The Risks of An Old Battery

June 3, 2019 by doctordave

A few weeks ago, a client came in with a computer needing a new battery. She apparently for quite some time knew it wouldn’t hold a charge, but just lived with it since it was always plugged in. It wasn’t until the keyboard stopped working; she contacted us.

Looking inside, we found this monstrosity. I included in the picture a standard AAA battery so you could see a comparison.

No wonder the keyboard and mouse had troubles, the battery had expanded to almost double its size. It should have been entirely flat on the top. This was a Dell Latitude PC. Battery expansion could happen to any computer. That same day we also saw an Apple MacBook Pro with the same symptoms: low battery and problems with mouse and trackpad. You can see how that expanded as well.

Around that same time, a MacBook Pro had his laptop spontaneously burst into flames. According to the user , he hadn’t modified his computer and it was the original battery.

All batteries fail; it’s a scientific fact. You see it in your flashlight, your car, and even your phone. Laptops are no different. On average the batteries last about three years before needing to be replaced. All sorts of symptoms are related to a failing battery.

If your laptop’s battery isn’t holding much of a charge, it’s important we get that replaced before it starts expanding or worse.

Free Loaner Computers for Tornado Victims

May 31, 2019 by doctordave

With the recent tornados and storms out here in Lawrence as well as Kansas City, many victims have suffered severe damage to their homes. While I may not be handy with a hammer and nails, I am handy with a screwdriver and anti-static wrist strap.

I wasn’t sure how I could help until today. I got a call from someone who had been displaced from their home and needed a computer. They wanted to know if we sold used ones. The bad news is we don’t sell new or used computers. We strictly focus on computer repair. That keeps us unbiased and focuses us on just computer repair.

However, we do have a computer recycling program. We refurbish computers when we can and work with Connecting For Good to help in their mission. We’ve also donated them to local non-profit organizations and their clients. Some of these computers we reserve as loaners for clients in our DoctorDave wellness program. I was delighted to offer one of these loaners to a very appreciative person who gave me the idea of opening this up to everyone.

If you’ve been displaced because of the storm, please let us know if you need a loaner computer. We have mostly desktop computers but do have a few laptops. They are usually five years old or more, but they work for email and getting online. They’re also great for entertaining the kids. All we ask you do is return it to us when done, so we can direct them back to Connecting for Good. Of course, there is no charge for these loaner computers.

It’s a small thing we can do to help families in this time of need. If you need a computer, please contact our office at 785-841-8766 or 816-301-4335.

After the Storm – Protecting Your Computer

May 29, 2019 by doctordave

As anyone in Lawrence, Topeka, or Kansas City knows, we had one heck of a storm last night. I spent a good part of the evening in the basement. That wasn’t fun. I’m sure you didn’t have fun either.

This bad weather is an excellent time to talk though about the importance of offsite backup, while it’s fresh in everyone’s mind. I did the same reminder a few years ago after the severe weather in Houston. Local backups to an external hard drive in your home or business is an excellent secondary method of backup. However, backing up to an online service is your best backup, because if something happens to your home or office an on-site backup is lost. Over the years, I found often it wasn’t a direct hit by a tornado that caused damage, but water. Rain might have leaked in. For example, one client had a tree fall into her office. It was the rain that ruined everything. If your computer does get wet, please follow our instructions for “I just spilled something on my laptop.”

A common question we get asked is about protection against surges and lightning. A majority of people aren’t protected. I wrote about this a few years ago, and my opinion remains pretty much the same. I’d advise though now getting uninterruptible power supply (UPS) with USB ports. I have one of these in my home and what I like is it not only protects against surges but also provides battery backup for my internet and phone. It was $50 and a worthwhile investment.

During an electrical storm, we recommend unplugging the computer power from the wall. We also recommend unplugging Ethernet cords from both the back of your cable modem as well as your computer. Surges can travel through those lines even if the computer is off and unplugged.

Finally, if you have valuable electronics you rely on for a home-based (including remote employees) or small business, please consider getting your devices scheduled on your insurance. That can often cover both damages to the computer as well as data recovery should these things come up.

