OK, so I know I beat this issue to death – but it is what it is.

My last article was about having all of the applications required to protect your pc from attacks, and it just so happens that my kids pc got hit…hard!

On the Saturday before Christmas, my dog Toby (a lab/border collie mix) died.  If you have a pet, you know just how distressing this event is.  Our pets are part of the family.  So I was in the process of handling all of the details of the aftermath of Toby’s passing, and when I got home from all of that I was a bit sullen.  My youngest daughter (10 yrs old) came to me complaining about her computer not working right, so I told her that I would get around to it later when I had some time.  I still had Christmas gifts to wrap, and I just wasn’t in the mood to sit in front of a computer.

So later that afternoon, I found my daughter and asked her what the computer was doing.  She gave me a list of the symptoms, and it sounded like she was hit by a virus – but that was strange because that pc was fully protected…or so I thought!

Come to find out, my oldest daughter had been running some video editing software and had TURNED OFF the virus protection because it was causing problems with her ability to finish the project she was running.  She failed to restart the software.

Later that day, my youngest daughter got on to do some stuff, googled something and followed the trail and BAM she got hit.  It was a nasty one too!

It was one of those YOU HAVE SPYWARE ON YOUR COMPUTER pop-ups that install all kinds of nasty stuff on your pc.  It had the VUNDO virus, a ROOTKIT (which is very bad), some TROJANS and removed any ability to load or install programs.

Well, the VUNDO (I pronounce it VeeUndo) virus was tricky, but I was able to take care of that and the trojan.  But the RootKit is forcing me to wipe the hard drive clean, and start completely over.  That was after about 20 hours of working on the pc.

There are vicious threats all over the web.  Hackers are out in force, trying to steal your information and your identity.  It is up to you to know what the threats are, and how to protect yourself. 

I still use free anti-virus software and all of the other protection apps I use are free too.  You can download them at the PowersZone.

I am a Dad.

That is a simple statement that brings a lot of responsibility with it.  So I understand the concern when parents ask me what they can to do when it comes to their kids and the web.  I can see it in their face.  The knee-jerk reaction is always to “stifle” or “prevent” kids from surfing the web, but that is not what I do with our kids, and that is not the advice I give other parents.

Now I am a Christian, but I make it a point not to be a moralist.  What that means is that I don’t force my moral values upon other people, but that being said I do allow my moral compass to direct me in all aspects of my life including the advice that I give.  I won’t get into OUR “style” of parenting, but I can say that we are Parents to our children, not their friend.

Kids get curious. 

Whether it’s the web, cutting class, alcohol, or drugs, etc., they get curious.  We did it as kids, why would we expect anything different from our kids?  When I talked to my kids about it, I told them 2 things:

• I explain to my two girls that there is good stuff and bad stuff on the web. 
• In that discussion, I let them know that I can see EVERYTHING that they do on the computer. 

Once those two statements are drilled into their mushy little skulls, I tell them that they may come across bad or scary stuff on the internet – and if so, they need to tell Mom or Dad.  If it happens, it happens…just tell us.  The circumstances of not telling us are NOT GOOD!  I want them to feel free to explore, but I don’t want them HIDING anything from me.

Now little kids (4-10yrs) are easy, typically you can just setup a shortcut to Disney.com or Cartoon Network.com and that will keep them pretty happy.  Those sites are very “kid-centric” and I consider them pretty safe.  Older kids (starting around 9 or 10 years old) like to EXPLORE the web.  They like to get into chat rooms or social sites like Facebook and MySpace and interact with their friends and meet new friends.  They also like to download music and videos regardless of whether it’s free or stolen.  (Note: This is how computers get completely screwed up with viruses, etc.  Click here to learn how to protect your computer from bad stuff)  Now we have RULES that we impose, and they are NON-NEGOTIABLE with our kids.  You may need to modify these depending on your kids and your parenting style. 

Here are the RULES that I recommend:

1. Search the kids surfing history.  KNOWhow to search the history on the computer.  It’s easy, it only takes a little time to learn, and once your kid see’s that you know how to check…it firms up their belief that they can’t just surf without accountability.
   • “I don’t know anything about computers…” DO NOT USE THIS EXCUSE!!!  This isn’t Voodoo! Take a little time to learn!  It’s all on the web.  Go to GOOGLE, search for “How To Find Windows History” and start reading.
   • Try this link for starters http://www.webwisekids.org/ 
2. If your child joins a site like Facebook, you need to join it as well and make them add you as a friend.  THIS IS NOT A LICENSE TO SNOOP!  Your job as a parent is PROTECTION, not digging in your kids privacy.  If your child feels like you are, they will just open another account that you don’t know about and keep you out of the loop.
3. I set designated times for the kids to be on the computer/internet.  Any other access must go through me or my wife.

