Should I save files to SharePoint or OneDrive?
What is the difference between OneDrive and SharePoint? Which one should I use? “OneDrive” is used mainly for personal and draft documents and only the user has access to documents stored on there unless the user specifically “shares” the document with someone else. “SharePoint” is used mainly for storage of files that are to be shared with other staff/team members. Sharing and permissions to access is controlled by the SharePoint administrator. SharePoint is only available in Business Versions of Microsoft Office 365 (Business, Business Essentials, Business Premium, Enterprise E1, E3, E5, SharePoint Plan 1 and 2) OneDrive is available in Home and Business versions of Office 365 However, the program used to access both is actually called “OneDrive” and can be found from the start menu or by clicking on the “little-blue-cloud” found on the taskbar at the bottom right of a Windows 10 computer. In Mac OS, it appears in the Top Task bar as follows How to setup OneDrive and SharePoint on an iMac or Macbook Cloud Data Migration Services Corporate Cloud Services -> Cloud Data Migration Services Corporate Cloud Services -> Cloud Backup and Data Recovery Services :jk:
5 things that makes running a small or micro-business a lot easier.
Doing these 5 things makes running a small or micro-business a lot easier. 1. Get a 2nd computer or iPad with your emails and business documents on it, and stop stressing out when your main one breaks down!! Once a week my staff get stressed out by a demanding micro-business owner who has computer issues and does not have a spare computer or a backup of their data. They make it very clear to us that they cannot earn a living because there whole business depends on having this computer running 24/7 To those clients (I am sure they know who they are!!) I say … … CHILL-OUT, GET A LIFE …. and a spare computer Think of a spare computer like installing an aircon in the spare bedroom. 90% of the time you or your guests won’t notice it is there but on that rare 10% of the time on a February night, you/they will think it’s worth its weight in gold. The spare computer doesn’t need to be flash and can even be an iPad but it should be sturdy enough and have enough memory and storage for you to be able to run your business in an emergency. Setup your documents to be stored in OneDrive, Dropbox or iCloud and setup your emails on a business-grade email platform such as Office 365 Business – Premium or Exchange Online, in this way they will be spam-free, safe, secure and accessible 24/7 from any computer, anywhere in the world. Also upgrade to the cloud version of your preferred accounting package (MYOB, Xero, Quickbooks etc) so accounts and invoicing can also be run from any computer with a web browser. If you already have Microsoft Office, chances are you already have 1TB (1,000 MB) of cloud storage included in your subscription** If not, it can be purchased from $91*** per year. ** Microsoft Office 365 Home, Personal, Business, Essentials, Premium and higher include 1TB OneDrive storage *** Microsoft OneDrive For Business (1TB Storage) The IT Guys can advise, setup and configure OneDrive and Sharepoint, supply and renew Microsoft Office Licensing etc. Please contact us for help on support@itguyswa.com.au 2. Stop using FREE (@gmail @yahoo @hotmail) or ISP (@bigpond @iinet @optusnet) email addresses for business. Use your own business domain name instead. You or your business can own your own domain name (ie @mybusiness.com) from only $25 per year, It forms part of your intellectual property and contributes to the goodwill value of your business. If you have a website, you probably already own a domain, start using it for your business emails also. FREE or ISP based email addresses are a LIABILITY and a THREAT to your business. They can be taken away from you at any time, you can lose all your emails, folders, contacts and history…. and you have NO LEGAL RECOURSE, because you do not and have never owned them. The small print in the contract you are completely unaware of, issued by your email provider, gives THEM the power to suspended or withdrawn access to your email account, at any time and for any reason, thus potentially ruining your business and rendering it inoperable and worthless. example: https://www.reuters.com/article/us-yahoo-email-terminated/who-owns-your-email-account-idUSKBN0EE22P20140603 We are not suggesting dropping the FREE or ISP account you have been using for years but start to wean customers away from it by forwarding incoming emails to your own business domain and then reply to them using that business domain. Your customers will get used to replying to your business domain and over time will stop using that FREE/ISP address. People often stay with ISP’s (Telstra, Bigpond etc) because they fear losing access to that email address. What they do not know is that they can pay Telstra (@Bigpond, @Telstra) iiNet/TPG (@iinet, @westnet, @tpg), Optus etc. around $20 to $25 a year just to keep that email address alive. You are then FREE to stop using that ISP for Internet and shop-around for the best package or simply use the internet on your mobile or elsewhere) You can have your own domain and a hosted Microsoft Exchange Email address and mailbox