best thing before sliced bread?
22. One nice thing about egotists: They don’t talkabout other people.
23. Does the Little Mermaid wear an algebra?
24. Do infants enjoy infancy as much as adults enjoyadultery?
25. How is it possible to have a civil war?
26. If one synchronized swimmer drowns, do the restdrown too?
27. If you ate both pasta and antipasto, would youstill be hungry?
28. If you try to fail, and succeed, which have youdone?
29. Whose cruel idea was it for the word “Lisp” to have “S” in it?
30. Why are hemorrhoids called “hemorrhoids” insteadof “assteroids”?
31. Why is it called tourist season if we can’tshoot at them?
32. Why is there an expiration date on sour cream?
33. If you spin an oriental man in a circle threetimes does he become disoriented?
34. Can an atheist get insurance against acts ofGod?
