JotForm is an established company that lets you create forms to use on websites. Your Computer Lady has used them several times. They have a new program that lets your form become a PDF immediately. So instead of getting an email with an unfamiliar looking line of fields, you receive a PDF with graphics, field titles, electronic signatures, etc. The PDF is ready for distribution to your peers or even to clients! Much more user-friendly!! Click here to check it out!
Don’t Get Scammed!
I had another client get scammed last week by the “Microsoft noticed that your computer has a virus and we want to help” message that commandeers your computer.
MICROSOFT NEVER EVER CONTACTS YOU ABOUT A VIRUS OR PROBLEM
WITH YOUR COMPUTER! NEVER.
Do not call the number given in the message! Do not let unknown persons remotely access your computer. Do not give unknown persons your credit card info.
If you are ever in doubt, call me or text me at 480-433-9995 for help.
Or take these steps to get out of the lock.
Try to close your browser completely.
If that doesn’t work, hit Ctrl+Alt+Del to open your Task Manager and force the browser to close.
If that doesn’t work, power off the computer. Hold the power button down several seconds until it forces a shut down.
Unplug your modem. Then restart the computer. If the message shows up again, try to close it again. There is no Internet connection so it can’t do any harm at this point.
Shut down the computer again. Re-plug the modem. Turn on the computer. Open your browser.
If you see the message again, call one of my hardware referrals. Let them clean up the problem.
If you don’t see the message, say a gratitude prayer!
Building Bridges Business Solutions
602-604-5000
Les Ticey
Expert IT Support
480-217-3721
James Casteneda
Password Protection
Confession is good for the soul, they say. So here goes…
Last week I tried to log onto my 2 laptops and kept getting the “Invalid password” message. I type that password twice every morning. Pre-coffee! Of course, I knew what it was. I tried rebooting. I tried CAPS ON and caps off. Finally I called my IT support who was going to come with his reset software.
I finally quieted down enough to try the password on auto-pilot as I usually do. Oh… yeah… there are 2 more digits to it.
Later in the week, my sister wiped her iPhone because she got confused about her phone password. She never turns off the phone therefore she never uses that password.
I use a password protector software but I had left my Windows password out of it. My sister uses a password storage software but it doesn’t have online access, only phone access.
Confession over. Let’s talk about how you can prevent either of these scenarios happening to you.
You ABSOLUTELY can not use the same password for multiple accounts! This is a serious problem. Please! It’s worth the effort to make your data safer. A data breach at Dropbox was just to gather passwords, not for info in files. The hackers take the passwords, try them at banks, PayPal, Google, etc. to get access to your personal data.
Option 1 – I strongly recommend this!
Use LastPass.com to record and input passwords. LastPass will fill in the user name and password for you on website logins. You can see the list from your computer, your tablet, your phone. You can access it online. You can store other info like social security numbers, spouse’s auto license plate number. I will help you set it up if you need some assistance. Basic service is free. Premium is only $24 a year. Using LastPass on your tablet or phone does make it easier to access sites from those small screens. And if the phone is locked up, you can access the password list from your computer.
Option 2
Create a series you can remember but changes with each account. Should be at least 8 characters including a capital letter and a special character.
Example: Series is 125cHaracters34$% (3rd character is always capitalized)
Then for your Google account the password is 12goOgl34$%
for Southwest Airlines the password is 12soUth34$%
for Yelp the password is 12yeLp34$%
You can remember the series. Each password is different so that if a hacker gets the Google password they can’t access Yelp.
This is IMPORTANT! Call me if you have questions or need help getting set up.
Post update on 05/03/18.
All That Tech Stuff!
Here is a cool site with lots of answers and lots of suggestions for you on all things tech – phones, online banking, Alexa, speakers, etc. The content ranges from simple “What is a platform?” to more complex “How to buy the right laptop.”
And it’s FREE!
Comparison Shopping
It’s always a good idea to comparison shop – even for computer skills training.
YCL recently offered a hands-on 2 hour training on how to make videos for $55 per person.
Lynda.com is $30 a month for unlimited high-quality video tutorials.
Training For You does 1 or 2 day classes in person at their location. Here is a screenshot for a Word class at $132 per person.
Each type of learning situation has a benefit.
Hands-on helps overcome technology fear and jump starts your learning and use of the new technology.
Lynda’s videos break huge topics – Outlook 2016 – into small segments to watch as needed.
A Training For You type class is a great way to be introduced to a new software. The Word class would give you an overview of the features and capabilities.
Protect Your Site From Ransomware
Your Computer Lady can help protect you from being hit by certain ransomware by setting up reliable backups. It is important that you don’t store your backups on your web server. If, for example, they’re stored in a ZIP archive on your server, then if your site is taken over by a ransomware, the backups will also be encrypted and will be useless. Your backups should be stored offline, either with your hosting provider or using a cloud storage service like Dropbox. YCL does exactly that! In case your site has been compromised, our clean backups will be used to first wipe out the infection and, in a second step, to restore your website.
Backups are part of the WP Maintenance plan. For only $30 per month, Your Computer Lady:
- Updates your WordPress software
- Updates your WordPress plug-ins (These are the apps that do things on your site like a Calendar, scheduling, etc.
- Daily backups on the GoDaddy server which are kept for 30 days.
- Monthly backups stored on Dropbox which are kept for 3 months.
This maintenance is soooooo important that Your Computer Lady does it AT COST to help everyone get the maintenance.
PS – This ransomware is different than the junk that hits your computer. You know, the “Microsoft wants to fix your computer” messages. If you get one of those messages, DO NOT CALL the number on your screen. Call your IT company immediately. If you don’t have a reliable IT company, call me for a referral. Trust me on this. Neither Microsoft or Dell will ever send you a message about fixing your computer. They’ll send update messages but never “fixes.”
Changes To Google Maps
Many of you use Google Maps on your website. You may receive a scary sounding email about the new Google Maps Platform and fees.
Do not panic! Google is charging for all maps services now. However, each account gets a $200 credit each month to cover the first 25,000 clicks on the map. So far none of my clients are hitting the 25,000 click level so the $200 credit will cover your fee.
If you want the details, here is the Google announcement.
Microsoft Office 365
Are You Addicted to Your Smart Phone?
Smartphone addiction is a real thing and while this article talks more about the younger generation, its not limited to them as I have seen some of my clients and friends with the same addiction. You know who you are! I encourage you to use this suggested method to break your addiction!
I completely believe we check email too often and put pressure on ourselves to respond instantly. What moments are we missing by putting this pressure on ourselves?
An excellent book on better email processes is “The Hamster Revolution” by Mike Song. Good, practical processes to spend less time on email and more time on the important things.
New Technology
This past weekend my sister (who has 2 millennials for her technical support team) showed me how to set up and use my Echo Dot which has been sitting front and center on my kitchen counter for 4 months. I thought it had to connect to my cell phone which it couldn’t do because my cell phone is such an obsolete antique. (It’s an entire 2.5 years old!!)
This morning I received an email from my friend/client, Barbara Kaplan of Barbara’s Picks, with a SNL video about the Echo. Here’s your daily laugh!
New technology confuses all of us! This is not knowledge we are born with. It doesn’t seep into our brains as we sleep. So don’t let it get the best of you. Don’t feel like you’re the only one who struggles with new technology. Keep learning! Take a class! Watch a YouTube video. And most importantly, keep laughing!