The Study

The conclusion of a recent study from the University of Exeter was that exposure to blue light from outdoor LEDs, as is emitted with smartphones and tablets, can increase your risk to cancer.  The study focused primarily on outdoor blue light exposure and while previous studies have used satellite imagery to calculate intensity of artificial light in large cities, this was the first to look specifically at blue light.

The researchers found that those exposed to high levels of outdoor blue light at night had around a 1.5-fold higher risk of developing breast cancer and a twofold higher risk of developing prostate cancer, compared with those who were less exposed.  Men exposed to high levels of indoor artificial light also had 2.8-fold higher risk of developing prostate cancer, according to the study.[1]

Blue Light:  Compared to other light in the visible spectrum, blue light has a shorter wavelength – this means more energy than other types.  Exposure to blue light can decrease melatonin in the brain which supports our body’s circadian rhythm.

And to reiterate, blue light is also emitted from our monitors such as laptops, smartphones, and tablets.

The Technology

There are applications available to reduce our exposure to blue light.  We have taken the time to review f.lux, one of the pioneer applications in this field.

To put it simply, f.lux automatically changes the color of your screen, depending on the time of the day, for the purpose of reducing blue light exposure.  During the day time, your screen appears normal and as evening approaches it becomes more pink or rose colored.  It works well with computers and laptops and it can be used to work with iPhones and iPads.  There are also similar applications for Android devices.

Theory

PC screens, monitors, and mobile phones all emit full spectrum light to resemble full daylight conditions.  The makers of f.lux state:

“Exposure to blue light at the wrong time of day can keep you awake later and interfere with the quality of your sleep.  f.lux tries to help this by removing blue and green light to help you wind down in the evenings.”

Day time – we have bright sunlight to help stimulate wakefulness. Night time – lighting is dim and our brains secrete melatonin which causes us to feel sleepy.  It’s a 24-hour rhythm based on an internal circadian clock that is affected by our exposure to light and dark cycles.

While some computers adjust the brightness levels based on sensors, the color temperature does not change.  This is why you see more pink tones when using f.lux which help with melatonin levels and eye strain.

f.lux – The Company

The f.lux site, like the application, is pretty easy to pick up and understand.  Right up front they describe their technology as a “labor of love”.  It’s free as they pay for the development based on donations received.  They state that 100% of donated money goes to the ongoing development and operations related to f.lux.

In terms of the future of this technology, it appears as though major platform developers are beginning to include some form of night time mode in their operating system.  There is NightShift for Mac and there is Blue Shade for Amazon Fire tablets and Night Mode for Android N.  The makers of f.lux are working to make their technology available on a wide range of operating systems but they have had a hard time with mobile devices due to restrictions from the platform makers.

Before You Decide:

You can always get a preview of how your screen would look if you decide on trying out the f.lux software.  Simply go to the fluxometer page.  You can select your computer or device and try out different levels.

Start Using f.lux

f.lux works on Windows, Mac, or Linux. There is also a version for Android devices but there are some limitations – we recommend using Twilight.  Twilight is an Android app that offers similar functions to those of f.lux and we have used the free version of it and find it meets our use requirements and expectations.

If your Android is rooted, then CF.lumen found on the Google Play store, is a good choice.[2]

For iPhone and iPad users, Mac has a similar feature called Night Shift (for more information on setting this up click here: Enable NightShift on Your iPhone).

Other blue light reduction options include:

• SunsetScreen: a free Windows app and among the best.
• Iris: one time purchase of $15
• Redshift: a free, open source program inspired by f.lux

How to make f.lux work

When you have downloaded and installed the program from their website, you can begin setting up and using f.lux.

You will need to:

• Set your location: f.lux works a lot better if it knows when the sun rises and sets. The sun is the brightest light we see every day, so setting this up matters a lot for understanding your circadian timing.
• Choose your usual wake time: If you wake at a different time each day, you can pick a time on the earlier side.
• Adjust color settings so it looks as you like it. Just move the big slider to adjust, and f.lux will learn what you like.
• You can set f.lux to “disable” automatically for apps where color quality is critical.

When Not To Use It:

You may want to disable f.lux at certain times.  For instance if you are working on graphics or images, you can choose to disable it by right-clicking the icon in the taskbar.

There are three modes to choose from including a movie mode that disables f.lux for 2 ½ hours.  As the company states on their website: “We designed Movie Mode to preserve sky colors and shadow detail, while still providing a warmer color tone. It’s not perfect on either count, but it strikes a balance.”

FAQ:

If you have questions or issues, start with the frequently asked questions page which has lots of useful information: https://justgetflux.com/faq.html

Recommendations:

In the past there have been some shortcomings with f.lux, however, they are on version 4.60 and have made improvements.

Overall, you will notice this and technologies like it will make adjustments to your monitor so that it is easier on the eyes and decreases glare.

As for sleep… the American Medical Association’s Council on Science and Public Health states: “…exposure to excessive light at night, including extended use of various electronic media, can disrupt sleep or exacerbate sleep disorders”.[3]

We recommend reducing your exposure to monitor screens especially in the evening and nighttime.

If you have to be in front of a monitor or device screen… it makes sense to try f.lux.  We have enjoyed the benefits of this free technology and hope it will help you as well.

