Tanarus Computer Solutions

03/24/2026

RAMageddon is upon us.

No, it's not quite the end of the world. PC parts aren't falling from the sky (though that would be quite nice). As the AI boom continues to progress, data centers have been buying up all the memory and storage, making it much harder for the consumer to purchase computer upgrades and components at a reasonable price. The cost of computer storage and memory has easily tripled over the past six months, and stock shortages have become increasingly common. As the cost of new components soar, more people have been turning to used and refurbished equipment, making that similarly more expensive and harder to find. Some places are speculating that this trend will continue through 2026 and well into 2027. Oh boy.

I currently have a small selection of refurbished HP laptops and Dell micro towers available, and I'm always keeping an eye out to fulfill some of the more specialty requests I have on a waiting list. If you have any questions about computer upgrades or replacements, don't hesitate to reach out!

12/15/2025

Well, it's definitely been a year. Windows 10 mainstream support has ended, so everyone's been busy upgrading their systems and updating their software. I've been doing more networking work, more rural work, more security reviews, more consultations and more sourcing of new and used machines...

I need a break.

Once again, I'll be taking the time between Christmas Day and New Years off to rest and relax, to decompress and prepare myself for the challenges to come in 2026. I'll be sure to record any messages I receive during that time, and I will respond to them at the start of the new year.

As always, thank you. Your support, your continued patronage, and your word-of-mouth all enable me to continue to serve the community and keep on doing what I do best. I really am grateful to have earned your trust and support.

I hope you all have a very Merry Christmas, and I look forward to working with you in 2026!

08/02/2025

I just recently retired another custom built computer for a customer, after eleven years of (mostly) trouble-free service. It reminded me of the fact that I took on the responsibility of honoring the two-year warranty on all of VAM's custom machines, and I haven't had to make a single warranty claim on any of them, or on any of the custom machines I've built for customers after VAM's closure.

Sure, a custom built machine might be a little more expensive than what you'd find at retail, but there's no denying the longevity and reliability of these machines. It just goes to show that when you invest in quality parts, you get a quality experience.

If you're interested in having a desktop computer custom built to suit your needs, don't hesitate to reach out -- I have access to the same distributors and stand behind those parts with the same two-year warranty. I'm here to help!

Enjoy your long weekend!

07/16/2025

As mentioned in my previous post, Windows 10 support is coming to an end this October. However, it looks like Microsoft has changed their stance a little when it comes to extended support. Businesses still have the option to pay $60/$120/$240 per year per machine for the next three years to get updates. Home users now have options for getting one year's worth of Windows 10 updates after support has ended. Home users can:

- Pay $30 USD per machine,
- Enroll in Windows Backup, which saves your data and settings to the cloud backup OneDrive, or
- Pay 1,000 'Microsoft Points,' Microsoft's loyalty currency.

Most people will have more data than will fit on OneDrive's free storage, so you'll likely end up paying for that. Microsoft Points require you to answer surveys and use Bing Search while signed in to a Microsoft account.

At the end of the day, though, you're ultimately just paying (with cash or with your time and data) to defer the upgrade for a year -- you'll still be in the same place once that extra year ends. Security updates will still be available for businesses, and bad actors will be able to see what vulnerabilities are being fixed so they know how to attack machines that aren't getting updated.

Any computer made in 2019 or newer should be able to handle Windows 11. Any really nice computer made in 2018 might be worth getting the extended support. Anything older should be considered for replacement. If you don't need anything too fancy, I do have a small fleet of used business desktops and laptops available that include Windows 11, and should serve your needs for quite some time. As always, if you have any questions or concerns about the Windows 10 end-of-support, don't hesitate to reach out!

06/10/2025

October 14, 2025 is the official End of Support date for Windows 10. We're almost four months away! What does that mean for you?

- Your computer will continue to run. There's no worry about waking up on the 15th and finding your computer will refuse to work because Windows 10 is out of support.
- Your computer will no longer get any security updates, patches, or bugfixes. In the immediate future, this won't be a big deal, but as time goes on, it will become more and more of a problem. For example, secure websites may eventually stop loading as internet security moves forward.
- Programs eventually won't be made to work on Windows 10. Again, this won't be an immediate issue, but newer versions of any software you rely on, such as tax prep, accounting, gaming, and editing software will eventually drop support for Windows 10. (For example, I've heard that TurboTax 2025 will not be supported in Windows 10.)

What happens if you don't upgrade? Again, nothing immediate. Heck, I know a handful of clients who still have Windows 7 machines, and even a couple of businesses still relying on Windows XP machines!

My biggest concern is how Microsoft is handling the end of support this time around. They're going to continue releasing security updates for the next three years, but only businesses and customers who pay a fee will have access to those updates. It's quite likely that, over those next three years, bad actors will get a hold of those updates, find out what security vulnerabilities they fix, then target the large number of Windows 10 machines that are likely still out there with those vulnerabilities. Windows 10 was a hugely popular system, so there may be more risk involved with the end of this support cycle.