If you have any questions about protecting your computer against surges or data loss, please email us. We always consult on things like this at no charge and for the next week, we’re waiving any labor fees to install an offsite backup, which is about $60 year. Call/text 785-841-8766 or email dave@calldrdave.com

Wait on a Computer! Buying Assistance For College Families

May 26, 2019 by doctordave

Congratulations to all the grads of the local high schools! Whether it’s Lawrence High or Free State, Shawnee Mission or Blue Valley, you’ve all worked hard for this important day!

For those going off to college, your family’s first instinct may be to buy you a new computer as a graduation gift. Don’t let them. Well, at least wait until we talk with them first.

We’ve been doing computer repair Lawrence, Kansas since 1990. We get lots of students asking us for help. Lawrence is the home of the University of Kansas and Haskell Indian Nations University. Not too far away is Baker University over in Baldwin. Since we also serve Topeka and Kansas City, we also see students needing computer help from Washburn and UMKC.

The biggest mistake I see people make in buying a computer is to purchase something during the summer. Computers depreciate and become obsolete quickly, so buying one in May or June for college in August or September means it’s already three months old by the time you get to college. Since the average computer lasts only about three years, it’s already aging by the fall. The warranty on most laptops is just a year, so that’s depreciating as well.

A poor decision I often see is when people buy a new computer now and decide to keep it in the box until college. It’s a good idea to keep it together so everything is in one place and well protected, but about 10% of the time a new PC might be bad out of the box. If it’s within the first 30 days, you can usually return it to the store, but after then you have to ship it back and sometimes wait weeks for a repair.

To help you with all the nuances of buying a computer for college, Dave is holding some free drop-in consulting sessions both in Lawrence and the Kansas City area. During those sessions, he can help you buy the right computer for college as well as discuss accessories. Families often pay too much and get the wrong stuff. For example, it’s better to get accident protection from your homeowner’s policy rather than the one they sell in the store, but there are exceptions.

Most importantly, you’ll learn the best place to buy a new computer. Hint: it’s often your college bookstore.

In Lawrence, he’ll be hosting as his office at 4105 West Sixth Street on Tuesday, June 4th from 4 pm to 6 pm.

In Kansas City, he’ll be at eCafe Coworking Center/Scooters coffee shop for his monthly Wellness Wednesday. They’re located at 10650 Roe Ave, Overland Park, KS. He’ll be there from 3:30 pm to 5:30 pm

These sessions are free, and no reservation is necessary, but it would be handy to let us know you’ll be there. Check Dave’s facebook page for the Kansas City Event and Lawrence Event. Please mark yourself as interested or going. That’s all the RSVP we’re asking for. He might even have a few gifts for you if you stop by.

Loyalty Cards, Frequent Flyer Programs : Hacker’s Treasure

May 19, 2019 by doctordave

Recently the New York Times ran a story about the risks of loyalty programs. Loyalty programs include everything from the virtual punch card at the coffee shop to larger programs like those offered by hotels and airlines. We tend to hear about the problems with travel-related loyalty programs like the Marriott/Starwood breach and Delta Airlines.

What’s the Risk?

Your first thought when you hear about these breaches is what about your credit card and personal information like phone number and address? While that stuff is important, you can always change your credit card numbers. Most of the time, you aren’t liable for unauthorized purchases from bank accounts or credit cards.

The risk of these loyalty program breaches isn’t just the points, after all, you worked hard to accumulate that free coffee or a free trip around the world. It’s also about the details these programs can reveal to create more sophisticated hacks.

As an example right here in Lawrence, KS, when we sign up clients for internet service through AT&T, some of the security questions they get asked are:

What is your favorite restaurant?
Where is your favorite place to go on vacation?
What is the name of your youngest sibling?

These are the same type of questions Apple and dozens of other companies ask. I was asked the same time of questions when signing up for phone service with T-Mobile. Even if these questions aren’t used directly by hackers, they can be used for targets attacks called spear phishing. For example, if hackers see that I have a reservation at a hotel, they might call me and say there’s a problem with the card and I need to provide a different credit card.

