Do not rely on Microsoft’s Windows Defender to protect your computer.
Microsoft’s Windows Defender Anti Virus program built into Windows 7, 8 and Vista does NOT provide adequate Anti Virus and Anti spyware protection and Microsoft admit it. All windows PC’s are shipped with Microsoft Windows Defender Anti virus system. It is a very, very basic software that does not fully protect you or your computer. Microsoft itself claims that Windows Defender is just a basic anti-malware program that protects your computer from the virus attacks in case your system has no other third-party antivirus program installed in it. This further means that even Microsoft suggests that users should go for any other, comparatively more effective and efficient antivirus programs in order to enjoy the complete protection from the external threats and intrusions. Windows 8.1 PC’s and Laptops usually come with Norton’s Anti Virus pre-installed such is their faith in Windows Defender. Norton’s Basic Anti Virus protection is $59.99 for 1 year. The IT Guys recommend AVG Cloudcare and can supply and install it for $52.80 per year per device. One major advantage of AVG Cloudcare supplied by the IT Guys, is that we monitor your anti virus software and are automatically alerted when a problem occurs on your computer or laptop , such as a virus is detected or the product is prevented from updating on a regular basis or even if your computer runs out of disk space or crashes. The IT Guys also offer the following additional AVG services that we can also manage on your behalf AVG Online Backup – Backup personal and company data, over the Internet AVG Content Filtering – Limit user access to websites :jk:
6 migration alternatives to Microsoft Server 2012 that your business will probably be totally unaware of.
Windows Server 2003 Support has ENDED on July 14th 2015. Do you need to spend $5,000+ on a new server? The answer for most SMB’s is NO Is Migration worth it? Microsoft would love for you to migrate to a new server with Windows Server 2012 operating system, lots of licencing fees for Microsoft and lots of money for their hardware partners, IBM, Dell, HP etc. but do you need to? YES …you DO need to migrate OFF Server 2003 but … you do not need to migrate to Windows Server 20012 You have at least 6 options. Option 1 – Migrate to Windows Server 2008 Option 2 – Migrate to Windows Small Business Server 2011 Option 3 – Migrate your data to a NAS drive Option 4 – Migrate your data and programs to a Linux Server Option 5 – Migrate your data and programs to a Mac Server Option 6 – Migrate your data and programs to the Cloud Confused? We are not surprised… that’s why you need advice from The IT Guys (WA). Let us evaluate your particular situation and advise you on the most appropriate migration option. Contact us here. :jk:
Computer Ransom Lockout – new twist to Microsoft Support telephone scam
Computer Ransom Lockout twist This is an update on our article “If you get a phone call from Microsoft – It is a SCAM… this is what to expect” where we explained that If you get a phone call from a technician (usually with an Indian accent) BEWARE. There is a new twist to the scam which we heard of this week. The call happened and went as previously reported and as usual the technicians demand a small cash payment to fix the PC but this time when the user REFUSED to pay, they “locked” his PC and deleted the restore points making it impossible to restore the system to an earlier time. They left him with a phone number to contact if he wanted the password to unlock his PC. They of course want your credit card details in return. The Person and phone number requested was Brad Watson, Technical Manager, Microsoft Melbourne, telephone 03 9005 6652 ….. if you have been requested to call this number, BEWARE it is a SCAM. The person who this happened to contacted the Police and the Consumer Department but neither were interested in pursuing the matter further? Surely the least they could do is trace the phone number??? This article by Stephen Shardine offers a number of technical solutions but the only surefire way is to backup all your personal data and to re-install windows. Now there is 4 tot 8 hours of your life your never going to get back 🙁 Here are some links that further detail and warn you of the SCAM From Microsoft From the ACCC Scam Watch (Australian Competition and Consumer Commission) From The Australian Communications and Media Authority :jk:
If you get a phone call from Microsoft – It is a SCAM… this is what to expect
