Unless you were living under a rock last night, you noticed the wind, rain and, for some of us, the power outages & brownouts. If you were under a rock, in a hill or were in a valley, I hope you missed all the “fun”…

Unfortunately, not everything survived the ordeal. We’ve fixed 2 dead computers this morning (as of 8:30AM) due to power surges when the electricity kicked back on after a quick brownout.

We always recommend surge protectors UPS’ for servers and important machines, and this is why. Fortunately, the fixes for these machines are VERY quick and we managed to get our customers running again with no major damage other than bad power supplies.

Please note: Power Strips are not surge protectors. They typically maintain a very small fuse that doesn’t help in these situations.

Computers that are left plugged in during storms can have various problems without a surge protector or UPS. If you have any questions, please let us know.
Justin

Shopping local these days is a mantra many are repeating over and over. While Protocol16 competes with larger named companies, one of which mere blocks away from the home office (and it’s got a lot of horrid reviews…), there are several national companies that are franchised locally. You may not know it, but several of the other computer repair companies are franchised national companies (read: behind the scenes, there are Corporate bean counters, full marketing departments supporting a few people, etc).

Unfortunately, this mess is about to get just a little larger. It seems that Wal-Mart has decided to dive into the computer repair market to compete with the Geek Squad and other local businesses like Protocol16.

While there a few Wal-Mart’s in Oregon, there are several other competitors that I consistently hear complaints about. With Wal-Mart jumping into the fray, it shows a trend that I have been noticing as well – people are much more thrifty now. Many of my customers are opting to fix older computers rather than buy a new one – and I have no problem with that. Spending a little less money to limp a computer along another year is worth it for a lot of people in Portland, especially those still job hunting.

My main problem with the national competitors is that I’m seeing a huge trend of misinformation or a lot of installs lacking quality. While I don’t want to be specific on the things I’m seeing or who did it, there is a huge difference in quality depending on who works on your computer. It seems that the quality is directly related to two things:

1. Quality of employees. This is actually directly related to the amount of pay someone is getting. Myself, as well as other business owners, have noticed that the quality of applicants takes a nose dive at a specific dollar amount. Any company operating under that dollar amount is opening themselves up to a huge amount of applicants that are under-qualified to work on computers. Oddly, many of the companies operating under that dollar amount charge MORE than Protocol16 does.
2. The size of the company. The amount of employees causes a few problems. The environment is not cohesive to new and brilliant ideas – they get lost in the general chatter of the company. The other issue is that the more employees you have, the more likely you are to get someone that has no clue what happened last time you called or brought in your computer. So, that weird issue you get randomly when you open Office, you have to repeat the whole story to the next guy you talk to. If that next guy wants to get more money in commission off of selling you a computer, he just might ignore what you’re saying and tell you that the flux capacitor at checkpoint charlie is broken (note: neither of those exist in computers) and you need a new computer…

While we’d love for you to become a customer and use Protocol16 as your desktop or computer repair company, do your research and decide if one company in Portland or Beaverton or Hillsboro is the right company for you. I’ve been shopping local more and more, sometimes it’s more expensive, but in the end, it’s our community that I’m helping, not one a thousand miles away.
Justin

This is something that Protocol16 sees a lot around the Portland Metro and we have a very specific answer:

“No”

The reasons:

• The free versions of most software packages, including AVG, are for home use only. The licensing requirements for most software packages require a license to be purchased for commercial use. While this doesn’t seem like that big of a deal, there are stipulations to most software, including Windows, that you need to know about: Microsoft and other software manufacturers reserve the right, in their licenses, to come into YOUR business and audit your software licenses. If Microsoft or another company audits your software and finds problems, they will alert other manufacturers of those problems, causing a legal nightmare for you and your business. If you’re currently in a situation that could cost you money from the above situation, click here for a news story about how bad it can get… Not to continue pounding on this horrifying situation, but the Business Software Alliance makes it easy for current and past employees to report licensing fraud, to the tune of a $1 Million reward (and as of this writing, AVG is a “Spotlight” member)… If you’ve paid attention to past stories, you know a little bit about Page Rank (popularity, according to Google on a 0-10 sliding ranking system – 10 being the most popular) – BSA has a Page Rank of 7, higher than the Yahoo homepage at 5.
• AVG, while popular, is not as thorough as it should be. With the latest tests from AV-Comparatives, AVG didn’t place well. This may sound odd, but despite all the “good” reviews of AVG, it doesn’t work as well as it should – Free is Free, and you typically get what you pay for. While there are other free antivirus programs out there, they are not for commercial use.

