The Curse of the White Box

Sometimes when picking up a new client, I'll be asked to work on a computer that's having trouble. Well, right now you're saying “that's what you do, isn't it?” Of course, but this computer is not an ordinary computer. Wait, maybe that IS the problem, it's so ordinary that it's a “White Box.” I'm sure you may be scratching your head right now and saying, “what is a white box?”.

The White Box that I am referring to is a computer that is built from available off the shelf parts. It's usually put together by smaller computer builders, often known as “OEMs”. When done right, White Boxes can offer a good value. Many OEMs provide great product and great service, I'm not going to bad mouth all of them. Like any business, there are great companies and there are, well, not so great ones. I am not against OEM computers, but I am against small businesses buying them I think that small businesses are better off buying from larger computer manufacturers such as Dell or HP and here's why:

Warranty: While many OEMs do offer extended warranty, the warranty that's offered through someone like Dell or HP is more dependable. Why? Well, simple economies of scale. When Dell(or HP) puts together a business class system, they engineer for that system to have a certain life cycle. They also keep exchangeable parts on hand for a number of years to support the standard and extended warranties for those systems. With a white box there's no guarantee that you'll be able to find an exact replacement for critical components such as Processors or Motherboards if you're outside the OEM builder's warranty. Longer warranties are also usually more expensive with the white box than with a Dell or an HP system. And here's another REALLY big thing about warranties. A Dell or an HP can offer you next business day onsite warranties. I have yet to see a system builder that offers the same. Even if they can come onsite for service, can you really expect them to be out there the next business day? There's no reason that a business should not expect that any hardware problem with a single computer should not be corrected completely by the next business day, at least under normal circumstances. Now to be fair, all the big guys subcontract all their support out to smaller companies. And you can get some real jokers out to work on your system. But if your IT person or department has done their job to the best that they can in diagnosing what exactly needs replacing, many problems with repair techs can be minimized.

Price: For the most part, base prices are comparable. But because the bigger manufacturers buy in much larger quantities, they usually offer better specials and promotions. Things such as large LCD flat panel monitors bundled with the computer can save you some money. Also, add ons such as MS Office Suite costs you less when bought with a new system from a large manufacturer.

Easy of Support: If your small business has a larger number of desktops(20+), then your IT budget will be easier to swallow if you invest the time having all the same type of desktop. This will ease IT support costs, since all the systems are the same that makes troubleshooting easier. Drive imaging can also be a big help. With all the same model of PC, your IT help can create a disk image that will enable software problems to be quickly fixed by simply re-imaging the computer. This will save hours over the traditional method of reinstalling an Operating System, applications and installing all patches.

Keeping your business running smoothly is top priority. Anytime you or your employees are unable to do their job, money is lost. So getting computers back into a working condition should be a priority. Buy the systems that are going to help you meet that goal, whatever color they may be.

What Search Engines store about you

From Techworld.com

What if there were a giant database that contained your hidden insecurities, embarrassing medical questions, and the fact that you still think from time to time about your high-school romance? Well, such a data store does exist -- if you've ever plugged such private topics into a search engine.

The fact is, search engines like Google, Yahoo, and Microsoft Live Search all record and retain in their vast data banks any term that you query in addition to the date and time your query was processed, the IP address of your computer, and a cookie-based unique ID that -- unless you delete it -- enables the search engine to continue to know if requests are coming from that particular computer, even if the connection changes...... continue reading the full article here

More than you wanted to know about Viruses and other threats

Today, threats to your computer and IT systems are more widespread and varied than ever before. The damage can cost time, money and even destruction of your data. Nowadays with identity theft a big danger too, it becomes even more important to protect yourself against there threats. First let's take a look at the different kinds of viruses and threats.

First, let's look at some different types of Viruses and malware that is currently popular. Thanks to Wikipedia for the following descriptions.

Different Kinds of Threats

Virus: A computer virus is a computer program that can copy itself and infect a computer without permission or knowledge of the user. The original may modify the copies or the copies may modify themselves, as occurs in a metamorphic virus. A virus can only spread from one computer to another when its host is taken to the uninfected computer, for instance by a user sending it over a network or carrying it on a removable medium such as a floppy disk, CD, USB drive or by the Internet. Additionally, viruses can spread to other computers by infecting files on a network file system or a file system that is accessed by another computer.

Worm: A computer worm is a self-replicating computer program. It uses a network to send copies of itself to other nodes (computer terminals on the network) and it may do so without any user intervention. Unlike a virus, it does not need to attach itself to an existing program. Worms always harm the network (if only by consuming bandwidth), whereas viruses always infect or corrupt files on a targeted computer.

