One of the hardest parts of my job is to let my customer know that their hard disk has failed and all of their precious data and particularly photographs have all gone. In some cases, it might be possible to salvage data from a failing drive, but this often comes at a very steep price. So what can you do to avoid this situation happening… Read More »Backup Options
According to Which, in the year to April 2021, there was an increase in fraud of 33% on the previous year, with online scams topping the table. As more people have taken to online shopping during the pandemic, so the craftiness of the online scammer increases. These scams can take many forms eg fake websites where goods never arrive. And with more people ordering online,… Read More »Being Safe Online
What to do with old IT equipment? This is a question I am asked a lot. People often come to me with their old laptop/PC and ask me what they can do with it. Sometimes their laptop isn’t particularly old and can be revived by doing a complete rebuild and installing Windows again – and if the hard drive is replaced by an SSD (Solid… Read More »Old IT equipment
I think we are all used to the idea of having “smart” phones – ie the ones where you can access the internet as well as make phone calls. Then there are smart TVs – again, where you can access TV channels via the internet (eg NetFlix, iPlayer etc). And increasingly we are getting used to the idea of having a “smart” home, where your… Read More »Making your home Smart
This is the time of year when students are looking at where they might go for their further education. This often involves leaving home to go to another city. Trips to IKEA/Asda/Tescos etc for crockery/bedding and other items the student will need are a right of passage. Included in these purchases is their IT equipment that the student might need. So what should you be… Read More »Laptops for Students
Spring time is often a time when folks decide to clear out and sort out their house. Well, I believe that you should add your laptop/PC to the list of things that should be looked at too. I often get laptops to look at that have finally given up the ghost. When speaking to the owners of these laptops, it turns out that the machines… Read More »Laptop/PC Health
Keeping safe while using your computer Unfortunately, I have had a few of my customers contact me recently after they have been involved with someone trying to scam them. As more and more of us use technology to buy stuff online, find out information, and do online banking, so the numbers of scammers and the methods that they use increases. Things to watch out for:… Read More »Computer Safety
Christmas can be a good time to purchase a new laptop. Retailers often provide great offers to tempt you into buying a shiny new laptop. But as with everything, price is not the same as value. Buy cheap, and you may find your purchase to be anything but of value to you. It’s important that you think carefully before making what can be a very… Read More »Laptop for Christmas?
Windows 10 – should you update your laptop/pc if you have an older version? Microsoft offered to update your laptop/pc to Windows 10 for free up until Summer 2016. Some people running very old equipment took the offer and suffered badly. Others with newer machines managed better. Now, if you’d like to upgrade to Windows 10 there is a cost. However, there is a way… Read More »Windows 10
“Passwords are a complete pain”. This is what I hear all the time when I work with my customers. I can still remember visiting a customer’s site to fix their laptop, only to find that they had stuck yellow sticky notes of every password they use – bank accounts, ebay, etc etc – on to the screen of their laptop – for all to see.… Read More »Passwords
