IT

So many people I know are cynical about Microsoft�s �Windows Updates� .. that is, if they even know it exists.� Valiant attempts by Microsoft to make these updates deploy automatically (to your internet-connected PC) have hit some snags � the installations don�t always work and sometimes they can even break the functionality of corporate applications.� To ease the headache for system administrators, Microsoft�instituted �Patch Tuesday� .. being the 2nd Tuesday of every month when all the newest, tested updates would be sent out.� This lets systems administrators know when they will be hit and gives them a chance to test the latest updates in a lab against their corporate software programs, before releasing�them into the bigger corporate network.

A lot has happened since my last blog entry.� Mortgage approval, in-laws 7 week stay, birth of new baby, end of rental lease, moving back in with my parents and storing a houseload of stuff at a friend�s, oh and continuing to run our small business.� So you�ll forgive me for not posting earlier�🙂

I am getting back into the swing of things with my writing committments, amongst which is the customer newsletter distributed globally through our franchise.� With Windows 7 now released, our early Oct edition was a quick glimpse into why you might bother with the new OS � well, as much as a glimpse as you can get in 500 words.

HP is recalling more than 3,000 rechargeable battery packs used in laptop computers due to a potential fire hazard.  The voluntary recall comes after the company received reports that a fault in the lithium-ion battery pack could cause it to overheat.  HP Australia estimates 3,405 potentially affected battery packs have been sold in Australia.

There have been 19 instances of overheating recorded worldwide but none in Australia.

The company is recalling battery packs sold individually or used in HP Pavilion notebook computer models:

I�m going to keep this post brief so you can just get straight to the video on YouTube and watch.

Matt Cutts from Google gives you his search engine optimization tips:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gscFgaMTm48

-SCuffy

It’s official – the Queensland state Police have investigated complaints and found the Support On Click offering is a scam (when they call and pretend to be Microsoft).  Here is the official press release, with a link to the police website:http://www.police.qld.gov.au/News+and+Alerts/Media+Releases/2009/04/New+scam+targets+computer+users.htm

The Queensland Police Service has issued a warning about a new scam targeting computer users.

The scam involves people taking a call from a person working at a foreign call centre. The victim receives a call from the offender, who claims to belong to a software support company that has been requested by Microsoft to fix problems on the victim’s computer.

It’s that time of the night (usually around 6:30pm) and the phone rings.  A lovely Indian voice from Support On Click tells you that your computer has serious problems which must be fixed by paying them a subscription fee for a remote support session.  Would you be suspicious?  What if the caller told you that they were actually from Microsoft, or that they were calling on behalf of your internet provider (even mentioning BigPond by name)?

No, not the �naughty child hiding your car keys� playing up, but an ominous �reboot loop� playing up on any inbound or outbound phone call connection.� Had I managed to get a dud?

Thanks to the google search of a friend, a hard reset was attempted (after the usual I.T. trick didnt work of removing & replacing the SIM and battery).� The procedure is posted here for a couple of reasons � to make it easy for me to find should I need it again .. to add another page on the internet with this info for anyone googling to find � and to boost my google results�🙂

I�ve been excited about the HTC Touch Pro phone since somebody showed me it on a website in about July.

http://www.htc.com/au/product.aspx?id=62326

Holding out for news of an Australian release date was marred by Telstra picking up exclusive rights to the HTC Touch Diamond � the Pro�s little brother without the keyboard.

After seeing an Oct 14 release date on an Australian retailer site, I checked with my current telco (3) and they have it listed!!� Customer Care will send me one today, to arrive on Tuesday, whilst the 3 stores dont have their stocks yet.

Thanks to the team at First Class Accounts for passing on their experience with a downloaded update from MYOB.  Could have been due to the file becoming corrupted during the download process.

After downloading and installing the new MYOB from the internet (Accounting Plus V18 or Premier V12), someone went to shut down her computer and found it would not reboot.  Looked like the MYOB download had severely damaged her Registry.  The IT guy repaired the problems, but not without 36 hours downtime on her system!!!  He said that hers was the second system that he had seen with similar problems after downloading the new MYOB!!

Am I tempting fate by saying the current volume of ‘standard’ PC problems is rather low at the moment?  By ‘standard’, I mean the usual suspects – hardware failures, viruses and Windows corruptions.

You think that would worry a computer service company – think again!  We’re loving the more interesting side of our business … talking to customers about whether a server is the right move for them or not (see www.ctaspley.com.au/news.htm), establishing system health monitoring and preventative maintenance, and adding new technology components that really have an impact in a business (spam filter for a start!).