Adventures!

Posted on March 1, 2016February 25, 2025 by Gail Eddy in iPhone, Travel

As some of you know, our kids are taking an epic trip this year. They’ll be hiking the entire Appalachian Trail. They start at Springer Mountain (north east of Atlanta, Georgia) next week and plan on arriving at Katahdin (Maine) by September.

Can you say “Wow!”?

Our son has been doing the back-country adventure thing for awhile so he has most of the gear he needs. But our daughter needed more modern gear. Most of her gear was hand-me-down stuff from friends and family. An eight pound pack and six pound tent just won’t cut it when you’re walking 2200 miles with them on your back. So, she’s been getting all the equipment she needs over the past six months or so. Some of the things she’s acquired include an ultra-light tent and backpack, a bear-bag, an efficient stove, and a warm sleeping bag.

One of the things we got – more for our peace of mind than anything else – is a SPOT Gen3 Satellite GPS Messenger. Josh had one several years ago and we liked being able to see where he was, and, more importantly, that he was still alive! At the push of a button, the SPOT Messenger lets you tell your friends and family:

- Where you are
- That you are okay
- or, That you need emergency assistance

Because it uses satellites, and not WiFi or the cellular system, you can use it just about anywhere. I think it will update a website too, but we’re still looking into that.

Have you ever thought about an amazing adventure like this one? Here are some…

Helpful Links:

You can follow their adventures on Bailey’s blog – AT-2feet She’ll be keeping it up-to-date using the WordPress app and camera on her iPhone.

Chris Eddy of Geek For Hire, Inc. has been providing computer service to families and small businesses with Mac’s and PC’s for the past fourteen years. His company is highly rated by both the BBB (Better Business Bureau) and by Angie’s List. You can find more at http://www.GeekForHireInc.com Geek For Hire, Inc. provides onsite service (Tier 3) to the Denver / Boulder / Front Range area.

How do I … (fill-in-the-blank)…?

Posted on February 23, 2016April 29, 2024 by Gail Eddy in Apple, Desktop, iMac, Mac's, Microsoft, PC's, Tips, Win10, Windows 10, Windows 8

How-To Books:

Like a lot of our customers, I try to figure things out for myself before I call in outside support and training. That is doubly true for learning new software and applications. If my friends can’t help, I type my request into Google. If that doesn’t work, I head to the bookstore. With that in mind, here are some books we recommend:

If you’re trying to learn Windows 10:

Windows 10: The Missing Manual by David Pogue. I became a fan of Mr. Pogue’s books when I got my first iPhone. I’ve long since moved on from that phone, but the book is still on my shelf.
Teach Yourself VISUALLY Windows 10 (Teach Yourself VISUALLY (Tech)) by Paul McFedries is another good one. I’m a visual person and like to see lots of pictures. The “Visually” series is very helpful for me.

If you can’t figure out your Windows 8 machine:

Windows 8 Quick Reference Guide (Cheat Sheet of Instructions, Tips & Shortcuts – Laminated) by Beezix Inc. is a handy reference guide to keep on the wall near your computer.
Windows 8.1 For Dummies Book + DVD Bundle by Andy Rathbone is another helpful Dummies guide.
Top 100 Tips for Windows 8: Discover the Secrets of Windows 8 by Tim Sievers is also recommended.

If you need help learning how to navigate on your new Mac:

OS X El Capitan For Dummies by Bob LeVitus. I love the “Dummies” books. They’re always easy to understand and straightforward.
Switching to the Mac: The Missing Manual, El Capitan Edition by David Pogue. Yup, another very helpful Missing Manual book.

Microsoft Office

Microsoft Office 2013 Essentials Quick Reference Guide (Cheat Sheet of Instructions, Tips & Shortcuts – Laminated Card) by Beezix Inc. This is another laminated guide to keep near your desk.
Office 2016 All-In-One For Dummies (Office All-in-One for Dummies) by Peter Weverka. This All-in-One guide covers each of the applications included in the Office Suite. From Word and Excel, to Outlook and PowerPoint. It even includes Access! This is for the newest version of Office.