My kids understand the consequences for not following the rules.  It is important to hold your kids accountable!

As a parent, you need to learn about SOCIAL NETWORKING SITES.  Learn how sites like Facebook, MySpace, etc. work.  Learn what the dangers are.  Make it your job to understand what your kid is getting into!  This is the toughest part, because there is always a new one out there.

The Key is to know the dangers to your children, and to take the necessary steps to prevent them.  No excuses.  If you care about your kids, take the time to learn and understand the threats that are out there and how to protect them.

From a Parent, to a parent.

I practially live in front of pc monitors all day long (3 on my desk, plus a Mac, and there’s always my trusty laptop!).  And sometimes I cannot leave my desk for long periods of time because processes are running, or something I am doing requires some attention.  But in those times when I don’t have to focus, I usually find something else to do!

I just wanted to share some of the websites that I go to for FUN or to pass the time.  I don’t realize sometimes how many people don’t realize these sites exist!

1.  Watch TV Shows on your PC – There are a few sites on the web that you can watch tv shows including CBS.com, NBC.com, etc.  My absolute favorite site is Hulu.com.  (Site)

Hulu.com is a great site for both HD TV and Movies.  There are hundreds of TV shows both current and not.  You can setup a profile and subscribe to your favorite shows, and Hulu will keep you advised when new episodes are available.  They also have a huge selection of movies. There are commercials, but they are short and not too invasive.

• Huge selection of shows
• Very EASY to NAVIGATE
• Very Clear
• Customizable to your likes and dislikes
• Very Current – Most shows are updated the day after they Air on TV.
• Great way to catch up on episodes (or even seasons) of shows that you missed

Joost.com (Site) is a close second in my opinion.  Another site that serves up TV shows and Movies.  It’s not as clean or user friendly as Hulu, but it fills in the blanks when you can’t find what you want.

2.  Shopping A Deal-a-Day sites – This is more of a pass-time than anything else, but if you’re not careful it can turn into a full-blown addiciton.

Woot.com (Site) is the one that started it all.  They host ONE and only one product for sale each day!  The sale ends at midnight, or when the product inventory has been deleted.  If you are looking for a GREAT BUY, Woot is the site for you!  Woot adds a flavor with a humorous blog entry each day that is worth the visit!

Woot and sites deal-a-day sites like woot typically have RSS feeds which means that you can have the deals sent right to your RSS reader (if you have one)!

There are sites that grab these deals from many sites and bring them to one place for your convienience.  DealSucker.com (Dealsucker) and Bargain Jack.com (now three sites in one)  are two sites that find one-day deals for you.

This is a fun pasttime, and I will say it again…I CAN GET VERY ADDICTING!  I almost ended up on the TV Show INTERVENTION!

3.  Online Games – Now I have game systems at home (PS1, PS2, PSP, Nintendo GameCube, Wii, Xbox, Xbox360, DS), and the Xbox360 is in my office.  But every once and a while I enjoy playing games online.  My wife and I both play games on POGO.com (Site) which offers free games and a paid membership option with some extra benefits.  It is very SOCIAL allowing light chat in the “rooms” as you play your games.  Great variety of online games.

If you have a Facebook (Site), there are games online there as well.  These are nice because you don’t have to commit to the game for a long time, and you can challenge friends and family to meet or beat your score.  Facebook is a Social Network, so the games are geared to generate some social activity.  Signup is free if you don’t have an account.

Now these sites are sites that I like to visit.  What do you like to do online in your spare time (keep it clean)?

Leave a comment and share!

I used to love those old Best Buy Geek Squad commercials.  But I never really liked Geek Squad!

I always here this from people when it comes to their pc:  “…I am not really a computer person” or “I am not into computers”.  As if this is an excuse or something.  Comedian Greg Behrendt once said “saying that I’m not into computers these days is like saying, Yeah…I’m really not into the phone!”.  Everyone these days has or uses one, so no more excuses!

Many people that I run into believe that if they have a problem with their laptop/pc, their only choice is to take it to Geek Squad.  That is a myth that needs to be dispelled!

Now I am fortunate because I don’t have the need for a service like Geek Squad (nor does anyone I know), but there are many people that take their pc to Geek Squad everyday and they don’t have a clue. 

