Yesterday I repaired a client’s computer. They had infected their computer with the UKash scam. I documented up my general approach, including links to the software tools I used to remove the Ukash scam.
MyAnswers: Australian Federal Police - Ukash scam... Read More
Technically it isn’t difficult, but it is time consuming. I like to first remove the malware and then to perform a full scan of the computer using two to three antivirus programs. With some hard disks now having millions of files a single scan can take hours and the overall process many hours.
If I were to repair the computer onsite I’d have to charge for all the time involved and to me that would be crazy for the client to foot such a large bill. I have seen IT support people do exactly that. Normally I set an maximum fee of 1.5 hours for malware removal for a standard computer. This provides peace of mind for the client. If the malware is easily removed then only the time required is charged.
However, depending on the malware it may be very easy for a person to remove the malware themselves. In MyAnswers solution 2332 I outline the approach I used and using that information a person with basic computer skills should be able to remove this particular malware and many other malware variants. MyAnswers has been designed to assist people to do their own IT support. Often all it takes is a small amount of knowledge and a difficult problem can be relatively easy to fix.
Next time you have a problem consider using MyAnswers. If the solution I provide doesn’t assist I’m happy to provide a refund. My approach is If I can’t assist you should never be out of pocket.
- Kelvin Eldridge
www.OnlineConnections.com.au
Call 0415 910 703 for help with your computer problem.
Servicing Templestowe, Doncaster, Eltham and the surrounding area.
Tuesday, April 9, 2013
Alert: Australian Federal Police - Ukash scam
MyAnswers: Error STOP 0x0000007B (0xBA4CF524, 0xC0000034, 0x00000000, 0x00000000) WindowsXP
The following MyAnswers solution 2333 is now available:
Toshiba Satellite U400 Windows XP starts but the fails with blue screen and white writing. The error message displayed is STOP 0x0000007B (0xBA4CF524, 0xC0000034, 0x00000000, 0x00000000).
Click here to obtain the solution.
Click here for related solutions.
Kelvin Eldridge
www.MyAnswers.biz
(An Online Connections service.)
Windows 8 Mail app bug. Mail app shows emails in the Inbox that have already been deleted.
Microsoft recently updated their Windows 8 Mail app, but in doing so introduced a new bug I hadn't seen before.
I use multiple devices to check my email and also to continue to test different email clients across devices. For example, in this particular test I use Windows Live mail, iPhone mail and Windows 8 mail. Using the iPhone I deleted some spam which I had received. I then opened the notebook computer and Windows 8 Mail flagged new emails waiting. When I checked there were emails in the Windows 8 Mail app Inbox which I had already deleted.
I use IMAP and emails are stored on the server, so each mail client should show the current state of the Inbox on the server and should be identical across devices. Outlook, Windows Live, Web mail and the Apple iPhone mail all show the same number of emails. You can see that following the Qantas Frequent Flyer email being three emails. The Windows 8 Mail app shows seven emails, four of which have been deleted.
The problem is the Windows 8 Mail app isn't updating correctly. I ran the Windows 8 Mail synchronise option and there was no change. At some point the Windows 8 Mail app will update but until then the information displayed is not correct.
What is important is for those considering a Microsoft tablet or Windows 8 computer is to know the Windows 8 Mail app may not be good enough. With Windows RT tablets since there doesn't appear to be a choice with the mail app (you can't install Outlook or Windows Live Mail), that leaves you with a buggy email app that I wouldn't recommend.
I decided to test what would happen if I deleted one of the emails. The surprise result is all of the emails that have previously been deleted on other devices all disappeared and not just the email I deleted. At least that corrected what the Windows 8 Mail app was displaying.
It is a concern the email client which is an integral part of the design of Windows 8 contains such issues.
Kelvin Eldridge
www.OnlineConnections.com.au
Call 0415 910 703 for computer support.
Servicing Templestowe, Doncaster, Eltham and the surrounding area.
I use multiple devices to check my email and also to continue to test different email clients across devices. For example, in this particular test I use Windows Live mail, iPhone mail and Windows 8 mail. Using the iPhone I deleted some spam which I had received. I then opened the notebook computer and Windows 8 Mail flagged new emails waiting. When I checked there were emails in the Windows 8 Mail app Inbox which I had already deleted.