Open Office:

I’m trying to find a great book to recommend on using OpenOffice, a replacement for the (fairly expensive) Windows Office Suite. If there is a book that you love, please share the title with me and let me know why it’s so great!

Windows 10 Update

Posted on February 16, 2016May 2, 2024 by Gail Eddy in Data Backup, Hard Drive, Microsoft, Passwords, PC's, Tips, Win10, Windows 10, Windows 7, Windows 8, Windows XP

Upgrading to Windows 10?

We continue to see machines that have upgraded to Windows 10 with serious problems. And, I continue to get asked if machines should be upgraded.

Here’s the scoop:

If you have a Windows 7 machine, don’t upgrade unless you have a serious business need.
If you have a Windows 8 machine, you should be okay to upgrade, although you may still experience some issues
If you have a Windows XP or earlier machine, don’t (DO NOT!) upgrade. Consider purchasing a new machine with Windows 8 or 10 already installed.

If you’re planning to upgrade do this first:

Back up your data. Use an external Hard Drive if you have one, or upload to the Cloud
Make sure you have a list of all the programs and applications that you use.
Make sure you know what all of your passwords are, especially if you have asked your computer to remember them for you.
Make sure you know what your WiFi Router password is.

Tired of the Win10 “Nag” message?

I asked Chris how to get rid of the message that pops up frequently reminding you to UPGRADE NOW! WHILE IT’S STILL FREE!. Here’s what he said:

“The only reliable method I’ve found so far to prevent a machine from presenting the “Get Windows 10 Upgrade” (GWX) nag message is to rename the GWX folder which contains the upgrade program.
- See a small window icon in the tray, to the left of the clock in the task bar.
- Go to the folder: “C:\Windows\System32” /and/ the “C:\Windows\SysWOW64”
- Rename the “GWX” folder to something else – such as: “_GWX”, if it exists in either folder. Note that you will see a popup titled “Folder Access Denied” and the message “You’ll need to provide administrator permission to rename this folder”. Click on the “Continue” button to proceed with renaming the GWX folder.
- Reboot your machine.
- See that the small window icon is not present, and note that it does /not/ reappear”

If you have any questions about upgrading, give us a call

Heads UP!

Posted on February 9, 2016September 4, 2016 by Gail Eddy in Data Backup, Tips

Heads Up folks!

I’ve gotten three calls this week from people who have fallen victim to the phone calls from “Microsoft”. The person on the other end of the phone is very convincing. Within the first minute or two, you just know that they are right. You do have spyware or viruses on your computer and you’ve given them your credit card info and let them onto to your machine.

Then there is the phone call that I keep getting and wrote about in a previous blog. https://geekforhireinc.com/who-is-really-calling/ They leave a message that says:

“This call is in regards to the security software we installed on your computer last year. Now we see a red flag on our end stating there is a security breach on it. Please call 1-866-758-1262. I repeat, 1-866-758-1262. Thank you.”

Please be aware that these types of calls are on the rise and they are getting better about fooling you. I’ve said it before – Microsoft, Apple, Dell, or HP won’t call you to tell you that your machine has been infected. Don’t give these people access to your computer or your credit card info!

Be careful out there folks!

Snow Day – perfect time to organize your computer files!

Posted on February 2, 2016May 2, 2024 by Gail Eddy in Data Backup, Tips

With the beautiful weather outside, it’s hard to concentrate on getting any work done. The view from the deck outside of my home office is breathtaking – see for yourself:

Snow Day at the Eddy's! — Snow Day at the Eddy’s!

A day like today might be a good day to clean up your computer files!

Organize your photos:

I don’t know about you, but I don’t always put my files where I can easily find them again. Especially my photos! Every once in a while I’ll organize my photos by date. I generally use the year and month. I put the year first so that when the computer sorts the files by name, they’ll remain in date order. If there are a lot of photos from a particular day or event, they’ll get their own file folder.

For example, my files might look like this:
- 2016-02-February
- 2016-01-January
- 2015
  - 2015-12-December
  - 2015-11-November
  - 2015-11-November – Thanksgiving Vacation
  - 2015-10-October
  - etc., etc.