If you get a phone call from a technician (usually with an Indian accent) BEWARE it is a SCAM targeting people in US, Canada and Australia and has been going on for the last two years unabated. I heard of a business in Perth getting such a call only this week. Luckily the business person became suspicious and hung up on the caller. Please do the same and warn your friends. This is what to expect …. watch the video at the end to listen to the conversation captured live. 1) You receive a call out of the blue from someone claiming to be from (or have a relationship with) Windows or Microsoft and that they have detected a virus on your computer??? 2) The caller (usually with an Indian accent) asks you to open Windows Event Viewer on your machine to check if it is infected. Several error messages are listed and this reinforces their claims, even though errors are common and usually harmless. The caller tells you that these are of significant concern and offers to refer you to a ‘technician’ who could fix the problem for a fee. The caller now gives a number of options and the choice of options varies from call to call. They may include one or all of the following: You have to install an antivirus program on your computer—typically the kind that you can download for free and charge up to $250 for the service. The caller asks for your credit card details but install nothing. Your details might then be sold to other parties or used for fraudulent purposes. The caller may get you to download a remote-control program allowing the caller to operate your computer from their terminal. Then they install malware on your computer which may give them access to any passwords, personal or financial details (such as Bank account logins) and your personal details (driving license number, passport number, date of birth etc.) which they sell on the black market. There is even a follow-up scam where the scammer falsely claims to be from a foreign government, foreign law enforcement body, or from your bank, and offers to recover the money that you initially lost in the first scam …. for a fee of course. Here are some links that further detail and warn you of the SCAM From Microsoft From the ACCC Scam Watch (Australian Competition and Consumer Commission) From The Australian Communications and Media Authority :jk:
How to restore files from Microsoft Backup
How to restore files from Microsoft Backup to a PC If you used Microsoft Backup to backup data on your computer, restoring one, all or a few files to the same or a new computer is quite straightforward and easy. Goto Start -> Control Panel -> Systems and Security -> Backup and Restore and hit the “Restore Files” button. Search or select a file or folder be clicking on one of these buttons. Try “Browse For Folders” first. Select one of the Backup folders (there may be many if many daily backups) and click “Add Folder” Select the backup you would like to search and click the “Next” button Select where you would like the restored files to be located and click the “Restore” button If an existing file exists and is about to get over-written select the appropriate action from “Copy and Replace” “Don’t Copy” or if your unsure “Copy but keep both files” Repeat this for all files to be restored. :jk:
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:
Computer Help & Support – Perth
Computer Help & Support to Perth, (WA) and Western Australia The IT Guys (WA) offer Computer Help and support services from our workshop, remote support or onsite support to Windows and Apple Computers and Networks with fully dual-qualified experts. We also offer a FREE Computer “Triage” Service to Australian Seniors and Pensioners (see below) We offer support in a number of ways, listed in order of costs (cheapest first): Workshop Repair (Subiaco, Western Australia) Remote Support (Worldwide) Mobile/Onsite Repair (Perth Metropolitan area) Business Computer Support (Callout and Workshop) To enquire about any of our support services click on any of the links above to make an enquiry or an appointment. If you have a simple one-off IT computer or IT related issue that requires resolving then you can simply do any of the following without any ongoing commitment: Call into our workshop in Subiaco and talk to a technician :opening-hours:or Call us on :phone: and speak to a technician or leave us a message on our answering service (24 hour service) or Send us an email to helpdesk@itguyswa.com detailing the nature of your problem All our technicians are fully qualified by Microsoft and Apple and very easy to speak to. They are West-Aussies born and bred or speak English as a first language. We offer Workshop , Triage, Testing & Assessing and Repairs, Testing and Assessing, Remote Support, Onsite Support and Call Outs :jk:
Running Windows programs on M1 or Intel Mac
You can run macOS and Windows programs at the same time… if you know how Even avid macOS users admit some Microsoft Windows programs are great but find bootcamp inconvenient. Example: Outlook and Publisher (Windows versions) You can have the best of both worlds with enough disk space, memory and Parallels. Look at the screenshot above. The M1 macbook is running Microsoft Publisher (only available for Windows), the Windows version of Outlook (so many more features than macOS version) and a MacOS and iOS essential, Messages …. on the same desktop, making it easy to swap between applications and cut/paste between each. :jk:
