Trouble with Themes in Windows 7

"I was playing with Windows 7 today, and built a lot of themes. I can't figure out how to get rid of them now, can you help?" I had a customer come to me today with that exact question. So I found this article that might be able to assist someone in need. Please follow the link, http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/280-theme-change-save.html

Recapping the last few weeks.

Things over here have been hectic for the last week or so, and unfortunately the blog got the short end of the stick. With a little more free time, I can now provide it the attention it deserves. For now.

For starters, it's been a BIG couple of weeks in technology, both on the consumer level, and on the business level. Let's start with the consumers.

E3 just wrapped up, and Microsoft seems to have taken the collective award this year. Between their NATAL project, the announcement of another Halo game and Metal Gear for the 360, they've definitely piqued the interest of myself, and numerous others. Also on the Microsoft level, they're now giving away $10,000 to a user of IE8, if they stumble across the 'buried page'. Apparently, you can only find this page if you're an IE8 user, and if you do find it first, Microsoft is going to dish out $10,000. I'm pretty sure that other browsers have not ever had to do this to attract users, but Microsoft is great at throwing money at everything. Also, Bing has launched, Microsoft's new search engine. While it has not taken the throne from Google in any sense of the word, it has managed to pass Yahoo already, and seems to have regular, small growth in its user base every week. Finally, Windows 7 has been slated for an October 22nd release date here in the US.

and

Next up is Apple. Their WWDC is over, and wrapped up. Of course, the pinnacle announcement is the iPhone 3G S, with its 16GB and 32GB variations. Sidelining that beautifully, in Apple fashion, is the new OS 3.0 update, toting such critical features as copy'n'paste, horizontal texting, MMS, and tethering. As far as the last two go, AT&T has been trecherously slow in implementing the features across the network, but as always, the user community has found their ways around that. Their new operating system, named 'Snow Leopard', is also making waves as well in comparison to Windows 7.

((Post to be continued....))

Conficker.... Still at IT!

Conficker. Conficker, all day long with this. Apparently, it's not. This ittle bugger is still infecting machines daily, at a rate of about 50,000 or so in a 24 hour block, according to Guy Bunker, a computer security expert at Symantec. Bunker posted a heatmap which has tracked the virus spread since February. It's here. The United States, followed by Brazil and India are the most infected, according to Bunker. Mexico, Italy, and China also logged at least 89,000 infected PCs.

This little bug is a malicious piece of software that was expected to wreak havoc on April 1st of ths year. However, it did not take off quite the way as anticipated, but it has picked up its pace over the last month and a half. Initally, government, corporations, and educational system users were the once most affected.

If you think you might be infected with Conficker, or any other piece of malware, don't hesitate to contact us immediately at (209)233-9046 or send us an email at contact@westcoastitsolutions.net . One of our technicians will gladly help you get your machine running the way its supposed to be!

Home User Price List

Just wanted to let everyone know that we've updated our price list for our home & home office clients. It now has up-to-date descriptions of all the services we offer, plus a very informative price list. Stop by and check it, I think you'll be pleasantly surprised!

http://www.westcoastitsolutions.net

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Facebook Phishing Scam

Yesterday, hackers used a phishing technique to attempt to steal passwords and compromise accounts on Facebook. A phishing technique, basically, is where the hacker obtains access to 1 account, and sends emails to friends, asking them to click on malicious webpages. Since both MySpace and Facebook require that users register their account, people who are signed up tend to be less suspicious overall of the messages they recieve, because of this signup process.

Facebook spokesperson Barry Schnitt said they were in the process of cleaning up after the attack, and he would not specify how many accounts had been compromised, but he did say that compromised accounts were being blocked.

Phishing scams represent another tool out of the hackers' arsenal. Last year a virus was spread around, called Koobface (in reference to Facebook) which made its way onto users' PC's by way of an email that appeared as though it was sent by a friend on Facebook.

If you think your account might have been compromised, or if you think you might be infected with some kind of virus or malware, do not hesitate to contact us immediately. The experienced technicians here at West Coast IT Solutions will diagnose and repair your computer, at a price that won't break the bank. Stop by our website, at http://www.westcoastitsolutions.net , give us a call at (209) 233-9046 , or send us an email to contact@westcoastitsolutions.net . Of course, you can also find us MySpace, Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn.