for only $97.60 per year* *$25 for .com domain plus $6.05 per month for Microsoft Hosted Exchange 50GB Mailbox or $35 per year for .com.au domain. This has become a big issue in the UK of late according to this BBC article titled Email address charges branded ‘daylight robbery’. Wendy Small, has been charged £160 to keep her old BT email address since she switched providers two years ago. Ofcom is writing to broadband companies to ask why some people are having to pay to keep old email addresses. https://www.bbc.com/news/business-51571275 The IT Guys can setup, purchase, transfer and configure domain names, web and email hosting including redirecting old emails and converting POP and iMAP accounts to Office 365 Hosted Exchange. Please contact us for help on :e-mail: 3. Do not use your main email for marketing or email shots. It is very easy for a disgruntled customer to report you for sending them “spam” or “unsolicited” emails. This can have your email address suspended or blacklisted. If you get blacklisted and you use a FREE or ISP email address, you may lose the right to that address and be suspended or have your account deleted forever. If you own your own domain name, there are steps you can take to be removed from the blacklist and continue to use the account. However, if you keep repeating the spamming offence you can be fined up to $2m per day for breaching the Spam Act 2013, as were Optus earlier this year Using a third-party marketing/ mail out company such as Mailchimp, overcomes this ever happening. 4. Protect your data and Passwords It is essential you protect every online account with two-factor (2FA)or multi-factor authentication (MFA) to stop your accounts being hacked, defrauded and locked-out from. In addition, make sure your data is stored in at least 2 other locations. Ideally backups or copies of your data […]
Opening an email from Australia Post has had 3 clients in 3 days lose ALL their data to the CRYPTOLOCKER virus
* WARNING * CRYPTOLOCKER Virus in Australia Post Emails Update: 5th Feb 2016 Today we have heard of three more cases of people and businesses in the Perth area being targeted and having their computers, servers and any attached backup drives completely encrypted with: “The CRYPTOLOCKER Computer Virus is impossible to break or decode without the original encryption key. This type of virus is known as Ransomware and unless you have recent backups that have not been affected by the virus, you will need to PAY THE RANSOM, if you wish to recover those files“ Each computer became infected after opening an EMAIL from AUSTRALIA POST (or AUSPOST), with a subject line such as: Subject: An agent was unable to redeem the parcel to your place for the reason: receiver was absent There have been many different subject lines but they commonly want you to click on an attachment or a link such as “Down Load Shipping Label” More info here: http://auspost.com.au/about-us/scam-email-warning.html CryptoLocker is a ransomware trojan which targets computers running Microsoft Windows. There is a demand for money which if not paid escalates each day. The only surefire way of removing the virus is to reinstall windows back to factory settings and then restore your data from your last backup, so please make sure your data is backed up TODAY, onsite AND offsite. If you believe you have seen such an email or encountered this virus recently, please give us a call on 08 6365 5603 and we can help you remove this or any other computer virus or malware. Please be vigilant. How do you know if you have contracted the CryptoLocker Virus? Messages such as these will start appearing on your computer screen You will also find that you will be unable to open document and picture files and the files now have an extension of .encrypted as per this example: We know nobody likes to pay a ransom but in some cases it may be the cheapest alternative to resolving the situation. If you are in the situation where you either have no backup of your files or the backup has also been corrupted and it will cost you more than the cost of the ransom to re-create that data, it maybe worth paying the ransom and hoping the crooks decrypt your files as they promise to do. Before doing so just check if there are earlier “versions” of your files by following these guides http://windows.microsoft.com/en-au/windows/previous-versions-files-faq ….. for Windows 7 http://windows.microsoft.com/en-AU/windows-8/how-use-file-history …. for Windows 8 If you use Dropbox or Google Drive for storing documents and pictures you can also go back to previous versions that may not be encryted, using the following https://support.google.com/drive/answer/2409045?hl=en ….. Google Drive https://www.dropbox.com/help/11 ….. Dropbox In an example of the latest attack a ransom of AUD $ 640 (1.298976 BTC) increasing to AUD $1,280 in 120 hours has been demanded. Although our client was reluctantly willing to pay the ransom, as the payment was required in Bitcoin (BTC) it makes it a very difficult and involved process if you know nothing about the digital currency Bitcoin (BTC) In order to purchase Bitcoin (BTC) it is necessary to firstly purchase them from an Bitcoin Exchanger or a Bitcoin Marketplace. Credit card or Debit card payments are not accepted when purchasing BitCoin’s