I’ll admit until I read this article I had “soft” passwords for some of these programs. I figure Starbucks doesn’t have my credit card, and who would steal a coffee from me? Cybercrime is cybercrime so they might steal that. Then I realized my credit card is on file with them and someone could order themselves a gift card. Ouch. I’m secure with my Apple iTunes account because it’s a big target for hackers and Apple protects it with things like two-factor authentication. My Starbucks account is wide open!

What can you do to protect yourself?

First, create unique passwords for absolutely everything. If it contains personal data, it needs to be protected. Use a password manager or ask us about the password books we sell (or give away if you ask us nicely and mention this post!)

Second, consider enabling two-factor authentication everywhere you can. That’s the system where they text you or call you to verify who you are. If you aren’t sure how to do that, please ask us!

Finally, read your statements and emails. Sure, you get tons of those, but the only way you can catch a breach is to be vigilant. Take for example those Starbucks emails. Those always go into my junk email because I don’t go there that often. I always shop local for coffee, but sometimes Starbucks is all they have, especially at airports. After reading this article, I’m now working to unsubscribe from promotional emails from loyalty programs, but make sure emails about account balance and activities don’t go into spam. Again, if you need help setting this up for yourself, we do email management all the time for clients.

Although it doesn’t make the nightly news, your free pizza, coffee, and airline trips are the latest thing hackers are attacking. They’re not just stealing your points, but stealing information they can use for more sophisticated attacks.

Yes, We Still Recommend Backblaze

February 17, 2019 by doctordave

Backblaze has been our preferred automatic safety backup product for years. Recently they contacted existing customers to let them know the rates would be increasing. Compared to their competitors who increased rates while decreasing services, or simply went out of business, Backblaze’s price increase is modest. They’ve had the same pricing for 11 years, so that hardly keeps up with inflation.

For $60 a year, or $110 for two years they backup everything on your computer. When something goes wrong, you can either download your data or they’ll overnight you a hard drive with all your stuff on it for FREE. Can’t beat that.

Not only have I used Backblaze for a decade, but I’ve also seen with my clients how well it’s worked. In particular, we had two clients who had fires at their homes. In both cases we were able to get the client up and running within 48 hours thanks to the overnight service. In another example, we were able to trace down a stolen laptop due to the tracing service Backblaze includes in the subscription.

If you haven’t signed up yet for Backblaze, do it by March 11th before the price increase. You’ll save $10 on the yearly plan and $15 on the two-year plan (what we recommend).

If you’re already a customer, you can extend your subscription for up to one year at the current rate. It’s a bit confusing, but they explain how to do it here. You agree to buy now and add onto your subscription’s expiration date. They make it sound complicated, but it’s not. Once you click on the Extensions Page, you buy the extension. I did it and got this message.

It only gets complex if you have more than one subscription on your account. Most of our clients don’t, so it’s as easy as clicking a link and then Purchase Extension.

Of course, if you have any trouble at all, please let us know. We’d be happy to help with this extension process at no charge because we believe in backups.

While you’re in your account, I suggest you test your backups. Try a few items from your computer and do a sample restore. That way in an emergency you know how to do it. If you don’t feel comfortable doing that, please let us know. We’re running a Backup Checkup special until the end of March. We’ll test your backups and make sure they work for just $40. That’s only half our normal hourly rate. We can do that remotely so you don’t need to leave your home, or at our office, or on-site (travel rates apply). If you need anything else done during the service call ,it’s at our normal hourly rate. We recommend yearly computer checkups to predict and prevent future problems, so if it’s been a year since we’ve seen you let us know so we can schedule a full checkup.

Remember, to go forward, you must backup.

Photo by Duy Hoang on Unsplash

We Can Help With Voice-Over-IP (VoIP) Phone Systems

February 17, 2019 by doctordave

A few months ago, we switched many of our phone systems over to FreedomVoice. We’re now a partner of FreedomVoice and can get you set up.

What I like about FreedomVoice is it gives you advance call features like auto-attendants and phone trees for a small monthly fee. It can do faxing and even a “follow-me” function so when you aren’t at your desk, your mobile phone rings.

