Why should I backup my computer files?

Written by: Vinny Polston; IT manager of Mach1 PC, LLC.

Techs always say “backup backup backup!” So the question you are probably asking is, “Why should I backup my files?”. We are here to answer that! I’d like to begin answering this question with a lesson from a real-life scenario that we run into with customers who don’t backup their files:

Nancy came into our shop early in the morning right after opening; she had been up all night worrying and was very concerned! You see, Nancy has two kids that are now in their teens and the only copy of their baby pictures and childhood memories were on her computer. Last night her computer crashed and just started telling her that there was “no mountable boot volume” – whatever that means! We tell Nancy that typically means that either the hard drive, which is like your filing cabinet where all your files are stored, failed or that the computer is having trouble finding it. She isn’t all that concerned about the computer itself as it is replaceable – all of her precious moments and pictures are not replaceable. If Nancy had been backing up her files, she could rest easy knowing not all is lost. Nancy didn’t have a backup routine – and because of this lost everything.

When we work on computers here in the shop, we treat them like they are our own. Your files are very important! I know it sounds cheesy; but we do actually care and feel the agony when our customers lose important files because they didn’t have backup. We feel this way because we can relate to how it would feel if we lost our files – we would be lost! We have seen great brand new hard drives bad out of the packaging; yet we have also seen hard drives last 15 years.. The sad truth is that eventually, technology fails.

Don’t just backup your files, check your backups! We suggest having a backup routine either weekly or monthly depending on how important your files are to you. Please save yourself the heartache from losing your important documents and files – have a backup routine. Backing up your files is relatively easy now that there are online backup solutions as well as external hard drives & flash drives – blank DVDs are better than nothing.

Now that you know backing up is important, you might want to check out our article about “How do I backup my files“. Please check back regularly for more help!

Always make sure you run routine virus scans on your computer to ensure you are not backup an infection! For more information on that, you can check out: Top 5: What antivirus should I use?

Best cable deals for Comcast provided by award winning team!

You probably found our article while searching for “Comcast Shelbyville“. Chances are you’re looking for cable deals. As of the time of writing this, we can provide great Comcast deals for our customers! We are still working on being able to do equipment drop-off and payments; sales and getting you the best deal is our specialty!

The question is, “What makes us qualified to sell you Comcast?”. Comcast closed its doors of the Comcast Shelbyville office around early 2011. At that time we were greeted by a Comcast representative whom asked if we would be interested in selling Comcast in the area. Of course we said yes! We happen to have a lot of computer customers who have Comcast for their internet service in Shelbyville, Indiana.

Fast-forward over two years to October of 2013 and we are proud to say that we have been awarded numerous awards on our Comcast sales. Helping our customers get set up for Comcast cable, internet, & phone service is very important to us! Selling Comcast isn’t just something we do on the site – we have a trained and dedicated person here to help you. Interested in hearing what kind of deals we can offer? We also offer sales for comcast Indianapolis!

Call Brittani at 317-641-9742 or email marketing@mach1pc.com for Comcast deals in Shelbyville, Indiana.

My visit to Midwest Computer Solutions new shop in Shelbyville, Indiana

Written by: Vinny Polston; IT manager of Mach1 PC, LLC.

Being in the computer repair business in Shelbyville for over 15 years now, we ( Mach1 PC ) have seen many computer stores come and go.  As early as the days of THEINNET that closed shop when they merged into Lightbound – that was then bought out by iQuest.. now that’s a long story that’s for another time.. Many Shelbyville residents will also remember NetTek Microcenter, Shelby Virtual Solutions, & ShelbyNet. Anyways, I had the pleasure of visiting with Tom Ganus of Midwest Computer Solutions new shop here in Shelbyville. Midwest Computers is based out of Columbus Indiana.