Geek Squad is basically like an Auto Mechanic, if they realize that you don’t know what is wrong with your pc, or if they think they can charge you for extra services…THEY WILL.  I should also state that I have some very good friends that work for Best Buy in the technical services and they are good people.  That being said, let’s look at what we can do to prevent the need for Geek Squad.

• Fact:  Most people will take their pc to Geek Squad because of Virus, Spyware and Software issues. 
• Fact:  These are the most COSTLY issues to resolve!
• Fact:  You can do almost ALL OF THIS at home with FREE SOFTWARE!!!

HOW?

In most cases, you can resolve what seem like MAJOR ISSUES with your pc just by running one or two cleansing apps.  You just need to know which ones!  That the SECRET!  Follow these steps

1. Back Up your Files!  Read this post on Backing up your data! (it opens in a new window!)  A good backup is always important!  EVEN IF YOU TAKE YOUR PC TO GEEK SQUAD.  Many times Geek Squad will resolve issues by WIPING THE HARD DRIVE CLEAN and replacing your operating system (XP/VISTA).  You lose your data, and you pay them for the effort!
2. Run your Virus Software.  Click here for options
3. Run AntiTrojan Software  Click here for options
4. Run AntiSpyware Software!   Click here for options

If this all seems TOO DIFFICULT or COMPLICATED TO UNDERSTAND, Watch My VIDEO!!!  Click Here!  Just sign up for my newsletter (name and email addy!).

Recently, a friend of mine told me that he paid over $550 last year getting his laptops “cleaned” by Geek Squad.  When I showed him how to do it for free, he was first very thankful and surprised – and then he got pretty mad.

I am sure he’s not the only one that will have that same reaction!

I tried all these steps but it doesn’t fix my problem!

Well, if you run through all of these steps and it doesn’t fix your problem, you just saved a lot of money.  When you take your pc in (to Geek Squad?), tell them that you ran these processes on your pc and you were still having a problem. BE SPECIFIC when explaining the problem with your pc.  There is a good chance that they will treat you a bit differently (like you’re not an idiot!), but they may still try to sell you the “Diagnostic Tests” which is basically what you just did.  If you get a good tech, they will walk you through what the problem may be.  Have them EXPLAIN:

• What they intend to do
• Tell you how long it will take
• How much will it cost.

Be certain to tell them to keep you informed of the process, and not to do anything “drastic” without consulting you first.

Hardware Problems?

Sometimes the problem is related to hardware like a dying harddrive, network card going out, or a power supply.  Hundreds of things can go bad.  My suggestion is use Google to search for solutions to your problem.  It is a great first step.  That is how I do it.

Now if you can’t/won’t deal with replacing computer components – I highly recommend finding a teenager, friend, or an associate that is very good at technical stuff that can handle replacing computer components, etc.  Typically people like this love to help, and they won’t typically charge you to fix your issue (but you should pay them anyway!!!)  This will save you loads of time, money, and the pain that comes with computer problems.  Geek Squad is not a bad alternative when it comes to hardware stuff, but you are going to pay through the nose for it.

I don’t want to deal with it…I just want it fixed!

If you just want the problem fixed, there are plenty of resources online that you can utilize to at least identify your problem.  There are also online pc technicians that can log onto your pc and fix the problem for a charge.  in my opinion, it typically is cheaper to use an online pc tech than disconnecting your pc and taking it to Geek Squad.

If you have a question, you can post a comment

When I was young, like 10 or 11 years old, I remember that when my grandfather came to visit our family he always seemed to be just a little frustrated.  Well being an inquisitive (and probably annoying) child, I asked him one day why he was always frustrated (I probably didn’t ask it that formally).  His answer always stayed with me:

“Son, as I get older, I realize that things that are important to me don’t seem to be important to anyone else.  People tend to rush the important things, cut corners when they shouldn’t, and don’t do what they are supposed to, and then blame someone else for their problem.”

He said that over 30 years ago!

My grandfather was in the Corps of Engineers and was responsible for large projects such as building dams, locks, and bridges.  He was by all accounts an excellent engineer and a perfectionist.  He was a man of few words, and like most of our grandfathers – he sacrificed a lot through both the depression and WWII.

Now why do I mention this…?  Well because at 40+ years of age, I am starting to feel that same frustration! 

