All Posts by Vinny Polston

9 Tips to Avoid Getting Your Computer Infected

I thought it would be important to touch base with you all on a question that many of my customers ask all the time, “How can I keep from getting infected?”. Great question!

The unfortunate truth is that no matter what protection you are using, there is no 100% to never get infected if your computer is online. Sure, you could use your computer and not have the internet -but would that be so much fun? Probably not! This should be fun. You’re probably going to get an infection of some sort at one point or another, but following these 10 tips can help you avoid getting your computer infected.

#1 Stop Downloading Free Stuff

Have you ever heard the saying, there’s no such thing as a free lunch? This holds so true when it comes to comes to downloading free stuff from online. So many times you will see pop ups saying to “download this tool to speed up your computer” or even downloading free screensavers or wallpapers  -just don’t! This is one of the most common ways to get a computer infection.

#2 Watch Out for Adult Sites

Adult sites are prone to having malware installed on them. We’re not going to get into our personal beliefs morally about adult content; but will say that if you browse them you will get infected. It’s not a matter of if you will get infected -you will. With the adult websites being such a large industry, the websites are always having malware embedded into them. Since those websites are infected, your computer becomes infected when browsing the content.

#3 Be Careful Opening Emails

Hey, your cousin Jimmy just sent you an email with a strange title.. don’t click just yet! Email addresses are always being taken advantage of and used to spam emails. If you see some strange emails coming into your inbox, call up that person and ask if they sent it. Likewise if a friend calls you up and notifies you that they got a strange message, you should change your email password to something more secure. Yahoo and Hotmail email addresses seem to be more prone to these attacks.

#4 Stop Being So Click Happy

Yeah, we’re all guilty of getting click happy at one time or another. Shoot, I’ve done it before! If you ever see an advertisement for a “free iPad” -it’s probably not real. If you think about it, how could someone be able to give you a $700 iPad for you filling out a 10 second survey? If it sounds too good to be true, than it probably is.

#5 Keep Your Malware and Virus Protection Updated

This almost goes without saying, but you need to be keep your antivirus and anti-malware tools up to date. Although this still doesn’t guarantee you won’t get infected, it is your best shot at staying protected. You would think that having more than one antivirus would offer more protection; it doesn’t. If you have multiple anti-virus programs installed they will fight each other and let anything through. We also have a great article on what antivirus you should use.

#6 Make Sure You Keep Windows Updated

Microsoft ( who makes your Windows operating system ) constantly releases new updates. These updates are typically security patches or stability fixes. Although some updates can cause a computer to crash, you really should keep them updated. You can even set up automatic updates.

#7 Stop Letting Just Anyone Log In Remotely

As I am writing this, we actually have a customer talking to Scott who let Geek Squad log onto her computer. They were logged in trying to fix issues for over 6 hours -and left with the computer still having issues. She had to bring her computer into our shop because Geek Squad somehow locked her mouse to where she couldn’t do anything. Needless to say we fixed the issue! The lesson to learn is don’t let just anyone log into your computer remotely; especially if they are not from a reputable company.

My mother-in-law actually called me up the other day saying how someone stating they were from Microsoft called her. They told her that her computer was sending out errors and they needed to log into it to resolve them. This was a scam! Fortunately she didn’t fall for their tricks and didn’t give them access. If she had, they could have held her computer hostage! P.S. They weren’t really Microsoft.

#8 Stop Downloading Free Music & Movies

Similar to item number 1 in our list.. downloading illegal movies and music will always get you infected! Legalities aside, this is a guaranteed way of getting infected. Ever heard of uTorrent, Frostwire, or Limewire?

These programs allow you to download files from other peoples computers with ease -including their infections!! If you want to download media try legitimate outlets such as HULU, iTunes, or Netflix streaming service.

#9 Call for Help!

Although there is no way to 100% never get infected, these tips should help quite a bit! If you are on the computer and something pops up that you’re not sure on, give us a call! Our phone number can be found on our contact page by clicking here. Need more advanced help? Drop off your computer for a free diagnostics. Unlike many other computer shops, we don’t charge anything to take a look. Thanks so much for taking the time to read through this article! We look forward to hearing back from you soon.

Comcast Deals

Comcast Deals: If you’re looking to get signed up for Comcast you need to read here first

Comcast Deals

Comcast Deals

If you are looking at getting signed up for Comcast for internet, television, or phone service you really need to do your homework first. We have been an authorized Comcast dealer for several years now and we have learned a lot about the process and how to help customers looking to sign up for Comcast the best. It is our goal with this article to help you make the decision when looking for Comcast deals online.

Before getting into discussing the different Comcast deals that are available, I would like to go over the three main service that Comcast offers so that the different monthly payments make sense. As you may be aware, Comcast offers digital television, high speed cable internet, & unlimited phone service. A lot of customers have asked me, “Do I have to get TV service if I just need internet?” The answer is no! Fortunately Comcast knows that some customers might require one service that another doesn’t. You can get any one service by itself or any comb

ination of the three. Let’s discuss the three different services.

High Speed Cable Internet

Comcast has blazing fast internet speeds! As of the time of writing this article, the standard Comcast deal on internet is for a 50Mb connection – that’s just fast internet! When you order your service you have two different options for your cable modem ( what allows you to connect to the Comcast internet service ).  You can choose between a standard modem or a wireless gateway. The majority of customers that we sign up decide to go with the wireless gateway. The benefit of going that route is that you can connect wireless devices to the internet -be it laptops, tablets, smart phones, even smart internet enabled TV systems can be connected to the wireless internet via the wireless gateway. If you don’t plan on using wireless internet than you can just go with the standard cable modem. Either way you go, you are charged a small monthly fee for renting the equipment. If you decide to, however, you may purchase your own cable modem elsewhere and have it connected to the internet. We don’t suggest going that route because if you have issues with the service, the techs may blame the modem right from the start – always rent their modem if at all possible. You will get better support this way!

