Updating Computer Operating System (OS)

The Operating Systems (OS) of any computer running Windows or Mac OS, needs to be constantly updated to make them run properly and to prevent virus threats and vulnerabilities. How to update the Apple Operating Systems (OSx, iOS, MacOS) Why do I need to keep updating my iPhone, iPad, Apps and Apple OS?   Are your Apple devices up-to-date?   How to check Mac, iMac, Mini or MacBook for MacOS Updates     How to update iPhone or iPad to iOS 10 using iTunes on Windows 10   How to update iPhone or iPad to iOS 10 using iTunes on an iMac or Macbook   How to switch on Automatic iOS and App updates for iPhone and iPad How to switch on OSx and App updates for iMac/Macbook   How to update the Windows Operating System (Windows 7,8,10) Windows Updates usually take place on a daily basis to maintain security, integrity and the usability of the computer. New bugs and security threats are being discovered daily and just like your virus checker, these threats and bugs have to be fixed before they become vulnerable to a hacker or intruder. Depending on whatever version of windows you are running the windows update procedure is slightly different How to check Windows 7 updates Select the Start button  . In the search box, enter Update, and then, in the list of results, selectWindows Update. In the left pane, select Change settings, and then under Important updates, select Install updates automatically (recommended). Under Recommended updates, select the Give me recommended updates the same way I receive important updates check box, and then select OK.  How to check Windows 8.1 updates Open Windows Update by swiping in from the right edge of the screen (or, if you’re using a mouse, pointing to the lower-right corner of the screen and moving the mouse pointer up), select Settings  > Change PC settings > Update and recovery > Windows Update. If you want to check for updates manually, select Check now. Select Choose how updates get installed, and then under Important updates, select Install updates automatically (recommended). Under Recommended updates, select the Give me recommended updates the same way I receive important updates check box. Under Microsoft Update, select the Give me updates for other Microsoft products when I update Windows check box, and then select Apply. How to check Windows 10 updates Select the Start  button, then select Settings  > Update & security  > Windows Update . If you want to check for updates manually, select Check for updates. Select Advanced options, and then under Choose how updates are installed, select Automatic (recommended). :jk: Tags: bug, high sierra, iMac, image, iOS, iPad, iphone, itunes, mac, mac os, macbook, macOS, microsoft, microsoft update, mouse, operating system (OS), recovery, search, storage, uploads, virus, windows, windows 10, windows 7, windows 7 update, windows 7 updates, windows 8, windows 8.1, windows update, windows updates

Top 6 checks to make sure your computer is protected from Viruses and Malware

Just because you have a Virus protection program doesn’t mean your computer is safe.   Many of us ignore the little warning buttons that Windows uses to warn us of potential threats and unless you keep you system regularly updated it is vulnerable to threats which can leave you open to scammers and fraudsters. These flags are warning us that something is wrong and needs your attention. Hover your mouse over the warning sign and you will get a message informing you of the problem. Do not ignore those warnings. Check # 1 – MICROSOFT UPDATE When was windows last updated? Microsoft issue DAILY updates to fix security holes that have been detected and targetted by the latest spammers and virus creators. Miss out on just ONE DAY of updates and your PC could be vunerable to attack. More Details here. Check # 2 – SPYWARE PROTECTION Do you have a Spyware program that is up to date? Do you know how to check if you have one? Check # 3 – VIRUS PROTECTION is your Virus Protection up to date? Do you know how to check it is or not? Check # 4 – PLUGINS If you use Internet Explorer are you using a secure version? If your still using IE6 or IE7 your vulnerable to spma and virus attack plus you will be unable to browse a large number of sites. Check # 5 – INTERNET EXPLORER Is Internet Explorer running any malicious plug-ins? Check # 6 – FULL SCANNING FOR VIRUSES Run a FULL SCAN at least monthly for viruses and malware instead of the normal Quick-Scan?   Related Posts and Articles Top 6 checks to make sure your computer is protected from Viruses and Malware How to use Microsoft’s default program to backup to an external device or hard drive Beware of scam emails about downloading Windows 10 Opening an email from Australia Post has had 3 clients in 3 days lose ALL their data to the CRYPTOLOCKER virus How to avoid Computer Viruses – Stop using Bing https://www.itguyswa.com.au/your-apple-mac-has-a-virus-this-is-not-a-joke/ Prevent viruses by not allowing others to use your computer account https://www.itguyswa.com.au/windows-8-users-open-to-adobe-reader-viruses/ How can I tell if my computer has a virus? https://www.itguyswa.com.au/how-to-remove-the-dosearches-search-virus/ How to remove the “Snap-Do” search virus Australian Federal Police virus scam Antivirus Security Pro is a SCAM – Here is how to remove it. How to remove 99% of computer viruses, malware and adware for FREE :jk: Tags: computer virus, cryptolocker, malware, Ransomware, spyware, trojan