I am by trade an IT consultant and I have quite a few clients, many of which are large publicly traded companies.  Most of the people that I help and work with are very nice people, and typically they are very dilligent in their day-to-day jobs.  But they (much like most of us) are focused on the short and long term goals set by their Boss and/or the company that they work for.  The problem is that there typically isn’t any “breathing room” in the corporate space, and although most companies do focus on training – most employees look at this as either a nuisance or an excuse to relax/deflate.

Although most if not all white collar employees work with a computer/laptop, I would say that at least 80% (that I know) only use up to three or four apps (ie. Email, Excel, Enterprise apps, web browser, etc), and about 75% barely have a working knowledge of the OS.  This combined with the fact that corporate IT departments have done a great job of thwarting viral threats in the Back Office without much, if any, user responsibility has given the user a false sense of security when they approach their home pc.

Now as a result, I have probably had a conversation with EVERY SINGLE PERSON that I come in contact with in the corporate space about their Home Computer!  The discussion topic always starts with “my computer is slow” and moves toward AntiVirus software, AntiSpyware software, Firewalls, etc.  Most of them have little to NO PROTECTION on their pc.  What is worse, they have a copy of Norton or McAfee that came with the pc, but hasn’t been update in three years because they never paid for the service.  Even in late 2008, half of these users that I run into have no Spyware protection on their home pc!  Unreal.

In most cases, I would just take their home pc back to my office and clean it up for them.  I wouldn’t charge them, but I would suggest a good bottle of scotch (at least 12 years old!)

After a while, I got a bit overloaded and overwhelmed “fixing” everyone’s pc.  Yeah, my scotch collection was pretty nice, but I didn’t have any time to enjoy it or do anything else but WORK.

That is the number 1 reason why I setup the Powers Zone.  To give users a place to go where they could understand the threats to their pc, and learn how to clean it themselves.  And to help RELIEVE my frustration level, because I started to become my grandfather…at 40!

Helping pc users become aware of the threats, aware of the tools, and educating them on how to deal and react to both is what I hope to accomplish with the Powers Zone.

If you have any ideas or comments, please feel free to comment!

A little over 12 years ago, I started digitizing my music collection onto my computer.  Our CD collection was well over 500 at the time, and I spent a lot of time creating all those mp3 files.  It was worth it because I could listen to them anytime, and as mp3 players became popular – I could transport my music to a player (or my phone) and listen to it anytime I wanted.

That’s all very cool stuff, but the problem is that I only listen to music that I KNOW OF!

Now Satellite Radio (XM and Sirius) both came out a few years ago, and if you are a little adventurous you will find some pretty cool music, but I don’t listen to Satellite radio unless I am in the car.

Well Now there is a website that you can input the bands you like to listen to…or just the songs you like to listen to, and the site will CREATE AND PLAY a Playlist of music that not only includes your bands/songs you like but will include NEW BANDS and MUSIC.

The website is www.PANDORA.com.  This is a GREAT SITE!

You not only can listen to music that you like, but you can SHARE your musical taste with others!  Also, if you find a song that you really like that you haven’t heard before, pandora gives you a direct link to iTunes, Amazon MP3, or buy the CD from Amazon!  Now that is Really COOL!

Here is my station!

Here is what else is cool…If you have Sprint or AT&T, you can actually queue up and listen to your pandora selections from your phone!  And you still have the ability to buy the track from your phone as well!

Now I must confess that my daughter told me about this site, and I raised her alowance because of it.

I was in Best Buy last week and I ran into a friend of mine that I had not seen in a while.  I love Best Buy, it’s one of the only brick and mortar stores that I go to anymore.  Anyway, I was talking with my friend and she was there buying a HUGE pack of CD-R’s (writeable CD media).

I asked her what they were for and she said that she and her husband had gone to Paris for three weeks and she had all of these pictures that she needed to “burn”.  She has one of those cameras with a 40 gig harddrive in it so she had quite a bit of video and images that she needed to backup.

I asked her if she was making copies of the CD’s for family and friends and she said that wasn’t the case, that this was her way of “storing” the images in her library.  I asked her how long she had been doing this and she said “years and years”.

That’s when I told her that CD’s were not the best way to do this because of the fact that they “de-laminate” over time which means that the data becomes useless after a period of 10-15 years or so.  It doesn’t always happen but it had happened to me so I was speaking from experience.

She had never heard of that and I told her that she should go back and look at some of the older cd’s in her collection to see if they work or not. 

