One stormy day …

The article below caught my eye because it sets out a major problem with spyware, adware; lack of an agreed upon definition of the name and scope of the problem. An extreme view says that any outside agent that installs even a cookie. Some say it is bad only if it does something destructive. Some […]

In the good old days, we worried about equipment failures, and the occasional operator error that could trash a PC, most notably the hard drive. The applications were simple, mostly forms of word processing. So the best safety net was a good backup.
Times are different now. Applications are more diverse, often involving multiple backup strategies. […]

Sometimes it just takes too much effort to clean up or recover a PC after a virus or malware has trashed it. Some home computers have been neglected so long that there are layers of spyware, adware, Trojans, etc.
When a PC is beyond reasonable recovery, you have to start over. Starting over can mean restoring […]

Over time, a well performing PC degrades as applications are installed, features are added and tweaked. Some virus and spyware can so trash a system that it’s hard to save it. Wouldn’t it be nice to be able to start over with that brand new PC again, only with all your key applications already running […]

We try to get out regularly for a hike in the desert and mountains around Phoenix. One week my friend Ed picks the destination; next week it’s my turn. We are both interested in the desert foothills geology and (very amateur) archeology. It’s good exercise and we enjoy looking for ruins, traces of civilization and other […]

The computer can be a significant aid in the administration and management of the landscaping operations in a homeowner’s association:
· Work Orders – track work orders from initiation by a resident or employee, through completion. Enter the date, time, location, and problem. Then enter the assignment information and print for the fieldwork. Then enter the […]

I have used Symantec’s antivirus products for years and generally been very satisfied. Keeping your antivirus up to date is critical for a couple of reasons:
- The bad products spread and mutate very quickly. Your 30 day old patterns may not save you.
- Since they are a major player, some aggressive virus products target Symantec […]

Many infected PC’s I see, have been infected after the owner clicked an offer to good to be true. It goes something like this:
- A window pops up informing you that you may have spyware, etc.
- Offers a free scan/clean of your PC.
- You click (free is good isn’t it?).
- Your free offer now infects […]

HOA’s, like most other organizations, make use of forms to get information from residents and employees into the proper administrative hands. There are several alternatives to create and use custom forms:

Word, Excel, etc. – using your Word Processing program to create a custom form can get the job done for simple forms. When the formatting […]

Email works fine for messages and most simple attachments. But try to send a group of pictures, or a very large document, or a program file as an attachment, and you can run into problems.
The file(s) may be too much for your ISP’s Email limits, in which case it is immediately rejected, or worse yet, […]

For protection my choice is Microsoft Anti-spyware. For troubleshooting and cleanup I use a number of tools, but the top three antispyware removers I use are: Spybot Search and Destroy; Lavasoft’s Adaware, and the MS program.
I currently install Microsoft’s beta anti-spyware on each PC I touch for service, and on any new PC I setup. […]

This is important to me because this product has become my antispyware remover and protection of choice. The answer seems to be a qualified no. Here is an extracted quote that seems to say it will continue to be free:
“…Gates announced the company’s plan for making the personal version of the final Windows AntiSpyware software […]

Unfortunately there isn’t a single answer. For protection my choice is Microsoft Anti-spyware. For troubleshooting and cleanup I use a number of tools, but the top three antispyware removers I use are: Spybot Search and Destroy; Lavasoft’s Adaware, and the MS program.
I currently install Microsoft’s beta anti-spyware on each PC I touch for service, and […]

Community Associations Institute
A link to the national organization of Community Associations Institute.

CAI-Arizona
A link to the Central Arizona chapter of the Community Associations Institute, for you fellow residents of Arizona.