Bald Eagle Cam

Check out this fascinating live feed of a Bald Eagle nest in Virginia, another contribution from my brother.  Everyone needs to check this one out!  http://www.wvec.com/cams/eagle.html

Hanover Center Sidewalk Sale

Your Computer Friends, offering computer service and repair, will be joining other businesses at the Sidewalk sale at the Hanover Center off Oleander on April 18, 2009 from 10AM to 6PM. If you would like to see Windows7, we will have a beta version available. Windows7 will not be officially released until 2010

Windows 7

We’ve got it!  You can try it now!

 

Windows 7 is not due on the market  until 2010.  We’ve got a Beta copy on a machine at our sevice facility if you’d like to take a look.  Windows 7 includes voice recognition.  

Your Computer Friends is a Microsoft Partner.

 

Conficker, Downup, Downadup and Kido worm

April 1st always seems to be a day for Virus Scares and this year is no exception.  Some think (60 minutes) that the conficker Virus is set to cause Havoc with all computers currently infected. Also known as the Downup, Downadup and Kido, it is estimated to have infected more then 10 million computers.

Many experts are talking about the damage expected on April 1, but no one really knows to what extent PC users will be affected.

To protect yourself, you must remove the virus and download essential Microsoft Security Updates.  Since it has been around since October 2008, good antivirus programs should take care of it.  Additionally, you should always update your computer’s Operating System with the Security updates available from Microsoft’s web site.   More helpful virus prevention tips are available on our web pages. 

And before your freak out totally, it is April Fool’s day and it’s not the first time something was supposed to go BOOM and didn’t. 

See the following article for another side of the story.   http://blogs.kansascity.com/tvbarn/2009/03/60-minutes-freaks-out-over-conficker-wheres-john-hodgman-when-you-need-him.html

600 lb Black Bear & my Brother

My brother sent me this picture of a 600 lb Black Bear pulled from under a porch.  He was tagged and relocated but as bears are territorial, he may be back.  He was found with a bag of garbage – bear take out.  Steven works for the Dept. of Fish and Game in New Jersey.

Spilled Liquid in Laptop

If you spill liquid in your laptop – TURN IT OFF AND LEAVE IT OFF.

Turn it upside down and let gravity work for you.  DON’T TURN IT ON.

Call us and we will see how bad the damage is.  Meanwhile, DON’T TURN IT ON.

Smoke + Computer = Mess

Nicotine coated PC

 

I assure you, I’m not judging – but if you smoke you should have your computer cleaned every six months.  Nicotine is a sticky residue that coats the inside of your computer and allows dust and pet hair to stick to everything.  This can cause the PC to run hot and cut down on the lifespan.

Broadcreek’s Gallant Knight (Kody)

Kody is Belgian Malinois born in Maryland on Halloween 2005.  He like to keep busy playing with toys, especially his frisbee.  He does Agililty and practices his training every day.  Kody comes to work whenever Susan’s schedule allows.

Kody and his bone

Registry Cleaners – RegCure

Your computer Friends ran across this Blog and wanted to share it with our readers.  We get this question ever week about Registry Cleaners.  Please – DON’T USE THEM!  Call us instead; it will be cheaper and much easier in the long run!

 have had numerous problems with 2 PCs ever since I purchased & installed a 2 user license of RegCure this morning. The problems are the same on both PCs – messages with programs that are looking to be installed, other programs no longer working.

I should have known better – At the very least any software that modifies Windows Registry entries MUST offer to make a backup of the Registry before it makes any changes. It seems RegCure assumes that it knows all the possible permutations & combinations of program installations & registry updates they make – and then believes, WITHOUT ANY SAFEGUARDS, it can just make changes itself & everything will work better.

I have come across several forums & noticeboards complaining about this product – most well hidden by the publisher’s decision to use all possible complaint terms in its on-line marketing. Given the issues with the prouct I have to assume this is a deliberate ploy. If they were a drug company some people would be very ill by now with mounting law suits in the wings.

For anyone who want to speak directly to “Pareto Logic” – the publishers of the software – their details are:

Pareto Logic
1827 Fort St.
Victoria, BC Canada, V8R 1J6
Phone: 250-370-9229

Please post any results / response from the company.

I will be calling them as soon as their office opens…..