How to fix Office 365, Office 2021 “Activation” or “Unlicensed Product” Problems
How to deal with common Microsoft Office issues such as activation and reinstalling. Please read the following self-help guide. If you still have problems, please bring your computer to our office in Subiaco and we will fix the issues for you for a small fee. The latest versions of Microsoft Office (Office 365 and Office 2019, Office 2021) all need activating by logging into an Office 365 account. This is normally achieved upon installation, however we have noticed that Windows or Office automatic updates can sometimes result in the products being “Disabled” or requiring “Activation” These problems can occur in any or all of the Office products such as Word, Excel, Access, Powerpoint, Publisher, OneNote, Outlook, Infopath or Lync; by displaying one of the following messages (or similar) “Unlicensed Product” “Product Deactivated” “We’re sorry, something went wrong and we can’t do this for you right now. Please try again later” or similar. You can re-activate Office 365 or Office 2019/2021 in a number of ways as follows 1) Repair Office 365 or Office 2019/21 In Windows 7 or 8 locate “Control Panel” > “Programs” > “Programs and Features” Highlight “Office 365 ProPlus” (do not click on it) and select the “Change” button Select “Quick Repair“. If this does not fix your problems try “Online Repair” and failing that move to Step 2) below In Windows 10 Right-click the Start button (lower-left corner), and select Control Panel pop-up menu. 1a) From Category view, under Programs, select Uninstall a program. 1b) Right-click the Microsoft Office product you want to repair, and select Change. NOTE: If you have a suite such as Office 365 Home or Office Home and Student 2016/2019, search for the suite name, even if it’s just a particular application you want to repair such as Word or Excel. If you have a standalone application such as Word or Excel, search for the application name. 1c) From the How would you like to repair your Office Programs screen, select Online Repair to ensure everything gets fixed, and then select Repair. You can select Quick Repair which runs faster but only detects and then replaces corrupted files. Online Repair does an uninstall and complete repair but takes longer. 1d) Follow the instructions on the screen to complete. 2) Reinstall Office 365 or Office 2016/19 From any of the office products click on the left arrow in the top left of the product, then click on “Office Account” Click on “Manage Account” to login to your Office 365 or Office 2016/19 account Once signed in, navigate to “software” Then click on “Install“. This will download a file that needs to be executed by clicking on it. This will start the “Office 365 reinstall” If all of the above fail, you may need to purchase a new copy of Office 365 or Office 2019. Can I still use Office 2016? Can I still use Office 2013? Can I still use Office 2011 for Mac? Can I still use Office 2010? Office 2021/Office 365 Pricing and Products Explained 3) Further Reading You will also find more useful links and information at the following Microsoft links https://support.office.com/en-US/Article/Repair-an-Office-application-7821d4b6-7c1d-4205-aa0e-a6b40c5bb88b http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/support/activate-office-2013-programs-HA102819770.aspx http://support.microsoft.com/kb/2899838 http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/gg702620(v=office.15).aspx http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/gg998767(v=office.15).aspx http://office.microsoft.com/en-in/project-help/repair-or-remove-office-HA010357402.aspx http://support.microsoft.com/kb/950929 :jk:
Services
IT Services Computer Repairs & Upgrades We repair and upgrade all computer and IT equipment from Windows Desktops, Laptops, and Apple Mac, Macbook, Printers, Scanners, Screens, Keyboards etc. We also remove computer viruses and fix or replace Hard Disk Drives (HDD) and Solid State Drives (SSD) including data recovery See Services Computer Help & Support We offer in-home computer and network troubleshooting, repairs and callouts for residential customers, remote-support and in-house training and advise from our workshop. We welcome walk-in customers with no appointment necessary during normal business hours See Services Home Networking We offer Home Network, Home Internet/NBN troubleshooting, Home Music Systems repairs/installs, Wi-Fi troubleshooting, Smart Home Wiring and Wireless (Wi-Fi) solutions plus Family Zone family-friendly internet filtering systems See Services Business Support Looking for Business IT Support and Solutions? We service our business clients through our sister company “Hybrid ICT”. Please contact Hybrid ICT by clicking on this link. See Services Microsoft We are Microsoft Silver Partners and offer Microsoft product advise, repairs and troubleshooting on: Microsoft Office (365, 2019/16/13), Email/Outlook Setup, Purchase, Repairs, Microsoft Windows (Win10, Win7): Upgrades, Setup, Purchase, Repairs and Microsoft Surface, Purchase, Setup. See Services Apple We are an Apple Authorised Reseller and Apple Consultants Network member offering Apple product advise, training, support, setup and solutions on: Apple Mac/iMac, Mac OS, iOS, iPhone, iPad and all Apple iOS/Mac OS software including: Office for Mac, Entourage, Apple Mail, iCloud, iTunes, Photos, Bootcamp, Parallels etc. See Services Get In Contact With US CONTACT US Latest Blog Posts
