I get asked, "Should I upgrade to Windows 8?".
My answer is, "Probably not!".
Windows XP Support will be withdrawn this year meaning that no more security updates will be forthcoming so if your PC in connected to the Internet you may wish to consider whether or not to upgrade or replace your PC. It won't stop working, it'll just become more open to security breaches.
If you have Windows Vista or Windows 7 there is no need to upgrade unless you relish the challenge. Windows 8 is very different and whereas progress from XP through Vista and onto 7 were easy, Windows 8 requires some relearning.
My own opinion is that unless you have a Touch Screen PC or Tablet, Windows 8 gives you nothing.
Windows 8 is designed to make use of Touch Screen technology and to converge the look and feel of Windows PC, Tablets and Smartphones.
Saturday 30 March 2013
Wednesday 13 March 2013
Cold call Con "Your PC has a Problem"
If you receive a telephone call from a company which sounds like one you know telling you that your PC has a problem which they can resolve - it's a con!
Typical company names I have encountered include "BT Technical Support" and "Windows Support". These trade on people's worries about Internet security and the familiarity of a respected name.
The first is not in any way related to BT - British Telecommunications plc. - try asking, and the second misleads using the familiar "Windows" name which is a product of the company Microsoft.
All these con's work on fear of your own competence and are the same con's as the doorstep roof repairers etc. They are clever, they will guide you to look at event log screens which are always full of error alerts and look alarming if you don't know what they mean.
An ex-student of mine responded to one of these calls and agreed to pay a £50 fee for them to connect remotely and fix his laptop. This was a 2 week old laptop in perfect condition which I had installed security software on myself and know was in perfect order.
The company, based in India, did connect using remote access but fortunately didn't do anything malicious to the PC. However, they did take a 5 year payment at £50 per year (£250) from his account. It could have been much worse.
Typical company names I have encountered include "BT Technical Support" and "Windows Support". These trade on people's worries about Internet security and the familiarity of a respected name.
The first is not in any way related to BT - British Telecommunications plc. - try asking, and the second misleads using the familiar "Windows" name which is a product of the company Microsoft.
All these con's work on fear of your own competence and are the same con's as the doorstep roof repairers etc. They are clever, they will guide you to look at event log screens which are always full of error alerts and look alarming if you don't know what they mean.
An ex-student of mine responded to one of these calls and agreed to pay a £50 fee for them to connect remotely and fix his laptop. This was a 2 week old laptop in perfect condition which I had installed security software on myself and know was in perfect order.
The company, based in India, did connect using remote access but fortunately didn't do anything malicious to the PC. However, they did take a 5 year payment at £50 per year (£250) from his account. It could have been much worse.
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