What Antivirus Program Should I Use?
Protocol16 works closely with many companies to test software and hardware. We’ve worked with Symantec (aka: Norton), McAfee, and others. The best Antivirus solutions we’ve found are:

Home Use: (Free)

Avira Antivirus – MANY computer repair shops use Avira to help correct virus issues. While a lot of us use the the registered version, as well as other software, Avira is one of the best antivirus packages.

Business Use: (Commercial)

G Data: Considered the best antivirus package in the AV-Comparatives review showcase. It had low false positives, let very few actual infections past it and shined on all the tests earning it a 3 out of 3 review.

VIPRE: This is a new-comer to the market. They’ve hit advertising hard and fast with full page ads in all the Microsoft publications and more. While they have not been tested on AV-Comparatives, for now Protocol16 will recommend using it. We’ve had it installed on our internal network for testing and it has not slowed down anything or caused any tpe of crazy problems. We’ll revisit our review once AV-Comparatives reviews them as well.

The reason we listed three different software packages is because every situation is unique, requirements are different and we’re not going to tell you what you should install.

Lastly, the licensing situation above can be nasty, any good PC Repair company can help assist with licensing issues and assist in self-auditing your computers and networks to ensure that crazy things don’t happen. Coming from a large-network environment, I’ve been through several audits and as such, Protoco1l6 is more than capable in assisting in setting up an internal program to help you protect yourself.

If you have any questions, please feel free to ask them below or give Protocol16 a call.
Justin

While roaming the internet, I found that there are a lot of sites listing the ins and outs of nearly everything, but I couldn’t find anything locally that reviewed software specifically from the business aspect. So I thought to myself “Would I suggest a business use something like a free anti-virus program like XXXXX?” The answer was “no”, but how would your typical business owner know about that? Why would they go out looking over the internet at 6,000 sites when they can just look at a local computer repair company to get some basic answers and perhaps talk to more to see about their specific situation?

Well, now you can look to a local computer repair company for those answers. So, Protocol16 now offers a Software Review Category as well as a Hardware Review Category.

With the Software Review category, I’ll start with a review a popular “free” antivirus program and explain why your business should shy away from it. I’ll also go on to suggest a product Protocol16 has been testing recently and am very happy with.

For the Hardware Review category, I’ll discuss the pricing difference between building a custom server or buying a named-brand server. I’m actually in this exact situation right now with a client. Believe it or not, the difference between a name-brand vs a custom built server can be a huge amount of money – but there are downfalls as well.

The Review categories will probably be a once-a-month post, but depending on time, I may post more. If you’re a business, or consumer and you would like something specific reviewed, please let me know and Protocol16 will do it’s best to review it.
Justin

PS: First post is tomorrow, and I’ll discuss that free antivirus software…

One of the questions people usually ask me, especially when they find out I can put on 500 or more miles a week (on our REALLY busy week), is what types of things I see throughout the day.

Well, for non-computer stuff, I see a heck of a lot of traffic violations. There is a reason I hesitate when lights turn green – I check both ways before crossing. I also see traffic accidents. I’ve seen rolled over cars, cars scrunched like an accordion on both ends, cars in ditches and I missed the big motorcycle pileup on I5 by about 3 minutes (it happened behind me by about a mile or so). It’s gotten to the point where I now carry a camera and two first aid kits. I’ve also considered some safety/emergency lighting for the Protocol16 truck.