Once I get the file structure organized, I simply drag and drop the photos to the correct folder. At the same time, I might also rename some of the photos too. Then it’s much easier to search for (and find) the photo of Auntie Em from among the hundreds of photos I took last Thanksgiving.

If I didn’t name the folders by date with the year first, but instead used the month first, when the computer sorted the folders based on name, it would end up looking like this:

April 2015
April 2014
August 2015
August 2014
December 2015
December 2014
February 2016
February 2015
February 2014
January 2016
January 2015
January 2014
July 2015
July 2014
June 2015
June 2014
etc, etc.

… and that wouldn’t be very helpful at all.

To rename a photo file, simple place your cursor on the file. Then you can double click on it to rename it, or press the F2 button. Give it a new name that is meaningful to you. That will make it easier to find it later.

Organize your Computer Files:

When you store documents on your computer, it’s important to file them in such a way that you are able to find them again. I’ve watched while friends have downloaded a file or photo from the internet and it goes straight into the “Downloads” folder without even getting a new name! There are hundreds of files in there. How will you ever be able to find that pdf again when its name is “2848066_orig.pdf”? I would suggest setting up your files in a way that makes sense to you.

For example, you could try something like:

Family
- Dick
- Jane
- Sally
- Tom
Home
Photos
- 2016
- 2015
- 2014
Recipes
- Beverages
- Desserts
- Main Meals
Work

Then when you need to find a file, you’ll have a much easier time of it!

How do you get motivated on a day like today?

Are You Thinking of Using a Password Manager?

Posted on January 26, 2016May 9, 2024 by Gail Eddy in Cloud, Hackers, Passwords, Phishing, Tips

I am of two minds when it comes to an online password manager. On the one hand, I think it would be a great way to keep multiple passwords secure. On the other hand, I worry about hackers gaining control of my data.

That being said, if your keyboard (or monitor) looks like this, it’s time to find another solution!

Luckily, there are several online password managers to choose from:

1Password
Dashlane
LastPass
KeePassX
mSecure
Sticky Password

Most of these have the same or similar features.

Manage passwords over multiple devices
Generates ultra strong passwords
Stores banking and other sensitive information
Most are free but do have an annual or monthly fee for certain upgrades
Some utilize the iPhone fingerprint to confirm your identity

Even with a secure password manager, you still need to be careful of “spoofing”, where a fraudulent web page is displayed to trick you into providing your super-secure password key as described in this article:

Which password manager do you use? What are its best features? What don’t you like? Let us know in the comments below!

Computer and Phone Scams to watch for

Posted on January 19, 2016January 13, 2025 by Gail Eddy in Malware, Security, Tips

Computer and phone scams are rampant if my voice mail is any judge. For the last few weeks I’ve been getting a voice mail message with the following recording:

We’ve also received phone calls from regular people like you or me who fell victim to these scams.

Whenever you receive a call on your home or mobile phone from a number that you do not recognize, be extra careful. Dell or Microsoft or Toshiba or even Apple won’t be calling you to tell you that your computer has a virus. When you get this kind of call, your spider-sense should be tingling!

Some of these computer and phone scams are very sophisticated. There are times though when you answer the phone and the person on the other end is very convincing. You might believe them and agree that they can access your computer remotely. Then when you hang up the phone you have second thoughts.

What steps should you take if you think you’ve been scammed?

Turn your machine off.
Disconnect the internet from your machine. You may need to unplug the Ethernet cable from your machine or turn off the router if you have wireless service.
Turn your machine back on and confirm that your anti-virus is still working and is still installed.
Start your virus scanner. It should tell you whether any malware has been installed, and it should remove those programs.
Once your virus scanner has completed and has removed any potential threats, you can reconnect your internet.
For the next few days be very cautious about how you use your machine. For example, it would be prudent not to enter any financial or banking information on that machine – use your phone or iPad instead. If the machine doesn’t show any signs of continued infection, it should be fine. If it starts displaying pop-ups or becomes very slow, it’s time to call in a professional to do a thorough scrub of the machine.