Our toll-free and emergency numbers are fully managed “in the cloud” for a low monthly fee. The feature I like best is when someone has an emergency the system can send out emails, text messages and push notifications so I’ll never miss that call. Seriously, when we get an emergency line call come in, red lights flash in my home.

If you’ve got a small office or a home office, let’s talk about your phone systems. I can get you set up with a rep from FreedomVoice to see if it would save you money. Heck, they even offer an Amazon gift card just to see if FreedomVoice is a fit.

You’ve got nothing to lose to check it out, unless of course, you like people having trouble reaching you! If you rely on your phone systems to interact with clients, lets talk!

Windows 7 Computers Are Set to Expire

January 13, 2019 by doctordave

Everything comes with an expiration date, even bottled water! If you are running a computer with Windows 7, your computer will have severe problems on January 14th, 2020. On that date, Microsoft will stop supporting Windows 7.

What Does That Mean?

Microsoft did this with Windows XP back in 2009 and Vista in 2017. After they discontinue support, they won’t fix any bugs in the operating system. That puts your security and identity at risk. It also means that systems using it aren’t compliant with various security standards like FINRA for financial advisors, HIPAA for medical professionals and PCI for those people who take credit cards.

Security updates are essential to protect everyone. When someone at Equifax failed to do a security update, they put everyone at risk. Banks won’t allow you to connect to their sites without a newer operating system. Airlines might not allow you to schedule flights. For your protection, we won’t support systems running Windows 7 after that date. We can’t knowingly put clients in harm’s way on the internet.

What Can You Do?

Remember when Microsoft put Windows 10 on people’s computer for free, sometimes without consent? Unfortunately, they aren’t offering that. There are ways around that “free” offer, but it requires erasing your computer and reinstalling everything.

You can buy a copy of Windows 10 and install it on your computer, but that will cost around $100 or so.

But I Heard Windows 10 Was Bad or I Want to Stay with Windows 7

When Windows 10 came out, just like Vista or Windows 8, it was horrible. Anytime a new operating system comes out there is an adjustment period. We saw ever since Windows 3.1. Windows Vista and Windows 8 were particularly troublesome. Windows 10 was unique because systems that were “forced” into an upgrade were not always ready for it.

Now, Windows 10 is reliable and stable on new computers. We see minimal problems in comparison to problems we saw with older operating systems. It is often “self-healing” and solves its own problems.

If you want to stay with Windows 7, you can, but we’d suggest staying off the internet at all costs. The internet just isn’t safe unprotected. If you’ve got a specialty program that only runs on Windows 7, that’s fine as long as it doesn’t use the internet. We recommend after January 14th, 2020 to turn off the wifi and unplug the internet from these computers.

Another alternative is to create a “virtual machine” for these programs. We can install Windows 7 inside a Mac or PC and have that virtual machine run just your special program and disable only Windows 7 from the internet. We’re currently doing that for some clients running Windows XP or Windows Vista

Our Recommendation: Replace The Computer

Any computer currently running Windows 7 is probably around six years old since Windows 8 was introduced in 2012. We tend to see problems with computers after about three years since that is the average life of a hard drive. With a laptop, there are the added problems with power chargers, batteries and keyboard. Most Windows 7 systems thus are likely to fail soon. If you spend money upgrading the operating system, you’ll be more likely than not find the computer inoperable relatively sooner.

Since we don’t sell computers, only repair them, we’re primarily talking ourselves out of work. We’d rather tell you the right thing to do, even if it impacts our bottom line. Of course, if you need your pictures, documents (stuff in Word, Excel), emails and music copied to a new computer we can help with that.

You don’t have to run out and buy one today; you have a year after all. However, I’d suggest budgeting for one in 2019, so you aren’t surprised.

“Danbo (heart) Windows 7” by mendhak is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0

Secret Santa Service, Last Minute Holiday Gifts

December 18, 2018 by doctordave

Every year here at DcotorDave Computer Repair in Lawrence and Kansas City we offer our exclusive “Santa” service.