Today, An Excerpt

As I surf the tech websites for news that's pertinent to us here at West Coast, and to you, the reader, I come across a blurb that reinforces an idea that I've had for a long time: "You cannot rely on one source of protection. The best protection is information."

Read this. I found this on Slashdot.

An anonymous reader notes that this weekend, ReadWriteWeb discovered a security hole on several McAfee sites, which lets any attacker piggyback on the company's reputation and brand in order to distribute malware, Trojans, or anything else. The submitter adds an ironic coda to McAfee's epic fail: "In the 'how to HTML Injection' section, the author provided the four steps needed to execute a simple, no-brainer injection, but unfortunately, exposed a hole in NY Times website when they republished the article. While the author changed the offending text to an image, the Times is still using the original story which redirects directly to ReadWriteWeb [via XSS]." From the RWW post: "During tests this weekend, we discovered the company who claims to 'keep you safe from identity theft, credit card fraud...' has several cross-site scripting vulnerabilities and provides the bad guys with a brilliant — albeit ironic — launching pad from which to unleash their attacks."

I think this says enough, but just in case, let me get to the point of this. No system is perfect. It would not be a system if it were. In that, flaws are inherent, and constantly being found, and fixed. Keep your anti-virus up-to-date. Keep your Windows patches up-to-date, and if you run OSX, make sure you keep up with the system updates. They're released for a reason, and each of these operating systems has features that will issue these updates automatically. For some businesses, this is not the best policy, and should be determined by your System Admin. For you home users, however, in most cases it is in your best interest to allow patches to be applied automatically. The quicker the patch is applied, the better.

If you're not sure that your system is up-to-date, or if you'd just like to have someone make sure, stop by our website @ www.westcoastitsolutions.net . You can also drop us a line at contact@westcoastitsolutions.net , or you can reach us through any of the social sites listed at the top-right corner of this blog. Stay safe, world.

Infected?

Off the top, there's a very strong possibility that you are, in fact, infected by some kind of virus/spyware/malware. This is especially true if you're running a Windows machine. Don't get me wrong, I'm not knocking Windows, I use it. It's just true. In most cases the infections come out faster than the cures, not unlike most things in our world, hmm? While I don't have the slightest clue what to do about the swine flu, I do have a few great ideas on how to help you figure out if your PC is infected, and if so, what can you do to clean it up.

First off, do you get popups? Of any kind? Since most browsers have built-in pop-up blockers, if you're getting popups... you're probably infected. Secondly, if the machine is sluggish. What I mean is that if you haven't installed anything new, you haven't changed the way you use your PC, and yet it is still running slower, and sometimes making you click a program 2 or 3 times before it will actually run. If this is happening, you're probably infected.

Other more obvious signs that you're infected :
1. Some programs just stop working, specifically security-related software.
2. Your antivirus stops updating itself.
3. Windows Security Center gets turned off.

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Before I continue, I want everyone to understand that if you are seriously infected, or if you do not feel comfortable being responsible for whether your computer continues to run or not, stop right this minute, and go to our website, www.westcoastitsolutions.net . We'll get you in touch with a certified professional, who will help you remove these infections.
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Okay, if you're still reading this, you've decided to take matters (wisely or not) into your own hands. I admire your spunk.

So, first off, you need to figure out how badly you're infected. I recommend downloading a program called SuperAntiSpyware, and installing it, and scanning with it. Clean out any infections this program finds. It most likely will want to restart at the end of the scan as well, this is acceptable, as some files need to be deleted before Windows takes control.

Now secondly, never just scan once. Scan it again, and see if any scragglers are left. Also, watch the 'severity' rating of the infection. If you see a lot of 'high' severity infections, you may have to go into Safe Mode and perform a scan. I'm not going to tell you how to get into Safe Mode; if you're reading this particular part of this post, you should already know. If after you scan it comes up clean, then make sure your antivirus software is up to date, and scan with it as well.