You can find other symptoms of an infected machine here:

INFORMATION ABOUT GEEK FOR HIRE, INC.

I’ve created a Free Report to protect you from “phishing” scams. Click here to receive it!

Chris Eddy of Geek For Hire, Inc. has provided computer service to families and small businesses with Mac’s and PCs for the past eighteen years. Angie’s List and the BBB rate Geek For Hire very highly. You can find more on our website, or give us a call at 303-618-0154. Geek For Hire, Inc. provides onsite service (Tier 3 support) to the Denver / Boulder / Front Range area and remote service throughout North America.

Here’s a link to our Covid19 Policy.

We’ve been using Amazon Prime for the past few years. We like the free and fast shipping. With Prime, we have access to online streaming too. Prime is usually $119/year, but you can get a free 30-day trial by clicking on this link: Try Amazon Prime 30-Day Free Trial. As an Amazon Associate, we earn from qualifying purchases.

Experts say computers won’t last as long as you think

Posted on January 12, 2016May 2, 2024 by Gail Eddy in Apple, backup, Data Backup, Desktop, iMac, Laptops, Mac's, Malware

We have several customers with very old machines and they generally ask us how much longer they can expect their machine to last. We’re talking ten plus years! Remember Windows ME? Yup, we’re still seeing customers with that Microsoft Operating System!

It’s true that the machines that were built prior to 2010, for example, are likely to last five or so years. Some people have gotten them to last longer by taking special care of them. For example, we’re still happily using our 2008 iMac. Eight years later, it still performs very well. However, machines built in the last couple of years were only made to last three to six years.

I talked with Chris about computers in general and how long we can expect them to last.

“Computer technology doubles every three to four years and computers tend to last about four years. The better (more expensive) computers tend to last much longer than the cheaper ones will.”

Other experts around the internet chime in:

“…we use the 3-4-5 theory. Plan on three years, hope for four, and don’t push past five years.”

“If you’re looking at the computer as a whole, with no interest in upgrading or replacing parts, expect to get at least three years out of the average desktop computer.”

“As a general rule of thumb, I expect laptops to last two to five years. Desktops may last three to seven years.”

“…a good timeframe to consider upgrading is around every three to four years.”

What can you do to help your machine last longer and keep it humming along?

Keeping the insides free of dust and pet hair.
If a machine is short on RAM, adding more will help it to run faster.
Too many protective software programs will make a machine run slower.
When the hard drive is more than 50% full, it will begin to run slower.
Viruses will tend to make your machine run slower. If you think you may have a virus, run your virus scanner to remove them.
Things get bigger and more computationally intense over time, so there are lags.

Remember, even if your machine is running perfectly, to keep your machine backed up regularly. Backups never go out of style and you never know when that hard drive might fail!

Protect Yourself from Phishing Attacks!

Posted on January 5, 2016May 9, 2024 by Gail Eddy in Hackers, Phishing

How to protect yourself from phishing attacks? Many of you know that I take frequent road trips. That’s why my vehicles have the EZ-Pass device on them. EZ-Pass automatically collects tolls on highways and bridges on the East Coast. (FYI, FasTrak is used on the West Coast. Here in Colorado, we use ExpressToll.) When this article crossed my news feed, I was particularly interested.

“Phishing Scam Alert: There is a phishing email* being sent to drivers across the nation claiming they owe money for unpaid E-ZPass tolls. This is not an email from The Toll Roads, the Transportation Corridor Agencies, E-ZPass or E-ZPass tolling agencies. E-ZPass is used to collect tolls electronically on the East Coast; FasTrak is used to collect tolls electronically on the West Coast.

In fact, during the fourth quarter of 2015, phishing attacks saw a huge increase. As expected, financial institutions took the biggest hit, although any company is vulnerable.

Wikipedia has a good definition:

“Phishing is the attempt to acquire sensitive information such as usernames, passwords, and credit card details (and sometimes, indirectly, money), often for malicious reasons, by masquerading as a trustworthy entity in an electronic communication.”