After trying multiple ways of purchasing Bitcoin (BTC) with many site links not working, we finally came across a site called “Coin Jar” (http://www.coinjar.com) and after a long drawn process of registration and proof of identity (including submitting proof of identification with copies of driving licence, passports and utility bills) we were finally given a BPAY Biller code and BPAY reference number in order to transfer money into the Coin Jar account which can then be used to purchase Bitcoins once the BPAY payment has cleared (2-3 business days) and once in the account she can use those AUD $ to purchase 1.298976 BTC which can then be transferred to the anonymous seller of the encryption key. Once the bitcoins have been transferred and you “Verify Payment” by clicking on the link provided, you will see a similar screen to this, confirming the payment. Clicking on Decryption_Software.exe link, downloads the executable file that will give you access back to your files and remove the “.encrypted” extension When downloaded, run the executable file and click on the “Start Decryption” button Decryption should commence, and when complete, you will be prompted to restart your computer. Our experience to date is that the decryption software will only run and decrypt a certain number of files (we have no idea what the limit is) Therefore you may find that only a percentage of the files are decrypted. With one client non of the files on their encrypted external Hard Disk drive were decrypted. The murky world of the online scammer. If you do not want to fall victim to online scammers and ransom-ware pirates, make sure all your data is backed up daily in two locations, one online and the other on a local drive. See articles below. We also suggest moving your emails to Microsoft Hosted Exchange to add another level of security and to stop junk and viruses making their may through to your email client. :jk:
MacOS Catalina 10.15.1 – Looking Good. OK to Upgrade (Nov 2019)
In Oct 2019 our repair shop was full of Apple iMac and MacBooks rendered unusable after upgrading to MacOS Catalina 10.15. However, with the release of 10.15.1 those issues appear to have been fixed. MacOS 10.15 can only be installed on the following: MacBook introduced in 2015 or later MacBook Air introduced in 2012 or later MacBook Pro introduced in 2012 or later Mac mini introduced in 2012 or later iMac introduced in 2012 or later iMac Pro (all models) Mac Pro introduced in 2013 or later DO NOT ATTEMPT TO INSTALL CATALINA ON OLDER MODELS – YOU WILL BREAK THE COMPUTER We strongly advise you to be wary of upgrading to any new MacOS. Make a full time-machine backup before proceeding. Is your Mac older than 4 years? If your computer is more than 4 years old and its never had it’s Hard Disk replaced, installing a new OS is usually the time that the HDD gives up the ghost and fails….. mid-install. We hope you took a full Time-Machine backup before you tried the upgrade. If not, you are risking losing your data. Office 2011 may not work in Catalina Catalina no longer supports 32 bit apps? You may well be surprised to find out that Office 2011 and many older printer drivers could well be 32 bit versions from way back. Its not the end of the world but you may not be able to find 64 bit versions of your printer driver, printer utility or even Office 2011. Something to bear in mind. Do you do Audio mixing? Many Audio mixing programs, Apps and add-ons were written in 32 bit and may not be available in 64 bit format. How to check if you have any 32 bit apps/drivers on your Mac Choose Apple menu > About This Mac, then click the System Report button.Select Legacy Software in the sidebar. All legacy software is 32-bit.If you don’t see Legacy Software in the sidebar, select Applications in the sidebar, then check the list of apps on the right. The column labeled ”64-Bit (Intel)” shows ”No” for apps that are 32-bit. Here is an example of what you may see… Known Applications that will not work on Catalina include (but not limited to the following) – Older version of Adobe Photoshop (CS5), Illustrator (CS5), Indesign (CS5), Acrobat Pro 9.5.5. Premier Pro, Lightroom, Office 2011, Word 2011, Excel 2011, PowerPoint 2011, Outlook 2011 Any concerns or issues with Catalina… give us a call. :jk:
Backing up iPhone or iPad using iTunes on a Mac or a PC
If Cloud backup is not available or your data for backing up exceeds your iCloud data allowance, backing up to a PC or Mac using a cable, maybe your only option According to our research over 70% of iPhone/iPad users have NEVER or RARELY backup their data or even know how to do so. If using an iMac, Mac Mini or Macbook, Apple iTunes comes as standard. However if you are using a Windows PC or Laptop you may firstly have to install iTunes from here http://www.apple.com/au/itunes/download/ Once iTunes has been loaded connect your devices together and iTunes should immediately start, if not, locate iTunes from the Programs and Applications and start the program. You firstly need to connect your iPhone or iPad to the Mac or PC using an Apple or compatible “Lightening Cable” which has a standard USB connector on one end and an Apple Lightening cable on the other. Your iPhone or iPad would have been supplied with such a cable when you purchased