We will continue to provide story lines like this that benefit all of us and we will describe them in a manner that is within reach of everyday computer users. If you have some ideas of topics you would like us to cover, email us at: newsletter@compuclever.com

[1] https://www.cnn.com
[2] http://www.makeuseof.com
[3] http://www.atmob.org

The post How Blue Light Affects Your Health and What to Do About It appeared first on CompuClever.

In a previous article we examined Facebook and pointed out its allure.  We listed the aspects of this “free” service and we identified “Likes” and “Dislikes”.  Were we too quick to accept at face value, the company’s emphasis on the importance of privacy?

A Bit about Facebook

• Facebook, launched in 2004, is the most popular online social media and social networking service. It is based in the U.S. and is the creation of Mark Zuckerberg and his fellow Harvard friends and roommates.
• As of June 2017, Facebook reached 2 billion active users.
• It is a giant in terms of net worth. According to Wikipedia, as of Mar 25, 2018, it is worth US$62.2 billion.
• Recently the company has faced considerable scrutiny and public pressure in relation to hate speech, fake news, depictions of violence, and privacy.

Recent News

Facebook has been in the news multiple times of late.  With news related to privacy of data, we need to start with Aleksandr Kogan, a University of Cambridge professor, who created a survey filled out by 270,000 people.  In doing so, he was able to access the data of what was reported as more than 50 million Facebook users – recent news has been released whereby Facebook has admitted that upwards of 87 million people were affected by this breach.[1]

While Kogan gained access to this information using legitimate means, via proper channels governing all developers on Facebook, he violated rules related to passing the data to third parties which included Cambridge Analytica.

Zuckerberg was aware of this in 2015.  The action taken at that time was to ban Kogan’s app and demand legal certification from Kogan and others he shared it with.  According to Zuckerberg[2], Cambridge Analtyica completed certification and told Facebook that they actually hadn’t received raw Facebook data at all.  Furthermore, Cambridge Analytica deleted it and weren’t using it.

This reliance on certification turned out to be, as Zuckerberg admits, one of the biggest mistakes made.

Cambridge Analytica:  Is a British political consulting firm established in 2013, that combines data mining, data brokerage, and data analysis along with strategic communication.  They are in part owned by Robert Mercer and Alexander Nix has been the CEO however, this position was suspended after a Channel 4 news segment was broadcasted.  In this he was videotaped in an undercover, hidden camera video interview during which he spoke to someone he believed would use the firm in Sri Lanka for election persuasion purposes.  Nix speaks of creating sex scandals and using fake news to manipulate voters.

Cambridge Analytica has been involved in elections worldwide.  Their executives claim the company has worked in more than 200 elections around the world, including Nigeria, Kenya, the Czech Republic, India, and Argentina.

In 2016 they became involved in the 2016 Brexit referendum by supporting persuadable voters to vote for leaving the EU.  On 18 May 2017, the US Congress began investigation with their connection to Russian attempts to interfere with the 2016 U.S. presidential election.  Cambridge Analytica worked for Donald Trump’s political campaign but there is some question as to the level of involvement.[3]

Nix has made bold claims and it is uncertain if some statements have been embellished.  He was quoted as saying this in October, 2016:

Today in the United States we have somewhere close to four or five thousand data points on every individual … So we model the personality of every adult across the United States, some 230 million people. [4]

The Data

News reports point to unethical organizations making use of personal data made available by Facebook.  This begs the question: what data do they have on us and how can they use it?

Data In:

As soon as a user signs up, data and information is collected.  This includes all data – conversations, pictures, videos, and even documents sent via Messenger.  Does this surprise you?  Would you want to see what the information on you includes?

Should we be concerned?  If you use Facebook on your phone and your phone is an Android device, or you use Messenger to send attachments… it would be a good idea to take a closer look.

Users are discovering that they can request to have all of their Facebook data in a zip file.  Some are astonished to find that this data can include data on every call made and text sent.  There are users that are discovering that the data held by Facebook includes rental property lease forms, tenant ledger reports, bill statements, and screen shots of bank transfers.[5]

To download your information:

1. Click the down-pointing triangle at the top right of any Facebook page and select Settings
2. Click Download a copy of your Facebook data at the bottom of General Account Settings
3. Click Start My Archive

In about 10 minutes Facebook processes the request and you’ll get an email and notification when the file is ready to download.

Data Out:

Likely no one is surprised to know that our personal data is being used and shared out to advertisers.  Facebook makes money on sharing out data to advertisers and to app developers.  The challenge is that there is no control of how the data is used once passed to these groups.

Indeed the most alarming aspect of Cambridge Analytica’s “breach” is that it wasn’t a breach at all. It happened almost entirely above board and in line with Facebook policy.[6]

World Response

Investigations are ramping up world-wide.

US:   Zuckerberg will testify before Congress.  On April 10, before a joint hearing of the Senate Commerce and Judiciary Committees and the next day before the House Energy and Commerce Committee.  The U.S. Federal Trade Commission are conducting separate investigations. [7]

This is a serious matter as stated by Senator Amy Klobuchar who serves on the Senate Judiciary Committee.  The senator will ask him to explain “what Facebook knew about misusing data from 50 million Americans in order to target political advertising and manipulate voters.” [8]

UK:   Damian Collins, chair for the Digital, Culture, Media and Sport Committee in the House of Commons, questions Facebook user data policies.  “Their answers have consistently understated this risk, and have also been misleading to the Committee,” Collins said. “I will be writing to Mark Zuckerberg asking that either he, or another senior executive from the company, appear to give evidence in front of the Committee as part our inquiry.” [9]

MPs on the digital, culture, media and sport committee have accused Facebook of misleading it in a previous evidence session and called for Mark Zuckerberg to appear before them to answer questions.  They have also recalled Nix. [10]

A U.K. parliamentary media committee summoned CEO Mark Zuckerberg to testify about how Facebook uses data.  U.K. Information Commissioner Elizabeth Denham is investigating how Cambridge Analytica got the data. [11]

Germany: After a meeting with its executives about the abuse of users’ data, the justice minister of Germany stated she wants closer oversight.