The absolute worst area I’ve seen is the on-ramp at the Westbound Highway 26 tunnel (aka: Vista Ridge Tunnels) in Portland. That specific spot is particularly nasty, especially when it rains. My advice – stay in the left hand lane around that spot and don’t rubberneck when their is an accident as I’ve seen several accidents further up the road from people not paying attention or trying to watch behind them as they drive away.

For computer and repair related things, there’s all kinds of things that I see, and contrary to what people think of my industry – Protocol16 don’t make fun of customers. That being said, we’ve seen all kinds of nasty things inside cases that cause heat problems for customers.

Note: If you have any pets, you can have problems. As much as I love my girls (I have 2 dogs at home), they can cause all kinds of issues with my computers if I don’t watch out. If you feel comfortable enough, a helpful hint is to open your computer case when it’s off and use some of the canned air you can buy from Protocol16 or other stores (We’re cheaper…) Just as long as you don’t turn the canned air upside down, you’ll be fine. If you’re not comfortable doing this, Protocol16 can do it during any normal visit.

We’ve seen all sorts of things jammed into CD and DVD drives as well. Good people of Portland, please inform your children that Legos are not supposed to go into the CD/DVD drives… As much as I loved to play with Legos as a child, computers just don’t like them as much.

Lastly, if you smoke, it effects your computer as well. The tar from the smoke gets sucked into the computer case by the fans. That tar ends up sticking to the internal components of your computer and can cause all sorts of issues. Through the year, all that adds up. I’ve even had a personal friend that quit smoking after seeing the goo inside his computer – it literally scared him to think that could be inside him as well. One good thing here is, I don’t see this as much anymore…

Yes, there are crazy and wacky things that happen while we’re on calls, but those stories are ours. We really do not make fun of customers and we try to turn every call into an educational experience for the customer. I haven’t laughed at a customer yet.
Justin

I’m pretty excited about this. While most business owners would probably say “What’s PageRank”? and wonder if I’ve lost a marble or three, it’s actually something that’s required for a decent website. It also helps a businesses Google search results and a few other things.

Google ranks each website it finds based on a 0-10 number, called PageRank. 0 means that your website is “un-important” and hardly visited. 10 means it’s one of the most popular sites on the internet (Twitter is a 9, Google.com is a 10). In two months, Protocol16 has gained a rank of 2, and the blog is now at 3…

Not bad for less than 2 months of the new website being up… It also shows that we’re staying busy!
Justin

Spyware and Viruses in the workplace are, unfortunately, common. We’ve had many calls to locations throughout the Portland Metro for removal of all kinds of nasties. It’s not fun, especially when we tell business owners that we must remove a machine for further work back at our office. In the worst cases, we must inform owners that we’ll need to get with them to backup data so we can re-load Windows. Those phone calls or in-person talks are never fun, trust us.

So, with all that said, here’s how you can protect yourself, and your business.