it, the same cord you use daily to recharge your iPhone or iPad and looks something like this In addition to charging your iPhone or iPad, this cable is also used for transferring data for updates, backup and restoring. Connecting the cable to an iMac Connecting the cable to a Macbook or Windows Laptop Connecting the cable to a Windows PC Tower or Desktop If iTunes does not start automatically, manually start it from the menu. If detected your device should appear automatically in the iTunes interface. iTunes will detect the name and capacity of your devices, the current operating system (iOS) and the update status. Under the heading “Backup” you are given the choice of backing up to “iCloud” (see above) or to “This Computer” (see below) For the purpose of this exercise, select “This Computer” and click the “Backup Now” button. Backing up your device to your computer commences, just accept the default prompts and your Music, Contacts, Photos and Apps will be backed up to your computer. If you wish to backup on a regular basis you will need to repeat this exercise at regular intervals. You can then recover your device to any one of those backups And if you cannot figure it out for yourself, Call the IT Guys and use our iPhone setup service or our iPad setup Service If you need assistance in checking the above and performing the updates, give us a call on 08 6365 5603 and make an appointment to come and see us. :jk:
Weknow.ac – How to remove Weknow.ac Computer Virus from a Mac
The most difficult Apple Mac OS virus we have ever come across ….. Weknow.Ac Weknow.ac resisted all Anti-Virus and Malware removers but was eventually removed after many, many attempts and hours of research, trial and error. How do I know if my computer has the Weknow.ac virus? Open up any browser …. does your search page look like the following or similar? If so, you have the Weknow.ac virus and you need to get rid of it ASAP Following suggestions on another website (MacReports) we managed to clean up Safari browser …. How To Remove Weknow.ac Malware (macOS) The advise offered here regarding Google Chrome did not work, we know this because it is still impossible to change the default search-engine away from we know.ac How did I get the weknow.ac virus? Well in our case we were looking for a Microsoft site called “Success with Teams” and instead of typing successwithteams.com mis-spelled it as sucesswithteams.com which landed me on the following page where I was fooled into thinking that Flash Player needed upgrading We found more advice on removing the we know.ac virus on the Apple Communities Website, where we came across two solutions: Wipe and reformat your HDD by going into recovery mode.(Only advisable if you have a current Time Machine Backup) …. “weknow.ac” changes a group of Chrome policies so as to set a new default homepage, new tab behavior, etc. You can see your current Chrome policies by typing chrome://policy/ into your URL bar. If you’re infected, it should be very obvious as the half-dozen or so policies changed by weknow will be displayed. Use the command line to delete / modify the affected policies. You do this by opening up “Terminal” and copy and paste each of the following entries below. I did each one at a time. I copy and pasted the first line and then hit enter and then went to the next until I had finished all 6 below: defaults write com.google.Chrome HomepageIsNewTabPage -bool false defaults write com.google.Chrome NewTabPageLocation -string “https://www.google.com/” defaults write com.google.Chrome HomepageLocation -string “https://www.google.com/” defaults delete com.google.Chrome DefaultSearchProviderSearchURL defaults delete com.google.Chrome DefaultSearchProviderNewTabURL defaults delete com.google.Chrome DefaultSearchProviderName Quit Chrome and restart it and voila the virus will be gone. I tried everything and 3 phone calls with Apple and this was the only thing that worked. If you think you have this Virus and your attempts to remove it have failed, bring your computer to our office and our Apple qualified experts can do it for you. :jk:
IT, Cyber & Computer Systems Auditing Service – District32 Members
FREE 8-point IT, Cyber & Computer Systems Audit and Security Assessment for District32 members. As a member of the District32 Stirling branch, the IT Guys (WA) would like to offer a FREE 8-point IT Systems Audit and Security Assessment Even if you have an in-house IT person, IT team or external IT service provider, would you not like to ensure that they are doing the best for your company?Even though they may have the best of intentions, their skills and experience may not be adequate and up-to-date to identify and protect your business from an ever growing number of cyber security threats. The IT Guys have provided obligation-free, independent and confidential IT & Computer Auditing services to scores of small to medium sized companies across Perth. Our audits cover the following area: Software Security Audit – Check for Microsoft Office 365 Business or 2016 Pro Plus plus all other programs running latest updates and patched in line with OS updates. Operating System Security Audit – Check for min SOE (Standard Operating Environment) Windows 7 Pro or Windows 10 Pro, Mac OS minimum High Sierra. All workstations