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Over the years we have seen a lot of computers that we can tell are from smokers. It’s not the smell, but the residue of the tar and nicotine left inside the computer, to the point that it can even discolor some cables. I would venture to say that smoking is not good for your computer, but than again neither is dust. But Apple has taken things to a whole new, possibly extreme, level.
Heads up, smokers: Lighting up near your computer is heresy enough that Apple says it voids your warranty should you need to bring a smoke-exposed computer in for repair.
Specifically, in at least two instances in different parts of the country, Apple has voided the warranty and refused to provide repair service on Macintosh computers exposed to environments where cigarette smoke has been present. Calling cigarette smoke residue (tar and whatnot) inside a computer a health risk and a “biohazard,” in both cases Apple customers have been denied service despite having time left on a valid warranty.
Apple is standing by the decisions, saying that repair centers have the authority to make decisions like this on their own, citing OSHA rules that include nicotine in a list of hazardous substances that could damage the health of someone exposed to it. (Consumerist, which digests the issue with its typical aplomb, adds that sucrose, talc, and calcium carbonate are all also on the OSHA hazardous materials list.)
Apple isn’t formally commenting on the issue or responding to media requests for comment, namely regarding whether there’s a threshold for cigarette smoke exposure beyond which a computer won’t be serviced. Is one cigarette too much? 200? The answer is probably far less scientific than that: If a technician doesn’t like cigarette smoke and your computer smells a bit smoky, it probably won’t get serviced.
I can understand the policy here, but Apple’s failure to mention this issue in its warranty materials is out of line. To leave consumers on the hook for repairing their multi-thousand dollar machine by themselves, without notifying them in advance that cigarette smoke exposure could void their warranty, well… sounds a lot like typical Apple behavior, to be honest.
I know that some if us have already begun our holiday, but I wanted everyone to be aware that there are 4 Windows XP updates this week. So though we will all be busy, just remember the hackers will be busy reverse engineering these security updates. Unfortunately, crime doesn’t seem to take a holiday.
There are going to be a lot of great computer deals out there. Please, a word of caution, you often get what you pay for.
Enjoy Thanksgiving.
We will open Friday at 8:00 a.m. just like usual.
From PC Magazine
Facebook Worm Sells Itself with a Booty Call
Gadi Evron noted a new Facebook worm over the weekend. The hook to it appears in a friend’s profile as the racy image at left.
Click the image, and you are brought to a Web page with the same image.
Analysis by famous malware analyst Nick Fitzgerald calls this a CSRF
(Cross-Site Request Forgery) attack, a cousin to cross-site scripting:
A sequence of iframes on the exploit page call
a sequence of other pages and scripts, eventually resulting in a form submission to Facebook “as if” the victim had submitted a URL for a wall post and clicked on the “Share” button to confirm the post.
Afterward, you are redirected to a porn site.
Currently there are many security issues with Adobe Reader. There were some additional downloads just today. Make sure you have Version 9 and you can uninstall all earlier versions from your computer. Sometimes it takes a lot of work to keep your computer safe.
According to report from Symantec, tens of millions of U.S computers are running a fake security software which they have either paid for or have downloaded for free. These softwares make its way into the computer system by fake virus alert which has been planted by the cyber thieves.
“Lots of times, in fact they’re a conduit for attackers to take over your machine,” said Vincent Weafer, Symantec’s vice president for security response.
“They’ll take your credit card information, any personal information you’ve entered there and they’ve got your machine,” he said, referring to some rogue software’s ability to rope a users’ machine into a botnet, a network of machines taken over to send spam or worse.
Source : yahoo
So what do you do? If you are suspicious call us at 563-388-1727. Never buy anything that “appears” on your computers. If you think you are infected, we can help. Guaranteed.
October Patch Tuesday: Microsoft Releases 13 Security Updates
The solution for the vulnerability that was left unpatched during last month’s patch cycle was included in the recently released security advisory, along with a dozen other vulnerability reports.
Of the 13 security vulnerabilities fixed today, 8 vulnerabilities were marked “critical” while the other 5 were marked “important.” This month’s release covered a wide range of vulnerabilities, each of which affects long lists of software. Listed among the software affected in several of the released security update is the very much coveted Windows 7, which is slated to be released next week.
Description: The Intel Desktop Board DG31PR is an Intel G31 Express-based, compact motherboard.This motherboard supports Celeron, Pentium D, Pentium Dual Core, and Core 2 processors that use the LGA775 interface.
Pros: Has a intel GMA 3100 graphics chip, which is considerably faster than some similarly priced motherboards.Of course there is also a PCI-E slot for more advanced video solutions.This board can be expanded to 4GB of RAM.This should be enough for demanding environments from gaming to gigabyte networking.
This item is available and in stock today. Call for more information. 563-388-1727
Here are a few suggestions on how to get more life out of your existing computer. Most of these tips are for desktops, but some apply to laptops too.
- Turn the machine off at night.
- Never turn off the surge protector, during electrical storms unplug the surge protector from the wall.
- Bring your computer in to our store whenever you would like, for a free physical cleaning. We will blow out all the dust bunnies with an air compressor.
- Consider adding some more RAM to your machine. For example if your machine is four years old it will seem a lot slower than it was when it was new. Why is that? There are some very simple answers. In the past four years Windows XP is grown to be a larger program and also most anti-virus and security programs use more RAM because the programs are more developed than they used to be.
If you decide to get RAM consider doing it at our store for three specific reasons:
1.) We do not charge to install RAM, we will physically clean your machine when you bring it in.
2.) Our RAM has a lifetime replacement warranty.
3.) Additionally, if you see no difference in your performance you can return the RAM to us, up to ten days later and get a full refund.
- Make sure your surge protector is no more than three years old. Yes we mean a surge protector, not a power strip you would plug Christmas lights into. A surge protector is rated based on its’ Joules. We recommend over 3000 Joules for a computer/monitor set-up.
- Uninstall any unused programs from your machine.
- Ensure you have updated Windows
- By all means, please call us for questions relating to how your computer is performing, or bring the machine into the store and we can make some suggestions to extend the life of your computer.
The search giant said that it had taken immediate action to safeguard the affected accounts.
Phishing involves using fake websites to lure people into revealing data such as bank account details or login names.
BBC News has seen two lists that detail more than 30,000 names and passwords that have been posted online.