Spyware & Malware: Spyware is computer software that is installed surreptitiously on a personal computer to intercept or take partial control over the user's interaction with the computer, without the user's informed consent. While the term spyware suggests software that secretly monitors the user's behavior, the functions of spyware extend well beyond simple monitoring. Spyware programs can collect various types of personal information, but can also interfere with user control of the computer in other ways, such as installing additional software, redirecting Web browser activity, or diverting advertising revenue to a third party.

Trojans: A Trojan horse is a program that installs malicious software while under the guise of doing something else. A Trojan horse differs from a virus in that a Trojan horse does not insert its code into other computer files and appears harmless until executed. The term is derived from the classical myth of the Trojan Horse. Trojan horses may appear to be useful or interesting programs (or at the very least harmless) to an unsuspecting user, but are actually harmful when executed. There are two common types of Trojan horses. One is ordinary software that has been corrupted by a hacker. A hacker inserts malicious code into the program that executes while the program is used. Examples include various implementations of weather alerting programs, computer clock setting software, and peer-to-peer file sharing utilities. The other type of Trojan is a standalone program that masquerades as something else, like a game or image file, in order to trick the user into running the program.

How you can protect your Computer & Network

So, now you know a wee bit more about viruses then you ever wanted. What can you do personally and at the company level to protect yourself and your IT systems?

One thing that will go a long way to protecting your PC is to purchase proven security software. My personal recommendation differs from your environment, depending on whether you are a networked office with server, or a small office with 3 computers.

Recommended Products

In a true client/server network, I recommend Trendmicro Client Server Security line of products. They are easy to administer and rock solid. Everything can be done at the server, allowing your IT person to manage updates and deal with discovered threats appropriately. Trendmicro also has a complementary anti-spyware program that works great as well.

In a small network of say 3 computers, you can't beat the value of Panda Internet Security. For around 60 bucks, you get complete protection for up to 3 computers. Got an old Windows 98 computer? No problem, as Panda is one of the few vendors that their current generation of Anti-virus supports it. Even the client is very lean, it doesn't drastically affect the performance on a tired old Windows 98 box.

If you're a home user, there is a good Anti-virus product that's free for home use. It's called Avast! It's free for personal use at your home(not free for business use). So there's no excuse to go without Security software.

Safe Computing

Stay one step ahead of spyware. Be careful what websites you visit. The less mainstream the websites, the greater the risk of getting spyware or a Trojan. Beware of contest websites, especially the ones that pop up in browser advertisements. "Warez" (illegally copied software) websites that promise to allow you to download all the latest software for free are havens for crooks who use them to distribute malicious software in an effort to steal your identity. Many "Adult" sites are also dangerous for you to visit, since they can expose your computer to the same threats of spyware and Trojans.

Very often when someone needs me to remove spyware, malware of a trojan from their system, it means that they've accidentally been sent to an adult website or a page full of advertising. Now they start to get pop-ups and before they know it they can't close all the windows without clicking on something that will actually install a malicious piece of spyware. The answer? If that happens to you, do the following. Don't try to close the Internet Explorer windows the regular way. Instead, press Ctrl-Alt-Del and bring up the task manager. From there, click on the processes tab, select every instance of "iexplore.exe" one by one and click on End Process. This way you will avoid accidentally clicking on a window that is just waiting to install something malicious.

Beware of suspicious attachments! If you don't know who it's from, don't open it! And especially be wary of any files that end in .pif, .exe, .bat, .com & .js.

Having good security software, being informed and staying safe will go along way to helping you stay virus free.

IT - Expense or Investment?

For many small businesses, spending money on their computer systems is an incidental expense. I've seen business owners spend hours or even days of their own time trying to fix problems that could be solved much quicker by having a competent computer consultant work on their systems.

Reasoning that you should try to fix it yourself is flawed reasoning and I'll tell you why. I'll bet good money that you don't clean your own carpets, or take care of your own plumbing problems. Also, I'm sure a good number of you use an accountant or an accounting firm to help your company keep your books in order. So why should your IT systems be any different? The most important thing you can be doing as a business person is running your business. Whatever that entails, your time is best spent taking care of your business, NOT worrying about your IT systems. Here's a good article about the impact that downtime can have on your business, as well as how to minimize it.

Every small business faces growing pains, and your business is no different. You can benefit from skilled professionals that can assist you with areas of your business that you don't need to become an expert on. Instead, you can become an expert at doing what you do best, running your business.

Total Data Solutions, Computer Help, Networking IT Services for San Antonio & surrounding area Small Businesses

Hello, my name is Tim Cooling. I've been working in IT for the past ten years. I've been helping small businesses just like yours with their IT needs. I have clients in San Antonio, Kerrville & Fredericksburg and can help your business too.

What I'm doing now is reaching out by way of a new blog. My goal is to inform, educate and assist small business owners with their IT needs. Through tips, news, and advice it's my wish that you gain some nuggets of wisdom that will help you with your IT systems.