How to protect yourself from phishing attacks:

Remember that most phishing attacks come via email, so it is very important to remain vigilant about what links you click in the emails you receive. Even when an email looks legitimate, with accurate looking logos and links, if you have any doubt, don’t click!

Social Media is becoming another prime target and a place to protect yourself from phishing attacks. In fact, according to Ian Trump of LogicNow:

“One in five phishing attempts is made through social media. Some of these will be unsophisticated attempts to snare anyone who might miss-click, but others will be more targeted and try to fool people with specific information, attempting to drive the user to a fake website where they will enter their username and password. A compromised social media account has the potential to wreak further havoc, especially given the habit for people to use the same password over and over again for both work and personal accounts.” More info in this article.

Whenever you receive an email saying you owe an organization money, or they need to confirm your information or anything that makes you wonder if it’s for real, be especially careful. Never click the link on the email. Instead, head to the website you’ve used before to check out the authenticity of the message. If you find that it is a phishing attempt, notify the company too.

Have you been hacked? How do you protect yourself from phishing attacks? How do you handle it? Let us know in the comments below!

I’ve created a Free Report on how to protect yourself from phishing attacks. Click here to receive it!

Watch Out For Phone, Text, Email, and other Scams:

Remember to stay well clear of shortened links unless you know without a doubt where that link will take you. That includes most bit.ly and owl.ly links. Here’s a recent article about short links.
Right now there are a lot of scams out there. Read our article about Covid19 scams.

Information about Geek For Hire, Inc.

Chris Eddy of Geek For Hire, Inc. has provided computer service to families and small businesses with Mac’s and PCs for the past eighteen years. Angie’s List and the BBB rate Geek For Hire very highly. You can find more on our website, or give us a call 303-618-0154. Geek For Hire, Inc. provides onsite service (Tier 3 support) to the Denver / Boulder / Front Range area and remote service throughout North America.

Here’s a link to our Covid19 Policy.

Top 10 Ways to Use Siri

Posted on December 29, 2015May 6, 2024 by Gail Eddy in iPad, iPhone, Siri, Tips

I hope everyone is enjoying their holidays. With New Years Eve just around the corner, I’m giving this post another go! Happy New Year everyone!

I’ve had a number of friends tell me recently that Siri is worthless and never gets anything right. “And besides,” they say, “I can just do it faster myself than asking Siri!”

Granted, Siri had her challenges when she was first rolled out, and many of them remain. But if you just ask her to do simple tasks, she’ll generally get them right.

Here are ten things I frequently use Siri for:

Call people: For example, ask Siri to call your Mom. (If you haven’t set up relationships within your contact settings, here’s an article that teaches you how to do that.)
Email people
Text people: I especially like this feature. I will dictate the message to Siri and she’ll type and send it.
Set timers and alarms Just be aware that Siri sometimes hears “60” as “16”. I will instead ask for a timer for “61 minutes”.
Check on the weather
Show most recently received email
Search emails: You can find emails with specific text in them or emails from a specific person
Find out the time and weather in another city: Don’t forget, these are two separate questions!
1. Siri, what time is it in London?
2. Siri, show me the weather forecast in London.
Search for a local business When you ‘re looking for a specific business, ask Siri to look it up for you. She’ll generally respond with a map and all of their contact information.
Open an application on your phone: Simply ask Siri to open the map application or the FitBit application, etc.
Tell you a bedtime story:

Siri still has her flaws, but if you know what they are and can work around them, she’ll serve you well. (In a limited capacity!)

How do you use Siri? Let us know if the comments below!

Information about Geek For Hire, Inc.

I’ve created a Free Report on what to look for to protect yourself from “phishing” scams. Click here to receive it!

Chris Eddy of Geek For Hire, Inc. has been providing computer service to families and small businesses with Mac’s and PCs for the past eighteen years. Angie’s List and the BBB rate Geek For Hire very highly. You can find more on our website, or give us a call 303-618-0154. Geek For Hire, Inc. provides onsite service (Tier 3 support) to the Denver / Boulder / Front Range area as well as remote service throughout North America.