The IT Guys (WA) – Computer Repairs & IT Services – Perth
Welcome to The IT Guys – Perth’s premier residential IT solutions provider. Navigating the world of technology can be daunting, but we’re here to help. Whether you’re struggling with Wi-Fi dead zones in your home, looking to set up a seamless smart home system, or need help troubleshooting a pesky computer issue, we’re the team. IT Services We Offer SEE ALL OF OUR SERVICES Computer Repairs & Upgrades See Services Computer Help & Support See Services Home Networking See Services Microsoft See Services Apple See Services Business Support See Services Get In Contact With US CONTACT US Looking for Business IT Support Our sister company can help you with that. CONTACT HYBRID ICT
SharePoint (OneDrive) stops syncing on older Macs from 10 Sept 21
From September 10th 2021, you will not be able to sync OneDrive or SharePoint files on pre 2012 Mac’s or newer Mac’s still running on High Sierra or earlier. If your organization is not using macOS you can safely disregard this message. According to Microsoft they are ending support for the SharePoint / OneDrive Desktop application (sync client) on macOS Sierra 10.12 and macOS High Sierra 10.13 from September 10th 2021. Although the sync may intially appear to work, further security updates of the macOS will more than likely cause the sync to stop. How this affects your organization: How users will be impacted after this change has rolled out: Existing OneDrive sync client installations on unsupported operating systems will stop updating. These clients will continue to run, but their functionality will no longer be tested. It is not advised to continue to run on these unsupported operating systems. New installations on unsupported operating systems will be blocked. Bugs and issues found on or specific to unsupported operating systems will no longer be investigated or fixed. What you need to do to prepare: To ensure a smooth transition we recommend that you upgrade machines accordingly. We recommend you upgrade to macOS Mojave 10.14 or above. For the best user experience and longest support lifecycle, we recommend upgrading to macOS Big Sur 11.0 or above If your Mac is a pre-2012 model and you wish to keep syncing OneDrive and SharePoint files, you now have no option but to trade up to a new Mac :jk:
iCloud password not working on Outlook for Mac?
Has Outlook stopped accessing your iCloud.com or me.com emails? In a recent upgrade, Apple decided to increase the security of your iCloud.com (also me.com) email accounts, not when using Apple mail but when using Microsoft Outlook for Mac (Office 365) or other mail apps. So without realising it icloud.com and me.com emails are not accepting your password, even though you know the password is correct. That is because Apple are now insisting you provide an “App specific password” that you have to generate by logging into your icloud account and creating one. Outlook won’t accept my password If Outlook won’t accept your password and you know you’re using the password for your email account, you might have an email account that requires additional security. Gmail, Yahoo, iCloud, Outlook.com, and AOL accounts all use two-factor authentication to help verify that you’re the person trying to access your email account. To add your email account to Outlook, you’ll need an app password, also known as an application password. This is a different password than your regular email account password. One way you’ll know you need an app password is if you see the following message: 2-factor authentication is set up for your account. Please sign in using your application password. To obtain an app password for your iCloud email account, use the following steps: Go to the Apple ID website from your browser and enter your Apple ID and password. See the following links: https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/office/add-an-icloud-email-account-to-outlook-4aed8b3d-3c68-4743-8973-f6bd1c56e040 https://support.apple.com/en-au/HT204397 :jk:
How to backup a Windows 10 computer