Please understand that there is not one software that is a fix-all, cure-all. I recommend starting with SuperAntiSpyware based only on my own experience and preferences. Use what is best for your situation, and PLEASE, when in doubt, contact a professional. Your data is important, no? I thought so, and wouldn't you feel terrible if you had to blame yourself for it being gone? I thought so. Drop by our website, www.westcoastitsolutions.net, and visit the contact us page. Get ahold of us, we'll be happy to answer any questions you might have.

Cloud Computing

Now, wait... computers in the clouds? Something to that effect? No, nothing like that. Actually, cloud computing is another coming wave of technology that consumers and businesses alike are being submersed in, either by choice, or nearly by force. A quick rhetorical before I continue:

How many of you have multiple services through one online provider(i.e. - Google)? I know I do. I use the search, I have GMail, I've used the Docs, I check my Reader, etc etc. Now, not but a few years ago, unless I was with a business on the forefront of technologies, I would probably have to use a different program, and possibly a different provider for each of these services.

Now, with the idea of 'cloud computing' very quickly gaining traction, most of us, even on the home-user level, are beginning to use it. I suppose before I go any further... I should explain the basics of cloud computing.

Essentially, cloud computing is the idea that instead of operating under the traditional server/workstation, software, download principle of passing information back and forth, cloud computing effectively keeps EVERYTHING on the server. That is, the information itself, your profile, the programs you'll use to access this information, everything. This presents organizations a brand new way to present you with any of your information, and that is... in full context, wherever on the Earth you might be (as long as you have internet access, of course.)

Don't get me wrong, I think the ideas in place here are phenomenal, and present everyone with brand new, and exciting technologies, my only issue here is personal privacy. Ultimately, every time you sign up for one of these services, you also agree to a Terms of Service agreement, and so forth. The little check box that says you Agree, the Agree button, etc.

I'd be willing to bet that most of us do not take the time to read through these heavy worded contracts (that they were/are, in effect, binding contracts) that we're agreeing to. That's problem #1. Problem #2 is the sheer location of your personal information and data, and that is, not in your control. Someone else is storing it, hosting it for you, making it available to you wherever and however you need to access it. I'm not implying none of these organizations are worth their grains in salt as far as our privacy goes, I just always ask that people think twice before willingly giving their personal information away. Safety first.

If you have any questions about today's post, or any other questions or comments, please feel free to check out our site at www.westcoastitsolutions.net , or send us an email at contact@westcoastitsolutions.net . We'll be more than happy to answer any questions you might have. You can also find us on MySpace, Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn. Check the social badge to the right of this post to find those respective sites.

A Strange, New World

Advertising and Marketing seem to be changing faster than any of us can follow. Now more than ever, there are cheap (and sometimes free!) ways to get your organization's name out into the world, quicker than ever before. With social networking sites truly still only in their infancy, and Web 2.0 becoming the name of the game, the ability to connect with millions of people instantaneously is changing how businesses of every size are communicating with their respective markets.

I've just recently begun to persue these social networking mediums as a means by which to advertise and market with. Most of them allow you to create profiles or pages, free of charge. The level of customization that can be achieved on sites such as MySpace and Facebook are phenomenal, meaning that it appears as though we're in a world where just having your own, single web page is just not going to be enough anymore. Staying connected, and staying involved, and keeping your name out there, in as many places as possible... that's the staying trend that I've noticed.

Furthermore, there are numerous classifieds-type websites in operation all over the Internet, predominently, of course, is CraigsList. In alot of cases, CraigsList will allow you to post your service for free, or for cheap. On top of CraigsList, you can also search for 'free classifieds' on Google, and post your info and a link there as well.

There seem to be an endless array of options and opportunities in which to get your organization's name out into the eyes(and fingers) of the public at very little cost. In fact, with the right arrangements (making use of AdSense and related programs) it could be entirely possible to sustain a respectable Internet Marketing campaign, while actually generating revenue!

Is your organization making the best use possible of these mediums? West Coast IT Solutions can help make sure that your organization is reaching out into this strange, new world in all the best ways for your company. Visit us @ www.westcoastitsolutions.net to learn more about the services that we offer, take a peek at any of our social networking sites (cleverly listed off to the side, for your convenience) or just drop us a line via email, contact@westcoastitsolutions.net