Midwest Computer Solutions

I walked into their office in Shelbyville, which is conveniently located in the same spot that NetTek Microcenter used to be. Upon initially walking in I was greeted by a young fellow at the front counter and shook his hand saying, “I’m Vinny from Mach1 PC here in Shelbyville – and that I just wanted to introduce myself”. Immediately another gentleman came from what I believe to be their repair room, whom enthusiastically introduced himself to me; that man was Tom Ganus, president of Midwest Computer Solutions.

We spoke for what seemed to be maybe 10 minutes and I can honestly say that Tom is a super-nice guy! We had a chance to talk about the Lord for a while as well! They have a nice selection of computer hardware and accessories and a great looking store-front. I left after talking for a while, glad to have met another believer and businessman who runs his business on Christian values like we do.

A little about Midwest Computer Solutions, Inc:

Midwest Computers originally opened shop in Columbus, Indiana – now with locations in Columbus, Shelbyville, and Seymour. Like I stated previously they are a Christian company and proud of their faith – that is absolutely my favorite thing about their company! Tom & Peggy Ganus are the owners and proudly feature the bible verse, Psalm 27:4 on their business cards and website.

What better way to finish this review of Midwest Computer Solutions with the Bible verse from their business card.

Psalm 27:4: “One thing I ask from the Lord, this only do I seek: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to gaze on the beauty of the Lord and to seek him in his temple. ”

Many people might wonder why I would write about another computer repair company in Shelbyville.. The reason is that Shelbyville is definitely large enough for more than 1 computer store to serve its needs. I can proudly say that I have sent some people out their way that were looking for parts that we didn’t have in stock at the moment. Mach1 PC has been in business for 15 years now proudly serving Shelbyville and central Indiana with great IT and computer support. I would love to have your business and serve you for your computer needs. If you don’t use us I would recommend Midwest Computer Solutions any day of the week.

Have you visited Midwest Computers in Shelbyville? We would love to hear your thoughts below!

What is the difference between malware and virus infections?

Written by: Vinny Polston; IT manager of Mach1 PC, LLC.

Truth is, there is no difference between malware and virus infections. Malware stands for malicious software, and is just a general term that can be applied to any type of.. malicious software on your computer: a virus is malware. Other types of malware include adware, spyware, scareware, & trojan horses. We’ll talk about a few of those below.

Virus: We all get infected at one-time or another. The most popular term to describe infections is a virus. Most viruses attach themselves to executable files ( pretty much any program that can run on the computer ). Viruses usually target programs that are used in day-to-day use; such as Microsoft Windows & MS word. You can learn how to protect yourself from reading our article titled, “Review of the TOP 5: What antivirus should I use?” Viruses can and will replicate themselves all throughout your computer.

Adware: Do those popups all over your computer get you frustrated? You can thank adware for that! The name pretty much explains exactly what you should expect regarding adware. Advertisements that seemingly take over your computer are one of the most popular types of malware infections. Here recently, the most popular adware we see come into the shop is called Conduit; which floods internet browsers such as Firefox, Internet Explorer, & Google Chrome with advertisements everywhere.

Spyware: If you’re concerned about your privacy, banking, credit-card information, etc.. spyware is not your friend. As the name suggests, it is used to collect information without your knowledge and send that information to the creator for sale or use. A key logger would be a version of spyware and can even be a physical piece of hardware plugged into your computer.

Scareware: Has your computer ever popped up with a screen saying the FBI, Homeland Security, or other government agencies are out to get you if you don’t pay a fine? If so then you have been infected with scareware. The goal of scareware is to accuse you of a bunch of absolutely horrible things that you didn’t do. The government is not coming after you; this is just a version of malware. The end goal is to use scare tactics to get you to pay a “fine” of $200+ through a MoneyPak code. Now that company/individual has stolen your money with no way to reverse the transaction and your computer still is not fixed..

Trojan Horse: Unlike the virus, the trojan horse does not replicate itself. Trojan Horses are designed to look like a innocent application – but in the background are malicious and can cause your computer to be used for illegal purposes. Trojan horses can even give hackers a “backdoor” to your computer system to take advantage  and control of your computer.

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