Australia: The Information and Privacy Commission has demanded that Facebook provide information on whether any Australian citizens were affected by unauthorized use of profile data. [12]

The Response:  Zuckerberg is set to testify next week before a U.S. congressional committee, and he said top executives at the company would be dispatched to other countries wanting to hold government hearings on the scandal. [13]

User Response

Zuckerberg has stated that the users affected by the misuse of personal data by Cambridge Analytica will be notified.  To date, this has not yet happened.  There are users that are going to delete Facebook as a result of this news and one of the questions we have posed has been: What is the best course of action with regard to Facebook and social media services?

We invite you to give this some thought and to check in with us next week for our Part 2 edition as we outline what Facebook is doing to correct this wrong and we identify the costs associated with what we thought was a “free” service.

We’ll provide out best practices and recommendations for being active on a social media service like Facebook.  However, we’ll leave it up to you to choose your level of exposure and if posting online personal information is worth the associated costs.

This concludes the first part of our Facebook and Privacy article.

We’ll pick it up next week.  Stay tuned!

[1] https://www.ctvnews.ca/
[2] https://www.wired.com/
[3] https://en.wikipedia.org/
[4] https://news.sky.com/
[5] http://www.nzherald.co.nz/
[6] http://money.cnn.com/2018/03/19/
[7] https://www.ctvnews.ca/
[8] http://money.cnn.com/2018/03/19/
[9] https://www.parliament.uk/business/committees/
[10] https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2018/mar/22/
[11] https://www.ctvnews.ca/business/
[12] https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2018/mar/22/
[13] http://www.metronews.ca/life/2018/04/04/

The post Facing the Truth – Facebook & Privacy appeared first on CompuClever.

In our previous article we provided information about USB technology including USB flash drives.  With that information in hand you are ready to speed up your PC with ReadyBoost.  Let’s start with an overview of the technology.

Who Will Benefit?

Using this technology is best for users with 8 GB of RAM or lower, using a traditional spinning platter hard drive (HDD), and an operating system of Windows Vista or higher.

ReadyBoost will have little performance improvement or will be irrelevant if:

The Technology:

From the many articles we have passed on to you in the past, you likely have a good idea that CompuClever programs such as PC TuneUp Maestro and PC Clean Maestro can regain performance that has been lost due to: defragmentation; clutter of junk files and unwanted applications (leading to the reduction of available space).  These tools can also assist you when faced with a bogged down Internet connectivity as well as using functions related to improving browser speed and startup speed.

Now we can shine some light on a technology that can take your PC as it is, and can extend its performance abilities.  Keep in mind we still recommend that you enhance your performance through regular clean up and maintenance.

The basics of the technology involve being able to cache data to a device.  In this case, the device is a USB flash drive.  You can also use CompactFlash and SD cards.  How it works is that data is temporarily stored on the flash drive so that it can be retrieved faster than using the internal hard drive and available memory (RAM or “Random Access Memory”).  Flash memory, such as a USB drive or SSD (Solid State Drive), benefit from faster seek times than standard magnetic hard disk drives.  The only limitation is that USB flash drives will wear out in time.  By some estimates^[1] this won’t be for approximately 10 years.

Here’s How To:

You can begin by using a USB flash card that has at least 1 gigabyte (GB) of available space.  For best results, use a flash drive or flash memory card with at least double the amount of available space as the amount of memory (RAM) in your computer.^[2]

To enable or disable ReadyBoost:

Windows displays the recommended space to use for optimal performance.  If there isn’t enough space for ReadyBoost, a message is displayed telling you to free some space on the device.

The Benefits:

Our CompuClever team members have used ReadyBoost on a few systems that were so slow we faced having to replace them.  We noted significant gains in performance of these computers.  For systems that have only 2 or 4 GBs of RAM, the performance gains are significant.

We researched test results for ReadyBoost and found a very good site.  Here is a list of improvements as well as situations where there are no performance gains.

When enabling ReadyBoost on a system with low amounts of RAM, you can experience:

This same site states:

Ejecting Flash Drives:

It is good practice to eject flash drives that are in use.  This means closing windows and applications using the device and then using the Safely Remove Hardware icon.  In doing so, you eliminate the risk of losing data or experiencing data corruption – especially when files are being transferred.

To properly eject a drive:
Use the Safely Remove Hardware icon and eject your device before pulling it out of the USB port.
You can also locate the drive in the Computer window (Windows / File Explorer) right-click it, and select Eject.  Windows will tell you when it’s safe to remove the device thereby eliminating any chances of data corruption.

The exception:

In our research we found that:

In fact, you can leave your ReadyBoost enabled drive inserted in the port and shutdown your system.  In this way, when you start up your PC you can also enhance startup time performance.