I am still in contact with a used computer broker, so I have access to quality refurbished machines that run Windows 11. I can also custom build desktops, and make recommendations for good retail machines. If you have any concerns about the security of your system, or if you feel like you're past due for an upgrade, don't hesitate to reach out!

02/26/2025

Okay, how does this even happen, I can't even

02/04/2025

A customer of mine woke up to find hundreds of new messages in his email inbox. They were confirmation emails from tons of websites he'd been signed up to -- educational mailing lists, European retail outlets, tech newsletters, knitting groups -- you name it, his email was given to them. Most people would look at the massive list of confirmation emails and just delete the whole thing. A closer look at it all revealed something a bit more urgent: someone had used his credit card, and they used his email address to make it look legitimate. Those purchase confirmation emails were buried under all those hundreds of website signup confirmation emails to make it difficult to notice that those orders had been placed.

Thankfully, we found out in time, locked his credit card, and cancelled those orders. (We were too late to cancel one order, but we got in touch with the courier to divert the package away from the scammer. It will be returned to the retailer, and the customer will get their refund that way.)

If you find someone has tried to sign you up for hundreds of different websites, don't delete those confirmation emails immediately! Have a look through them, run a search for the word 'order', and take the time to make sure all those otherwise annoying but harmless emails aren't hiding something more nefarious.

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01/27/2025

A customer asked me to look over a computer they're interested in buying from an online seller. The first thing I noticed: the picture where it advertises a "Full-Sized Keyboard with a Number Pad" does not include a number pad. There's no make or model number, either, which means you'll have difficulty getting any support from the manufacturer. Buyer beware.

If you're in the market for a cheap laptop, don't hesitate to reach out! I can still get refurbished business-class laptops from reputable manufacturers that have better specs and cost about the same as these no-name online bargains. Even if you're interested in buying something from somewhere else and need a second opinion, I'm more than happy to help.

12/22/2024

It's that time of the year again! It feels like 2024 came and went in a flash.

I want to thank you all for you support this year -- if it wasn't for all of my customers, I wouldn't be able to make a living helping everyone like this. Here's to a 2025 that's just as successful.

With the overwhelming response, I'm going to continue another tradition that VAM had -- I'm going to take a little time off. I will be unavailable between Christmas Day and New Years Day. With Monday and Tuesday already fully booked, I am available those days for some quick phone/email/message advice only. If you need any assistance after Tuesday, feel free to leave a message, and I'll be sure to respond when I resume business on January 2, 2025.

Thanks again for all your support. Have a Merry Christmas, a happy holiday, and I look forward to helping with your computer issues next year.

11/25/2024

Today's November 25th. You know what that means -- only one month until Christmas!

Do you know someone who turns their computer on in the morning, then leaves it to make their coffee because it takes ten minutes just to start up? Has a loved one complained to you about all the 'Windows 7 computer is no longer supported' popups they keep getting? Have you ever sent a friend an awesome movie, only for them to say 'thanks for the slideshow'? Maybe it's time for an upgrade.

A refurbished business computer will have all the power they need to run simple tasks like email, Facebook, and YouTube, and it will run circles around their dusty dinosaur of a machine, all without breaking the bank. Plus, with delivery, set up of their programs and transferring the data from their old machine, replacing a computer has never been easier. Send me a message and let me see what I can do for you. Your loved ones will thank you.

11/05/2024

Here's an awesome video that answers a lot of questions about the most common scams going on nowadays. If you've got half an hour to kill, he provides a lot of insight into the scamming process and things to look out for.

Pierogi from Scammer Payback on YouTube joins WIRED to answer the internet's burning questions about scams and scambaiting. Why do scammers ask victims to bu...

10/18/2024

I hate being the guy that says, "All your stuff is gone, and there's nothing anyone can do."

An employee at a business was tricked into running a particularly nasty new type of ransomware. Once it was on their computer, it proceeded to scramble all of their data -- their business proposals, photos, documents, accounting information, everything -- rendering it completely useless and unreadable. The ransomware demanded a payment in Bitcoin to maybe unscramble those files, and it made a few other vague threats. I advised against paying the ransom, as there's no guarantee they'll unscramble the data, and that money just helps to fund even more criminal activity.

While the business did have a backup of all that data, it was attached to their computer, and it was also scrambled and rendered useless. Just awful, nasty stuff. Even worse, since the ransomware is so new, there's currently no way to recover any of that data. A fix might eventually be found, but it could take years to crack that code.

I like to say, "If it's worth saving, it's worth saving twice." There's a slightly more complicated saying that I might have to start using: "One copy on the computer, one copy on a backup, and one copy saved somewhere else." Whether you have cloud storage that keeps track of old versions of files, or hard storage kept disconnected from the computer, keeping an off-site backup is the only real way to protect your data from any kind of disaster, including ransomware.

As always, if you would like me to review your backup practices or need me for anything else, feel free to reach out. I'm always happy to help people avoid disasters like this one.

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