High Definition Digital TV Service

Comcast offers great High Def TV service – you’ll love it! If you are in the market for TV service and have an HD television we strongly encourage you to rent the HD digital receiver or HD DVR receiver. With either box you will be able to receive HD signal to your television and get a stunning picture on your HD TV. One thing that I personally use is the HD DVR from Comcast. I live a pretty busy life and am not always at the TV when my shows are on. Using the HD DVR from Comcast you can record live TV shows to watch at another date – you can even set recordings or season recordings to catch the entire season of your shows! How great is that? Comcast has several different TV packages with different line-ups. If you are unsure of what package you want, please don’t hesitate to ask!

Unlimited Digital Phone Service

As I am sure that you are aware, phone service through traditional service providers is getting expensive! Why not save a lot with Comcast deals on phone service? One of the best benefits from Comcast digital voice is that it is unlimited – that’s right! You don’t have to worry about watching how many minutes you talk to your friends and family. Another HUGE benefit of using Comcast digital phone service compared to traditional is that you have unlimited local AND long distance calling. Now your spouse can call your mother-in-law that lives several states away without worrying about huge fees!

Comcast Deals save money. period!

We hope you found this article helpful. If you are looking for Comcast deals than you should give Brittani a call at 317-641-9742 and as about what current promotions she is running. I’m sure you’ll find a great deal on Comcast! We look forward to hearing back from you! If you are in a location that you cannot get Comcast, we would suggest you checking out Exede satellite internet.

Which is better processor: AMD VS INTEL

One of the most common debates today regarding computer builders like us, “Which is better, AMD or Intel?” The answer is both. This article is going to explain why we suggest AMD over Intel and have built hundreds of great computers using AMD as the CPU ( central processing unit ).

Let me ask you this; what is better when it comes to trucks – Chevy or Ford? Depending on your personal experiences you will more than likely favor one over the other. It’s the same with computer components such as the processor ( CPU ). Let me say that from my personal experiences that both CPU manufacturers make a good product. They both produce lower end CPU and higher end ones. I would normally suggest staying away from an AMD Sempron or Intel Celeron CPU as they are the lower quality ones built cheap to sell cheap – using them beyond basic word processing or web browsing just isn’t that great. I would strongly suggest going with an AMD Athlon or Phenom CPU or the Intel i3, i5, i7 class.

FUN FACT: In 1982 AMD signed a contract with Intel to be licensed to manufacture their 8086 & 8088 processors. In 1986 Intel canceled the contract. By 1991 AMD had released their own CPU and have been going strong ever since. Had Intel never created that contract in 1982 – AMD might not have been around today.

What do my personal and business laptop run? One is running an Intel i5 CPU and other is running an older Intel Quad core CPU. Both work fine – but in both cases I just happened upon a deal I couldn’t turn down. Whenever I build a computer though, I typically use an AMD processor. Here’s why:

Everywhere you look regarding computer advertising, what do you typically see? I’ll tell you what you see.. “Powered by Intel” or “Intel Inside” – that’s not a mistake. Intel spends out WAY more cash on advertising. AMD on the other hand does very very little advertising. Both manufacturers make a great product. Since AMD doesn’t do a lot of advertising, their product is typically very competitive in pricing. It’s for this reason that when we custom build a computer for a customer that we use AMD since it provides a better “bang for the buck”. Did you know that both the new PlayStation 4 and XBOX ONE use AMD for their main processor? If AMD is good enough for next generation gaming – it’s good enough for your personal or business computer needs.

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How do I backup my files

How long will it take you to fix my computer?

We talk to an average of 30 people a day on the phone as well as a lot of people who come into our shop. One of the most common questions we are asked is.. How long will it take? Although there is no way to give an exact answer on that, we thought you deserved to know the top 3 reasons why it is impossible to guestimate when a computer will be done. When you’re done reading this article you’ll have a great understanding of how long it will take..

Number 1: Guessing is.. exactly that.. a guess. Every one of our customers is important to us. If we give someone a time – we commit to that. By saying, “We’ll probably call you tomorrow”, before even taking a look at the computer; we are putting a constraint on the quality of work we can provide. We will never rush a job just to get it out of the door fast – quality matters!

Number 2: We work on a first come first serve basis. We don’t use the term, to serve, lightly. We are here to serve you and your computer needs. Since we don’t charge anything to diagnose your computer we stay relatively busy. At any given time we may have up to 30 computers on ‘the bench’ either being worked on or diagnosed. We have 3 great technicians that do a fantastic job. Even at a full-load of 30 computers, each computer is given the same amount of care.

Number 3: Technology fails – and it fails all the time. I can’t tell you how many times there have been computers I was working on thinking it was about done when another problem popped up. This happens all the time with computers. We can go deep and fix a problem – only to have three more problems occur. This is the primary reason we can’t guess on a time when we will have a computer finished. Will it be working awesome when we are done? Absolutely!

Of all the reasons I listed; from guessing to wait time to technology failing – the most important reason we don’t guess on a time is because at the end of the day our word is all we have. If we guess on a time and then miss that time – we lied to you – and that’s not how we do business. We do business the “old fashioned” way by looking you in the eye & telling you the truth.  It’s our job to earn your trust and business. I hope answers your question! If you’re looking for satellite internet, you might try reading our review on Exede internet service.

If you ever have other questions, feel free to email me at it@mach1pc.com