Summary:

There are few disadvantages to this free technology.  You need to dedicate a USB port for your drive (using a USB hub is possible but not preferred).  Also, your flash drive will eventually need to be replaced… but before that happens you’ll likely have purchased a new system entirely.  Cost is not really a factor though.  Flash memory drives are fairly inexpensive and certainly not as much as installing new hardware or buying a new system altogether.

Given all this, we strongly feel that ReadyBoost can extend the life of older PCs that are lacking the necessary RAM and are not able to keep up in a fast computing world.  We hope you enjoy the benefits as we have.

We will continue to provide story lines like this that benefit all of us and we will describe them in a manner that is within reach of everyday computer users.  If you have some ideas of topics you would like us to cover, email us at: newsletter@compuclever.com

The post Speed up Your PC with ReadyBoost appeared first on CompuClever.

Can you guess what version of Windows is the most popular among all PC users? Is it Windows 10, Windows 8.1, Windows 7, or even Windows XP?

Answer: Windows 7. According to NetMarketShare.com, Windows 7 dominates over 45% of the entire desktop market.

Do you know how to identify the version and edition of your Windows Operating System (OS)? Sometimes, it is critical that you have all the necessary version and edition information, including the type of system, whether it is 32-bit or 64-bit. For instance, when you need to refresh, repair, or even reinstall your Windows OS, you must have all this data ready. This article instructs you how obtain it.

The System Properties Dialog Box

It turns out that you can find the complete set of Windows version and edition information from the System Properties dialog box. It provides an overview of your PC’s hardware and OS information including Windows OS version, edition, and system type.

For instance, the System Properties dialog box shown above provides us with the following information:

• Windows OS version: Windows 7 (Windows Edition section)
• Windows 7 edition: Windows 7 Professional (Windows Edition section)
• System type: 64-bit OS (System | System type section)

To summarize this and to use the most technically correct format, we can say this PC is running: Windows 7 Professional (64-bit). As you can see, once you have the System Properties dialog open, it’s not too hard to identify this key information. But how do you open the System Property dialog box?

Use a keyboard combination

If you are feeling “geeky”, try this keyboard combination: Windows + Pause/Break, that is

• Press and hold down the Windows key, and then
• Press the Pause/Break key (usually located in the top-right corner of your keyboard)

This trick works for Windows 10, 8, and Windows 7 on most keyboards.

If this doesn’t work for you, don’t panic! There are other ways to access the System Property dialog box.

Windows 7

• Click the Start button.
• Click Control Panel from the list in the right margin.
• In the Control Panel, select System and Security From the list of categories on the left pane.
  
• From the Systems section on the right, select either the section title System or View amount of RAM and processor speed.

This opens the System Properties dialog box.

Windows 8

Method One – The Quick Link Menu

This method takes advantage of the Windows Quick Link menu.

• Hold down the Windows key and press X at the same time to open the Quick Link menu as shown above.
• Select System from the list of commands.

Method Two – Access the Control Panel

You can always access the System Properties dialog box from the Control Panel.

• Click the Start button.
• Click Control Panel from the right menu.
• Select System from the list of items.

Windows 10

Method One – The Quick Link Menu

This method uses the Windows Quick Link menu which is almost identical to the one used in Windows 8.

• Hold down the Windows key and press X at the same time to open the Quick Link menu as shown above.
• Select System from the list of commands.

Method Two – Search for System Properties

• Click the Start button.
• Type the word “system“.
• Windows 10 will display the System Properties tool under “Best match” as shown above.
• Click System.

Did You Get It?

By now, you should be able to:

1. Master at least one method of opening the System Properties dialog box, and…
2. Know how to extract your Windows version, edition, and system type information.

We hope this blog helps you become more familiar with your PC. Should it require some kind of repair, refresh, or even reinstall, you know exactly what you will be dealing with.

Last but not the least, you can impress or even help your friends and family by applying what you’ve learned in times of need!

The post How to Identify Your Windows Version and Edition appeared first on CompuClever.

When the box from BloomSky arrived, Andy was quite excited about it. So, I was somewhat surprised when he asked me to set up the unit and document the proceedings. I’m Richard from the Technical Support team and I would think the assumption is that this should be a snap for me, right? The truth is I learn how to do things by repetition – doing them over and over. However, it’s not likely that I would be a good assembly line worker – my strength is working with computers! So, if I can succeed at setting this up… most anyone can.

Out of the Box:

We received the Solar Powered Weather kit that includes both the solar panel and the mounting bracket. To begin, I opened one box to find three smaller boxes as can be seen below. One was for the main sensor, and it included the electrical adaptor and the central mounting pole. The flat box contained the solar panel. The third box (the smallest), had the mounting bracket.

I found a couple packages of screws to help with mounting the assembled unit. Also included is a brief manual to help with setting up the system.

Opening the boxes you will find the following items as depicted in the image below:

Putting it Together:

The assembly is fairly simple. First, you assemble the sensor unit and the mounting pole. Begin by connecting the two pieces of the mounting pole together. Next, connect the sensor module to the top of the pole. There are four little notches to fit the sensor on the pole (you can see a couple of the guides at the top of the pole in the main picture). Once down, turn the sensor to the side to secure it on the pole.

Now you have to decide whether or not to use the mounting bracket. This really depends on two conditions:

Keep in mind, these conditions impact one another. If you plan to have the sensor in a place higher up where there is no AC power outlet close by, you have to use an extension cord or consider the solar power option, which necessitates the use of the mounting bracket. Also, if you want to place the sensor at a location where you can’t drive the mounting pole into a piece of lawn or a flowerbed, then you also need to use the mounting bracket.

If you have decided to use the mounting bracket, find a place to secure it. You could clamp it over your patio railing, as shown above, or simply screw it to a vertical fixture. If you plan to use the solar panel, there is a mounting plate on the underside of the solar panel. You need to slide it up so you can remove it from the panel and then attach it to the main mounting bracket. There are four small holes on the angled part of the bracket where you attach the plate to the bracket using four dark screws that came with the larger plastic bag as seen in the picture that shows all the parts.

Once the mounting bracket is in place, as seen in part 2 of the illustration shown above, slide the mounting pole (with the sensor unit attached), down through a hole near the top of the angled piece of the mounting bracket and then through a hole near the turn handle on the bracket. Next, slide the solar panel back onto the mounting plate and make certain it is secure, and will not slide off the plate. The notch in the panel denotes the top side of the panel and is necessary for the panel to connect securely when the central pole is in place.

Power Up and Connection

The cable from the solar panel (or the AC adaptor) clicks into a connector at the bottom of the module; you will need to move the cover to the side to insert it. To the left of the power connection is the power switch for turning the module on and off. To the right of that connection is a button to reset the Wi-Fi connection.

Once the unit is assembled and powered up, you can start the process of connecting it to the Internet. A smart phone or tablet (iOS or Android), with an established connection to the Internet is required at this step. You also need to download and install the BloomSky app from either the Apple App store or the Google Play store. Your smart phone or tablet acts like a conduit so that you can use the BloomSky app to connect the weather sensor to the Internet.

Once connected, the app will install and guide you through connecting the sensor to your Wi-Fi and your phone or tablet. You will need to sign on to the router which involves supplying the router name and password. From there it will connect with the sensor and have you up and running in three minutes or less!

Our Review:

We found the assembly to be a straightforward process without any real hiccups. The instructional documentation is brief but doesn’t complicate what is a fairly straightforward assembly. The unit is largely metal so it should stand up to any harsh weather conditions. Also, the clamping system is very sturdy. When put together the unit is secure and not flimsy in any way.

To provide an unbiased and instructive review, we would also like to point out a few issues that we ran into during the installation and configuration process:

We recommend you read and follow the instructions, as seen above and shown on your mobile app. This includes performing steps in the right order. This should largely reduce the chance of failures and make your installation process a happy experience!

Recommendation to Date

To recap… we are pleased with the BloomSky hardware in terms of ease of assembly, instructions given, and even the quality of the materials / device. The software to connect to the device is easy to understand and to use. For our next article, we will continue our review of the BloomSky technology including our experience with the information it collects such as the time-lapse videos it generates, and we will finish with a complete overall review.

We hope you enjoyed this edition of Gears and Gadgets. We plan to offer our final review and recommendation in the last article of this series available to you in the next few days. Feel free to email us with questions and comments: newsletter@compuclever.com

The post BloomSky Weather Sensor – Setup appeared first on CompuClever.

With our previous article (ReadyBoost) we received some email responses that were very positive. One email responder stated that he and a group of friends got some real benefit from the free technology we presented. One of the members of the group stated that their PC was “…working much more smoothly after implementing your USB know how.” The email went on to suggest we cover the topic of making sure that the “computers processor runs as cool as possible and what to do if it is running to hot.” That’s a great suggestion and we had already begun to write about this subject.

We’ll get started with a story from one of our Tech Support specialists.

Fan or Wireless Connection?

You can find all sorts of odd occurrences with your PC system and sometimes the oddest issue can arise with what appears to be no solution in sight. My system had been in use for a few years and when I heard a small high pitched squeal, I figured a fan was going. No problem, the case was cool and the temperature was not anywhere near being a problem.

The problem that was driving me crazy however was my internet connection. The system was using a wireless connection and it had developed an intermittent disconnect. The first couple of connection drops I put down to just a random issue and ignored. But they continued to happen and eventually the system could not connect to the internet. Okay… time to put on the troubleshooting hat and work this out.

I checked the wireless connection using a laptop, it worked so the issue was not the wireless. I checked the router to make certain there was not some sort of issue where the computer was not being allowed onto the network. I found nothing of the sort.

Next, I reinstalled the software for connecting to the router, double and triple-checked the settings only to find that everything was correct. I spent a couple of evenings going over every possible inch of the network wireless connection and could not find a problem.

In frustration, and after listening to the fan for a couple of days, I said: “Fine! I’ll replace the fan, at least that much I can fix!” I powered the computer off, pulled the problem fan and got a replacement. After I had it installed and started a system back up, my jaw promptly went slack! My PC had signed onto the network right away. I had my wireless internet connection once again.

Potential Problems and Pointers:

The PC system does not have one temperature. It has several components and each run at a different temperature. The CPU (Central Processing Unit), for your PC does most of the work so that Windows and running programs perform as expected. That is to say, it processes all the tasks. Ideally it should be running at room temperature. Most recently built CPU’s have protection features to deal with the heat. However, there are circumstances where it can run hot for extended periods of time and problems can arise including system crashes and even physical damage to the CPU or other components.

There are other components that can use electricity and generate heat such as your hard disk drives, the optical drive (for CD’s and DVD’s), and the GPU (Graphics Processing Unit) which really comes into play when playing games. Excessive heat can damage components rendering them inoperable. With respect to hard drives, one source states:

Heat can also warp the hard drive disks to the point that you would no longer be able to retrieve the data stored on them. Even recovering data in these situations may not be possible. The effects of this are greater with older components. Another factor to consider, one that most experts will agree, is that the lifespan of your PC will be lessened by excessive heat.

There are free utility programs to check for PC temperatures if you feel your system is running hot and we’ll leave that for you to search online. A few basic precautionary measures can go a long way to prevent issues arising from over-heating your system.

Recommendations:

Excessive heat is typically due to inability to cool your PC down. It could be a faulty fan or it could be due to poor ventilation. Ventilation is quite often affected by a number of easily remedied factors. Check if any of these could be what you are facing:

If you are experiencing any of these contributing factors, you may find it easy to fix the situation and get your PC operating at normal temperatures. Keep your system clean and make sure the ambient temperatures are reasonable. For your laptop, you can easily provide better exposure to air circulation by putting it up on a box (you might have to look at using a USB keyboard and mouse).

As our technician detected right away… high pitched whirling sounds need to be addressed. Make sure your fan is working. If it is not within your level of expertise, get a quote from a technician. Fixing a PC fan is not very expensive – you should be able to have this done for under a hundred dollars.

And, in case you are wondering what the connection is between a malfunctioning fan and not being able to get a wireless connection… it was discovered by our technician that the fan was emitting a high frequency tone. It was this tone that caused an interference with the wireless connection!

Conclusions:

As our email responder has stated to us, there are many PC users who have no interest in keeping up with the endless “…trend of system upgrades”. We want our systems to last. We want them to run efficiently. We hope this article serves that purpose and we welcome more feedback and suggestions!

Feel free to visit our Support Center at: https://www.compuclever.com/support/

If you have some ideas of topics you would like us to cover or have other feedback to offer, email us at: newsletter@compuclever.com

The post Keep’n It Cool appeared first on CompuClever.

Stages

We have come up with a list of items that we feel constitute the “necessities” of first running you brand new PC. In an attempt to make it easier for you we have broken these items into stages – that way it doesn’t seem overwhelming and tedious. We have also included an approximate time of completion. These may vary based on many factors but it is intended to give you an idea of what to expect. By having this information available you can determine how many items you can take on based on your schedule. If you want to bite the bullet and complete the tasks on the same day… go for it!

Let’s get started.

Stage1

Warranty and Registration Cards (Time to Complete: Approximately 5 minutes)
Fill warranty and registration cards in right away. Required information such as serial numbers can usually be found on the back of printers and computers. So before you connect the cables and set the device into its location, get the information written down while it is still easy to read. Once the system is up and running, you can then send in the cards to be registered. While most retailers will act on your behalf for warranty concerns if the store closes its doors, the computer maker will require that you provide proof that it is their device and it was purchased within the warranty period. Save yourself the frustration and do this early.

Restore Disks (Time to Complete: No more than 10 minutes)
Your new system most likely comes with Windows 10 preinstalled. That’s great – that saves some work! You need to realize though this likely means you do not have CD’s to reinstall Windows if the need arises. So, to be on the safe side, you will need to create restore disks. Use this Microsoft link and follow the directions.

Windows Live Account (Time to Complete: 2 – 3 minutes)
When you first start your computer, Windows will ask you to either sign on to your Windows Live email account or to create an account with Microsoft. This is not necessary but it does add some functions to using Windows across multiple units such as those between your desktop, laptop, tablet, or Windows phone. If you do not have any of these other items, ignore the offer to create an account. If you have logon credentials with MSN or Outlook.com then that login is your Windows account. For more information follow this Microsoft FAQ link.

Set the System Restore (Time to Complete: 2 – 3 minutes)
System Restore, by default, is not enabled. You need to set this up to keep the system as safe as possible. Information on how to enable the system restore can be found by following this Microsoft link.

Backup Admin Account (Time to Complete: 5 – 10 minutes)
Create a Backup Admin account. Many problems can arise should you have one admin account and it gets damaged. If you create a backup admin account you can simply work around the issue rather than working through hours of trying to undo whatever created the issue. Save yourself the time and unpleasantness by setting up a second one right away.

You can use this helpful site with easy to use instructions.

Stage 2

Beware Freeware (Time to Complete: Up to 30 minutes)
Check the “All Programs” list in PC Clean Maestro. Open the program, click the Uninstaller tab and review the items in the list provided. Many new systems include a list of freeware and trialware programs.

If you have already purchased an antivirus program and are going to install it, do not leave a free antivirus on the system as you could experience interference and compatibility issues. Stay with the programs you know and save yourself the frustration of programs popping up on the screen.

Remove Remnants (Time to Complete: Up to 3 minutes)
After installing your programs remember to clear up the install remnants so the drive is clear of unwanted files. Open PC Clean Maestro and from the “Clean” page, confirm that the items you want to scan and clean are checked. Next, click the Start button. The scan will be quick and you can easily review items before removing them. It will take more time to review the findings then to scan or clean them.

Registry Scan and Fix (Time to Complete: Up to 3 minutes)
Now that you have removed unnecessary and unwanted files, it’s time to clear the registry as there may be remnants that have not been removed. To scan and clean your registry open PC TuneUp Maestro and click the “Optimize PC” page in the left panel. Click the Registry Defrag option and perform the Express Scan.

HD Defrag (Time to Complete: Up to 30 minutes)
After removing items from your computer it’s time to address sorting – defragmenting – the hard drive for best performance.