How to backup a Windows 10 computer? If your computer, laptop or device is not made by Apple it is probably using Microsoft Windows and more than likely Windows 10. If so, good news!! There is a very easy built-in, FREE, way of backing up your essential data such as Documents, Photos and Music. If yours computer, laptop or device is made by Apple, click here for information on backing up data. How to backup a Windows 10 Computer, Laptop or device? In fact there are two built-in ways of backing up your data when using Windows. One is free the other requires the purchase of an external backup device. Windows 10 Backup – Option 1 – OneDrive Cloud Backup Just like Apple iCloud, Microsoft offer 5GB of Free cloud backup to all Windows 10 users via OneDrive. If you are also an Office 365 user (Home, Family or Personal) your allowance goes up to 1,000GB (1TB). Office 2019 users only get the free 5GB of storage unless they wish to purchase OneDrive Standalone 100GB option for $3 per month (Residential users) or OneDrive for Business (Plan 1 or 2) for Business users. For full details and troubleshooting, click here further details regarding OneDrive can be found here. It could be that you are already backing up your files to OneDrive. This would have happened if during Windows 10 setup, you chose the “Back up your files with OneDrive” option. What you DO NOT want to backup to OneDrive is your Outlook mail file (.pst) as this can corrupt the file and cause other complications. You may need to move the location of your mail file out of the OneDrive directory. See this article for details on how to move your Outlook data file. Windows 10 Backup – Option 2 – External or Flashdrive Backup How to use Microsoft’s default program to backup to an external device or hard drive Is my computer running Windows 10 or an older version of Windows? What version of Windows do I have? What should I do if my version of Windows is not Windows 10? Windows 7, Office 2010 & Server 2008 reached end-of-support Jan 2020 Why should I backup my data? Computers, Laptops and Devices (Tablets etc) can often die or become unresponsive suddenly. However, the data on the device is often safe but depending on the type of device, the data is not always easily accessible. Data is stored on a “Hard-Drive” or “Solid State Drive” internally. If the casing of the computer or device is easily opened, the drive can usually be accessed and the data transferred or saved elsewhere. However, as computers and devices become lighter and thinner, the method of construction often means that components such as data-drives are glued-in, with no means of opening or retrieving data. Some devices such as tablets often do not have any external port to connect to an external drive so the only form of backup available is often “cloud-backup”. Examples of this would be the following Microsoft Surface Computers iPads Windows Tablets If something goes wrong with any computer or device and the device is still in warranty, the manufacturer will require the device to be shipped back to them. Although they may repair/replace the damaged or faulty parts, they will not take responsibility to recover your data. Your Data is LOST …. unless you have a backup. We hope the above guides have given you enough information to setup data backup of your devices. If you need any assistance, please contact us as detailed below and we will assist where we can. :jk:
Mail sending issues to iinet and westnet email accounts?
Having issues sending & receiving emails to/from people with @iinet.net.au or @westnet.com.au accounts? iinet and westnet email questions answered Q – Why am I not receiving emails into my iinet or westnet account? Check your internet. Pull up google on a browser and do a search on “iinet Outage” …you should find the iinet network status page https://www.iinet.net.au/status/ this will tell you if there is a widespread email outage or internet outage. If your internet is also with iinet/westnet, repeat the test on your mobile phone after switching the Wi-Fi off on your phone first. Are you getting emails on your phone? If so, this would also indicate there is an “internet” issue at your home. Restart the Modem AND the NBN box and see if this resolves the issue. Q – Why can I not access my iinet or westnet webmail? Check your internet. Pull up google on a browser and do a search on “iinet Outage” …you should find the iinet network status page https://www.iinet.net.au/status/ this will tell you if there is a widespread email outage or internet outage. If your internet is also with iinet/westnet, repeat the test on your mobile phone after switching the Wi-Fi off on your phone first. Q – Why can I not send emails to iinet or wesnet accounts? Maybe the following image is familiar? In this case the problem was caused by a misconfigured SPF (Sender Policy Framework) record in Microsoft Hosted Exchange. Up until 2021 iiNet and Westnet mail servers were not strictly enforcing the SPF policy on their incoming mail servers. Once they tightened the policy incoming emails from poorly configured email accounts, started being rejected. This could be the reason why you are only just experiencing such issues. The IT Guys and specifically our sister company Hybrid ICT are experts in the setup and troubleshooting of domain, DNS and email issues. Drop either one of them a line and we can quote you on fixing these issues for you. See also Set up SPF to help prevent spoofing :jk:
