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What to do when a File is Potentially Corrupted

Sometimes while sitting at your computer, drinking your tea and minding your own business, a file SUDDENLY goes rogue.

  • It runs amok
  • It will not open
  • It throws an error
  • There is a hitch in the giddyup
  • It takes the sunshine in your day and blocks it with a dark cloud

There are things that may be done before crying, throwing that tea cup against the wall or well… running around the room with your arms flailing over your head in a fit of panic.

Inform you to restart your system

Because you were preemptive, and you already have worked with setting up backup with Sandra Network and have Mozy in your pocket, all you need to do is give us a call, or email us at [email protected]

Or, in the case you have not yet set up a backup plan with us, we may be able to repair this file for you, if you are not comfortable doing so yourself. Generally, it is best to have someone with this experience help you out so more damage is not done. Again, you can give us a call at 978-535-0202 #3 or email and we will be glad to help you out.

If you are feeling adventurous, there is an option you may take.

Boot in “Troubleshooting tools by rebooting and continuously hitting you <F8> key until you are given the option.

Select Troubleshoot Option

Select Troubleshoot

select Advanced Options

Here you will want to select Advanced Options and Startup Repair

Now… if this does not repair, and you have not set up a restore point in the past… THIS is when you will want to call Sandra Network! We have ALL sorts of tricks up our sleeves for you!!!

In case of emergency… Troubleshooting…

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 TROUBLESHOOTING!

This month we, at Sandra Network are going to give some basic troubleshooting skills to get you through… just in case of emergency.. If these do not help.. .PLEASE call us at 978-535-0202 #3 or email: [email protected]


My computer/printer/monitor will not come on

Reboot Troubleshooting

Are you able to see the power button lit up?
Is it plugged in?
Is the monitor on?
Is the power strip on?
Is the power strip plugged in?

If none of these help, call Sandra Network 978-535-0202 #3 or [email protected]

Windows is showing the wrong name for the login, where is mine?

Windows 10       Windows 10 Login

Select one of the other users to the left

Windows 7

Troubleshoot Windows 7 Login

Select “Switch User” under the Username and Password fields

My password is not working, it did this morning…

Troubleshooting Passwords

Is CAP lock on?
If it consists of numbers, and you are using the number keypad, is “Num Lock” off?
(In the day and age of millions of passwords) Did you put in the correct password for that computer?
Could someone with access have changed the password? Check around your office/home
Is it your computer (just kidding … I try to get into everyone else’s car, but my own. who knows)

If you are STILL having issues, give us a call at Sandra Network 978-535-0202 #3 or [email protected]

 

No sound coming out of my computer – How to TroubleshootVolume Troubleshooting

Is the volume up? Or has “mute” been selected? (Icon in the bottom right corner of your desktop
Do you have connected external speakers? Are they turned on?

If it is still not working, give us a call at Sandra Network 978-535-0202 #3 or [email protected]

 

Read More about In case of emergency… Troubleshooting…

What Are The Benefits of Anti-Virus Software?

One of the most important things is to stay ahead of the attacks with updates and real time protection. Without this, there is very little that may be done once the malware assaults, other than rebuilding the machine or hiring an IT company to clean the virus from the machine and THEN install an anti-virus application.

Yet another form of Ransom-ware!

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Your screen just went to this:
What do you do?

It could be a Ransomware – Just look at that color!!!

Ohh NOOOOO!!!!
Do you call the phone number?
Do you click on the page and find as many links as you can?

NO! STOP! SLOW DOWN! IT’S REALLY A DOOR TO RANSOMWARE

This is the doorway for ransomware that will only bring you sadness and destruction.
There are a couple of tell-tale signs that will only bring you sadness and destruction. There are a couple of tell-tale signs:

The URL. In most cases, it is something that should throw red flags. In THIS case, it is virus.com…
Windows Security Essentials does not send a phone number to their help desk and that hints towards a potential ransomware attack. Many times, ransomware attacks can also come through email viruses too.
You may not even have Windows Defender turned on, but it will never blank out your screen with an error, it might send a “notification”.

What should you do?

  1. You will want to start the Task Manager. There are two ways to get to it:
    <Ctrl><Alt><Del> at the same time
  2. Right click on your taskbar
  3. Select the browser you are in (Chrome, IE, Firefox)
  4. Select “End Task”. (this will close out the application
  5. Download an Anti-Malware app for example:
  6. Call Sandra Network: 978-535-0202 #3 or email: [email protected]

Sandra Definition

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Verizon email Moving to AOL – Be Prepared!

Outlook Email SetupSo, you have probably heard through that pesky grapevine… Verizon is no longer going to be supporting or hosting email, the company will be having it hosted by AOL within the next couple of weeks. When logging into the webmail.verizon.net there will be an “Email service notice“. Click on “Keep verizon.net email address” or “Use any other email provider” to complete the setup. There will be no action to take until you receive an email service notice from them. Through all of the shuffling, it may  have been missed, AOL is a Verizon company. Verizon is looking to put their focus on their FIOS and phone markets.

Does this mean my Email is going away?

No, once you have received this notice.. you will probably say… AOL? WHAT??!! Do I need to find one of those diskettes they sent me through the mail in 1990… so what do I do next?
There are a few options, hold on..

  • Follow the directions and forward your email to AOL and continue from there. In this scenario, you will keep your Verizon.net email, while navigating the AOL Mail website.
  • Do nothing and let that email account fade to digital dust
  • Set up an Office 365 account and have all of your emails forward through one account, making it MUCH easier for you! (We can actually do this for you at Sandra Network!)