If your new PC uses the traditional spinning platter hard drive (HDD), we recommend using good PC habits right from the start and defragmenting it. Good practice is to defrag your HD when you remove items of significant size (applications, media files, etc.). To defrag your drive, Open PC TuneUp Maestro and click the “Optimize PC” page in the left panel. Click the Disk Defrag option at the top of the list and follow the instructions.

Stage 3

Power Bar (Time to Complete: Varies)
Is the light on the power bar flashing or flickering? If so… replace it. This is the least expensive insurance policy you can buy for your new computer. That flashing or flickering light means it needs to be replaced.

Windows Updates (Time to Complete: 10 – 30 minutes)
Check for updates from Windows. Windows 10 supplies driver updates for all your devices (video cards, printers, etc.), so it is possible that when Windows was installed the devices were not connected. To be certain everything has the correct drivers you need to run an update: use this Microsoft site for details. Please note Windows 10 could start performing updates before you choose to do so. If it does let the process complete itself as trying to stop it could lead to Windows having problems before you get to use your computer.

Conclusions:

Now that you have completed the steps – there is no reason why your PC shouldn’t be performing at top speeds. You should notice fast startup times as well as exceptional file access and program startup performance. We hope this article has helped you to feel less intimidated with your new and somewhat unfamiliar PC acquisition. Taking the right steps right from the get go is critical and we think these tips will support you well in that regard.

Feel free to visit our Support Center at: https://www.compuclever.com/support/ If you have some ideas of topics you would like us to cover or have other feedback to offer, email us at: newsletter@compuclever.com

The post My New PC Arrival appeared first on CompuClever.

Free for Now

So, for some PC users the Windows 10 upgrade is free at this time.  Microsoft is making…

If your computer is set to automatically download and install updates, there is likely a 3 GB file already stored on your computer to start the upgrade process.

Who Will Likely Benefit Most?

There are some easy answers here.  We’ll outline these as best we can.

Windows 10 blends the Start menu from Windows 7 with the new Tile screen approach used in Windows 8.  The operating system will detect if the system has a touch screen and if it does, it provides more access in the tile area than it does for non-touch systems.  So no matter which version of Windows you are currently using, you ARE going to see changes and need to adapt.  We will be covering some subjects in this area in future articles, but be ready to spend a little time acclimating to the new commands and tools.

First Things First – Issues

Perhaps one of the first considerations we need to address is to consider how well the computer is performing.  If you are encountering error messages or poor performance you should address the issues first.  Trying to update a system when the current operating system is not working properly is an invitation for larger issues.  If this is the case, we recommend that before you upgrade to Windows 10, consider using PC TuneUp Maestro to send an error report and description of the problem to us here at CompuClever Tech Support.

Pros and Cons of Windows 10

If you are now at the point that your system can support the new upgrade, and you have no performance issues to deal with, you may need some more oversight on the overall pros and cons of the new OS.  Here are some of the notable pros and cons we have picked out for you.

Pros

Cons

Conclusions:

So how does Windows 10 rate?  As we have stated, this largely depends on you – your needs and your current PC system.  If you do have an older system and are happy with it we would advise the old adage: “if it ain’t broke…” stay with what you have until you decide you need to replace the hardware.  If your system has the available hardware to support the new upgrade, and you do not have any PC issues, and the pros outweigh the cons, you may want to give it a try yourself.  Keep in mind that you can restore to your previous operating system under certain conditions.

If you have some ideas of topics you would like us to cover or have other feedback to offer, email us at: newsletter@compuclever.com

The post Windows 10 – How Many Stars Out of 10? appeared first on CompuClever.

Unless you have been living under a rock for the past few months, you must have heard about the Ashley Madison account hack. This was where hackers released the entire user database of names, email addresses, billing information, and account details of 38 million users tied to the site. Some described the historical hack episode as an extinction-level event for privacy.

Attack Aftermath

We were shocked when we first learned that hackers managed to steal close to 40 million users’ records from Ashley Madison, which made claims shortly after the incident that its members remained anonymous. However, in early August 2015 it was clear that this was not the case as hackers released details of millions of email addresses, billing information, and account details tied to the site^[1].

As a group of seasoned IT professionals who have been actively involved with security R&D for a number of years, we can tell this hack event was different from all previous data leakages that impacted large corporations and national-level government agencies. This time, the privacy of many ordinary people – with repercussions to job, relationships, family life, marriage, and personal life – was exploited, ripped apart, and taken away.

What was the impact to this? Heartless spammers sent extortion emails to people demanding ransom in return of “wiping records clean”^[2]. Adding salt to the wound, class action lawsuit experts and divorce lawyers are circling victims smelling hefty legal fees in the air. The rippling effect of the biggest privacy invasion in human history will be felt for a long time to come. Sadly, we CANNOT be fooled by those spamming extortionists; data leakage is just like waste water leakage – there is no way to retract or wipe absolutely clean what’s already there.

A Personal Encounter

Just a few weeks ago, the core group here at CompuClever was caught in a “personal” encounter with the Ashley Madison aftermath. A seemly normal support email came from a user requesting help with opening a very large (approximately 10 GB), compressed file. The technical support specialist who was dealing with the ticket noticed something abnormal – the origin of the file resides on “The Pirate Bay”, a controversial pirate website usually referred to as part of the “darker side of the web”. Due to the security concern, this case was quickly escalated to our co-founder and Chief Product Officer Yida Mao, who is also our in-house security expert.

