January 2012: Protect Your Computer, Free Password Program, SSD Hard Drives

Issue 6

January 2012

Wilson Computer Support

Business Computer Support and Repair

Residential Computer Support and Repair

Website Design

2481B Valleydale Road
Birmingham, AL 35244

Mon-Fri 7am - 7pm

Sat 8am - 12pm

Call Us Today!
205.985.9942

help@wilsoncomputer.com

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Keeping Your Computer Secure

We always try keep our eyes open for additional ways to help our clients keep their systems safe and running properly. We have noticed more computer infections over recent months. The infections were even happening on systems that were up to date with Windows Updates and Antivirus software. After further inspection we found that the systems are getting infected from vulnerabilities in Adobe Flash and Java. We found clients were running older versions of the software and the malware was able to install through infected websites if you are running older versions of this software.

The good news is that a simple free tool will scan your computer and look for out of date software and give you clickable links to download and install the latest versions to keep you safe. The software, Secunia Vulnerability Scanner will quickly scan your computer and report the vulnerabilities and what you need to fix the issue. One of the biggest recommendations that we can make is to use computers running Windows 7. Windows 7 is a major upgrade and we recommend purchasing a new computer not upgrading. The main reason this is important is software companies are no longer putting out updates for Windows XP which is how the bad guys are installing software on your computer.

Remember if you have any problems or questions we are always here to help. Visit our website at www.wilsoncomputer.com for more information. Thanks

Sincerely,

Allan Wilson
Wilson Computer Support
Phone: 205.985.9942 ext. 111
Web site: www.wilsoncomputer.com
Email: allan@wilsoncomputer.com

Never Forget Passwords Again

One of the most common complaints that

I receive is that users have a hard time remembering all their passwords. A common free program that we recommend is Last Pass (http://lastpass.com). This free program allows you to save all your passwords and synchronize them among many browsers. This gives you the ability to have one password and it keeps track of all the others. Some of the many features its supports is: one master password, automatic form filling, one click login, secure your data, sync across browsers, store secure notes.

There is a premium version that lets you access your passwords from anywhere and install the app on your smart phone and have access from there.

Give it a try and see if it helps to cut down on your password headaches. If you need help feel free to contact us on our website, www.wilsoncomputer.com

Faster Computers with SSD Drives

One of the fastest ways to greatly improve the performance of your computer is to install a new SSD hard drive. SSD stands for solid state drive. You can find detailed specs here from Wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solid-state_drive .These drives perform much like RAM in your computer, in that they have no moving parts. They use what is called NAND based flash memory which allows for much faster access than a typical spinning hard drives. The drawback to a SSD hard drive is the cost. With a typical 120GB SSD drive costing you around $180. A normal spinning hard drive will cost you $80 for a 160GB hard drive. Another drawback is that you have a limited number of read and writes to the drive. This has improved greatly in recent times and is not nearly as much of an issue.

Benefits of SSD Drives

Much faster boot times
Large files open fast
Faster wake from sleep for your system
Faster file searches
Start Applications in seconds
Cut photo and video editing time
Faster Facebook, Twitter and Farmville

We recommend installing a SSD drive in addition to a normal spinning hard drive and install the operating system to your SSD drive and put active files such as your system page file on the normal hard drive to give greater life to your SSD drive. Always remember to have your data backed up as well. All hard drives will fail at some point and SSD is no different in that. If you are interested in installing a SSD drive in your computer or want one in your new computer give us a call today and get a quote.

www.wilsoncomputer.com

Meet one of our team

Kyle Warram

Kyle Warram is a 32 year old husband and father of two who lives in Helena, Alabama. A combat Veteran of the Iraq War, Kyle recently completed a 4 year contract with the U.S Army and is currently in the United States Army Reserve. Kyle is currently attending Jefferson State Community college, working towards an Associates degree in computer programing. Kyle enjoys spending time with the family and tinkering with computers and electronics.

JUMP INTO THE NEW YEAR WITH SAVINGS With the new year in full swing, we're offering new residential customers a $20 savings on their first service. We provide: computer drop-off at our office remote service and phone support onsite service where we come to you Visit www.wilsoncomputer.com/clipoffer/ to print your savings coupon today.
Offer Expires: March 1st, 2012