Not sure WHAT to do? 

There are still a lot of options; these are but a few. If you are still unsure what your next steps should be you should give us a call at 978-535-0202 or email us at [email protected] and we will walk you through or set you up with the correct options just for you!

Avoiding a Virus in the New Year

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There are times when even the smartest and most careful people fall into a trap and are duped into pushing that “save” or “open” button, creating a Virus on their machine. The message looks plausible, but before you push the button check a few things out…

  1. What is the URL? Does it show the page displayed is being sent from Firefox/Mozilla?
  2. An executable file has the extension .exe. In this example, notice this is .js. This is a (java)script the site is attempting to run on your computer and it may collect personal information, or be a virus ready to spread into your system.

 

If any of this seems suspicious or you think it’s a scam, the best thing to do for assurance is to actually navigate to the Firefox download site. https://www.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/new/?v=1
If this installer is downloaded it will be called: Firefox Setup Stub (version #).
If you have this version installed, you will be alerted to that.

What is your best course of action if this page comes up?
Close the browser, reopen it and delete all temporary internet files. This will prevent your downloading a virus.

With that,  we at Sandra Network hope everyone finds a healthy and successful New Year in 2017!

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Special November Deal – Fine Tune Your Computer!

Thank You for Being a Loyal Customer

For that we would like to make you and any of your friends an offer for some fine-tuning for the computer.

If at this very moment, you or someone you know have clicked on a file to open it, and you have time to run a load of laundry AND catch up on your favorite television show … you are who we are looking for!

Task ManagerWith daily use the computer stores many processes, temporary files and other non malicious files. The longer the computer is running the more piles up. At some point, you will select an application to open and it will either fail to open or it will take an inordinate amount of time to do so.

 

The solution to this is to contact someone to help you fine tune your computer, if you do not already know how to do this.

That being said, for the month of November, we at Sandra Network will give you a free hour of maintenance for your referral of a new customer who signs up.

If you are a new customer, there is probably more of a need for the cleanup, so we are offering two (2) hours for the price of one, then potentially set up on a schedule for monthly/quarterly or yearly maintenance to keep running smoothly.

If this is of interest to you, or you know someone who might benefit from this, PLEASE contact us at Sandra Network and we will get you productive again!

[email protected]
978-535-0202

It’s A Trap, A Scam!

Recently, a great many people have asked what to do if they receive calls where someone asks to connect to their computer to resolve some issue. the quick answer is: It is a Scam!

  • Did you already sign a contract with this company?
  • How do they know you signed onto your computer?
  • Have you recently seen any suspicious activity on your computer?

If these questions create a long list of additional questions, please DO NOT allow them access to your computer, it is a scam. Please contact us first!

This is how it tends to happen:

You are sitting around, your computer is on, but not being used and the phone rings.

“Hello this is Peggy from Microsoft, I noticed that your computer has been sending error messages. There are problems with the internet connection or phone line and this has affected your computer’s recent performance. On top of that, the broadband connection has been hacked. May I have remote access to the computer to find out what the problem is?”

Your first thoughts should be… I don’t know anyone named Peggy. WHY are they monitoring my system, I didn’t hire them and if I didn’t, who did?

These are all valid and you are correct in being suspicious of this call. This is not a technical support service,  already hired (such as Sandra Network) then the scamming call should be ended immediately.

What is the best way to protect yourself?

  • Never give an unsolicited caller remote access to your computer. This is ALWAYS a scam!
  • Never give your personal, credit card or online account details over the phone unless you made the call and the phone number came from a trusted source; otherwise, this is a scam!
  • Receiving a phone call out of the blue about your computer and remote access is requested – hang up – even if they mention a well-known company such as Microsoft.

If you have questions or think you may have been hacked, or have given out pertinent and private information:

  • Please call your financial institutions and have your accounts monitored or closed.
  • Change your passwords for your email, login.
  • Call us at Sandra Network and with your permission, clean out the machine of any suspicious activity.

What do you think about working remotely? LogMeIn lets you!

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Close your eyes… Come on… Close ‘em. No wait.. you need to read this!

Imagine this scene: You are sitting in a cubicle, in an 8-way adjustable chair and pulled up to a dark wood desk with all of the papers imaginable, Hard drive, keyboard, mouse, monitor(s). Yes, you have your coffee on the desk, your lunch and pictures of your friends and/or family in the area maybe even your red stapler (purple, in my case). All piled into your cubicle. You can escape the scene with Logmein Tool and work remotely.Office Space

Let that soak in for a second.

Now, imagine THIS scene:
You outside at the campground sitting in a lounge chair, the sun is warm the breeze is cool and the smell of the water is wafting by. You have your laptop in your lap, and a Bloody Mary in the cup holder of your chair. Or, wouldn’t it be nice to bring that laptop to the beach? Up to your cabin in the woods? Anywhere but the office?Woman on Dock

BOTH of these people are working. One person is using remote access and the other is not. Not only can we, at Sandra Network set you up for remote support but we can also set you up to be able to remotely log into your machine in your office and have all your programs, you can print, access your files and have the ability to perform and do everything as if you are in your office at your boring cubicle. In 3 short months you will be stuck back inside again. THREE SHORT MONTHS it will be time to shovel again!

Logmein direct from the Logmein website is $99/year per person. We can offer it to our customers for $50/year per person.

This month only – Logmein Tool Remote Access is $40 per year.

 

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