1. Spyware & Antivirus Software: Always have this type of software installed and running on your computers – always. We’re still testing solutions to see which software types we want to officially recommend. We’re testing one right now that we think is “the one”. We should know within the next week or so.
2. Browsing Policies: While I would love nothing better than to let my own employees go anywhere they want on the internet, they can’t. Having a policy of openly letting your employees surf as much as they want is a prime way to open yourself up to the horrors of a Spyware or Virus infestation. Depending on the type of router you have in the office, you may be able to use a service that allows DNS filtering. We know we just said a handful there, but there are services that will filter the websites you go to and allow/disallow the content to be passed through. There are also commercial options, like Untangle, that can help your situation. These types of software sit and monitor your connections and block certain types of sites based on rules you’ve setup.
3. Security Policies: All businesses, in my professional opinion, should use a tiered login system. This means that you have Admins and Standard Users. I even recommend this for home users and I personally “eat my own dog food” with this – ALL my computers, including my mac, are setup with an Admin login and a Standard User login for use. Between careful browsing habbits and the security I have in place, I have NEVER gotten infected with a Virus or anything else like Spyware…never. Some friends have called me paranoid, but when I have to fix their computers, they ask for the same level of security… Some may say “that’s impossible”, but it’s not – the right mindset and security policies really do help!
4. More Security: While this goes beyond most small businesses, did you know there are ways to make Windows so locked down that a 10 year old couldn’t mess it up? The way to do this is through an option called “Group Policies”. I can set your computer up to require you to hit Control-Alt-Delete to log in, or to only allow your employees to be able to write to certain areas of the hard drive… Again, sometimes this is considered overkill for small businesses, but it’s an option.
5. Software & Windows Updates: The last peice of the “easy” puzzle is to always keep your software up to date. Windows needs regular updates, don’t turn this feature off. Microsoft Office needs regular updates as well, and up until very recently with Vista and Windows 7, those updates required a seperate way to update Office instead of being able to use Windows Updates… Antivirus and Anti-Spyware applications require updates as well. Spending a little bit of time updating your software, or insuring that all the auto-updates installed properly, can save you countless hours with a technician.

Some people in the computer repair world would call me crazy for GIVING AWAY advice like this, but I think it’s best to educate my users instead of taking money from them over and over again. Why should I take your money when I can help educate you and make the experience easier for everyone?

As always, if you run a business and need an on call or on site repair company, we’re here for you and understand your needs. If you’re a residential customer, we’re here for you as well and know you have different needs (like setting up time limits for your kids to use the computer – we can teach you that in minutes with Vista and Windows 7). Feel free to give us a call for your computer repair needs!
Justin

I was asked by a client yesterday if their aging Dell GX270 running XP would support Windows 7 or should they just buy new computers for their small office… I figured I’d share the answer with the good people of Portland, since I know a lot of businesses out there still run this older type of hardware.

After some quick research, I found that one simple change can be made and Windows 7 should be able to work with a GX270. Again, Windows 7 is considered the first OS in history to actually downgrade the computer requirements from the prior version. Think about this: Windows 7 is made to run on a lot of the tiny Netbooks you see flying around Portland.

So, Windows 7 will work with most computers, but if you don’t know – feel free to ask and we’ll research it for you. If you have any computer repair questions and you’re in Beaverton, Portland or anywhere in the Metro areas, just let us know (we’re always on call) and we’ll be on site as quick as we can. We’re only a phone call away!
Justin

Well, yesterday, we started off slow. Ok, very slow. We figured things weren’t that bad in Portland and caught up on work. We were soo wrong…

Yesterday, around 1PM, we realized that I had forgotten to unforward the office phone to my mobile phone. We do this on evenings and weekends so that we can offer 24/7 service to our clients. I had left my phone on a very soft ring tone and no one heard it until someone heard a VERY faint ringing… That turned into a moment that I never want to repeat, nor will I repeat the words that came out of my mouth when I realized what happened.

We managed to return all the calls but two from local businesses that had phone systems, so we didn’t know who called. If you were one of those businesses, I’m extremely sorry and disappointed in myself.

Everyone makes mistakes. As long as you learn from them, it’s usually ok.
Justin

There has been a rash of sites across the internet that have been hacked by various bots and “evil” type people that have taken over websites all over the place. This weekend, I was on a major blogging directory looking at the Top 100 sites and decided to visit one. I was instantly met with a “You’re infected” message that quickly turned my Mac browser into Windows, with Windows Prompts and all the goodies – including hard drives that I didn’t even have…

With all that, I figured there are a lot of people out there that don’t know what to watch out for, so I took screen shots while it proceeded to “scan” my computer for viruses and spyware. Note: If you haven’t gotten the humor or hints, the following describes exactly what some people see when they get infected with fake antivirus software.

So, without further delay, I present a Protocol16 first: a Video about Spyware and Virus infection on a Windows 7 computer. See it here. I go through exactly what happens with a general user when they are prompted to download and install a specific type of fake antivirus package.