NW Tech Experts

03/06/2024

Interestingly (and maybe part of M$ motivation for killing off WSA?), Windows is bringing Android games to Windows, via their "play games" application:

Play Android mobile games on PC with Google Play Games, Google's app player and gaming platform for Windows PCs and laptops.

11/20/2022

iPhone/iPad users will want to update to the 16.1 update that has been avail for a few weeks now. You can get it from the settings app on your phone.

This is actually a pretty important one. It patches a potentially actively exploited zero day exploit that gives kernel level access (essentially a backdoor to your phone, and components within it's operating system that even you, the user, don't have the privileges to access). Obviously, if you jailbreak, you won't want to update, but for 99.9% of iPhone users, you'll want to do this update immediately.

It's also worth noting that 16.1 makes minimal changes outside of security patches, so you're unlikely to end up with a phone that changed things you don't want it to (ie many Apple updates). AND 16.2, which is in beta right now and could come out any day, has tons of changes you might not like, and no additional mandatory security patches. So you absolutely want to update to 16.1 while you still can. When 16.2 comes out, you won't be able to easily avoid the significant changes within the OS, and potentially breakage and bugs. Or just annoying design changes.

It's rare that updates lose data these days but it's not impossible. Please double check that you have at least 20% of your phone storage free before doing the update, and make sure your phone is backed up somewhere.

You can check your free storage space by opening your settings app, go to "General" and scroll to "phone storage"

To check the backup status of your phone, or to back up manually, again in settings app:

1. Go to Settings > [your name] > iCloud > iCloud Backup.

2. Turn on iCloud Backup. iCloud automatically backs up your iPhone daily when iPhone is connected to power, locked, and connected to Wi-Fi.

3. To perform a manual backup, tap Back Up Now.

And I do recommend doing the manual back up before doing your system update.

If you would prefer a local backup (iCloud is usually functional, but it does fail more often than most of its cloud counterparts), here's instructions for backing up to your computer directly, via a USB cable:

https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT212156

And when that's all done you can update your phone with these steps:

Go to Settings > General > Software Update

I recommend disabling auto updates, because Apple's quality control has gone downhill over the years. Unfortunately, they regularly ships software updates with regressions and bugs. The *.0 updates (ie 16.0) can almost universally be skipped, as the *.1 etc updates will be much more stable and have LOTS of bug fixes for the *.0 releases. But if you do disable the automatic updates you do need to remember to update manually

If you back up your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch, you'll have a copy of your information to use in case your device is ever replaced, lost, or damaged.

10/27/2022

Well, that's fantastic news.

Tech standards benefit everyone except those interested in price gouging consumers. And are rarely abused or backfire. So this is positive news for everyone except Apple.

No matter the reason, the USB-C is finally coming to iPhones.

10/13/2022

Heads up!

Researchers at Meta have identified hundreds of malicious apps posing as photo editors, games, VPNs, business apps and other utilities that were actually crafted to steal credentials from unsuspecting users.

09/19/2022

Today's tech topic: scams.

We have seen an influx of "Microsoft call center", and Phishing email scams lately. Here's what you should know, if this happen to you.

Microsoft call center scams (it's sometimes scammers pretending to be the DMV, IRS etc) are when people call you, unsolicited, and tell you you have a virus on your computer, and they need to access to your computer to fix it. They'll then log in, actually install viruses, and then claim they were there the whole time. And demand money to remove them. Even if you do pay them, they do not remove the viruses, and their viruses will continue to harvest your data over time, including banking credentials, so they can steal more of your money.

What do you do about it? Just hang up. Be aware that Microsoft will never call you, under any circumstances. Ever. There is no situation that can happen with your computer that will result in Microsoft, or anyone legitimate, calling to help you "resolve" it. If you get this call just hang up and block their number. If you're concerned about your computer having viruses, you can download Malwarebytes and do a full system scan. They do have a free version that will work for 14 days, and is more than enough to catch any viruses that might be on your computer, including malware, which most antivirus does not catch. They also have a paid version which will help protect your computer from those type of infections in the future. I am not affiliated with malwarebytes, my company is not affiliated with them in any way. We don't make any money from this recommendation. They're just the best solution, and you can do 14 days worth of scanning for free, including cleaning up after an emergency.

Nobody needs to access your computer, unless you asked them to. If you called someone for help, and they want to log in remotely, and you've vetted them, then it's safe to let them log in. If they contacted you out of the blue, and say they need to access your computer, it's a scam. 100% of the time.

If you get the DMV, snopud or IRS version of these phone scam calls (or any company that calls you and tells you need to give them money) ask for their name and extension, and tell them you will return their call at the publicly available phone number. If they argue, just hang up and block their number. If you're concerned, call the company they claim to represent. They will be able to tell you if there is a problem with your account. None of the places I have mentioned will ever call you and solicit money.

Phishing emails are when a scammer sends an official looking email, to try and convince you that your bank or PayPal accounts are compromised or there is some other issue with your account. You'll then click their real looking email, be taken to a real looking website, and as soon as you enter your credentials, they then compromise your actual account and steal your money. They can be very convincing looking. Unfortunately, because they are so common, we recommend just not clicking on links in emails. Period. If you get an email from your bank, or someone who might be your bank, and they are saying that there is something wrong with your account, just close the email, without clicking anything. Open up your web browser (Google Chrome, edge, Firefox, etc) and type in your bank's website. Or even better, use your bookmarks to ensure your getting to the real page.

If there is something wrong with your bank or PayPal account, there's absolutely no reason to deal with it via email. Going directly to their website is 100% safe, and will also help you resolve any issues, should there actually be any.

Let us know if you have any questions in the comments

Ben

08/17/2022

Hold off on this update until further notice.

As it turned out, KB5012170 generates lots of headaches for customers. Besides the need to update UEFI to install updates, it causes multiple computers to boot into BitLocker recovery.

07/13/2022

As we prepare to take our services nationwide, we have decided to start this expansion by bringing (some of) our services to Eugene Oregon. Starting immediately, we will be offering remote virus removal, troubleshooting, computer tune ups, and Data Recovery (via mail in only for the time being).

I started this company 13 years ago because I thought everyone deserved the same high end IT services that are normally only accessable to large corporations. And when researching what towns needed this service most, Eugene kept ending up at the top of the list.

If you or someone you know needs help with these services, please call the Seattle number for now (although you may be working with either the Portland or Seattle branch).

Ben Straton
CEO
(206) 395-9599

We deliver qualified Technicians to your door. Computer Repair is only a click or call away!

06/28/2022

Not cool T-Mobile. Luckily, you can opt out.

T-Mobile is ramping up its efforts to cash in on the lucrative advertising business. The carrier has officially launched its new “App Insights” program after more than a year in beta. App Insights allows marketers to buy user data directly from T-Mobile, with a particular emphasis on data showin...

05/01/2022

Finally! A big win for privacy!

Google will now let users put in a request to prevent their personal info like phone numbers, e-mail and addresses from showing up on search results.

04/10/2022

You should air dust (with compressed air) any electronics that have vents with fans behind them, at least once a year.

Dust is no joke, folks

04/03/2022

It might be worth reconsidering Vizio TV's. Nobody should have to see ads OVER the things they watch, on a TV they paid for.

I've found Sony's Android TV's have an acceptable amount of ads, none of them over what you're trying to watch. And their 4k upscaling technology is better than any of the competition.

-Ben

Vizio TV owners still have time to voice their concerns

02/02/2022

You'll want to remove this app immediately

This authenticator app is designed to install bank info-stealing malware that could wipe you out.