How to use Microsoft’s default program to backup to an external device or hard drive

Using Microsoft Windows to Backup to an External Hard Drive Why reinvent the wheel or waste money on 3rd party backup software when Microsofts default backup program works well to an external hard drive. You can even backup the files stored on Google Drive, protecting your data twice, to be sure, to be sure. Windows 10 Backup Select the Start​  button, select Settings  > Update & security  > Backup  > Add a drive, and then choose an external drive or network location for your backups. All set. Every hour, we’ll back up everything in your user folder (C:\Users\username). To change which files get backed up or how often backups happen, go to More options. Windows 7 and earlier Backup Goto start-> Control Panel and select “Backup Your Computer” under “System and Security”     Just by plugging in your backup device you may get prompted to “use this drive for backup” but if you do not, use the backup options from control panel as detailed above Select the backup drive you want to backup TO (usually E: F: or higher) ….NOT C: Allow Microsoft to choose what to backup if you only have a small hard drive (40/80/160 MB) and a big external drive such 1TB or 2TB. Otherwise select “Let Me Choose“.   Click on “Setup Backup” to choose the files you wish to backup if you are being selective. You need to select “Document Library” , “Pictures Library” and “Music Library” as a minimum plus “Video Library” if you have sufficient disk space on your backup drive. If you wish to backup your google drive data, you can locate it under C: -> users -> Your Name -> Google Drive . make sure just the “Google drive” checkbox is selected so as not to backup all those other unnecessary files. Now you have your files selected, you now need to tell backup when to work automatically. Microsoft backup default to every Sunday night at 7pm. Change this to “Daily” and a time when you know the computer will be switched on.   You should now see your backup in progress click on “View Details” to see the files being copied or press the “Backup Now” button to start the backup at anytime Related Posts and Articles Top 6 checks to make sure your computer is protected from Viruses and Malware How to use Microsoft’s default program to backup to an external device or hard drive Beware of scam emails about downloading Windows 10 Opening an email from Australia Post has had 3 clients in 3 days lose ALL their data to the CRYPTOLOCKER virus How to avoid Computer Viruses – Stop using Bing https://www.itguyswa.com.au/your-apple-mac-has-a-virus-this-is-not-a-joke/ Prevent viruses by not allowing others to use your computer account https://www.itguyswa.com.au/windows-8-users-open-to-adobe-reader-viruses/ How can I tell if my computer has a virus? https://www.itguyswa.com.au/how-to-remove-the-dosearches-search-virus/ How to remove the “Snap-Do” search virus Australian Federal Police virus scam Antivirus Security Pro is a SCAM – Here is how to remove it. How to remove 99% of computer viruses, malware and adware for FREE :jk: Tags: antivirus, backup, bing, cryptolocker, data, dosearches, google drive, mac, malware, microsoft, Microsoft Windows, restore, windows, windows 10, windows 7, windows 7 backup, windows backup