Using an isolated environment, Yida led our security analysts to identify the contents of the large compressed file which actually contained the entire dataset of the Ashley Madison user account database. Due to security pre-cautions and with suspicion of possible computer virus contamination within the compressed file, we immediately notified the user to delete and quarantine the file without her having to opening it. We were told by this user that she had strong feelings that her partner had been active on the Ashley Madison site and wanted confirmation. We utilized alternative and safe methods to fulfill her queries and she was grateful.

When global-scale security breaches like that of Ashley Madison happen, we always have mixed feelings of horror and sympathy, along with a sense of responsibility. The magnitude of the hack, for both the number of people involved and the level of impact is HUGE. Can you imagine if the privacy and secrecy of the entire nation of Canada (approximately 36 million) was hacked, exposed, and ripped apart? Meanwhile, as IT professionals who are actively involved with R&D in the realm of PC security and optimization, we also feel deeply compelled to reach out to our families, friends, and to our users and readers in order to awake their sense of online security. Cyber security breach and privacy invasion is no longer something you only read about in cold war novels or watch in Jason Bourne movies, it is happening to people around us or may have already impacted you and your family.

Recommendations

So what can you do instead of just being paranoid? “Be vigilant and aware of your digital surroundings, just as you should be aware of your physical surroundings” says Yida Mao who has managed multiple R&D teams in the cyber security field and published research findings at several international software consortiums. He offers three core principles for protecting your cyber security and privacy:

We urge you to take time and assess what protective measures you have put in place to safeguard your information and your privacy, regardless what software or tools you choose to use. Do not delay or procrastinate, cyberattacks do not wait for you – instead, they catch you off-guard.

In Summary

We are excited to be able to provide an AV product that can equip you with tools designed to safeguard you from cyber attacks. Together with our prior technologies such as PC Clean Maestro you can be more proactive in protecting your privacy and securing your personal information in order to safely enjoy your PC computing practices. We plan to continue covering this theme of protection and security in upcoming articles and welcome your feedback.

Please keep in mind… if you have some ideas of topics you would like us to cover or have other feedback to offer, email us at: newsletter@compuclever.com

The post A Personal Encounter with Ashley Madison appeared first on CompuClever.

Known or Unknown

There two types of malware: Known and Unknown.

Using a medical analogy, Hepatitis A virus (HAV) is a known virus and there has been vaccine available to rid the virus; meanwhile Ebola, first discovered in 1976 but unknown to most of us until the outbreak in March of 2014, was as a virus that typifies a zero-day attack. When it comes to encountering computer viruses, you want to be protected from both known and unknown malware.

The important difference

It now boils down to getting an answer to the key question: how well does your antivirus handle both known and unknown viruses?

In theory, a legitimate antivirus program should detect, immunize, and remove any known malware where signature, behavior, and characters are known. There is really no excuse for a security application not to proactively handle a known virus, either by detection or by removal. This is the expected similarity across mainstream antiviruses; although one would be surprised to learn that a couple of very popular antivirus programs are actually not that effective in terms of dealing with known viruses.

The most important difference that sets the best breed of antiviruses apart from their less-competitive counterpart is how well it handles unknown viruses. It is indeed very tough to detect and neutralize a malware threat that nobody has identified. But the reality is harsh. Everyday there are hundreds of thousands of new malicious files being detected. Kaspersky Labs, a leading security solution provider, alone reported that they were detecting 325,000 new malicious files a day in 2014 – 125,000 more than what was detected in 2012^[1].

How to evaluate your own antivirus

So the key question of AV effectiveness really zeros in on: how well does your antivirus handle unknown malware? It is very relevant and pertains to your day-to-day computing especially if your PC is connected online.

As we have presented the key metrics through which we can evaluate the effectiveness and efficiency of antivirus software, now let’s look at how you can put it into use for evaluating your own antivirus program. Thanks to a few independent IT-security testing organizations like Virus Bulletin and AV-Test, who conduct tests evaluating mainstream antivirus software on a quarterly basis using objective methods, we can make good use of the evaluation comparison reports that are publicly available. You can browse through the most recent test reports and look for your own antivirus software and read about it:

We have to point out to those readers who rely on default antivirus solutions by Microsoft, whether it is Windows Defender or Microsoft Security Essential, you may want to double check the testing results as we are concerned about the lack of protection you may have.  The reality is Microsoft doesn’t even handle known viruses effectively.

What about CompuClever Antivirus PLUS?

Keen readers may find that our own CompuClever Antivirus PLUS is not presented in either of these two reports because the product has just been released when this article was written. We have submitted our product to VB100 for evaluation and the official result won’t be ready until later this year. But here are some facts about how CompuClever Antivirus PLUS:

In a nutshell, you can expect CompuClever Antivirus to deliver 100% protection against both known and unknown viruses, comparable to any first-tier antivirus software like Norton, Kaspersky, Bitdefender, and MacAfee. As a matter of fact, an independent third-party lab test revealed that our antivirus product not only delivers a high level of protection, it also creates a very low impact to PC performance.

If you feel that your current antivirus software is either ineffective or you suspect that your PC is slowing down as a result of running an antivirus program, you should check out CompuClever Antivirus PLUS. Just so you know, we will also be talking about the importance of antivirus and PC performance in future articles.

Our recommendation

The post Are you well protected appeared first on CompuClever.