and servers to have current and updated Anti-Virus software. Email Security Audit – Check for Microsoft Hosted Exchange mailboxes and not running ISP, Google, Hostaway or web hosted email on IMAP and POP Backup Security Audit – Ensure backups occurring regularly locally and offsite (or cloud) ensure backup software running and storage devices have no errors. Data Security Audit – Ensure group or shared data properly secured and being backed up. Network Systems Security Audit – Check router and network is properly password protected, has security and firmware updates properly configured. Server Security Audit – Check server is working, is a currently support OS and has all security patches installed. Also check security login and activity directory properly password protected. Cloud & Web Security Audit – Check website is secure and hosted on secure and updated web host with fully patched hosting software. Full and comprehensive audits over large or multiple sites, buildings, offices etc, will be quoted after our initial FREE Audit. Our audit principles are based on the guideline “Maintaining Information Governance and Security” from the “Office of Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC)” Please Email us at support@itguyswa.com and one of our principles will contact you to discuss your requirements and concerns and arrange an initial meeting. :jk:
Datto ALTO 3 – Intelligent Business Continuity Solution for Small Business
FREE 2TB Backup Hardware Device with 2TB Cloud backup from only $119 per month* The Datto ALTO3 delivers enterprise-grade Intelligent Business Continuity (IBC) functionality at a small business price. See also: TRADITIONAL BACKUP VS. INTELLIGENT BUSINESS CONTINUITY Functionality included with monthly service: 2TB Local and Cloud Backup System licences for Windows, Mac OSX and Linux agents Take snapshots of protected systems, application and files Replicate snapshots to the Datto Cloud for storage and retention Restore systems and individual files from the Datto device and cloud Virtualise backed up systems (OSX cannot be virtualised) Off-Site Hybrid device to the Datto Cloud 24/7/365 US-based technical support Prices: 2TB local backup, Cloud backup with 1 Year Data Retention – $119 per month** 2TB local backup, Cloud backup with Infinite Data Retention – $150 per month** ** minimum 12 month commitment Datto ALTO 3 is the entry level Datto offering. It is the only Business Continuity solution designed specifically for the small business sector. Whether you’re looking for Disaster Recovery on a budget, or you want to replace your current backup software with something more than just cloud backup the Datto ALTO is the solution for your business. Using image-based, verified backups and a hybrid cloud model, the Datto ALTO 3 delivers enterprise-grade functionality at a small business price. Product Overview Screenshot Backup Verification No more guessing if your backup is working correctly. An industry first, this technology which is proprietary and unique to Datto, delivers proof that the backup was successful. It boots every backup as a virtual machine, tests its integrity and then sends a screenshot of the system log on screen directly to us, and you, the client if required.Screenshot Backup Verification is available with Datto ALTO 3. Amazing Price Point Datto ALTO 3 delivers breakthrough technology at a revolutionary price point. Small businesses currently dependent on consumer-oriented, file-level backups now have a clear, compelling and cost-effective alternative: Intelligent Business Continuity with Datto ALTO 3. Small Foot Print At 5 inches square and less than 2 inches tall, Datto ALTO 3 is the perfect fit for every small business. The extremely compact Micro PC form factor means ALTO 3 can live right on the desktop, attached to the back of a monitor, or anywhere else on the LAN. Inverse Chain Technology Datto developed a smarter backup process, with Inverse Chain Technology. This proprietary technology eliminates problems in the backup chain, where most problems occur in the backup process. This feature is included in Datto SIRIS 3, Datto ALTO 3, Datto ALTO XL and Datto NAS.Each time a backup occurs data is converted directly into a virtual machine, with the most recent backup always being the base image. These backups are not dependent on previous snapshots allowing for freedom over changing retention and deleting snapshots without resetting the chain or dropping a new base image. Since each backup is a fully bootable virtual machine, there is no need for a conversion to occur before performing a restore. With no complicated rollup or restore processes, data is always available immediately both on-site and off-site. Datto’s Inverse Chain Technology avoids broken backup chains and enables virtualisation to happen almost instantaneously. Hybrid Virtualisation Datto ALTO 3 brings the power and flexibility of local virtualisation to small business. Hybrid Virtualisation technology initialises a virtual machine (VM) in the secure Datto cloud, then automatically connects to the local network through the Datto ALTO 3 appliance on-site using a secure VPN tunnel. For more information and pricing on Datto Alto, or the services we offer for Disaster Recovery and Business Continuity or to book your free, no-obligation assessment, contact us today. :jk:
IT, Cyber & Computer Systems Auditing Service – Perth
FREE IT, Cyber & Computer Systems Audit and Security Assessment for Small to Medium Sized Business in the Perth Metro Area. FREE 8-point IT, Cyber & Computer Systems Audit and Security Assessment for Businesses Even if you have an in-house IT person, IT team or external IT service provider, would you not like to ensure that they are doing the best for your company?Even though they may have the best of intentions, their skills and experience may not be adequate and up-to-date to identify and protect your business from an ever growing number of cyber security threats. The IT Guys have provided obligation-free, independent and confidential IT & Computer Auditing services to scores of small to medium sized companies across Perth. Our audits cover the following area: Software Security Audit – Check for Microsoft Office 365 Business or 2016 Pro Plus plus all other programs running latest updates and patched in line with OS updates. Operating System Security Audit – Check for min SOE (Standard Operating Environment) Windows 7 Pro or Windows 10 Pro, Mac OS minimum High Sierra. All workstations and servers to have current and updated Anti-Virus software. Email Security Audit – Check for Microsoft Hosted Exchange mailboxes and not running ISP, Google, Hostaway or web hosted email on IMAP and POP Backup Security Audit – Ensure backups occurring regularly locally and offsite (or cloud) ensure backup software running and storage devices have no errors. Data Security Audit – Ensure group or shared data properly secured and being backed up. Network Systems Security Audit – Check router and network is properly password protected, has security and firmware updates properly configured. Server Security Audit – Check server is working, is a currently support OS and has all security patches installed. Also check security login and activity directory properly password protected. Cloud & Web Security Audit – Check website is secure and hosted on secure and updated web host with fully patched hosting software. Full and comprehensive audits over large or multiple sites, buildings, offices etc, will be quoted after our initial FREE Audit. Our audit principles are based on the guideline “Maintaining Information Governance and Security” from the “Office of Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC)” Please Email us at support@itguyswa.com and one of our principles will contact you to discuss your requirements and concerns and arrange an initial meeting. :jk:
How to fix or repair a Mac Hard Drive (HDD)
Suspect your Hard Disk is in need of Repair? 5 Tell-Tale Signs your Hard Disk Drive (HDD) is failing and needs replacing ASAP 1. Slowing Down Computer, Frequent Freezes, Spinning Wheel of Death (SWOD) These are very unspecific signs that can be caused by a million different things. However, regardless of what the issue behind these symptoms is, it is recommended that you immediately make a backup and get your Computer, PC or laptop checked by The IT Guys (WA) or another suitable professional. 2. Your PC, Computer, Mac or HDD starts to make strange grinding, clicking and thrashing noises? That could mean your drive is beyond repair. If you’re hearing strange noises then act very quickly—you probably don’t have much time. 3. Corrupted Data You start to find files that fail to open and are corrupted even though they saved without errors or if files suddenly disappear. 4. Accumulation Of Bad Sectors Bad sectors are areas of the hard drive that do not maintain data integrity. They are automatically masked by the operating system and thus hard to identify, especially if large amounts of the disk are currently in use. If you actually run into bad sectors, however, that certainly is a bad sign 5. If your HDD is older than 5 years… it is on its way out …read more If your Mac, Windows PC or Laptop is 5 years or older, the hard disk drive has a 50% chance of total or partial failure at any moment. We recommend replacing a HDD after 4 years. See …How old is my Mac? How do I test the Disk Drive (HDD or SSD) on my Mac? There is a built-in OSx Utility on every Mac that can easily test and in some cases even repair hard disk problems. Follow these steps Click on Finder > Applications and scroll down to “Utilities” and expand click on the icon to expand the selection. ..and select “Disk Utility” This utility gives details of the installed disk drives and also has a “First Aid” option that attempts to repair any “minor” disk problems. If it finds and major issues or cannot run or hangs, this indicates the HDD Needs Replacing. Selecting “First Aid” now asks permission to “Run” the program. Click on “Run” Press “Continue” the “First-Aid” Process starts. If all is well a Green tick of approval will be seen. Click the “Done” button If the utility finds any problems, it will report them and attempt to fix them. See these articles on Apple Support Site, https://support.apple.com/kb/PH25413 If your Disk Drive has major problems, you may get a report like the following If you have any problems and do not have a recent Time-Machine backup of your data , try and get a backup before taking the computer to an Apple Technical Support professional. :jk:
Upgrade issues to macOS High Sierra
We are seeing a few failed High-Sierra update issues coming through the workshop recently. Here are the common causes: Corrupt installation file (wi-fi, power or internet dropped out whilst downloading or installing. Make sure power cord is in and preferably connect to internet via an ethernet cord Corrupt installtion due to shortage of available diskspace High Sierra is a big download, Please amke sure you have plenty of available disk space before attempting the upgrade Failed HDD or SSD These tend to fail at the most inconvenient times, usually while doing an upgrade Computer is too old if your Mac is older than 2009, it’s not going to work (see full list below) Not enough memory (RAM) Your mac will need a minimum of 4GB RAM to upgrade to High Sierra. Encrypted Hard Disk To upgrade to High Sierra, your drive needs to be decrypted No matter what the issues is, The IT Guys can fix it, please bring your Mac to our workshop in Subiaco, No appointment necessary. If the installation fails, your computer goes to sleep or there is a loss of internet connection, you may corrupt the operating system and may then need to restore from the last full backup. The upgrade is also only available for the following Mac models macOS High Sierra Apple’s latest OS Upgrade available to download now (ver 10.13) :jk:
Why NBN is unsuitable for Australian Business Needs
NBN can only offer businesses an absolute maximum of 100mbps download and 40 upload…and with most businesses still using the old copper lines (FTTN) that is more likely to be 25 mbps downloads depending on your distance from the node. NBN cannot offer Business Grade Internet Speeds – but guaranteed speeds over Fibre of up to 500mbps are available in most business districts. Corporate Grade Internet delivered over fibre is available in most business districts and starting from $329 per month on a 36 month plan for 40 mbps upload and download and unlimited data. Corporate grade internet plans are available for speeds such as 40/40, 100/100, 250/250 and 500/500 With more Australian businesses adopting cloud services for Accounting (Xero, MYOB), File storage (OneDrive, Dropbox), Backups and Business critical applications, the need for high speed internet for business has never been greater. NBN cannot deliver. The National Broadband Network (NBN) has been touted as the key to making Australian businesses more competitive on the world stage. Originally the NBN was planned to be Fibre to the Premises (FTTP), meaning the network would have used fibre optic cable from the exchange all the way to the premises, which would have delivered on the Labour Governments promises. However, due to a change in government the NBN has now become Fibre to the Node (FTTN), which uses an optic fibre link from the exchange to a local ‘node’, and then uses the original copper telephone wires between the node and the premises. FTTP offered higher overall speeds, FTTN was cheaper, slower (max 100 mbps down and 40 up) but faster to deliver to homes and businesses but suffers the same problem as ADSL. Attenuation. The average 2017 download speeds as reported by Speedtest are still only 24 mbps and uploads of 8 mbps. Basically, an office sitting next to the node or the exchange will get a great speed, while businesses further away will experience this attenuation and slower speeds. See below for an indicative illustration of what attenuation looks like. The greater the distance from the node, the slower the maximum speed achievable. For businesses upload speeds are as important as download speeds, maybe even more so as large amounts of data needs to be copied or backed up to the cloud in real-time or over night to avert data corruption, viruses and Ransomware attacks. NBN offers only a maximum upload speed of 40 mbps (or more realistically 30 mbps) with as little as 2-4 mbps during evening peak periods. NBN cannot offer Business Grade Internet Speeds – but they are available. Corporate Grade Internet delivered over fibre is available in most business districts and starting from $329 per month on a 36 month plan for 40 mbps upload and download and unlimited data. Corporate grade internet plans are available for speeds such as 40/40, 100/100, 250/250 and 500/500 If considering a fibre upgrade, also consider upgrading your telephone system to SIP trunks, a hosted PABX and IP handsets. In the last few years, SIP Trunks have superseded the traditional technologies that connect businesses to the PSTN (Public Switched Telephone Network). SIP Trunks are IP-based connections allowing you to make calls from existing PBX handsets and softphones to the PSTN and other IP enabled SIP services. The key advantage that SIP Trunks provide over traditional technologies is that they utilise your data network to deliver you superior capability, while costing you less than restrictive ISDN services. Compared to traditional ISDN connections, SIP Trunks can be provisioned very quickly with additional call capacity, as your business grows. With SIP Trunks, it’s easy to quickly connect your existing ISDN or IP-based PBX for advanced features and great savings. For availability and pricing, please contact The IT Guys as detailed below :jk:
Whats Wrong with the NBN? – the 4 corners report for one?
