Undo everywhere to fix those little mistakes Did you know you can undo almost any action? Ctrl + Z is the ultimate hot key, and for sure you knew about it already, however note that undo doesn’t just apply to typing. If you accidentally delete or move a file, you can hit Ctrl + Z to bring it right back to where it was (Ctrl + Y will redo whatever you undid).

(But be warned if you have held down the shift key when deleting. It will not be able to be undone.)

Updates are released from manufacturers for many reasons, from fixing small (or large) bugs in software to plugging security holes in their operation. A patched and updated system will be the best way to ensure that your system is running at it’s best and most secure level. Often these patches can happen automatically behind the scenes. But sometimes they need to be run manually. We can assist in helping you with this.

Ransomware is much like it sounds, it is malicious software that has been run on your machine that holds certain data to ransom for the purpose of extorting money from you. Basically speaking your files are encrypted so that you can no longer access them. Until that is you pay the ransom for the key. (Which you may or may not end up receiving anyway). The best ways of protecting against ransomware is to not click on unverified links or email attachments. Only download files from trusted sites, do not use untrustworthy USB’s. Also having secure regular backups means if someone accidentally does install malicious software that you will have copies of your valuable files (family pictures and videos of those first steps or that once in a lifetime holiday, or that novel you have been working on.) that you can restore without having to deal with the ransomers.

Of course! Our friendly and knowledgeable staff can come to your home at a time convenient to you please contact us to discuss or arrange a visit.

A computer virus is a software program that has been intentionally created to cause a user grief, spread to other computers, or destroy data on an individual’s computer. To help prevent a computer from becoming infected by a virus, software developers have developed anti virus programs that stay active on the computer helping to protect it. It is important to realize that many computers do not come pre-loaded with these already installed and that if computers do come with these programs, the programs may expire within 90 days.

No. Computer viruses are software code designed to spread to computer files and other computers, delete files, and cause other problems with the data on the computer. So if you’re experiencing an issue with a hardware device such as your printer, video card, sound card, etc. it is not due to a virus.

If your computer is infected with a virus formatting or erasing the hard disk drive and starting over will almost always remove any type of virus. However, keep in mind if backups have been made that contain the virus, other media or drives connected to the computer have a virus, your computer is connected to another computer on a network with a virus, and/or the virus is stored on some other type of software you use with your computer it can become re-infected if not properly protected.

Users who have an optical mechanical mouse (most common mouse for desktop computers) are likely experiencing erratic behaviour because the mouse is not clean or is dirty. If you’ve cleaned the mouse and continue to encounter issues and this mouse has worked in the past fine unfortunately your mouse is likely defective. One additional test that can be done to help determine if this is the case or not is to connect the mouse to another computer. Otherwise we suggest replacing the mouse.

First check the computer’s power cord to make sure it is completely plugged into the wall socket. If you are using a plug strip, make sure it is completely plugged into the wall socket and that the power switch on the plug strip is turned on. Some plug strips also have a built in circuit breaker which usually looks like a black or red button near the power switch. Press the button to reset it and see if that solves the problem.

There are many reasons why a computer may just stop working or “freeze”. Most of the time there isn’t much we can do about it, it is a fact of life that computer programs have become so complex that occasionally users will experience problems even when performing common tasks. When your computer no longer responds to keyboard commands your best bet is to restart the computer.

As with most computer errors, your first step is to shut down your computer and restart it. This will help you determine whether or not you actually have a hard disk problem. If the disk is severely damaged then your computer will probably fail to restart properly. If this is the case then contact us, this is a job for the professionals.