Dave Dicken Computer Solutions, LLC

05/27/2026

…and speak of viruses & other malware, in this case phishing scams:

https://www.newsmax.com/newsfront/fbi-phishing-cybercrime/2026/05/27/id/1257733/

https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/security/fbi-warns-of-kali365-phishing-service-targeting-microsoft-365-accounts/

Note this part:

“The scam works by sending victims phishing emails that appear to come from legitimate cloud or document-sharing platforms.
The email instructs users to visit an authentic Microsoft verification page and enter a provided device code. Once the code is entered, victims unknowingly authorize the attacker's device to access their Microsoft 365 account.”

Keep your eyes open when checking that e-mail!

The FBI is warning about the Kali365 phishing-as-a-service platform (PhaaS) that is used to hijack Microsoft 365 accounts by abusing OAuth device code authentication to steal session tokens and bypass multi-factor authentication (MFA).

05/27/2026

…and speak of viruses & other malware, in this case phishing scams:

https://www.newsmax.com/newsfront/fbi-phishing-cybercrime/2026/05/27/id/1257733/

https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/security/fbi-warns-of-kali365-phishing-service-targeting-microsoft-365-accounts/

Note this part:

“The scam works by sending victims phishing emails that appear to come from legitimate cloud or document-sharing platforms.
The email instructs users to visit an authentic Microsoft verification page and enter a provided device code. Once the code is entered, victims unknowingly authorize the attacker's device to access their Microsoft 365 account.”

Keep your eyes open when checking that e-mail!

05/22/2026

Where has the time gone??!! My apologies for not posting some content recently.

So here's a primer on Antivirus (aka AV, spyware, malware, etc.....

AV:

• Windows: The AV that is part of current versions of Windows (10 & 11) is Microsoft Defender/Windows Security.

• Bundled AV (McAfee, Norton, etc.) is OK but usually has only a limited “trial” subscription. There’s nothing wrong with continuing that subscription but it’ll cost you money & it's mostly useless if you don’t renew it. It will no longer get virus definition or version updates & will eventually be ineffective.

• Running multiple AV solutions (i.e. Defender & McAfee) is OK & many suggest it as often what one solution misses, the other may catch.

• Check to make sure your AV is scheduled to check for updates & is scheduled to perform a scan periodically. Personally, the more often the better.

• MacOS: I personally don’t really use any AV software on my Macs & have supported well over 300 Macs used by students without AV. To my knowledge, none of these systems ever had a virus or spyware.

• Good AV comes at a price, usually minimal. Free AV often has some limitations. Sometimes you don’t get free updates. Sometimes it’ll find viruses but won’t remove them without a subscription. Sometimes it uses so much of your resources (CPU/RAM) it bogs your system down. You get what you pay for.

• There are online virus scanners but, in my experience, they don’t offer the same level of security as a locally installed AV solution. Many will detect an issue but then require a subscription to remove it.

• iPhones/Android: I have never run AV on a phone, nor seen it run on corporate phones, but it certainly isn’t a bad idea. Some providers (AT&T, T-mobile, Verizon) may bundle AV as part of their service. There are free mobile phone AV solutions but IMO it’s the same “you get what you pay for” approach.

• AV software is only part of the solution. User behavior is the other. Learn to spot….

…..Suspicious e-mail:

https://consumer.ftc.gov/articles/how-recognize-avoid-phishing-scams

https://www.cisa.gov/secure-our-world/recognize-and-report-phishing

https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/security/protect-yourself-from-phishing

https://www.wellsfargo.com/privacy-security/fraud/report/phish/

…. Suspicious websites:

https://www.virustotal.com/gui/home/url (My favorite)

https://talosintelligence.com/ (My favorite)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pHOcfma45rM

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0NKU6kGhAp0

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QXAumtyIhTI

https://www.urlvoid.com/

https://nordlayer.com/blog/what-are-malicious-websites/

https://transparencyreport.google.com/safe-browsing/search?hl=en

If you don’t click on suspicious e-mail or web links, your chances of infection go down substantially!

If you need help configuring, learning, scanning or removing any virus, malware, spyware infected system please feel free to contact me.

03/30/2026

Starlink......

So we finally bailed on Brightspeed & have been on Starlink for about 2 weeks. After being on 10M DSL for several years & having almost no problems, we just got tired of recent outages since last fall & Brightspeed's failure to resolve them & even pushing a 4K/cell solution over fixing the actual problem with phone lines & their network. In addition to the frequency of problems, their customer & technical support is unacceptable.

So far, Starlink has been awesome. We only got their very basic plan, which is capped at 100M & is a vast improvement over 10M DSL. If you're a DISH customer, they have a very nice plan right now: $50/mo, up to 100M, no equipment costs, no installation cost (DISH will install it), no contract. If you don't like it, cancel your plan & send the equipment back - no strings attached.

So far I'm not too impressed with the Wi-Fi router that's included but I think it's adequate for my house size. I also already had 2 Wi-Fi extenders which possibly helps any shortcomings of the Starlink router.

It's very hard to talk to an actual person at Starlink, as they are fully onboard with AI & letting that answer your questions. So far it's been very good at answering my questions &, if it can't, you can open a ticket & a real person will reply.

If you're considering Starlink & have questions please feel free to ask me, as I asked Starlink A LOT of questions before signing up & since activating my service. I don't work for Starlink but they do have a double-sided referral program where both the new customer (you) & the existing customer (me) would receive a fee month of service. So let me know if I can provide a referral.