I use IMAP and emails are stored on the server, so each mail client should show the current state of the Inbox on the server and should be identical across devices. Outlook, Windows Live, Web mail and the Apple iPhone mail all show the same number of emails. You can see that following the Qantas Frequent Flyer email being three emails. The Windows 8 Mail app shows seven emails, four of which have been deleted.
The problem is the Windows 8 Mail app isn't updating correctly. I ran the Windows 8 Mail synchronise option and there was no change. At some point the Windows 8 Mail app will update but until then the information displayed is not correct.
I decided to test what would happen if I deleted one of the emails. The surprise result is all of the emails that have previously been deleted on other devices all disappeared and not just the email I deleted. At least that corrected what the Windows 8 Mail app was displaying.
It is a concern the email client which is an integral part of the design of Windows 8 contains such issues.
Kelvin Eldridge
www.OnlineConnections.com.au
Call 0415 910 703 for computer support.
Servicing Templestowe, Doncaster, Eltham and the surrounding area.
Wednesday, April 3, 2013
Melbourne Weather Forecast varies considerably based on the source.
I just did a search of "Melbourne Weather Forecast" using Google and Google gave the current temperature as 19 degrees. If I check the Bureau of Meteorology the current temperature for Melbourne is 15 degrees and if I check my own outdoor temperature I get 16.1 degrees.
Whilst we all often feel the Bureau of Meteorology (BOM) gets the weather wrong, the reality is we come to depend on the BOM each day for guidance. I have far more confidence in the BOM information than much of the information on the web and via apps that are available. The check of the current weather shows Google is out by around 20% and that's quite a large amount. I do expect the temperature to vary slightly from the Melbourne reading as the temperature does vary across suburbs so my reading and the BOM reading for the current temperature is quite close.
The problem I have with the BOM site is when I visit the site using my mobile phone the page is designed for the desktop and thus the writing is far to small. Most of the time all I really want to do is be able to easily read the forecast and the current temperature. As it turns out it didn't take too much work to create a web page designed for the iPhone to display the information from the BOM in a size more suited to the iPhone. You can check out my web app at www.OnlineConnections.com.au/weather. I've added the web app to my home page so the current weather information is one tap away.
Kelvin Eldridge
Online Connections
www.OnlineConnections.com.au
Call 0415 910 703 for computer support.
Servicing Templestowe, Doncaster, Eltham and the surrounding area.
UPDATE 3/4/2013
Who would have guessed. After writing this post yesterday I woke up this morning and the Bureau of Meteorology have update their site changing the layout. Looks like an update to my app is in order. Stay tuned.
Whilst we all often feel the Bureau of Meteorology (BOM) gets the weather wrong, the reality is we come to depend on the BOM each day for guidance. I have far more confidence in the BOM information than much of the information on the web and via apps that are available. The check of the current weather shows Google is out by around 20% and that's quite a large amount. I do expect the temperature to vary slightly from the Melbourne reading as the temperature does vary across suburbs so my reading and the BOM reading for the current temperature is quite close.
The problem I have with the BOM site is when I visit the site using my mobile phone the page is designed for the desktop and thus the writing is far to small. Most of the time all I really want to do is be able to easily read the forecast and the current temperature. As it turns out it didn't take too much work to create a web page designed for the iPhone to display the information from the BOM in a size more suited to the iPhone. You can check out my web app at www.OnlineConnections.com.au/weather. I've added the web app to my home page so the current weather information is one tap away.
Kelvin Eldridge
Online Connections
www.OnlineConnections.com.au
Call 0415 910 703 for computer support.
Servicing Templestowe, Doncaster, Eltham and the surrounding area.
UPDATE 3/4/2013
Who would have guessed. After writing this post yesterday I woke up this morning and the Bureau of Meteorology have update their site changing the layout. Looks like an update to my app is in order. Stay tuned.
Tuesday, April 2, 2013
MyAnswers: Installing Windows 8 Pro upgrade killed the function keys on my Toshiba notebook
The following MyAnswers solution 2328 is now available:
Upgrading to Windows 8 Pro on my older Toshiba Satellite Pro L500 was OK but unfortunately it killed my functions keys. I can no longer press the FN key plus another key to do things like mute the sound, change between external and internal displays and increase or decrease the brightness of the screen. It has taken a while but I've now found how I can use Windows 8 to provide the same functionality easily.