Two days later she called me in horror stating that some of the oldest cd’s weren’t working at all.  She brought them to me and although they weren’t de-laminated, they were burned with a very old cd-burning unit that was proprietary and had to be viewed with that unit to work.  Well needless to say that cd-rom unit was long gone.  So I spent a few hours helping her find some software that would let her read the disk but it cost her $150 bucks.

It appears that there is big money in OLD TECHNOLOGY!

She lamented that now she had to go and “re-burn” all of the old cd’s into new cd’s which reached in the number of over 300.  That’s a lot of time!

I suggested a different strategy for her.

Her computer has 500 gigabytes of room, and her computer has the ability to add a second hard drive.  I suggested that in her case that she just buy another 500 gigabyte harddrive (just over $150) and let me install it for her.  Then she could just move the data from the CD’s back onto the new harddrive!

But that only solved half of the problem.  How to keep the images SAFE!

You see, her house burned down when she was younger and still living at home, and many of her family’s pictures and portraits were ruined or destroyed.  So she had a real fear of losing her memories.

That’s when I recommended that she try CARBONITE Backup software to create a backup of all her images.  Carbonite keeps your files safe on huge secure and private computers, and the software backs up your files throughout the day via an internet connection so you don’t have to plan anything or schedule a time to backup.

She wasn’t sure about using the internet, and I told her that she could try it FREE for 15 days and told her it was definitely worth a shot.  So she tried it and loves it.

The cost of the service is about the same as a huge pack of CD-R’s or DVD-R’s, you just don’t spend all your time burning disks!!!

I use it and love it.  I back up with it and had to recover using it and it’s effortless.  Very Easy!

If you want to learn more about CARBONITE, Click Here or on the Banner below.

Bruce

Hey Guys,

I spend a lot of my time on the web, and from time to time (just like everyone else) I get hit with viral threat of some type. This week one of my laptops that I just “play” on got hit with a series of Trojan Horse files and Spyware. These were not Viruses, but the Trojan was just as bad.

It was a new Trojan that my virus scanner didn’t catch! It wasn’t too serious, and I was able to clean it up relatively easily. But I know what I am doing, and I am prepared for situations like this.

ARE YOU?

If you have no idea what I am talking about, you need to watch the video that I created that walks you step-by-step on all the different threats (Viruses, Trojans, etc.) and then how to protect your pc from them!

Click here to watch the video!

Take this time to EMPOWER YOURSELF! Don’t go pay someone $50, $100, or more to fix your computer when it get’s “HIT” – do it yourself!

Bruce

I don’t know about you, but I have a lot of email everyday.  I have a lot of different email accounts because I need one that is personal, I have a couple for work, I have admin accounts that track stuff for me, etc.

One of the biggest problems that I run into is trying to get my mail when I am not home or at the office.  Yeah, I got one of those cool phones that I can read email with…but sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn’t. 

It’s hard to find old emails because the search function is poor, and another HUGE Problem is dealing with the fact that I have to BACKUP all my emails in Outlook.  If my computer dies, I spend more time recovering emails than any other aspect of the recovery!

So, I have started to bypass all of these issues by using a GMAIL EMAIL ACCOUNT by Google!  It is completely web-based.  I can do everything that I can do in Outlook, and it’s VERY EASY to USE!

And I can still read my GMAIL in Outlook if I want.

There is some great functionality in Gmail that you just don’t get in traditional email applications.

Oh, by the way…It’s FREE!

Now you need to get an INVITE to use Gmail, so click here to Email Me and let me know you want a GMAIL account and I will send you an invite.  (I only get 100 invites, so first come-first served) 

Bruce

We launched the powers zone site this week, and we are working out a few kinks which is normal.  I spoke with a friend this week and he mentioned that he wanted to get a Nintendo Wii for his 10 year old son this Christmas.  The conversation got me thinking about it and the perverbial Light Bulb went off!

Why don’t I give away a Nintendo Wii!

So I asked my wife if she thought it was a good idea, and in her wisdom she related to me that not everyone would want a Wii.  So I asked her to give me another option and she said what just about any woman would say…Gift Card!

So I spent Sunday setting up the site for the Sweepstakes.  Click this link to enter. The sweepstakes will go through November 28th, 2008.

If you win, you get to choose between a Nintendo Wii or an Amazon gift card worth $250.

Why?

Well, call it an effort to educate the masses on how to protect their pc…or call it just trying to be a nice guy.  Either way, you are the potential WINNER!

Go to the site and Enter the Sweepstakes.  There is a BONUS that will get you a Second Chance (second entry into the Sweeptstakes)…but you need to enter first to find out!

Good Luck!

Bruce