The Top 4 ways to store your data in the cloud for FREE

We name the Top 4 ways to store your data in the cloud for FREE (in August 2013) If you are looking for offsite storage and backup for your data, photos, music, documents etc. these 4 solutions offer you similar features but with varying amounts of storage. As you can see from the table below, once you get beyond the FREE storage limit, the prices for extra storage can start to be expensive. The following free storage limits and prices for additional storage were current in August 2013, but click on the links to each option to find out the latest deals for yourself (and please update the blog by leaving a comment). August 2013 Name FREE Storage Extra Storage Google Drive 15 GB extra 100 GB $4.99/month Microsoft Skydrive 7 GB extra 10 GB $20/year Apple iCloud 5 GB extra 10 GB $21/year Drop Box 2 GB extra 100 GB $99/year As a business we use Google Drive to store all our company records such as documents, spreadsheets, images, brochures, presentations etc. And now use the FREE and built in tools such as “Document” “Spreadsheet” “Presentation” and “Drawing” rather than Microsoft Office. We collaborate on documents with contractors and colleagues all over the world in real-time. If your an avid Word/Excel addict, simply configure the default storage directory to your local Google Drive on your PC and they will be synced automatically in the Google Drive cloud. Personally I use the Apple iCloud service to backup and share data among my Apple devices such as my iPhone, iPad and iMac. My pictures, music, contacts are stored automatically and my data backed up to be used on those devices anywhere in the world. If your a Microsoft geek with a Windows PC, Microsoft Phone etc Then Skydrive is probably for you and offers similar storage deals and pricing to Google Drive. The interface and workings appear to be a copy of drive. Drop box was the original “cloud” solution but is now struggling to stay in touch with the big three but it still has an army of loyal fans. As well as these four there are hundreds of cloud storage offerings. Just do a search for “Cloud Storage” … a Google Search of course 🙂 If you don’t want or can’t fix the problem yourself, give us a call and we can fix it. Come to us in Subiaco or we can come to you. Written by John Kirkby Tags: cloud, free, top 4 ways

When did you last backup your data?

Top 5 ways to backup and restore your data So when did you last backup your data? For many of you the answer will be NEVER, but its never too late to start. You don’t have to backup your entire computer but it is wise to backup “My Documents“, “My Pictures“, “My Music” etc on a regular basis. Whether you’re running Windows 10, 7,8 XP or Vista the procedure is quite easy and on a Mac or Apple device it’s even easier. What can you backup your data to? We offer you 5 choices. We actively encourage backing up your data locally (options 1, 2, 3 or 4) AND offsite (option 5). Your option choice will be determined by how much data you want to backup and whether you want to open the PC case and play with the computers internals. USB Flash or Thumb drives (option 1) For those with small amount of data, these little data hoarders are the favourites of spies and bookeepers the world over. They are available in sizes from 8Gb to 128GB and priced between $6 and $140 Their solid state memory construction with no moving parts makes them very robust and can easily be attached to a keyring or kept in a purse or a pocket. PROS: Portable, Lightweight, ease to use, ideal for backing up a small 40/80GB Hard drive on an old PC CONS: Easy to lose and misplace, maximum capacity USB External Hard Drive (option 2) For those with lots of data who want something portable then external Hard Drives will probably be for you. Simply plugin to a spare USB port and within a few seconds you have access to all that extra storage. USB External Hard Drives have tumbled in price in recent years with capacity doubling at the same time, so these make an ideal solution for making full backups of your data. USB External Hard Drives are available in sizes from 500Gb to 12TB and priced between $100 and $2,000 PROS: Portable, high storage capacity, easy of use CONS: Not immune to fire, theft, damage or failure. Easy to misplace or lose Network Attached Storage (NAS) (option 3) What is a NAS drive and why do I need one?   Solid State Drives (option 4) For those who don’t mind opening up the PC case and getting their hands dirty dusty Not really a backup drive but more of a replacement or secondary drive. These are solid memory Hard Disk Drives with no working parts for a laptop or PC. Solid Sate Drives (SSD’s) are available in sizes from 64GB to 256GB and priced between $200 and $750 PROS: Give PC’s much more speed, especially noticeable on games and programs using a lot of graphics. CONS: Need to be installed inside the PC or laptop case. Some degree of computer hardware knowledge is required. Small capacity. Internet “Cloud” storage (option 5) Unlimited cloud backup for $20 per month See Also Details on how to use Apples Time Machine can be found here. How to Backup an iMac How to Backup a MacBook How to Backup a Macbook Pro How to Backup a Macbook Air How to Backup a Mac Mini :jk: Tags: backup, data, external hard drives, flash drives, network drives, solid state drives