Click here to obtain the solution.
Click here for related solutions.
Kelvin Eldridge
www.MyAnswers.biz
(An Online Connections service.)
Meet Half Way is a new app designed to enable people to find a mid point to meet.
Have you ever wanted to meet someone half way but weren't quite sure where that might be. For a bit of fun I developed the Meet Half Way web app which enables you and another person find the midway point between the both of you and display that point on a map.
First you find your location using your computer or mobile device. Then you email a link to the page showing where you are located. Your friend then clicks on a link to find their location and then the midway point is displayed on a map.
Now it couldn't be simpler to catch up with friends and meet half way. Visit www.OnlineConnections.com.au/meethalfway/.
Kelvin Eldridge
Online Connections
www.OnlineConnections.com.au
Call 0415 910 703 for computer support.
Servicing Templestowe, Doncaster, Eltham and the surrounding area.
First you find your location using your computer or mobile device. Then you email a link to the page showing where you are located. Your friend then clicks on a link to find their location and then the midway point is displayed on a map.
Now it couldn't be simpler to catch up with friends and meet half way. Visit www.OnlineConnections.com.au/meethalfway/.
Kelvin Eldridge
Online Connections
www.OnlineConnections.com.au
Call 0415 910 703 for computer support.
Servicing Templestowe, Doncaster, Eltham and the surrounding area.
Monday, April 1, 2013
World Backup Day March 31st
If you missed World Backup Day chances are you probably also forgot to do your backup. Over the years I've found backup programs are generally flawed. For example a lot of backup programs take your files and compact them into a special data file that you can't read without the program. If your computer fails you also lose the program. Other programs I've tested simply stop working half way through. Others are set top automatically backup and a regular basis and most clients I've visited have no clue if they're working or not and often they aren't.
For my clients I've created a simple script file and an online web page where they can define what they want to backup and create a custom script file for themselves. There is no charge for clients as I want clients to backup their important files in case their equipment fails. The backup creates a copy of the files making it very easy for clients to recover a lost file or files by a simple copy. No need to get an expensive computer support person in just to recover files as is often the case with many backup programs.
Make sure you take the time out to determine what files are important to you and make regular backups. Your computer will eventually fail and you should make sure you are prepared for that situation. A number of clients over the years have had their computers stolen so whilst we don't usually think of computers going missing, the more mobile we become and our devices become, the more we are exposed our computers being stolen or devices being lost.
Recover of data can be expensive. As an example it is common for people to be quoted around $2,000 to have someone try to recover data from a failed hard drive and there is still no guarantee the data can be recovered. It makes no sense that people don't do even irregular snapshot backups especially when free software is available that can make the inevitable computer failure less painful.
Even if you missed World Backup Day make sure you put some time aside to set up your backup.
Kelvin Eldridge
Online Connections
www.OnlineConnections.com.au
Call 0415 910 703 for computer support.
Servicing Templestowe, Doncaster, Eltham and the surrounding area.
For my clients I've created a simple script file and an online web page where they can define what they want to backup and create a custom script file for themselves. There is no charge for clients as I want clients to backup their important files in case their equipment fails. The backup creates a copy of the files making it very easy for clients to recover a lost file or files by a simple copy. No need to get an expensive computer support person in just to recover files as is often the case with many backup programs.
Make sure you take the time out to determine what files are important to you and make regular backups. Your computer will eventually fail and you should make sure you are prepared for that situation. A number of clients over the years have had their computers stolen so whilst we don't usually think of computers going missing, the more mobile we become and our devices become, the more we are exposed our computers being stolen or devices being lost.
Recover of data can be expensive. As an example it is common for people to be quoted around $2,000 to have someone try to recover data from a failed hard drive and there is still no guarantee the data can be recovered. It makes no sense that people don't do even irregular snapshot backups especially when free software is available that can make the inevitable computer failure less painful.
Even if you missed World Backup Day make sure you put some time aside to set up your backup.
Kelvin Eldridge
Online Connections
www.OnlineConnections.com.au
Call 0415 910 703 for computer support.
Servicing Templestowe, Doncaster, Eltham and the surrounding area.
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