Technology gifts for the holidays are great, but the problem is they need to be set up. They’re more complex than the standard disclaimers of “some assembly required” and “batteries not included.” Take for example the average services we provide for a new computer setup:

Unbox the computer
Add the computer to the wifi network (do you have the password?)
Follow approximately 10-15 prompts agreeing to terms of service, license agreements, and privacy policies.
Start dozens of safety and security updates
Disable trial software and “junk” that comes on the average computer
Find passwords and set up email on a new system
Transfer stuff from the old system like pictures, music, and documents
Install programs like Microsoft Word and Excel as part of Microsoft Office
Configure antivirus and malware
Create a backup system to protect data

On average that’s about 90 minutes for us because we do it every day, sometimes even three times a day. Most clients tell us it takes them several hours to do this work and often they don’t have the skills or tools to finish.

In other words, it makes for a complicated and exhausting Christmas morning. Clients think our busy time is Christmas Day (yes we’re open) or the day after Christmas.

In reality, we usually start hearing from clients after the tree comes down. That’s because the new computer, printer, tablet or smart speaker (think Alexa and Google Home/Mini) sit in the box until someone decides to call us.

To prevent that problem we offer what I call the “Santa Service.” We can make an appointment at our office or your home (including evenings or weekends) and set all the stuff up in advance. Then you just put it back in the box and wrap it up.

When the recipient opens the box, it’s READY TO GO. Everything is set up. They just press the button, and away it goes. I’d admit it isn’t as popular as I think it should be, but clients who take us up on the offer rave about how happy they are.

It takes all the stress out of receiving a gift. Yes, sometimes getting a gift can be stressful. We’ve got this gift setup down to a science. After all, we’ve been in business 15 years.

Black Friday/Cyber Monday Special: Pre-Payment Discount and Free Gift

November 22, 2018 by doctordave

Since we’re not a retail shop, it’s harder for us to participate in the fun of Black Friday, Small Business Saturday and Cyber Monday.

It might be harder, but we’re still doing it. Here’s’ some deals we have for you.

Pre-Payment Discount

Our normal rate is $90 an hour, but we’re selling blocks of time at a discount. You can buy two hours of service for $160. That’s a savings of $20, but for this weekend we’re selling them at $150 for an extra $10 off. You can use these in as little as 15-minute increments if you’d like remote support. They can be used for any of our services like

Wellness checkups (recommended every year)
New computer setups
Virus and malware removal
Upgrades, installs, and configuration of things like printers, wireless routers, scanners as well as software

If you purchase it anytime this weekend we’ll include a password book to track your passwords. Proper password management prevents you from getting taken in by scams and hacks. Go here to take advantage of the offer. After midnight on Monday they go back up to $160, which is still a good deal.

Free Checkup When you Join Our Monthly Wellness Program

Normally we charge $80 to join our Wellness program which includes your first checkup. If you sign up this weekend we’ll come out and do your first checkup for free. You must sign up and pay your first month’s fee of $25 to take advantage of this deal.

Some key benefits of our monthly wellness program are:

Wellness security and problem prevention checkups twice a year
Discounts on labor and anti-virus software
Free assistance through email or our DoctorDave™ iPhone app
Free installs of hardware, software and new computers
Free virus detection scans
Free checks for updates to hardware and software
Free Assistance with problems caused by scammers
Free Membership Appreciation Clinics and Parties
Free consulting on new hardware and software purchases
Free monthly tips and tricks newsletter
Free recycling of old computer equipment, including securely erasing or destroying data

To take advantage of this deal, you’ll first need to go here.

Malwarebytes Antivirus Protection for Macs or PCs (50%)

We’re offering this only to existing clients. Normally this product retails for $40, but we give a discount of $5.00. For Black Friday, we’ll discount it another $10.00. You’ll get one year of protection for just $25. To take advantage of this deal you’ll need to already be an existing client and email. Call us at 785-841-8766 to take advantage of this deal. No online sales.

Stocking Stuffer: Password Management Book $5.00

Normally we sell these for $7.50 (or get them free if you purchase a pre-payment block of service). They’re great

Whether it’s Black Friday, Small Business Saturday or Cyber Monday, help support local business and protect your computer!