Issue 19

POST

Welcome to POST by ResTech Solutions

Thank you for subscribing to our newsletter. Every week we will bring you new content covering recent events and news related to technology, Microsoft, Apple, Google, tips & tricks, useful information, and more! To read the full articles in our newsletters you can either click on the image or article headline. We've had a great response each week to our newsletter and we've been hard at work to bring you even more great information this week. Please let us know what you've enjoyed thus far about our newsletter. To see past issues click on the archives link above.

Why the name POST? In the world of computers POST stands for Power On Self Test. This is the action computers take when they are first powered on to check their basic functionality prior to loading the operating system. We decided to take this same concept and to provide you with useful technology information at the beginning of your week to help get you started. POST is also a term associated with news as well and we felt this was an appropriate and fitting name.

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News

Dell security flaw from 2009 affects 'hundreds of millions' of PCs: How to fix it

Image from PCWorld

Only recently Dell finally has a fix available for several 10+ year old flaws for many of their systems. While this flaw is a serious one it required direct access to the computer to exploit. Regardless of the possibility that you could be affected by the flaw it is imperative that you get your Dell system updated ASAP. ResTech is able to help apply this fix. Please reach out for support.

Cyber Security

Ransomware is now a national security risk. This group thinks it knows how to defeat it

We've discussed ransomware at least a couple of times before. Historically the threat of ransomware has increased year over year. While there are many opinions about how to address this growing security risk there are still common actions many businesses are not taking to protect themselves.

Every business should have at a minimum a daily backup of all data, especially critical data. There should also be a disaster plan in place as well to address any situation where some systems go down or the entire network goes down. Having these items in place will help to recover from a ransomware attack without having to pay to get your data back. Most ransomware attacks encrypt the data and hold the decryption key to get a ransom payment. In some cases paying the ransom does not guarantee that you will be given the decryption key.

Businesses should also keep all systems patched and up to date. Don't use default login credentials on equipment and applications and, where possible, enable two factor authentication. All staff and employees should also receive cyber security training so everyone is aware of the threats, how to identify them and hopefully avoid them. Do not leave things to chance.

If you would like to know more about how to protect yourself and your business please reach out and we will be happy to help.

Windows

Lock down your Windows PC with a dedicated local administrator account

Image from PCWorld

On any system it is always best practice to use an account with standard access and not use an admin account on a daily basis. This is to help reduce the likelihood that something could unintentionally go wrong with the system.

The argument for doing this is pretty straightforward. If malicious software ever got onto your PC or it was hacked remotely there’s the potential for bypassing the UAC and using your account’s elevated privileges. Acting as an administrator an attacker could install more malicious software, run a command line program with elevated rights, delete user accounts, and more.

Check out the linked article for more details and steps on how to setup a local admin account to lock down your computer.

What is UAC, User Account Control? Check out this definition from Wikipedia.

10 Tricks for Managing Your Files With Windows 10's File Explorer

Image from PCMag

Over the years we've heard from many clients who have struggled with managing their files. Many times this has to do with the use of the File Explorer within Windows. Files Explorer is the default app that lets you browse the files on your computer. The linked article will help you become more familiar with the different parts of the File Explorer and the various options and functions available.

If you need any assistance with managing files, using File Explorer, or would like to look into alternatives to File Explorer we are here to help, just reach out.

Windows Defender Bug Fills Windows 10 Boot Drive With Gigabytes of Files

Image from MUO

If you've recently experienced and increase in the number of files on your system and do not know where they came from the likely culprit is a Windows Defender Bug. Microsoft has released a fix for this issue. The downside is the update will not remove the files but it is just a simple matter of going in and deleting them. Please see the linked article for more details and directions. As always you may reach out if you need any assistance.

Windows 10 update could give Edge an important advantage over Chrome

Image from TechRadar

Here is another update regarding Microsoft's Edge browser. This latest feature details how you will soon be able to see the names of the open tabs in the Windows Task Manager. This will make it much easier to know which tab is using up a lot of resources, etc. This feature will be released as a Windows update later this year. If you've been on the fence about switching to Edge or at least giving it a try we hope these updates have been helpful and informative for you.

What Is Windows Fast Startup? (And Why You Should Disable It)

Image from MUO

If you are constantly having issues with your computer even after rebooting you will want to check if Windows Fast Startup is enabled on your system. Fast Startup essentially prevents the system from performing a full shutdown so it will boot faster the next time you turn on your computer. Many times when you are having issues with your system the first step is to perform a reboot of your computer. When a system is rebooted we expect this to clear the memory and release all resources that were in use. This usually works at least half of the time. With Fast Startup many of these resources are not released and the memory is saved.

How do you check if Fast Start is enabled and how do you disable it? Check out the linked article for full details on this process. If it is enabled, see how your system functions after you disable it and then perform a reboot.

Useful Information

Why You Don't Need Adobe Reader (And What to Use Instead)

Image from MUO

If you work a lot with PDF files, mainly reading them, there are alternatives to using Adobe Reader. Historically Adobe has been the go to platform for working with PDFs but their software has become bloated and has also had several security issues over the years.

Today most browsers, operating systems, and mobile platforms have the ability to open, read, and perform some basic annotations to PDF files. This means one less piece of software to install on your system. If you still prefer a standalone PDF reader there are several alternatives to Adobe Reader.

If you require more advanced PDF editing tools there are also alternatives to Adobe Acrobat as well that are less bloated and less expensive. Please reach out if you need any recommendations for an alternative PDF reader or editor.

How to Hide Your Real Email Address

Image from MUO

Why would you want to hide your real email address? There are several reasons why someone would want to do so. Some include:

Security and privacy purposes
One-off use for a service or to sign-up for a trial
To easily stop further emails

This is easily accomplished by either using a temporary email account such as 10 Minute Mail or setting up an email alias. Check out the linked article for more information. If you need any assistance with using an email alias please reach out and we will be happy to help.

FAQ of the Week

Hard Drive Size Explained: Why 1TB Is Only 931GB of Actual Space

Image from MUO

Each week we will address a frequently asked question. This week we are looking at why there is a difference between reported and actual hard drive space.

The main reason this occurs is the way most humans count the space versus the actual way the system counts the space. As humans our number system uses Base 10 while the computers use Base 2. For example we would understand a 1 Terabyte drive to equal 1,000 Gigabytes which in Base 2 should actually be 1,024 GB but since Base 10 was used to make the 1 TB in Base 2 it actually comes out around 931 GB.

Please see the linked article for additional explanations.