-Dave

03/17/2026

Windows 10/11:

Still holding on to Windows 10 ( or, God forbid, Windows 7)? Determined to avoid upgrading because you like Windows 10 & don’t want to change?

Do you just want to do things today the way you did it yesterday? I get it. The last thing I want is a learning curve before I can be productive again following an upgrade. Windows 11 isn’t all that different & much can be changed to look similar to Windows 10. I think Windows 11, in some ways, looks similar to the MacOS (aka Apple). However, if you don’t like it, some things can be changed.

All this being said, you really do need to upgrade to Windows 11. Windows 10 is out of support. Which means no more security updates. Which means you’re now more vulnerable to viruses, spyware, malware, etc., regardless of whether you use antivirus or not or what product you use.

Sure you can purchase extended security updates. But why spend money on an operating system that’s already obsolete? Why not spend that money on something that’ll be supported for the foreseeable future?

Are you afraid you can’t upgrade to Windows 11 on your older computer or have even seen messages preventing upgrade to Windows 11? There are methods to get around SOME hardware restrictions.

Are you afraid your already slowing, older PC might come to a screeching halt with a Windows 11 upgrade? There are some hardware upgrades that will increase your PC performance greatly & cost only $50-200.

Sure it might be time to just throw in the towel & buy a new PC with Windows 11. If you have the money for it, now may be the time. …but there are possibly alternatives.

Finally, and since we’re talking PC replacements, I can’t recall ever paying for a MacOS (Apple) upgrade. I’m not trying to convince you one way or the other. I’ve used both Windows & Mac heavily & really have no preference. I find more things in common than I find different between the 2 systems. However, I’m just stating a fact here: MacOS (Apple) upgrades are historically FREE.

We can talk about the best path to get you upgraded. Feel free to reach out to me with questions.

-Dave

02/24/2026

Going forward, I’ll be posting content here in hopes that it’s helpful to someone. I don’t do this for the money alone. If I can help by sharing my experience & the gifts that God has given me then it’s a win.

Feel free to let me know if something helps you or if there’s something in particular that I can develop that would help you.

-Dave

02/24/2026

I'm seeing & hearing a lot of discussion about fiber & DSL & Internet service providers (ISP) so here'a a little food for thought that hopefully helps....

I don't work for Brightspeed or have any connection but here's my opinion on Brightspeed..... "Brightspeed" is not necessarily the problem - it's the infrastructure they inherited from Centurylink. Before them it was Embarq. ...and so on. The phone lines, switches, etc. are old. I've had 10M DSL since it was available & today, as Brightspeed, it works just fine, when there isn't a mouse chewing wires or a tree down or whatever. My wife & I stream on 2 separate TVs, I VPN to work from home, 2 cell phones connected - 10M is just fine.

When you experience slowness or no Internet, do some basic troubleshooting. Use an online speed test to check your Internet speed. I use www.speedtest.net. For example, with 10M service, and when working properly, I get 9+ M. Don’t be streaming or anything when testing - that will cut into your bandwidth results & give you a false result.

Test from a computer connected directly to your modem/router - not using Wi-Fi. A Wi-Fi problem is a separate issue altogether & it may or may not be a Brightspeed issue, whether their service or their modem/router.

You can also run “pings” to a web site (I use www.google.com) to check for consistent responses.

1. Open a Command Prompt (Windows) or Terminal (MacOS)
2. Type “ping www.google.com -t” & press enter
3. Consistent responses are what you’re looking for with a few “time outs” here & there

You can also look at your modem/router web page (by default the IP address is 192.168.0.1) & see connection information & a whole wealth of other helpful information.

Armed with this information, you can go to Brightspeed, or whomever your ISP is, & show them what you’re seeing. They’ll try to upsell you or recently Brighspeed is trying to sell you a 4k/cell solution rather than fixing the phone line issue.

Here’s another thing….

Please don’t over subscribe on your service. As I stated 10M is totally adequate TODAY for streaming 2 TVs, VPNing, 2 cell phones, etc. It may not be tomorrow as technology develops &, in particular, streaming takes more & more bandwidth. IMO, unless you have like 16 kids all streaming, gaming, etc. you probably don’t need 8G service. You’re just wasting money, especially if you’re trying to fix a problem. If you have a poor connection to the Internet all the bandwidth in the world won’t fix that.

02/23/2026

PINGing

https://www.facebook.com/share/p/18BkkZNAp2/

02/12/2026

My support methods…..

Diagnosing technology problems, updating a computer or system, or optimizing performance easily takes several hours. The same applies for scanning a computer thoroughly to ensure there’s no spyware, malware or viruses, as well as many other technology issues.

• Drop off works best for you & me. I generally only work with 1 customer at a time so you’ll get my full attention. Since I strive to stick to a flat fee, regardless of how much time I put into a solution, this option saves you money.

• Remote access can be beneficial for a short session but requires a constant Internet connection, disabling any settings that allow the computer to sleep or hibernate & your availability to allow me to reconnect should a reboot be needed. So remote access isn’t so desirable for longer sessions.

• On-site in your home or business is my least favorite as it results in a lot of time sitting in front of your computer running scans & resolving potential issues. Therefore, this potentially costs you more.

02/09/2026