“Whats wrong with the NBN” by the Australian ABC’s Four Corners investigative program was falsely presented as NZ v AU rivalry and political incompetence in tonight’s program and was incompetently watered down and poorly reported. What was totally missed was the lost opportunity for Australian businesses to become more competitive and develop new internet-based industries by being denied even basic internet speeds even to this day, some 4 years on. Even once connected to the NBN, max 100 mb connections are inadequate to host your own server or offer internet support services such as backup and disaster recovery. Gigabit connections are only available by renting space from a “data-centre” usually located in a foreign country such as New Zealand or Singapore …. or at a prime CBD location for 4 times the cost. Not once was the flawed politically expediant rollout of residentail customers before business customers mentioned and only once was the pivitol Telstra relationship hinted at. Did you know for instance that NBN equipment resides in telephone exchange buildings still owned and operated by Telstra and rented to NBN Co. Successive Labour and Liberal governments have failed to spur Australian economic cyber growth by denying Australian business access to NBN internet and this leaving them with no other alternative than to purchase fibre services from Telco heavyweights Telstra and Vocus at rates 500% more expensive than can be purchased through NBN co. Even in late 2017, Perth CBD and inner city business districts of West Perth and Subiaco are still awaiting the NBN rollout, 4 years after it was rolled out to rural Tasmania where there was no demand. Although 4 corners interviewed some business customers in Australia, they were all living and operating at suburban addresses amongst residential customers. Not one business person operating out of a genuine business premises was interviewed. We believe this was a deliberate and negotiated settlement between Telstra and NBN Co to allow Telstra and its rivals to milk Australian businesses for as long as possible by delaying NBN rollout to business areas and then finally deploying the slowest possible FTTN solution once available thus driving businesses to takeup fibre connections outside of NBN offerings such as 100/100 connections with Telstra and Vocus. The logical NBN rollout solution would have been to tackle the highest population areas first such as each state capital CBD and business districts with FTTB (Fibre to the basement) and FTTP (Fibre to the premise) by offering gigabit connections followed by the industrial areas before attempting residential deployments. Prioritising Residential NBN deployment has been a political deployment numbers game to justify each governments existence and has merely fuelled the rise in data consumption with the uptake of Netflix (A US company) and Stan but has provided no benefit to Australian Businesses or the Australian economy other than the major telcos and data center operators. Netflix success has been at the expense of other internet users in terms of data hogging. Once again, both major political parties have shown their support for multi-national telcos and the big end of town (political party donaters) over the SMB community who incidentally combined are the largest employers in Australia and given the toughest and most expensive deck of cars. Shame – Austraia – Shame. NBN Installation and Setup Help :jk:
macOS High Sierra Apple’s latest OS Upgrade available to download now (ver 10.13)
MacOS High Sierra You will find the latest MacOS update either in the App Store or by now it may be popping up on your screen, imploring you to upgrade. Click on the “download button” to commence downloading the 5.17 GB download file but before you do: Make sure you have a full time machine backup of your data Make sure you are plugged into power Ideally only attempt the upgrade using a wired network connection rather than wi-fi This could take several hours to download depending on your internet speed. If the installation fails, your computer goes to sleep or there is a loss of internet connection, you may corrupt the operating system and may then need to restore from the last full backup. The upgrade is also only available for the following Mac models But if you do manage to upgrade fully you can then enjoy a list of new features as detailed here on the Apple website Especially the following: If you already have “Microsoft Office 365” installed, you may need to update this software manually after the High Sierra installation. Simply open up Word, click on “Help” and then “check for updates” and follow the prompts. If not already set to “Automatic” you may be prompted to install quite a few updates which could take up to an hour depending on your internet speed. So please be patient. Enjoy the new features. If you have any installation issues that you cannot get over, please consult the High Sierra Help page :jk:
How to protect yourself from a Ransomware attack
How to protect you or your companies Computers, Laptops and Servers from a Ransomware encryption attack. The Basics It is crucial that all computers and servers have the latest Windows patches and updates installed on every Windows Computer, PC and Laptop (At the moment Apple computers not running Windows are immune from this particular attack). Your Anti Virus program must be current, up-t0-date with the latest virus definitions You must have a full offsite (cloud) backup of your data files (The IT Guys can supply for $20 per computer per month) Ideally you would also have multiple “local” backups to NAS or external HDDs that would have to be rotated periodically as any attached device during a Ransomware attack will also be encrypted. Do not click on links or graphics in emails that you are not 100% sure of. Make sure you educate other family members, work colleagues or employees about this because you are only as safe as the weakest link in your network. Enhanced Ransomware Protection for Businesses ….. more How to protect yourself from a Ransomware attack Part 2 Further reading Virus Alert – WannaCry Ransomware CRYPTOLOCKER virus still going strong. 3 more clients infected today? Opening an email from Australia Post has had 3 clients in 3 days lose ALL their data to the CRYPTOLOCKER virus :jk:
